Umbrella Yaga to bag Yagna!

July 2, 2011

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After giving 81 umbrellas to the students of the Gandhi Nagar Primary school to 'induce the rain gods' to give rain which succeeded as it has been raining cats and dogs in Mangalore, we decided to conduct one more of such by giving bags to those of the students who did not have them. Not just any ordinary bags but those with slogans on them to make them think.

There were about 68 students needing them and were handed over those bags on Saturday, July 2 at a small function with a small treat thrown in!

However, we just could not resist bringing a bit of scientific temper into the proceedings! We asked the children whether giving them umbrellas had started the rains!

One boy replied it rained only on the next day. Then I asked him whether the rain was due to them being given umbrellas and there was a chorus of 'no's! Then came a bed of nails with really sharp ones on a plank. It was shown around and the students felt it.

All agreed that the nails were really sharp. Then came the question: who is going to stand on it? As there were no volunteers, we asked the teachers who were the most mischievous boy and girl in the school. They were named, summoned and 'punished' by asking them stand on the bed of nails! They however were smiling!

When we asked them why they said it is not paining at all! The children were surprised and one of them explained why the nails were not piercing the skin. He said because of the large number of nails who were at the same level the weight of person standing gets equally distributed on a number of points!

A point was made about rational thinking and its need.

We also explained the slogans screen printed on the bags- they were two- Hands that help are better than lips that pray. When we asked them the meaning they said they do not know!

Then it was explained to them how it is so. We gave them the example of a person who has slipped and fallen - no amount of prayers can help him to stand and only a hand given to help.

Then we asked them whether they understood the second slogan which said develop rational thinking for the progress of the nation. The answer was again no. It was explained to them how scientific temper helps the country to progress by proper utilisation of resources. It was also explained to them as to why all of them were not given bags or umbrellas.

The teachers had taken care to inspect their bags to see which of them had none and the same was applicable to the umbrellas too. But, we told them that we love them all equally and that the note books given by us at the beginning of the year and the treat following was for all because all of them needed these things.

The funds for these activities have come from a number of individual rationalists who wanted to help children without any rings attached. We do not ask them to sing praises of baba or pray to gods or sing apesn to our diety. We don't force them to say any slogans but we request them only one thing- think before you believe.

We have not put the names of any of the organisations or the donors because we want to make the children happy and help them to the extent possible.


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BG

*The writer is the president of Federation of Indian rationalist Associations

The umbrella yaga

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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