Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Rafting activities resume in Cauvery river at Kodagu’s Dubare

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Nature, Records, All, Sports

Over 60 rafts have availed permission to provide their services to the tourists and the activity has re-started with stringent COVID-19 norms in place.

The district administration has released stringent COVID-19 norms that need to be in place while resuming the activity. (Photo | Express)

Madikeri :

After a break of over two years, the much-sought-after rafting activity in river Cauvery at Dubare in Kodagu has resumed.

“The current water level of River Cauvery in Dubare is ideal for the adventure sport and we are happy to kick-start the rafting activity – which is our main livelihood,” shared DS Krishnappa, the president of the Dubare Rafting Association.

He confirmed that the association availed permission from DC Charulata Somal and the activity resumed from July 17.

He also analysed that tourist inflow is gradually picking up and said, “We are not seeing as much tourist flow. Nearly 40 to 50 tourists opted for rafting on Saturday. We are hopeful that the numbers will increase gradually.”

The district administration has released stringent COVID-19 norms that need to be in place while resuming the activity.

“We have bought sanitizer sprays and each raft is sanitized after every ride. We will not allow tourists to board the rafts without face masks. Also, the number in each raft has been reduced to six people (plus a guide) from the earlier eight people to ensure social distancing,” he explained.

The district administration has fixed Rs 600 per head for a seven-kilometre raft ride and the same is being strictly followed by the rafting staff.

While the rafting activity has resumed, Dubare Elephant Camp is still closed for tourists as the camp elephants are undergoing annual health check-ups.

Kushalnagar RFO Ananya Kumar confirmed that the Elephant Camp will be open only after the water level in River Cauvery decreases.

The Cauvery Nisargadhama tourist spot in Kushalnagar will, however, open from Monday.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / July 18th, 2021

Gulshan Devaiah: So much tamasha about nepotism, people are segregated on sets based on job profile

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

Actor Gulshan Devaiah admits that the divide has bothered him for a long time, but doesn’t know what he can do to change it. That’s the reason why he has started putting it out on social media.

Actor Gulshan Devaiah also took to Twitter to condemn the practice.
Actor Gulshan Devaiah also took to Twitter to condemn the practice

Nepotism, according to Gulshan Devaiah, is not the only thing about Bollywood that needs to change. The actor feels that segregation of people based on their job profile with separate dining areas also needs to be done away with.

“It’s a very common occurrence. It happens across the entire spectrum, be it film sets, ad shoots or TV sets. I’ve been seeing this since the time I’ve been working here. It doesn’t happen on every set, but a lot of sets do segregate,” Devaiah shares.

It’s been more than 10 years since he’s a part of the industry, and over these years, he has seen the divide among people working on a set diluting a bit. But that’s not enough.

Looking back at his initial years, the 43-year-old recalls, “In 2008, when I was an ‘extra’, at that time, people used to say, ‘Aapke khaana udhar laga hua hai aur unka wahan’. I never paid much attention to it at that point of time, but it’s something that really bothers me. There’s a certain class and hierarchy which is there.”

While the Ghost Stories (2020) and Unpaused actor doesn’t know what he can do to solve it, he’s using his voice to initiate a conversation, hoping it would spin the wheel of change. That’s the reason he recently took to Twitter to express, “What bothers me more than Nepotism in Bollywood S1 E02: Sets that segregate people based on their job profile with separate dining areas”.

Talking about it, the actor rues, “So much tamasha is made about nepotism. In fact, nepotism pichle saal se kaafi popular hai yahan pe, particularly hamari industry mein sab log apni shortcomings doosre pe dalte hain. Here, I’m not trying to deny nepotism. But there are so many other things as well, which are bothersome. There are so many areas where we can as an industry do better. That’s why I thought I’ll start writing my thoughts.”

When asked if anything has changed, Devaiah notes that there are many sets who don’t practice such biases but at the same time, he has experienced it rampantly on other sets.

“We are all working together, can’t we have more dignity. There are some artistes who like to stay isolated, but then they can go into their dressing room or vanity. This kind of segregation is wrong,” he concludes.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / by Sugandha Rawal / July 12th, 2021

Film stunt director Fayaz Khan wants to set up institute in Kodagu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All
Film stunt director Fayaz Khan wants to set up institute in Kodagu
Film stunt director Fayaz Khan wants to set up institute in Kodagu

HIGHLIGHTS

Fayaz Khan who has directed stunts and acted in 1,560 films in various languages wants to set up an institute to train youths in the art in his native Kodagu district.

Madikeri:

Fayaz Khan who has directed stunts and acted in 1,560 films in various languages wants to set up an institute to train youths in the art in his native Kodagu district. As small boy in 1980s, he sold peanuts in cinema halls to support his family in Gonicoppa, a small town in Kodagu district. Sounds like a film story? But it’s true. Fayaz Khan who directed stunts for 1,560 films till now once sold peanuts in cinema halls and never studied beyond class III.

Born in a poor family and fond of films, Fayaz Khan left home in 1985 and landed in Bengaluru in search of his dream. He came to Gandhinagara and begged film directors for a chance and got a small role in Tamil film Idiyadagam. After seeing his performance, many directors gave him a chance. However, his passion lay in stunts. Later he became a stunt artiste and worked for 1,560 films in various languages including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Fayaz started his own stunt artists association and trained more than 1100 artists since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Apart from being a stunt master, he acted with such stalwarts like Dr Raj kumar, Vishnuvardhan, Rajanikanth, Salman Khan, Akshaya Kumar, Mammootti, Mohan Lal, Chiranjeevi, Punit Raj Kumar. Speaking to this reporter, Fayaz said that there is a good environment for films in Kodagu. “There is a lot of employment potential in film industry for youths from the tourism district if we train them properly,” he said and expressed his wish to open a film training institute in Kodagu to tap hidden talent.

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> State> Karnataka / by Coovercolly Indresh / Hans News Service / July 09th, 2021

Krishi Thapanda goes online to teach orphans in Coorg

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Covid-19 (wef. May 31, 2021), Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Krishi Thapanda, who was involved in organising COVID relief through the pandemic, has taken on a new responsibility now.

Along with four other like-minded friends, Krishi is part of a core group that is working on teaching homeless children at government-run childrens’ shelters in Coorg. “While children in cities have access to the best teaching methods, those in rural areas often don’t have access to laptops or phones to enable online learning. So, they haven’t had any kind of learning in the past year and a half owing to the pandemic,” points out Krishi.

The actress and her friends identified three government-run shelters that were in need of help and set up a programme that will look into their educational needs. “The idea is to give them basic knowledge. The age group of children is from six to 18, who have been divided into three categories. Volunteers have signed up for it and they will teach the kids various subjects.

We have got permission from the authorities to hold two hours of class on week days and we want to make the most of it. As of now, we are in the process of gathering pre-loved laptops and phones to give these children and teach them basic English, so that they find it easier when they step into the real world to earn a livelihood in their later years,” shares Krishi, who will be teaching them acting, dancing and some other art forms too.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies / by TNN / July 01st. 2021

Celebrity couple Anu Poovamma-NC Ayyappa to feature in reality show ‘Raja Rani’

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

Celebrity couple Anu Poovamma  and NC Ayyappa are all set to feature together in the new reality show ‘Raja Rani’ which will premiere soon on a leading Kannada general entertainment channel.


The channel airing the show has confirmed the same on their official social media handle. On the other hand, Social media is filled with best wishes for the couple. Fans are elated to see their favorite Jodi onscreen again.

The soon-to-be-launched reality show is all about testing the bond between real-life couples. Many celebrity couples from the Kannada entertainment industry are likely to be a part of the show. Besides Akarsh and Deepika, celebrity couples like Chandan Shetty- Nivedita Gowda and Neha Gowda  along with her husband Chandu, Kulavadhu stars Deepika-Akarsh have also confirmed their participation in the new reality show.


For the unversed, Anu got married to cricketer and former Bigg Boss Kannada season 3 contestant N C Aiyappa in 2018.

On the career front, Anu and Aiyappa are not new to the Kannada audience. Having acted in a few Kannada films, Anu made her TV debut with daily soap ‘Muddulakshmi’, in which she played a negative character. However, she bid adieu to the show due to personal reasons. She was last seen on TV playing the character of ‘Devasena’ in supernatural fiction ‘Nandini 2’.

Aiyappa, who is a cricketer by profession, entered Bigg Boss Kannada season 3 as a celebrity contestant and made his presence felt. He was one of the most controversial contestants of the season.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> TV> News> Kannada / by TimesofIndia.com / June 30th, 2021

Rashmika Mandanna moves into her new apartment in Mumbai

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

Actress Rashmika Mandanna , who made her Tamil debut with Karthi-starrer ‘Sulthan’ that hit the screens earlier in April, is all set for her Bollywood debut . The pretty actress had now finally shifted into her new apartment in Mumbai, with her pooch, Aura.


Taking to her social media, the actress gave a glimpse of the house with an adorable picture of her dog. She captioned it as, “Dear diary, Ahhhh so much happened today, I finally shifted to the apartment! had to shop so many Ill things…( I am still not done) (gahhhh it’s a never ending expense) . Aura was out all day…1 had to meet 2 of my friends and I had to set up the place.. (Sai (my assistant) helped me) Aura and I passed out cz we were so tired”

Rashmika had recently returned to Mumbai to resume the shoot of ‘Goodbye’. The pretty actress will be making her Hindi debut with ‘Mission Majnu’, followed by her role in the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer ‘Goodbye’. She was also snapped shopping for home essentials in the past few days in Mumbai.

In a recent interview, Rashmika Manadanna had spoken about how the the COVID-19 pandemic situation made her shift to Bollywood and do Hindi films as well. Speaking about her upcoming Bollywood movies, Rashmika Mandanna had said, “I think it’s just the time because before Covid hit, I had no time because I was doing so many South films and I didn’t feel at that time that I should do Bollywood (films). Once Covid hit and other projects slowed down, I felt it was the right time to do it and that’s when ‘Mission Majnu’ and ‘Goodbye’ came. There is no particular reason why I didn’t do it because back then I had a couple of Hindi film offers but I feel now is the right time.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Entertainment> Tamil> Movies / by TNN / June 25th, 2021

Chosen For Rangapuraskara

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

Gonikoppa:

Artistes Cheppudira Uthappa of Ponnampet and Madetira Belliappa have been selected for C.G. Krishnaswamy Ranga-puraskara, instituted by Kodagu Rangabhoomi Pratishtana, in recognition of their services to the field of theatre. 

The award will be presented to the artistes after lifting of lockdown, according to a release from Pratishtana Convenor Addanda Anitha Cariappa.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 29th, 2021

Teacher comes up with tree-top solution to overcome poor network connectivity

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology
C.S. Satheesha keeps children from Ist to 5th standard engaged with a slew of exercises in English, Kannada and mathematics, going beyond the syllabus.  

Facilitates learning via online mode in remote village in Kodagu district

A school teacher in Mullur village in Kodagu district has hit upon a tree-top solution to digitally connect with his students and ensure continuity of their education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has fabricated a make-shift room atop a mango tree using locally available materials, including bamboo and grass, besides waste materials.

Constructed at a height of 20 feet from the ground, this has helped overcome the problem of weak reception and signal of service providers in this remote village, located about 20 km from Somwarpet, which is the nearest town.

The tree-top classroom built by C.S. Satheesha, a school teacher, in Mullur village in Kodagu district.  

C.S. Satheesha is a teacher at the Government Lower Primary School in Mullur. He handles classes for students from Ist to 5th standard. But the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown resulted in disruption of education of children. The impact is more in rural areas, among tribals and first-generation learners as they lack facilities or parental backup, which their urban counterparts have, to ensure continuity in learning.

Hence, Satheesha thought of keeping them engaged during the lockdown with a slew of exercises in English, Kannada and mathematics, going beyond the syllabus.

But connectivity issues forced Satheesha to do some out-of-the-box thinking. He decided to work from a tree top. It took him two months to build a classroom atop a tree.

A conventional RCC roof may have made things easier but Satheesha’s house is tiled and sloped – a building practice that is common in the coastal belt where rains are heavy – and hence he thought of this ingenious solution.

Atop the tree, the teacher not only feels safe, but a double layer of tarpaulin ensures that the make-shift office, where he imparts online classes, remains water-proof. He invested in a mobile stand and also procured a focus light, which ensures better visibility to children at the other end.

“In case of students who do not have a smartphone, I personally distribute exercise sheets during my rounds in the village as part of my COVID-19 duty with an instruction that the answer sheets would be collected by evening,” said Mr. Satheesha.

The online classes also focus on the immediate surroundings of the children. They are asked to identify a bulb, a mirror, a furniture or anything around them and describe their function in full sentences in English. Not only has this endeavour ensured continuity in learning, but children are learning how to make short videos and upload them, using the internet, for evaluation.

The day starts with a ‘WhatsApp Challenge’ comprising a set of questions tailor-made for each student, and sent out by the teacher. By evening, the challenge is accepted!

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by R Krishna Kumar /Mysuru – January 28th, 2021

The cat-eyed beauty – A talent from the land that has contributed immensely to put India on the GLOBAL MAP

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

Gonikoppa:

The arrival of a promising talent to the Kannada film industry from Kodagu has raised expectation of film lovers across the state.

And the name is Ballachanda Akshitha Bopaiah whose root of origin is Gonikoppa in Kodagu. Ms. Akshitha is winning hearts of Kannada cine lovers across the state with her appearances in Kannada feature films.

Akshitha has proved herself as a promising actor from Kodagu and is enjoying the rewards of all the hardwork the artist has put in to reach where she is. She has acted in multiple films in Kannada starting with REAL POLICE, her debut film which marked Akshitha’s entry into world of Kannada cinema in the year 2017.

Akshitha has already acted with top names of Sandalwood like, Late actor Rebel Star Ambareesh, Real Star Upendra, Abhinaya Chatura Satish Ninasam, Late actor Chiranjeevi Sarja and many more.

In the film Ambi ninge vayassaito, Akshitha had donned the role of Childhood Friend of Late Actor Ambareesh and her role had impressed Ambareesh to an extent that the legend had declared Akshitha as a promising lead lady of the Kannada Film Industry.

Her role in the film Brahmachari starring Satish Ninasam gained popularity with her fine acting skills & her act in the scene where a marriage alliance is discussed for the hero is a notable one and was entertaining enough for film lovers.

Akshitha added life to the role in the film Upendra I Luv U in which she appeared as Real Star Upendra’s childhood friend.

The actor has appeared in a lead role in the film Shivarjuna. Also, P5 starring Vikram Ravichandran and Trivikrama are Kannada films in which Akshitha as appeared as the lead lady.

Akshita has also starred in TV commercials and her appearance in the Add for Pothy’s with Power Star Puneet Rajkumar is a notable one.

Apart from Sandalwood Akshitha has left a mark with audiences in Tamil Nadu with her outstanding performances in Tamil daily soaps titled, Azaghu, Sumangali, thazhampoo , Kannana Kanne.

With her classy and stylish looks and brilliant performances in both small and silver screen, Akshitha is here to stay and entertain audiences.

A resident of Gonikoppa, Akshitha is the daughter of Bopaiah and Prema Bopaiah. Completed her primary education at Gonikoppa Lion’s School, High School at St. Annamma at Virajpete and completed her M.Com at Mysore Vidyashrama College.

Her love towards acting has brought her this far and is shining bright in the hearts of audiences.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> BrandSpot>PR Spot / June 25th, 2021

First look of Varsha Bollamma from Stand Up Rahul out

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

Also starring Raj Tarun, the rom-com is being directed by debutant Santo Mohan Veeranki

Makers of the upcoming rom-com Stand Up Rahul featuring Raj Tarun in the lead role have released the first look poster of its female lead, Varsha Bollamma, on Wednesday.

The young actor, who won rave reviews for her performance in Middle Class Melodies, will be seen as Sreya Rao, a plain-looking young woman struggling with body image issues.

Written and directed by Santo Mohan Veeranki, Stand Up Rahul tells the story of an unenthusiastic stand-up comedian, who stands his ground for his love and passion for the narrative craft. 

Produced by Nandkumar Abbineni and Bharath Maguluri under Dream Town Productions and HighFive Pictures banners, the film is in the last leg of production and is expected to release soon. 

Also featuring Vennela Kishore, Murli Sharma, Indraja, Devi Prasad, and Madhurima in supporting roles, Stand Up Rahul has music by Sweekar Agasthi.

source: http://www.cinemaexpress.com / Cinema Express / Home> CE Features / June 23rd, 2021