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Karnataka Today newsletter: Decode Karnataka | Caste-based mutts and their influence on State politics

Whether it is establishing educational and medical institutions, engaging in charity and development works or endorsing candidates and lobbying for ministerial berths, mathas or caste-based religious and spiritual institutions are peculiar to Karnataka. Home to hundreds of mathas across many castes and sub-castes, the State has witnessed a growing interdependence between politicians and pontiffs over the years.

But how did these mathas and their pontiffs gain followers and clout to become so crucial to Karnataka’s political landscape? How has this affected the State’s electoral and identity politics? We speak to Dr. Janaki Nair, a Bengaluru-based historian and retired professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in this week’s episode of Decode Karnataka.

The rising number of dengue cases in Bengaluru has resulted in an increase in demand for papayas and kiwis, which some believe contain nutrients that combat the symptoms of dengue and build immunity. While kiwis are selling at anywhere between ₹140-₹300 per kg, papayas are being sold for ₹33-₹50 per kg.

In Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS), papayas were priced at ₹33 per kg while kiwis were priced at ₹140 per kg. On online shopping sites, kiwis are priced at around ₹150 per kg, but were out of stock. However, doctors have warned people to exercise caution while believing ‘miracle remedies’.

The much-awaited double-decker flyover in Bengaluru, expected to decongest the heavily busy Silk board stretch, incorporates a metro-cum-road flyover stretching 3.13 km from Ragigudda to Central Silk Board. The ₹330-crore flyover has a four-lane stretch at a height of eight metres above the ground. And a metro corridor at a height of 16 metres above the ground.

The flyover passes through three metro stations in the upcoming Yellow Line — Jayadeva Hospital, BTM Layout and Silk Board. However, even as the construction works near completion, the government has not confirmed the exact date. Watch here.

The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo moto cognisance of a report published by The Hindu. Dated May 14, the article is titled ‘Environment activists alarmed as trees chopped and burnt near Talacauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Kodagu’.