Monthly Archives: September 2013

New-look Robin gives credit to Amre

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Mumbai :

The revised edition of Robin Uthappa is out in the cricket market. In his first outing of the season, against New Zealand ‘A’, he clobbered the bowlers at will and scored a century. Moreover, there was a marked difference between the Uthappa of old and now.

The stance, the head and the feet are in a better position to meet the ball which now goes in intended directions.

How did this change take place? Uthappa says: “Well, I felt the need to work with Pravin Amre sir as I wanted to exploit my full potential as a batsman. I always believed sir is second to none when it comes to technical knowledge and application. Also, I have known him for 10 years and share a very comfortable working relationship with him as he is also my coach in the Air India
setup”.

Pravin Amre, who has made a lot of difference in the approach to batting of Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Sahil Kukreja, among others, was pleasantly surprised when Uthappa asked him to be his professional coach because such a concept doesn’t exist in Indian cricket though players earn in lakhs and crores.

“I have been watching Robin for a long time because he plays for Air India. Perhaps he felt the need to monitor his progress. I applied Achrekar Sir’s formula: Don’t get too much into technicalities, only make fine adjustments and make the batsman comfortable. Never touch the natural instinct of a batsman, as sir used to say. To Robin’s credit, he trusted my methods and worked very hard. I watch him play and from time to time advice him,” Amre says.

As a teenager, Uthappa was an attacking middle-order batsman. The brute strength the boy from Shauntikoppa in Coorg possessed terrified the bowlers in age group tournaments. It was only in May 2003 when coaches at the CCI academy — Nari Contractor, Hanumant Singh and Vasu Paranjape — converted him into an opener that his strike rate began to soar. Later, his game evolved even more to suit T20. It’s a mystery how a performing and talented boy was dropped from ODIs.

How have Amre’s methods helped him? Uthappa says, “It has made a tremendous difference to my game. Technically, today I feel as adept as anyone out there and it has given me a lot of self confidence. I am able to read the swing of the ball much better. It has changed my perspective towards the game too.

“Thanks to Amre sir, I have become a keen student of the game and try to go deeper into its skill. I have developed patience too. Patience for me is a by-product of playing with the right technique and the right shot selection. I focused on these two aspects and the patience developed subconsciously.”

Is Amre happy with his student? “Definitely. What I like about him is he is sincere and hard working. He is totally focused on my methods. He has overcome mind-management issues too. Now on, all that matters is consistency.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Cricket / by Makarand Waingankar, TNN / September 19th, 2013

Chikkarangappa, Khalin to begin campaign tomorrow

Sports

Bangalore’s star international golfers S Chikkarangappa and Khalin Joshi, who turned professional at the beginning of this year, is expected to hog the limelight as special invitees when they tee off in the 5th edition of Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival here tomorrow.

The festival at the Karnataka Golf Association will also see top amateurs like junior champion Syed Saqib Ahmed and Anisha Padukonein the field of around 450 golfers from Bangalore, Pune, Mysore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi at the KGA course.

Legendary cricketers G R Vishwanath, Erapalli Prasanna, Syed Kirmani alongside former hockey international star Ashish Ballal and tennis star Rohan Bopanna will take a swing during the four-day tournament.

Over 450 other golfers will be fighting to get one of the five spots in five categories (0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-24) to represent India at the annual World Golfers’ Championships to be held in Durban from October 26 to November 3.

The tournament will be played in the Stableford format.

Looking forward to this week’s TKGF, Chikka said, “It will be my third year at this festival and I’m really happy to be invited by Toyota.

“It’s an exciting concept where both a scratch handicap youngster my age or a 40 or 50 year old club level player get a chance to play at an international tournament like WGC as part of a team. It’s good to see the Karnataka State tourism department getting involved in a tournament like this.”

Extending a challenge to all the participants, will be Chandigarh-based pro golfer and Arjuna Awardee Harmeet Kahlon, who will be playing at Hole No.1 on Day Three of the Festival, with each group in the ‘Beat the Pro Camry Hybrid Straightest Drive Challenge’, which is an added attraction to the event.

Over the last five years, there have been some noteworthy performances including Sumit Rathore, former KGA captain who won his handicap category in 2009 at the WGC in Spain and Utpal Dutt in 2010 when he finished 2nd in his category.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> International> News / by Press Trust of India / Bangalore – September 11th, 2013

MU gets 20 acres for PG centre

Education

A file photo of Mangalore University. / The Hindu
A file photo of Mangalore University. / The Hindu

Varsity seeks Rs. 5 crore from government to start construction at Belapu
A proposal by Mangalore University (MU) to open a post-graduation study centre in Udupi district received a fillip with the State government allotting 20 acres for it at Belapu village, about 25 km away from Udupi town.

Vice-Chancellor T.C. Shivashankara Murthy said that the university received a letter of allotment of land from the government about 10 days ago. He said that the university has prepared a Rs. 22 crore proposal to build infrastructure facilities at Belapu and has written to the government to release Rs. 5 crore to start with.

In addition, the Joint Director of Collegiate Education, Mangalore region, has written to the government recommending releasing Rs. 5 crore as the first instalment.

If the government released the fund, construction for a block to offer arts courses would begin before the end of this year. In addition, a science block and a commerce block, a shopping centre, hostels for men and women would also come up. The courses to be offered would be decided later, Mr. Murthy said.

He said that the university’s first post-graduation study centre was coming up at Chikkaluvaru in Kodagu district. It would be inaugurated in November.

The Vice-Chancellor said that a science block, six housing blocks for teachers and a hostel for women with 20 rooms were ready at Chikkaluvaru. A hostel for men with 20 rooms and an arts block were under construction.

He said that the university was offering bio-chemistry and microbiology post-graduation courses at its Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa College at Madikeri. As the classes for 2013-14 have commenced it was not proper to shift the classes to Chikkaluvaru now.

Those classes would be shifted after the first semester examinations in November. The classes of second semester for those courses would be conducted at Chikkaluvaru from December.

The university has proposed to offer post-graduation courses in chemistry, economics, commerce and social work at Chikkaluvarau from 2014-15, he said.

Approval of the syndicate, the highest decision-making body of the university, for starting those courses would be sought in January next.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangalore / by RaviPrasad Kamila / Mangalore – August 26th, 2013

80th Kannada Literary Meet in Kodagu in January 2014

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

80th All India Kannada Literary Convention will be held from January 7 to 9, 2014, at Field Marshal K M Cariappa College grounds here.
KannadaMeetKF23sept2013
The decision was taken during a meeting headed by district in-charge minister Dr H C Mahadevappa here recently.

Rs 1 crore has already been earmarked in the state budget for the convention. Requests will be made to the chief minister to grant an additional fund of Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore, Mahadevappa said and added that everyone should put their efforts in conducting the literary convention successfully.

MLA K Bopaiah said, Kodagu district had a responsible role to play, as it was hosting the literary convention. Officials should join hands in making the convention a success, he said. He said, a three-day holiday should be declared for schools and colleges in connection with the convention.

District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President T P Ramesh urged government employees in the district to donate their one-day salary towards the expenses of the convention. He also appealed to Gram Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat members to provide financial assistance.

State Kannada Sahitya Parishat Secretary Ramegowda, ZP Vice-President Biddanda Usha Devamma, DC Anurag Tiwari, ZP CEO K B Anjanappa, Assistant Commissioner Abhiram G Shankar and office bearers of the parishat were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / DHNS / Madikeri – September 17th, 2013

Flavour of India competition winners announced

Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All

Each year the Coffee Board of India (CBI) invites applications from the coffee growers of India for the annual cupping competition, The Flavor of India -The Fine Cup Award.

The competitions is held for Arabica (washed/unwashed), Robusta (washed/unwashed), and the Specialty coffees of Arabica and Robusta.

The outstanding coffees from the national level are chosen for the final cupping by the internationally jury consisting of eminent cup tasters from different countries.

In this, the 12th year of competition, the CBI received a total of 221 coffee samples. Out of these, 40 samples were selected for cup quality evaluation by the international jury in the finals held at Nice, France on the eve of SCAE World of coffee prestigious three-day event held in June.
CoffeeAwardsKF23sept2013

The winner of Best Arabica was the Pedabayalu Estate’s Arabica Plantation SLN-4.

The Poabs Estates’ Organic Arabica SLN-9 took out the Best Specialty Arabica prize, while the prize for the Best Specialty Robusta went to Harley B Estates’ Old Robusta.

The Best Robusta category was won by Margolly Estates’ Robusta Parchment AB.

The full details of the winners in all categories and regions can be found on CBI’s website: www.indiacoffee.org.

source: http://www.globalcoffeereview.com / Global Coffee Review / Home / Monday – September 16th, 2013

Need to conserve tribal languages stressed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Just like the way in which English is a threat to Kannada language, Kannada is posing a threat to minor languages in the state, said writer Abdul Rasheed.

Speaking at the valedictory of the ninth district Kannada literary meet here recently, he said along with Kannada, Kodava and tribal languages of Yarava, Jenukuruba, Bettakuruba, Malekudiya and other tribals are spoken in Kodagu.

“On the pretext of developing and conserving Kannada, we have neglected other languages,” he lamented.

“With the destruction of tribal culture, their languages are also on the verge of extinction. There is a need to strive for the development of minor languages.

Elected representatives are concerned about providing roads, water, and other infrastructure for tribal colonies, but not worried about conserving their culture and tradition. Culture, literature and life of tribals should be documented,” he said.

Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah said: “Parents feel inferior, sending their children to government schools. The need for proficiency in English in changed scenario is agreed, but we need to give priority to the administrative language,” he said.
Writer Vishnu Bhat presided over the meet.

Poets meet

Thirteen poets recited their poems at the poets’ meet. The poems highlighted corruption, suppression of weaker sections, beauty of Kannada culture, etc. K V Ramakrishne Gowda presided over the poets’ meet.

Felicitation

Shaurya medal winner Ayyangeri School student K S Suhail and highest scorer in SSLC B P Maulya were felicitated at the valedictory function.

Resolutions

The two-day Kannada literary meet resolved to urge the government to constitute an expert committee to find out a reason for low admission rate in government schools despite introducing English from first standard itself.

The other resolutions are: Railway connectivity is essential to promote tourism in the district. So, the state government should impress upon the Union Railway Ministry to start works on the proposed Mysore-Kushalnagar railway line.

The government should ensure that farmers get scientific price for their crops. The government should distribute Kannada dictionaries, published by Kannada Sahitya Parishat, free of cost among government school children.

The resolutions were read out by District Kannada Sahitya Parishat honorary secretary B A Shamshuddin.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Koodige (Kodagu Dist) / March 06th, 2013

Udupi, Kodagu, U-K best districts in Sakaala

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Udupi, Kodagu and Uttara Kannada (U-K) districts have secured top three positions in disposing of applications under Sakaala, a scheme for the timely delivery of services to the people of the State.

The districts of Bijapur, Raichur and Bidar are at the bottom of the ranking list. As much as 97.39 per cent of the applications were disposed of in the month of January. Altogether, 12.84 lakh applications were received under the scheme, according to the progress report on Sakaala released for January on Monday.

The report said the number of complaints had gone up. About 115 complaints have been received in January, 2013, against 89 in December, 2012.

For the month of February, the Sakaala portal will also have taluk-wise ranking. It will help the district administrations to evaluate the performances within the districts, the report said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / DHNS / Bangalore – February 25th, 2013

TOI Social Impact Awards: Wonder doctor’s success mantra

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Science & Technology

Mysore :

As a child M Jadeyegowda first saw Dr H Sudarshan dispense medicines to tribals at Biligiri Ranaga Hills near here. Initially, he stayed away from the doctor. Later, curiosity drew the tribal boy to the doctor. Dr Sudarshan and his Karuna Trust became the biggest influences on his life.

(Other than providing medical…)
(Other than providing medical…)

Other than providing medical help, Dr Sudarshan taught children in the tribal parts of Karnataka’s Chamarajnagar district. Jadeyegowda was a reluctant student. Today, he’s an assistant professor at Kodagu’s College of Forestry. “As a kid, I saw the doctor conduct surgeries with minimum facilities,” Jadeyegowda,43, says.

In October 2006, when the Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK) — to which Karuna Trust is affiliated — celebrated silver jubilee, Jadeyegowda, MSc, shook hands with President Abdul Kalam. He was one of the six students who had attended the tribal school set up by the NGO 25 years back. Jadeye now heads VGKK and is a trustee of the Karuna Trust. “I’m more comfortable being recognised as a beneficiary,” he says. “Jadeye is a beneficiary of our health and education programmes. That helped him,” Dr Sudarshan says.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mysore> Silver Jubilee / by H M Aravind, TNN / February 01st, 2013

KBA, PPBA felicitate shuttlers

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Bangalore :

The Karnataka Badminton Association on Monday handed out cash awards to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh to top performers in the sub-junior, junior and senior National championships in the past year. KBA also handed Ashwini Ponnappa honorary membership to the association.

Later, the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy too celebrated the successes of its trainees, including national champion Sayali Gokhale, in a separate function with the legendary Padukone giving the young shuttlers valuable words of advice. Padukone added that the academy planned to rope in Indonesian coach Yusuf Jauhari, the brother of noted coach Atik, for a month-long stint in the beginning of February. “This will be of great benefit for the kids and it will help the coaches here upgrade their skills too,” he said.

Awardees:

Senior Nationals (Srinagar): Varsha V Belawadi Rs 10,000; Nischitha GM Rs 10,000; Guruprasad D Rs 5,000; Vineeth Manuel Rs 5,000; Ashwini Ponnappa Rs 10,000.

Junior Nationals (Imphal): Reshma Karthik Rs 25,000; Poorvisha S Ram Rs 25,000; Sankeerth BR Rs 5,000; Sindhu Bharadwaj Rs 5,000; Devika Ravindra Rs 10,000.

Sub-junior Nationals (Patna): Ashwini Bhat Rs 22,500; Mithula UK Rs 7,500; Mithun M Rs 2,500; Raghu M Rs 2,500; Mahima Aggarwal Rs 2,500; Shikha Gautam Rs 2,500.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Badminton / by Shrivathsa Sridhar, TNN / January 09th, 2013

Gulshan Devaiah to play the antagonist in SLB’s Ramleela

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

Gulshan Devaiah who received praises for his role in Shaitan, will be seen in an all new avatar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Ramleela’. The talented actor plays the antagonist in the movie.

(Gulshan Devaiah )
(Gulshan Devaiah )

Gulshan essays the character of ‘Bhavani’ in the movie. Talking about his character, Gulshan says, “Bhavani is a prominent member of the Jadeja clan who are of Chandrivanshi Rajput descent living in modern day Kutch Gujarat. The exact attributes of the character and his contribution to the plot is something I cannot divulge in but let’s just say he has enough shades of grey and is nothing like I have done this far in my career .” He further adds, “I am very excited to be a part of the film as I have grown up watching Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films and I am overwhelmed by the greatness of the man.”

Gulshan has already shot for the film. The movie is slated to release on 15th Novembe,2013.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood> Film / by Tanvi Trivedi, TNN / Septmeber 16th, 2013