Monthly Archives: November 2017

City conservationists travel to Kodagu to protect ecology

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Bengaluru :

A group of Bengalureans are out on a mission to restore the Kaveri catchment area in Kodagu to protect its biodiversity.Sheshadri, a conservationist and member of the Bengaluru-based group Forest First Samithi (FFS), believes that the word ‘conservation’ would not have existed in the English dictionary if people knew how to stay connected with nature. “It is because of our apathy that we have reached this pathetic state, where we fight with each other for even water,” he says.

Sheshadri along with IT professionals Meera Rajesh, Uma, Anil Panolil Chirikandoth and Dhandapany, formed this group in 2008 and they began their conservation work in Wayanad. They started working in Kodagu six months ago. The team works in association with Kodagu Model Forest Trust with an aim to conserve over 100 indigenous tree species of Western Ghats such as Saraca asoca, Mammea suriga, Garcinia talbotii, Dysoxylum malabaricum and Bridelia retusa. The team does rain water management to ensure maximum percolation to improve the ground water levels.

People from the community equally participate in the conservation of the biodiversity
People from the community equally
participate in the conservation
of the biodiversity

They encourage community participation as well. About eight people are working on this project. They are paid `8,000 per month from the funds that the team receives through online crowdfunding and friends. “A few IT professionals also contribute `5,000 from their monthly salary towards this cause,” he says.

Meera adds, “During the British Raj, the forest conservators were actually exploiting our forests for commercial benefits. We aim to make a headway in real time conservation of forest and ecology. It’s only then that our generation and posterity shall stand to gain and prosper.” The team is picking up some degraded patches of land across Kodagu with an attempt to protect them from cattle grazing and wild fires. Sheshadri says, “We clear dry grass and convert them to manure, hence, preventing wildfires from spreading.”

Funding is a major challenge for the project. The team is raising `7.30 lakh for this work through crowdfunding. If you wish to contribute for the cause, visit www.bitgiving.com. For further details about the team, log on to www.ffs.org.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 14th, 2017

Vijay Suriya: My first crush on a TV personality was Shwetha Chengappa

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

Earliest memories of television: That would be of my father renting out a VCR and video cassettes from a neighbouring library and us watching at least one film a week. We had a small black & white TV set at home. Some time in the mid 90s, we bought a colour TV. The brand that we had bought was popular for its tag line “Neighbour’s envy, Owner’s pride.” It was such a big deal when we bought that TV because it was huge and a colour TV above all. It had fancy buttons and our entire street was in awe when we first got it home.

VijayKF14nov2017

All-time favourite TV serials: Shakthimaan stands out in my memory even today. Then I remember waiting for the weekend to watch the Donald Duck series. When cable TV came in, it was Kadambari, because my mother used to watch it all the time. I was still a kid but Shwetha Chengappa who played a major part in it was my first crush among TV personalities. I loved watching Ripleys Believe It Or Not and also World’s Funniest Animals.

Advice to newbies entering television: Whether it’s TV or cinema, I’d say, patience is the key. And always remember that you can’t become a superstar overnight. Work hard and also remember to respect your profession.

source:http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> TV> News> Kannada / by Madhu Daithota / TNN / November 13th, 2017

Forestry College wins overall championship

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment
Students performed a peacock dance at Yuvajanotsava held at Forestry College, Ponnampet on Friday.
Students performed a peacock dance at Yuvajanotsava held at Forestry College, Ponnampet on Friday.

Forestry College, Ponnampet won the overall championship in the cultural programmes held as part of the two-day Yuvajanotsava at Forestry College in Ponnampet on Friday.

Students of Forestry College had won 106 points while students of Mudigere Horticulture College won the second place with 96 points. In the diploma category, the students of Brahamavar College won the overall championship while Kathalegere Diploma College won the second place.

Yuvajanotsava, under the title of Yuvaspandana, was organised by the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga.

Students of Ponnampet Forestry College and Mudigere Horticultural College presented a peacock dance, Pooja Kunitha, Nandikolu, Veeragasem Bhoothakunitha and others. Mudigere College students entertained the audience with Dollu Kunitha and Pooja Kunitha while students of the University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga presented Lambani dance.

Rangayana Director Bhagirathi Bai said that youth have immense talent. Rangayana will organise College Natakotsava next month.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS, Madikeri / November 11th, 2017

Banashankari temple fair on Nov 19

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The Banashankari annual temple fair will be held at Hebbale in North Kodagu on November 19.

Special pooja rituals for the Goddess will be held on Sunday.

The temple will be decked up with lights and flowers for the celebrations. A large number of devotees from Mysuru and Hassan are expected to take part in the temple fair.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS Madikeri / November 11th, 2017

Coffee exporters wait for global prices to pick up before selling

Business & Economy, Coffee News
With most of the coffee stock exhausted, exporters are waiting for the new crop.
With most of the coffee stock exhausted, exporters are waiting for the new crop.

Kochi :

Coffee exporters are not enthused with the early arrival of coffee beans this time, as global prices of the commodity are on a downswing following reports of a good crop in Brazil, its largest producer.

With most of the coffee stock exhausted, exporters are waiting for the new crop. But in a low-price situation, they fear they may not be able to take advantage of an early crop, particularly that of Arabica.

“As the prices are dropping, exporters are not selling, though buyers may be interested. We hope that prices will improve after a few months,” said MP Devaiah, business head of coffee at Allanasons, a major coffee exporter.

The price of coffee in the international market has been declining since August. Arabica futures prices at ICE New York stood at $1.22 per pound on November 1, down by 15-20% from earlier this year. Robusta prices, too, are showing a declining trend.

TrendsKF11nov2017

The picking of arabica beans, which normally start by the end of November, has already begun in the coffee producing states. “This time, it may be completed by the end of November, instead of in December,’’ said MM Chengappa, former chairman of Karnataka Planters’ Association. Harvest of robusta is expected to begin a month earlier, in December.

Coffee growers fear that the heavy rains last month have led to a fall of berries on a large scale.

Although the post blossom estimate of the Coffee Board projects an output of 3,50,400 tonnes for 2017-18, growers feel output will be less by a large margin. According to them, delayed monsoon will affect the robusta production.

“Total output will be about 3.12 lakh tonnes, similar to last year. Robusta will be around 2.10 lakh tonnes, against 2.47 lakh tonnes projected by the Board,’’ Chengappa said.

source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> Markets> Commodities> News / ET Bureau / November 03rd, 2017

Karnataka : Third edition of Barefoot Marathon to be held in December

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Sports
Categories at the marathon include one-mile run, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km
Categories at the marathon include one-mile run, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km

The third edition of the world’s first barefoot marathon will be held at the Tata Coffee Sports Ground at Pollibeta in Kodagu on Dec 10.

Cheppudira Nikki Ponappa, professional golfer, coach and founder of Coorg Wellness Foundation, said the event is being organised with Milind Soman as part of the Coorg Reconnect Initiative by Coorg Wellness Foundation.

Ponappa said, “Barefoot marathon is an initiative through which we want the people of Kodagu as well as anyone who is a nature and wildlife lover to reconnect with mother earth and the best way to do this is by being barefoot. Through this event, we are trying to spread awareness about the rehabilitation of the elephant habitat and we want to replant the 54,000 trees that were chopped from Kodagu for a power grid. So, through the event, we hope to create awareness for planting native fruit trees in an eco-sensitive area like Kodagu. Our wildlife and elephants need to stay in the forest and enjoy their homeland.”

The organisers are expecting about 500 runners to participate from all over the country. “While for the natives of Kodagu, cash prize is awarded, outsiders who win prizes take home produce such as coffee and pepper. We want people to come and experience Kodagu and take back Kodagu with them. The entire event is an eco-friendly event with a ban on plastics. Even water is served in coconut shells. There are no loud speakers nor do we use electricity. The warm up begins with the folk music known as the ‘Vallaga’ and people will have to warm up by dancing the traditional Kodava dance,” Ponappa said.

Ponappa said the categories include one-mile run, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 10th, 2017

Twin titles for Ponappa, Attri-Reddy shock top seeds

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
Ashwini Ponappa. (TOI Photo)
Ashwini Ponappa. (TOI Photo)

Nagpur :

Ashwini Ponappa switched partners recently. N Sikki Reddy and R Satwik Sai Raj are her new partners in women’s and mixed doubles respectively. However, it has hardly made a difference to her performance as she won the twin titles, for the first time, in Senior Badminton Nationals on Wednesday.

Combining with Sai Raj, she recorded a fighting victory over World No. 16 Pranav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy 21-9, 20-22, 21-17 in the mixed doubles final. Later, with Reddy, she comprehensively defeated Maharashtra pair of Prajakta Sawant and Sanyogita Ghorpade 21-14, 21-14 to complete the double.

In the men’s double final, which turned out to be a marathon affair, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy shocked top seeds and world No. 28 Satwik Sai Raj and Chirag Shetty 15-21, 22-20, 25-23. The title clash lasted for sixty four minutes.

The second seed pair of Satwik Sai Raj and Ponappa looked in great form in the first game of the mixed doubles final. They finished the opening game in no time. The pair showed brilliant coordination against the top seed pair of Chopra and Reddy. Nothing went right for the top seeds as they were left clueless and lost the one-sided first game.

Chopra and Reddy played much better in the second game and took initial lead before Satwik and Ponnappa caught them up. Chopra and Reddy took a crucial four-point lead towards the end but Satwik and Ponappa kept coming back to make it 20-20. However, Chopra rose to the occasion and finished off the game to level the match.

The third game saw an intense battle till the interval. However, after changing sides, Satwik and Ponappa kept chipping in with important points and maintained the lead throughout. Chopra-Reddy pair reduced the lead but never got ahead. From 15-14, the second seed pair got four successive points and soon finished the game.

The women’s doubles final, however, turned out to be a damp squib. Ghorpade-Sawant pair started off well in both games but conceded the lead at the halfway mark. Ponappa-Reddy pair was hardly given the fight. While Ponappa was oozing with confidence with her title victory in mixed doubles, Reddy was hurt. It worked for both of them as they knocked off the Maharashtra pair challenge in just 27 minutes.

The men’s doubles final, however, went right down to the wire and kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. The second seed pair of Attri and Sumeeth Reddy showed great character whenever they were pushed back to the wall. After losing the first game, they were down 17-20 and it looked all over for them. However, they showed great fight and scored five successive points to level the final.

They had a chance to finish off the game quickly in the third game with a six point lead towards the end. However, Satwik and Shetty showed why they were given the top billing. They played aggressively to level the scores. The pair were on championship point in the third game as well but messed it up. Even after the deuce, they had an opportunity to win the title for the third time but couldn’t do it.

It was Manu and Reddy’s day. They won a close last game. An animated Reddy raced across the court to celebrate the hard-fought victory.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports News> Badminton News / Ruchir Mishra / TNN / November 09th, 2017

Board of Tata Coffee approves change in directorate

Coffee News, World Opinion

With effect from 07 November 2017

The board of Tata Coffee at its meeting held on 07 November 2017 considered the following –

T. Radhakrishnan, currently Executive Director would relocate to Vietnam as Managing Director of Tata Coffee Vietnam Co, WOS of the Company from 1 April 2018.

TCVCL is in the process of setting up a 5000 MT Freeze Dried Coffee Plant in Vietnam.

Consequent to the above, the Board has accepted the resignation of T. Radhakrishnan as Executive Director, with effect from 7th November 2017.

The Board of Directors approved the appointment of L. Krishnakumar as an Additional (Non-Executive) Director of the Company, with immediate effect.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-CM> Companies> News / Capital Markets / November 07th, 2017

Coffee industry seeks review of GST

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

CoffeeBeansKF07nov2017

The high GST rate, besides bringing down instant coffee consumption, would also have a significant impact on the coffee farmers of South India

New Delhi / Bengaluru :

The coffee industry has sought a review of the GST rates on instant coffee and the curing process, while stating that such high rates would hurt consumption and, eventually, growers’ realisations.

Coffee growers are under pressure as the volatile trend in global prices, which directly influence local prices, has already kept their realisations in check.

The GST on instant coffee has been fixed at 28 per cent, while the curing or dry processing of the beans attracts a levy of 18 per cent.

Parity sought with tea

Making a case for reduction in GST on instant coffee, The India Coffee Trust, represented by various stakeholders from the sector, has appealed to the Prime Minister’s Office to bring it down to 18 per cent, on par with the instant tea.

Anil Kumar Bhandari, President, ICT, in a letter to the PMO, said the high GST rate, besides bringing down instant coffee consumption in the country, would also have a significant impact on the coffee farmers of Karnataka and South India, since instant coffee manufactures will source less raw coffee from them.

According to the ICT, of the 3.46 lakh tonnes of raw coffee produced in the country, about 2.78 lakh tonnes is exported, while the rest is consumed domestically.

Of the 0.78 lakh tonnes consumed domestically, about 50,000 tonnes is used in the form of roast and ground, while the remaining 28,000 is consumed as instant coffee.

South India accounts for the bulk of the coffee consumption, though off-take has picked up in the northern States in recent years.

The Trust said instant coffee is largely consumed by poor consumers and the cost per cup is lower when compared to the roast and ground.

It also said that higher tax would impede the development of the coffee habit in North and East India.

Seeking a cure

Meanwhile, the All India Coffee Curers Association has demanded the withdrawal of 18 per cent GST levied on coffee curing.

Curing involves dry processing and grading of green coffee beans.

As curing is an investment-intensive process, the majority of coffee growers normally outsource the dry processing of the green beans to curing works, where they are processed, graded and sorted.

“Any levy on curing would eventually hit farm-gate prices, thereby reducing growers’ realisations. The government should withdraw the levy,” said AN Devaraj, President of the All India Coffee Curers Association.

Farm-gate price worries

Coffee growers are concerned about how the impact of the GST levy on curing will influence farm-gate prices, even as the early harvesting of the arabica variety has begun in parts of Kodagu and Chikmagalur, the main growing regions.

“The GST on curing may impact farm-gate prices. With the season yet to start in full swing, it is too early to quantify the impact,” said HT Pramod, Chairman of the Karnataka Planters’ Association.

Arabica prices are hovering between ₹7,000 and ₹7,200 per 50-kg bag for the parchment, while arabica cherry prices are in the ₹3,700-4,000 per bag range, lower than last year.

“We are waiting for clarity on this issue. No sale of coffee from the new crop has taken place as growers are not in a hurry to sell as prices are low,” said N Bose Mandanna, a grower in Kodagu.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Economy> AgriBusiness / by KR Srivats & Vishwanath Kulkarni / October 30th, 2017

I have become used to people mistaking me for Nazriya: Varsha Bollamma

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

While it has been two years since actress Nazriya decided to take a break from Mollywood post marriage, her fans still hold on to her every delightful gesture and effortless acting.
VarshaBollamma02KF06nov2017

While they are eagerly awaiting her comeback, Varsha Bollamma, who shot to fame with her dubsmash videos based on the actress’ films, is marking her M-town debut. Interestingly, she is also a dead ringer for Nazriya.

“People asking me if I am Nazriya has become part and parcel of my life. Wherever I go, I hear people whispering if I am her and I laugh inside my mind,” says Varsha, adding that the similarities end with the look. “I am a different person and I am sure people will figure that out after a five-minute conversation.”

Varsha will make her debut in Mollywood with Rajesh Nair’s Kalyanam which also stars Mukesh and Saritha’s son Shravan. “I play a girl next door named Shari. It was great working here. The people here are very talented and humble,” she says.

On working with Shravan, Varsha says, “We had to improvise and came up with impromptu dialogues on the sets. It was an interesting experience. Shravan has imbibed the talents of his parents as is evident from his remarkable performance in the film.”

While it’s her first Malayalam film, she started her film career in Tamil two years ago. “My first movie was Sathuran and I did the viral dubsmash movies after shooting for it. Though a few of my friends used to tell me that I resemble Nazriya, I didn’t know how popular the videos would go on to be,” she explains.

In Kollywood, the actress has worked in movies such as Vetrivel and Yanum Theyavan, and is currently part of Vijay Sethupathi’s 96. “He plays a photographer in the film and I his student. Vijay sir doesn’t merely act but rater lives his characters. He’s also one of the sweetest people I have come across. He respects everyone and has a grounded persona,” she says.

Varsha, meanwhile, has signed another Malayalam film titled Mandaram, which has Asif Ali as the protagonist. “It is a romcom and I play a fashion designer,” she says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Entertainment> Malayalam> Movies> News / by Anjana George / October 09th, 2017