In a memorable day for Indian tennis, Rohan Bopanna won the Erste Bank Open title in Vienna with Pablo Cuevas while the team of Saketh Myneni and Vijay Sundar Prashanth clinched the Vietnam Open trophy at the Ho Chi Minh City.
However, Divij Sharan and his partner Scott Clayton ended runners-up at the Brest Challenger event in France, preventing what could have been an incredible as well as unique culmination to the week for the Indian players on the circuit.
In Vienna, unseeded Bopanna and Cuevas saved two match points before prevailing 7-6(7), 6-7(4), 11-9 over Sam Querrey and Marcelo Demoliner.
Bopanna and Cuevas were down 7-9 in the deciding super tie-breaker but saved both the match points to win the title.
It was third title of the season for Bopanna, having won Chennai Open (with Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan) and Monte Carlo Masters (with Cuevas).
In Vietnam, the unseeded Indian pair of Myneni and Vijay Prashanth quelled the challenge of the Japanese combination of Go Soeda and Ben Mclachlan 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in the summit clash of the $50,000 event.
It was first title of the season for Myneni and maiden Challenger level trophy for Prashanth.
“It was a great week. We combined well and enjoyed ourselves. I still feel I have something left in singles but definitely I will focus on doubles too,” Prashanth said.
Myneni, who has missed most part of the season due to injuries and has slipped to 724 in singles, was also asked if he would shift focus on doubles but he responded with a cryptic reply.
“Still the same plan as before, nothing has changed with me,” he said, indicating that he still have singles in mind.
Divij Sharan and his British partner Scott Clayton ended runners-up at the Brest Challenger following a 4-6, 5-7 defeat against Sander Arends and Antonio Sancic.
After losing the opening set, Sharan and Clayton led the second set 5-3 but lost four games in a row to lose the title clash.
It was second consecutive final for Sharan, having won the European Open (ATP 250 event) with Scott Lipsky last week in Antwerp, Belgium.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports News> Tennis News / PTI / October 29th, 2017
Secretary of Land Resources Development, Y Kikheto Sema, during visit to coffee farm in Zunheboto district on October 26.
Dimapur (EMN):
Expounding that the end of education is not to seek government job, Secretary of Land Resources Development, Y Kikheto Sema has urged the students to engage in self employment and pass on the experience and knowledge to others.
Kikheto said this to students from Mewar University, Rajasthan, comprising mostly from Eastern Nagaland who were on a three-month field visit to the coffee farms. Kikheto met the students during his visit to coffee farms at Litami New and Old and Phushumi villages under VK area of Zunheboto district on October 26.
“With less other means of sustainable economy in Nagaland, which is basically agro and allied, he urged the agriculture students to go back to the villages and teach the farmers about the farming techniques.
Kikheto along with officials from the Land Resources Department (LRD) made the visit to get first hand information about the progress of coffee cultivation since the department has been made as nodal department for coffee plantation.
During the interaction, farmers revealed that the yielding was lesser compared to earlier years to which the officers explained that it was due to global climate change and the problem of root rotting fungal infections and Stemborer pest infestations. In this regard, the department assured to give some tips to handle the diseases.
Kikheto informed the farmers that an MoU has been signed with a South African firm, wherein the latter has assured to buy the products on the spot at the same rate of New York and London Stock Exchange.
He encouraged the farmers to do multi-cropping along with coffee which could sustain the farmers to a huge extent. Some of the multi-cropping, according to him, included black pepper, betel nut, local chicken rearing and honey bee.
During the course of the interaction, the Secretary informed that the Coffee Board of India (CBI) has agreed to provide assistance to the coffee farmers for the initial two years for maintenance. While stating that the maintenance fund might not be sufficient in the management of the farm, he encouraged the farmers to take full advantage of the CBI assistance.
The secretary informed that the department had requested fund from the State government to assist the farmers who will directly get the benefits in their account. Besides, he stated that the department would distribute coffee saplings free of cost as well as nursery maintenance cost.
LRD Director, Hoto Yeptho, said the department would thoroughly study the diseases affecting coffee and accordingly advise the farmers. “Any problem can be tackled with research and experience. So do not worry about it,” he said.
Other officers including joint director, deputy director, DPOs of Kohima and Zunheboto were part of the LRD team visiting the coffee farms.
source: http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com / Eastern Mirror / Home> News> Nagaland / by EMN / October 28th, 2017
Karnataka Urinary Tract Surgeons’ Association and Mysuru Urinary Tract Surgeons’ Association is jointly organising the 22nd conference of Urinary Tract Surgeons at Virajpet from November 3 to 5, said Dr Prakash K Prabhu, organising president of the conference, at a press meet held at Mysuru Press Club here on Monday.
“Titular king Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will inaugurate the 3-day long conference at Club Mahindra Resort on November 3 at 5:30 pm. Srikantha Siddalinga Raje Urs of Manteswamy Mutt will release a souvenir on the occasion. Robotic expert from Gujarat Dr Pranjal Modi will be the chief guest and will deliver a special lecture,” he added.
Dr Madappa, Dr H S Prakash, Dr H M Prasad and others were present.
-(MR/KMR)
source: http://www.citytoday.new / City Today / Home> Headlines> Mysore / CT Bureau / October 30th, 2017
After losing out to the British, the Haleri royal family moved to Periyapatna and later to Mysuru city where they settled at Shivrampete. Madikeri Palace is in a shambles now
Centuries ago, the battlefields of Coorg thundered with their war cry as they took on marauding armies of the invader, sowing the seeds for a martial race which continues to amaze the world with its heroism and audacity. But the days of the dynasty and the royals are long gone and the kings of Coorg, like everyone else, now have to contend with the rigours of a modern age where democracy, the great leveller, makes sure everyone has to toil for his bread. Some dynasties have switched to politics with remarkable success , others preferred a life as ordinary as it could be, sacrificing their vast tracts of lands, palaces, forts and the antiques of their forefathers. M.B. Girish profiles the Coorg royal dynasty which once ruled from Madikeri and now runs a flour-mill and a chilli powder shop in the busy Shivarampete of Mysuru city
It has been a remarkable journey for the family members of HCN Wodeyar, the king of Madikeri, one finds it hard to believe that here sitting before you, are the descendants of a royal family. Except for a huge pile of documents gathered from the authorities concerned, HCN Wodeyar no longer has the antiques left behind by his forefathers nor does he lead a lavish lifestyle which could remind people that his family once held sway over Madikeri.
For more than a century, the family has been running a flour mill attached to a store selling masala powder and flour on the busy Vinoba road in Shivrampete. Sachida nanada Hittina Angadi (flour shop) as it is known, has history written all over it-on the walls of the store, one can spot a couple of portraits of royal family members. An inquisitive visitor who ventures to ask whose portraits they are, would get an answer that the store is run by descendants of the Haleri Ursu Royal Family who once ruled Kodagu.
Not many know that the store now belongs to Haleri Chinnanna Nagaraju Wodeyar (75), the King of the Princely State of Kodagu and was started by his father Chinnanna. The lineage of the Haleri royal family starts with Veera Raja who ruled from 1600 AD and was succeeded by Appaji Raja and later Muddu Raja who ruled the region from 1633 AD to1687 AD. The rulers belonged to the Banajiga Lingayat community.
HCN Wodeyar and (right) his flour mill in Mysuru
HCN Wodeyar tracing the history of the royal family, says his great grandfather Haleri Mallappa was married to queen Devammaji and he is the son of Chinnanna and the heir of the erstwhile royal family of Madikeri. Devammaji ruled the place for two years from 1809-11 before Britishers took control of the region.
To support his claim that he is the true heir, HCN has maintained various records issued by different authorities on the family tree of his erstwhile royal family. When asked about the decline of his family, HCN turns emotional and says, “everything is gone.”
After the Britishers started making inroads into the Princely States in India one after the other, his royal family too became a victim of British rule and gave away the kingdom which once stretched from Kushalanagar to Mangaluru. “Our great grandfathers, mainly Dodda Veera Raja traded in lemon, tobacco, oranges among others which were sent to markets in Kerala and Delhi in those days,” he recalls.
After losing out to the British, the Haleri royal family moved to Doddabeedi in Periyapatna and later shifted to Mysuru city where they settled at Shivrampete.
The royals-turned business family now stays at Chamaraja Mohalla where a board in Kannada at the entrance facing the road, states, “HCN Wodeyar is the owner of Madikeri Palace.”
The Palace of the Haleri royal family was built during the rule of Muddu Raja and later modified during British rule. Though his kingdom has disappeared, HCN longs to regain ownership of Madikeri Palace, situated on 77 acres at Karnangeri and is engaged in a legal battle since 1998. “The palace is in a dilapidated condition and if the structure is given to me, repairs will be taken up to restore its past glory,” he says.
HCN first got to see his ancestral palace when he was a child. “My father took me to the palace for the first time and since then, I have visited the palace about 15 times,” he says.
At Chamaraja Mohalla, he lives in a small tiled house with his wife, sons and grandchildren. His grandchildren play on the wooden sofas while wife Sowbhagya attends to domestic chores with her daughters-in-law.
The family no longer has the royal antiques such as swords, spearhead, royal seals and royal attire. “A throne was taken away by the British among other precious items,” laments the Haleri king. Just then, HCN’s grandson Milind (13) brings out a lone sword from the room and flaunts it.
Though he no longer lives in Madikeri in the palace, HCN says people still hold the royal family in high esteem. Milind, a class 8 student at JSS Public School says, “My classmates and teachers are aware that I hail from a royal family.” As many as 70 types of masala powders are sold at the shop- both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There are people like Prakash, a resident of Hassan, who says he is surprised to know that the flour shop is run by the Coorg royal family and recalls that he has walked by the shop on a number of occasions but had no idea about the history of the family running it.
Not many have been able to make the transition from royalty to a democratic way of living smoothly, many have struggled and fallen into bad times. It has not been easy for the Coorg royal family either for the times have changed but then they have risen to the challenge in the hope of a better morrow. Nor would the Coorgis like to forget the Haleri royal family for they bring back memories of the times of the kings, of grandeur and magnificence which no ordinary mortal can match.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Naton – In Other News / by MB Girish / October 29th, 2017
The 15th Shorin Kai National Karate Championship was inaugurated in the city at Gymnastics Hall, Sports Pavilion, University of Mysore, here on Saturday.
Chamaraja Constituency MLA Vasu and journalist Ravi Koti inaugurated the championship.
The Kata bout of the tournament was inaugurated by Dr P Krishnaiah, director of physical education, University of Mysore and B G Kumar, In-charge Deputy SP, Lokayuktha, Chamarajanagar.
Shanthi Achappa, chairperson, National Academy School, Gonikoppal and Rev Fr George K V, principal, Pushpa Convent School, were the guests of honour.
Former corporator Sunand Kumar R, Shihan N G Shivadas, AKF Judge; Shihan Shankara, AKF Judge; Sensei Deepak Kumar, Secretary Mysore Karate Association and T K Sukumaran, president, organising committee and others were present.
The two-day national championship organised by Okinawa Karate-Do Shorin Ryu Shorin Kai Association India will see participation from more than 750 karatekas from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and hosts Karnataka. The tournament will be held in different belt categories based on age groups.
source: http://www.citytoday.news / City Today / Home> Headlines> Mysore / CT Bureau / October 28th, 2017
Nepal to participate at the upcoming World Tea and Coffee Expo 2017 in Mumbai
New Delhi (KNN) :
The Nepal National Tea & Coffee Development Board is looking forward to participate at the Mumbai World Tea Coffee Expo (WTCE) 2017 with the board locking up an exclusive pavilion at the 5th edition of the export scheduled for November this year.
The organizing committee in a press statement informed about the latest development.
The Nepalese Tea comprising of CTC tea (black tea) and Orthodox tea (green tea) – is among the most popular commodities in the world due to its aroma and health benefits.
Also Nepal exports more than 15,000 metric tons of tea every year to different parts of the world including India. India is the major export destination for tea from Nepal followed by Germany and Czech Republic, the release informed.
The World Tea Coffee Expo in Mumbai attracts buyers from across the country and also from different parts of the world. It also receives significant footfall from allied industries including packaging, vending solutions, equipment, machineries, flavors, retail chains, government boards, consultants and other technologies
The Expo edition for this year is scheduled from 16th till 18th of November. The previous edition of the Expo hosted around 67 companies. (KNN/ DA)
source: http://wwww.knnindia.co.in / KNN, Knowledge & News Network / Home> Global / October 24th, 2017
The success we have had in India over the last five years gives us great optimism over future growth potential, says John Culver, group president, Starbucks International.
John Culver, group president, Starbucks International. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
Mumbai:
It has taken US-based coffee chain Starbucks Corp. five years to open 100 stores in India. In comparison, the Seattle-based firm plans to open 500 stores per year in China, doubling its store count to 5,000 by 2021.
Nevertheless, John Culver, group president, Starbucks International, who was in Mumbai to celebrate the milestone of 100 stores, is optimistic that India would one day be among its top five markets. Edited excerpts:
How does India compare to other markets?
India has been our fastest growing new market. The success we have had here over the last five years gives us great optimism over future growth potential.
We believe that one day India will be one of the top five markets. I won’t put a time frame to it. It’s over the long haul. We will make the right investments along the way in the business to build out the stores and the footprint.
Not only do we see growth in terms of top line and bottom line, more importantly we see growth with our people and the investments we make in our people.
Today we are also announcing that 40% of our workforce will be female. Right now we are at 25%.
Starbucks remains a premium offering in India. Is this by design?
We have something that attracts all consumers to our stores. Not only do we have premium beverages we also have value.
My Starbucks rewards is a great example. We have 300,000 people as a part of this programme and they account for 25% of our overall transactions.
This is continuing to build and attract a wide variety of consumers regardless of income and class.
What will be your growth drivers?
There are 600 million people that sit in the middle-class (in India). That presents a huge opportunity. The other thing you are seeing is the growth in coffee consumption.
Over the last 10 years, coffee consumption in India is growing at 40%. This is an emerging market and Starbucks is at the forefront of delivering high-quality, great experiences to consumers that are unique. If we focus on that experience we can create something special.. similar to what we have seen in other markets.
In India, the emerging middle class is spread across at least 100 cities.
We see a huge opportunity in India in multiple cities over time. Today we have announced operations in our seventh city.
We will continue to go deep into those cities that we operate in and also look at new cities over time.
What next?
We will continue to introduce new coffee and coffee blends with our partner Tata Coffee.
We will also continue to provide new experience. We will also look at food that will fit consumers taste profile, continue our digital efforts, given the role digital is playing and look at various experiences outside our stores and sell our products through other grocers and e-commerce.
source: http://www.livemint.com / LiveMint / Home> Companies / by Sapna Agarwal / Tuesday – October 24th, 2017
Coffee produced in the Northeast can bring remunerative returns if the beverage is properly packaged and branded.
This was pointed out by West Garo Hills deputy commissioner, Pravin Bakshi, while speaking at a daylong workshop on post harvest management and coffee marketing linkage at the Social Mobilisation Experimentation and Learning Centre in Dakopgre here on Tuesday.
Earlier, Bakshi inaugurated the workshop held with the objective to provide ideas and techniques to expand the coffee growing areas of the region and support farmers.
“The number of coffee growers is gradually rising in the region. Coffee, referred to as brown gold, is not bound by economies of market and depends on the quality of the beans. The beverage needs to be properly graded, branded and packaged for attracting higher returns,” the deputy commissioner said.
The workshop was jointly organised by the Coffee Board, Union ministry of Commerce and Industry, Meghalaya Basin Development Authority and Soil and Water Conservation department.
Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural function, V R G Gowda, the joint director (extension), Coffee Board, ministry of Commerce and Industry, spoke about the establishment of Coffee Board in the region in 1997 and the necessary requirements and climatic conditions required for growing coffee.
He informed that coffee was being cultivated in all the states of Northeast, particularly in Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya. “There are about 1,700 coffee growers in Meghalaya,” he said.
R.R.B. R Thabah, the director (natural resources management), Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), Meghalaya, informed the gathering about the purpose of the workshop and called upon the beneficiaries to work together as partners in order to promote agro-forestry in the region.
T N Gopinandhan, bio-chemist, Central Coffee Research Institute, Coffee Board, explained in detail about the methods of processing coffee beans for better quality.
Webstar D Shira shared his experience as a progressive farmer, talking about issues and challenges faced with regard to marketing linkages in the region besides introduction of multiple cropping in his farm land.
source: http://www.theshillongtimes.com / The Shillong Times / Home> Meghalaya / by Staff Correspondent / October 25th, 2017
Faded colour, blackened walls, pathetic condition of the roof and plastic sheets to protect from rain…This is the story of historical Madikeri Fort. The fort throws light on the glorious grandeur of a bygone era. However, it is in a neglected state.
The magnificent fort is in ruins due to the negligence of the authorities of the Department of Archaeology. Due lack of maintenance, a portion of the fort has collapsed.
Owing to lack of government buildings in Kodagu district, the fort has been converted for the administrative purposes. It is referred to as ‘Hale Vidhana Soudha.’ The fort houses Zilla Panchayat office, land documents assistant director’s office, department for the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens, offices of MLAs K G Bopaiah, M P Appachu Ranjan, MLCs Sunil Subramani and Veena Achiah, district library, court complex and Agriculture department.
“Hundreds of vehicles enter the premises of the Fort. The Fort is losing its identity. Though a signboard on the protected monument is placed, attempts are being made to disfigure the monument,” said local residents.
There is no protection for ‘Firangi’ and accessory of rulers. The tourists will be disappointed after viewing the Fort.
It was said that Haleri ruler Mudduraja had constructed mud fort and palace in the 17th century. Later, it was rebuilt by Tipu Sultan and named it as Jaffarabad. In 1790, Dodda Veerarajendra confiscated the Fort. The Fort came under British rule in 1834.
The magnificent Fort is visible from any corner of Madikeri town. The fort is in the shape of the circle and two rock-cut elephants attract the visitors. The museum of the Department of Archaeology and Museums is situated in a church built in 1855. The palace that was built by Immadi Lingaraja Odeyar houses government offices and the palace is in a shambles.
Tourist guide Prakash said, “Tourists are not keen on entering the palace. The rare photographs have lost its charm and beauty. The authorities have not taken any measure to conserve palace that may cease to be a heritage site shortly.”
DH News Service
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Adithya KA / DH News Service / Madikeri – October 21st, 2017
An Ethiopian woman roasts a pan of green coffee beans in their traditional technique
Stepping into a small unassuming villa on the backstreet of Al Fahidi district in Bur Dubai, I feel I am embracing the cultural ethos of several centuries. The aroma of freshly brewing coffee wafts in the air. I walk past a gift shop to reach the centre of a unique wind-tunnel house named the Dubai Coffee Museum, which was set up in October 2014. My journey into the history of coffee begins as soon as I enter the creator and owner of the museum, Khalid Al Mulla.
I accompany him on a round of the ground floor where each space provides a glimpse of different coffee-drinking cultures. As we step in his favourite zone, he says, “Here is the coffee from Ethiopia where coffee drinking reputedly began at first.” Here, a stylish Ethiopian lady is roasting a pan of green coffee beans in a traditional technique. Next to her is Egyptian barista Abdul, dressed in an Egyptian ‘galabeya’ and skull cap, standing guard on a customised silver and gold coffee machine.
An ancient coffee grinder
The small exhibition rooms, where coffee beans from countries across the world are neatly stacked, are also home to coffee artefacts and antiques. Khalid’s collection is huge. Prominent among the pieces are distinctive 300-year-old jug-shaped clay coffee pots known as ‘jebena’ (the Yemeni equivalent is ‘jamena’), which were historically used by the Ethiopians .
Steps inside the museum lead up to a literature room displaying texts from 18th century to the present day. One such text, Johann Friedrich von Pfeiffer’s 1784 encyclopaedia, is believed to be the oldest printed text on coffee, with 177 pages dedicated to ‘kaffee’ as Johann would have called it. There is also a custom-built brew bar, where one can sip acup of caffeine powered rocket fuel brewed in the traditional Japanese siphon method.
The tour ends with a cup of Ethiopian coffee at a cosy Emirati-style ‘majlis’ on the ground floor, drunk in the local Bedouin coffee tradition. Khalid says, “As the director of Dubai-based coffee importers and roasters, Easternmen and Co., I participated in trade shows. I was surprised to see visitors’ interest in these objects, which forced me to create the first-of-its-kind coffee museum in Dubai. The concept is to showcase global coffee history.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Sharmila Chand / Dubai, UAE – October 21st, 2017
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