Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

India Visit Of Prince Charles

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne of United Kingdom (UK), has visited India 10 times till date. One of his visits was in 1980, and one of the States where he was a State Guest was Orissa. My father, C.M. Poonacha, was the Governor of Orissa at the time. Prince Charles stayed in the Raj Bhavan for a couple of days and my parents interacted with him as his hosts. For my father, who was a freedom fighter, this was quite an experience to host the future King of the UK, whose ancestors were his adversaries. 

Prince Charles was a 32-year-old bachelor at the time. Those who have watched ‘The Crown’ on Netflix would recall that before his foreign tour in 1980, he had started dating Diana Spencer. He took her to Balmoral Castle to meet the Queen and other members of the family and was supposedly put through the ‘Balmoral Test’ to assess if she has the right qualities to be a Windsor and a potential Queen of UK. 

Months prior to her marriage, Diana moved to Buckingham Palace to familiarise herself with the protocols to be followed as the future Princess of Wales. My father found Prince Charles to be an amiable, intelligent, and well-read young man. It is commendable that India and UK continue to have cordial relationship despite the dark colonial era. I recently found some of the photographs taken during the 1980 visit.

Mr. & Mrs. C.M. Poonacha greeting Prince Charles.

Had I known as much as I do now about Queen Victoria and her Indian God-daughter Princess Victoria Gowramma of Coorg, I would have visited Bhubaneswar for a chat with Prince Charles! An opportunity missed.

After his visit to Orissa, Prince Charles was the State Guest of Maharashtra. Wherever he went, girls were swooning over him! He was arguably the most eligible bachelor in the world at that point in time. I am sure many would remember the cheeky kiss the then 16-year-old Padmini Kolhapure of Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram-fame, stole from the Prince charming!

C.M. Poonacha and Prince Charles.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in 1981. Their tumultuous life, divorce and the subsequent horrendous accident that took Diana’s life, are familiar to the world. The person who stole Charles’ heart was Camilla Parker Bowles (née Camilla Shand). There are several speculations about Charles becoming King and Camilla his Queen. One rumour is that Queen Elizabeth II will abdicate later this year after her 95th birthday celebrations and make way for Charles to be coronated. Another scenario is that the Queen will hold on to the crown and make Charles the Regent. Yet another speculation is that the Queen might bypass Charles and name his son Prince William her successor. If Queen Elizabeth II, after 69 years on the throne, continues as the Monarch till her demise, then by normal scheme of things UK will have King Charles and Queen Camilla. 

People in the UK are divided on the issue of continuation of the monarchy with a slight bias towards retaining the royal head of State. In any case, it is more than a couple of centuries since monarchy in the UK ‘reigns but does not rule’.

Padmini Kolhapure giving a peck on Prince Charles’ cheek.

When Padmini Kolhapure kissed Prince Charles!

Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure made a lot of headlines in 1980 when Prince Charles came to India and the teenage actress welcomed him with a warm kiss on his cheeks. The Prince was welcomed by Padmini during a visit to a Bollywood shooting spot and after putting the garland on his neck, she planted a kiss on his cheek. According to reports, Prince Charles was also surprised with the actress’ gesture. This became quite a topic of discussion at that time.

About the author: C.P. Belliappa is a Chemical Engineer. He is based in Coorg (Kodagu). He is known for his writings on issues pertaining to Coorg. He writes humour, history and human-interest stories. Four of his books — Tale of A Tiger’s Tail & other Yarns from Coorg, Nuggets from Coorg History, Victoria Gowramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg, and Tongue of the Slip — have been published by Rupa Publications. He presently serves as President, Coorg Institute of Technology (CIT), Ponnampet, South Kodagu.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / March 03rd, 2021

Six-year-old in Karnataka hears for the first time on World Hearing Day

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

The young boy, who has been diagnosed with profound hearing loss since birth, was gifted with hearing aids with the efforts from Swastha Centre for Special Education and Rehabilitation, Suntikoppa.

Madikeri :

The silent world opened up with sounds to the six-year-old Dhruva, who heard for the first time on the World Hearing Day on Wednesday. 

The young boy, who has been diagnosed with profound hearing loss since birth, was gifted with hearing aids with the efforts from Swastha Centre for Special Education and Rehabilitation, Suntikoppa. The hearing aids were handed over to Dhruva by Kodagu DC Charulata Somal.

Son of Srijith and Rekha from Madapura in Kodagu, Dhurva was diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of three. While his parents looked forward to equipping their child with hearing aids, the equipment was out of reach for the parents. However, the Community Based Rehabilitation programme conducted by Swastha Institution introduced Dhruva’s parents to Aarthi Somaiah, the director of Swasta and the journey from here has been a sweet one.

Swastha Institution, a unit of Coorg Foundation, has over 100 specially-abled students. The centre provides vocational training to all the students even as many are placed across reputed private companies in the district. After the institution learnt about Dhruva, many donors were contacted.

SLN Group Vishwanath and his wife and Komal of Kanbail Estate, came forward to join hands with Swastha to help Dhruva who has now been equipped with Rs 62,500 worth of hearing aids. Dr Achaiah conducted the hearing test for Dhruva and the hearing aids were placed on Dhruva by DC on Wednesday.

“Dhurva has been born with severe to profound hearing loss and hearing aids play a major intervention. Once he starts responding to the hearing aids, he will be given speech therapy,” explained Dr Achaiah.

Director Aarti said that early intervention is required to identify differently-abled. “The centre has strategized the early intervention programme across the district and this enables identification, assessment and service delivery to differently-abled children aged six and below. The mainstreaming will be taken up by training the mothers of differently-abled at Anganawadis, which will be chosen as intervention centers.”  

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna G R / Express News Service / March 03rd, 2021

India’s youth must find innovative ways to overcome pandemic crisis: Nikhil Chinapa

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Time to help is now, says popular DJ Nikhil Chinapa, who is moderating a fundraising concert for daily-wage workers affected by the pandemic

Nikhil Chinapa | Twitter Photo

Bengaluru:

Every ’90s kid will remember being a fan of VJs. One such name that people never forget was Nikhil Chinapa, who was a popular face on MTV. While he may be living in Mumbai now, at heart, he still considers himself to be a “Bangalore boy”. “I still support RCB over Mumbai Indians,” says Chinapa, who is busy gearing up to moderate the Open Up India Fundraising Campaign, United Nations Development Programme  (UNDP), which is for sanitation workers and migrant workers.

The concert will be taking place virtually on March 13. The concert will have performances by Vasu Raina, Raghav Meattle and Lucky Ali, to name a few artistes.  With things going back to the way they were before the pandemic, one might question the need for a fundraiser. To this, Chinapa says, “The impact of the pandemic has been so huge that it will still take time to recover, especially for daily wage workers. This is the time we can come together to help as possible,” says Chinapa, who believes the youth of the country must find innovative ways to overcome this crisis.

“They can come up with new ideas,” he adds. One of India’s most popular DJs, Chinapa has missed playing for a live audience but he is choosing to not sweat the small things. “Lockdown was a low phase but I have nothing to complain. I’m grateful I got to spend more time with my wife and daughter, who turned 3 this year,” says Chinapa, who married fellow DJ, Pearl Miglani, in 2012, and to whom he credits his DJing skills. 

Chinapa’s career as a television personality started when he won the MTV VJ Hunt in 1999. He has also been a part of shows like India’s Got Talent 2, MTV Splitsvilla, MTV Mashups, Fame X etc. Agreeing that people’s taste in music and the way they consume entertainment has changed drastically, Chinapa says the secret to staying relevant is to  understand the change and to pursue what you love with passion.

He explains this with the example of the upcoming concert, which will be streamed digitally, which was something that not many considered some years ago. “As the style of music and the way the industry functions has its own limitations, the only way to go about this is to do things with the same passion you felt on the first day,” says Chinapa. For details about Open Up India Fundraising Campaign, UNDP India, check Insider.in

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Monika Monalisa / Express News Service / February 28th, 2021

Nidhi Subbaiah To Enter Bigg Boss Kannada 8: Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Her

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All

Nidhi Subbaiah is all set to enter the house of Bigg Boss Kannada season 8. Here is a general trivia about the actress to prepare you to watch her on the show.

Nidhi Subbaiah is all set to enter the house of Bigg Boss Kannada season 8 and thus fans are eager to know more about the contestant.

Nidhi Subbaiah entered the industry through television advertisements and small roles in films, She rose to fame through movies like Pancharangi and Krishnan Marriage Story.

 She made her Bollywood debut in 2012 through Oh My God and bagged a lead role in 2012 released Ajab Gazabb Love. 

Below is a list of things fans need to know about Bigg Boss Kannada’s Nidhi Subbaiah.

Who Are Bigg Boss Kannada season 8 Contestants | Bigg Boss Kannada 8: Here's The List of Confirmed Contestants | Celebs Photo Gallery | India.com Photogallery

Who is Nidhi Subbaiah?

Nidhi marked her debut in 2009 with the movie Abhimaani which turned out to be a box office failure. She later appeared in movies like Chamkaysi Chindi Udaysi, Veera Bahu, Anna Bond, and Ayushman Bhava. She gained popularity among the Kannada audience through her commercials.

Nidhi Subbaiah general trivia

Bigg Boss Kannada’s Nidhi Subbaiah’s age is 35 years old, born on the 16th of February, 1985. She married her long-time boyfriend Lavesh Khairajani. Their wedding ceremony was a beautiful mix of traditional South-Indian, Sikh, and Sindhi cultures.

Nidhi Subbaiah achievements as a sportsperson

Nidhi Subbaiah pursued her education in Mysore in Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering.

She proved her potential as a sportsperson by winning gold medals at national level spots in sailing.

The actress has an impressive record of winning three national gold medals in the same year at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and at Chilka Lake in Orissa.

Adding to her list of achievements, Nidhi was also a Naval NCC Cadet and won the best cadet award in 2004.

What is Nidhi Subbaiah’s net worth?

Working as a model and actress in the south Indian film industry, Nidhi garnered quite a lot of net worth throughout the years. She made her earnings through advertisements and roles in Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi movies. Nidhi Subbaiah’s net worth is estimated to be around 85 crore rupees, according to a report by thepersonage.com.

A peek into Nidhi Subbaiah’s photos on Instagram

Nidhi Subbaiah often shares photos of her daily moments on her social media to interact with her fans. In a recent post, the actress shared a picture of herself cradling her dog and wrote ‘Little Pablo!’. Nidhi Subaiah’s photos on Instagram let her fans get a glimpse of her daily life as the actress consistently updates her fans.

source: http://www.republiworld.com / RepublicWorld.com / Home> Entertainment News> TV News / by Princia Hendriques / March 01st, 2021

Kavery Kodava Association Honours New Mayor And Her Husband

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All

President of Sri Kavery Kodava Association, Mysuru, P.S. Devaiah (fourth from left), Association office-bearer P.M. Praveen Chengappa (standing behind P.S. Devaiah), Treasurer K.M. Chengappa (extreme right) and other office-bearers of the Association seen greeting the newly-elected Mayor Rukmini Madegowda and her husband Madegowda at the Mayor’s residence in Vidyashankar Nagar in city this morning.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / February 28th, 2021

IRS Officer From Kodagu In Foreign Asset Investigation Unit

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All

Will probe undisclosed foreign assets

Mysore/Mysuru: 

Dr. Kottangada Pemmaiah, an Indian Revenue Services (IRS) (Income Tax) officer from Kodagu, currently posted in Surat, Gujarat, as the Deputy Director (Investigation), has been additionally appointed as the Deputy Director of Foreign Asset Investigation Unit (FAIU) in Surat.

Dr. Pemmaiah will work in the FAIU that has been created by the Union Government in the countrywide investigation wings of the Income Tax Department for focussed probe in cases of undisclosed assets held by Indians abroad and possession of black money in foreign shores.

FAIUs have been recently created in all the 14 Investigation Directorates of the Income Tax Department located in various parts of the country that are primarily tasked to undertake raids and seizures, and develop intelligence to check tax evasion done by various methods.

Gujarat has created two such units, one in Ahmadabad and the other in Surat. Karnataka will have one. The FAIUs have been created as new wings within the various Investigation Directorates of the Income Tax Department to bring focus on cases of undisclosed assets held abroad by Indians and black money stashed abroad, Government sources said. 

The new units will also probe cases of Indian entities named in global tax document leaks like the Panama Papers. The FAIUs will be under the authority of the jurisdictional Director General of Income Tax (investigation) rank officer and its work will be directly monitored by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Dr. Pemmaiah is the son of Kottangada late Devaiah. His mother Viju Devaiah is a social worker and President of Cauvery Pommakkada Koota at Gonikoppal. Before getting into Civil Services, Dr. Pemmaiah was serving as Resident Medical Officer at Gonikoppal Community Health Centre.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 27th, 2021

Minister seeks ₹5 cr. for Sainik School

Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders
Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar, Minister for Urban Development B.A. Basavaraj, and Appachu Ranjan, MLA, during their visit to the Sainik School in Kushalnagar on Tuesday.   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

It was flooded after heavy discharge from Harangi dam in 2018

A sum of ₹5 crore has been sought for the development of Sainik School at Kushalnagar that faced flooding during heavy discharge from Harangi Dam in 2018, the year when Kodagu witnessed its worst floods and landslides.

Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar and Minister for Urban Development B.A. Basavaraj, along with Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan, on Tuesday visited the Sainik School. The school authorities told the Ministers about the problems the school faced during Kushalnagar floods.

Principal Kannan explained to Mr. Somashekar the damage caused from the floods in 2018 and sought support for the school’s development.

Mr. Somashekar immediately telephoned Additional Chief Secretary of Irrigation Rakesh Singh, and explained to him the issue.

Mr. Somashekar sought ₹5 crore for taking up development works by the school. “The ACS has responded positively to the appeal,” according to the Minister.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – February 16th, 2021

Good start for Poovamma

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Chanda shocks Lili; Noah Nirmal Tom suffers injury

M.R. Poovamma won the women’s 400m comfortably but there were some big surprises in the Indian Grand Prix-1 on Thursday. The 30-year-old defeated Kiran Pahal, who surprised many when she clocked an impressive 52.73s in the 2019 National Open in Ranchi. Poovamma clocked 53.45s, a good time to start the season.

Muhammed Anas, who made his 100m debut, shocked Indian record holder Amiya Kumar Mallick while finishing second to Krishnakumar Rane in 10.70s. Dutee Chand was the fastest woman.

K.M. Chanda improved her personal best by nearly five seconds while winning the 800m in 2:04.91s. Arokia Rajiv won the men’s 200m in 21.40s.

The winners: Men: 100m: Krishnakumar Rane(Mah) 10.68s. 200m: Arokia Rajiv (TN) 21.40s. 400m: Naganathan Pandi (TN) 47.32s. 800m: Ankesh Chaudhary (HP) 1:52.82s. 5000m: Kishan Narsi Tadvi (Mah) 14:52.70s. 400m hurdles: A. Dharun (TN) 51.33s. Long jump: Yugant Singh (UP) 7.62m. Triple jump: Eldhose Paul (Ker) 16.56m. Shot put: Sahib Singh (Del) 17.67m. Women: 100m: Dutee Chand (Odi) 11.51s. 200m: Anjali Devi (Har) 23.57s. 400m: M.R. Poovamma (Kar) 53.45s. 800m: Chanda (Del) 2:04.91s. Long jump: Mareena George (Ker) 6.11m. Shot put: Kachnar Chaudhary (Raj) 14.38m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Motorsport / by Sports Bureau / Patiala – February 19th, 2021

K Nidugane Premier League cricket tourney today

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Sports
KPL tournament logo.

Vismaya Cricketers of Hebbettegeri will organise K Nidugane Premier League (KPL) cricket tournament at Field Marshal K M Cariappa College ground in Madikeri on February 7. 

K Nidugane Gram Panchayat member Kokkalera K Ayyappa will inaugurate the tournament, while Field Marshal K M Cariappa College lecturer Dr Major Raghav will preside. The valedictory of the tournament will be held at 5 pm. 

A total of five teams will take part in the tournament. During the valedictory, the newly-elected members of K Nidugane Gram Panchayat will be felicitated.

In addition, Covid warriors like Asha worker Nalini, staff nurse Usha and lab technician Nanditha Gonsalves will be felicitated.

The top scorer in SSLC, M G Dhanush, will also be felicitated on the occasion. 

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / February 07th, 2021

State Election Commission Starts Process For Delimitation Of ZP, TP Constituencies

About Kodagu / Coorg, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All

Bengaluru:

With the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) and Taluk Panchayat (TP) polls scheduled to take place this year, the State Election Commission (SEC) has set in motion the process of delimitation of ZP and TP Constituencies in all districts of the State. The SEC, which has fixed the number of ZP and TP Constituencies in all districts, has directed the Deputy Commissioners to depute election Tahsildars and other concerned staff in their respective district to appear before the Commission on specified dates, along with maps of Constituencies and other corresponding  details. 

Accordingly, the election Tahsildars of Mysuru, Kodagu, Hassan, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Chitradurga, Ramanagara and Bengaluru Rural districts are required to appear before the SEC at Bengaluru on Feb. 22.

After delimitation, Mysuru ZP will have 53 Constituencies from eight taluks and the district will have 144 TP Constituencies collectively. Of the 53 ZP seats, Mysuru, T. Narasipur, Hunsur, K.R. Nagar and Periyapatna taluks will have seven seats each, while Nanjangud taluk will have 10, H.D. Kote 5 and Saragur 3 seats.

As far as the Taluk Panchayat is concerned, Mysuru, T. Narasipur and Hunsur Taluks will have 19 seats each, K.R. Nagar and Periyapatna 18 seats each, Nanjangud 27, H.D. Kote 13 and Saragur 11.

Kodagu District with 5 taluks, will have 29 ZP seats and 52 TP seats collectively.

Regarding ZP seats, Madikeri  taluk will have 7 seats, Kushalnagar and Virajpet five seats each and Somwarpet and Ponnampet six seats each.

In respect of Taluk Panchayat, Somwarpet, Kushalnagar and Virajpet taluks will have 11 seats each, while Madikeri taluk will have 10 and Ponnampet 9 seats.

Mandya ZP will have 46 ZP Constituencies from seven taluks and 124 TP Constituencies collectively.

Regarding ZP seats, Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli taluks will have 8 seats each, while Pandavapura, Srirangapatna and Nagamangala will have 5 seats each and K.R. Pet taluk 7 seats.

In respect of Taluk Panchayat, Mandya Taluk will have 23 seats, Maddur 22, Malavalli 20, Pandavapura 14, Srirangapatna  and Nagamangala 13 seats each  and K.R. Pet 19 seats.

Chamarajanagar ZP will have 27 seats from five taluks and 75 TP Constituencies collectively .

Regarding ZP seats, Chamarajanagar taluk will have 9 seats, while Kollegal will have 4, Hanur 5, Gundlupet 6 and Yelandur 3.

In respect of Taluk Panchayat, Chamarajanagar taluk will have 24 seats, Kollegal 10, Hanur 14, Gundlupet 16 and Yelandur 11.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 14th, 2021