Monthly Archives: November 2015

M.C. Nanaiah seeks Rs. 100 Cr. for development of Kodagu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Sports

Former Law Minister M.C. Nanaiah enjoying a ‘JUMBO’ ride sitting on the tusk of an elephant at the Aane Utsava held at Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu yesterday.

NanaiahBF16nov2015

Kushalnagar :

Former Minister M.C. Nanaiah has urged the Government to release Rs. 100 crore for overall development of Kodagu district.

Speaking after inaugurating the 61st wildlife month and elephant day celebrations at Dubare Elephant Camp, near Kushalnagar yesterday, Nanaiah asked the State Government to take Cauvery River cleaning on the lines of Ganga River cleaning taken up by the Prime Minister.

Urging the Government to announce a special package for Kodagu, Nanaiah stressed on the need for initiating appropriate measures for ending man-animal conflict across Malnad region, which has seen an alarming rise over the past few years.

Calling for installation of solar fencing and construction of trenches in order to prevent elephant intrusions into farm lands and human habitats, he urged the Government to move the Supreme Court for taming wild elephants, which are causing havoc across Malnad region.

The former Minister then urged the government work towards conservation of Western Ghats, preservation of forest wealth and water bodies. He also urged the Govt. to regularise the services of Dubare Elephant Camp Mahouts who have been serving for years.

Karnataka Forest Industries Development Corporation Chairman T. Eshwar, in his address, said that the Corporation has sent a proposal to the Government on setting up a mega Bamboo Industry at Kushalnagar at a cost of Rs. 100 crore. Madikeri Division DFO Yedukondalu called upon the involvement of everyone in putting an end to man- elephant conflict.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – November 16th, 2015

Dubare ‘AANE UTSAVA’ celebrating Elephants

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature

Kushalnagar :

The majestic march of the elephants, spraying of water on anxious tourists, movements in tandem, trumpeting to the command of mahouts to the delight of spectators, playing football, etc. were the major attractions at ‘Aane Utsava’ (Elephant Festival) at the Dubare Elephant Camp on the banks of the River Cauvery near Kushalnagar in Kodagu yesterday.

The festival was organised by Madikeri Wildlife Division in association with Dubare Ammale Grama Aranya Samithi.

A total of 25 elephants participated in various games such as running race, football, basketball, sugarcane eating competition, obeying the commands of mahouts, spraying water on tourists, etc.

Elephants Vikram, Gopi, Cauvery, Harsha and Prashanth, which had participated in Dasara festivities at Mysuru, were decorated with ornaments. Gopi held the Kannada flag high to greet everyone and led the elephants in a march past, which received huge applause from the cheering crowd.

Older elephants were joined by calves in the performance. Elephant calves namely Agasthya, Mythili and Pruthvi also enthralled the crowd with their mischievous performance.

Elephants Gopi, Ranjan, Kapila, Gange and Aiyappa sprayed water to the delight of kids while Aiyappa, Karthik, Parashuram and other elephants walked like newly-weds by holding each other’s trunks.

Tourists and visitors, who had thronged the venue to witness the festival, were seen standing next to the elephants and getting themselves photographed besides taking selfies with them.

Former Minister M.C. Nanaiah, Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation Chairman T. Eshwar, Madikeri Division DFO Yedukondalu, ACF Poornima, Kushalnagar Zone Forest Officer M.S. Chinnappa and Dubare Elephant Camp Asst. Forest Officer Ranjan were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – November 16th, 2015

Oman Club to host Hockey Extravaganza

Sports, World Opinion

Oman Club will host a two-day exhibition hockey competition, which will be played over the coming weekend.

The event is being held by the club to mark the 45th National Day. The competition will feature senior and U15 sections. Those who are interested to register teams can contact Nader al Raisi (99626297).

Teams: senior: Oman Club, Bausher, Ahli-Sidab, Seeb, Oman Veterans, Team Coorg A, Team Coorg B, Muscat Arabian Foxes.

Junior: Oman Club, Bausher, Seeb, Indian School al Seeb, Indian School Muscat.

source: http://www.muscatdaily.com / Muscat Daily.com / Home> Oman / November 11th, 2015

Ranji Trophy: Robin Uthappa’s ton puts Karnataka in command

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

RobinKF11nov2015

Mysuru:

India discard Robin Uthappa on Monday cracked his second century of the season to help Karnataka gain a 168-run lead after they declared their first innings at 400 for nine against Odisha on the third day of their Group A Ranji Trophy cricket match played here.

Trailing by 168 runs, Odisha were zero for one in their second innings when the umpires called off the day’s play due to bad light. Nataraj Behera and first innings centurion Govinda Poddar were batting on zero as opener Rajesh Dhuper (0) lost his wicket to Vinay Kumar in the very first over of their second innings. Karnataka, who registered their first outright win against Rajasthan in their previous match, would go for the second outright victory this season when they take the field on fourth and final day of the match tomorrow. Uthappa smashed a sparkling 148 runs off 257 balls with 11 boundaries and two sixes, and Karun Nair scored a useful 73 runs off 164 balls with six boundaries and a six. The duo stitched a 169-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which took the match away from the hands of Odisha.

After Odisha succeeded in breaking Nair and Uthappa’s partnership, the visitors did well to restrict the hosts by bagging six wickets for 103 runs, with slow-left-arm orthodox Dhiraj Singh (3/156) leading the fightback and ably supported by right-arm medium Suryakant Pradhan (3/94). Basant Mohanty and Biplab Samantaray claimed two and one wicket respectively. As Singh and Pradhan picked up wickets at regular intervals, lower-order batsmen including Chidamabarm Gautam (20), Stuart Binny (4) and Shreyas Gopal (13) failed to capitalise on Uthappa-Nair partnership.

Resuming at 255 for three, Karnataka soon lost Nair after he added 21 runs to his overnight score of 52. Left-armer Singh had him caught by Pratik Das. Binny lasted for seven balls and was cleaned up by Samantaray after he scored four. Gautam was out for 20 as he became another victim of Singh. Gopal and Jagadeesha Suchith did not last long and fell to Pradhan and Singh rather quickly which prompted Vinay to declare the innings.

source: http://www.sahilonline.com / SahilOnline / Home> Sports / by PTI / Home> Sports News / posted by Mubashir / Tuesday – November 10th, 2015

Experience bliss, serenity

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature

HonnamannaLakeKF11nov2015

Pure divine bliss is what you feel when you sit on the banks of Honnammana Kere, a holy lake, located in Doddamalthe, six km away from Somwarpet town in Kodagu district. The 16-acre lake, surrounded by beautiful mountains, cliffs and coffee plantations, is perhaps the largest lake in Kodagu district. Two hills, Gavi Betta and Mori Betta, lie near the lake.

There is a temple — dedicated to Goddess Honnamma — adjacent to the lake. The Honnamma Devi Temple has a multicoloured shikhara-style gopura with a flag fluttering high on it. The idol in the sanctum is made of black stone and is well adorned with ornaments. The shilashilpa (temple history) stone is set on the ground in front of Honnamma Devi sanctum. The ancient Temple was renovated some years ago, with the financial help of villagers.

On the occasion of Gowri festival, every year, thousands of devotees, especially newly-weds, visit the Temple and offer prayers to Goddess Honnamma. They also offer bagina (puja items along with flowers and bangles placed in a bamboo sieve) to the lake and pray for good rains. There is another temple on the banks of this lake, dedicated to Lord Shiva as Amrutheshwara. There are two more shrines, dedicated to Basaveshwara and Ganapathi, in this complex.

Adjoining the lake is the 300-feet-high Gavi Betta. A short walk and a climb of about 260 cemented steps brings one to this cave. From the top of the hill, one can enjoy the panoramic view of the lake and its scenic surroundings. Some devotees also undertake a short trek up the close by rocky hill, visit another cave and offer prayers to the holy spring that trickles inside the cave.

Another hill, Mori Betta, is a stiff rocky facade on the other side of the lake. It is said that the Pandavas lived in a cave here during their vanavasa (exile). Cool breeze, fresh air, emerald-coloured lake, green canopy and the rocky edifices attract tourists to Honnammana Kere. The local Gram Panchayat has installed benches along the lakeside.

Picnic by the lake
A trip to the lake can be a fun and enjoyable activity for the entire family, but safety comes first. Locals say that the water level in the lake is very deep and one should be very careful. Tourists are advised to stay within the safety limits around the bathing ghat steps. Though there is good road connectivity as the lake is located close to the Somwarpet-Shanivarsanthe Road, there are no food stalls around the lake. One can carry a picnic basket, spread a sheet on the lakeside and enjoy a good sumptuous picnic lunch here. Ensure that you carry back the litter and drop it in the waste-bin placed at a corner.

Ceremonies like wedding, christening, annadana and pujas are regularly held in the Temple premises. Sitting beside the lake, one can enjoy the sight of water being rippled by the light breeze, and listen to nature’s melody and the occasional reverberation of temple bells. Nothing but pure divine bliss.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements / by Viswas Menon / DHNS – November 10th, 2015

‘102-acre land to be converted into 2,000 sites near Madikeri’

Business & Economy

Karnataka Housing Board Chairman Nanjayanamata has said that 2,000 sites will be developed on 102 acre land at K Nidugane on the outskirts of Madikeri.

The sites will be developed on PPP mode, he added. Briefing mediapersons on Thursday, he said that the Board had laid a layout on survey number 87/1 on 4.6 acre land at K Badaga.

“The Housing Board will construct Zilla Panchayat Bhavan at a cost of Rs 18.25 crore and mini Vidhana Soudha at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Tenders will be invited shortly. The Housing Board has constructed 1,17,693 houses and has developed 59,814 sites so far,” he explained.

He said that of the 100 housing projects of the Chief Minister, 97 have been completed. “The work on three projects is in progress and is likely to be completed by February. It has been decided to distribute 3,000 sites in different parts of Karnataka.

The decision on the same will be taken in a meeting scheduled to be held in the third week of November,” Nanjayanamata explained.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS – Madikeri, November 07th, 2015

Srimangala Bhagavathi Temple to be renovated

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

SrimangalaTempleKF10nov2015

The Srimangala Bhagavathi Temple committee president Mullanda Thimmaiah said that the temple would be renovated.

“The Temple has a history of 300 years. As per the directions of the temple chief priest, the old sanctum sanctorum is being renovated and the idol of the presiding deity Sri Bhagavathi as well as those of Lord Ganapathi and Kethurappa are being worshipped in a small enclosure in front of the temple,” said Thimmaiah.

Explaining further, the president said that a blueprint of the Theertha Mantapa had also been prepared and the ground-breaking ceremony had been conducted for the work.

“Stone foundations have been laid for the new sanctum sanctorum and also the theertha mantapa. Stone pillars have been chiselled for the temple,” he added.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS, Madikeri – November 07th, 2015

S Chikkarangappa wins Indian Masters

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
S Chikkarangappa (TOI Photo)
S Chikkarangappa (TOI Photo)

Bangalore :

Indian golfer S Chikkarangappa successfully defended his title after defeating compatriot Shubhankar Sharma on the first extra hole at the TAKE Solutions India Masters here on Saturday.

Chikka and Sharma, who shared the overnight three-shot lead, ended regulation play tied on 25-under 263 after posting identical final rounds of six-under 66s at the Eagle-The Golf Village.

The duo returned to the par-four 18th hole for the play-off battle where Chikka outplayed Sharma with a birdie against a par to claim his second Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the USD 120,000 event.

Abhijit Chadha, also of India, returned with a stunning 62 to take third place on 269 while countryman Rashid Khan and American Greg Moss settled one shot back in fourth following matching rounds of 67s.

Chikka, who fired seven birdies against a lone bogey, played consistently to stay in control for most of the round and kept his cool even when Sharma surmounted a late charge to force a play-off.
“I haven’t really performed well this season. This win came at the right time and I am confident this will be a sign of better things to come. There were a lot of expectations from me this week, especially from family and friends. I’m glad I didn’t disappoint them,” said the 22-year-old Chikka.

“I wasn’t really nervous out there. I just played my own game. I have been in this kind of situation before so I knew how to handle it. I guess my past experience helped. This win definitely boosted my confidence and I’m looking forward to better results at the Panasonic Open India on the Asian Tour next week,” he added.

Chikka will take home a winner’s prize cheque of USD 21,000 and receive six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points courtesy of his win.

Despite missing out on a grandstand finish, Sharma took pride in what was his best result on the ADT and a record personal best 72-hole score.

“I kept calm out there. I played really well on the back nine and finished with four straight birdies to force extra time with Chikka. I knew I had a chance coming to the last two holes. It was a pity to miss out on the birdie putt in the play-off. I hit two good shots but I guess I just didn’t trust the putt,” said Sharma.

“Overall, it was still a great experience. I am happy with the way I played all week. This is my best result on the ADT. I didn’t expect myself to finish with a 25-under total so it was great,” added the 19-year-old.

source: http://www.timeofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Sports> Golf / PTI / October 31st, 2015

I will do south films only if I need a change: Gulshan Devaiah

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

New Delhi:

Actor Gulshan Devaiah is content with the way his career has shaped up in Bollywood and wants to focus on working in the Hindi film world despite being offered several projects across southern languages.

“Although I watch films in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu and even understand few of these languages, I never had the inclination to become an actor in the south,” Gulshan told IANS at the ongoing 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

In Bollywood, he currently has two projects - 'Cabaret' and 'Love Affair'.
In Bollywood, he currently has two projects – ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Love Affair’.

“I’ve been getting offers in the south, especially from Telugu industry. Since 2011, I’ve been getting about four southern projects each year, but it has always been my dream to work in Hindi films,” said the ‘Shaitan’ star, who hails from Bengaluru.

Asked if he’d ever work in the south, he said: “If I ever really look for a change, then I’d probably think of doing some interesting projects.”

At the fest, Gulshan’s 2012 critically acclaimed film ‘Peddlers’ will have its India premiere. It also featured in the Film Market, an initiative to facilitate a much-needed opportunity for filmmakers in India to get their movie made or distributed.

In Bollywood, he currently has two projects – ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Love Affair’.

source: http://www.ibnlive.com / IBNLive – CNN IBN / Home> IBNLive> India / IANS / October 31st, 2015

GOLF – Chikkarangappa, it is

Records, All, Sports

It took a play-off to determine the winner of the Take Solutions India Masters, and even then there was only a couple of inches in it. S. Chikkarangappa’s 9-iron from 145 yards on the 18th sailed past the flag, bounced once on the green, and rolled sharply back.

It left him needing a birdie putt of some four feet to win the tie-breaker, and he nailed it. Moments earlier, Shubhankar Sharma had watched his birdie putt, from 10 feet, settle inches wide of the cup.

It was thus by the finest of margins that Chikkarangappa defended his title at the Eagleton Golf Resort on Saturday. Shubhankar — dogged to the end — and he returned an identical tally of 25-under-263 to force the first play-off hole, when the local favourite triumphed. That it went down to the wire was due to Shubhankar’s run of four birdies on the final four regulation holes, a passage of play that included one putt from 20 feet on the 16th.

S. Chikkarangappa with the trophy after winning the Take Solutions India Masters / Photo: Shreedutta Chidananda
S. Chikkarangappa with the trophy after winning the Take Solutions India Masters / Photo: Shreedutta Chidananda

Chikkarangappa, level with his opponent overnight, had eased into a two-shot lead by the seventh hole, after a hat-trick of birdies had followed a bogey on the fourth.

It appeared that advantage would be enough, but Shubhankar simply would not give up.

“Even I didn’t expect that he would make four out of four at the end,” Chikkarangappa said later. “But I was confident. I have been involved in three play-offs as a professional and I’ve now won all three.”

It was an emotional victory for the 22-year-old, who was in tears as he embraced his mother afterwards. “I’ve been through a bad patch these last three months. I had a back injury that made me fear for my career. Also, losing on my home course would have been very hurtful,” he said.

Chikkarangappa took home a cheque for Rs.13,65,000, which lifted him to first place on the PGTI Order of Merit.

The win was his second on the Asian Development Tour and seventh overall. Abhijit Chadha, who shot the day’s best of 10-under-62, finished the tournament in third place at 19-under-269.

The scores (top eight after 72 holes): 263: S. Chikkarangappa (65, 66, 66, 66), Shubhankar Sharma (65, 64, 68, 66); 269: Abhijit Chadha (70, 69, 68, 62); 270: Greg Moss (62, 70, 71, 67), Rashid Khan (65, 70, 68, 67); 271: Himmat Rai (64, 67, 69, 71); 272: Anura Rohana (66, 73, 66, 67), Oskar Arvidsson (69, 69, 67, 67).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Shreedutta Chidananada / Bengaluru – October 31st, 2015