Monthly Archives: August 2013

‘Forceful’ Ponnappa ready for new innings with Jwala Gutta

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

There’s frenetic activity inside the Shiv Chhatraparti Sports Complex with the Pune Pistons’ players hard at practice.

However, at one of the corner courts the scene is different. Here, the focus in on finesse during net play. Joachim Fischer Nielsen, the world No 4 in mixed doubles, is passing on valuable tips to Ashwini Ponnappa.
Nielsen chides her for making silly errors, but that doesn’t upset Ponnappa. She knows she is adding something to her repertoire, and makes the most of the time spent with Nielsen, a mixed doubles bronze medallist at the London Olympics.

“Playing with a player of his calibre is an honour. Not often do you get such an opportunity,” she said after an exhausting session.

Ponnappa has always been a back-court player, possessing one of the strongest smashes in the women’s game.

What she lacked was touch play at the net. “I was reluctant to get to the net.” But that’s not the case anymore.”

With a new weapon in her armoury, she’s ready to join forces with Jwala Gutta after the IBL.

It will be more than a year since the country’s most successful women’s doubles pair broke up, with the latter going on a seven-month sabbatical.

“In a way, the split with Jwala was good. It kind of helped both of us,” said Ponnappa.

Pairing up with Jwala will end her brief but successful outing with Pradnya Gadre. The pair had stunned world No 2 Ma Jin and Tang Jinhua in the second round of the Malaysia Open, which was their third tournament together.

“I’ve improved, especially in my net game and analysis,” she said of the time spent with Gadre.

While she didn’t dwell much on what prompted her to get back with Jwala, Ponnappa is certain that she will focus on women’s and mixed doubles, which she has been playing with Tarun Kona.

Zebadiah to replace Taerattanachai
New Delhi : The Awadhe Warriors announced that SCG Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold winner Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth of Indonesia will replace Thai shuttler Sapsiree Taerattanachai for the remaining matches of the Indian Badminton League.

Pia Zebadiah will join the team on Friday, and will stay till the end of the league.

Thailand players would be returning home for their national championships. Pia Zebadiah was in the reserve list and Awadhe Warriors decided to pick her for the remaining matches of the $1 million tournament.

Hu Yun equates IBL with Worlds
Bangalore: Beats shuttler Hu Yun feels the level of competition in the IBL is similar to the prestigious World Championships.

“I think there is very good competition here. It is a lot like the World Championship because a same set of players feature in these tournaments,” said the China-born shuttler, who represents Hong Kong.

Yun, who lost in the third round of the World Championships, said he was impressed and would participate in the second edition of the IBL.

The Hong Kong player said he has made many friends and they discussed badminton regularly.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Sport / by Rajesh Pansare, Hindustan Times / Pune – August 23rd, 2013

ATP World Tour rankings: Rohan Bopanna reaches career-high No.5

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Rohan Bopanna, Roger Vasselin
Rohan Bopanna, Roger Vasselin

Bangalore :

India’s Rohan Bopanna reached a career-high rank of No.5 with 5,380 points in the ATP World Tour rankings. The Wimbledon semifinalist is also the highest rank Indian at present.

Bopanna’s leap in the rankings is based out his performance in men’s doubles at the Wimbledon with French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin where they bowed out after an intense fight against top seeds Bryan brothers.

“It is great to have been ranked fifth on the rankings ladder. It is an extremely proud moment for my team and myself, as this ranking is a true testament of the many years of hard work, focus and determination. Being for the first time, the highest ranked Indian makes this all that more special and is an added motivation to perform better with every passing game,” Bopanna said.

Asked about his future, Bopanna said, “It is too early to speculate, though Eduardo and I are in conversation on continuing this partnership given the great run we have had in the two weeks at Wimbledon.”

While taking a break from the tour currently, Rohan is scheduled to hit the Hard Court season with the Citi Open in Washington before proceeding to the Masters Coupe Rogers in Montreal, Canada.

source: http://www.khelnama.com / Home> Tennis / by Khelnama News Desk> Tennis / July 08th, 2013

The rain quotient

Agriculture, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Nature, Records, All

Rain Man: Abraham Tharakan with his son, Bobby / Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu
Rain Man: Abraham Tharakan with his son, Bobby / Photo: K.K. Mustafah / The Hindu

Abraham Tharakan’s family has been recording rainfall since the late 1950s. He talks about his family’s unique engagement and its relevance in these times. Shilpa Nair Anand learns about the family’s unique engagement and its relevance in these times.

Rain is on everyone’s mind this year, every millimetre and inch of rain is a conversation piece. But a family in Muvattupuzha is ‘into’ rainfall and has been recording it for close to 50 years.

There is a story to how Abraham Tharakan’s family got interested in rains, specifically in measuring rainfall. His grandfather, his namesake, a native of Thaikattussery, moved from the traditional coconut and paddy cultivation into plantation agriculture. He bought land in Kothamangalam in the late 1920s or early 30s for this purpose.

“My father, also Abraham Tharakan, had the green thumb. He started cardamom, coffee and rubber plantations. And then in the 1950s he heard about coffee plantations in Coorg,” Abraham Tharakan reminisces. A huge photograph of his late father dominates the drawing room in the house in Muvattupuzha. A smaller oil painting of his grandfather rests on a corner table.

Abraham Tharakan’s family has been recording rainfall since the late 1950s. It started out as a planter’s necessity in Coorg, which it still is, Tharakan says. He shows records of the rains in Muvattapuzha from 1988. If you are wondering how much rainfall Muvattupuzha received in July 1989, all you need to do is refer to his meticulously well-kept records. It rained 150 days in 2002 as compared to the 124 days in 2001; in 2010 Muvattupuzha got 4. 25 inches of rain in one-and-a-half hours and the same year it got 7.75 inches over a 24 hour period. “I had records of rain in Kothamangalam from the 1970s too. Some of those were lost when we shifted here.”


Dedicated notebooks

The ‘records’ are maintained in notebooks dedicated to recording rainfall. Some of the books are informal notebooks. But the records since 2000 are in a specific notebook, which he bought from Coorg. “When Kodavas buy property, one of the first records they ask for, even before the land deed, is the rain chart. Their conversations start with ‘how much did you get?’”

The record-keeping started with his father, during his days in Coorg. He remembers seeing his first rain gauge as a 10-year-old. “There was hardly any irrigation there and planters solely depended on rain. Coffee is a one time crop and untimely rain can damage the crop. The idea behind monitoring weather conditions was to help agricultural operations,” he says. When his father returned to Thaikattusserry (Alappuzha) he installed a rain gauge there. Father and son would exchange notes on the rainfall received, something which he does today with his sons, Ebbey and Bobby. The coastal belt gets less rainfall as compared to the high ranges, he says. “If Muvattupuzha gets an average of 110 inches of rain then Kochi would get an average of 90 inches of rainfall,” says this engineer-turned planter.

As we chat, his son informs him that Kothamangalam has already recorded 13 inches of rainfall till July 8. When Tharakan talks about the rain it becomes clear how little we know about it. “There is a difference between getting four inches of rain and three-and-a-half inches.” An agriculturist needs to know the pattern of rainfall received. He shows the rainfall patterns of 2010 and 2011, during the monsoon, and the chart for 2012. The charts show a clear deficit of rainfall during the June-July period.

“If someone had been monitoring rainfall then the power shortage could have been anticipated and corrective measures could have been taken before it was too late.” He is not only talking from a planter’s point of view.

He is against the attitude of taking rain for granted, “you cannot sit back thinking it will rain because it rained the year before. There is all this talk about the water table and rain water harvesting…but how much do we know about rain?”

He even records the number of days it rains each year. Ebbey and Bobby measure the rainfall and make the records.

“My sons go on the Net for accurate weather forecasts. If it rains more in November rubber tapping is affected. This way we know what the weather is going to be; so we can be prepared. The Indian Meteorological Department is very accurate and so are the satellite pictures in The Hindu. The various websites are extremely helpful. Information is more detailed; it is very different from what it was in my time.”

He has not missed a single day of recording rainfall. Outings are planned in such a way that they don’t hamper the recording, his wife says. There is always somebody around to monitor rainfall.


Another cause

Abraham Tharakan is a member of the All Kerala Parents’ Association of the Deaf. The cause of the deaf is close to his heart as both his sons are hearing impaired. He counsels parents of similar children. He moved to Kerala from Mysore in 1976. He was at the All India Institute of the Hearing Impaired aiding them in their treatment. Both his sons look after the estates; they are perfect examples of assimilation. Ebbey and Bobby even have driving licenses.

How it works

The rain gauge is a cylindrical metal pipe with a funnel inside with a container placed under it to collect rainwater which is then measured.

The gauge is not high-tech. The rainwater once collected in the gauge is then measured using a cylindrical measuring glass used specifically to record rain.

The previous day’s rain is measured every morning at 7 a.m.

Of the rain gauges he uses, one is ‘made in Coorg’. He has installed two in his garden, but he finds the ‘Coorg’ one more reliable.

He bought one from Kochi but he is not sure about its accuracy because there is a variation in the sizes, which, he believes, might hamper accuracy.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Shilpa Nair Anand / Kochi – July 14th, 2013

Ponnamma: Creating history

Records, All, Sports

Mallamada Narendra Ponnamma
Mallamada Narendra Ponnamma

Mallamada Narendra Ponnamma has suddenly put the focus back on hockey and Coorg. She was part of the women’s hockey team that bagged the bronze medal at the Junior World Cup hockey in Moenchengladbach, Germany.

This was also the first such show by the national women’s team and the Karnataka lass played a very important role in the successful campaign. Ponampet and the entire Coorg rejoiced as she returned home with the medal around her proud neck.

“I’m really thrilled and happy to come back home with a bronze medal. Our team has not had this kind of success at the international level and that makes it even more delightful,” Ponnamma said.

“For some of us, this was our last chance to play the junior level due to the age factor. Having played against tougher rivals, we could fall back on the experience and that allowed us to play better. The team spirit was great and it all worked well in the end,” added Ponnamma.

Always interested in sports, she took part in many disciplines like athletics, hockey and volleyball.

But it was the frequent trips to the MEG Stadium with her father that got her interested in hockey. She first tasted success when she was selected in the school team. But it was in 2005 that real opportunity knocked on her door. “I was selected by the SAI Sports Hostel in Madikeri. That changed everything for me and I kept playing more and more giving up all else,” she said.

After faring well in the Dasara sports and other district tournaments, she was selected in the state team for national championships. “I concentrated on defence and eventually was selected for the national junior and senior teams as well. I was also in the team which took part in a tournament in Argentina where we won the bronze as well in 2011,” she added.

She owes all her success to her coach Neil Hawgood. “The level of hockey at district and state level is much below the national and international levels. Hawgood helped us to bridge the gap with some astute coaching. He helped me technically and made me far more fitter than I was. Right now I want to work harder and bring more laurels for the country,” she added.

“The kind of reception we have got after winning the bronze is unimaginable. It has spurred me to do far better. I am grateful to everyone who has supported us all along and also everyone who has sent messages or spoken to us after the tournament,” Ponnamma added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by S Shreekumar / ENS – Bangalore / August 22nd, 2013

‘Punekar’ Ponnappa now at peace with IBL

Leaders, Sports

PonnappaCF25aug2013
“What’s past is past, I’m happy to represent Pune — my new home,” said Ashwini Ponnappa, who finally appeared to be content with the Indian Badminton League.

The Pune Pistons’ icon player has had issues with her base price at the IBL auction and also had complained about the tight schedule. On Tuesday, she praised the tournament for garnering support across the country.

“IBL is taking the game to different cities and creating a fan base. Thousands of spectators are cheering for us which is motivating. In India, one doesn’t get to watch all the top players under the same roof.”

Anchoring the journey of Pistons and beating the likes of Koo Kien Keat and Jwala Gutta — her old doubles partner — the shuttler is in a good form. “Keat is a tricky player and one of the best in doubles,” she said.

On the eve of her match against Banga Beats, she told dna that her heart still lies in Bangalore, but she is overwhelmed how the fans have supported her in Pune. “I’ve to keep my emotions aside. Pune is my team now,” she said.

Ponnappa also acknowledged the presence of international players and thanked them for their words of wisdom since the inception of the tournament.

“Their approach to a match is fantastic. They do different sorts of training and I’m learning a lot about mixed doubles. Now I know why we are still not at par with the powerhouses of badminton.”

The shuttler felt that training with them will boost the entire Indian badminton contingent in the long run.

Her complaints about the tight schedule did not fall on deaf ears. “I feel refreshed as we all got to unwind on Tuesday. It was a much-needed break. The entire team got together and had fun,” she added.

Though she wants to take one IBL at a time and isn’t sure whether she will don the Pune jersey next season, the champion is “having a ball playing along Joachiam Fischer Nielsen (Denmark). He is making sure I enjoy on the court.”

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Sport> Report / by Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya / Place:Mumbai, Agency:DNA / Thursday – August 22nd, 2013

Chak De! India to girl power and less recognized sports

Sports

Those who’ve seen the Bollywood film Chak De! India have been touched by how the film portrays a bunch of underdogs (a team of women hockey players from different corners of the country) recreating the magic and popularity hockey used to enjoy in India. Recently, the country was taken back to those days as we cheered on India’s junior women’s hockey team, who made history by claiming a bronze medal in the World Cup. In addition, a group of tribal girls from Jharkhand who were part of the Yuwa India Under-14 all-girls football team placed third among 10 all-girls teams, when they competed for the Gasteiz Cup in Spain.

These recent wins bring back the focus, or the lack of it, on not just women in sport, but also on less recognized sports in our country.

International glory brings attention to India

According to former captain and coach of the Indian hockey team, MP Ganesh, “The bronze medal won by the junior women’s hockey team and the bronze won by the Under-14 team from Jharkhand are great achievements by the girls. Both wins help bring attention to sports across the nation.”

However, Ganesh cautions that it is high time that various sports in the country are streamlined. “We need to nurture the available talent and bring transparency into the system for the greater good of all sports in the country,” he adds.

Sportspersons should be aptly supported

Arjuna Award winner and swimmer Nisha Millet says sportspersons should be given due monetary support by the government and private sponsors to help them pursue their passion. “I’m proud of the girls, but without financial backing, it is difficult for sportspersons to continue playing. Due to poor monetary support, many budding and talented sportspersons have given up competitive sport,” laments Nisha, who represented India at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

There is a lot of sporting talent among underprivileged children

Not many would have imagined that a bunch of underprivileged girls from Jharkhand could notch an international victory. In fact, the team were so overwhelmed by their achievement that they broke into a jig to celebrate their win.

“During my long years of association with the underprivileged children, I have come across much sporting talent,” says P Lakshapathi, executive director of Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA) in Bangalore, which works with underprivileged children. “We get professionals to train children in various sports, including cricket, football and kick-boxing. The children are all very good,” adds Lakshapathi.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Hockey> Bronze Medal / by Maitreyee Boruah, TNN / August 13th, 2013

Pungi Dasa shoot begins

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Komal is a busy man. The comedian — who has wrapped up work on Goa and is shooting for Pyaar Ge Agbuttaithe — will start work on his next project in the second week of June. The film is titled Pungi Dasa, and is said to be a laugh riot, in the tradition of Komal’s preferred choice of films. The first schedule will take place in Mysore, followed by Madikeri and other locations.

(Komal stars in Pungi Dasa )
(Komal stars in Pungi Dasa )

SSV Productions’ D Sadashiva is the producer of this film. Music director Emil of Nanda Loves Nandita fame, returns to the scene with a new name: Farhan Roshan. Soori is making his debut as editor for this film and Arul will be the director of photography. Murali and Nakumukha Sridhar are the film’s choreographers.

While there were reports that Remya Nambeeshan was likely to be heroine for this project, she is said to have rejected the offer. The cast includes Lokanath, Rajendra Karanth, Sudha Belawadi and Sharat Saxena.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Film / by Anjali Muthanna, TNN / May 31st, 2013

Triple tragedy : Grief-stricken city resident dies in Dubai Airport

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Uncategorized

AnsooKF23aug2013
Mysore :

Unable to bear the grief caused by the untimely demise of her sister, city resident Ansuya Ganapathy (Ansoo) passed away in Dubai airport last night while she was transiting on her way back from the US to Mysore.

This is a case of triple-tragedy as Ansoo’s elder sister Prema Karumbaiah died on Sunday in Kistur village near Balele in South Kodagu. Prema also is said to have died of severe grief caused by the demise of her close relative Alamengada Parvathi Aiyappa in Kanoor village in South Kodagu on Friday.

Ansoo Ganapathy (62) and her husband Theethira K. Ganapathy (Ganesh), a retired professor residing in Jayalakshmipuram, had visited Cleveland, USA, where their sons Dr. Keerthi and Dr. Kiran are settled. Upon hearing the demise of her sister Paruvangada Prema Karumbaiah on Sunday, Ansoo was severely upset and wanted to visit Kodagu immediately to be with the family.

Ansoo and Ganapathy on their way back to Mysore were walking through the transit terminal in Dubai airport at around 9 pm (local Dubai time) when she collapsed and breathed her last. An aghast Ganapathy immediately called his son Dr. Keerthi and told him about the tragic incident.

Dr. Keerthi, a neurosurgeon, called up a few of his Kodava friends in Dubai who with the help of the members of Dubai Kodava Samaja, got the body shifted. Post-mortem was conducted the following day and the body is expected to reach Mysore either tomorrow or the day-after.

Ansoo was an active member of Sree Kaveri Kodagu Mahila Sangha, Jayalakshmi Kodava Association and Mysore Kodava Samaja.

Convenors of Jayalakshmi Kodava Association met at the residence of their President Alamengada P. Vittal this morning and condoled her death.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 20th, 2013

India’s coffee consumption set to recover in 2013-14

Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

IndiasCoffeeKF23aug2013
According to USDA, consumption in India has been hovering around 1.2 million bags for last 5 years; slipped to 1.1 mn bags in 2012-13

India’s coffee consumption is set recover to 1.2 million bags (72,000 tonnes) in 2013-14, a modest rise of nine per cent compared with 1.1 million bags (66,000 tonnes) in 2012-13, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Before falling in 2012-13, average annual consumption in India stood at about 1.2 million bags through five consecutive years, USDA said in its latest report ‘Coffee: World Markets and Trade’.

Typically, USDA’s estimate is lower than the estimate provided by the Coffee Board of India, which is yet to publish the latest consumption figures. “Consumption of coffee in India is always debatable. The Coffee Board of India always projects a higher number, while it is low in the case of USDA,” said Ramesh Rajah, president, Coffee Exporters Association of India. Coffee consumption in India is growing at an average one-two per cent annually.

Compared to 2012-13, consumption has shown signs of growth. It is estimated consumption would rise despite near-flat production levels. USDA has pegged domestic coffee bean production at 5.2 million bags (312,000 tonnes) for the crop year starting October. On an average, India’s annual bean production stood at 5-5.2 million bags in the past three years.

For 2013-14, USDA has projected exports from India at 3.75 million bags, the same as that recorded last year. Of the estimated production of 5.2 million bags this year, the share of Arabica is pegged at a record high of 1.7 million, while that of Robusta is pegged at 3.5 million bags.

“World coffee production in 2013-14 is forecast at 146 million bags, down by 4.4 million bags from the previous year, primarily due to Brazil’s Arabica trees entering the ‘off-year’ of the biennial production cycle and, to a lesser extent, Central America and Mexico continuing to struggle with coffee leaf rust,” USDA said. Global bean exports are pegged below last year’s record, while consumption is expected to rise modestly.
CoffeeConsumptionKF23aug2013

“In India, higher input costs, along with the elimination of subsidies for fertilisers and diesel, have increased production costs for growers. Labour expenses, which could account for more than 50 per cent of the cost of cultivation, continue to escalate, while greater off-farm employment opportunities have created labour shortages,” USDA said.

Adoption of mechanisation has been slow and limited to a few plantations, primarily due to uneven terrain and small and fragmented growing areas.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Markets> Commodities> Food & Edible Oils / by Mahesh Kulkarni / Bangalore – July 15th, 2013

Out of the shadow

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports


After playing sidekick to Jwala, Ponnappa ready to play lead with new partner Pradnya.

Ashwini Ponnappa, not dressed in her usual badminton attire, had to curb her inclination to smash the shuttle as hard as possible. She is known for possessing one of the strongest smashes in the game but at that moment India’s doubles specialist was playing knocks at Jamnabai Narsee School with a couple of novices who posed no challenge.

This may have been an exhibition match for Ponnappa, who during her partnership with Jwala Gutta was always the inexperienced half of a killer pair, but now that she is started playing with a Pradnya Gadre the ‘new senior partner’ of the pair will have to be more cautious in her approach, especially with the World Championships around the corner.

“It was a different experience playing with Jwala. She was a very calm player and very confident. I was young and very temperamental, so naturally it rubbed off on me. However, those days are gone. I don’t have much leeway to act that way. Pradnya is fairly raw, though she can hold her own I do now have to take the initiative and guide her. She has to know that it is all about having fun in your match,” Ashwini told Mirrorfrom the sidelines of an Indian Badminton League event.

The duo of Ashwini and Jwala were unpredictable and not consistent but they had a knack of winning at the big stage. Whether it be gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games or a bronze at the World Championship in 2011 they grabbed it all but the partnership eventually had to end after the an unsuccessful Olympics.

She now goes to the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, with a new partner and a new outlook on how she plays. In the old days she usually stuck to the back of the court looking to smash anything that came her way, knowing that Jwala would be handling business upfront. She now has to control the pace of the game. This means playing closer to the net and rather than smashes she would have to increase of repertoire.

“I was always a little nervous around the net and with my dribbling but now I have to be ready to take up the challenge and I feel confident. I am playing mixed doubles as well and with that I have to keep up my fitness and that has made me a better player. I can now go into matches with much more confidence.”

source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com / Mumbai Mirror / Home> Sport> Others / by Sandeep Narayan / July 16th, 2013