Amai Mahalinga Naik gets Mangaluru Press Club Annual Award
Mangaluru, Dec 16: Amai Mahalinga Naik, who converted a piece of barren land into a full-fledged farm, has been selected for Mangaluru Press Club Annual Award-2018.
The selection committee headed by Prof. Balakrishna Gatti, Dr. Vasanth Kumar Parle and Dr. Nagaveni Manchi selected the 73-year-old Mahalinga Nayak, a resident of Amai near Adyanadka in Bantwal taluk, for the award.
Award presentation on January 5
The award will be conferred on Amai Mahalinga Naik during the celebration of Press Club Day on January 5 at Urwa Church Hall, informed Ibrahim Adakshala, general secretary of Mangalore Press Club.
40 years ago, Naik used to eke out a living by plucking arecanuts, coconuts. Landlord Mahabala Bhat gifted 2 acres of barren land to him in 1978. His dream to raise an arecanut farm atop rocky hills with poor vegetation was initially mocked by all. But he decided to rely on the ancient method of water harvesting, Suranga, as there was no water source for irrigation nearby.
Naik took up the task himself as hiring workers for digging would have been highly expensive. Though he was no water diviner, he followed his gut instinct and begun digging the same year. After harvesting coconuts and arecanuts, he used to return home and resume digging during the spare time. The tunnel being narrow, he had to crawl on all fours and crouch in order to hold the metal basket between his legs for collecting excavated soil.
After digging up to a depth of 30 metre, he gave up and begun digging at another location guided by his instinct. But water still remained elusive at a depth of 35 metre in second tunnel. When he had to abandon digging third and fourth tunnel at 35 metre again, the hard work of four years seemed to have gone in vain. Villagers declared that Naik was on a fool’s errand.
But ignoring all this, he began digging the fifth suranga located at an elevated place. And finally at 50 feet, he discovered moisture on ceiling. At sixth attempt, at 315 ft long, he found water. Then Naik went on to dig the seventh suranga behind his house to provide water for drinking and domestic use. Today, not only his farm is the living proof of a man’s extraordinary optimism, but Naik is also a role model for small farmers.
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Man allegedly arrives with deadly weapon to attack another, caught by public in Jokatte
Panambur: A man who allegedly came armed to attack another person was caught by members of the public and later handed over to police in Jokatte late on Friday night.
The accused has been identified as Naveen Poojari, originally from Vamanjoor and presently residing in Jokatte.
According to police sources, Naveen was married and has an eight-year-old son. The couple are now divorced.
Police said Naveen suspected that his former wife, who is employed at a showroom in Padil, was moving closely with Devi Prasad Acharya, a mechanic working there.
Based on this suspicion, Naveen allegedly went to the house of Devi Prasad Acharya on Friday night carrying a deadly weapon, created a scene and issued threats.
During the incident, Devi Prasad Acharya reportedly contacted the 112 emergency helpline, following which Naveen fled from the spot.
While escaping, Naveen is said to have fallen from his two-wheeler near the Jokatte Panchayat area. Local residents who rushed to help noticed a deadly weapon on the vehicle and immediately alerted police.
Officials from Panambur Police Station rushed to the spot, took Naveen into custody and brought him to the station.
A case has been registered based on the complaint filed by Devi Prasad Acharya, and further action is under way.
