Navachandika Yaga performed to end violence against women

October 11, 2014

Mangalore, Oct 11: As many as 66 married women from the Hindu community jointly took part in traditional rituals and ceremonies around 11'Yagna-kundas' in a mass Yaga held in Belthangady on Friday, seeking divine intervention to put an end to violence against women in the district.

Incidentally, the Yaga took place on the second year anniversary of the rape and murder of Soujanya in Ujire.

Six women performed the pooja and rituals in each of the 11 Yagna-kundas, while six purohits from Karkala recited the shlokas. Close to a thousand women witnessed the event, where men were not allowed to enter.

The Yaga was organised by Prajaprabhutva Vedike, which has been in the forefront of the fight for justice in the case of Soujanya, along with Rashtriya Hindu Jagarana Vedike and Navachandika Yaga Samiti.

The Yaga began at 5 a.m. on Friday and continued till 12 p.m. It was conducted with the intention of seeking divine intervention in solving the case of Soujanya and providing protection to the women. Soujanya's mother also participated in the rituals of the event.

Swami Esha Vithaladasa from Kemaru Mutt, who participated in the event, said that the Yaga was held so that the culprits of the Soujanya case would be caught soon. No other woman should be subjected to injustice or suffer the same fate as Soujanya, he said, wishing that the culprits in crimes against women should not go scot-free.

The Soujanya rape and murder case has seen no progress since two years, and was recently handed over to the CBI for investigation.

Sadhwi Matanandamayi from Shri Kshetra Odiyur and others participated in the event.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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