Udupi, September 21: A three days 'Gonidhi' painting exhibition, organised by the Thrivarna Kala Kendra of Manipal in association with the district administration at RSB Bhavan at Manipal to collect donations for Kodagu disaster victims, was inaugurated on Friday. Mangaluru city corporation joint commissioner Gokuldas Karmath inaugurated the exhibition.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that it was the responsibility of every individual to respond to those who lost everything in the natural disaster. The general public need to join hands with the government. One cannot evaluate the paintings crafted by the children. In spite of it, the decision of the children to sell their paintings and donate the collected amount to the victims of the disaster victims which is appreciable, he said.

Madhava Kripa school principal Jessie Andrews, Udupi Chitrakala Mandir Director U.C Niranjan, Senior artist P.N Acharya and others were present.

Manipal Lions Club president Shruti Shenoy presided over the programme. Centre guide Harish Saga, Students Mythili G, Haritha Alapathi and Sushma were also present.

Total 39 paintings drawn by the students of Kundapura and Manipal centres displayed in the exhibition which will remain open till September 23.

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Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Police are actively searching for film director Ram Gopal Varma after he failed to appear for questioning in connection with a case filed against him for allegedly posting offensive and morphed images of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and their family members on social media.

The case was registered at Maddipadu Police Station in Prakasam district on November 11, with the complainant Ramalingam alleging that Varma's posts undermined the reputation of the leaders and caused personal harm.

Three police teams—two in Hyderabad and one in Tamil Nadu—have been deployed to locate Varma. One team is currently in Chennai, another is at his residence in Hyderabad, and the third is searching in Film Nagar. Police officials reported that Varma’s phone is switched off, complicating their efforts.

According to Prakasam District Superintendent of Police (SP) A.R. Damodar, Varma had been issued two notices and was given until November 24 to cooperate with the investigation. However, he failed to appear, leading to intensified search efforts.

Varma’s lawyer has argued that physical presence is not required and has requested that the investigation proceed in a virtual format under provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The lawyer stated that Varma had communicated his willingness to cooperate digitally but alleged that police had not responded to his requests.

SP Damodar criticised the director's approach, stating, "Without appearing for the investigation, how can Varma suggest a virtual probe?" He confirmed that police are pursuing all legal avenues to ensure compliance.

Varma, who had earlier requested additional time due to prior commitments, was summoned for investigation on November 25 but failed to attend. Police have stated that further legal action will follow if he continues to remain uncooperative.