Belgaum BANDH tomorrow
6:23 PM Posted by ukmad
KRV and other Kannada organisations have a called for a Belgaum BANDH for tomorrow Tuesday 9th February.
The Bandh has been called after the Maharashtra Politicians had squashed that Marathi people have been facing injustics from the government.
As tomorrow is weekly holiday for the Belgaum market the effect of the bandh call has to be seen, also a surprising factor why did the bandh call on a tuesday.
Why Belgaum and not Bangalore?
11:29 AM Posted by ukmad
Source: ITBelgaum.com
One of the most common questions I - as an entrepreneur - get is: "Why did you choose Belgaum? Why not Bangalore?". Yes. It is true that Bangalore has established itself as the IT hub aka the Silicon Valley of India. Indeed, Bangalore today is known the world over for the IT presence in the city and not the numerous gardens it hosts. So why did I choose Belgaum? or rather why would anybody choose Belgaum over a much better alternative i.e. Bangalore? This article attempts to help our readers understand the IT industry the way it is today and in the process eradicate some of the myths surrounding it.
Is location important?
Everything in this world today is wired. Over the years internet technology has matured so well that one can not live with out it especially in the IT industry. Any offshore development done is delivered via the network. Software like any other commodity item can be sold online through websites. So then the question: Is location really that important? Absolutely not. There are companies in Belgaum whose employees virtually work in the UK and USA while physically they are still in Belgaum.
Cost Factor
For a company/business that has just started it is important to keep its running costs as low as possible. Belgaum being a second-tier city provides the low-cost advantage over other major IT hubs such as Bangalore. Cost of leasing/renting an office in Bangalore compared to one in Belgaum is way too high. Such higher running costs builds up pressure on a small startup to start making profits. Pressure is not good for business.
Time Factor
Bigger cities provide loads of facilities to people living there. These include access to ultra-modern shopping malls, cinema houses, international airport, etc. However, all this comes with one major problem and that is heavy traffic. Such cities are overly populated and their roads full of vehicles plying each way. My friend's working in such bigger cities take at 2hrs on a average to go from home to their offices. That amounts to 4hrs in the traffic each day. In addition to this, they have to start early in the morning else it take even longer.
Time is an important factor of growth in a early stage startup. One has to give it the maximum time and attention. You cannot afford to feel tired because of all the day-to-day traveling. Working in a smaller city like Belgaum saves a lot of travel time. Today you can reach from one end of Belgaum to the other end in about 30mins in peak traffic. If you choose to have you office closer to your house like I have, thats even better. You can afford to have a good sleep, wake up fully rested and give your best to your working day each day all year along.
Business Opportunities
People seem to think that if a company is in Belgaum then it only caters to local customers. This is not true. These people need to open their eyes and wake up and embrace the new age, the new technology, and the new ways of global businesses. Another common myth is that if you are in a city like Bangalore you are more likely to get new customer leads. This totally depends on what service one has to offer in the business. If you have established good networks all around leads can fall in place from anywhere on this planet.
Career Prospects
This one is particularly for the young and hungry job seekers. The feeling is that if you work in a city like Bangalore that hosts thousands of companies you are more likely to progress faster in your career than by working for a company in Belgaum. In the IT industry the way people progress in their careers is by changing their jobs i.e. switching companies for a better offer. This is good for the bank accounts but not so good for the bad days that are now coming around every so often. By jumping jobs one becomes "the Jack of all trades and Ace of none" kind of a person. During a recession period this is the guy a company will look to get away with. Unfortunately, except a few the whole IT force in India falls in this category today.
My advice to the youth coming out of college is to look for that one thing in IT that interests you, go for it, learn it and master it. Be an Ace not a Jack and you will see employers flocking to you (not the other way around). Go for the knowledge rather than money. Go watch the movie - "3 Idiots" if you haven't got it yet.
Belgaum startup or any startup for that matter might pay a lower salary but there is a huge potential to learn. You are going to be a core member of a team where your say really matters unlike being one amongst several thousands an MNC or a big service giant already has. Initially you might feel left behind by comparing their friend's salary which could be 2 or 3 folds more than yours. However, unlike your friend's, your career growth is directly proportional to the company's growth. You put in more effort, the company does well and in turn you do well in the company. Your work will be much much rewarding. Being small allows the company to share its profits with its employees easily. That is to say if the company makes millions in profit you make millions too! It is always better to join a company which is small and be counted.
I think I made my point. Having said that please do comment if you have anything to add to this or you feel otherwise. Please note that I in particular have nothing against Bangalore or people living in Bangalore. This article was an attempt to show the reader what lies beyond Bangalore in a place like Belgaum.
Author:
Dr. Ameet Patil founded Spundhan Softwares Pvt. Ltd., a software company, in the year 2008 in Belgaum, Karnataka, India. Ameet is an expert in Embedded Real-time Systems particularly in the area of hardware design, software timing analysis and real-time operating systems. Ameet is keen to promote IT in Belgaum and the surrounding region and is always willing help budding entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to the real world. For more information visit: http://www.spundhan.com or http://www.ameetpatil.com. For job related queries please email your resume to jobs@spundhan.com
Maharashtra politicians flayed by Kannada organizations sate wide
10:47 AM Posted by ukmad
‘Marathi people are being provoked at the cost of linguistic harmony’
‘Many Marathi medium schools in Karnataka get grant-in-aid’
Pro-Kannada leaders and organisation in Belgaum and the state have strongly condemned the allegations of Maharashtra political leaders at the Seema Parishad. The minister had in their speeches stated that the Marathis in Belgaum were facing injustice from the government. They also alleged that political leaders from Maharashtra are provoking Marathi speaking people in Belgaum and border areas of Karnataka by making baseless and false charges against the Karnataka Government.
Speaking to reporters here on Sunday District president of Kannada Development Authority, Basavaraj Jagajampi and member Siddanagouda Patil lashed back by accusing the Maharastra government of not supporting the Kannada educational institutes in Maharashtra. They `alleged' that the Maharashtra government had been "killing the Kannada language" by not providing facilities to Kannada schools in the neighbouring state.
Some Stats:
there were 225 Kannada schools in 131 villages surrounding Akkalakote in Maharashtra
Now declined to 68.
one teacher was kept in charge of five schools
No books have been made available for Kannada medium students of PUC and B Ed
Not a single Marathi school had been closed in Karnataka after the reformation of States
332 Marathi and 274 Kannada government schools in Belgaum (rural) and Khanapur taluks have 1,713 and 1,358 teachers
there is one Kannada teacher for 31 students, there is one Marathi teacher for just 22 students.
Effigies of Maharashtra rural development minister Jayanth Patil and Shiva Sena leader Baba Saheb in Davanagere on Saturday, in protest against their insulting speeches against Kannadigas at a Marathi convention by Nava Nirman Vedike. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), Narayana Gowda faction, blocked NH-4 near Baada Cross on Saturday evening.
Victorious Lions lift the BCL
6:16 PM Posted by ukmad
In the Mla Sanjay Patil Belgaum Champions league T20 tournament the Victorious Lions won the finals to lift the cup.
In the finals the Nasco Royals were beaten by Victorious Lions.V
Church street now and then
7:02 PM Posted by ukmad
Another image for those oldies who spent time in camp and for the young ones here is how it looks today.Church Street near M K swamy bakery, (Swamy bakery was initially three shops down the lane from the current one)
Thanks Sahir Kittur for the search of the old photo, current photo UkMaD.
Bhimgarh now wildlife sanctuary
12:02 PM Posted by ukmad
The ministry of environment and forests gave its consent to declare Bhimgadh (in Khanapur Taluk) in Belgaum district as a wildlife sanctuary. The Centre had given its consent for declaring 138 sqkm of forest as a wildlife sanctuary and the government issued the order three days ago.
Bhmgadh was in news over the political issue between Goa and Karnataka over water sharing Mahadayi water. Wildlife lovers were keen on saving this habitat.
Bhimgadh shelters two rare bat species — Wroughton free-tailed bats and Tomb bats. In India, Barapidi in Bhimgadh has the only colony of Wroughton free-tailed bats. Their only other habitat in the world is Brazil. Tomb bats are found in West Bengal. Barapidi caves were part of the sanctuary. Wildlife enthusiast say the forest was also a triangular corridor for tigers and elephants, which migrate between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.
Source: TOI
Mr.Mohan Pai ahs written explicitly on this topic with various photos of the areas and one shold read this to understand the necessity for making Bhimgarh into a wildlife sanctuary. Click the flowwing links to read in detail about the bio diversity.
Mahadyi/Mandovi River Valley - Part I
Mahadayi/Mandovi River Valley - Part II
Mahadayi/Mandovi River Valley - Part III
Mahadayi/Mandovi River Valley - Part IV
Mahadayi/Mandovi River Valley - Part V
Mahadayi/ Mandovi River Valley - Part VI
MP writes to railway ministers with proposals for Belgaum
6:46 PM Posted by ukmad
MP Suresh Angadi has written letters to to the Union railway minister Mamata Banerjee and Union minister of state for railways K H Muniyappa urging them to include some proposals under the annual railway budget 2010-11.
Proposals made:
1. new railway track along Belgaum-Bailhongal (Kittur)-Dharwad- survey work has already been completed.
2. up gradation of an existing Gokak Road station
3. survey work for the creation of new track linking Belgaum-Savantwadi
4. introduction of new evening daily Garib Rath Express on Hubli-Dadar (Mumbai) route
5. diversion of present Bangalore-Hajrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express via Belgaum
6. construction of under bridge at Paschapur station along Belgaum-Miraj route
7. shifting of an existing goods shed in Belgaum to Sambra to facilitate expansion of Belgaum Railway Station.
Demands for Belgaum-Bailhongal (Kittur)-Dharwad is not new and the survey work is already over but nothing concrete has been said by the rail authorities on this.
There has been a long standing demand of the people of Hubli and Belgaum to start a train from Hubli to Mumbai.
What happens this year to this demands need to be seen. AAB will follow up the Railway budget and get you information right away when the same is presented in the last week of February, most probable date would be 23.
Seema Parishad
6:32 PM Posted by ukmad
The MES organized Seema Parishad (Convention of Marathis) just ended at Subhahs Maidan (Lele ground) today evening. The event was a crowd puller of sorts and number of people attending were in good numbers and same was the case with Police.
Jayantrao Patil Minister for Rural Development (Maharashtra), Subhash Desai, leader of Shiv Sena, N D Patil and various others leaders spoke on the occasion and asked the Marathi's not to think they are alone and Maharashtra is behind them.
There were small incidents of trouble created by so called Kannada activists at the venue who were beaten up and police had resort to a very mild lathi charge. All was peaceful and no untoward incident was reported.
The city buses were off the road as a measure of precaution which caused a lot of hardships to school going children and people going for work.
All photos: Team AAB
Sambra Airport upgraded for ?
11:01 AM Posted by ukmad
The Sambra airport has been upgraded with better facilities at a cost of Rs. 3.57 crore recently. airport now has its own ATC (Air Traffic Control) room and facilitates landing/take off during night hours too. Close Circuit Television and parking facility for 50 vehicles has also been provided. All this up gradation is of the terminal area, the expansions of the run way is yet to be done. 370 acres of land adjoining the airport has been acquired to extend the length of existing runway (537 metres). The farmers have been reimbursed and work will commence soon, MP Suresh Angadi told press persons yesterday when he was here to see the terminal building.
Air traffic has been closed for over a year now and union minister of Civil aviation Praful Patel on his visit in November had assured of resumption of flights in three months but nothing has changed on ground zero.
Mr.Angadi also added that he would try his best and get the flights flying from Belgaum.
Source: The Hindu
Movies as on 05-02-2010
7:39 AM Posted by ukmad
| Theatre | Movie | Timings |
| Big Cinemas | 3 Idiots | 3.15 |
| Veer | 12.15,6.30 | |
| Ishqiya | 12.45,6.45,9.45pm | |
| Rann | 3.45,9.30pm | |
| Nirmal | Ram (K) | 12.15pm,3.15,6.15,9.15 |
| Huns | Shri Banshankari Mata (K) | 12,3,6,9 |
| Arun | 12.30,2,4,7 | |
| Roopali | Sahukat (K) | 12.15,3,6,9 |
| Balkrishna | 12.30,3.30,6.30,9.30 | |
| Chitra | Porki (K) | 12,3,6,9 |
| Swaroop | Namo Venkatesh | 12.15,3.15,6.15,9.15 |
| Hira | Veer | 12.15,3.15,6.15,9.15 |
| Prakash | Maat Maatalli (K) | 12.15,3.15,.615,9.15 |
| Nartaki | 3 Idiots | 2.45,5.45,9.15 |
| Santosh | Shankar Guru (K) | 12.15,3.15,6.15,9.15pm |
| Globe | Bandit Queen | 12.15,1.45,3.45,6.45 |
| Kindly check the excat timings with the theatres | ||
RAF in town for tomorrows Seema Parishat
6:46 PM Posted by ukmad
The Rapid Action force is in town and did a flag march on the streets of Belgaum to show their presence in the city. They are here for the 'Bandobast' for the SEEMA PARISHAT called by the MES and other Marathi speaking organizations. 
The SEEMA PARISHAT has been called for the rejuvenation of the cause for Marathi and to spread awareness about how the Marathi people have been denied of their rights and what are ones rights. 
The DC recently ordered all offices in the district to make arrangements to make all official documents to be made available in Marathi as well. This was done after the National Minorities commission summoned the authorities and also for the reason that the commission will hold its meeting here in Belgaum later this year.
SEEMA PARISHAT will be held at Subhash Maidan (Lele Ground) in the afternoon and thousands of people will come for the same the organizers said. The district authorities have not officially granted permission for the event but the Corporation gave a conditional permission for erecting the pandal at the venue.
Today some women activists of the Kannada organizations tried to commit suicide at the DC's office in protest of the authorities giving permission for the event.
Today morning a huge rally was organized by MES with various demands from Ration cards, Marathi sign boards, to getting good value for the crops.
The language game and politics is at its peak and this SEEMA PARISHAT which was planned way before this all started may be an appropriate time for discussing the issue, many feel. The Mumbai for Marathi's issue is gaining ground day by day with almost anyone falling into the discussion from Sharukh Khan to Snajay Nirupam to Raj & Udhav Thackrey.
The worst part of all this for city of Belgaum is not good.
When one sees the photos of RAF and this bandobast, people from outside will not come and this will hit and impact business as a whole.
The Mumbai for Marathi's is the hottest topic of the news channels for the past 4 days and what is Belgaum for ????? “Belgaum is for Belgaumites.”
People from both parties can fight it out as a discussion but what is going to happen in reality is a question.
RFID tracking tags for students in school
11:34 AM Posted by ukmad
This could set off a controversy over freedom and privacy but the students of Love Dale Central School will have to wear a radio frequency tag around their necks so that schools and parents can keep track of them all day. A
‘pioneering’ practice, perhaps, since more animals than people have been marked out for tracking until now.
The card called Keeptrack will have all the information at regular intervals be sent as an SMS as when he or she left school. At school the same mechanism will will serve as an identity card and help keep tabs on attendance, academic performance as well as movements.
The school says that the system is affordable and was needed for children’s safety and security given the long distances they have to commute to get to school and back home.
How it works: Students wear the RFID device — a card with a chip and a unique identification tag — around their neck. A reader installed at the school records a student’s arrival, and subsequent movements, passing it on to a central computer. Messages are then generated automatically and sent to parents and others.
IT Belgaum spreads IT word in Gogte BCA and BIMS
6:56 PM Posted by ukmad
The premier Special Interest Group of the IT-BPO companies in Belgaum, ITBelgaum’s initiative of doing technical seminar and workshops was once again exceedingly gratified by the students and the faculty of Gogte college Commerce BCA and BIMS.
The group conducted two sessions today the first one being at Gogte college of Commerce BCA and the second was at BIMS (Belgaum institute of Management studies).
At the Gogte BCA event, Sandeep Hegde from DotCord IT solutions told a wholesome crowd of about 180 the importance of IT Belgaum and its initiatives. Following which Swapneel Patnekar of eTH1 network solutions enthralled the audience with is spell bound presentation on open source software. A lot of questions were asked and his session was extended over. Purshottam from Mabansoft technologies spoke on web 2.0 and its technologies.
The faculty at Gogte BCA were happy to the interaction of the students with the industry and appreciated the work of the group and assured all their support for the cause.
This was for the first time that two sessions were held on one day and the enthusiastic members made the second event also very interesting at BIMS.
R K Patil of Vavvaya Labs gave the introduction to IT Belgaum and Aadil Bandukwalla from Talent onions in usual captivated way kept the audience spell bound. A lot of questions were asked and Dr.Ameet Patil Spundhan answered them along with Mr.Santosh from TiE Hubli.
ITBelgaum group has been conducting workshops in colleges and creating awareness amongst the students and telling them a path ahead for a career. The group mainly aims at spreading the knowledge and creating awareness about IT companies in Belgaum.
AllAboutBelgaum.com has been a scout in the formation of this group and has got on board all these IT-BPO companies from the city under one roof and spreading the word about IT.
Karnataka Drafts Semiconductor Policy impetus on tier I and II cities
6:54 PM Posted by ukmad
More than 100 companies in Bangalore create more than 80% of the semiconductor in the state. To encourage the growth oft his industry else where in the state, a new Karnataka Drafts Semiconductor Policy was laid down today at the ISA Vision Summit 2010, by CM B. S. Yeddyurappa.
The policy is drafted in such a way that govt. shall ensure that its objectives are met. It will be a role model for other states to follow. The focus will now not only be Bangalore but also Tier-II and Tier-III cities like Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Mysore, Mangalore.
More than 30% of the total potential in the semiconductor industry would be tapped in the state, which would lead to creation of numerous job opportunities, he added.
Source: Channeltimes
Vice President goof up as Belgaum in Maharashtra
10:55 AM Posted by ukmad
India's Vice-President Hamid Ansari has committed a blunder by including the Belgaum district in Maharashtra.
While the BJP Leaders in Karnataka alleged that the Vice-President has done in deliberately for raking up the boundary dispute with Maharashtra by mentioning that Belgaum is in the Maharashtra State in his letter dated January 11, 2010, Karnataka writers lashed out at the VP for his alleged careless.
Ms Shaheen Rafique Ahmad Basrarikatti of Belgaum had written a complaint to Mr Ansari against Khanapur Town Panachayat Committee. Following this, the Vice-President in his letter directed the Deputy Commissioner, Belgaum District, Belgaum, Maharashtra, to take appropriate action on the issue. The issue has received criticism from all sections of the people in Karnataka. It was a mistake done by the VP's secretary.
The Vice-President has wrongly mentioned that Belguam is in Maharashtra and this has received flak from the Minister and Kannada writers.
Mr Bommai, who is also the Minister in charge of Belgaum district, said that the Marathi speaking people are residing in Belgaum more happily in Karnataka than those residing in Maharashtra. The Centre should refrain from committing errors on issues such as language and boundary and settle the boundary disputes permanently, he said.
Source: Manglorean
