Partial solar eclipse witnessed in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada districts
Udupi / Mangaluru, June 21: A partial solar eclipse was witnessed in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Sunday.
The eclipse, which commenced at 10:04 am and reached a maximum of 40% at 11:27 am in Udupi district and at 11:36 am in Dakshina Kannada, ended at 1:22 pm and 1:19 pm respectively. The people of both districts, however, did not have the privilege of witnessing an annual solar eclipse.
The amateur astronomical observers who gathered at the Poornaprajna College in Udupi viewed the eclipse with telescope filters, glasses and welding glass. The movement of the moon between the sun and the earth was uploaded into Youtube from the College.
Dr A P Bhat, founder – director of the observers' group; Atul Bhat, coordinator; Dr A Raghavendra, principal of the College; and Pratibha Acharya, head of the Physics Department, were present during the viewing.
In Mangaluru city and other parts of Dakshina Kannada, a partial solar eclipse could be seen in spite of a cloudy sky on Sunday. Aravinda Kudla, Science teacher, led the team of Chintana Cultural Group, which viewed the astronomical occurrence from Akash Bhavan in Mangaluru city. Kudla also explained aspects of a solar eclipse to the gathering on the occasion.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
