‘Kaadinolagondu Jeeva,’ a book based on first-hand experiences of the famed Forest Ranger K.M. Chinnappa (now retired) will be released in city on July 2 by Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, President and driving force behind Adamya Chethana Trust, Bengaluru, and the wife of late H.N. Ananth Kumar, Union Minister.
The event will be held at Hotel Roost on Hunsur Road at 10.30 am and it is organised by Wildlife First and Bharathi Prakashana, Mysuru. The book is written by T.S. Gopal, retired Principal of Srimangala Junior College and has been published by Poornachandra Tejaswi Prakashana in the year 2000.
When the book was published it was an instant hit and was published in three volumes. Later in 2010, Navakarnataka Publication published a comprehensive collection of all the three volumes. The 400-page book has 14 pages of colourful photos and has many stories and experiences of Chinnappa.
About K.M. Chinnappa
Born in 1941 at Kumatoor village in South Kodagu to an Armed Forces family, Kotrangada M. Chinnappa is the quintessential wildlife protector. A true son of the soil, his father was a soldier who took to farming after retirement. Chinnappa joined the Karnataka Forest Department as a Forester in 1967 and has been a frontline warrior all his life.
For much of his career he served as a Ranger in Nagarahole where he was best known for his uncompromising ways and his almost fanatical adherence to law.
When Chinnappa joined as the Ranger at Nagarahole, the region was infested with numerous criminal activities such as timber smuggling, marijuana plantation, poaching, cattle grazing, setting up of unauthorised breweries at the sanctuary although the area was set up for protecting wildlife.
However, Chinnappa pledged to bring a dramatic change in the way the forest functioned. He ensured that the number of tigers and deer, which were dangerously low, increased, all the encroachers were chased from the forest and the wild animal natural habitats were restored. When he joined Nagarahole, the forest area was only 250 sqkm and now it has expanded to 653 sqkm.
During his struggle for wildlife conservation, Chinnappa became an enemy of many people. He was always on the threshold of getting killed. In the year 1970, he barely escaped from death when a gang armed with sticks attempted to attack him during his visit to a temple.
Chinnappa was made to surrender his licensed revolver because many people who did not support him addressed him as a criminal and threat. Chinnappa was falsely accused of a murder which forced him to spend 12 days in a prison before he was found guilt-free.
In 1992, an angry mob burned his newly constructed home few days after the work was completed in Kumatoor. He fought the long battle and faced many difficulties and unexpectedly resigned from his post in 1993. He won the CM’s Gold Medal in 1985. Now, Chinnappa is the President of Wildlife First, continuing his crusade against timber mafia and green destructors. He is also into agriculture, his passion.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore /Home> News / June 20th, 2019
In an attempt to popularise, protect and preserve the language, as well as to obtain ISO language code, the Karnataka Arebhashe Samskruthi and Sahitya Academy has completed the digitisation of 84 books.
Academy member Bharathesha Alasandemajalu said that books that were published from 1968 to the recent ones, including two PhD theses, have been digitised. The PhD thesis on Arebhashe in English by Prof Kodi Kushalappa Gowda, published in 1970 at the Annamalai University, has been digitised. Earlier, the language was known as Gowda Kannada. The other works include the digitisation of a souvenir that highlights the culture of the Gowda community, he said.
In total, digitisation of the 38 books published by the academy, ‘Hingara’ -the tri-monthly magazine of the academy, and 21 books published by different authors have been digitised, and available on arebashe.sanchaya.net.
The team has digitised 142 editions of ‘Kodava Sangathi’, a fortnightly, whose editor was Pattada Prabhakar, and an important book on the Amara Sullia uprising of 1837, by Deviprasad Sampaje.
The books are available under three categories, books published by the academy, Arebhashe Sahithya and editions of Kodagu Sangathi, and Hingara Bharathesha said.
The digitisation works will be inaugurated on June 25 in Madikeri, in the presence of chief minister’s advisor for e- governance Beluru Sudarshan and Kodagu Kannada Sahitya Academy president M P Keshav Kamath. Academy president Lakshminarayan Kajegadde will preside over the event.
“In case the language has to obtain international recognition, then an ISO language code is important. Digitisation is a step towards obtaining the code. It will also give the public easy access to the existing Arebhashe literature,” he said.
Vishwanath Badikana, assistant professor, Kannada, Aloysius College, and member of the academy, said that books that have been digitised are not available in the market. The works on Arebhashe dictionary, a blend of Lexicon and Kittel dictionary, encyclopedia and Arebhashe glossary-documenting Arebhashe culture, through the items used by people who speak this language, is near completion.
“This is probably first-of-its-kind work undertaken for a sub-dialect, through an academy that has a small base. According to an estimate, about 10 lakh people speak the language,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Mangaluru News / by Deepthi Sanjiv / June 22nd, 2022
In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music. (Photo: David Crow)
Seeing a colorful press photo of Rudresh Mahanthappa and his bandmates adorned in masks, tights and capes might lead one to believe that they are the comic book-like heroes from which the trio’s name is derived. But the alto saxophonist has been clear: He is paying homage to his own musical heroes — Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Lee Konitz, for starters. Rollins and Konitz virtually trademarked the chord-less trio format embraced by Mahanthappa and his rhythm section players, both of whom work regularly in other highly regarded trios: bassist François Moutin with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, and drummer Rudy Royston with guitarist Bill Frisell.
In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music. It was Mahanthappa’s second Blindfold Test, and the first for Royston and Moutin. The following article originally ran in two installments in DownBeat’s May 2022 and June 2022 issues.
ORNETTE COLEMAN
“Dawn” (At The Golden Circle Stockholm, Blue Note, 1966) Coleman, alto saxophone; David Izenzon, bass; Charles Moffett, drums.
Rudresh Mahanthappa: That’s Ornette Coleman, At The Golden Circle, with David Izenzon and Charles Moffett. This is on Blue Note, not Atlantic, I believe. When I was at Berklee in the ’90s, I wanted to do a recital of all Ornette Coleman music. It had a horrible name — it was called “Ornette, or Not.” We ended up doing a ballad called “Dawn” — this is it? There it is, I hear the melody now. 5 stars.
François Moutin: I don’t know of anything else that David Izenzon did, but he’s a monster bass player.
JERRY BERGONZI TRIO
“Have You Met Miss Jones” (Lost In The Shuffle, Double-Time, 1998) Bergonzi, tenor saxophone; Dan Wall, organ; Adam Nussbaum, drums.
Mahanthappa: It sounds like Steve Grossman when he was in his Sonny Rollins phase. It has a Jerry Bergonzi vibe to it, too. It’s not Dan Wall, is it? Adam Nussbaum? Jerry is great. For better or for worse, Grossman, Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, even George Garzone, to some extent Dave Liebman — these guys were like the kings of this post-Coltrane [sound]. I think Grossman was the forefather of all those guys, including Michael Brecker. Steve was playing like that when he was only 19 years old with Elvin Jones.
Moutin: There’s one lick in there that could have been you on tenor, Rudresh.
Mahanthappa: It’s the same source material, just up a fifth. I tried playing tenor in high school; I sounded terrible on tenor.
Rudy Royston: Adam Nussbaum is on! I like all the energy, rhythm, big fat sound … not like that “clean” stuff that was going on at that time.
Moutin:I’ve played with him half a dozen times, and every time, it was an incredible experience.
Royston: He’s a cat who believes in the drums leading the band, the drums leading the vibe. He came to UNC when I was there. He said, “You should be able to tell what the tune is from what I’m playing.” You could hear it in his rhythms and how he was defining stuff around the melody. He’s still a bad cat.
Mahanthappa: 5, shall we go 5 stars on that?
Moutin: Yeah.
Royston: Everyone was killing on that.
MELISSA ALDANA & CRASH TRIO
“Turning” (Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio, Concord, 2014) Aldana, tenor saxophone, Pablo Menares, bass; Francisco Mela, drums.
Royston: Is that Melissa Aldana? The thing I love about Melissa is how she uses space. She’s never in a rush. She always waits, and then she does that thing where she starts low, I don’t know what it is [sings the line]. And the way she uses … falsetto?
Mahanthappa: Altissimo. I like Melissa a lot, I don’t know her playing real well. One of the things that’s hard for me to realize is that there’s a whole generation of folks that were influenced by people our age. Melissa told me a story about how into Mark Turner she was, and how he gave her a seven-hour lesson once.
Royston: That’s a great trio. I saw them at Dizzy’s. They were a good trio.
Moutin: Good composition, too.
Mahanthappa: 5 stars.
CHRIS SPEED TRIO
“Arrival High” (Platinum On Tap, Intakt, 2017) Speed, saxophone; Dave King, drums; Chris Tordini, bass.
Moutin: Triplicate?
Mahanthappa: No, it doesn’t sound anything like that. It kind of reminds me of Bill McHenry. Is it George Garzone? It definitely sounds like it could be someone of our generation. It could be Rasmus Lee, or it could be …
Moutin: Donny McCaslin?
Mahanthappa: No, it can’t be, that’s not Donny’s sound. Or guys that I went to Berklee with, like Matt Renzi … all these cats that played all that modern shit, but with harder reeds and a darker sound, as opposed to Donny. It was almost like a reaction to Michael Brecker, “We’re going to go dark!”
Royston: I know this drummer, man.
Mahanthappa: It could be Chris Speed, too. Is this the trio with Dave King? There you go. Chris was a little older than me, but he was still in Boston when I was in school, but he was hanging out, playing his ass off. 5 stars. Chris is a bad motherfucker and more people should know who he is.
Royston: I knew that it was [Dave King on drums], but I just couldn’t put my finger on that sound. Big tom sounds, and you can hear all that facility with the rim shots and the bells. You can hear all that stuff in the Bad Plus.
… To be continued in the June 2022 issue of DownBeat. Same Hero Trio time. Same Blindfold Test space!
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio (Part 2, June 2022)
Previously on The Blindfold Test: Our three heroes, led as always by the indubitable alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and ably assisted by his sideman sidekicks François Moutin and Rudy Royston, added to their legerdemain with a perfect four-for-four on last month’s treacherous playlist, a feat they accomplished even while blindfolded (figuratively speaking). After easily nailing the mysterious Ornette Coleman and killers Jerry Bergonzi and Melissa Aldana, a bit of high drama occurred as their last unknown audio assailant proved elusive until Mahanthappa deduced the culprit to be Chris Speed at the 11th hour. But this month, new and more dangerous challenges lie ahead. Can our heroes pull of a perfect score, or will they succumb to the weight expectations they’ve already set? Read on to find out!
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sounds like Arnett Cobb. It’s not rough enough to be Turrentine.
Rudy Royston: Sounds like Turrentine right there.
François Moutin: It’s not Turrentine?
Mahanthappa: It’s so of another generation. It reminds me of Houston Person records, or even Lockjaw. But I could also see Seamus Blake totally playing like this, and doing it convincingly, and sounding like an old cat. I could see Josh Redman playing like this too. But I’m stumped.
Moutin: It’s not Ron Carter, is it? There’s something in the sound … I don’t know.
[afterwards]
Mahanthappa: I would have never gotten that.
Moutin: You tricked us.
Mahanthappa: Branford definitely has his own sound, but then he can kind of inhabit all these other things, historically.
Royston: “Tain” came to my mind with that ride cymbal, but I was like, “I don’t think so.” I needed to hear a “Tain”-ism.
Moutin: 5 stars.
Royston: I didn’t know Branford could do that. Branford was getting a lot of lip back then, going to Sting’s band, and all the jazz cats were like, “Oh, man!”
Moutin: Makes me realize how much Ron Carter borrowed [from] Milt Hinton.
Mahanthappa: I’m a little embarrassed; Branford and I just hung out last week.
ANNA WEBBER
“Forgotten Best” (Idiom, Independent Release, 2021) Webber, tenor saxophone; Matt Mitchell, piano; John Hollenbeck, drums.
Mahanthappa: It’s killing, whoever it is.
Moutin: European?
Mahanthappa: Sounds like Anna Webber, kind of? With Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck? Anna’s ridiculous, she can do anything. 5 stars, 5½! I had Anna come and speak to my advance improv class last semester. She was amazing. She’s actually kind of codified and demystified “free improvisation.” She had this beautiful list of all these techniques to work on. Imagine Jamey Aebersold’s scale syllabus, but it was techniques and strategies for free improv. It was literally just one sheet of paper, and it was a lifetime of stuff to work on.
Moutin: Matt Mitchell is amazing.
Mahanthappa: Matt was in Bird Calls. He was practicing [his piano etudes] in sound checks for every gig we did.
Royston: He did those every day when we were in Dave Douglas’ band. You just knew it was going to come [mimics atonal piano sounds]. I used to try to play with him to figure out [the time].
JEFF BALLARD TRIO
“Western Wren (A Bird Call)” “Mivakpola” (Times Take, Okeh, 2014) Ballard, drums; Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone; Lionel Loueke, guitar.
Moutin: It’s killing. I don’t know what it is, but it’s great!
Mahanthappa: That’s insane. I can’t even …
Royston: And that wasn’t Jeff on drums? Jeff Ballard?
[afterwards]
Mahanthappa: I never would have guessed that.
Moutin: I should have guessed that.
Royston: I thought that was Jeff, because you can hear that staccato style. When Jeff plays, he plays “off” the drums. Everything is precise and staccato.
Mahanthappa: Oh, god, Matt sounds amazing. That sounds great. I don’t know Josh’s playing well enough to recognize it, to tell you the truth. But he always sounds great.
Royston: Hutch man, wow. We’re friends. He came to Denver when I was in high school. He was playing with Roy [Hargrove’s] band. We had this jam session in Diane Reeves’ basement. I was trying to play all this “Tain” stuff. Roy was there. Then, Hutch comes in, he’s got the flu. He has this big bomber coat on, he sits on my drums and my cymbals and he just [gestures a seriously minimal ride pattern]. I wanted to leave after that. That was a lesson learned right there. I went upstairs and ate some of Diane Reeves’ cooking. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
source: http://www.downbeat.com / Down Beat / Home> News / by Gary Fukushima / June 14th, 2022
Codanda B. Devaiah, fondly called as Devi Sir, one of the Founder-Members of Kodagu Vidyalaya and a resident of Mattadkad Estate at Suntikoppa, passed away at a private hospital in Gonikoppal yesterday morning. He was 75.
Devaiah leaves behind two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites were performed at Codanda Burial Grounds here yesterday evening, according to family sources.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 14th, 2022
Picture : Mechanda S. Bopanna, Hon. Secretary, KSCSC; Kotrangada Pemmaiah, President, Sri Tala Cauvery Samskrithika Sangha; Alemada Ponnanna, Committee Member, KSCSC; Meederira Prakash, Joint Secretary, KSCSC; Mechanda Sashi Ponnappa, President, Kodava Samaja, Mysuru; Kuttimada D. Muthappa, President, KSCSC; Maletira U. Subbaiah, Corporator (chief guest); Iychanda Ashwath Chengappa, Vice-President, KSCSC; Aramanamada Ponnanna, Treasurer, KSCSC; Mundotira Kavin, Iychettira Dilip Kumar, Ayyalapanda Pattu Pemmaiah, Committee Members, KSCSC, Players and Team Management of Sree Tala Cauvery Samskrithika Sangha.
Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club (KSCSC), Mysuru, had conducted Palengada Raja Poovaiah Memorial Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament and Veterans Cricket match in city recently.
The tournament was sponsored by Palengada Leelavathi Poovaiah and Veterans tournament was sponsored by Maletira U. Subbaiah.
Sree Tala Cauvery Kodava Samskrithika Sangha, Hootagalli and Sree Igguthappa Kodava Kshemabhivrudhi Sangha, Hebbal, were the winners and runners respectively.
Picture shows Mechanda S. Bopanna, Hon. Secretary, KSCSC; Kotrangada Pemmaiah, President, Sri Tala Cauvery Samskrithika Sangha; Alemada Ponnanna, Committee Member, KSCSC; Meederira Prakash, Joint Secretary, KSCSC; Mechanda Sashi Ponnappa, President, Kodava Samaja, Mysuru; Kuttimada D. Muthappa, President, KSCSC; Maletira U. Subbaiah, Corporator (chief guest); Iychanda Ashwath Chengappa, Vice-President, KSCSC; Aramanamada Ponnanna, Treasurer, KSCSC; Mundotira Kavin, Iychettira Dilip Kumar, Ayyalapanda Pattu Pemmaiah, Committee Members, KSCSC, Players and Team Management of Sree Tala Cauvery Samskrithika Sangha.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 02nd, 2022
MLA Appachu Ranjan and KSIIDC MD M.R. Ravi during the inspection of land for building a heliport, near Kushalnagar on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Seaplane operations can be launched at Harangi, says official
The State Government has proposed to develop an airstrip and a heliport near Kushalnagar for the benefit of tourists visiting Kodagu, one of the major hill stations in South India.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced in his recent budget to develop heliports at three places, including one in Kodagu. In this connection, a team of officials led by Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) Managing Director M.R. Ravi, accompanied by Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan, inspected the land where the facility has been proposed near the Sainik School at Kudige village.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Ravi said 49 acres of government land was available near Kushalnagar and it was identified for developing an airstrip. “Since no land was available for developing the heliport at Madikeri, which was the first choice, we thought of developing the airstrip as well as the heliport on the 49-acre plot near Kushalnagar. We need just 5 acres for the heliport and the rest can be developed as an airstrip which can be used for the landing and takeoff of the 20-seater planes,” Mr. Ravi said.
Seaplane operations
Mr. Ravi said plans are afoot for launching the operations of seaplanes in Kodagu in a bid to boost tourism since the infrastructure for their operations was available at Harangi. “If everything goes as planned, seaplanes can land on and take off from Harangi waters. This can help improve connectivity to tourists who can afford such a trip. This can benefit adventure tourism for which Kodagu is considered one of the key destinations.”
Mr. Ranjan said the officials from the Airport Authority of India had visited Kushalnagar in connection with the proposed launch of airstrip operations. However, it did not materialise though the land for the same was identified.
Kodagu needs air connectivity as over 25,000 tourists descend on the hill station during weekends, registering 100 percent occupancy of hotels, resorts and home stays. The air connectivity can further boost tourism and the heliport is one such plan proposed by the government for which all support will be extended, he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – May 30th, 2022
Pa Gopalakrishna Memorial Award 2018 for ‘Best Rural Reporting’ was presented to Journalist Imtiaz Shah Tumbe at Patrika Bhavan.
His article on Kodagu natural calamity, published in Vartha Bharati, was selected for the award.
Shah, a sub-editor in Vartha Bharati, said he had stepped into the field of journalism without any proper background. He said his parent organisation had honed his skills and provided him with an opportunity. “I feel privileged to receive the award.”
Dakshina Kannada District Information and Public Relations Senior Assistant Director K Rohini presented the award to Shah.
Speaking on the occasion, Rohini said the family members of veteran journalist late Pa Gopalakrishna, who had instituted the award, had set an example for others.
DK District Working Journalists’ Association Srinivas Indaje presided over the programme. Secretary Ibrahim Adkasthala, Mangaluru Press Club President Annu Mangaluru, Patrika Bhavan Trust President K Ananda Shetty, Pa Go’s spouse Savitri and senior journalist Manohar Prasad were present.
source: http://www.megamedianews.com / MegaMedia News / Home / March 02nd, 2019
C K Kaveri from Ballamavati village has been contributing to the growth of Kannada literature in her own way, being in a rural area.
Kaveri is a prolific reader, writer, and also agriculturist. She holds an MCom degree from the University of Mysore.
Starting from 1985, hundreds of her writeups and short stories have been published in various newspapers, magazines and also online platforms.
She uses the pen name ‘Vanu Vasantha’. Her first article was published in ‘Vanitha’, a Kannada monthly magazine. She has brought out a new collection of stories titled ‘Darpana’. She also contributes stories for ‘Pratilipi’, an online platform.
Along with her literary works, she has been encouraging women from rural areas to create their own literary works.
As a teacher in a private school, she has also encouraged a number of students towards penning literary works. Along with Kannada, she has been writing in the Kodava language as well.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com /Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Napoklu / October 31st, 2021
The virtual museum will likely stand completed and be accessible globally by February next year and the groundwork for the project is ongoing.
Dudi, a traditional drum of the Kodavas, made of metal base and animal hide. Image meant for representational purpose only.
Madikeri :
The Kodava community has a unique culture juxtaposed with tribal and martial history. While the unique traditions are highly revered in the district, research work on the history or culture of the community is less. However, this loophole is now being addressed by the Indian Foundation for the Arts (IFA), which will soon set up an interactive Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage and culture called the – Sandooka Museum.
The virtual museum will likely stand completed and be accessible globally by February next year and the groundwork for the project is ongoing. The museum will be an interactive online space that will provide a glimpse into the history, traditions, land, lives, customs and beliefs of the Kodava community.
We are putting together various videos, pictures, audios and text for the project. There are numerous village festivals in Kodagu and each Kodava clan has its own annual rituals. At the ground level, we are visiting the villages, Kodava families, temples and Kodava organizations to avail authentic materials for the museum,” explained M Nitin Kushalappa, an author who is involved in the museum project with the IFA.
“We do not acquire the materials from the people but make copies of the same, which will be uploaded online,” he added.
“This might be the first virtual museum of the sort in India. Our approach is based on community collaboration and we have an open call announced in which we are inviting people to share their own stories and experiences of Kodava culture. Be it a family photograph or heirloom, documentation of a festival or ritual, or even images of public artifacts that they would like to talk about. The open calls will select stories from among those sent in a feature on the website and that it is ‘The Living Museum of Kodava Culture,’ “explained Lina Vincent, the project director.
The advisory committee led by Rathi Vinay Jha, CP Beliappa and Hemanth Sathyanarayan is guiding the project team led by project director Lina Vincent, design team Saurav Roy and Upasana Roy alongside Nitin. The team is currently involved in recording folk songs and other audio and video clips from the people from the community. The team is open to accepting contributions from the community members.
Kodavas are indigenous residents of Kodagu and the population of the community is just 1.25 lakh. The majority of the Kodavas are settled in Kodagu. The community has rich tribal and folk culture that is being passed on from generations. Not many works have taken shape in documenting the rich culture of the community. The establishment of a virtual museum archiving the traditions of the community is welcomed by the residents of the district.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / May 29th, 2022
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