9/11 nightmare: Learning to live with the loss

Mangalore, September 11: While people in the US offer tributes to those who died in the 9/11 blast ten years ago, an eerie silence prevails in the house of Hemanth Kumar at Puttur, Dakshina Kannada district. Hemanth was one of the victims of the 2001 terror strike.

Years may have passed by, yet Hemanth's parents and relatives are trying to cope with the loss-the loss of a lifetime. The family does not observe Hemanth's death anniversary at home, this in an attempt to keep overpowering emotions at bay. Hemanth's father Anand, who is a tailor, says that observing his death anniversary will only bring back painful memories.

Anand even implores the media to leave the family alone. "It's all over and what's gone is gone. We are trying to forget the past and get on with our lives," he says.

Hemanth, a village youth, had strived hard to scale greater heights in life. He was working for Marsh and McLennan, a client of Wipro Limited, on the 97th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre on that fateful day.

After graduation in 1995, Hemanth worked for a software firm in Bangalore and later joined Wipro in 1997. His job entailed travelling around the world. In July 2001, Hemanth arrived in New York. He was working as a database manager with Marsh and McLennan. Hemanth is one of the four Wipro employees who lost their lives in the 9/11 incident.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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