Monthly Archives: November 2013

Coffee board eyes tea country to grow beans

Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

PHOTO: Reuters
PHOTO: Reuters

The Coffee Board will take up growing coffee, on a pilot basis, in Darjeeling, where it has found some areas to be good for coffee cultivation.

The Board will grow coffee in an area of 500 hectares, and is in discussions with the West Bengal government for this.

“Darjeeling is a very suitable area for coffee,” Board Chairman Jawaid Akhtar told BUSINESS TODAY. The Board’s survey last year has also found a few pockets of Himachal Pradesh suitable for growing coffee.

The areas under coffee cultivation were expanding with about 3500-4000 hectares coming under coffee in Andhra Pradesh every year. “We have also identified some new places in the traditional areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu for expanding coffee,” Akhtar said.

The Board, meanwhile, is building capacity in the Indian coffee industry to ensure the coffee beans exported into the European market met the highest standards for the espresso coffee.

“Most of our coffee goes to Italy, where more than 90 per cent of people drink Espresso. Hence, we are educating the coffee community on the finer aspects from harvesting to processing so that our beans are of the highest standards and buyers overseas are satisfied,” Akhtar said.

In the global markets, he said, the Board was positioning Indian coffee a high quality coffee grown in sustainable environment. The coffee grown in Western Ghats was of superior quality as the beans from this region have a distinct aroma and taste. He appealed to coffee growers in this region not to shift from Arabica to Robusta to overcome short-term hardships.

“India grows both Arabica and Robusta, and our Robusta gets 40 per cent premium over the average international price for Robusta. If we grow only Robusta, this premium will be hurt.”

The planters, Akhtar said, were growing coffee under tough conditions, and he appealed to them to follow the best practices as recommended by the Coffee Board. Instead of looking at only coffee for income, they should also grow fruits and spices, and maximise the estate income.

The post blossom forecast for 2013-14 had estimated coffee production to be at 3.47 lakh tonnes. However, the production in the ensuing harvest season is likely to drop by about 10 per cent due to drought in March-April followed by heavy rains from May to August.

The Coffee Board, meanwhile, is also pushing for increase in domestic consumption which is about one lakh tonnes now.

(*The headline of an earlier version of this story was changed to better reflect the copy.)

source: http://www.businesstoday.intoday.com / Business Today / Home> Sectors> Agriculture> Story / by K.R. Balasubramanyam / Bangalore – November 23rd, 2013

Judges for The Hindu Prize 2013

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

Clockwise from top: K. Satchidanandan, Kavery Nambisan, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Geeta Doctor and Timeri N. Murari. / The Hindu
Clockwise from top: K. Satchidanandan, Kavery Nambisan, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Geeta Doctor and Timeri N. Murari. / The Hindu

Meet the panel of distinguished judges has selected the five books from which the winner of The Hindu Prize for Best Fiction 2013 will finally be chosen.

The panel comprised Malayalam poet, author and critic K. Satchidanandan, poet and writer Arundhathi Subramaniam, author Timeri N. Murari, surgeon and novelist Kavery Nambisan and writer and critic Geeta Doctor.

K. Satchidanandan is perhaps the most translated of contemporary Indian poets, having 23 collections of translation in 19 languages. He writes poetry in Malayalam and prose in Malayalam and English. His book While I Write: New and Selected Poems (Harper Collins) came out in 2011. He has lectured and read his poetry across the world. He was a professor of English, and later the chief executive of the Indian National Academy of Literature (Sahitya Akademi) and the Director of the School of Translation Studies, IGNOU, Delhi. He has won 27 literary awards including the Sahitya Akademi, Kerala Sahitya Akademi award (five times), Kusumagraj National Award, NTR National award, Bharateey Bhasha Parishad Award, Knighthood of the Order of Merit from the Government of Italy and India-Poland Friendship Medal from the Government of Poland.

Arundhathi Subramaniam is a poet and writer who has worked as curator, critic and poetry editor. As poet, she is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Where I Live: New and Selected Poems. As editor, her books include Another Country: An Anthology of Post-Independence Indian Poetry in English; an anthology on sacred journeys, Pilgrim’s India; and a co-edited anthology on contemporary love poems, Confronting Love. As prose writer, her books include the bestselling biography of a contemporary mystic, Sadhguru: More Than A Life and The Book of Buddha.

She is the recipient of the Raza Award for Poetry, the Homi Bhabha fellowship, the Charles Wallace Fellowship and the Visiting Arts Fellowship. She has been Editor of the India domain of the Poetry international Web for several years, as well as Head of Chauraha (an interactive arts forum) and Indian Dance at the NCPA, Bombay.

Timeri N. Murari was for many years a journalist writing for The Guardian, The Sunday Times and Observer in London before he moved to New York, where he made documentary films for British television. He has written 18 books of fiction and non-fiction. His bestselling Taj: A Story of Mughal India has been translated into 25 languages. He is also the writer and producer of The Square Circle one of Time’s “ten best films of the year” in 1997. He adapted it for the stage and directed it as the Leicester Haymarket theatre with Parminder Nagra in the lead role. In 2002, he was presented with the R.K.Narayanan Award for his his contributions to writing, cinema and theatre. Aleph will publish his new novel, Chanakya Returns, later this year.

Kavery Nambisan is a surgeon and novelist. She has spent most of her professional life in rural areas and her fiction is strongly coloured by this experience. Currently, she runs a rural hospital in Kodagu district in Karnataka. She has written six novels, all of which are published by Penguin India. Her last novel, The Story That Must Not Be Told, was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize and the DSC South Asian Literary Prize. Her next novel, A Town Like Ours, will be published in April 2014 by Aleph Publications.

Geeta Doctor is a journalist and writer. She is also a noted reviewer of literature. She has written extensively on art and architecture; on food and travel; as well as children’s stories. She describes herself as a journalist whose commentaries on life, literature and society have always sought to be incisive and insightful. She received the Angarag lifetime achievement award 2008 for her contribution to journalism. She published a volume of poems in 2013 entitled What We Leave Behind. Geeta lives in Chennai.

Visit the new website: www.thehindulfl.com
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHinduLitForLife
Follow us on Twitter @hindulitforlife
YouTube: www.thne.ws/playlist-lfl

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / Chennai – November 21st, 2013

Starbucks arrives in namma Bangalore

Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

Planning to open two more stores in the city by year-end. Coorg coffee on menu.
StarbucksKF24nov2013
Coorg and Chikmagalur will soon find a mention in Starbucks stores worldwide.

The US coffee chain is planning to sell arabica coffee sourced from the estates of Coorg and Chikmagalur in its global stores.

Called India Estates Blend, this medium roast coffee was launched last month to be sold in packages of 250 gms at the 30 Starbucks stores in Mumbai, Pune, NCR and Bangalore.
It is sourced, roasted and packaged in India.

John Culver, group president, Starbucks China and Asia Pacific, channel development and emerging brands, says the company would “take this Indian coffee to our 17,000 stores globally.”

Explaining that Starbucks is evaluating plans to make India Estates Blend available globally, Culver says they source coffee from 30 countries.

“Over the last year, we discovered there is very high quality arabica available in India. So it will be good to take India coffee, blend it with other coffees, and sell in the global stores.”

Operational through a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation, Tata Starbucks has also set up a coffee roasting and packaging plant at Kushalnagar in Coorg with a capacity to produce 375 metric tonnes.

India Estates Blend is the second blend brought out by the firm after the India Espresso Roast, that is sold at their outlets across India.

Culver wants India to be one of the top 5 markets for Starbucks globally. Speaking during the launch of the group’s flagship outlet in Bangalore, Culver says Bangalore reflects “our commitment to expand across India.”

Entering India in October 2012, the company operates 29 other stores across NCR, Mumbai and Pune.

Starbucks is planning two more stores in Bangalore before December-end, at Phoenix Market City and Orion Mall. The management believes they can build a ritual of Starbucks in the daily lives of Indians.

Brand consultants feel despite the cluttering in the market in Bangalore, which is the home for Cafe Coffee Day, Starbucks will establish its niche, simply on the basis of its image.

A cuppa numbers
India is a leading exporter of coffee. In the coffee year October 2012-September 2013, India exported 3 lakh tonnes of coffee, as per the Coffee Board. The US and EU are main markets for Indian coffee.

The per capita consumption of coffee in India is low, at 90 grams. In Brazil, another leading coffee exporter, per capita consumption is 6 kg, as per data by Care Research.

The organised cafe market across India boasted sales of Rs 1,246 crore in 2012, and is expected to touch Rs 2, 222 crore by 2017, as per consulting firm Technopak.

The number of cafes in the country will grow from 1,950 last year, to 2,900 by 2017.

Price of coffee minus taxes, can range from Rs 70-80 for a simple cappuccino or latte, to over Rs 180-200 for flavours like hazelnut, or cinnamon, or caramel.

Currently, Cafe Coffee Day is the leading player with 1,498 outlets across India. It has plans of reaching 2,000 outlets by 2015.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by DNA Correspondent, Place:Bangalore, Agency:DNA / Saturday, November 23rd, 2013

Hearty, meaty meal

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

FoodKF24nov2013
Coorg is the smallest district of Karnataka but the cuisine is considered to be one of the most delicious among the South Indian ones and the Kodavas (natives of the area), who claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great, are pure non-vegetarians. No wonder then that the cuisine is heavily dependent on pork, lamb and fish. The change in palate has also brought in chicken variations.

“Coorgi pork curry (pandi curry) is one of the most famous dishes from the area. The people there are a proud race and believe that nobody apart from them can make a good pork curry in the country,” says chef Prem Kumar of The Imperial that recently concluded a week-long Coorgi food festival at their restaurant, Daniell’s Tavern. Although, there aren’t many restaurants in the capital that serve it as a part of their standard menu, there are festivals organised from time to time.

Coorgi food is entirely different in taste, flavour and texture. Chef Velu Murugan P of Dakshin, WelcomHotel Sheraton says, “An elaborate dinner on Puththari (the harvest festival) is celebrated with pandi curry eaten with akki ooti (rice roti) or kadambuttu (rice dumplings). Another popular pork dish is chilkana pandi and is prepared using pork marinated in local spices, vinegar and tossed with onion and green chillies.”

For vegetarians, dishes are prepared using yam, pinto beans and even mushrooms. “Though not many people there like eating vegetarian food, they do cook yam, potato, beans and mushrooms. Yam fry with curry leaves and loads of pepper, red chilli and coriander tastes outstanding,” says chef Kumar. To this chef Murugan adds, “Koombu kanni is an interesting option for mushroom-lovers. The dish is prepared using mushroom infused with coconut milk and a tinge of spices. Koomu barthad is prepared using stir-fried whole mushrooms with finely chopped onions and loads of masala.”

Among spices cloves, mace and chillies in all forms are heavily used to induce heat since Coorg is relatively colder than other parts of South India. “A special souring agent called kachampuli, a local vinegar extracted from fruit is extensively used in Coorgi cooking. Tamarind is used in other parts of south as it is a cooling agent. But since Coorg is cold, people like eating hot and spicy food,” says chef KP Shivam of Kaustubh, DLF Place Saket, that soon plans to introduce the cuisine in their menu.

“Khaima unde or minced mutton balls cooked in spices, mutton chops marinated in coriander-chilli paste and freshly ground pepper, prawn curry in coconut milk and red hot chicken fry served with ghee bhaat (rice) are my other favourites from the region,” puts forth chef Kumar.

Although Coorgis do not like having desserts, they have options like mangai rasayana. “Mangai rasayana is like a mango kheer with freshly chopped mangoes and a big bang of cardamom. Dumroot halwa is also mouth-watering halwa prepared using white pumpkin simmered in pure ghee and milk,” says chef Murugan P.

The Coorgis’ fondness for good food (kadi) and liquor (kudi) is legendary. Go to their festivals and their weddings to see them enjoy their kadi and kudi while they regale themselves with their dance and songs. “For non-vegetarians, it is a cuisine not to be missed!” concludes chef Shivam.

source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> Life and Style> Dining / by Papia Lahiri and Aditi Pancholi, Age Correspondent / November 21st, 2013

Amid the glitz, a glaring disparity among artistes

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Dance and bear it: Dancers, percussionists and flautists who perform at the Dasara finale have traditionally got a raw deal in terms of the daily wage they receive. / File Photo: M.A. Sriram / The Hindu
Dance and bear it: Dancers, percussionists and flautists who perform at the Dasara finale have traditionally got a raw deal in terms of the daily wage they receive. / File Photo: M.A. Sriram / The Hindu

Mysore’s folk artistes lament the ‘ínsulting’ wages they earn when compared to Bollywood stars
Behind the very luminous facade of Mysore’s glitzy cultural extravaganza is a disparity that is as old as it is stark. Every other artiste you meet will tell you they are forced to grin and bear it because an opportunity to perform at the prestigious Naada Habba (State festival) cannot be missed. But how long do they expect us to come and perform for this pittance, asks Siddappa, a percussion folk artiste from Madikeri.

He says dancers, percussionists and flautists who perform at the Dasara finale have traditionally got a raw deal. “It almost feels like on the festival day, we are being reminded that we are lesser mortals,” says Siddaraju. The daily wage of Rs. 750, hiked from Rs. 500 last year, is an “insult” to the very art and culture that this festival claims to celebrate and promote, artistes say. “They say Dasara is the most well-preserved tradition we have. What they have also managed to preserve is the disregard shown historically to us, mainly because we don’t belong to the privileged castes.”

Another dancer, who has been performing for 14 years in a row, pointed out that while their ancestors may have performed for free, the State cannot expect them to claim anything less than a fair wage for the work they put in. “What bothers me is that big artistes are brought to perform from around the world. We know they are paid in lakhs of rupees some times; can they not spare us a few thousands? This is not private money to be spent without a sense of right and wrong,” the 45-year-old dancer says. Earlier this month, a group of folk musicians and artistes had publicly threatened to boycott the Jamboo Savari, and walk backwards from Banimantap if their wages were not revised.

Other artistes too

Similar disparities exist also in the remuneration given to other artistes who perform at the cultural programmes held across the city for 10 days in the run-up to Dasara. While they get better accommodation and are given travel money, they feel there is clearly some sort of a ‘two-tumbler’ rule in place. While they are okay with ‘A-category’ performers being paid more, they say that the process of fixing pay is arbitrary and it is as if performing here itself is a reward.

Adivappa Kariyawar (63), a Janapada artiste from Haveri, says that the government must actively try to promote lesser-known artistes and art forms that are dying due to lack of exposure. “We are performing at a park here; so yes, naturally, the ones performing on the bigger stages will get better audience. While it is natural to categorise artistes, the larger picture, which is to promote lesser-known arts, must not be forgotten.”

Another Janapada artiste, who did not wish to be named, said that the government has no business spending money to bring Bollywood stars to perform, alluding to the concert by pop music artiste Mika Singh here. “We say that the real arts don’t have a young audience. But they are never going to see our performances because all the attention and money is where these big performers are.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Deepa Kurup / Mysore – October 13th, 2013

Fashion stakes differ for men

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

Where often battles must be waged to ensure better life opportunities for women, in the world of glamour, the high heels seem to be winning. Male models in Bangalore must often contend with fewer assignments and lower pays.

Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa who has groomed many a model’s career says, the inequality in the industry is known and accepted. “It’s just the way the market works. Only 10 per cent of designers work on men’s clothing, the rest focus on women as their target clientele. It’s only natural that female models will be in greater demand,” he says.

Where estimates place the remuneration for top female models at ` 20 to 25,000 per fashion show, the figures hinge at ` 15 to 18,000 for their male counterparts.

“Efforts put in by male and female models may be the same, but there’s a lot more that female models have to do during a show, starting from the long make-up sessions. They have about five changes (of clothes) but men average one or two. It’s only logical then that they are paid more,” says Zoheb Yusuf who started modelling in 2003 and now heads Prasad Bidapa Model Management.

Yusuf’s standing advise to aspiring male models has been to always keep another profession going. “Modelling has to be a hobby. Of course, there are those who made it bigger going on from their modelling days like Arjun Rampal, Dino Morea and John Abraham. But if you want to make it big just as a model, then it requires moving to Mumbai or working through an agency that pushes you ahead to bigger assignments even abroad. Even then it’s best to have something else to back you up, ” he says.

Bangalore boasts of more than 50 top women models, some full-time, but nearly all 35 to 40 top male models are either students or working.

That’s not to say the industry is all unforgiving to men. “Male models have a lot of work to look forward to in television and print ad campaigns and for well-established models the pay is on par,” says Roshan Issac who has been modelling for ten years now and works as a techie at Bosch.

Things are changing. Bidapa points to designers like Sanchita who give equal importance to their menswear line. Isaac feels there’s a lot to explore as actors for male models. He says, “Chennai offers a lot of work in TV for male models, especially with the rising number of grooming products aimed at men, there’s increasing scope there. There are movies that one can graduate to, a place where we know that the (fee) scale instantly reverses.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Aparna Chandra – Bangalore / October 15th, 2013

Andhra, Odisha too take up coffee cultivation

Agriculture, Coffee News

With the traditional coffee growing area in the country almost reaching its saturation point, new and non-traditional areas are coming up.

Currently, the three southern states Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu dominate coffee production. However, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are also joining the group.

According to the Coffee Board of India, the three southern states account for about 92 per cent of the total coffee growing areas in the country.

While Karnataka leads the pack in terms of coffee growing with an area of about 53 per cent, Kerala accounts for 28 per cent followed by Tamil Nadu with 11 per cent. Now the governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are showing keen interest to popularaise the coffee production.

“In both the states, coffee plantation is expected to come up in an additional area of over 10,000 hectares by the end of the 12th plan period,” a senior officer from Coffee Board told Express. People living in hilly areas like Munumuluru, Chintapalli (E), Chintapally (W) and Arakuvalley in Andhra Pradesh and Koraput in Odisha have taken to coffee plantation.

At present, the number of coffee producers in Andhra Pradesh stand at about 115,877 and about 45,715 in the neighbouring. According to the Coffee Board officials, the total post blossom estimate of coffee production for 2013-14 was pegged at about 3.47 lakh metric tonnes.

Both the states are expected to contribute about 6,230 metric tonnes. At present, the total planted area accounts for about 58,131 hectares in AP and about 3,835 hectares in Odisha. Vijayan Rajesh of United Planters Association of South India, however, said the attempt to popularaise coffee growing in AP and Odisha, was only of ‘social interest rather than any commercial interest.’

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by M Venkatesh – ENS – Bangalore / October 17th, 2013

Apiculture park to come up in Kodagu

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

An apiculture park will be set up at Bhagamandala in Kodagu district to revive apiculture in Karnataka, Horticulture Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa said on Thursday.

He told reporters here that the park would come up on six acres at Bhagamandala. The department would distribute 20,000 boxes to Jenu Kurubas, a tribe that has expertise in honey cultivation and extraction.

According to him, Rs. 60 lakh had been earmarked in the current fiscal to promote apiculture. “At present, the honey production is around 800 metric tonnes but it is possible to increase it to 8,000 metric tonnes per annum. Besides awareness, training would be imparted to the local tribe to promote apiculture. There is a lot of scope for promoting apiculture in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and other Malnad districts,” he said.

Neera Policy

The minister said the department has submitted a proposal to the Finance Department to announce a policy on neera.

“An amendment to the State Excise Act is necessary to allow the tapping and selling of neera in the state. Already, steps have been taken to promote value-added products from the neera like palm syrup, palm jaggery and palm sugar. Now it is up to the Finance Department to table a bill in the State Legislature to pass the Neera Policy,” he said.

Proposal Submitted

He said the state government has submitted a proposal to the Union government seeking release of Rs. 100 crore to revive coconut plantations in several districts.

“Thirty per cent of the coconut plants have perished due to pests and failure of monsoon. The department is educating the farmers of rain-fed areas to go for alternative crops,” he said. According to him, the department has given Rs. 12,000 per acre to farmers for loss of coconut plants.

Auction Centres

Shamanur said two flower auction centres set up in Tumkur and Davangere would be inaugurated soon. The Department of Horticulture has provided the infrastructure but it would be managed by the Karnataka Agricultural Marketing Department.

“Floriculture is no longer a profitable venture following competitions from the African countries. In recent years, Kenya and Ethiopia have emerged as leading flower export countries after the European countries. Despite this, many flowers are being exported from Karnataka thanks to the department’s support. Fifty per cent subsidy is being given to entrepreneurs under the National Horticulture Mission to promote floriculture,” he said.

Census

He said the census of horticulture crops’ areas under cultivation and production were in progress in Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davangere, Gulbarga, Hassan, Kolar, Mysore, Shimoga and Tumkur districts. According to him, Rs. 5 crore had been earmarked for the purpose. “Nearly 50 per cent of the work has been completed,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Bangalore / November 22nd, 2013

Uthappa targets a forceful return

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Robin Uthappa is known for his aggressive acts at the crease with a hefty willow in hand, but what he showed last season for Karnataka was anything but that.

Under Praveen Amre’s tutoring, the opener opted to build his innings brick by brick rather than blast his way and in the process lost out on forcing the issue which had made him popular with his fans.

This season, however, the right-hander promises a return to his former self, having missed the first two of Karnataka’s Group ‘A’ Ranji Trophy encounters due a hamstring injury. “I had a hamstring in my leading leg. It was a problem that I have had to bear with since the beginning of IPL (Indian Premier League),” said the opener ahead of his first Ranji match this season. “I took cortisol injections three days before the match against New Zealand ‘A’ (where he scored a century) and I expected that to keep me going for a few months but because of the hot and humid conditions in Visakhapatnam, I was done at the end of that match. I needed to give my body the break it required.”

He further explained: “I am a lot more mature now and I realise that I need to listen to my body more. I am very disappointed that I had to go for the treatment when I was so close to making the Indian team once again but in retrospect, I had to get it done now before it became worse,” the 28-year-old remarked.

The return of Uthappa, while brilliant for the team’s chances of resuscitating their campaign, creates a few problems for Karnataka. His arrival forces Mayank Agarwal, who has been in good form, to play down the order. “I guess the team missed me,” Uthappa said in jest when asked about the teams batting performances so far.

Further explaining his state of mind last season, Uthappa said: “I was also low on confidence last season since I had changed my style and I think it was all very mental. After my injury (during the recovery period), I had time to work on the mental aspect of my game and now I can say that the Robin of the old is back. I am raring to go.”

Perhaps, Uthappa should consider adding a ‘HERE’ at the end of the ‘I AM’ tattoo he has inked on his right forearm.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by DHNS / Nagpur – November 20th, 2013

Inter-university women’s hockey tourney begins

Sports

International Hockey Player Mallamaada Ponnamma inaugurated a five-day South Zone Inter-university Hockey Tournament 2013-14 for women, jointly organised by the Mangalore University and Field Marshal K M Cariappa College at Sai Stadium in Madikeri, on Tuesday.
HockeyKF22nov2013
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Appachu Ranjan said that students should show interest in sports, especially in ruaral sports like hockey and should try their level best to represent State and nation. There are good sportsmen in Kodagu, but they have to try to reach higher levels, he said. Mangalore University Physical Education Department Director Dr H Nagalingappa said that hockey players from 18 universities in five States of South India have participated in the tournament and four more teams are expected.

Comfortable win on day 1

Teams from Thiruchanapalli Bharathidasan University, Madras University, Kannur University and Calicut University have begun their journey with comfortable victories on day 1.

In the inaugural match, Thiruchanapalli Bharathidasan University registered a huge victory against Pondicherry University team by 7-0 goals. A Vijitra of Bharathidasan team achieved a hatrick by reaching the ball into goal post thrice at 11th, 12th and 29th minute of the match. She got good support from R Sridevi who hit 2 goals and from P Anita and M Malini with one goal each.

Madras University team proved better against Kerala University by 2-1 goals. For Madras University team, S Kansimezi shined with 2 goals- in 18th and 41st minute of the match.

Mexina T Mathew hit the lone goal for Kerala team. The first day of the tourney witnessed another one-sided match where Kannur University beat Ananthpur GNT University by 6-0. N K Princi of Kannur team achieved second hatrick by hitting goals at 4th, 36th and 38th minutes of the match. V Shalini, C V Varsha and P Neeta hit one goal each.

Calicut University pulled Thirunelveli University team into floors as it registered an easy victory by 5-0 goals. For Calicut, Meghana hit 2 goals and Nimmi Rajendra and T J Siji registered one goal each, while another goal was through goal group.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Madikeri – DHNS / November 19th, 2013