Sannuvanda Srinivas Chengappa (60), President of Virajpet Taluk Journalists Association and a resident of Thithimathi, passed away this morning at a hospital following brief illness.
He leaves behind his wife, two daughters, one son and a host of relatives and friends. Last rites were performed at Thithimathi today.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / May 20th, 2021
Nidhi Subbaiah, who started her career in Sandalwood, surprised many with her decision to take part in Bigg Boss Kannada this season. Known for having acted in films like Anna Bond and Pancharangi, the actress has now revealed in an interview that her main intention to participate in the reality show was to let people know that she is right here and not in Mumbai.
Nidhi told Cinema Express, “I came back last year before the lockdown. Before that, I was in New York. I am currently in Mysuru and plan to shift to Bengaluru to stay closer to the film industry.” For the unversed, the actress had moved to Mumbai a few years ago after she got an opportunity to work in a handful of Hindi films.
Nidhi added in her interview that Bigg Boss Kannada 8 has given her a different kind of fame as people across Karnataka have connected with her on a personal level. She also shared that the show has given her seven good friends, with whom she plans to stay connected with.
On being quizzed about some key takeaways from her BB experience, Nidhi said, “Bigg Boss house has taught me some life lessons — how to deal with pressure, anger and frustration. I learnt to be disciplined — sleeping and waking up on time, something that had gone haphazard previously. I’ve also learnt to cook and eat simple food without having to order in junk food all the time. It has made a difference to my lifestyle, and I hope to continue these habits.”
Nidhi, who was last seen alongside Shivarajkumar in Ayushman Bhava, is now looking forward to her next project. She has signed her horror film, which is being bankrolled by Lohith H’s Friday Films. The yet-untitled film is being helmed by debutant directors Pavan and Prasad.
source: http://www.filmibeat.com / Filmi Beat / Home> Kannada> News / by Waiz Ahmed / May 19th, 2021
A Bengaluru organisation is building a multimedia archive of tribal music in Karnataka, starting with the Kudiyas of Kodagu.
Bengaluru :
A life without songs sung to the beats of drums is probably unimaginable for the Kudiya people of the Western Ghats. “We sing about the plants and trees in the forests, the roots, stones, snakes, and elephants… There is a rhythm to each song, and we play the drum to that rhythm,” Kudiya musician Sharada Somaiah says in an interview with Bengaluru-based Gobal Kulture, which is taking the first steps towards building an archive of tribal music in Karnataka.
On April 13, Global Kulture released a 2.50-minute video titled “Hidden Sounds: Who are these Kudiyas?” on its YouTube channel. They’ve started with the Kudiya community, but Arun Sivag, percussionist and founder of Global Kulture, says the idea is to collect audio and video recordings of songs, interviews and dances of artistes from 40 communities (the state government lists 50 Scheduled Tribes), and compile it into the Budakattu Music Archive, a partial multimedia ethnography of tribal music and culture.
“It took one-and-a-half years of research to figure out how to go about this,” says Arun. This includes conversations with several people – including playback singer and co-founder of Global Kulture, Sangeetha Ravindranath, and Sumanto Mondal, who is editorial and communications partner at the organisation. However, the idea of the archive comes from Arun’s own experiences, and thoughts about music and musicians. “I always saw musicians on the street, and wondered why they weren’t on stage. Folk artistes are not given a stage, but they are the torch-bearers of music,” says the 29-year-old.
In 2019, he began visiting government offices looking for a list of tribal musicians, and realised that the government didn’t really have one. But the idea stuck, and he came in contact with folk and tribal art expert Srinivas Murthy, who worked with Sharada’s father decades ago. With the little footage they collected in February at Sharada’s house in Tora village (Virajpet, Kodagu), they know they’ve barely scratched the surface. “One would need a whole life to understand their music. We are doing what the government is supposed to do,” says Arun.
The Kudiyas’ culture is oral — their songs and stories are the historical record of their existence. “They sing songs while working, after getting back from work, when there is a birth or a death, during festivals… They even have a song about the daughters of the tribe and how they wish the best for them,” says Sangeetha, who is working on translating the songs from Kodava to English.
The archive will also have interviews of the artistes, such as the one in which Sharada talks about the community’s origin story, and why they call themselves Kudiyas, says Mondal, who is translating her interviews from Kannada to English. They are looking for institutional funding that will allow them to retain creative independence. But for now, they are using their own resources to fund the project. Arun put in the stipend he got from OneBeat, a US government fellowship.
A part of that was used as honorarium for the artistes. “We are artists too. We want to pay them for their work. Right now, the only opportunities they have are annual performances at Vidhana Soudha and Ravindra Kalakshetra (auditorium in Bengaluru). When the government calls, these are the people who get the peanuts,” Arun says. Sharada’s earnings are paltry and not steady, like many artistes.
She pretty much kept the music of her community alive by teaching younger generations, but knows survival is at stake without economic opportunity. In the trailer, Sharada talks about her “biggest dream”. “…If our art is to survive, the government and other organisations must help us get a good platform, give us respect. Only if this happens will our music become a livelihood for us and for our children, and only this way will our art survive.”
Arun too has big dreams. He eventually wants tribal musicians to get the recognition and remuneration they deserve. “We want to build a not-for-profit artist management system for them. They should be treated just like any other artiste.”
Preserving history
Global Kulture aims to collect audio and video recordings of songs, interviews and
dances of artists from 40 communities and compile it into the Budakattu Music Archive.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Anisha Sheth, Express News Service / May 23rd, 2021
Nidhi Subbaiah, who started her career in Sandalwood, got an opportunity to work in a handful of Hindi films.
Nidhi Subbaiah begins her day with a song, which has been her ritual post waking up. This is something she has got used to after staying in the Bigg Boss house for 72 days.
The main intention to participate in the reality show for the actor, who has acted in films like Anna Bond and Pancharangi, was to let people know that she is right here and not in Mumbai.
“I came back last year before the lockdown. Before that I was in New York. I am currently in Mysuru and plan to shift to Bengaluru to stay closer to the film industry,” says Nidhi, adding that the Bigg Boss Kannada show has given her a different kind of fame, and people have connected with her on a personal level.
“It is overwhelming to hear from people across Karnataka calling me the ‘Pancharangi Girl’.”
“Especially in Kodagu, they now consider me as ‘Nangada Nidhi’ (our girl). Moreover, this Bigg Boss house has taught me some life lessons — how to deal with pressure, anger and frustration. I learnt to be disciplined — sleeping and waking up on time, something that had gone haphazard previously. I’ve also learnt to cook and eat simple food without having to order in junk food all the time. It has made a difference to my lifestyle, and I hope to continue these habits,” she says, adding that the show also gave her seven good friends, whom she hopes to stay connected with.
The actor, who started her career in Sandalwood, got an opportunity to work in a handful of Hindi films.
However, Nidhi says that she was never attracted by Bombay and the only reason for her move to Hindi films was because she wasn’t getting the kind of work she wanted in Kannada.
“When I was shooting for Anna Bond in Bangalore was when I signed two Hindi films. I felt Bollywood was calling, and as an actor, I thought I should give it a try. I did 6 to 7 films, which helped me expand,” she says.
Back to Sandalwood, Nidhi — who was last seen in Shivarajkumar- starrer Ayushman Bhava that featured her in a pivotal role — is now waiting to begin her next project. This will be her first horror film, which will be bankrolled by Lohith H’s Friday Films, and will be helmed by debutant directors Pavan and Prasad.
“It is a fantastic script, and can’t wait to begin,” says Nidhi, adding, “Staying inside in the Bigg Boss house, I had no idea about the Covid goings- on. I was planning to begin shooting post my exit from the house. We were in for a shock when we were shown clippings of what’s happening. Now, we have to wait for the situation to come under control to start any entertainment activities,” she says.
Nidhi, who loves acting, says given an opportunity she would like to sign 100 films and act till she can.
“I love acting, and the time between ‘action’ and ‘cut’ is like a moment of meditation for me. It is my favourite time when I forget everything and get into the skin of the character,” says the actor.
“I hope to be a part of the role that Taapsee Pannu plays in Thappad, or Pink,” she adds. The audience as well as the film fraternity have watched Nidhi up and close in the Bigg Boss house. Will it make a difference to the kind of roles she will be offered from now on?
“My director friends who watched me on the show say I was bold, straightforward, and didn’t use tactics. That’s how I am in real life — frank and bold. Now that people have seen me, directors too know what I am capable of. This might help fetch roles that fit my personality,” she says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Kannada / by Express News Service / May 18th, 2021
The group carried the dead body to the estate – nearly 0.5 km away – for cremation. “The path was slippery and we had to cross a farm to reach the spot,” said a member, a photojournalist.
Madikeri :
Till recently, volunteers were the only ones risking their lives and undertaking the cremation of Covid victims in Kodagu. But on Sunday, with volunteers unavailable, a group of journalists took over and performed the last rites of a Covid victim.
The cremation took place after an 85-year-old resident of Balamuri village in Kodagu succumbed to Covid at his residence on Sunday. He had initially been hospitalised before being discharged a week later.
The family of the deceased, who had also tested positive for Covid, wished to carry out the cremation at an estate located half a kilometre from their residence. But as they were Covid positive, none of the villagers were willing to help them.
The son of the deceased man then reached out to a group of volunteers in Napoklu town, which is over 10 km from the village. The volunteers in turn requested the family to shift the dead body to the crematorium at Napoklu.
Helpless to do this as they had tested positive, the family turned to the Maadhyama Spandana group – a social service group started by a few journalists in the district to help the needy during the time of the pandemic.
“Through the Maadhyama Spandana group, I received a call and we immediately swung into action to help the family,” shared Pappu Thimmaiah, a photojournalist. He, along with journalist Rejith Kumar roped in three other friends from outside the media group – Praveen, Aneesh and Sherin. All of the donned PPE kits and headed to help the distressed family.
“We wore PPE kits and left from Siddapura to reach the victim’s residence. The dead body of the victim was also unpacked and we packed it in a PPE kit,” Rejith explained.
The group then carried the dead body to the estate – nearly 0.5 km away. “The path was slippery and we had to cross a farm to reach the spot,” said Pappu.
They then lit the pyre after ensuring that the cremation was carried out following the proper rituals.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Pragna G R, Express News Service / May 17th, 2021
Actors Bhuvann Ponnanna and Harshika Poonacha are again back with their social welfare works and this time have started free oxygen service through auto-rickshaws to the needy.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Bengaluru is going through its most difficult time as the devastating second wave of Covid-19 has created a lot of trouble for the city by targeting the people on daily basis.
As a matter of fact, the city is facing a shortage of oxygen as the demand for it has been increased tremendously in the last 15 days. Those who are infected with the virus and are facing breathing issues are requesting authorities for the supply of oxygen. But, due to the high demand, it has become challenging for the local authorities to arrange for it.
Meantime, several eminent personalities, political leaders, generous industrialists from the city are trying their best to provide oxygen for the needy. Even film personalities are coming forward to do their bit.
In one such instance, the Kannada actors Bhuvann Ponnanna and Harshika Poonacha have started free oxygen supply service to the needy through bus and auto-rickshaw loaded with oxygen cylinders.
The service has been named “Oxygen Express” and it was inaugurated today by the state health minister Dr. K Sudhakar in Bengaluru. The whole initiative is being funded by the Bhuvanam Foundation run by the actor Bhuvann who was also a participant in the reality show of Kannada Bigg Boss Season 4 hosted by Sudeep.
Appreciating the initiative taken by both Bhuvann and Harshika Poonacha the state health minister has also tweeted in his official Twitter account.
Harshika has also replied to the minister’s tweet by tweeting, “Honourable Health Minister Dr. @mla_sudhakar sir inaugurated our projects #Shwasa and #Bhandawa from @BhuvanamF today Thankyou so much for honoring us with your presence sir #BhuvanamFoundation The Religion of Love and Kindness”.
This is not the first time for Bhuvann to carry out social welfare works for the people, he had helped the people during the flood time in Karnataka in 2019 too. Also just a few days back the actor had distributed thousands of food kits to the poor.
It can be remembered that a few days back Bhuvann had started a helpline to help those who are suffering from Covid and are in need of emergency help. He had given his private number for the cause and started receiving thousands of calls in a day. He then hired some people and made a team that is serving the people.
The golden-hearted actor Bhuvann Ponnanna has entered the Kannada film industry by appearing in a guest role in Just Maath Maathalli starring Sudeep in the lead role. He then appeared in negative shades in a couple of movies before participating in the Kannada Bigg Boss reality show.
Images Credit: Dr. K Sudhakar/Twitter
source: http://www.timesnownews.com / Times Now News / Home> News> Entertainment News > Kannada Cinema News/ byTimes Now Digital / May 14th, 2021
Kodagu was among the first districts to report COVID cases and had sought the help of volunteers, especially for the cremation and burial of COVID victims.
Madikeri :
“When we started this service a year ago, we did not know it would become so severe. We are stressed and emotionally drained. But we cannot abandon it now,” said a volunteer from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which is involved in conducting the last rites of COVID victims in Kodagu.
It was among the first districts to report COVID cases and had sought the help of volunteers, especially for the cremation and burial of COVID victims. Over 100 volunteers came forward from Popular Front of India, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Seva Bharathi.
While the district rarely reported COVID deaths last year, it is seeing an average of six deaths per day over the last one month, the highest being 16 on a single day. The designated crematorium for COVID victims in Madikeri is equipped to raise only three pyres at a time.
“We can arrange two pyres on the cemented structure and the third on the temporary setup that has been arranged with the increase in COVID deaths. When there are more than three deaths, we have to wait for nearly three to four hours for all the three bodies to burn completely. We then collect the ashes and hand them over to relatives,” a volunteer said.
“We dispose of our PPE kits, sanitise ourselves and then go back to the Madikeri COVID Hospital to collect the remaining bodies. We repeat the same process. When there are more deaths, most of our day is spent at the crematorium,” they added.
Volunteers of VHP and Bajrang Dal have conducted the last rites of 101 victims, and they do selfless service as they don’t accept any monetary donations. “But I request the district administration to provide us with health insurance. If anything happens to us tomorrow, at least our families can survive with the insurance money. Social service alone has been a part of most of our lives. Also, if the government can expand and improve the crematorium, it would reduce a lot of our stress,” a volunteer said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / May 10th, 2021
Sir,
The year gone by will not be forgotten for a long time to come. A year that turned the world upside down. Travel and hospitality sectors which provide most employment were crippled beyond belief. The pandemic has changed the very nature of tourism and travel for ever. Their worlds will never be the same again. Words like hybrid and virtual have come in to the lexicon of tourism. This is the new reality.
Monuments, cultural heritage sites and famous museums across the world have gone ‘hybrid’ to provide online guided tours through their sites and galleries to millions who are unable to travel anymore. In India, Government has announced that many of the country’s UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites and major museums will prepare to provide online access.
Technology not only makes this possible but has opened the magical doors to the creation of virtual museums that are only limited by imagination!
In this brave new world, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) — www.indiaifa.org — has come forward to invite proposals from multi-disciplinary teams for the creation of a Virtual Museum to showcase Kodava Heritage and Culture. The virtual museum will be an interactive online space for the rich and thriving heritage of Kodavas offering a glimpse into their history, customs and cultural practices. IFA has an enviable record of supporting path-breaking initiatives in the field of art and culture.
The exciting prospect of this museum of cultural heritage of a proud warrior people has become possible by a CSR grant from Recaero India Pvt. Ltd., which is a pioneer in the field of aerospace engineering. This grant will clearly need to be supplemented with generous donations as the project progresses.
For a project of this kind to be successful, we need to access tangible resources like photographs, video clips of marriages, folk dances and observance of rituals, jewellery and objects which are unique to the Kodava way of life. The design team would also require to reach out to members of the community for intangible resources like accounts of social rituals and customs of Kodavas that may have been lost in antiquity. We, therefore, request members of the community to volunteer to provide the resource requirement and any other support.
The Project Coordinator in IFA Darshana can be reached at: darshana@indiaifa.org. I can be reached on: rathicodanda.kodavaheritage@gmail.com
— Rathi Vinay Jha, Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)
Bengaluru
29.4.2021
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Voice of the Reader / May 05th, 2021
The CMC has requested volunteers with medical and non-medical background to register and the council will soon assign responsibilities to them within the city limits.
Madikeri :
Following the increase in the number of active COVID-19 cases across Madikeri, the City Municipal Council has urged residents to join in voluntary work to help handle the pandemic. The CMC has requested volunteers with medical and non-medical background to register and the council will soon assign responsibilities to them within the city limits.
The call for volunteers was made by the CMC on Saturday evening and 25 people have already registered for the work. “Two people even called from Bengaluru to join the team. However, they required an accommodation facility and this is not feasible,” explained Soumya, AEE. She added that the state has released guidelines to the district to form ward committees of volunteers in city limits to help the administration in handling the pandemic situation.
The volunteers will first involve themselves in conducting surveys across their ward to identify inter-district, inter-state and international travellers. “The volunteers have to find out if these travellers are following the quarantine norms and also urge them to take RTPCR test if they have symptoms,” Soumya explained.
Further, the volunteers have to create awareness on the vaccination drive and provide correct information on government orders. Supplying essentials to people in home quarantine and home isolation and supplying rations to the needy will also be taken up by the volunteers.
Currently, the CMC is readying the database of volunteers and the ward committees will shortly be formed to entrust COVID related work. Volunteers in Madikeri city limits can register after dropping a message with their names and ward details on WhatsApp to 9620383963.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR / Express News Service / May 02nd, 2021
Pocahontas, the beau-tiful daughter of the American Indian chief of the Powhatan Confederacy, was born in 1596 in what is now known as Jamestown, Virginia, in the USA. Her rank was that of a Princess. 16th and 17th century saw rapid colonisation of the Americas by the European nations. History is replete with the brave fights the native Americans put-up against the white man who came with superior weapons and technology, and ultimately subdued the original inhabitants.
Chief Powhatan was a formidable opponent of the alien settlers. One of the British colonisers who encountered chief Powhatan was John Smith. In a skirmish, the British were outnumbered, and John Smith was taken prisoner. When Smith was about to be executed, the then 11-year-old Pocahontas intervened and saved his life. John Smith was held captive for a while by the Powhatan chief. The young and impressionable Pocahontas was intrigued by the white man. She used to visit the prisoner frequently and in time learnt a smattering of English from him. John Smith subtly introduced Pocahontas to Christianity.
Years later, during the first Anglo-Powhatan war in 1613, Pocahontas was taken hostage by the British. During this period, she was taught English and the scriptures in more detail. Soon her indoctrination was complete. In 1614 Pocahontas was baptised and was given the name Rebecca.
Fast forward to 1852. The 11-year-old Gowramma, the favourite daughter of the last Raja of Coorg, was taught English and the scriptures by the British during their exile in Benares. The Raja and Princess Gowramma land in Victorian England in 1852. Presented at Queen Victoria’s court, the queen took the vulnerable Gowramma under her wing as her God-daughter and encouraged her baptism. Gowramma was given the name Victoria. Queen Victoria bestowed Gowramma with a rank equivalent to that of an European Princess.
During her captivity, Rebecca Pocahontas fell in love with John Rolfe, a British tobacco trader and grower. John Rolfe was a widower. 18-year-old Rebecca married the much older John Rolfe in 1614.
When Victoria Gowramma was 19 years old, she got romantically involved with a British army officer: Lieutenant Colonel John Campbell, who had served in India. He was a widower, and 30 years her senior. They were married in 1860.
John Rolfe and Rebecca Pocahontas had a son named Thomas Rolfe. In 1616, John Rolfe brought his wife and infant son to England. Pocahontas was presented at the court of King James I, where she was given a reception with protocol normally extended to a daughter of a king.
In March 1617 John Rolfe and his family boarded a ship to sail back to America. Rebecca Pocahontas suddenly took ill and had to be taken ashore. Within days Rebecca died, and it is suspected that the cause of her death was either pneumonia or tuberculosis. She was 21 years old.
Victoria Gowramma and John Campbell had a daughter named Edith Victoria. Gowramma suffered from tuberculosis and succumbed to the disease in 1864 at the age of 23.
Rebecca and Victoria, separated by nearly 250 years, had uncanny similarities in their lives.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / April 30th, 2021
