Toastmasters Movement Spreads its Wings: Two new clubs chartered in Bantwal, Shivamogga

Media Release
April 23, 2019

Mangaluru, Apr 23: Toastmasters’ movement which began in Coastal Karnataka in 2002 with a single club in Mangalore has grown rapidly to install its 13th and 14th clubs of the Division in Bantwal and Shimoga respectively. The installation of these two new clubs in the hinterland settings indicates the growing popularity of Toastmasters clubs for enhancing one’s potential for success in personal and professional life.

Announcing the formation of the two clubs, Savitha Salian, the Division F Director said: “Toastmasters is an international organization having 357,000 members in 143 countries and its sole purpose is to help its members to develop public speaking and leadership skills. I am proud to say that our movement has now planted its flag in the neighbouring Bantwal region and in the beautiful Western Ghats wherein the first Toastmasters Club of Malnad region has been installed.”

The 13th Toastmasters Club of Division F at Bantwal is called Bantwal Speech Weavers Toastmasters Club. It meets every alternate Friday at Bantwal Rotary Bhavan. Dr. Shashikala Somayaji is the President and the office bearers are: Dr. Bharathi  Shetty (Vice President – Education), Vani Karanth (Vice President – Membership), Dr. Ashwin Nayak Sujir (Vice President – Public Relations), Gowri Shenoy (Secretary), Rithesh Baliga (Treasurer) and Rashma Alva (Sergeant at Arms).

The 14th club, called Shivamogga Toastmasters held its first charter meeting recently. The club had gained its international affiliation – known as the Charter – on 12th March 2019. Sharath, a chartered account, is the President of the new club, while the other office bearers are Piyush Balai (Vice President – Education), Pradeep (Vice President – Membership), Santosh S. S. (Vice President – Public Relations), Girish H. Y. (Secretary), Taj Mohamed Maqsood (Treasurer) and Narendra K. V. (Sergeant at Arms). The meeting venue of Shivamogga Toastmasters is Rotary Blood Bank, 100ft road, Vinayaka Nagar, Shimoga.

Toastmasters clubs host periodical meetings of about one hour duration. The Educom Coordinator of Toastmasters, Malini Hebbar explains: “During the club meetings the members learn effective public speaking and leadership through Toastmasters’ internationally successful learning modules. Toastmasters’ modules are based on self learning, members helping one another and maintaining friendly and encouraging environment.”

Chartering of a new Toastmasters club requires minimum twenty members. Sustained effort of a few months is required to mobilize the required member strength.

The 12 existing clubs of the division have been actively assisting people of different towns to form new clubs and strive for excellence in public speaking and leadership. The new club aspirants are provided guidance and mentoring. Demo meets too are held.

The two new clubs at Bantwal and Shimoga were born with the team work of Division Director Savitha Salian, Area Directors Kiran A. Vasant, Sridhar Kamath, Sujatha Kotian, Educom Coordinator Malini Hebbar, Past Area Director Shivani Baliga and Toastmaster member Oliver D'souza. Those interested in joining Bantwal Speech Weavers or Shivamogga TM club may contact: Shivani Baliga (9845915705), Savitha Salian (9740082814), Malini Hebbar (9845517164)

Comments

DTM Shameer Ah…
 - 
Wednesday, 24 Apr 2019

It’s indeed good news for Bantwal and Shimoga region people to reap the benefits of toastmaster offers to develop public speaking skill and hone the leadership ability.

Congratulations to Area and Division Directors for the effort and achievement.

Best regards,

Shameer Ahmed Kudroli, DTM

 

Abdulla Madumoole
 - 
Tuesday, 23 Apr 2019

Congratulations to the newly formed two Toastmasters Club. Toastmaster clubs really moulds personality of an individual through enhancing public speaking skills and leadership skills. I recommend people to join one of these clubs nearest to you, I happen to be President of Abu Dhabi's ADK Toastmasters Club. 

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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coastaldigest.com news network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy has issued a high-alert warning to vehicle owners regarding a surge in cyber fraud targeting those looking to pay traffic violation fines. Fraudsters are reportedly exploiting recent government discount schemes on traffic penalties to deceive citizens.

The Scam: How Fraudsters Strike

Criminals are using SMS, WhatsApp, and social media to circulate suspicious links and APK files (Android application packages). They claim these apps allow users to pay e-challans at a discount.

•    Device Hacking: Downloading these unauthorized apps gives hackers full access to the victim's smartphone.

•    Financial Theft: Once the phone is compromised, fraudsters intercept OTPs and personal data to drain bank accounts.

•    Phishing Sites: Fake websites mimicking official portals are also being used to harvest banking credentials.

Already, two residents within Mangaluru city limits have reported significant financial losses after falling victim to these fraudulent apps.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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