Category Archives: Education

Kodagu Hockey Coach Leaves For Tokyo With Women’s Team

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

Hockey India has announced the 16-member Indian women’s hockey squad for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, which starts from July 23. After the 1980 and 2016 Olympics, the Women’s Team will be playing their third Olympics in Tokyo.

Ankitha Suresh, a Hockey Coach from Kodagu, who has made a mark in national and international-level hockey, has left for Tokyo Olympics along with the Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams. She has been selected as Assistant National Coach by Hockey India for the Indian Senior Women’s Hockey Team.

She will be a part of the coach team comprising Graham Reid, Sjoerd Marijne, Shivendra Singh, Gregg Clark, Johanna Schopman and Piyush Dubey of both Men’s and Women’s teams. Along with the team, 19 players from each side including four alternative players and two reserve goalkeepers have also left India.

Scientific advisors for the teams are Robin Arkell and Wayne Lombard, masseur/masseuse are Arup Naskar, Radhika Chaudhari, physiotherapists are Kannan Bose and Nivedita Chopra and video analysts who have been selected are Ashok Kumar and A. Perumal.

Ankitha Suresh is the daughter of B.A. Suresh and B.S. Dharmavathi, residents of Madikeri. She is married to Honnampadi Suresh. Ankitha started her sports career as an athlete and had won medals in 3,000-mts and 5,000-mts running races in national levels. While studying in Junior College in Madikeri, she stumbled upon hockey and her passion for the sport grew after she joined SAI Hockey Hostel in Madikeri for training.

Ankitha also has the distinction of being the one among the five women from Karnataka who have been selected for the Level-3 coaching course offered by Hockey India as well as only Level-2 Technical Official to be selected from India and from Karnataka for the FédérationInternationale de Hockey (FIH) World Cup Women’s Hockey.

She has completed Hockey India Level-1, Level-2 and FIH Level-1 and 2 and also FIH Level-3 conducted by Hockey India and FIH Hockey Academy. A post-graduate diploma holder in e-Finance and Gym Instruction, she holds Masters in Commerce and has a Diploma in Sports Coaching (National Institute of Sports).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / July 18th, 2021

Kuvempu Multipurpose Hall Inaugurated At Sainik School In Kodagu

Education, Records, All

Madikeri: 

Air Vice Marshal P.J. Walia, Senior Officer-in-Charge – Administration, Training Command, Indian Air Force, Bengaluru and Chairman, Local Board of Administration, Sainik School, Kodagu, chaired the 22nd meeting of the Local Board of Administration of Sainik School in Kodagu on July 9. 

He also inaugurated Kuvempu Multipurpose Hall and Public Information LED Display Board (8ft x12ft., a one of its kind in the region). A cultural event ‘Vandana Prayer Dance’ was presented by Day Scholar Cadets. On the occasion, the Chairman and Col. G. Kannan, Principal, Sainik School, Kodagu, exchanged mementoes. The Chairman and all members also planted a sapling each in the school campus after their meeting.

Gp. Capt. R.R. Lall, Command Education Officer, Bengaluru, the representative of District Commissioner, Kodagu, Madikeri, Sqn. Ldr. R.K. Dey, School Administrative Officer, Prof. Y. Sreekanth, Principal, Regional Institute of Education, Mysuru, Prof. R. Shivappa, Registrar, University of Mysore, Vijay Kumar Swarnkar, Executive Engineer, CPWD, Mysuru Central Division and Prakash Krishnabhatta Joshi, Parent Member were present in the Local Board of Administration Meeting. 

Col. G. Kannan, Principal and Member-Secretary, briefed all the training and administrative aspects of the school and the progress made in the past nine months. The members deliberated and arrived at various policy decisions for future development of the school.

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

Scaling Hills, Climbing Trees Daily Workout For Network

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Virajpet:

The online platform may be the only way to reach students during lockdown, but the digital medium comes with its own challenges. Students living in remote areas in Kodagu are facing trouble due to slow internet and connectivity issues. Lessons cannot be downloaded and they cannot attend online classes as videos and audios do not play. 

Kodagu is one of the high-altitude districts in Karnataka and most of the areas have green cover and undulating terrain. However, this very feature poses a great challenge to the students in attending online classes due to poor internet connectivity.

Students are commonly seen sitting on the roadside on top of bridges and on the rocks where they attend online classes. Some of them climb trees risking their lives and limbs. While the internet may not be available inside some houses, faint signals are somewhat available at a distance. So parents have the task of taking the children to the area where connectivity is available and bringing them back home after classes. 

Rain trouble too

Now it is raining across the district and students can’t even sit in the open outside. They sit inside jeeps and other vehicles to protect themselves from rain. There is hardly any mobile network in remote villages in Virajpet Taluk like Kedamullur, Birunani, Badagarakeri, Hysodlur, Nittoor, Karmad, Kunda and also Hathur. 

To attend the online classes, these students have no option but to find a spot where they get proper connectivity. And there are very few places where they get an internet connection on the phone. Added to the connectivity issues, many areas are in the dark due to frequent tree falls. Villages like Kedamullur, Badaga, Thermemotte, Baarikaadu, Kottooli, Thomara and Koorthikaadu do not get power restored for weeks together in case wires snap. 

“Due to the lack of a mobile network in my village, I have to walk into the forests where I can get faint signals. Our village is one of the places where basic communication facilities are missing and villagers have to walk towards the forests at the time where they get signal on their phones. Sometimes it rains when we are outside and we are not able to study,” said M.C. Nireeksha, a  10th Standard student at Heggala Ramanagara School. 

Students are the ones who are suffering the most as they have to travel 3-4 km at times during the lockdown to attend online classes, she added. At remote villages where there is undulating terrain, mobile network is not balanced across the village and they get signal only in the upper reaches. A majority of students in the Kedamullur region have been studying in the schools and colleges in Virajpeṭ and 70 percent are the children of labourers.

“My house is in the lower part of Kedamullur village while good signal can be reached only in the upper reaches of the village, so my children are forced to trek till a particular point to study. This is a wooded area and there is a threat of wild animals. Along with my daughter I too walk 4 km to get connectivity and we only return in the evening,” said Vishwanath, a parent. 

Authorities nonchalant

While this is the predicament faced by the students, those in positions of power sit tight saying that they have written many letters to higher-ups and there is no response. “BSNL provides connectivity to many areas in Kodagu and the offices of engineers, technicians and other staff are empty as there are hardly any employees. I have even written many letters to higher-ups for a mobile tower but there is no response,” said Kedamullur Gram Panchayat President N. Sheela. 

“There is a 2G BSNL tower in Virajpet-Kedamullur and it is a genuine problem. Letters have been written a month back to upgrade the tower to 4G network. The problem will be solved if a new tower is installed,” said BSNL Virajpet Sub-Division Engineer Narayana. The officer was, however, silent on when the new tower will be installed or the existing tower would be upgraded to 4G.

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

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

Nominated As Mysore University Syndicate Member

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

Mysore/Mysuru: 

M.B. Gappanna of Kavadi village in Ammathi, Virajpet taluk, Kodagu, has been nominated as Syndicate Member of University of Mysore by the Chancellor, who is also the Governor of Karnataka. 

As per the notification issued from the Office of the Governor, the term of office shall be for a period of three years with effect from Oct. 3, 2020. 

A MBA graduate from Mangalore University, Machimanda Gappanna has been an activist working for progressive causes and was the President of All College Students Union of Mangalore University.

He has the experience of working in the corporate world in various capacities and has been associated with several service organisations like Rotary, where he has been the Director of Youth Service. He is passionate about helping people at the grassroot level and interested in finding innovative solutions to support rural employment.

Gappanna is involved with several NGOs motivating youth for self employment and skill development.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 06th, 2021

Mother Teresa Medical Centre, RO Plant Inaugurated At Sainik School In Kodagu

Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Mysore/Mysuru:

Dr. K.B. Cariappa, Director and Dean, Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences, Madikeri, inaugurated Mother Teresa Medical Centre, school’s medical inspection room at Sainik School in Kodagu on Mar.30 in the presence of Dr. K. Mohan, District Health Officer, Kodagu and Dr. Rupesh, Resident Medical Officer.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest lauded the Sainik School set up and encouraged the cadets to imbibe leadership qualities to join Indian armed forces and strive to transform this vision into reality. 

He also recalled the legendary military leaders like Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and Gen. K.S. Thimayya and their military achievements. 

The school medical inspection room with the presence of nursing assistants caters in ensuring health of the cadets. Detailed medical history charts are maintained for individual cadets and an accurate periodical record of height, weight and chest measurements is also maintained. 

CBSE’s latest initiative mandates Health and Physical Education (HPE) subject to all cadets. The school medical inspection room is a repository of cadets’ medical history and a learning centre too. It helps cadets to learn and maintain hygiene, educate the importance of nutritious food and significance of physical exercises. 

Dr. K. Mohan, District Health Officer (DHO), Kodagu, inaugurated Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plant at the school campus.  

Col. G. Kannan, Principal, Priya Kannan, the first lady of the school, Lt. Col. Seema Tripathi, Vice-Principal, Sqn. Ldr. R.K. Dey, Administrative Officer, Sangeeta Dey, Dr. H. Mahesh, School Medical Officer and S. Suryanarayana, Senior Master, staff and cadets were present on the occasion. All safety measures including wearing mask and social distancing were followed during the event. 

Cdt. M.G. Apoorv was the master of ceremony. Cdt. R.  Shashank and Cdt Harsharaj spoke on Mother Teresa’s contribution to humanity and Reverse Osmosis (RO) respectively.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 11th, 2021

Kodagu girl wins the UN H2021 Water Summit storytelling competition

Amazing Feats, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, World Opinion

During the lockdown situation, when the world took the virtual path, Yashmi was introduced to the UN Ocean Decade Summit and she took part in the virtual programs conducted by the initiative.

Manavattira Yashmi Dechamma

Madikeri :

“The earth is already in a bad state and it will be inherited by us tomorrow. We want to breathe the same pristine air that our grandparents breathed,” shared Manavattira Yashmi Dechamma, a ninth-grade student who has been selected for the UN Ocean Decade Summit to be hosted in Hawaii soon.

Yashmi earned this opportunity after her video documentary on the theme ‘Water is sacred’ won the H2021 Water Summit storytelling contest in the 13-17 age group category.

A native of Nelaji village in Kodagu, Yashmi is currently pursuing her studies in Acharya Vidya Kula in Mysuru.

During the lockdown situation, when the world took the virtual path, Yashmi was introduced to the UN Ocean Decade Summit and she took part in the virtual programs conducted by the initiative.

“While I was aware of climate change, I learnt from speakers all across the globe about what climate change did to the earth. I knew that the earth was in danger. But I obtained clarity on the growing problem after attending the virtual summit,” shared Yashmi.

She was then introduced to the H2021 Water Summit where she attended virtual sessions for four consecutive weekends and it is here she learnt about the storytelling competition.

“Each session was based on a particular theme. The theme ‘Water is sacred’ was close to me as I am from the Kodava community and we worship River Cauvery,” she shared. Yashmi visited Kodagu and shot some beautiful captures of River Cauvery.

With a Kodava song playing in the background of the video, she has highlighted the sorry state of the river today – which has become a victim of pollution.

The video then moves to highlighting the efforts from the youngsters in reviving the river and the documentary ends with a strong message ‘Let us heal her (River Cauvery) and not fix her’.

“I have heard my mother explain the beauty of Kodagu that existed during her childhood times. The district witnessed heavy rainfall then too. However, it is only now that the incessant rainfall is causing destruction and damage. The summits I attended helped amplify my voice and I shot the video with the support from my cousin Bhuvana Nanaiah and her father Nanaiah,” explained Yashmi.  

Daughter of Manavattira Kushalappa and Nalini, Yashmi looks forward to strengthening the Youth Advisory Council in the country and has written to the concerned about her vision for a better future.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna GR / Express News Service / March 31st, 2021

Education should instil culture among students: Dr Parvathi Appaiah

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

Stressing on the need for more reservation for women in education and in the job sector, Dr Parvathi said that girls should not be deprived of education

Participants at the International Women’s Day programme organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and Aimanda Pommakkada Koota, in Maragodu village. Credit: DH Photo

Education becomes more meaningful if it instils cultural values among students, opined Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy chairperson Dr Parvathi Appaiah.

She was delivering the keynote address during the International Women’s Day programme observed by Kodava Sahitya Academy and Aimanda Pommakkada Koota, in Maragodu village recently.

Stressing on the need for more reservation for women in education and in the job sector, Dr Parvathi said that girls should not be deprived of education.

Madikeri Government First Grade College lecturer Bodukuttada Radhika Kuttappa said education alone can bring positive development among girls.

During the session, Taluk Panchayat former president Revathi Parameshwar spoke on ‘Kalakottaneke Pommakkada Badkal Badalavane’.

Aimanda Divya presented her views on ‘Kodagra Samskruthi, Samkraratha Bolachel Avvangada Pathra’.

Books and CDs brought out by Kodava Sahitya Academy were kept for exhibition and sale.

As part of the cultural programmes, students from Kaveri Degree College, Gonikoppa, members of Aimanda Pommakkada Koota and dance troupes from Virajpet performed dances on the occasion.

The best performances were awarded cash prizes, sponsored by Non-resident Indian Aimanda Jagadish.

Prior to the programme, office-bearers of Aimanda Pommakkada Koota and Kodava Sahitya Academy took out a cultural procession in the town.

Pommakkada Koota president Pushpavathi, Maragodu Gram Panchayat president Ayyandra Poornima Shrinivas, academy member Gowramma Madammaiah, academy former president Rani Machaiah, former principal Dr Pushpa Kuttana, academy members Babbira Saraswathi, Prabu Kumar and registrar Ajjikuttira Girish were present, among others.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> States> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS, Madikeri / March 14th, 2021