Former minister, columnist Prof. Mumtaz Ali Khan dies aged 94

Mangaluru, Mar 15: Noted Tulu-Kannada scholar, folklorist, and former president of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, Dr. Vamana Nandavara, passed away on Saturday at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness.

A distinguished literary figure, Dr. Nandavara made significant contributions to the study of Tulu folklore, poetry, and cultural history. He was a native of Nandavara village in Bantwal taluk and was the son of Babu Balepuni and Poovamma. He is survived by his wife, writer Chandrakala Nandavara, a son, and a daughter.

A Life Dedicated to Literature and Folklore

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Nandavara was honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the Kantavara Kannada Sangha Award, Tulu Sahitya Academy Honorary Award, Polali Sheenappa Hegde Award, Karnataka Nataka Academy Honorary Award, and the Bannanje Babu Amin Award.

His literary works encompassed multiple genres, including poetry, folklore studies, and critical essays. Some of his most celebrated publications include:

Taalamela – A Kannada poetry collection

Olepataki – A compilation of Tulu-Kannada riddles

Tuluvere Kusal-Kusel – A study of Tulu folklore

Singadana and Tulu Panikate – Analytical works on Tulu folk traditions

Koti-Chennaya: Folklore and Beyond – A study of Tulu history and mythology

Nambike – A critique of D.V. Gundappa’s literature

Tulu Sahitya Charitre and Tulu Janapadada Acharane – Scholarly explorations of Tulu literature and customs

Ajji Tankina Puli, Nettara Neera, and Inchitti Tulu Natakolu – Collections of folk narratives and plays

Dr. Nandavara also made remarkable contributions to children's literature, with notable works such as Koti-Chennaya, Beer (Tulu poetry collection), and story anthologies Kidigediya Keetale and Onji Kope Katikulu.

Recognitions and Awards

His deep-rooted research and literary contributions earned him several accolades. His book Tuluvere Kusal-Kusel won the Central Institute of Indian Languages Award, while Singadana Mattu Janapada Suttamutta was recognized by the Kannada and Culture Department. His work Koti Chennaya Janapadiya Adhyayana also received the Book Authority's Pustaka Sogasu award.

Dr. Vamana Nandavara's passing marks a significant loss to the fields of Tulu and Kannada literature. His legacy as a scholar, poet, and folklorist will continue to inspire generations to come.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a letter to Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who today began her return journey to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) after being stranded there for more than nine months.

In a letter dated March 1, which was shared by Union Minister Jitendra Singh on X today, the Prime Minister said he had inquired about the well-being of Ms Williams - who flew to the orbital lab on June 5 last year - when he met President Donald Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, during his visits to the United States.

The letter was made public hours after Ms Williams and her colleague, Butch Wilmore, undocked from the ISS for a 17-hour trip back home.

PM Modi recalled that at a meeting with former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino in Delhi this month, her name had come up in their conversation.

"We discussed how proud we are of you and your work. Following this interaction, I could not stop myself from writing to you," PM Modi said.

"1.4 billion Indians have always taken great pride in your achievements. Recent developments have yet again showcased your inspirational fortitude and perseverance," he wrote.

He said her mother, Bonnie Pandya, must be "keenly" awaiting her return.

"I am sure that Late Deepakbhai's blessings are with you as well," the Prime Minister said, referring to her father, Deepak Pandya, who was a resident of his home state, Gujarat, and died in 2020.

PM Modi also said he "fondly" remembers meeting him and her during his visit to the US in 2016.

"Even though you are thousands of miles away, you continue to remain close to our hearts. The people of India are praying for your good health and success in your mission," PM Modi told the 59-year-old astronaut.

"After your return, we are looking forward to seeing you in India. It will be a pleasure for India to host one of its most illustrious daughters," he added.

He also sent his "warm regards" to her husband, Michael Williams.

Sunita Williams and her colleague, Butch Wilmore, flew to the orbital lab on June 5 last year, on what was supposed to be a days-long roundtrip to test out Boeing's Starliner on its first crewed flight.

The spaceship, however, developed propulsion problems and was deemed unfit to fly them back. It instead returned uncrewed.

The two astronauts were then reassigned to the NASA-SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which saw a Dragon spacecraft fly to the ISS in September last year with a team of two -- American astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov -- rather than the usual four, to make room for the stranded astronauts.

On Sunday, a relief team -- Crew-10 -- docked with the space station to make the way for Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore's much-awaited homecoming, along with Mr Hague and Mr Gorbunov.

Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s renewed savagery has led to the massacre of at least 970 people in 48 hours.

The wave of deadly airstrikes that shattered a fragile ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday has so far claimed the lives of at least 970 people across the besieged territory, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Before the resumption of the offensive, the death toll from the regime’s 15 months of genocidal war recorded by the ministry at midday on March 17 stood at 48,577.

By midday on Wednesday, the figure had risen to 49,547, the ministry said.

The health ministry also registered "one death and five severe injuries among foreign staff working for UN institutions.”

It said Israel attacked a UN headquarters in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.

The victims had been taken to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the health ministry said.

Israel's military denied attacking a UN building in Gaza.

The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) confirmed the death of one of its staff by an explosive that was "dropped or fired" on its building in Deir el-Balah.

"An explosive ordnance was dropped or fired at the infrastructure and detonated inside the building,” it said, adding that five others were injured.

UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said he was "shocked and devastated" by the death of a staff member.

“This was not an accident.”  he said, adding that "attacks against humanitarian premises are a breach of international law."

Bulgaria's foreign ministry said later in the day that one of its citizens working for the United Nations was killed in Gaza, without specifying where in the territory.

Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel threatened on Tuesday that the massacre of women and children in Gaza was “only the beginning.” He stands accused of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.