Sivamani, Godkindi rock the evening at Youth Festival

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar )

January 16, 2012

Mangalore, January 16: Words were not enough to describe what the Mangaloreans as well as the participants of the 17th National Youth Festival felt on Sunday night.

Even the wizards in heaven might have come to see the mesmerising performance by the wizards of Indian music.

Eminent Saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath, drummer Sivamani, flutist Praveen Godkhindi and clarinetist Dr Narasimhalu Vadavathi conquered the hearts of thousands at Mangala Stadium with their magical music. Santhosh Mulekar (Keyboard), Vidwan Rajashekhar (Morsing), B Harikumar (Mridangam) and Pandit Rajendra Nakhor (Tabla) added their potion to the musical feast to thrill the connoisseurs.

The Jugalbandi started with the carnatic classical keerthana 'Vatapi Ganapathim Bhaje in Hamsadwani raga from the mouth piece and reed of Kadri Gopalnath's Saxophone. The improvisations were then carried out by the Vadavathi's Clarinet and Godkhindi's flute. Then came the thunder from the bolt of Sivamani. Each beat from the wands of Sivamani trembled the crowd at Mangala from head to toe. Sivamani used everything including water can and a suitcase to show the crowd that the music lies in each drop of water and each particle of sand.

Sivamani's drums accompanied all other performances during the concert. The duel in the Jugalbandi started with Saxophone and Flute. Later Godkhindi took charge and mesmerised the audience. B Harikumar too performed exceptionally well on Mridangam. All others were sidelined by the mesmerizing performance from the duo, Godkhindi and Sivamani.

Till Mulekar's keyboards came into picture, it was a fight between classical instruments and Sivamani's drums. Many a times, Kadri Gopalnath and Godkhindi tested the drummer, but with the power of sound, he managed to maintain the supremacy.

Sivamani even took 'Thakil' to accompany the flute, which was a fantastic experience. Though the concert started more than an hour after the scheduled time, Sivamani and Godkhindi succeeded in taking the audience to a different world.

The concert concluded with Praveen Godkhindi playing the national anthem for which Sivamani and Mulekar accompanied in their drums and keyboard respectively.

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Mangaluru–Kasaragod bus fare rolled back after Kerala protests force NHAI to shut Arikkady toll plaza

coastaldigest.com news network

February 5,2026

Mangaluru: The KSRTC Mangaluru division has rolled back the fare hike on buses operating on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route following the suspension of toll collection at the Arikkady toll plaza near Kumbala in Kasaragod district.

The fare revision had been implemented after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began toll collection at the Arikkady plaza on NH-66. As a result, fares for ordinary and Rajahamsa services were increased by ₹7 and ₹10, respectively, raising the bus fare from Mangaluru to Kasaragod from ₹81 to ₹88.

Senior Divisional Controller of KSRTC’s Mangaluru division, Rajesh Shetty, said the fares were reduced after toll collection at the Arikkady plaza was stopped. “The tollgate began operations on January 13, and the toll amount was deducted from the FASTag accounts of KSRTC buses operating on the route. Following an order from the central government to suspend toll collection, KSRTC has also withdrawn the additional fare with immediate effect,” he said.

At present, vehicles travelling on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route pay toll only at the Talapady toll plaza. The toll for light motor vehicles (LMVs) at Talapady is ₹80 for a same-day return, while heavy vehicles, including buses, are charged ₹250. At Arikkady, the toll rates were ₹130 for LMVs (same-day return) and ₹450 for buses.

Protests against Arikkady toll plaza

The Arikkady toll plaza witnessed widespread protests from January 12, the day toll collection commenced. On the second day, an action committee led by Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf launched an indefinite protest at the site. Except for the BJP, leaders and workers of most major political parties participated in the agitation.

On the night of January 14, a large number of protesters gathered at the plaza and vandalised property, following which authorities temporarily suspended toll operations. The BJP later also expressed opposition to the toll plaza and criticised NHAI’s decision.

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