Visually impaired Kannadiga secures a creditable 340th rank in UPSC exam

Bengaluru, Jun 1: A visually impaired candidate from Tumakuru, Kempahonnaiah, has secured a creditable 340th rank in the UPSC exam.

Kempahonnaiah, who works as a Kannada lecturer in Vontikoppal Government PU College in Mysuru, cracked the civil services exams in his third attempt. He hopes to get selected to IAS, his dream job.

Son of Honnaiah and Muniyamma from Chowdanakuppe village in Kunigal taluk of Tumakuru district, Kempahonnaiah lost his vision after retinal damage when he was studying Class IV. He also could not continue his studies and stayed in the village for a while.

However, his determination to continue the studies got a boost when he was offered a seat at a blind school in Mysuru. He did his graduation from Maharaja College, completed his masters at KSOU and MPhil at Kannada University, Hampi. as he prepared for the civil services exam.

“I have written the UPSC exam in Kannada. The interview was also held in Kannada. I am really happy with the rank,” Kempahonniah said.

He said it did not take any special coaching for him to crack the UPSC.

“All this happened due to the unflinching support by my friends. My wife, Anchita, has been a pillar of support all along by helping me read, make notes and making me listen to recordings. She is the main force behind this achievement,” he said.

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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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