Diya Bheemaiah, 9th std. student of Pragathi Elite Public School, Bogadi, won 3rd place in Doubles in All India Ranking Badminton Tournament held at Goa.
She is Karnataka No. 1 in Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles U-15 category. ICSE School Games State-level U-17 winner, she is selected for ICSE Nationals.
Coached by B.P. Bheemaiah and Aroon Pemmaiah, she was feted by Sports Park Management and 93.5 Red FM team recently.
She is seen with (from left) RJ Deepak, RJ Punith, RJ Sunil, RJ Rashmi, RJ Sahana, B.V. Raghav, S. Srikanth and M.R. Sudheendra.
Diya Bheemaiah, 9th std. student of Pragathi Elite Public School, Bogadi, won 3rd place in Doubles in All India Ranking Badminton Tournament held at Goa.
She is Karnataka No. 1 in Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles U-15 category. ICSE School Games State-level U-17 winner, she is selected for ICSE Nationals.
Coached by B.P. Bheemaiah and Aroon Pemmaiah, she was feted by Sports Park Management and 93.5 Red FM team recently.
She is seen with (from left) RJ Deepak, RJ Punith, RJ Sunil, RJ Rashmi, RJ Sahana, B.V. Raghav, S. Srikanth and M.R. Sudheendra.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / August 25th, 2022
Today is the birthday of two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ashwini Ponnappa. She was born on this day in 1989. Ashwini is the first Indian woman badminton player to win a medal in the doubles category of the World Badminton Championships with her doubles partner. Since childhood, she started taking interest in badminton.
Ashwini’s mother inspired her to play badminton at the age of two and a half and got admission in the academy. It is difficult for her to say when the passion for the game was born in Ashwini Ponnappa as she joined it at a very young age. The Indian badminton player has won many medals in the doubles category in her career. This includes two gold, two silver and one bronze medals in the Commonwealth Games. Apart from this, she has won four gold medals in the South Asian Games.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Born on September 18, 1989, in Bangalore, Ashwini Ponnappa recognized her talent and started making a career in badminton from an early age. Ashwini Ponnappa, a specialist in doubles badminton, had her first win at the national level in 2004 at the national championships in the sub-junior girls’ doubles category.
source: http://www.english.newstracklive.com / News Track / Home> Trending / by Laxman Chaurasiya / September 18th, 2022
The fest will likely be organized using nearly Rs 1.50 crore funds and the family has sent a proposal to the state requesting sanctioning of Rs One crore funds.
For representational purposes (Photo | PTI)
The iconic Kodava Hockey Namme will take place next year following a break of four years. The same was confirmed in a press conference by the Appachettolanda Family on Tuesday.
“After 2018, the hockey fest did not see the light of the day due to natural disasters and pandemic situations. However, the 23rd annual fest will be hosted in 2023 in a grandeur manner. The fest will be held at Napoklu General Thimayya Ground. Over 350 Kodava families are likely to take part in the tournament,” confirmed Appachettolanda Manu Muthappa, the president of the hockey fest.
The hockey tournament will begin on February 20 and will go on till March 6. The website and the logo will be released on 2nd October at Napoklu Kodava Samaj. The fest will likely be organized using nearly Rs 1.50 crore funds and the family has sent a proposal to the state requesting sanctioning of Rs One crore funds. The press conference was headed by the Appachettolanda family patted Mittu Erappa and other family members.
‘Kodava Hockey Namme’ has been organized in the district for 22 years. However, the event was cancelled in 2018 due to floods and a pandemic situation. The 2023 event will be the 23rd year of the hockey fest. The hockey tournament played among the Kodava community has gained international fame as the tournament has broken the ‘Limca Book of Records’ and ‘Guinness World Record’ for the highest number of team participation.
The 2018 Kulletria Cup Hockey saw participation from 333 Kodava families. It was in 1997 that the first Kodava family hockey tournament was played and was organized by the Pandanda family. The game started off with international rules and standards and it continues to provide a stage for youngsters and seniors alike to unravel their passion for hockey.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / September 06th, 2022
Team members Rohan Nanjappa, BK Muthana, Nitin Chengappa and BK Appachu with manager Jagdeep Nanjappa and Coorg Association Mumbai president and former India captain MM Somaya at St Stanislaus Sports Complex in Bandra where they have played tournaments in the past. Pics/Shadab Khan
An organisation founded by the people of Karnataka’s Kodagu district has persevered for 100 years in the city by supporting the Coorgi community and celebrating its culture, while forging deep ties with Mumbai.
Last week, Mumbai*s Coorgi community celebrated Kailpodh, a festival to signal the end of transplantation of the paddy crop. Agricultural implements and weapons were worshipped. “Our festivals,” says MM Somaya, president of the Coorg Association Mumbai (CAM) and former India hockey captain, “help us get back to our roots.”
Coming up next, say CAM members, is Kaveri Sankramana in mid-October that celebrates the birth of the river in Coorg. November will bring with it the harvest festival, Puttari. On these occasions, the Association*s catering committee meets in the office building in Airoli to prepare traditional delicacies such as pandhi curry (pork curry), kadambuttu (rice dumplings), akki oti (rice roti) and thambuttu (a sweet dish made with bananas). “This has been the tradition since the establishment of the Association,” says Lekha Nanjapa, head of the catering team, “Initially, people carried food from their homes, but gradually, we started gathering a day before to cook in the community kitchen, spending a fun afternoon over stories and gossip. The kitchen has old brass cauldrons with kalai coating, large enough to cook 20-25 kilos of food at one time.”
Members of the Association*s catering committee meet at the office in Airoli on the eve of festivals such as Kailpodh to prepare pandhi curry and kadambuttu; (right) CAM celebrated its centenary last year, and the members have just released a book carrying a compilation of stories, anecdotes and accounts to mark the occasion
Members of the Association*s catering committee meet at the office in Airoli on the eve of festivals such as Kailpodh to prepare pandhi curry and kadambuttu; (right) CAM celebrated its centenary last year, and the members have just released a book carrying a compilation of stories, anecdotes and accounts to mark the occasion
CAM celebrated its centenary last year, and the members have just released a book to mark the occasion. Carrying a compilation of stories, anecdotes and accounts written by members, Coorg Association Mumbai: A Century of Endeavour and Achievement, hopes to find its way to Coorgi associations in other parts of the country too.
CAM, says Somaya, was launched as a way for the community to gather and observe customs unique to their culture. Among the efforts that have kept the members close is the setting up of the Association building in Airoli in 1996. Apart from serving as a venue for events and a way to raise money for charity, it also has residential rooms available at nominal rates to youth coming in to Mumbai from Coorg for education and work. “The objective,” Somaya explains, “is to guide the younger generation and give them a chance to get a foothold in the city.
Among members of the Kodava community who flourished in Bombay were the Codanda Poovaiah sisters, prominent in Indian dance. Their bungalow at Chowpatty was regularly visited by practitioners
Among members of the Kodava community who flourished in Bombay were the Codanda Poovaiah sisters, prominent in Indian dance. Their bungalow at Chowpatty was regularly visited by practitioners
CAM*s social service initiatives include extending support to the home district at the time of natural disasters, and helping deserving candidates study further. Somaya speaks of two young girls, daughters of displaced families, who are presently studying engineering at the Coorg Institute of Technology, Ponnampet, and whose college fees, boarding and lodging expenses are being borne by CAM.
Nitin Chengappa, a senior bank executive who lived in Chennai, Kolkata, and Delhi before moving to Mumbai 18 years ago, says that the bond between its members sets the Mumbai Association apart. “I have been part of the Coorg Association in every city I have lived in, but the ties here are very strong,” he notes. “It comes from the fact that generations have lived in Mumbai, so there is a sense of ownership. The core team are family members of those who have been involved since the foundation of the Association.”
Community members have also, MM Somaya points out, merged well with the city pursuing careers in administration, the armed forces, business and sport, which has only served to further strengthen the ties. “Our people have contributed to the society here,” he states, listing individuals like Kodandera C Madappa, who held the post of Director General (Shipping) in Mumbai; Bollera C Cariappa, who used to be CIDCO Chairman and later served as head of Bombay Municipal Corporation; Kuppanda M Chinappa, the Managing Director of TATA Electric, and the Codanda Poovaiah sisters who were prominent names in Indian dance.
But the activity that has glued this small community and CAM*s members together is undoubtedly their love for sport, especially hockey. The Coorg XI Hockey team, founded by Kandarthanda Kuttappa, was registered with the Bombay Provincial Hockey Association in the 1930s and still plays in the Mumbai Hockey League. “We have endeavoured to use sport as a unifier,” admits Somaya, the Association encouraging its growth by picking up budding players from Coorg and bringing them to Mumbai to get exposure, while also supporting other games such as cricket and bridge. After a 25-year gap, when no team was playing in the league, Biddanda Jagdeep Nanjapa took over its running in 2001. Since then the team has played at prestigious national-level tournaments such as the Bombay Gold Cup.
For Nanjapa, who was born and brought up in Mumbai, the attachment to CAM has been generational. It started with his father, who migrated to the city in the 1940s and continues with his sons, who are now active members. This separates him from the floating Coorgi population that comes to Mumbai to work. The generational association has also meant that the family has borne witness to the institution*s evolution. “Things were tough initially – recession in the 1930s brought in Kodavas who found living in Coorg difficult and ventured to different parts of the country. We used to book outside halls, take small donations and were just about meeting expenses. Today, our people are doing better. The Association is also able to generate income by renting out the hall at the office building [for functions]. We are faring well as a community and as an Association.”
source: http://www.mid-day.com / mid-day.com / Home> Sunday Mid-day / by Sucheta Chakraborty / September 04th, 2022
River rafting in the Cauvery at Dubare in Kodagu. | Photo Credit: file photo
Water sports enthusiasts have to spend more to get the thrill in the fast-flowing waters as the rafting fee in Kodagu’s popular adventurous sports’ venue has been hiked.
Also, more boats will now be available for rafting with permission granted for operating additional boats at Dubare, Barapole, and Kumaradhara.
The Kodagu district administration has given its approval for operating a total of 75 boats for river rafting at Dubare near Kushalnagar.
As many as 65 boats were regularly operated and an additional eight boats were added for increasing the number of boats to meet the demand from the adventure freaks for river rafting.
At a meeting in Madikeri chaired by Deputy Commissioner B.C. Satish on Thursday, permission was granted for operating one more additional boat for rafting operations.
At Barapole rafting venue, permission was granted for operating three more boats, taking the number of boats to six.
Two agencies have come forward to operate river rafting at Kumaradhaara. In total, permission has been granted for operating four boats.
The meeting gave its nod for hiking the rafting fee at Dubare from Rs 600 to Rs 800. It was resolved to collect a fee of ₹1,200 at Barapole and ₹200 at Kumaradhara.
The Deputy Commissioner told the river rafting operators to ensure that the boats are in good condition and no inconvenience was caused to the adventure enthusiasts. He suggested that a portion of revenue earned in Dubare camp can be used for improving the infrastructure.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – September 01st, 2022
The women’s cricket tournament will be organized on September 24 at Chettalli High School Grounds.
Ready for the match: Some members of the Chettalli Ours Club.
Madikeri :
‘Kail Podh’ festival in Kodagu is synonymous with a sports fest in the district. Following the ritualistic observation of the festival on September 3, numerous sports tournaments unfurl and enthrall sports enthusiasts. This year, in the first of its kind attempt, a cricket league will be hosted as part of the festivities and is being organized exclusively for women.
‘Ours Club’ – a women’s club established in Chettalli of Madikeri taluk – has taken the initiative of organizing a women’s cricket tournament that has already recorded enthusiastic registrations.
“The club was established in 2010 with 13 members and we have been hosting small sports tournaments for women since then. However, a casual discussion this time ended up becoming a big plan with the instant support received from the club office bearers and members,” explained Shoba Chengappa, the founding president of the club.
She explained that she discussed her plan of organizing cricket with all the women enthusiasts in the district and the club was open to her suggestion.
The club has a total of 64 women members and each one has made personal donations and the women’s cricket tournament will be organized on September 24 at Chettalli High School Grounds.
“Once we finalized the plan, we invited several other women’s clubs and a total of 16 teams have registered for the tourney. There are more who want to join but we have restricted the numbers this time as this is the first year,” she added.
However, once the tournament takes a successful start, the members are open to organizing the event annually. “Once this is successful, we plan to host the tournament in a bigger manner and it will likely be held for two to three days,” she said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / August 30th, 2022
It is no secret that India is a cricket-crazy nation and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that life comes to a standstill when the Men in Blue are out on the field.
Ankita with her coach Shihan Keerti.
Madikeri :
It is no secret that India is a cricket-crazy nation and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that life comes to a standstill when the Men in Blue are out on the field. But there are other sportspersons, too, who are trying to carve out a niche for themselves. India’s success in the recent Commonwealth Games at Birmingham when the Indian Tricolour was hoisted scores of times in less-popular sports is a testimony to this.
Opting for such sport is Ankita BT from Madikeri, who is kicking high with karate. Already a junior black belt holder, this 21-year-old has bigger dreams, not just for her, but for the entire nation. Her tryst with karate began as a nine-year-old. “Karate always seemed challenging and I started training,” she recalls. She says there were not many takers for karate among girls and felt the need to break the stereotype.
Ankita, who has been training at Phoenix Academy India in Bengaluru, made her debut at the national championship when she was in Class 8 and craved to achieve more. Since then, she has participated in the All-Indian Independence Cup in 2015, Bangalore Open Karate Championship in 2016, All-India Independence Cup in Goa in in 2016, All-Independence Cup, All-Indian Sports Extravaganza VIE in 2017, Intercollegiate Karate Championship in 2017, KAI Nationals, Indian Seiko Kai Karate Championship and more. She has won several gold and silver medals in many of these competitions.
“Karate is recognised by the International Olympic Committee, but not by the Indian Olympic Association. Though the Karate India Organisation supports athletes to take part in the World Championships and other Asian Championships that help us attain the World Karate Federation ranking, it does not fund the players. Expenses are covered only for the Olympics and Asian Games and we have to spend our own money to take part in other international events,” she adds. A South zone and a state medallist, she is also the vice-chairperson of Women’s Sports Commission of Akhila Karnataka Sports Karate Association.
She is now in Thailand participating in the Open Karate-Do Championship that started from August 19. “I have been training regularly and my ambition is to take part in more challenging championships. I also look forward to participating in the Karate 1 Series A at Kocaeli in Turkey and Karate 1 Series A Jakarta Indonesia Championships in September,” she says.
But sourcing funds has been the biggest challenge and seeks support from the state and sponsors to achieve her goal of representing India and Karnataka at these championships. She says she wants to educate girls on the need for self-defence and motivate more women to join the sport.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / August 21st, 2022
Call to help preserve memories of a vanishing people
While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in touch with the community’s heritage, cultural practices, folklore, music, dance, festivals and history, says Mrs. Codanda Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.) and Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), who has initiated establishing a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture named ‘Sandooka,’ a treasure trove of information. —Ed
Kodavas are a micro-minority community in India, who live in Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka State. It is estimated that there are about 1,50,000 ethnic Kodavas within and outside Kodagu.
Kodavas, by virtue of living quite isolated in a densely wooded hilly terrain on the Western Ghats of India since time immemorial, have developed their own unique culture, physical attributes, cuisine, language, attire, religious rituals and practices.
Over the centuries, Kodavas adapted themselves to the harsh weather conditions, dangers from wild animals and the inhospitable terrain of Kodagu and transformed the land to an idyllic haven it is today. With the passage of time, they toiled literally with bare hands to cultivate paddy in the valleys.
With the forests providing bountiful supply of wild game, they became expert hunters initially with bows and arrows, and later with firearms which enabled them to emerge as a warrior race. They transformed the fertile land and were able to grow enough paddy that they could export to neighbouring areas.
The interactions with immediate neighbours in present day Kerala, Mysuru and Mangaluru, influenced the Kodava language, places of worship, construction of their dwellings and some of the religious practices as well. However, Kodavas still retain their fundamental philosophy of ancestor and nature worship. They come under the broad umbrella of Hinduism.
Kodagu was ruled by Kodava Nayakas or Palegars who were basically warlords. The Haleri dynasty established their rule in Kodagu after cleverly replacing the hopelessly divided Nayakas during the early part of the 17th century. The Haleri Rajas ruled for over two centuries until the British takeover of the administration in 1834 after deposing the last Raja. During the rule of the Haleri Rajas and later the British, Kodavas remained the prominent community very much involved in the administration.
During the British rule, education was introduced and this brought about quantum changes in the lifestyle of the Kodavas. Kodavas found several employment opportunities. Introduction and scientific cultivation of coffee and spices vastly improved the economy of the region. Kodava culture and ethos found expression in the writings by the British, European and Kodava authors.
By the time India got her independence, many Kodavas held important and high-level offices in sectors such as the Defence Forces, Administration, Revenue Department, Forest Department, Police, in the field of Education, Engineering and Medicine.
Kodavas have several distinctive elements in their social, cultural and religious practices. One of them is the deferential status given to women. There is no dowry system in the community. Centuries ago, widow remarriage was permitted. This enlightened attitude is now reflected in well-educated Kodava women shining in a variety of fields.
After India’s independence many Kodavas ventured out of Kodagu seeking better opportunities in education, employment, business and sports. Kodavas are now spread all over the globe. The last three decades has seen a large number of Kodavas migrating outside the country. There is now a sizable number of Kodava diaspora in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. In many cases, there are a couple of generation of Kodavas born and brought up outside Kodagu and outside India as well.
While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in touch with the community’s heritage, cultural practices, folklore, music, dance, festivals and history.
It is with this aim in mind that Mrs. Codanda Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.), as Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), initiated establishing a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture (VMKHC). This project is evocatively named — Sandooka — a treasure trove of information. IFA has successfully supported several path-breaking projects in the field of art and culture.
Sandooka will be a living museum that will be interactive and open to receiving relevant new materials from the public. People, especially the future generations of Kodavas, will have an easily accessible platform to gather details of their heritage. Weblinks will also be given to some of the websites dealing with Kodava culture. It is hoped that this treasure trove of information will be of immense help to those who wish to carry out further research on Kodavas. VMKHC will cover the following aspects of Kodagu and Kodavas:
1. Customs and Rituals
2. Cuisine
3. Architecture
4. Clothes and Jewellery
5. Art & Craft
6. Landscape
7. Literature and Folklore
8. Community Histories
9. Festivals
The project is generously funded with a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) grant from Recaero India Pvt. Ltd., which is a pioneer in the field of aerospace engineering and is headed by Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd). A highly professional team has been forged to deal with every aspect of the project. The team comprises:
Lina Vincent – Project Head; Upasana Nattoji Roy – Designer (Switch Studio); Saurav Roy – Designer (Switch Studio) and Mookanda Nitin Kushalappa – Researcher.
IFA office-bearers are: Arundhati Ghosh (Executive Director) and Darshana Davé (Project Co-ordinator); Advisory Group: Rathi Vinay Jha, C.P. Belliappa and Hemanth Sathyanarayana.
Sandooka invites submission of Kodava artefacts, rare photographs, antiques including jewellery (photos) and anecdotes of yore. All accepted materials will be given due recognition and credits. Sharing your valuable knowledge and collections will enrich the contents of Sandooka.
For details of submission of materials, please visit: www.sandookamuseum.org
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / August 01st, 2022
Every school has a library hour and they are now being put to good use following the efforts from the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat.
Madikeri :
Taking inspiration from the ongoing Chess Olympiad, the Karnataka state government has issued a notification to introduce the game of Chess to the students. Similarly, the rural kids of Kodagu are now indulging in the board game, which is being introduced across all the Digital Libraries in the district.
Every school has a library hour and they are now being put to good use following the efforts from the Kodagu Zilla Panchayat. “The state has issued a notification to introduce indoor board games in libraries.
Similarly, to coincide with the ongoing Chess Olympiad, Chess has been introduced in the digital libraries – which is being utilized by many rural kids,” explained Banwar Singh Meena, the CEO of ZP. He added that the digital libraries are being promoted as a social space and several indoor games including carrom and chess are being introduced.
The funds from the grama panchayat are being used to buy the required sports material and kids will have access to rubik cube, carrom, chess and even rural board games including ‘Chenna Mane’. “The concept is being introduced gradually across the libraries. The panchayat staff, librarian, PDO or anyone who knows the games is training the rural kids. These are all silent games and go hand in hand with the library decorum,” he added.
Many schools, especially in the rural parts, are now using the facilities of digital libraries to promote interest in reading and introduce the interest in board games. The kids who mostly spend their free time indulging in mobile phones, are now heading to libraries to play board games during the school’s library hour period and during their free time.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / July 31st, 2022
When the monsoon turns farmlands into sludge tracts, Kodagu girds up for some thrilling rural sports.
Madikeri :
Monsoons in Kodagu are beautiful. The lushness of nature and play of the fog during the season is poetic — that’s apart from the recent calamities. And to add some thrill to the chilly wet weather, the ancestors of the land followed a unique pursuit — the ‘Kesaru Gaddhe Oota’ event or Sludge Sports. Races, football, tug-of-war… the sports are varied and taken up in slushy farmlands. Enthusiasts plunge into mud pools, unmindful of the rain and slippery earth, at one with nature. Young and old, girls and boys participate.
Kodagu is primarily an agricultural district, and the culture of the people is often intertwined with their farmlands. The important festivals of the district revolve around nature and farms — be it ‘Puthari’, ‘Kailpodh’ or ‘Tula Sankramana’. Similarly, the district is also active in sports, and what’s interesting is that the ancestors connected sports activities with farmlands, and took the entertainment level up by a notch.
Every year, between June and August, several farmlands, especially in rural areas of the district, host unique sports events. Sludgy farmlands become running tracks and hundreds take part in the event amid pouring rain and chilly weather.“All our festivals are linked to farmlands, and our ancestors also linked sports activities with the farms. Once the fields were sowed with paddy seeds, the traditional sports ‘Naati Oota’ (translating to harvest run) would be held in every village,” explained Apattira Tatu Monnappa, former president of the District Youth Club, and winner of the State Youth Award. In ancestral times, races were hosted in sludgy farmlands ploughed for paddy.
As soon as the monsoon sets in, various organisations and associations come forward to host sports events at private farmlands. Though sludge sports in farmlands formed a part of the culture, the activities witnessed a gradual decline. “Earlier, every village hosted this activity during the cultivation season. Locally grown produce, including banana bunches, coconuts and arecanuts, were handed over as prizes to the winners. This slowly vanished as youngsters moved to cities and showed less interest in their farms,” recalled Kannikanda Subbaiah, a native of Surlabbi village.
Nevertheless, the traditions are now being revived. While the villagers themselves hosted sports activities in farmlands as a part of farming customs, they are now being organised by various organisations and associations. “While there were several sports activities during summer, events were few during the monsoon. With an aim to revive the rural sports tradition and involve youngsters in sports activities during the monsoon, we started organising ‘Kesaru Gaddhe’ annually,” explained Rafeque Tuchamakeri, founder-president of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ponnampet Nisarga. The organisation has been hosting the event for the past six years at a private farmland in Bittangala.
“During ancestral times, sporting events on farmlands were part of agriculture activity. Rural sports brought together the entire village, and it was a means of relaxation before the tedious work began. With farmlands now being abandoned and the interest in agriculture vanishing, rural sports have become a means of reviving both agriculture and sports. The associations and organisations now aim to introduce agricultural activities through these sports events,” opined Tatu.
Sports activities now draw a large number of youngsters into the farmlands and have become events that residents look forward to. “Not many youngsters are interested in agriculture. To introduce agriculture and invoke interest in farmlands, sports activities in the farmlands were being held from ancestral times. While sports is a means of entertainment, it has also become a medium to introduce farming among kids. Interest in sports is, in turn, helping develop interest in agriculture,” concluded Shashi Somaiah, a sports journalist and resident of Madikeri.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / July 31st, 2022
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