[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

Grand Mercure to garner growth from Mysuru’s revenue per available room

Grand Mercure, part of the AccorHotels and Brigade Group, has identified Mysuru to take off its operations in India because it proved to be a much sought-after tourist destination. The new entrant is gearing up to drive its earnings from Mysuru which has been registering double-digit revenue per available room, (RevPAR) growth.

Mysuru has been a preferred tourist destination for leisure travellers from around the world. The city is known for its opulence and royal ambience making it replete with tourist attractions.

Recently, Karnataka registered an 85 million tourists mark. A significant percentage of these tourists visited Mysuru, making it a critical market from leisure perspective. “This city is showing double-digit RevPAR growth in annual trends and the demand of travellers is ever expanding for an upscale hotel which can connect to the needs and desires of the travellers,” stated Sachin Malhotra, GM, Grand Mercure, Mysuru, in an email to FnB News.

“With the opening of Grand Mercure, Mysuru, we are confident about our positioning in the city. The hotel brings contemporary lifestyle with a flavour of local royalty to the city travellers. It has varied food and beverage options for weekend travellers, international tourists and the MICE (meetings incentives, conference and events) and business travellers. The hotel has a well balanced mix of business and leisure for its guests,” he added.

In addition, with Bengaluru growing at a faster pace, Mysuru now has emerged as the next favoured destination for corporates. Many information technology majors have already started their campuses in Mysuru. Infosys being notable among them with its largest campus in the country. In addition there are other industries that provide Mysuru with a steady inflow of business clientele. Due to increased presence of corporates, it is also an important commercial hub.

With RadisonBlu and Lalit Mahal Palace Hotel also positioning to woo guests to its premises, Malhotra said that there was enough demand for every hotel operating in the city to capture its respective target market.

“What sets Grand Mercure Mysuru apart in the market is the brand. We have set a new benchmark for culinary and guest experience in Mysuru. The hotel offers a blend of modern and traditional aesthetics for business and leisure travellers,” he said.

“Being part of AccorHotels portfolio of 14 brands globally and seven brands in India, is our greatest strength and asset. The Grand Mercure brand is perfect for a destination like Mysuru, where art and culture contributed significantly to the city’s heritage. The hotel has 146 contemporary rooms and is located within close proximity to all major tourist attractions as well as the central business district. Moreover the location on the New Sayaji Rao Road is big take away as this avenue plays host to the world-famous 10-day-long Dasara festivity. The sixth floor of the hotel features an exquisite viewing gallery overlooking the Dasara processional pathway, allowing guests to enjoy an exclusive view of the magnificent festivities the city is globally renowned for,” said Malhotra.

The hotel has a staff strength of around 150 personnel. “Additionally, we have a strong talent pipeline, and intend to hire more resources as per the business needs. The young and well-trained team members add a personal touch and attention to detail to the guest experience,” he said.

 

[MysoreOne]

After clean city, goal set for Swachh Mysuru Dasara

Despite being a tourist hub, playing host to people from across India and abroad throughout the year, Mysuru has managed to get the ‘cleanest city’ tag for the second consecutive year, in a row. However, as the recognition for the city came within a span of six months for both the years, there has been no Dasara during this period.


read more:- http://www.deccanherald.com/content/551260/after-clean-city-goal-set.html

 

[engineer.akash]

India’s only Sanskrit daily, Sudharma, fights for survival

After 45 years of publishing, Sudharma faces acute financial crunch.

Set to complete 46 years of its existence next month, Sudharma, which claims to be the country’s only running Sanskrit daily, is facing severe financial crunch which threatens its survival. The editor of the Mysuru-based daily, which has a circulation of 3,000 copies, has approached the Centre for assistance but is yet to get a response.

“We need support. The yearly subscription of this newspaper costs a mere Rs 400 and the circulation is coming down. We have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Home Minister Rajnath Singh but have not received any response yet,” said editor of the newspaper Sampath Kumar. Now they have published an appeal in the paper requesting donations from public.

“In today’s time of electronic gadgets and fancy magazines, it has been a struggle to keep the paper alive. Our readers and well wishers have been giving us lot of inputs and ideas to improve the circulation and reader base of the newspaper. We have thought of giving a face lift to the paper and to come up with Sudharma magazine (half yearly). In order to do so we need to equip ourselves with modern day printing gadgets and accessories.

“We are buying an imported single colour offset machine.Estimated cost of this is about Rs 20 lakh. We need your help to put these dreams into action. We request you to kindly help us with your donations. Please help us spread the language to a wider audience,” the appeal reads. “Sudharma is not a revenue-generating venture for us. It’s a fruit of our passion for journalism and Sankrit,” said Kumar.

Sudharma was launched by Kalale Nadadur Varadaraja Iyengar, a Sanskrit scholar, in 1970 with the goal of propagating the language.

Mysuru the cultural capital

 

[engineer.akash]

AIR at 80: How it was Mysuru that brought the radio alive in India

Private radio in Mysuru began with a small thirty-watt Phillips transmitter at Gopalaswamy's residence Vittala Vihar

The All India Radio (AIR) turned 80 this week. We all know someone in the family or among friends hooked to it. There are several famous persons who continue to maintain their daily schedules based on the various programmes broadcast on AIR.

This sort of loyalty is what has kept AIR afloat for all these decades. Despite the onslaught of other FM channels that fill the airwaves at all times of the day, there is something charming about AIR that keeps radio listeners tuned in. But few people know that the earliest history of the AIR began in a small room in Mysuru.

Mysore State under the Wodeyar rulers flourished with a great emphasis on education, arts and culture. The erstwhile king Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1884-1940) was a great patron of the arts and of education. Among his many Prime Ministers were luminaries like Deewan Madhava Rao, Mirza Ismail, and Mokshagundam Vishweshwarayya.

The king, himself proficient in several music instruments, patronised several musicians, dancers, writers and poets. Several leading musicians from north India too found patronage in Mysore. His successor Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar was a Carnatic music composer himself and followed a similar pattern in his brief rule till India’s independence.

One of the big institutions they established was the Maharaja’s college in Mysore. Established in 1899 during the reign of king Chamarajendra Wodeyar X, it is one of the oldest universities in the country. In the past, the university boasted of names like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, poet laureate KV Putappa – later famous as Kuvempu, musician Rallapalli Aanatha Krishna Sharma, and CD Narasimhiah among its faculty. The college also has its fair share of famous alumni including senior journalists like HY Sharada Prasad, RK Narayan and cartoonist RK Laxman, and writers Poornachandra Tejaswi and SL Bhyrappa in later years.


It was in this college that MV Gopalaswamy joined as a professor of Psychology and later became the principal of the college. He lived in Vitthala Vihar in Vontikoppal in Yadavagiri area.

And it was here that the earliest ideas of a radio station were put into practice. He set up a small experimental radio with a thirty-watt Philips transmitter. On September 10, 1935 Gopalaswamy and a few of his friends gathered to launch what was India’s first private radio station.

The aim of the station was to promote educational programming with a strong dose of art and culture. The station made history with a performance by legendary Carnatic musician and composer Mysore Vasudevacharya with HV Rama Rao accompanying him on violin and Venkatesh Devar on the Mridangam, which became the first music programme on radio in the country. However this slice of history remained local and unknown for a while.

For half-a-dozen years Gopalaswamy ran the radio station by himself, spending his own private finances to keep it afloat. It was his passion and commitment to the radio that kept him going.

But when the financial pressures mounted, he finally handed over the administration of the station to the Mysore city municipality. In 1942, the Maharaja’s office took it over. But Gopalaswamy continued to serve in the position of director. After retiring in 1943, he appointed as his successor the famous journalist and writer N Kasturi.

Narayana Kasturi (1897-1987) was a prolific writer and journalist. He served as a lecturer in the Maharaja’s college in 1928. At a very early age he came in touch with several spiritual leaders and gurus like Sage Ramana Maharishi of Arunachalam, Meher Baba and Narayana Guru. He later became an ardent devotee and the official biographer of Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi and settled down there for the rest of his life.

While there are various origin stories, the most popular ones give him credit for naming the radio station ‘Aakashavani’. According to the story, while Kasturi was looking for a suitable Indian name for the station with friends, including Gopalaswamy, his mother overheard the conversation and came up with ‘Aakashavani’.

‘Aakashavani’ or ‘sound from the heavens’, received instant approval from everyone there. Kasturi made all efforts to formalize this. And the rest, as they say, is history. The name stayed even after All India Radio formally became a part of the Indian state.

The Mysuru Aakashavani also has several firsts to its credit. It was the first to broadcast all day starting from 5.55 am to 11.05 pm in the State. It was the first to broadcast educational programmes exclusively catering to high school students. It was the first to broadcast Hindi lessons in south India. A programme titled ‘Gana Vihara’ introduced different genres of music to listeners. Almost every artiste, political leader, writer, cultural personality of national or State significance has visited and been featured on the Mysuru station.

As AIR celebrates its eightieth birthday, these humble Mysurean founding fathers have been long forgotten. But it was their toil that made this radio station an enduring reality.

Credit for all images: Krishnmurty, Mysore State Archives, Mysore University

 

[engineer.akash]

Merger time?

Outer ring road with City roads?

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

At Mysuru Royal Wedding, Boston-Educated Prince Marries Rajasthani Princess

Mysuru:*Mysuru's iconic Amba Vilas Palace hosted a royal wedding today after nearly 40 years as the Wodeyar dynasty's titular king Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja married princess Trishika Kumari Singh from Rajasthan.

Boston-educated Yaduveer, 24, and married 22-year-old Trishika Kumari in the Durbar Hall of the palace.


Trishika is the daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshri Kumari of the Dungarpur royal family in Rajasthan.



Wearing the royal crown and a cream bandhgala, Yaduveer exchanged jasmine garlands with his bride, resplendent in red and gold. The couple poured rice over each other and walked the traditional seven rounds around the holy fire to complete the wedding rituals.


Earlier, Yaduveer paid respect to 'Rajaguru' Bramhatantra Parakala mutt seer Abhinava Vageesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swami.

Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, the widow of the last Wodeyar Srikantadatta Narasimharaja, formally adopted Yaduveer in February last year as the couple had no children. Yaduveer was crowned the titular king in May.


He is the grandson of Princess Gayatri Devi, the eldest daughter of the last Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar.


An arts graduate from the Massachusetts University in Boston, Yaduveer was engaged to Trishika after his graduation last year.

A number of receptions have been organized for about 50 royal families from across the country, relatives, politicians and other VIPs.

About 2,000 special invitees from the state and across the country have been invited for a grand event on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the royal couple will appear before the public in a decorated motorcade within the palace grounds.


The majestic palace in the heart of Mysuru, Karnataka's cultural and historic capital 150 km from Bengaluru, has been decorated and illuminated for the wedding.

The invitees include top politicians, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet colleagues, diplomats from consulates of several countries, erstwhile royal families from across the country.

The Wodeyar dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Mysuru from 1399 to 1947. The last king, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, ruled from 1940 until Independence in 1947.

Story first published: Jun 27, 2016 08:56 IST

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

Afforestation campaign launched to increase green cover in Mysuru

The green cover in Mysuru district is set to increase with the launch of Koti Vruksha Andolana, under which 1 crore saplings will be planted across the State during the first week of July.

A forest department initiative, the campaign will culminate with the planting of 8 crore saplings all over the State over an extended period of time and in Mysuru district, the authorities will plant 8 lakh saplings during the week and 31 lakh during the course of the year.
While the State-wide campaign was inaugurated by Forest Minister Ramanath Rai recently, the district in-charge Minister H.C.Mahadevappa launched the district programme on Saturday during which 251 saplings were planted along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near R.T. Nagar.

Deputy Conservator of Forests V. Karikalan said that Forest Department would plant 35,000 saplings in Mysuru city alone spread over 175 hectares of land as part of the current campaign. This will cover public places like hospitals, schools, government offices and residential layouts.

About 3,000 saplings will be planted on the campus of the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) while 2,500 saplings will be planted at Lalitadripura Layout, said Mr. Karikalan.

"We have 60 programmes in the pipeline during the current week, in addition to 25 programmes which we have already conducted, and are confident of planting 8 lakh saplings," he added. About 31 lakh saplings are available for Mysuru division and they will be planted in a phase-wise manner which will help increase the green cover of Mysuru district to 20 per cent of the total geographical area. At present, Mysuru district has about 16 per cent green cover including the forest areas. The emphasis is on indigenous species and fruit-bearing trees.

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

Mygreen 2016 begins in Mysuru

Mygreen 2016, an exclusive exhibition of eco-friendly products including green building technologies, began here on Friday.

The three-day exhibition is being conducted by the Builders Association of India (BAI), Mysuru chapter, to popularise and create greater public awareness on emerging building and related technologies that are eco-friendly and is being held at the Jayamma Govindegowda Convention Hall, Kuvempunagar.

V. Prakash, former director, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), inaugurated the exhibition and emphasised that the concept of green should not be interpreted as more trees and vegetation but also a change in attitude towards sustainability,

He said that the larger definition of green should include sustainability and this includes smart buildings that are cost and energy-effective.

Dr. Prakash emphasised the need for internal air circulation, ventilation and a feeling of spaciousness in a closed environment as being necessary to for a building to be labelled as green.

Drawing an analogy from his area of specialisation, which is food technology, he said that there was greater loss of food from farm than from consumers due to lack of infrastructure.

In the context of modern architecture he referred to the current-day office buildings that are glass and hence requires air conditioning and pointed out that old structures in Mysuru with quadrangles providing sufficient air circulation and ventilation, are examples of saving energy.

The exhibition featured some of the more popular products including solar energy products besides rain water harvesting techniques, clay pots for domestic use, solar microgrids, renewable energy concepts etc.

N. Subramanya, chairman, BAI, Mysuru centre, K. Subramanya Rao, chairman, Mygreen 2016, and others were present.

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

10-day Gujarat Handicraft Utsav begins at Hebbal

Summary: Mysuru: The 10-day Gujarat Handicrafts Utsav-2016 kick-started at JSS Urban Haat in Hebbal Industrial Area here on Friday. It will be open from 10am to 9pm.Speaking after inaugurating the utsav, MLA Vasu said: "This type of platform enables artistes to sell their products directly to customers. They are exhibiting, demonstrating and selling their arts and crafts. It's a win-win opportunity as customers also get quality products at lesser price. One of the stalls is selling herbal medicine, which is in great demand in Gujarat.Visitors can also treat themselves to Gujarati food.For the benefit of those visiting the utsav, buses (route number 117/1) ply from Mysore city bus stand to JSS Mysore Urban Haat at half-an-hour frequency.
Mysuru: The 10-day Gujarat Handicrafts Utsav-2016 kick-started at JSS Urban Haat in Hebbal Industrial Area here on Friday. It will be open from 10am to 9pm.Speaking after inaugurating the utsav, MLA Vasu said: "This type of platform enables artistes to sell their products directly to customers. And artistes, in turn, get a better prize for their works.

It's a win-win opportunity as customers also get quality products at lesser price. The utsav also enables people to know other cultures".Mayor B L Bhyrappa, who was also present on the occasion, was overwhelmed with the collections displayed at the utsav.More than 40 master artisans form Gujarat are participating in the exhibition.

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

Mysore palace priest burns himself to death at Irangal

Anantapur: A priest from the Mysore Maharaja Palace committed suicide by setting himself ablaze at a deserted place near Irangal in Kurnool district.

The priest, Balasubramanyam, 54, was one of the priests in the team which solemnised the marriage of the Maharaja of Mysore, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, on July 27.

The priest’s family said Balasubramanyam was suffering from diabetes and hypertension. The priest told his family that he was going for a darshan of Guru Raghavendra Swamy at Mantralayam and got into the Basava Express on Wednesday night. But he got down at Irongal station.

He went to a deserted place and attempted suicide by dousing himself with petrol. The victim who had serious burns was shifted to the government hospital at Adoni.

Balasubramanyam died on Thursday evening. Kosigi SI Bhasha said a case was registered.

based on a complaint by the deceased's wife Sri Lakshmi who said poor health was the reason for the suicide.

It may be noted that after Srikantadatta Wadeyar passed away on December 10 , 2013 his widow Pramoda Devi adopted Yaduveer as successor.

Maharaja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Monday married Trishika Kumari Singh, daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshree Kumari of Dungarpur royal family. The ceremony took place at the Mysore Palace.

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

Anyone know when is banni central mall at bannimantap and forum mall in nazarbad gonna open for public???

 

[engineer.akash]

Anyone know when is banni central mall at bannimantap and forum mall in nazarbad gonna open for public???

Banni central mall should open by next year and Prestige forum by mid next year

 

[Ujwal Sridharmurthy]

Banni central mall should open by next year and Prestige forum by mid next year

Any idea on which multiplexes could come up in both malls??

 

[Rahul.C]

Any idea on which multiplexes could come up in both malls??

No idea
but i think we can expect Cinepolis,PVR,Fame,BIG cinemas,Any local cinemas

I heard that banni is owned by Rockline vekatesh so Rockline cinemas in banni mall

 

[amithpallavoor]

BRTS on ring road should be planned before unplanned development takes over.

 

[engineer.akash]

BRTS on ring road should be planned before unplanned development takes over.

I guess BRTS is needed on Nanjangud road rather. Lot of industries and sure a bottleneck in future.

 

[amithpallavoor]

I agree. Even a surface level light rail/ tram with a dedicated right of way is not a bad idea for a city like Mysore.

No to an elevated MRTS within the precincts of the heritage structures.

The city shall look a real world class heritage city if tourists are allowed to use latest light rail systems/ trams to traverse from Mysore Palace to the base of Chamundi Hills and then to the Zoo and other attractions. Not to forget, the iconic Devaraja Market.

This could be interlinked to other MRTS systems as the city grows.

Lack of a dedicated right way could cause serious traffic congestion issues.

 

[amithpallavoor]

I hope Mysore ORR does not become another congested stretch like Bangalore's ORR.

 

[Rahul.C]

 

[Rahul.C]

Dufferin clock tower