Udupi couple tell of Libya nightmare after safe return

March 6, 2011

CL11

Udupi, March 6: “It's a war like situation indeed…We had to simply evacuate behind everything we earned…” This is how Dr Giridhar Kamath and his wife Dr Vrinda Kamath, the professor couple, who returned their home in Udupi safely, last Saturday from conflict-torn Libya expressed their frustration and helplessness.

The couple had been to Libya along with their only daughter Ashwini, who is now a four year old cute girl.

The husband and wife were serving as professors of Prostodontics and Forensic Medicine respectively at the Sebha University Medical College, in Sebha, a semi urban area loyal to Libyan Strongman Muammar Qadafi, since October 2009.

“The situation there was literally terrifying. Even the small boys were made to handle the light machine guns with live cartridges. Truckloads of armed men were on a route march firing in air”, said Dr Vrinda.

“While coming back, we were forced to cough up four times, for Libyan Dinar to US currency conversion”, she said.

Dr Giridhar said: “Last week Indian Embassy asked us to get ready to leave Libya. In a hurry we could not get the official channels for money conversion. We were forced to do that in a black market. In the process we lost all that we earned in the last one and a half year”

He said, “In fact pro Qadafi men are ruling the Sebha. They are supplied with guns to shoot at sight the traitors or anti Qadafi citizens. They are conducting routine night checks and surprise checks on the houses”.

The Libian government announced an incentive of 500 Libyan Dinar per head, to the Libian citizens working for the government. Likewise, their home rentals (government provides homes to government servants on rental basis) were also waived off. Government's that move scared us and we decided to leave, he added.

Dr Giridhar also said that they do not have plans to return to Libya, even if the situation returns to normal, as they were on a two years contract.

Replying a question Vrinda also said that Dr Shanawaz Manippadi and Dr Abdul Sattar from Mangalore were also living in Sebha.

“Shanavaz had come back home on a vacation and as soon as the violence erupted we informed him not to return to Libya. Abdul Sattar returned to India in the same flight we returned”, she added.

6giridha

CL12

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News Network
April 18,2020

Mangaluru, Apr 18: Three people, including a woman, who were being treated at the city's Wenlock Hospital have been discharged after they recovered from Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

With this, a total of 12 people who had tested positive for the virus until Thursday have been discharged from various hospitals in Dakshina Kannada.

A 39-year-old advocate from Uppinangady tested positive for Covid -19 on Friday, he has been admitted to the Wenlock Hospital and is being treated. With this, only one COVID-19 positive patient is being treated at Wenlock Hospital till Friday evening.

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News Network
January 19,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 19: The Karnataka government has given its nod to teach 'Vivekadeepini' slokhas, authored by Adi Shankaracharya, in schools across the state, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Saturday.

At an event called 'Vivekadeepini Mahasamarpane,' organised by Vedanta Bharati, Yediyurappa said, "It has been noticed that Vivekadeepini, which evolves the mind and illumines a person, has a great effect on students.

Parents and teachers have found a positive change among children who were inspired by Vivekadeepini." "Hence, the government has given its nod to allow teaching Vivekadeepini in the schools in Karnataka," he added.

According to the organisers of the event, around two lakh children from 50 schools participated in the event where they were taught to chant Vivekadeepini, comprising verses for the seekers in the spiritual journey.

Yediyurappa reminded the audience that the Indian culture and civilisation is the oldest and the best, which they should feel proud of. Likening Amit Shah to the first union home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he said, "After Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel if we have seen a union home minister, it is Amit Shah, who has successfully resolved many burning issues of the countries within a few months.

"Shah succeeded in finding a permanent solution to Kashmir issue," Yediyurappa said.

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News Network
January 30,2020

Mangaluru: The police team investigating the case of bomb planting at the international airport here on January 20, took suspect Aditya Rao to several places in the city where he had frequented in the past few months, police said on Wednesday.

Police had earlier recovered a box from his bank locker at Udupi that contained a white powder which he claimed was cyanide. The substance has been sent to the Forensic Science laboratory for confirmation.

On further interrogation, Rao told police that he had a locker in a bank in Mangaluru also, where he was taken. Only some papers were seen in the locker, police said. He was also taken to the room where he stayed while he was working at a hotel in Balmatta here and to a hardware workshop from where he had purchased some spare parts, they said.

A 'live' explosive device was found in an unattended bag near a ticket counter of the departure gate of the airport here on January 20, triggering a scare before it was defused at a nearby open ground.

Police had released a picture of a man captured on CCTV camera as the suspect who placed the bomb and Rao later surrendered. Meanwhile, sources said the airport authorities got an anonymous call on Monday evening that a bomb had been planted in the airport. After thorough search, it was found to be a hoax. City police commissioner P S Harsha has warned of stringent action against those who make such calls.

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