Anupama Puchimanda Mundanda, 33, is the first woman referee from India to officiate in 88 international hockey matches and three Commonwealth games. She was awarded the Best Umpire (Women) India by Sardar Gyan Singh Memorial Hockey Society in 2007. She was selected by the Federation International Hockey as one of the youngest umpires among ten men and women in the world. She is in the city to officiate at the fourth National Junior Hockey Championship-2014. She spoke to TOI about her success in a male-dominated field and her goals. Excerpts.
What motivated you to get into hockey?
Hockey is popular in Kodagu and enjoys good support. My father and mother played hockey. When I was nine years old, I started my sports career as an amateur athlete in Kudige. At 13, I joined the Sports Authority of India, Madikeri, where I got into hockey. I represented the state in sub-junior and senior national championships several times.
What made you choose umpiring?
Since my childhood I wanted to do something unique. Umpiring is a field where we have bright opportunities. In 2001 I took the exam. I first officiated as an umpire at Cheppudira Family tournament, Kodagu. Since then I have never looked back.
What are the qualities that umpiring demands?
A referee needs a lot of concentration, has to maintain calmness. We need to study team strategy. It is the complete study of the game. When we manage the game well, everything will fall into place.
How was the journey?
I am blessed to have the support of my husband Mandanna Mundanda and parents and relatives.
Is it difficult for woman to achieve success in the male-dominated umpiring field?
I don’t want to comment on it. Personally, I went step by step with the support of my well-wishers, friends and seniors.
How is the performance of Indian hockey players?
The national hockey team and the state hockey team are performing well. The Hockey India league has been instrumental in promoting the game among the youth.
What is your next goal?
My aim is to be an Olympics umpire. But my immediate goal is to officiate at my 100th international umpiring which will be a landmark in world hockey umpiring. It will be a tribute to my father, who passed away recently.
Your advice to young players, aspiring umpires?
When we start doing anything from our heart, success automatically follows.
How do you feel umpiring at the ongoing National Junior Hockey Championship in Mysore?
I am very happy to be umpiring near my hometown. This is the first tournament I am officiating in Karnataka.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mysore / TNN / March 12th, 2014
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar at a meeting to discuss the power line project, in Bangalore on Tuesday /. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. / The Hindu
Expert panel to submit report in 15 days
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to constitute an experts’ committee to examine alternative possibilities to drawing a high-tension power line from the Kaiga nuclear power plant to Kerala through the catchment area of a tributary of the Cauvery in Kodagu.
The decision comes in the wake of prominent people from Kodagu opposing the project in its present form.
The proposed committee, to be headed by an expert from the Central Power Research Institute, will be given 15 days to look into the concerns of people of Kodagu and submit a report.
An assurance was given by the Chief Minister to legislators and environmental activists from Kodagu who met him at his home office here to seek a change in the route of the proposed power line pass, in public interest.
Coorg Wildlife Society president Col. C.P. Muthanna (retd.), who was part of the delegation that had more than a hour’s discussion with the Chief Minister, told reporters that the proposed committee would comprise wildlife ecologist R. Sukumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and water expert Rajendra Singh.
He alleged that the project, to be implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., would result in devastation of 156 hectares of coffee estate and 104 hectares of paddy cultivation area near Virajpet besides 23 hectares of forests. “The area through which the proposed line is to pass has such a thick green cover that each acre of coffee plantation has 350 fully grown trees,” he said, and expressed concern that nearly 53,000 trees would have to be felled if the power line route was not changed.
He said that leaders from Kodagu had suggested that the power line be drawn underground through the “forest fire line” that runs for 23 km. This would also reduce the length of the power line, he said.
The Chief Minister assured the delegation of taking up the issue again for discussion after the experts’ committee submits its report, he said.
The former Speaker K.G. Bopaiah, MLA Appachu Ranjan and MLC M.C. Nanaiah were part of the delegation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bangalore – April 30th, 2014
Defending champion Shiva Ram shares fifth position‚ Sanjay finishes ninth THT Minister for Communication and Information Minendra Rijal and Managing Director of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Abhimanyu Poddar (right) handing over the Surya Nepal Masters trophy to India’s Chikkarangappa S at the Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu on Saturday.
Kathmandu :
Chikkarangappa S defeated fellow Indian pro Shankar Das in the second playoff hole to win the Surya Nepal Masters at the Gokarna Golf Club today.
The match went to extra holes after the duo returned with matching scores of 15-under 273. While overnight leader Chikkarangappa – who began the day with three stroke advantage — played an even-par 72 in the final round, Das carded a four-under 68 to force the playoff.
Both the players saved pars on the first extra hole before Chikkarangappa carded a birdie on the second hole after Das failed to make it from 15 feet. Last year’s runner-up Abhijit Singh Chadha (68) and Abhinav Lohan (70) shared the third position at 14-under.
Defending champion and Nepal No 1 pro Shiva Ram Shrestha fired five-under 67 — his second in the tournament — to share the fifth spot with first-round leader Angad Cheema at 13-under 275. Former winner Shamim Khan was next at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Feroz Ali Mollah.
Out of the total cash purse of Rs 4.8 Million, Chikkarangappa pocketed Rs 775,920, while Das received Rs 535,920. Chadha and Lohan earned Rs 271,920 each, while Shiva Ram and Cheema got Rs 183,120 apiece. Minister for Communication and Information Minendra Rijal and Managing Director of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Abhimanyu Poddar handed over the prizes to the winners.
Shiva Ram made a desired start with birdies on the second and third holes before dropping a shot on the next. He then eagled the par-5 seventh to take the turn at three-under 33. Shiva Ram, who won the last year’s title beating Chadha in playoff, carded two straight birdies on the 11th and 12th and faced his second bogey of the day on the next hole. He then carded a birdie on the 16th to finish the back nine at two-under 34.
“The second round score of even-par made all the difference,” said Shiva Ram. “I was concentrating in my own game today but when I saw the scores on the 12th hole, I felt that I can catch them. But I fell behind after I missed birdie chances on the 15th and 18th holes,” said Shiva Ram.
Nepal’s Sanjay Lama (70) was tied on ninth position along with Asbeer Saini, Gulfam and Sanjay Kumar at eight-under 280. Among other Nepali golfers, home club pro Umesh Nagarkoti (70) shared the 15th position at six-under 282, while Surya Prasad Sharma (72) was tied on 31st at one-over. Purna Sharma (71) and Suman Rai (72) shared the 37th position at three-over, while Toran Bikram Shahi (74) and Rabi Khadka (76) were tied on 40th at four-over 292.
Veteran Deepak Thapa Magar (74) — the first Nepali pro to win the Masters in 2007 — finished 43rd at eight-over, while Pashupati Sharma (82) shared the 49th position at 18-over. Bikash Bogati (77) won the amateur section title with the total score of 11-over 299, while Sanjeev CK (77) came second at 16-over in the two-man field after the duo survived the cut.
source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com / The Himalayan Times / Home> Full News / Himalayan News Service / Kathmandu – April 26th, 2014
The works on a temporary project to supply water from Kundamestri is nearing completion. The water from Kundamestri is likely to be supplied to the citizens of Madikeri by the week end.
Sand bunds have been laid to store water. The collected water will be supplied to Kootuhole through pipes. After filtering the water at a Filter house at Stuart Hill, water will be supplied to the citizens.
Madikeri reels under water crisis every year, during summer. The works on Kundamestri project was initiated to mitigate the water crisis. However, owing to delay in release of funds, the works could not be completed. Now, the estimated cost of the project has escalated.
The Kundamestri project is being implemented by the Karnataka Water Supply and Sewage Board (KWSSB). It will take another year to complete the works.
KWSSB Executive Engineer Balachandra expressed confidence of completing the works soon. “The project has been taken up, keeping in mind the development of Madikeri in the next 50 years. When the water level declines in Kootuhole, water will be supplied from Kundamestri to Kootuhole,” he said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar / Madikeri – DHNS, April 27th, 2014
Shalini says oduputtu is a favourite / by Special Arrangement
Coorg food blogger Shalini Nanda shares her recipes and memories of food. And reminds us that with any traditional cuisine, so much depends on the terroir
If you are a recipe seeker on the Internet you couldn’t have missed the site Coorg Recipes that takes you into the world of the Kodava community who love their food and drink and celebrate the produce they grow in their inimitable cuisine.
The newly re-launched avatar of the site features more than 40 traditional recipes from the Coorg region of Karnataka. P.T. Bopanna, a Kodava who’s been running the site says there is a “recipe of the month” section featuring recipes from contributors that’s been made interactive.
The new recipes come from well-known Coorg food blogger Shalini Nanda Nagappa, who now lives in Canada. “Growing up in an Army family, we were stationed in and travelled to various places in India. This provided wonderful opportunities to indulge my natural curiosity about all things related to food. My mother’s interaction with ladies from around the country, and abroad, invariably led to recipe exchanges that fed this fascination,” says Shalini in an e-mail interview.
At every opportunity she travelled home to Coorg to her maternal grandparents’ home. Under the watchful eye of her indulgent grandmother she enjoyed whipping up cakes and desserts for family. She self-published a cookbook in 2010, called A Cookery Year in Coorg (she runs a blog by the same name). Excerpts from an interview:
What is it about Coorg cuisine that sets it apart from others? What’s its distinguishing characteristic?
As with any traditional cuisine, much depends on the terroir, so to speak. Rice, grown in the fertile valleys of Coorg, is the staple, and it was eaten at every meal. I think there is an amazing number of ways in which rice is transformed into flatbreads, crepes, noodles, steamed cakes and more. Some are echoes of preparations found in the cuisines of neighbours in coastal Mangalore, North Kerala and Malanad. Others are quite unique, like paputtu, maddputtu, and oduputtu.
Rice and puttus are accompanied by curries of mutton, poultry, pork, (both fresh and preserved), salt fish, freshwater fish and crab, bamboo shoot, and wild mushrooms. Farmed produce like pumpkin, and fresh and dried beans are popular too. The recurring notes in these preparations tend to be that of fragrant cassia, cloves and cardamom, the brightness of fresh green herbs and green chillies, the sweetness of fresh coconut, the deep warmth of pepper, and dark roasted coriander, cumin and mustard.
Add to this the clarifying effect of sharp citrus, or powerful kachampuli, (a souring agent made from Garcina gummi-gutta). In all these, every cook has a unique take on how, and how much. With changing social norms and the physical environment, some significant elements of Kodava cuisine like wild game, once abundant in the forests of Coorg, are no longer viable. Foraged potherbs, and the use of coconut oil and lard are also not as widespread today. The cuisine continues to evolve, though, with cooks recreating traditional dishes by making use of what is readily available. For example, if one does not have access to wild bamboo shoot one can substitute with farmed bamboo shoot, imported from Thailand. It’s not quite the same, but it works.
Why is it that the “pandi cury” has become almost a synonym for Coorg cuisine, outside the Kodava community?
The short answer to that would be “because it’s so good!” Joking aside, for the uninitiated, a quick glance through the range of recipes on coorgrecipes.com should tell anyone there is much more to discover. Still, the combination of dark roasted spices, pork, and the unique sharpness of kachampuli combine in pandi curry to create something special.
What made you take to cooking? What kind of dishes do you like to cook?
I’ve always loved food, so I suppose it was natural to hang around in the kitchen picking up on the goings on. I’ve also always been curious about the entire process of preparing food, even before I was old enough to handle things on my own. My maternal grandmother indulged that interest and encouraged me. When I was young I was always whipping up cakes and desserts for the family. I enjoy most cuisines and like to cook anything that catches my fancy. I love seafood, and living on the coast of the Pacific NW, I am privileged to have access to some of the best out there. I also have a particular interest in the vast range of regional Indian cuisines.
Among the recipes you have shared, which are your most treasured ones, and why?
I feel every recipe has some special association, whether it evokes memories of meals past, was shared by a friend, or is just some fun innovation. Oduputtu is a particular favourite. I didn’t eat this when growing up, and it isn’t commonly made these days. I would hear my mother recall how she and her siblings were welcomed home from school long before they actually reached the house, by the delicate fragrance of the resin used to scent this unusual rice pancake. Her descriptions spurred me to seek out the clay pan it is traditionally cooked in, season it, and set about practicing getting the batter just right.
With the kaipuli recipes, I enjoyed the process of testing how exactly to substitute one locally found citrus fruit with another that is more widely available where I live and has a similar flavour profile, but different physical characteristics. Palya, which is the simplest style of preparation of vegetables, is applied to a variety of wild greens that once were commonly eaten, each for known health benefits. It’s been wonderful discovering some of these, like thaaté thoppu (Cassia tora), for myself.
For people living outside Coorg, will ingredients/cooking apparatus you have featured in recipes in coorgrecipes.com be easy to come by?
Coming from an army family and having lived outside Coorg for much of my youth, and now living in North America, I am familiar with many of the limitations as well as the possibilities in recreating recipes. Many ingredients are specific to the Coorg region, but on my blog I make it a point to try out, and offer what in my opinion may be the closest substitutes for both ingredients and equipment wherever possible. In India, there are online sources like coorgshoppe.com to help source ingredients like kachampuli and spices.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Bhumika K / Bangalore – April 24th, 2014
Cat lovers in New York city will soon have the perfect place to grab their coffee, as pet food maker Purina is opening a pop-up cat cafe at 168 Bowery on Thursday, and billing it as America’s first feline coffee shop.
Cat cafes are big in Japan where feline fanatics often have barriers to pet ownership because of building rules or just the small space where they live.
So instead of owning a feline of their own, animal lovers often go to cat cafes to sip their favorite beverage while rubbing paws with cats.
Purina’s cat cafe is set to open on Thursday and run through Sunday, the New York Post reported.wandering freely around the store.
The store will be stocked with cats, all available for adoption through the North Shore Animal League.
The company said it’ll also staff the store with cat experts to answer questions about feline health needs.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle? Pets-Environment / ANI / April 23rd, 2014
Senior scientist and expert on apple cultivation from Himachal Pradesh Dr Chiranjit Parmar expressed confidence that in Karnataka, especially Kodagu, apple cultivation will be successful as the weather here is suitable.
Parmar, who was on a State tour, told reporters here on Monday that efforts are on to grow apples in Tumkur, Bangalore, Uppinanagady in Dakshina Kannada and Somwarpet in Kodagu.
He said Karnataka is better than Himachal Pradesh for apples as the growers here will get the yield twice a year compared to the northern state where it is once a year due to snow.
“Since three years, efforts are on to grow apples in Karnataka and it has been successful as the weather is conducive,” he said.
Parmar tasted the apples grown in Sulimlathe of Abbukatte in Somwarpet in the district.
Apple growers of Kodagu C R Shivakumar and Krishna Shetty of Uppinangady accompanied Parmar during his tour.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Madikeri / April 22nd, 2014
Governor-General William Bentinck’s trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty in 1834 when he coordinated the attack on the ‘problematic’ raja of Coorg, Chikka Veerarajendra is well-documented in the book titled ‘Ootacamund-A History’, written by Sir Frederick Price in 1908.
Chikka Veerarajendra and the East India Company were at loggerheads since 1830.
Governor General William Bentinck who was more interested in reforming India than in annexing new territories, had to deal with the Raja of Coorg who had dared the British by keeping in custody one of their emissaries, Kullapalli Karunakaran Menon.
A long sojourn
Lord William Bentinck set out from Calcutta on 3 February 1834, on board the Curacoa to Madras.
He wanted a first-hand assessment of the situation in Coorg and for this purpose, the commander-in-chief Sir Robert O’Callaghan was in attendance.
The Governor General also had to deal with administrative issues concerning Mysore. The reason for him to visit Ooty for an extended stay was to improve his rather poor health.
Bentinck reached Madras on 15 February 1834 and set out for Bangalore via Vellore.
In Bangalore ,strategies on Coorg were finalised in consultations with Sir Robert O’Callaghan.
Lord Bentinck halted in Mysore and was put up at the precursor to Rajendra Vilas Palace atop Chamundi Hill, which was originally built by Robert H Cole, the earlier British resident at Mysore.
Bentinck set out for Ooty via Gundlepet, and it was while they were travelling on 15 March 1834, that war was declared on Coorg.
Lord Bentinck’s entourage reached Ooty on 22 March. At Ooty, the only suitable accommodation for the staff of the Governor-General and that of the Commander-in-Chief was “Sir William Rambold’s Large House”, which was a grand hotel built in 1832 by an influential British entrepreneur named William Rambold.
However, Rambold soon ran into financial difficulties. The hotel was rented frequently by senior officers of the East India Company.
It was in 1842 that Rambold’s Large House became the Ootacamund Club, or the Ooty Club.
During Lord Bentinck’s sojourn in Ooty, Lord Babington Macaulay arrived at the hill station on 25 June, 1834.
The Governor-General and Macaulay met each other for the first time at Rambold’s Large House.
Macaulay chose a small cottage nearby where he lived for several months to write the Indian Penal Code.
Governor-General Bentinck stayed in Ooty till end of September 1834.
On his return journey, he again passed through Mysore and reached Bangalore on 9 October.
He sailed aboard the Curacao on 26 October from Madras and reached Calcutta on 14 November 1834.
Wild rumours
There are also records of Lord Dalhousie’s sojourn in Ooty from 7 March 1855 to 29 October 1855.
Dalhousie’s visit was primarily for health reasons. However, he was not too comfortable in Ooty and soon shifted to Kotagiri.
During Dalhousie’s stay in Nilgiris, one of his ADCs took permission to visit Coorg, where his brother was a coffee planter.
It was in 1852, that Dalhousie reluctantly gave permission to the Raja of Coorg to travel to England along with his daughter Gowramma.
The Aide-de-camp (ADC), on his return, narrated an amusing incident to his boss. Coorg being a rather remote province, news from the outside world took time to percolate.
Very often, wild rumours floated amongst the small but growing community of British planters. One such rumour was that the British and their allies had lost the Crimean War and that Queen Victoria and her family had fled to India!
However, Dalhousie who had a temporary telegraph line installed at Nilgiris had already received the news that the British and their allies had taken Sevastopol from the Russians.
On his journey back to Calcutta, Dalhousie stopped in Bangalore during early November 1855, and was the guest of Sir Mark Cubbon. Dalhousie narrated the Coorg rumour to the British officers and after inspecting the troops, he formally announced the fall of Sevastopol.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by CP Belliappa / April 2014 (28th)
The 18th edition of Kodava Hockey Namme-2014, hosted by the Thathanda family, was inaugurated at Virajpet PU College on Sunday.
Kodava Hockey Academy president and Kodava Hockey Namme founder P Kuttappa inaugurated the event by hitting a silver ball with a silver hockey stick in the presence of thousands of hockey lovers even as it drizzled. Major General A K Singh, in-charge of Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, Karnataka Madhyama Academy president M A Ponnappa, Kodava Folklore expert Prof I K Biddappa, Thathanda family president T Shambhu Nanaiah were present.
They were brought to the stage by Kodava Valaga and traditional Dudi Kot Paat.
An exhibition match was held between SAI women’s team, Kodagu, and SAI women’s team Mysore.
Ummathat, Bolakot and other traditional Kodava dances were performed.
As many as 234 teams are playing the Kodava Hockey Namme which will go on for the next 29 days.
The winners will get `1 lakh and trophies and runners-up will get `50,000 and trophies.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Madikeri / April 21st, 2014
A file photo of Ashwath (left) with his coach Irfan Sait at KSCA annual award ceremony. Mysore :
“He was a coach’s delight, we miss a lot at the nets and at the Academy” was the words said by Irfan Sait, Director, Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC) remembering Ashwath Aiyappa, who passed away recently trying to save his elder brother Dr. Akhil Kuttappa at Chiklihole in Kodagu on Apr. 17.
Four days after the incident, Ashwath’s coach Irfan Sait was in KIOC Mysore Centre. When spoke about Ashwath’s personality, Irfan Sait said Ashwath was an intricate cricketer and a student of the game.
Speaking about their last meeting, Irfan Sait said that Ashwath spent nearly three hours with him discussing about the match that was to be played on Friday and Saturday. Ashwath, who represented Swasthik Union in Bangalore League, was to play against Bangalore Occasionals.
“We discussed the team composition, match strategies, ground conditions and others. Later, he informed me that he would be leaving to his native to cast his vote and also assured he will return to play the match on Friday. Unfortunately, he is no more. We will definitely miss him in our Academy,” said Irfan Sait.
A book penned by Ashwath based on struggling cricketers was to be released today (Apr. 21) as per the initial plan. But, he was advised to release the book after May 10 because of the ongoing General Election and IPL. In fact, his book had impressed Rahul Dravid and Brijesh Patel. Rahul Dravid had also offered to write the Foreword for the book.
Irfan, who did not wish to name the book, said that he would be visiting Ashwath’s parents in Kodagu to offer his condolences and to discuss on the release of the book.
“Come what may, the book will be released,” said the coach.
Ashwath was so passionate that he used to coach the Under-10 cricketers at the Academy in Bangalore. “Ashwath identified talents at a very young age and groom them into good cricketers. Players like Yeshwanth, Chinmayi, Swaroop and others have been playing extremely well at the junior level,” added Irfan.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / April 21st, 2014
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