Bengaluru: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) organised a Walkathon in Bengaluru on Sunday as part of its 175th-anniversary celebrations. Themed “Geoscience for a Safe World,” the event aimed to raise awareness about the role of geosciences in public safety, environmental conservation, and sustainable development.

Around 380 participants, including GSI officials, their families, students, geoscientists, and representatives from key organisations, took part in the event. The Walkathon started from Gate No. 4 of GSI’s Vasudha Bhawan, Kumaraswamy Layout, passed through Sarakki Signal, and concluded at Gate No. 5 of Vasudha Bhawan.

Several dignitaries from the sports and scientific communities were present. R. Vijay Kumar, Deputy Director General, GSI (Karnataka & Goa Unit), welcomed guests, including Atal Awardee Bharathi B.L., former Karnataka softball and baseball player K.R. Ashok Kumar, Parvathi Ashok Kumar, Rajesh Ramachandra Nirvaneshwar, Nandaini Anandani, K.V. Krishnamurthy (Secretary, Geological Society of India), and M.G. Murugan (Scientific Officer ‘G’, Atomic Minerals Directorate).

Debkumar Bhattacharya, Deputy Director General & HoD, Remote Sensing and Aerial Surveys, delivered the inaugural address, stressing the importance of public awareness on geoscience applications. C.S. Verma, Deputy Director General, Geophysical Division, highlighted GSI’s role in mineral exploration, geohazard assessments, and geoscientific research.

Addressing the gathering, R. Vijay Kumar spoke about GSI’s contributions to India’s natural resource policies since its inception in 1851. He emphasised the significance of geoscience in infrastructure resilience, disaster risk mitigation, and sustainable urban planning.

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Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.

The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.

"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.

"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.

Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.

As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.

Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.

Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.

He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.

Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".