Sandesha Awards-2012' announced; Indhudhara Honnapura, Peter Lewis among 10 recipients

February 16, 2012

Mangalore, February 16: Kannada journalist Indhudhara Honnapura and renowned artist Peter Lewis are among the ten individuals who have been selected for the 'Sandesha Awards 2012' conferred by Sandesha Foundation for Culture and Education.

The award ceremony will he held on February 26, under the auspices of the Karnataka Catholic Bishop's Council, announced Fr. Valerian Mendonca, Director of the Foundation at a press meet here on Thursday.

He said Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul D'Souza, Bishop of Mangalore would preside over the function and Vaidehi, noted writer would be the chief guest. Also Rev. Dr. Henry D'Souza, Bishop of Bellary and Chairman, Sandesha Foundation will grace the occasion.

Fr. Mendonca said that ten different awards would be conferred on the occasion and each award carries a cash prize of 10, 000 rupees, a citation, a shawl and a trophy.

Dr. Na D'Souza Selection committee President announced the list of awardees.

Sandesha Kannada Literature Award will be conferred on Dr. KV Tirumalesh, A prolific writer in Kannada; his 30 works comprise poetry, short stories, novels, reviews, columns and linguistics.

Sandesha Konkani Literature Award will be conferred on M Madhava Pai, a great name in the Konkani translation field. He has contributed 750 pages 'Kannada-Konkani Dictionary'-a great service to Konkani Language.

Sandesha Literature Award goes to Catherine Rodrigues, who has written 57 Tulu dramas in her 30 years of Tulu Literature career. She is a ten time winner of the Late Dharmastala Ratnavarma Heggade Tulu Drama Writing Competition.

Sandesha Cinema Award will be conferred on Geethapriya (Laxman Rao Mohite), a great star in the cinema world, a song writer, story-writer, dialogue-writer as well as a great film director.

Sandesha Arts Award will be given to Peter Lewis, an artist of international fame, who got international recognition for his art exhibition at Texas in USA.

Sandesha Journalism Award will be conferred on Indhudhara Honnapura, editor of the monthly 'Honnapura Samvada'.

Sandesha Media Education Award will be given to Shree Padre hailing from Kasargodu, a well-known as an agriculturist. Rain-harvesting has been one of his creative contributions.

Sandesha Best Teacher Award goes to Rev. Sr. Maria Jyothi, AC, a pioneer in the education of the specially-abled children in Mangalore, Founder Principal of St. Agnes Special School.

Sandesha Konkani Music Award will be conferred on Late Sri Jerome D'Souza, who has composed more than 1000 songs in Konkani, brought out 14 music albums and published 2 anthologies called 'Amchim Podam'.

Sandesha Special Recognition Award will be given to John D'Silva journeying from Kerala to Mumbai; he has been a crusader of cooperative banking, an educationist and a philanthropist.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

No cases yet, but vigilance high: Karnataka braces for Nipah threat

News Network

February 3,2026

Bengaluru: Following reports of fresh Nipah virus (NiV) cases in West Bengal and heightened vigilance across parts of Southeast Asia, the Karnataka Health Department has placed the state on high alert and activated emergency preparedness protocols.

Health officials said enhanced surveillance measures have been initiated after two healthcare workers in Barasat, West Bengal, tested positive for the virus earlier this month. While no cases have been reported in Karnataka so far, authorities said the state’s past exposure to Nipah outbreaks and high inter-state mobility warranted preventive action.

Officials have directed district health teams to intensify monitoring, particularly at hospitals and points of entry, and to ensure early detection and isolation of suspected cases.

High Mortality Virus with Multiple Transmission Routes

Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animals to humans and has a reported fatality rate ranging between 60 and 75 per cent. Fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are the natural reservoirs of the virus and can transmit it by contaminating food sources with saliva or urine.

Known modes of transmission include:

•   Contaminated food: Consumption of fruits partially eaten by bats or raw date-palm sap
•   Animal contact: Exposure to infected pigs or other animals
•   Human-to-human transmission: Close contact with body fluids of infected persons, particularly in healthcare settings

Symptoms and Disease Progression

The incubation period typically ranges from 4 to 14 days, though delayed onset has also been reported. Early symptoms often resemble common viral infections, making prompt clinical suspicion critical.

•   Initial symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, sore throat
•   Progressive symptoms: Drowsiness, disorientation, altered mental state
•   Severe stage: Seizures, neck stiffness and acute encephalitis, which can rapidly progress to coma

Public Health Advisory

The Health Department has issued precautionary guidelines urging the public to adopt risk-avoidance practices to prevent any local spillover.

Do’s
•   Wash fruits thoroughly before consumption
•   Drink boiled and cooled water
•   Use protective equipment while handling livestock
•   Maintain strict hand hygiene

Don’ts
•   Avoid fruits found on the ground or showing bite marks
•   Do not consume beverages made from raw tree sap, including toddy
•   Avoid areas with dense bat populations
•   Do not handle sick or dead animals

Preparedness Measures

Officials confirmed that isolation wards are being readied in major government hospitals and that medical staff are being sensitised to identify early warning signs.

“There is no cause for panic, but there is a need for heightened vigilance,” a senior health official said, adding that there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah, and care remains largely supportive.

Comments