Latest news with #VenkateshKumar
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Pandit Venkatesh Kumar: Fame will come on its own, just keep practising
A doyen of Hindustani Classical music, Padma Shri Pandit Venkatesh Kumar has a voice that carries the weight of tradition and the warmth of a lived-in raga. Over the years, his performances have stirred hearts across India, including Hyderabad, a city he loves immensely. 'I've been coming to this city for a long time; it's not new to me,' he says, adding, 'I've done many programmes here. The recent one was for SPIC MACAY's international convention — it was wonderful. The audience was great and listened with such devotion. That kind of audience motivates us to perform. Hyderabad gives importance to culture.' Born in Karnataka and trained in the Kirana and Gwalior gharanas, Pt Venkatesh's journey is rooted in spiritual discipline and simplicity. When asked about his guru, his voice fills with quiet reverence. 'My guru was Padma Bhushan Pandit Puttaraj Gawai, a saintly musician and scholar. I began with the basics — swaras, alankars — then moved on to bandishes in different talas. After four to five years, I started learning bada khayal. My uncle, a great theatre artiste, sent me to the Veereshwar Punyashram in Gadag, where I studied music for 12 years under guruji's blessings,' recalls the khayal vocalist.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The 100-year-old planning law that stopped this family building a home for their son
When the Venkatesh Kumar family's application was debated at a meeting of the Cardinia Shire Council last week, councillors took less than 10 minutes to reject it unanimously. Councillors who spoke argued the covenant was an asset that protected the area from overdevelopment and excessive traffic. Councillor Trudi Paton said changing the covenant to allow for a second dwelling on the property 'would cause harm both to the aesthetic character of the neighbourhood and to the property values of adjoining owners'. She noted that while the application received just three objections, which would not normally meet the threshold for refusal, the covenant gave those objections more weight. 'I drove around the neighbourhood, I looked at this particular property, I saw all of the cream Colorbond fences that clearly marked that this was a special area,' Paton said. 'There was a unity to the style of dwellings and the spaces between them. So clearly most of the people who have bought into this area have bought it for the aesthetic and the benefits that it provides.' A council officers' report noted objections were made on the basis that lifting the covenant would affect neighbourhood character, increase demand for on-street parking, lower property values, and involve the removal of habitat in the family's mostly treeless backyard. Venkatesh Kumar Govinda Raju said he knew his home had a covenant when he bought it, but did not believe it was inviolable, given two other properties in the same estate have previously been subdivided and developed into multiple units. He fears that his apprentice son and the son's partner will be priced out of Pakenham in their search for a home. 'There is a crisis in Melbourne, so I don't understand why the council is not giving me permission,' he said. Loading The council's general manager of community and planning services, Debbie Tyson, said numerous properties within the shire were subject to restrictive covenants, sometimes imposed through the planning process but often by developers and landowners under the Transfer of Land Act 1958. Tyson said the two properties in the estate that have been subdivided were not subject to the covenant. Planning reforms legislated in November 2023 to make it easier to build small second dwellings, or backyard 'granny flats' by removing the need for a planning permit did not include restrictive covenants. 'State and local governments do not create or enforce restrictive covenants. This is done by owners of the land who benefit from the covenant,' a government guide for home owners who want to build a small second dwelling states. Loading An Allan government spokesperson said the state's Planning and Environment Act – which sets the rules for housing development – was being rewritten this year to make it easier to build more homes, but did not address whether the reforms would seek to overturn Melbourne's many restrictive covenants. 'We know we need to make it easier to get more homes built across the state – that's exactly why we're completely rewriting the planning act, so good homes aren't blocked by red tape,' the spokesperson said. 'We're also reviewing how we can make it easier, faster and cheaper for Victorians to divide their blocks and build more homes.' Townsend said it would be 'very easy' for the government to change the laws and make it easier for home owners to remove covenants when they modify the planning and environment act. Venkatesh Kumar said he was considering appealing the council's refusal through the Supreme Court. 'It's going to be expensive, but not as expensive as, you know, buying land for $440,000,' he said. 'I've already spent $15,000 for the council to get the covenant removed. It didn't succeed, but I am a guy with hopes, I will be moving forward to my goal.'
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
The 100-year-old planning law that stopped this family building a home for their son
When the Venkatesh Kumar family's application was debated at a meeting of the Cardinia Shire Council last week, councillors took less than 10 minutes to reject it unanimously. Councillors who spoke argued the covenant was an asset that protected the area from overdevelopment and excessive traffic. Councillor Trudi Paton said changing the covenant to allow for a second dwelling on the property 'would cause harm both to the aesthetic character of the neighbourhood and to the property values of adjoining owners'. She noted that while the application received just three objections, which would not normally meet the threshold for refusal, the covenant gave those objections more weight. 'I drove around the neighbourhood, I looked at this particular property, I saw all of the cream Colorbond fences that clearly marked that this was a special area,' Paton said. 'There was a unity to the style of dwellings and the spaces between them. So clearly most of the people who have bought into this area have bought it for the aesthetic and the benefits that it provides.' A council officers' report noted objections were made on the basis that lifting the covenant would affect neighbourhood character, increase demand for on-street parking, lower property values, and involve the removal of habitat in the family's mostly treeless backyard. Venkatesh Kumar Govinda Raju said he knew his home had a covenant when he bought it, but did not believe it was inviolable, given two other properties in the same estate have previously been subdivided and developed into multiple units. He fears that his apprentice son and the son's partner will be priced out of Pakenham in their search for a home. 'There is a crisis in Melbourne, so I don't understand why the council is not giving me permission,' he said. Loading The council's general manager of community and planning services, Debbie Tyson, said numerous properties within the shire were subject to restrictive covenants, sometimes imposed through the planning process but often by developers and landowners under the Transfer of Land Act 1958. Tyson said the two properties in the estate that have been subdivided were not subject to the covenant. Planning reforms legislated in November 2023 to make it easier to build small second dwellings, or backyard 'granny flats' by removing the need for a planning permit did not include restrictive covenants. 'State and local governments do not create or enforce restrictive covenants. This is done by owners of the land who benefit from the covenant,' a government guide for home owners who want to build a small second dwelling states. Loading An Allan government spokesperson said the state's Planning and Environment Act – which sets the rules for housing development – was being rewritten this year to make it easier to build more homes, but did not address whether the reforms would seek to overturn Melbourne's many restrictive covenants. 'We know we need to make it easier to get more homes built across the state – that's exactly why we're completely rewriting the planning act, so good homes aren't blocked by red tape,' the spokesperson said. 'We're also reviewing how we can make it easier, faster and cheaper for Victorians to divide their blocks and build more homes.' Townsend said it would be 'very easy' for the government to change the laws and make it easier for home owners to remove covenants when they modify the planning and environment act. Venkatesh Kumar said he was considering appealing the council's refusal through the Supreme Court. 'It's going to be expensive, but not as expensive as, you know, buying land for $440,000,' he said. 'I've already spent $15,000 for the council to get the covenant removed. It didn't succeed, but I am a guy with hopes, I will be moving forward to my goal.'
The Hindu
03-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Excise Dept. registers 2.04 lakh cases in three years; ₹102 cr. worth of goods seized
The Excise Department has registered 2.04 lakh cases under various categories over the last three years — 2022 – 23, 2023-24, and 2024-25— and seized goods worth over ₹102 crore. Over 1.92 lakh people have been arrested for several offences and later released on bail. The department primarily registers cases under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, in three categories — Heinous, Breach of License Conditions (BLC), and Section 15(A) (allowing or consuming liquor in an unlicensed public place). The seizures included duplicate liquor, toddy, and vehicles among others. In 2022-23, a total of 46,778 cases were booked, while in 2023–24, 83,425 cases were booked. In 2024 – 25, the officials registered 73,942 cases. 'We have booked so many cases as enforcement has been strong at the taluk level. Many NGOs also create awareness among people who have been booked under Section 15(A),' said R. Venkatesh Kumar, Commissioner of Excise Department. Outside MRP outlets Around 1.43 lakh cases booked in the last three years have been under Section 15(A). These cases include people who stand outside MRP outlets and drink, which is an issue that has been flagged by many resident welfare associations over the years. However, residents say that they often do not know whom to flag it to when they see people standing on pavements in front of liquor shops and consuming alcohol in the open, where even children move around. 'We have even confronted the seller as to why he permits it, but he says he has no control once they walk out of the shop,' said Bhavana Murthy, a resident of Attur Layout. A senior official from the department claimed that when they register a case under Section 15(A), they book both the seller and consumer holding them equally responsible. Breach of Licence Conditions Further, 45,885 cases have been booked under BLC in three years. While the department officials say that any violation of the license regulations results in these cases, bar owners say they are harassed by excise officials when they are booked under BLC. However, S. Guruswamy, president, Federation of Wine Merchants Association, Karnataka, claimed that they are sometimes booked for 'silly issues' like opening the shop early and saying cleanliness violations randomly, while they blindside bigger offences in villages. 'The enforcement is not strong at all in villages where they even sell illegal liquor. There are dhabas, military hotels, and even petty shops that sell liquor, but the officials turn a blind eye to them. The department officials always trouble the license holders, especially if we question their ways,' he said.
