110-year-old Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt hospitalised

May 12, 2017

Bengaluru, May 12: Shivakumara Swamiji, the chief pontiff of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru, has been admitted to BGS global hospital in Bengaluru on Friday around 10.15am.

As per medical investigations, the 110-year-old seer is suspected to be suffering infections in the lungs, liver, coupled with urinary infection. Dr Smitha Thammaiah, DGM Medical services said that his condition was stable currently. "We are waiting for certain lab test reports," she said.

It can be recalled that in June 2016, he was admitted to BGS global hospital suffering from acute jaundice coupled with obstruction in the flow of bile juice.

Dr N K Venkataramana, earlier the vice chairman of BGS global hospital and now Founder & Chief Neurosurgeon at Brains (Neuro spine center) visited the mutt on Thursday and treated the seer. "Swamiji had fever and was seeming tired. He has infection also liver dysfunction noticed. Hence shifted to BGS global hospital for further evaluation," said Dr Venkataramana, who is one among the doctors who are treating the seer.

The seer hails from Veerapura, Magadi and is known for his humanitarian work. He was born on April 1, 1907.

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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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