Sheikh Hamadn award winner Vibhali Shetty honoured with ‘Prathibha Puraskar’ by UAE Bunts

Bandipur, Jan 28: British adventurer Bear Grylls and superstar Rajinikanth arrived at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and National Park in Karnataka on Tuesday for shooting a special episode of the show 'Man vs Wild'.

The actor arrived at the location dressed in comfortable sporty clothes. Donning a dark blue jacket and grey track pants, Rajinikanth was also carrying a cross-body sling bag.

Videos and photographs of Rajinikanth arriving at a helipad were shared widely on social media.

Reports say that an agreement was signed between the Karnataka Forest Department represented by the Field Director of Bandipur and Banijay Group, Seventaurus Entertainment Studio Private Ltd, Mumbai for shooting of the documentary in December 2019. The team was also allowed to do a recce from December 27th to 29th as per the agreement, a report said.

The shooting has been permitted for six hours. "Permission for the shooting has been given for Sultan Batteri highway and ranges of Mulleholle, Maddur and Kalkere ranges. They will be shooting in non-tourist zones. If permission was given for the shooting of Wild Karnataka, then this can also be permitted. Also, no tourist or regular forest patrolling activities will be affected. The shooting will be done under special forest protection and no one will be aware of the locations," a forest official was quoted as saying in another news report.

Earlier in 2019, Grylls shot an episode of the show with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Grylls is also back with the latest edition of his National Geographic show ‘Running Wild With Bear Grylls’, where actors such as Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Joel McHale, Cara Delevingne, Rob Riggle, Armie Hammer and Dave Bautista take on adventurous challenges in remote wilderness.

Bengaluru, Feb 28: Historian S. Shettar, 85, breathed his last early on February 28 in Bengaluru. He was suffering from respiratory problems and was hospitalised for over a week.

Shettar was known for his multi-disciplinary work, encompassing linguistics, epigraphy, anthropology, the study of religions and art history. He had extensively worked on the Jain practice of ritual death in Karnataka and Asoka edicts. He had studied and compiled early edicts in Kannada and worked extensively on the growth of Kannada language down the ages.

Born in 1935 at Hampasagara, Ballari district, he went on to study at Cambridge University and started his career as a Professor of History at Karnatak University, Dharwad, his alma mater. He later headed the National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology in 1978 and Indian Council for Historical Research in 1996. He was also a visiting professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

He was a bilingual historian who wrote in English for most of his career, but started writing in Kannada in later years. In the last two decades, he developed a keen interest in linguistics and wrote multiple books on classical Kannada and Prakrit. His 2007 book “Shangam Tamilagam” is considered a seminal work in the study of the early period of Dravidian languages. It won him Bhasha Samman from Central Sahitya Akademi. He later wrote two works on Halegannada, classical Kannada. His most recent work was “Prakrita Jagadvalaya” in 2018.

Kuwait: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sections of the community in Kuwait, hundreds of NRIs are stranded due to unavailability of flights to fly back home. Leaders of associations belonging to Karnataka state in Kuwait and other part of Gulf countries have initiated a collective effort to discuss the challenges and issues faced by Kannadigas in Gulf Countries during COVID-19 pandemic.    

Mr. Ramesh S Bhandary – President of Tulu Koota Kuwait and Mr. Rajesh Vittal KKK president along with Other Gulf Karnataka Association leaders held video conference meeting arranged by GULF NRI Forum with Hon. Chief Minister of Karnataka Sri B.S. Yediyurappa to discuss the issue of COVID19 in Kuwait.

During this video conference, association leaders briefly explained various issues, statistics of emergency cases which include pregnant women, Senior citizens, visit visa expired cases and urgent medical treatment requirement cases who wish to travel back to Karnataka.

Evacuation flights to Bengaluru and Mangalore from Kuwait and other Gulf countries, request for free airline tickets or free quarantine facility at Bengaluru and Mangaluru also requested during this video call.

Dedicated Covid - 19 Helpline number for Karanataka NRIs- Nominate One line Contact person in Karnataka to co-ordinates all Covid related issues of NRI.

Responding to leaders requests, B.S Yediyurappa promised to address GCC Kannadigas concerns during this humanitarian crisis.

On Behalf of Kannadigaru Dubai & KNRI Forum , Gulf Kannadigas & Gulf Karantaka associations leaders expressed the happiness with BS Yadiyurappa - Hon Chief Minister of Karnataka, Raghavendra Yadiyurappa - Member of Parliament - Shivamogga constituency, for hearing problems of NRI and giving assurance of immediate action plan to repatriate needy Kannadigas from Gulf region to Karnataka.

Video conference was attended by Karnataka association leaders of Gulf Countries.

Karnataka NRI  Forum Kuwait committee comprising  representatives of leading associations of Karnataka in Kuwait such as Tulu Koota Kuwait (TKK), Kuwait Canara Welfare Association (KCWA), Kuwait Kannada Koota (KKK), Buntara Sangha Kuwait (BSK), Billava Sangha Kuwait (BSK), KKMA Karnataka Branch , Indian Doctors Forum and Karnataka Muslim Welfare Association Kuwait (KMWA).