Movies as on 1-05-2009

4:48 PM Posted by ukmad

TheatreMovieTimings
Big CinemasMe Shivaji Raje ….9.45pm
 8 by 10 Tasveer3.15,9.15pm
 A dekhen zara12.15,6.15pm
 Fast & Furious10,12.30,3.30,6.30
Ritz Srikrishna  
   
NirmalKiran Bedi12.15pm,3.15,6.15,9.15
   
HunsMadakari12.15, 3.15,6.15,9.15
   
Arun 12.30,2,4,7
RoopaliMaharaj12.15,3.15.6.15,9.15
BalkrishnaMegaSnake Nagraj12.30,3.30,6.30,9.30
ChitraJosh (K)12,3,6,9
SwaroopMachha12,3,6,9
HiraRana (T)12.15,3.15,6.15,9.15
   
PrakashChelladaru Sampige12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Nartaki  
 Me shivaji Raje BB12,3,6,9
SantoshJaji Mallige12.15pm,3.15pm,6.15pm,9.15pm
Globe 12.15,1.45,3.45,6.45
Kindly check the excat  timings with the theatres

Beating the heat

10:57 AM Posted by ukmad


For this elderly citizen of Belgaum, even an umbrella is of little use to protect him from the soaring temperatures in the city and uses fresh leaves as a better option for some shade and cool over his head.

 

Photo by: D.B. Patil (09448963874).

Stars of Belgaum - Sudhir Kulkarni CTO and Vice President of Engineering at SellPoint Inc.

10:21 AM Posted by ukmad


Sudhir Kulkarni is another Star of Belgaum who has made Belgaumites proud and put Belgaum on the world map. It gives me great pleasure to write about him here.

Sudhir was born in Belgaum and resided in Kali Ambrai (behind Rex Theatre). He attended three schools in Belgaum: Public School No. 29, Sardar’s High School and Beynon Smith High-School. During his schools years he was a brilliant student and won many awards in extra-curricular activities including Geeta chanting, Quiz competitions and drawing. Sudhir earned his Bachelor of Technology degree from the Regional Engineering College in Warangal and Master's Degree from the Indian Institute of Technology at Chennai. He has also obtained Executive Business training from Harward University and Stanford University.

In a successful career spanning over 20 years, Mr. Kulkarni has held challenging positions with increasing responsibilities in renowned companies like Oracle and Informatica. He is experienced in evangelizing and delivering state-of-the-art software solutions in diverse disciplines such as internet applications, middleware, and system management tools.

Currently Mr. Kulkarni works as CTO and VP of Engineering for SellPoint Inc.  He oversees all technical activities including SellPoint's patented Active Product Tour[TM] technology, on-demand application deployment and network infrastructure.

"We are fortunate to have Sudhir as the head of our engineering team," said Rick Martin, President and CEO of SellPoint. "His track record in designing and delivering state-of-the-art technology solutions will further solidify the breadth and depth of our technology platform."

"I love working for small companies because they're always on the cutting edge," Mr. Kulkarni said.

Sudhir, his wife Sujata and two children Sheila and Sameer currently live in California where he enjoys biking, swimming and spending time with his family. He also takes keen interest in Yoga, holistic medicine and wellness, which he enjoys sharing with others.

A few questions for you Sir.

1.            When did you leave Belgaum (Year)?

I left Belgaum in the year 1979.

2.           Some background of your family in Belgaum (as to your parent’s professions etc)?

My father late Sri. Chandrakant Kulkarni was renowned lawyer and mother late Smt. Sindhu Kulkarni (Naik) was a housewife. My sister Padmaja works in Karnataka Bank and resides in Pune.

3.           When was the last time you visited Belgaum? Or how often do you come to Belgaum? Is anyone from your family still in Belgaum?

I visited Belgaum in November of 2008, I usually visit every year. My aunt and many of cousins still live in Belgaum.

4.          Any plans to come back to Belgaum and start something here?

No concrete plans yet, I wouldn’t rule it out completely.

5.           At your time Belgaum did not have the best of engineering colleges, but now we have the VTU (Vishveshwaraya Technological University) and two well known engineering colleges. What to do you want to tell the youngsters passing out from there?

I am extremely happy to note that world-class education is now available in Belgaum.

For the passing graduates I would use the quote from Mark Twain "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

6.          You love working in small companies because they are always on the cutting edge, why haven’t you started one of your own.

I had started a couple of companies in the past but, I certainly plan to start a successful one in the future.

7.      A few words of encouragement on what the youngsters should do in this time of recession.

I like to use a quote from President John F. Kennedy:  “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word "crisis". One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger — but recognize the opportunity.”

To the youngsters, I would say, Aim high, follow your dreams. Good luck and Godspeed ahead!

8.      What do you remember about Belgaum? Or what is that you miss a lot.

I have many fond memories of Belgaum including the heavy monsoon rains, early morning visits to temples and mouth-watering delicacies like Kunda, Maande and Misal. 

9.      What do you think about this website?

This is an outstanding effort which provides encouragement for youngsters and a way for people to keep in touch with Belgaum. The website has a great potential, I encourage you to actively promote it.  

Exploitation children during elections

10:05 AM Posted by ukmad


Exploitation children during elections

A school going boy is seen serving drinking water to the people attending Bharatiya Janata Party’s election meeting in Khasbag in Belgaum on Tuesday April 14.

Similar instances have happened all over India, here is one more instance from Congress Party Using Children in Election Campaign at Hebbali Village Dharawad Taluk.

One should have a nose to smell the news- Vijaykumar Patil Principal Correspondent THE HINDU- They get u news

7:29 AM Posted by ukmad


They get u news: A new series of interviews of news reporters from Belgaum.
The first one in this series is Mr. Vijaykumar Patil Principal Correspondent of THE HINDU.
“You can make a story on whatever you see, listen and smell; one should only have a nose to smell the news. Never be part of yellow journalism as it is the greatest sin not only against the profession but also the society.” Vijaykumar Patil said.
A native of Bidar, Vijaykumar is a Bachelor of Engineering with Specialisation in Electronics & Communication. Born in 1960 both his parents are in the field of journalism. His father, Vishwanath Baburao Patil is a noted journalist & served The Hindu for a long time. His mother, Amrit served as a Managing Editor of the Hindi daily newspaper “DAMAN” from Bidar.

He was the Principal of R.R.K. Samithi’s Industrial Training Institute, Aurad Bidar from June 1, 1984 – August 31, 1985. He then served as EDITOR for INDEPENDENT SPIRIT and English Daily from 1988 to 1992 at Bidar at the same time he also worked as a STRINGER for PRESS TRUST OF INDIA & INDIAN EXPRESS. From 1992 to 2004 he served as a part time correspondent for Times of India, Gulburga.

Vijaykumar was the first journalist interview with R.Venkataraman, Former President of India for THE HINDU on June 29, 1999. He has been an invitee delegate at All India Fact Finding Committee on Godhra-Gujrat Violence, UNESCO sponsored Conference on ‘Alternative Schooling’, National Level Indian Classical Music Competitions, National Conference on “Role of Media in Restoring Values in Society”, State Level Workshop for Hindustani Classical Music Review Writers.

He also regularly contributes articles on Educational/Career issues, Reviews on Hindustani Classical/Light Music, Drama, occasionally on books in THE HINDU.
He has won Karnataka State Government’s “Cash Reward” for investigative stories on “Anti-Veerappan (Forest brigand) Operations” & ‘Best Journalist Award’ for the Year 1989-90 presented by Lions Club of Bidar.

He is interested in Political and Electoral analysis; Development, Panchayat Raj, Environment, Human Rights, Child and Women Rights/Labour, Education, Health, Reviews on Hindustani classical music and Theatre. A multifaceted personality with wide range of interests and good command over English has made him mark for himself a great place amongst the crowd. He knows Gujarati, English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Telugu.
He has a daughter who is software professional and his son is Commercial pilot in USA.

Some excerpts of the interview with Mr.Vijaykumar Patil:

1.       What made you join this field of news reporting?

V Patil:     I chose journalism as career even though I am a graduate in Electronics & Communication Engineering. I hail from a journalist family. My father Sri Vishwanath Baburao Patil is a seasoned journalist and served THE HINDU for long, besides being first in Karnataka to successfully run and edit a Hindi daily newspaper “DAMAN” published from Bidar. He was conferred Karnataka Press Academy Award, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and TSR Award (Development Journalism) in recognition of his significant and valuable contribution in the field of journalism. My mother is also in the profession as Managing Editor of the daily. My graduation in engineering course is in fulfillment of my parent's desire. But, the instinct for journalism was developing in me since my early days, matured along with my age leading me to opt for journalism as a career. But, the main reason to embrace journalism was out of social anger, which is widely visible among all youth who refuse to accept social evils such as corruption, nepotism, negligence, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, castism, unemployment, exploitation and other issues resulting in social unrest.

 

2.      You work for an English paper of repute does it put pressure on you when you collect news.

V Patil :   Working for nationally reputed newspaper like THE HINDU is a matter of honor and pride. I have never felt ‘under pressure’ even though I (all journalists) work under the threat of a deadline. A journalist has a great responsibility to pass on factual and authentic information/news to the readers every day. Any analytical story or feature must be well substantiated instead of cooking up stories. Therefore, it is a matter of responsibility, no matter even if a journalist works for a small newspaper. There should not be any compromise on the element of responsibility.

 

3.      All ask me this Question; and I want to ask you this, how do you collect news?

V Patil:  Normally, a newspaper/correspondent is informed about events such as press conferences, functions, seminars, etc. organised by government and private organisations/institutions in advance. However, one has to be alert round the clock on various incidents happening in different fields, including crime, social, political and cultural. One has to develop a network of “sources”, which are reliable and trustworthy. There are some ‘trade secrets’ as well! But, what makes a difference between a Reporter and a Journalist, as I understand, the former communicates an event/information/news while the latter ‘reads between the lines’ thereby, he not only extracts a good news but also a thought-provoking story. Yet, without a nose for news, it is difficult to run the show.

 

4.      Working for an English paper in Belgaum, not much glamour there is not it.

 

V Patil:  Many enter the field of journalism because of glamour and easy access to power centers. It does not bother me whether a place is glamorous or not. If you look at issues and people’s problems, glamour will become irrelevant and vice-versa. Nevertheless, I am pained at the ‘intellectual vacuum’ and people’s indifferent attitude towards their own problems and issues, and leaving everything to self-serving politicians. There are few exceptions but of any significant consequence or impact. An intellectual atmosphere is complementary to the growth of journalism in a given geographical area.

 

5.      A notable event that has happened in your life while reporting?

V Patil: Many events in the life of a journalist are notable. When our reports/stories make an impact and evoke positive response from the concerned, like any other journalist, I too feel to have served the purpose to some extent. To be specific, the Karnataka Police announced cash award for my report in THE HINDU, which I was given understand that it influenced the then J.H. Patel government to change its mind on recommending presidential pardon for forest brigand Veerappan to the Centre. I take this opportunity to thank the present ADGP M.K. Srivastava who had enlightened me on certain legal argument, which formed strong basis for the report. During my initial years of service in THE HINDU at Mysore, I was lucky to get an opportunity to interview former President late R. Venkataraman, which was facilitated by Mr.Prasad, Sri Ganapathi Sachidhand Ashram, Mysore. I was told that it was his first ever interview to any national newspaper. I was thrilled when Lions Club of Bidar honoured me with ‘Best Journalist Award’ in my maiden year of journalistic career, which gave me a moral boost in those initial days of my career.

 

6.      You are not a localite from Belgaum, so does it make any difference in the way of collecting of news?

V Patil:  No. If you do not take sides, people will trust you. Newsgathering is also an art. I am happy that there are many in Belgaum who share information and their concerns with me for professional reasons, academic or topical discussion.

 

7.      What do you want to tell the upcoming youngsters who want to join this field?

V Patil:  There is much more to learn for myself. Sky is the limit in the field of journalism and one can come out with a good story on everything a journalist comes across under the sky. You can make a story on whatever you see, listen and smell; one should only have a nose to smell the news. One request, never be part of yellow journalism as it is the greatest sin not only against the profession but also the society. The field is challenging and thrilling, but with honour and reward come great responsibility, which must be exercised without bias and in a constructive way. Journalism would not have been termed as “fourth estate”, otherwise.

 

8.      Your son is a commercial pilot, was he never interested in joining you or your field?

V Patil:   No. To be a pilot has been his childhood ambition and as a father. I do not believe in imposing parents’ wish on children, rather allow them to explore out their own life. I have only tried to help him realize his dream with the blessings of my parents and support of brothers and sister; my wife, her mother, father, two brothers, my co-brother, “three” best friends, a national bank, which granted educational loan and the God almighty.

 

9.      What is that you like most about Belgaum?

V Patil:  Cosmopolitan nature of the local society, broadmindedness, hospitality.

 

10.   English papers are not widely read in Belgaum does that hamper the way you work

V Patil: Not much. Any difficulty in carrying out work is due to known professional constraints and not otherwise.


11.    The media always takes a bias stand towards one, it is said, your view on this.

V Patil:  I do not deny this in Toto. Any bias cannot be justified, as it only renders injustice to the section or an organisation or an individual against which it holds bias. Newspapers are here to present facts without any bias and prejudice in an objective way. The market pressures, questions on survival, personal desires to make quick money and win honours by hook or crook and other evils have sneaked into this profession as well. Unfortunately, unlike in the recent past when a newspaper was regarded as an intellectual organ and a catalyst of change, it is being treated as a ‘product’. However, there are newspapers, which remain committed to professional ethics largely. One should always look at the best in the profession instead of being carried away by evil influence of yellow journalism for the simple reason that no field in the society is free from corruption.

 

 12.   Your thoughts on what Belgaum needs so that it will be developed?

V Patil: One of the best aspects of Belgaum is that the developments and progress, whatsoever so far, is mainly due to local initiatives and visionary leaderships of few individuals. But, the society has been allowed to remain politically divided on linguistic issues by politicians, who seem to have exploited sentiments to serve their own cause more than anything else. Had they made a common cause, the city would have achieved much more progress than what we see today. The rich natural resources, educated and skilled work force, relatively better environmental conditions (although worsening due to urban expansion) comes to it great advantage but not properly utilised. Better late than never, it is high time that people and leaders come together to work for the progress of Belgaum to develop it into a second capital of Karnataka, virtually. There are a few success stories where good leadership motivated people to join hands and changed faces of their villages (eg.Jafferwadi and Hulikavi in Belgaum taluk); they are like oasis and shining examples of development, worthy of emulating.

To be specific, given the agrarian economy and rich natural resources in and around and congenial climatic conditions, there is good scope for agro-based industries, which will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities both in rural and urban centres in large number, and boost local economy. This will also prevent brain drain and migration-temporary or otherwise.

 But, I feel disappointed when I come across people with lethargic attitude and tendency to postpone ‘action’, which plays an invisible bottle-neck in the way of progress. No city or town can keep pace with progress if its citizens are lethargic.

 

 13.  Is journalism from corrupt practices?

A.   No. However, not all journalists are corrupt. However, like in other fields, there are best of the journalists, both professionally and character wise who remain committed to professional ethics. If the newspaper organisations/owners are strict, the menace of yellow journalism could be reduced to a considerable extent.

14. Are their any benefits or welfare programmes from Government?

A.  Railway Travel Coupons at 50% discount and once-in-a-year Rs.1000/- free coupons to travel in KSRTC buses, only.

15. Should journalists or journalism be brought under the purview of Lokayukta? Why the Income Tax department doesn’t take up investigations into assets of those journalists who have made quick riches?

V Patil:  Yes, after all, they are also part of the same system. If there is any case against a journalist being directly or indirectly involved in corrupt practice or has hand-in-glove with a government official or those holding public office, the law must treat him equally. The IT department is free to take up investigations to check unaccounted assets of journalists too.

 

16. Your thoughts on this website and how it could improve?

V Patil: First, I would like to congratulate you for your blog and your efforts to provide ‘All About Belgaum’ to people across the world. I have been watching your dedication involved in developing your website since beginning and there is always scope for further development. See for yourself, let our eyes browse the pages you have posted and you will know what more could be done to develop it. But, “authenticity” of any information displayed on website must be the highest priority, even while trying to be ‘first’ to inform about events and happenings.

Make your money grow- personal finance

11:45 AM Posted by ukmad

From today I am beginning with a new series on Personal Finance and here is the 1st one on investments in Mutual Funds by Bankim Bhagwat.

If anyone has some specific questions he could ask Bankim about it at bhagwatbankim@gmail.com.
I believe that the present economic scenario caused by a worldwide slow down and upheavals in the Indian Money Market are only of temporary nature. Based on the economic forecasts released by Central Statistical Organization the Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.00 per cent in the current fiscal despite the global economic crisis. Thus, the future prospects appear to be positive and present you with an investment opportunity now.

Keeping the above scenario in mind one can create an investment portfolio to one’s risk appetite and return expectations. It may be advisable to allocate some portion of your investments to equities as an asset class and thereby partake and participate, to benefit from our growing economy.

I will highlight some of the Investment Options available with UTI which has enabled many investors structure a financial plan for their financial goals and could therefore be a part of your investment portfolio.

As you are aware, UTI has transformed itself into one of the best Asset Managers of the country. UTI Mutual Fund has a highly qualified and professional fund management team to take care of the investor’s investments. UTI Asset Management Company Ltd. has been awarded the “Best Equity Fund House of the Year” by ICRA* and as the “Best Debt Fund House” by Outlook Money and NDTV Profit* recently for its best Fund Performance. This is a reflection of the commitment to provide investors with the best possible wealth creation solutions. These awards from independent and renowned agencies in the Indian Financial scenario also recognizes UTI as being one of the most competent Fund Managers of the country on various parameters by these experts. However, past performance is no guarantee of future results


1. UTI DIVIDEND YIELD FUND

UTI DIVIDENT YIELD FUND is positioned as a conservatively managed equity fund. The fund portfolio will primarily comprise of stocks which are high dividend yielding (on historical basis) or potential high dividend yielding stocks. The fund will have a good mix of companies across various sectors. The fund is well suited for investors with medium to low risk profile and with a long term investment horizon. The fund aims to distribute regular dividends to its investors. Investors have an advantage of lower expense ratio as UTI Dividend Yield Fund is the largest fund in the dividend yield funds category in the industry. The Fund has a fair amount of retail participation. This helps in mitigating the volatility risks that may arise out of movement into and out of the Fund by large investors.

2. UTI OPPORTUNITIES FUND

UTI OPPORTUNITIES FUND is an open ended equity oriented scheme. This scheme seeks to generate capital appreciation and / or income distribution by investing the funds of the scheme in equity shares and equity related instruments. The main focus of this scheme is to capitalize on opportunities arising in the market by responding to the dynamically changing Indian economy by moving its investments amongst different sectors as prevailing trends change, for investors looking to supplement their core equity portfolio with a dynamically managed portfolio.


3. UTI WEALTH BUILDER FUND SERIES II

First of its kind to offer an asset allocation combining financial asset allocation combining financial assets as well as physical asset. By providing exposure to alternative asset class the fund offers common investor a strategy traditionally reserved for HNI’s / Institutional clients. Alternative assets aid to portfolio diversification even in down markets due to their less / low correlation to traditional asset class like equity. Convenience of investing through SIP / STRIP in a fund that will have exposure to
Gold ETF’s, leading to a portfolio built over various market phases and economic conditions. Alternative market levels provide opportunities to clock higher growth over the market starts moving upward.

4. UTI MASTERSHARE FUND

UTI MASTERSHARE is an open ended equity fund aiming to provide benefit of capital appreciation by investing the funds of the scheme in equity shares, equity related instruments and fully convertible bonds / debentures of the company. Investment may also be made in issued of partly convertible debentures / bonds including those issued on rights basis subject to the condition that as far as possible the non convertible portion of the debentures / bonds so acquired or subscribed shall be disinvested within a period of twelve months from the date of acquisition.

5. UTI BOND FUND.

The Bond fund is positioned as an aggressively managed pure debt fund with a high quality portfolio mix of G-Sec and PSU Bonds to capture both the duration movements as well as the spread compression & gets the best of both the worlds without compromising
on credit quality . Ideal for an investor who invests with a long term horizon & wants a higher return at a moderate right level.

6. UTI EQUITY TAX SAVINGS FUND
EQUITY LINKED SAVINGS SCHEME is similar to the normal equity diversified schemes but what differentiates it from an open-ended equity diversified scheme is tax saving benefit and a lock-in period of three years. Flexibility to fund manager to focus on long term opportunities. E L S S has potential to counter inflation and notch up healthy inflation adjusted returns.

Author: Bhagwat Bankim
E Mail: bhagwatbankim@gmail.com
098452 73406

Mallya to brew beer from Sambra Belgaum

8:19 AM Posted by ukmad


Liquor barren Vijay Mallya will set up a distillery unit on the Sambra Muchandi Road in 300 acres of land. This could be a good start once this distillery unit commences production.

 

The land prices along the Sambra, Halga have reached new heights due to these kind land acquisitions.

 

Hundreds of acres of fertile land have already been acquired for Airport expansion many other acquisitions plans have been made in the same area.

 

Source: Tarun Bharat

Poll expenditure Congress spends more

1:21 PM Posted by ukmad

The official poll expenditure of candidates has started trickling in. In Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP candidate Suresh Angadi spent more than Rs 17 lakh compared to Rs 17.8 lakh spent by Congress rival Amarsinh Patil but both well within the Rs 25 lakh election commission cap.

Summer special Hubli-Solapur via Belgaum

10:44 AM Posted by ukmad


Indian railways will run bi-weekly express special trains on Hubli-Pune-Solapur (via Belgaum, Miraj and Daund) route starting from April 29 to June 28.

The Hubli-Pune-Solapur Bi-Weekly Express Special (No. 0783) will depart Hubli at 9.25 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays (from April 29) and will reach Belgaum at 11.52 pm on the same day.

In the return direction, Solapur-Pune-Hubli Special (No. 0784) will depart Solapur at 5 pm on Thursdays and Sundays (from April 30) and will reach Belgaum at 7.50 am on Friday & Monday. Its last service from Solapur is on June 28.