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Mangalore: NRI Returns Home to Contest LS Polls from Mangalore Constituency

Political Correspondent - Mangalore [Daijiworld Media Network]

Mangalore, Apr 5: Over the past few days, candidates from various political parties have been filing their nomination papers with a great deal of brouhaha. However, the nomination of a highly educated, well-heeled person has gone relatively unnoticed.  Contesting as an independent candidate from the Dakshina Kannada  Lok Sabha  constituency is Dr Thirumalaraya Halemane, an NRI, who has now returned to his home district. Dr Halemane quit Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, and arrived here in February this year with the aim of serving India which has been suffering at the hand of various political parties and politicians.    Fully confident of winning, he says, "I will bring a change in the system" and claims to know the pulse of the people.   Despite having lived in the US for 37 years, he doesn't seem to have an accent and it is also hard to identify him as an NRI. Dr Halemane is on a door-to-door campaign seeking votes.   Dr Halemane is the founder and first president (1988-89) and chairman (1988-90) of HATCC (Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center) in New Jersey and has displayed his leadership skills through various programmes.    Initially, though his family members did not wholeheartedly welcome his decision to contest the polls, Dr Halemane slowly convinced them and now they are helping him in his campaign. Family:  His wife Usha Kumari, an MBA and MA degree holder is still in the US and works as the executive director of a firm in Princeton while his elder son Kaviraj Sham Bhat Halemane works in a music company and younger son Shilpi Shankar Bhat Halemane is pursuing a BE (Mechanical) from Drexel University, Philadelphia.  Academics:  He secured the first rank in SSLC in 1968 and was the first person in Dakshina Kannada district to do so; First rank in PUC exam of Mysore University; First rank in BSc (Hons) from Bangalore University (1972); Winner of S Nijalingappa Gold Medal from Bangalore University (1972); Obtained his MSc (Physics/Electronics) from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (1974); MA (Physics) (1976), MA (Maths) (1980), and PhD in Physics (1980), (all from University of Rochester, New York).      Dr Halemane is listed in the 'Who's Who in Frontiers of Science and Technology' (1986); 'Who's Who in the World' (1989) and 'American Men and Women of Science' (1992). He also has to his credit four patents (related to optical amplifiers) and over 75 publications.