A once thriving City that is now an obscure village

What do Banavasi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Halebidu and Belur, Somanathapura, Manyakheta or Malkhed, Mayurkhindi, Talakad, Manne have in common with Gundlavaddigeri.

Gundlavaddigeri is a small village, just a little over a hundred kilometers from the City of Hospet in Bellary taluk. It has a population of less than a thousand people and we at the post are sure that its name has never been heard of by a majority of people.

But what is it that makes us place its name along with well-known places such as Banavasi, Badami, Belur and other places.

Banavasi, as all of us know, was the capital of the Kadambas (345-525), the first Kannadiga dynasty of our State. The beauty of Banavasi was such that even Kalidasa, the greatest Sanskrit poet of all times, admired it and mentioned it in his work, Meghadoota.

Kalidasa had been sent to Banavasi as an Ambassador of the Guptas. Today, Banavasi has a few temples that speak of the glory of  the Kadambas.

Similarly, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal are well-known for their Chalukyan temples. Badami, which was earlier known as Vatapi,  was the capital of the powerful Chalukyas (543-763) and it has some of the most magnificent temples and cave temples of the Chaluyka period, some of which were built by Pulakeshi (609-642), who is often particularly described as one of the greatest Emperors of Karnataka.

Talakad was the capital of the Gangas (400-1000) and it was one of the major cities of its times until it was sacked by the Hoysala Emperor, Vishnuvardhana. Today, Talakad is nothing but ruins in a sand.  

Similarly, Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura are renowned for their exquisite temples belonging to the Hoysalas (1026-1343). All these places have ruins of temples.

Malkhed or Manyakheta and Mayurkhindi were once the capitals of  the Rashtrakutas (753-982) who ruled over large parts of south and Central India.

All these centres mentioned in earlier paragraphs were once known as major cities or urban conglomerates and each of them have had their tryst with history. Even today, they are in the news and they attract hordes of tourists and visitors. But how does Gundlavaddigeri get into this list of illustrious cities.

Gundlavaddigeri was earlier in Bellary district and it is today placed in Koppal district.

Archaeologists and historians now have discovered that Gundlavaddigeri was one of the biggest cities of its times in Karnataka and this was prior to the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire in 1336 by Hakka and Bukka.

A 12th century stone deed in Halegannada (old Kannada), belonging to the Vijaynagara dynasty and some weapons used by people have been unearthed in the village.

The old Kannada inscription says that a lake was built in Gundlavaddigeri in memory of Yankubi, son of Kumbara Ponnayya. The inscription says the lake was constructed for  irrigation purposes.

The inscription has three lovely figures, a wheel of eight swords,  cow and a calf, which are the symbols of Shaivism.

Research has shown that Gundlavaddigeri was a big city before the founding of Vijaynagara. Even today, the village boasts of scores of  dry lakes and this is a testimony to the extent of the City that once Gundlavaddigeri was.

The stone inscription, measuring four feet by three feet, stood facing the North with a four-line script in Halegannada.

Gundlavaddigeri is surrounded by Gangavathi taluk towards North, Sandur taluk towards South, Koppal taluk towards west and  Hagaribommanahalli taluk towards South. All these taluks headquarters too were big cities at one point of time but while they are all fairly well-known even today, Gundlavaddigeri is even today an obscure and forgotten village.
Today, Gundlavaddigeri is surrounded by Bellary, Gangavati, Hospet, Sandur, Mundargi and Tekkalakota. Kannada is the local language here and there are less than 150 houses. The total area of Gundlavaddigeri is just 629 hectares and compare this to the thriving town it was more than nine hundred years ago.

What does this post tell us or rather what does it teach us. It tells us that just as centuries passed by, cities rose and fell and some like Gundlavaddigeri fell into obscurity, never to rise again.  

The gift of Life

There was news a few days ago that Dwayne Johnson, the WWE wrestler-turned actor, had gifted his housekeeper, Esperanza, a new Ford Edge car

The gift came to light after Dwayne took to Twitter, saying that the gift was for his housekeeper as, she has cared after their home with for ten years.

The gift may have created news on the net, but does it match up to the gift a diamond merchant form India gave to his employees. This was sometime in December  and a Surat-based diamond merchant had gifted brand new Chevrolet-Beat as incentive to 70 of his employees for achieving their annual targets.

But what makes this gift all the more poignant is that several of the Surat diamond merchant’s employees  do not even know how to drive.

The diamond merchant, Savji Dholakia, had an year ago, set specific targets to all his diamond artisans. Savji employs 2,000 artisans and of them 100 achieved their target. Savji gifted cars to 70, while the remaining 30 opted for cash.

The cash wasgiven to some employees as some of them had to repay home loans, while others wanted to buy gold jewellery for their wives.

 Dholakia has a diamond-cutting and polishing unit at Varachha in Surat.

This post is not about gifts we give ourselves or to our friends and family. It is about what people give to their employees. One of the earliest such act in India is by Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas, during the Mahabharata period when he sees Karna in tears and magnanimously gifts him the Kingdom of Anga and makes him its ruler.

True, die hard critics may say Duryodhana gifted the Kingdom for a purpose. They may say that he anted Karna on his side and he saw him as a champion who could take on the redoubtable Arjuna. Whatever it may be, the fact that Duryodhana elevated Karna to the ranks of a King ought to be appreciated.

There are several other such tales in India, which has a huge storehouse of such acts. Our epics-Ramayana and Mahabharata, Puranas, Shastras and history is full of such instances.

A unique case of a gift is by a Haridasa from Karnataka, Gopala Dasa (1722-1762), whose aradhane was celebrated yesterday. He  gifted forty years of his life to Jagannatha Dasa of Manvi after his guru Vijaya Dasa asked him to do so.

Gopala Dasa not only gifted his life but also took on the pain of Jagannatha Dasa.

Jagannatha Dasa was suffering from severe stomach ache. When Gopala Dasa gifted him his life, he also took upon himself the pain of Jagannatha Dasa. Till he met his end, Gopala Dasa suffered from severe stomach ache. But there was no murmur of dissatisfaction or repentence.  Gopala Dasa continued with his life with equanimity. This is perhaps the greatest gift of all-the gift of life which is unparalled anywhere in the annals of world history.      

The Dung beetles of Nagarhole

They are classified as the strongest insects in the world. They can lift 1,141 times their own body weight. This is equivalent to a normal man pulling six double decker buses, each of them full of people.

They are a modern group as their fossils date back to 30 million years ago and as of now there are more than 7000 species worldwide.

They range in size from less than a millimeter to six centimetres or a little more. And they occur rather extensively in all the continents except Antartica.

They are the Dung beetles and India has hundreds of such species. Nagarhole in  Karnataka alone had nearly a hundred of these Dung beetles.

The Dung beetles found include Catharsius granulatus, Copris indicus, Oniticellus cinctus,  Onitis singhalensis, Onthophagus beesoni, Onthophagus ensifer, Onthophagus ranam, Onthophagus sp.107, Onthophagus tarandus, Picnopanaleus rotundus, Caccobius diminutives, Caccobius ultor, Copris furciceps, Copris sp,  Heliocopris dominus, Pseudonthophagus sp, Sisyphus neglectus, Caccobius inermis, Caccobius meridionalis., Caccobius torticornis, Caccobius sp, Copris sodalist, Onthophagus socialis, Onthophagus sp.301, Onitis phelemon, Onthophagus furcillifer, Caccobius gallinus, Onthophagus rufulgens, Onthophagus sp, Copris repertus, Pseudonthophagus sp.1, Copris davisoni, Onitis falcatus, Onthophagus turbatus, Copris imitans, Onthophagus quadridentatus, Caccobius vulcanus, Liatongus affinis, Oniticellus spinipes, Sisyphus longipus, Onthophagus dama and many others.

The Dung beetles live anywhere from three to five years. A researcher has found that a small 1.5 kilograms pile of Elephant dung on the African Savannah attracted 16 000 Dung beetles, who between them had eaten and or buried that dung completely in just two hours.

Research has also shown that one dung beetle can bury 250 times its own weight in a night. Most of the Dung beetles prefer herbivore dung, though many are not very particular and will use many different forms of dung,

Some species have a definite preference for one type of dung only.

Onthophagus caenobita has only ever been found feeding in human faeces. Similarly, the Zonocopris gibbicolis of South America feeds on the faeces of large snails on whom it rides around.

The female dung beetle lays a single egg into each ball of dung and then covers the nest with more dung and soil. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the fecal matter.

Dung beetles can be divided into three groups: Rollers, Tunnellers and Dwellers. Rollers make a burrow some way away from the dung they are going to use and then collect small to medium sized lumps of dung to roll into their burrows. Typhaeus typhoeus, the Minotaur Beetle, can dig burrows up to a metre deep. Generally the female does most of the digging and the male spends most of his time foraging for dung and collecting it for her.

Rollers dig their front legs into the ground and use their hind legs to push the ball of dung. Tunnellers fly until they find some fecal matter into which they straightaway dive. They then dig a tunnel and then drag as much dung as they like down into it. Again it is mostly the female who stays in the burrow sorting out the dung and the male goes out to get it.

Some dung beetles eat and lay their eggs on dung some other beetle has collected. This thief beetle often eats the legitimate dung-owners eggs apart from taking away or stealing their dung.

The females of many of the larger ‘Rollers’ stay inside their burrows and care for and protect their eggs and young. They can live for up to three years. Some of these larger dung beetles can move balls of dung (on the ground ofcourse) up to 50 times their own weight.

Not many know that Australia imported 45 species of dung beetle from various parts of the world to get rid of cattle dung.

In ancient Egypt the dung beetle was called Scarab and it was an important religious symbol. In some Indian tribes from South America, a dung beetle named Aksak is supposed to have modelled the first man and woman from clay.

Are dung beetles important to evolution. What is likely to happen if they are not there in the world. Without dung beetles, the Earth would be piled high with manure and dung.

The dung beetles  feed on dung and they spend quiet a time in a day eating faeces. They are, therefore, called as Dung beetles.

Since they spend their days eating faeces, their dungrolling led the ancient Egyptians to believe they were responsible for keeping the sun moving.

More than a hundred species of  dung beetles can be found in the Nagarahole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park, which is ranked among the richest biodiversity spots in the country.

The  Heliocopris Dominus is the biggest dung beetle in the country and it was generally found in the north-eastern region. This species too is found in Nagarhole.

Watching the dung beetle is as fascinating as it can be. Want to check it. Then head for Nagarhole. You are sure to come across them wherever you find dung. And Nagarhole is home to one of the largest elephant herds in India. You can easily spot the Heliocopris dominus which breeds only in elephant dung and Onthophagus pactolus, a very rare species of dung beetle. Of course, you can easily spot Onthophagus dama, the most common dung beetle.    

The Mahabanana of India

Banana is one of the most common fruits and it is practically eaten the world over. They are grown in at least 120 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent for their fibre, banana wine and in some countries as ornamental plants.

In 2013 bananas were fourth among the main world food crops after rice, wheat and maize. There is not much to distinguish banana from plantains and India is the world’s leading producer.

Of the 150 million tones, India produced 30 million and thus she shares twenty per cent of the world production. Unfortunately, India exports only a negligible percentage as  a majority of the fruits is consumed within the country itself.

Banana (Musa sp.) is the second most important fruit crop in India next to mango. It is available year around, affordable, varietal in taste, nutritive and also has medicinal and religious value. No wonder, it is a favourite among all classes of people.

It is generally believed that bananas originated in south east Asia, including India. The National Horticulture Board says bananas  accounts for 13 per cent of the total area cultivated and constitute 33 per cent of the production of fruits.

Banana production is highest in Maharashtra (3924.1 thousand tones) followed by Tamil Nadu (3543.8 thousand tonnes). This year, Tamil Nadu has overtaken Maharashtra in banana production. However, Maharashtra has the highest productivity of 65.70 metric tones /ha as against national average of 30.5 tonnes/ha. It accounts for 25 per cent of the national production. The other major banana producing States are Karnataka (1277 thousand tonnes), Gujarat (1154), Andhra Pradesh (1111), Madhya Pradesh (736) and Assam (605).       

However, Maharashtra has given a lot of importance for banana cultivation. It has also set up an exclusive cooperative for bananas and it is called MAHABANANA. The Agriculture Marketing Board of Maharashtra (MSAMB)  has established Mahabanana,  the farmers’ marketing organization in 2002 with its headquarters at Jalgaon. There are 26 co-operative societies registered under Mahabanana and each such member society has 300 to 350 small and marginal farmers. About 8000 farmers have enrolled themselves as members under the organization.

Mahabanana has initiated efforts for coordinated banana growth, cultivation, transport and export. The MSAMB has proposed to establish two modern packhouses in banana growing belt of  Jalgaon and Hingoli respectively. The pack house includes automatic banana conveyor system, pre-cooling, cold storage and  ripening chamber.

With the help of MSAMB, Mahabanana has taken up trial export of  Banana to Dubai for the last three years. As of now, just  0.05 per cent of domestic production is exported and the rest is consumed within the country mostly as a table fruit. However, domestic marketing is largely unorganized. The marketing chain from producer to customer involves four to five intermediaries, thus denying the producer and consumer a fair price besides adding to the marketing margins paid by the consumers.

Today, Jalgaon district has shown the way for the country in setting up a well organized banana industry. This has been achieved by adopting high density planting and single crop cultivation method. Besides meeting the demands for all the markets of Maharashtra state, on an average 12000 to 15000 wagon loads are transported every year to Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi . Moreover, bananas are also transported by road to Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Though banana is the main fruit in international trade and the most popular one, ranking second after citrus in terms of value, main banana producing countries, such as India or Brazil, are hardly involved in it. Therefore, there is a lot of catching up to do for India in the world market.  

Bananas are imported mainly by the European Union, the United States of America and Japan, which together accounted for about 70 per cent of world total imports, while the first ten banana importing countries represented more than 86 per cent of total imports (considering the EU as a whole). Markets such as the Russian Federation , China or Easter European countries are emerging now as destinations for banana exports.

India exports bananas mainly to Middle East countries of U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar . The varieties which are in demand internationally include Grand Naine and Cavendish.

However, the low export is due to non-ideal post harvest practices, inadequate transport, lack of proper storage facilities and outdated banana handling practices .

Due to mishandling of produce about 25-40 per cent is being wasted and only 2 per cent  is processed into value added products, the remaining being used in the raw form. This often leads to sharp variation in prices.

Moreover, there is no large scale product diversification of banana and only a few industries exists for utilising the fruits for dehydration, chips making and preparing infant foods. Processing of banana for preparation of derivative products is an emerging area today since bananas can be pulped, juiced or concentrated, canned, sliced and dried. Beverages such as banana wine and banana brandy as also vinegar can be made economically.

Apart from the Vedas, the first mention of the bananas is in Buddhist texts of 600 BC. It is mentioned as a highly nutritive food. The Buddhist chronicles describe a beverage derived from banana which the monks were allowed to drink.

Travelagues of 327 BC mention that the Alexander the Great discovered the taste of banana in the valleys of India

The Mysore Mallige

The season of  festivals has already started and Dassara or Navaratri, the Nada Habba of Karnataka, is just a few days away.

Flowers form an integral part of the festivals and Dasara is no exception.

Bangalore and Mysore is home to a variety of flowers but one of the most common flower-on Gods, in houses, for decoration and also widely used by women is the jasmine, called Mallige in Kannada.

The Mallige has had a unique place in the history of the State. The Mysore Mallige (1942) is world famous and it is the subject of a beautiful collection of poems by the late K.S. Narasimha Swamy.

This work became so famous that he came to be known as Mallige Kavi (poet). It is considered to be one of the outstanding works of Kannada literature. And since its inception, it has seen 27 reprints.

The Mysore Mallige has inspired the movie by the same name made by T.S. Nagabharana and also a musical play by Kalagangothri.

The Mysore Mallige got the GI tag a few years ago. But what few know is that apart from Mysore, the Mallige has two other unique geographical cousins: the Udupi Mallige and Hadagali Mallige. All the three Mallige varieties have been patented and Karnataka is the only State to have a GI tag for all three varieties of jasmine.

The GI tag will enable the Horticulture Department which applied for and received the patent, to provide exclusive rights to the local community to cultivate these three crops and continue to grow them for 10 years and more.

Though all the three flowers are household names in Karnataka and known around the world, the Mysore variety is better known than the other two. The GI status helps protect its commercial interest too and lead to better research and development on them.

The Mysore Mallige, Udupi Mallige and Hadagali Mallige apart from Mysore yele or betel leaf and Nanjangud bale (a variety of banana were registered simultaneously under Intellectual Property Right (IPR).

The jasmine species apart from other flowers and fruits are grown in 411 horticulture farms of the State.

Coming back to jasmine, the nomenclature Mysore Mallige is so as it is mainly grown around Mysore and partly in Srirangapatna taluk in Mandya district. This jasmine leaves a lingering fragrance.

The Mallige grown in and Hadagali and Udupi are similarly known as Hadagali and Udupi Mallige.

Hadagali Mallige (Jasminum auriculatumVahl), locally known as “Vasane Mallige", is grown mainly in Hoovina Hadagali, Hospet and surrounding areas in Bellary district.

The Udupi Mallige (Jasminum sambac-L Aiton) is of recent origin and the first cultivation of this variety started in Shankarapura in Udupi district about 100 years ago. Therefore, it is also called as Shankarapura. This variety has demand in Mumbai, Goa, Nasik and other places. This has a longer shelf life and its bud remains for three to four days.

Whatever its variety, jasmine is considered by Indians to be the queen of flowers.It is called up different names in different states such as Mogra,  Chameli, Malli poo, Jaati, Mallige, Juhi, Mogra or Moonlight in the grove.

In Mysore, farmers grow jasmine in two crops. The Mysore Mallige has good demand in Kerala and Tamil Nadu apart from south Karnataka. The reasons why jasmine gives fragrance is due to the presence of  aromatic compounds Indol, Jasmone, Benzyl Acetate, Benzyl Benzoate, Methyl Anthranilate, Linalool and  Geraniol.

It is for this reason that jasmine is today widely used in perfumery, cosmetics, incense, aroma therapy and even Ayurveda. It is also used externally to soothe dry and sensitive skin.

The Hadagalli variety is unique as it grows on sandy red soil prevailing in this region. The dry weather and good water supply are needed to this variety which is mainly propagated through cuttings. It is planted directly in  July and August or at the onset of monsoon. The flowering season spreads up to six months.

The Udupi Mallige is rated to be more economically viable among all the three varieties. The laterite soil condition of the coast, high humidity and heavy rainfall (more than 2,500–3,000 mm or 98–120 inches per annum) makes it suitable for growing this crop. Propagation is mainly by cuttings. Here, the planting is done during August and September.

The Udupi variety is mainly used for garlands, especially at weddings and other auspicious occasions and for making garlands for worship of temples deities.

Jasmine is today being used for its medicinal value. Its medical  uses are as anti depressant, anti septic, anti Spasmodic, Aphrodisiac, sedative and uterine. Recent researches have found jasmine oil to jell very well with every floral scent and, hence, it is extensively used as an important perfumery item throughout the world.

Indole, which is found in the buds, is highly volatile. It is extracted from fully opened, freshly collected flowers during early morning.

Incidentally, this is one of the key scents in some of the most celebrated perfumes in the world viz., the Chanel No. 5, created by the legendary Coco Chanel and the famous “Joy” perfume, created by the French designer Jean Patou. A single ounce, still known as the costliest perfume in the world, contains 10,600 jasmine flowers.

Though India’s share in the international market for these flowers is still negligible, Karnataka has always led the nation. Today, it accounts for 75 per cent of India's total flower production. The State has the highest area under modern cut flowers and 40 flower growing and exporting units. The country's first and only flower auction centre is located in Bangalore, Karnataka.

The GI to these three varieties was given in 2008.

So when you want to grow jasmine in your house, check out the variety.  

A new tablet for HIV/AIDS

Today, the field of medicine is a vast one and almost all sectors therein are witnessing rapid research and development.

One of the most dreaded diseases in recent years in the medical field which has posed a challenge to nations, R and D organizations and to the field of medicine has been HIV/AIDS. There has been constant research by several organisations, multinationals and even countries who are in a race to find a cure for this disease.  

India is one of the few countries that has a separate institute to work on a cure for this epidemic. On the other hand, the private sector in the United States is leading the research in this field.

A few weeks ago, the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug to fight HIV/AIDS. The new drug is currently available in the US and it should be in the Indian market any time. This is one of the drugs that are being tested on people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

This drug is called Tivicay and it is currently manufactured under licence by GlaxoSmithKline.

It is used to treat the most common strain of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It is also known as dolutegravir and it is generic drug. It acts as integrase inhibitors: it blocks the HIV virus from entering cells.
Tivicay, as of now, is owned by ViiV Healthcare, an HIV joint venture between GSK, Pfizer Inc and Shionogi & Co Ltd.
US researchers say Tivicay (50mg) can be used to treat infected adults who have been treated or are being treated with other drugs or are new to treatment.

Tivicay is an integrase strand transfer inhibitor that interferes with one of the enzymes necessary for HIV to multiply. It is a pill taken daily in combination with other antiretroviral drugs.

Researchs in US says Tivicay is approved for use in a broad population of HIV-infected patients. It can be used to treat HIV-infected adults who have never taken HIV therapy (treatment-naïve) and HIV-infected adults who have previously taken HIV therapy (treatment-experienced). This also includes those who have been treated with other integrase strand transfer inhibitors.

Tivicay is also approved for children ages 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms (kg) who are treatment-naïve or treatment-experienced but have not previously taken other integrase strand transfer inhibitors.

It is available as a small, yellow, 50-mg tablet. Importantly, it can be taken with or without food and at any time of the day. Tivicay is now available in pharmacies in the US.

Coming back to the disease, HIV/AIDS occur due to a variety of reasons. It is important for a doctor who treats such patients to zero in on the cause and if you happen to know the cause, you would be doing yourself a favour by revealing it.

In Bangalore, all Government hospitals such as KC General, Bowring and Victoria Hospitals in Bangalore have HIV/AIDS cells. These hospitals have opened Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres mainly for providing Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART).

The ART is best understood when you visit one of the centres. By the way, eating nutritious food is an important factor when undergoing ART.

The Karnataka Government has provided certain facilities for HIV/AIDS patients for patients undergoing ART, including subsidized travel and treatment.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare and Karnataka State Aids Prevention Society (KSAPS) first inaugurated this facility in Bangalore. Besides, the Government last year opened  the ID NAT (Individual Donor Nuclic Acid Testing) facility at K C General Hospital in Malleswaram.

Under this scheme, the Government will give 80 paisa per kilometer to HIV+ patients. The patients can reimburse the amount from the government. Patients from urban areas will be paid Rs. 20 to travel one way for ART treatment. In case they spend more than Rs. 20 then the government will reimburse at the rate of 80 paisa per kilometer. A maximum of Rs. 100 will be paid for patients travelling from outside the district  and the procedure of reimbursement will be monitored by a nodal officer.

The ART consists of at least three anti-retroviral drugs to suppress the HIV virus and so far this has been found to be the most effective allopathic treatment. These drugs are being distributed free.

The government also offers treatment for tuberculosis (TB) - one of the deadly opportunistic infections suffered by people living with HIV (PLHIV) and even this is free of cost.

However, free ART and TB medicine do not alone complete HIV treatment. With immunity levels dipping constantly and with new stains being discovered, the infected people need regular and constant medical attention. Besides, recurring infections like herpes and diarrhea could call for regular hospitalisation.

As written earlier, a combination of drugs can be used to control the virus. Each of the classes of anti-HIV drugs blocks the virus in different ways. It is best to combine at least three drugs from two different classes to avoid creating strains of HIV that are immune to single drugs. The classes of anti-HIV drugs include:

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). The NNRTIs disable a protein needed by HIV or virus to make copies of itself. Examples include efavirenz (Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence) and nevirapine (Viramune).

Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). NRTIs are faulty versions of building blocks that HIV needs to make copies of itself. Examples include Abacavir (Ziagen), and the combination drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir (Truvada), and lamivudine and zidovudine (Combivir).

Protease inhibitors (PIs). PIs disable protease, another protein that HIV needs to make copies of itself. Examples include atazanavir (Reyataz), darunavir (Prezista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva) and ritonavir (Norvir).

Entry or fusion inhibitors. These drugs block HIV's entry into CD4 cells. Examples include enfuvirtide (Fuzeon) and maraviroc (Selzentry).

Integrase inhibitors. Raltegravir (Isentress) works by disabling integrase, a protein that HIV uses to insert its genetic material into CD4 cells.

This treatment should begin if you have or are having Your CD4 count under 500: You have HIV-related kidney disease: You're being treated for hepatitis B.

HIV treatment regimens can involve multiple pills at specific times every day. The side effects can include nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, abnormal heartbeats, shortness of breath, skin rash, weakened bones, bone death, particularly in the hip joints.

Please remember that some health issues are a natural part of aging and that they may be more difficult to manage if you have HIV. Some medications that are common for age-related cardiovascular, metabolic and bone conditions, for example, may not interact well with anti-HIV medications. Talk to your doctor, family doctor if you have one, about other conditions you're receiving medication for. There are also known interactions between anti-HIV drugs and:Contraceptives and hormones for women: Medications for the treatment of tuberculosis and Drugs to treat hepatitis C

Once the ART commences, your response is measured by your viral load and CD4 counts. Viral load should be tested at the start of treatment and then at regular intervals-say every three to four months during therapy. CD4 counts should be checked every three to six months.

HIV treatment should reduce your viral load to the point that I becomes undetectable. Mind you, this does not mean that HIV has vanished. It just means that the test is not sensitive enough to detect it or the low levels. Yet, you can still transmit HIV to others when your viral load is undetectable.

In India HIV is most commonly diagnosed by testing your blood or saliva for the presence of antibodies to the virus. Unfortunately, these types of HIV tests are not fully accurate immediately after infection because it takes time for your body to develop these antibodies — usually up to 12 weeks. In rare cases, it can take up to six months for an HIV antibody test to become positive.

A newer type of test checks for HIV antigen, a protein produced by the virus immediately after infection. This test can confirm a diagnosis within days of infection. An earlier diagnosis may prompt people to take extra precautions to prevent transmission of the virus to others. There is also increasing evidence that early treatment may be of benefit.

If you receive a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, several types of tests can help your doctor determine what stage of the disease you have. These tests include:

CD4 count. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that's specifically targeted and destroyed by HIV. A healthy person's CD4 count can vary from 500 to more than 1,000. Even if a person has no symptoms, HIV infection progresses to AIDS when his or her CD4 count becomes less than 200.

Viral load: This test measures the amount of virus in your blood. Studies have shown that people with higher viral loads generally fare more poorly than do those with a lower viral load.

Drug resistance: This blood test determines whether the strain of HIV you have will be resistant to certain anti-HIV medications and the ones that may work better.

Tests for complications:
Your doctor might also order lab tests to check for other infections or complications, including tuberculosis, hepatitis, toxoplasmosis

Sexually transmitted infections, liver or kidney damage and or

urinary tract infection

In resource-poor nations like India and in the continent of Africa, TB is the most common infection associated with HIV and a leading cause of death among people living with AIDS. Millions of people are currently infected with both HIV and tuberculosis, and many experts consider the two diseases twin epidemics.

Salmonellosis: You contract this bacterial infection from contaminated food or water. Symptoms include severe diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal pain and, occasionally, vomiting. Although anyone exposed to salmonella bacteria can become sick, salmonellosis is far more common in people who are HIV-positive.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV): This common herpes virus is transmitted in body fluids such as saliva, blood, urine, semen and breast milk. A healthy immune system inactivates the virus, and it remains dormant in your body. If your immune system weakens, the virus resurfaces — causing damage to your eyes, digestive tract, lungs or other organs.

Candidiasis: Candidiasis is a common HIV-related infection. It causes inflammation and a thick white coating on the mucous membrane of  mouth, tongue, esophagus or vagina. Children may have especially severe symptoms in the mouth or esophagus, which can make eating rather painful and difficult.

Cryptococcal meningitis: Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes and fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord (meninges). Cryptococcal meningitis is a common central nervous system infection associated with HIV, caused by a fungus that is present in soil. It may also be associated with bird or bat droppings.

Toxoplasmosis: This potentially deadly infection is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread primarily by cats. Infected cats pass the parasite in their stools, and the parasites may then spread to other animals.

Cryptosporidiosis: This infection is caused by an intestinal parasite that's commonly found in animals. You contract cryptosporidiosis when you ingest contaminated food or water. The parasite grows in your intestines and bile ducts, leading to severe, chronic diarrhea in people with AIDS.

Cancers common to HIV/AIDS

Kaposi's sarcoma: This is a tumor of the blood vessel walls. Although rare in people not infected with HIV, it's common in HIV-positive people. Kaposi's sarcoma usually appears as pink, red or purple lesions on the skin and mouth. In people with darker skin, the lesions may look dark brown or black. Kaposi's sarcoma can also affect the internal organs, including the digestive tract and lungs.

Lymphomas: As the name itself suggests, this type of cancer originates in your white blood cells. Lymphomas usually begin in your lymph nodes. The most common early sign is painless swelling of the lymph nodes in your neck, armpit or groin.

Other complications

Wasting syndrome. Aggressive treatment regimens have reduced the number of cases of wasting syndrome, but it does still affect many people with AIDS. It is defined as a loss of at least 10 percent of body weight and is often accompanied by diarrhea, chronic weakness and fever.

Neurological complications. Although AIDS doesn't appear to infect the nerve cells, it can still cause neurological symptoms such as confusion, forgetfulness, depression, anxiety and trouble walking. One of the most common neurological complications is AIDS dementia complex, which leads to behavioral changes and diminished mental functioning.

Kidney disease: HIV-associated nephropathy (HIV AN) is an inflammation of the tiny filters in your kidneys that remove excess fluid and wastes from your bloodstream and pass them to your urine. Because of a genetic predisposition, the risk of developing HIV AN is much higher in African Americans. Regardless of CD4 count, anti-retroviral therapy should be started in people diagnosed with HIV AN who are not already being treated.

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection.

Primary infection
The majority of people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within a month or two after the virus enters the body. This illness, known as primary or acute HIV infection, may last for a few weeks. Possible symptoms include: fever, muscle soreness, rash

Headache, sore throat, mouth or genital ulcers, swollen lymph glands, mainly on the neck, joint pain, night sweat and diarrhea.

Although the symptoms of primary HIV infection may be mild enough to go unnoticed, the amount of virus in the blood stream (viral load) is particularly high at this time. As a result, HIV infection spreads more efficiently during primary infection than during the next stage of infection.

Clinical latent infection:
In some people, persistent swelling of lymph nodes occurs during clinical latent HIV. Otherwise, there are no specific signs and symptoms. HIV remains in the body, however, as free virus and in infected white blood cells.

Clinical latent infection typically lasts eight to 10 years. A few people stay in this stage even longer, but others progress to more-severe disease much sooner.

Coming back to AIDS in India, the country has seen a 57 percent drop in number of new HIV infections during the last decade and these are the latest figures from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
India has seen reduction of new Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections (among adult population) from 2.74 lakh in 2000 to 1.16 lakh in 2011.
NACO says nearly 1.5 lakh lives have been saved due to free Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) medicines provided to HIV/AIDS patients. But these figures are nothing to crow about when you remember that the first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in India in 1986.

(These facts are compiled from several medical and pharmacy reports and also bulletins and journals. The information here is meant only to help guide people and all drugs and medication should only be taken with doctors’ prescription. The facts here are only for purposes of reference and not for any other purpose).

These Kannada dialects are never spoken in Karnataka

Kannada is one of the oldest Dravadian languages and it has got its own place in the galaxy of languages. It has been spoken 2,500 years ago and it has a written history going back 1,900 years.

Kannada is also the third oldest language in India after Sanskrit and Tamil.

Kannada is spoken by more than 40 million people and it is classified as among the top 40 languages in the world. There are about 20 dialects of Kannada, that includes Kundagannada, Nadavarkannada, Havigannada, Are Bhashe, Soliga, Gulbarga Kannada, Dharwad Kannada and a few more.

However even among the dialects, Urali (Mala Malasar) and Hoya or Holiya are distinct enough to be frequently considered separate languages. These two dialects along with another dialect Badaga are spoken outside Karnataka and all of them bear very close resemblance to Kannada.

The Holiya is spoken about by tribal people of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and their numbers are believed to be less than five hundred.

This dialect is slowly disappearing and the people who speak then are mainly hunters and people living in forests. These people follow the Hindi culture but the language resembles Kannada. The script is Hindi though.

The dialect is also called Holar, Hole, Holu and Golari-Kannada latest census figures estimate that 500 people in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh speak this dialect.

Another dialect, Badaga, was earlier considered as a sub language of Kannada, but many linguists claim that it should be studied and also classified as a separate branch emerging out of the south Dravidian language group.

There is no possibility of this dialect becoming extinct as it is spoken by more than 2.5 lakh people. These speakers primarily reside in villages spread across the Nilgiris or the Blue mountains in Tamil Nadu. They had settled at the place where the eastern and western Ghats converge in the southern peninsula of India.

The region where they stay is known as Badaganadu  or the land of Badagas. The Badaga language resembles Kannada a lot. During earlier times, Kannada script was used but now educated Badagas prefer Tamil or English scripts.

According to legends, the Badagas were Kannada speaking people and they migrated from Badagahalli, a village near Mysore and settled among in the Nilgiris more than a thousand years ago. They never came back. Nor did the villagers of Badagahalli contact them again. Due to the lack of contact with their erstwhile habitat, the Badagas developed a unique language form.

Like the Holar, the Badagas too are primarily hunters and live in forests. In the last few decades, they have taken to agriculture.  

Another dialect is Urali and it is spoken about by tribals living in Idduki in Kerala.

Urali too is an almost extinct language and there is no exact figure ion how many speak in it. Almost all the Urali speakers are primarily found in Idukki district.

They belong to a scheduled tribe and the speakers are mostly the elder members of the tribe. The younger members are mostly educated in Malayalam and communicate in the same language. Urali shares many features with Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and also with Irula.

The Urali speaking tribals follow a traditional religion and now they have taken to agriculture. Interestingly, there are very few speakers of these dialects in Karnataka and outside the State, their numbers are decreasing and their link with Kannada is getting strenuous day by day.   

Nature's bounty

Summer is already upon us and the specter of severe power and water shortage has already started haunting us. Politicians, as usual, are handing out assurances left, right and centre and none seem to be really bothered about the real problem plaguing the State.

The water table across the State has gone down alarmingly and almost all the districts of  north Karnataka, including, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Bidar, Raichur, Hubli-Dharwad, Haveri and Gadag have reported depleting water levels.

The rivers are drying up and the levels in the reservoirs are also fast receding. What bodes ill for the people and the state is the failure f the authorities in coming up with a comprehensive and long term water policy.

Harnessing rain water, recharging ground water, desilting tanks and lakes, recreating the storm water drainage, introducing better water management techniques and first of all immediately halting deforestation of forests and green patches and taking up sustained and productive afforestation seems to be the only way.

Let us see the hydrological features of the State and its potential. Since this is a vast topic, this post is restricted to reservoirs and this is the first part of the auricles on waters of Karnataka  .

Karnataka has the potential to show to the rest of the country the way to go forward in water management techniques. The eighth largest State in India, Karnataka has four main physiographical regions that distinguish it. They are the coastal region which comprise a 240 kms land mass between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats: the Malnad region which is to the east of the Western Ghats and which has several peaks: the north and south plains which form part of the Deccan Plateau.

The State has two types of drainages or watersheds: the east-flowing rivers Krishna and Cauvery with their many tributaries and the west-flowing rivers. The Western Ghats are the wedge between the watersheds and they feed both the east-flowing and west-flowing rivers with a large quantity of water.

The surface flow, in many rivers and their tributaries, like the Cauvery, Krishna, Tungha, Bhadra, Kapila, Shimsha has been interrupted by dams, bunds, reservoirs for irrigation and power generation.

The main river of the State is Krishna and its flows from Maharashtra to Andhra Pradesh and it carries an annual discharge of 37 000 million m3. Krishna is fed by five main tributaries of which Tungabhadra and Bhima are the largest. A majority of the tributaries and their subtributaries have been regulated by construction of dams and reservoirs.  The Cauvery, which originates in Talacauvery in Kodagu, flows into Tamil Nadu, and being an upper riparian State, Karnataka taps a substantial quantity of the river water. The main river is harnessed by the dam at Krishnarajasagar and all the tributaries upstream and below Krishnarajasagar are also regulated to create reservoirs.

The east-flowing rivers are harnessed mainly for irrigation, while the west flowing streams are regulated to tap their potential to generate hydro-electric power.

Karnataka, like Tamil Nadu has a traditional irrigation system of impounding surface flow of water by constructing small earthen dams across streams, creeks and rivulets and they are generally called as tanks.

Tanks are present in all the districts of Karnataka, except Kodagu and Government estimates say there are 4 605 large irrigation tanks, covering 213 404 hectares, with an average area of 50 hectares, as opposed to 19 673 small tanks, with an average area of less than 7 hectares.

Karnataka has 74 reservoirs and they cover an area of 223 887 hectares, nearly four times that of Tamil Nadu. Among the 74 reservoirs, 46 are classified as small, viz., < 1 000 ha with a waterspread of 15 253 ha. If irrigation tanks are also included, the total surface water area of small reservoirs is 228 657 ha.

The 16 medium reservoirs have an area of 29 078 ha and the large reservoirs (> 5 000 ha), over 179 556 ha. Among the small reservoirs, those less than 500 ha outnumber the rest. Thus, Karnataka has 437 292 ha of water area under different categories of man-made impoundments.

The largest reservoir in Karnaataka is Linganamakki in Shimoga district. Incidentally, Shimoga district has the maximum number of reservoirs in the State. The districts of Bellary, Belgaum, Mandya, Bijapur, Uttar Kannada, Chitradurga, Hassan and Mysore also have large reservoirs.

Small reservoirs are mostly irrigation structures, distributed in all the districts. Kolar has the maximum of such structures with  625 tanks and 2 reservoirs. Shimoga (662 units; 13 762 ha) and Bellary (193 and 46 022 ha).

Riverine resources of Karnataka
Name of the river/tributary	Annual mean discharge (million m3)	Main river	Flowing to (Neighbouring State)	Ultimate destination
East flowing
Main river Krishna	37 000	-	Andhra Pradesh	Bay of Bengal
Bhima	12 690	Krishna	Do	do
Ghataprabha	5 380	do	Do	do
Malaprabha	1 980	do	Do	do
Tungabhadra	14 700	do	Do	do
Vedavati	1 410	do	Do	do
Main river Cauvery	6 200	-	Do	do
Herangi	1 130	Cauvery	Tamil Nadu	do
Hemavati	2 520	do	Do	do
Shimsha	1 700	do	Do	do
Arkavati	850	do	Do	do
Lakshmanathirtha	425	do	Do	do
Kabini	2 600	do	Do	do
Suwarnavati	820	do	Do	do
West flowing
Sharavati	4 545	Sharavati	-	Arabian Sea
Kalinadi	6 537	Kalinadi	-	do
Netravati	4 615	Netravati	-	do
Gangavati	4 925	Gangavati	-	do