Karnataka needs 1,725 new liquor stores, estimates Excise dept

Naturals Ice Cream founder Raghunandan Kamath passed away following a brief illness. Born to a mango vendor in a village in Mangaluru, Kamath went on to establish Naturals, an ice cream parlour estimated to be worth Rs 400 crore today. 

"Our thoughts on the sad demise of our patron and founder of Naturals Ice Cream, Late Raghunandan Kamath. Indeed a very sad and unfortunate day for us," the company said.

Mr Kamath grew up helping his father in selling mangoes in a village Karnataka's Mangaluru. This was when he learned the art of picking the ripe fruit, plucking it, sorting it, and preserving it.

As the legend goes, a young 14-year-old Kamath boarded a train from Mangaluru and came to Mumbai (then Bombay). 

After working at his brother’s restaurant, Kamath had an idea — if ice creams have fruit flavours, why can’t they have real fruits. He decided to fill this void in the market. But unsure of whether customers would come, he began his business with serving pav-bhaji as the main dish and the ice cream as an add on.

His first ice cream parlour was launched in 1984 in Juhu, with the initial menu featuring around 12 flavours, each being a testament to the knowledge he acquired during the time he assisted his father in Mangaluru.

The demand kept growing and he opened five more outlets in 1994. Currently, it has over 165 outlets across 15 cities.
 
His story was captured expansively in ‘Intelligent Fanatics of India’, a book co-authored by Mumbai-based journalist Pooja Bhula.

Inspired by his mother's techniques, Kamath also developed innovative machines to streamline production and ensure consistency, notes the company website.

Mangaluru, May 30: In a heart-warming display of integrity and interfaith harmony amid the backdrop of communal tensions in coastal Karnataka, a madrasa teacher showcased remarkable honesty by returning a bag containing Rs 2.43 lakh in cash that he found on Kelaginapete Road in Bantwal taluk.

Abdul Majeed Faizi, a dedicated teacher at Manazul Islam Madrasa, was crossing Kelaginapete Road on the morning of May 28 when he stumbled upon a bag lying on the road. Upon inspecting the bag, he found it filled with currency notes. Without hesitation, he reported the matter to the Madrasa administrative committee.

The committee swiftly took action, verifying the ownership of the money with the local community. Their investigation revealed that the cash belonged to Sripati Srikant Bhat, a local resident. Bhat soon arrived at the Madrasa, where Abdul Majeed Faizi returned the bag of money to him. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Bhat expressed his sincere thanks to Faizi for his commendable honesty.

This incident not only highlights Abdul Majeed Faizi’s exemplary character but also serves as a beacon of interfaith unity and trust in the region.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Monday said the state government will settle Rs 80 lakh unpaid hotel bill of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stay, who arrived in Mysuru in April last year to commemorate 50 years of Project Tiger, an event organised by the Union government's National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

He was speaking to reporters at his office about the non-payment of pending bills to Radisson Blu hotel. 

"The event to celebrate the 50 years of Project Tiger was organised by the NTCA at a time when Karnataka was under the model code of conduct in view of the Assembly elections. The state government did not take part in the event. The state, however, will foot the hotel bill," he said.

The celebration had cost a whopping Rs 6.33 crore but the NTCA had paid only Rs 3 crore. "The hotel wrote to the Forest Departments as the local officials helped NTCA in coordinating the programme. By paying the bill, we will put an end to the confusion," he said.