Madikeri in Kodagu, known as the “Kashmir of Karnataka” and the “City of Fog,” is enveloped in dense mist during the rainy season, attracting tourists with its enchanting allure. Despite past travel disruptions due to landslides, Kodagu has regained its natural beauty, offering travellers serene, foggy landscapes and vibrant greenery along the journey from Bengaluru.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
Madikeri in Kodagu district, affectionately known as the ‘Kashmir of Karnataka’ and widely popular as the ‘Scotland of India’ is now shrouded in dense fog with the onset of the rainy season. Over the past three to four years, Madikeri’s reputation as the “City of Fog” has become well-established.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
‘The City of Fog’ aptly describes Madikeri during the rainy season, when a thick, ethereal mist blankets the town. This year, the fog has descended even before the rains began, drawing tourists with its enchanting allure.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
Previously, travellers to Coorg from Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and other regions had to cut their trips short due to landslides in Kodagu.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
Over the last three to four years, the number of visitors to Kodagu had dwindled. Some attributed the persistent fog to deforestation in the area.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
However, the truth lies elsewhere. The landslides in Kodagu, triggered by floods, were nature’s way of restoring balance. Now, after three or four years, Kodagu has reclaimed its natural splendour.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
The state experienced a favourable pre-monsoon season in the first week of May, following the scorching heat of April. As a result, Mother Earth has been donning a vibrant green saree for the past 15 days. As you journey from Bengaluru to Kodagu, the mist begins to fall as soon as you cross the border at Kushalanagar. Travelling through the hills, the road often disappears into the thick fog.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
The mist envelops this green saree of Mother Earth like delicate jasmine flowers. At times, the fog is dense; at others, it lifts, creating a captivating play of mist in Madikeri.
PC: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha
As you journey from Bengaluru to Kodagu, the mist begins to fall as soon as you cross the border at Kushalanagar. Travelling through the hills, the road often disappears into the thick fog. On the way to Madikeri, motorists can slow down, pause, and immerse themselves in the serene embrace of nature, savouring its unparalleled beauty.
source: http://www.newsable.asianetnews.com / Asianet Newsable / Home> English News> News> Lifestyle / Pics: Vighnesh Bhootanakadu, Kannadaprabha / May 28th, 2024
Indian mixed 4×400 relay team set a national record while winning the gold medal but missed the target of entering the Paris Olympics qualification bracket.
Women quartet of Vithya Ramraj, M R Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Rupal Chaudhary won the silver in the women’s 4x400m relay at the Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok on May 21, 2024. Photo: X/@India_AllSports
Fielding under-strength teams after having qualified for the Paris Olympics, both the men’s and women’s 4x400m quartets finished second at the inaugural Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok on May 21.
he women’s team of Vithya Ramraj, M R Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Rupal Chaudhary clocked 3 minutes 33.55 seconds to finish behind Vietnam (3:30.81) in the women’s 4x400m relay final, which was conducted amid thundershowers at the Suphachalasai National Stadium. Japan won the bronze medal with 3:35.45.
Vietnam runners were ahead all through the race.
Vithya and Prachi were not part of the Indian quartet that clocked 3 minutes and 29.35 seconds to book a Paris Olympics quota during the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this month.
Jyothika Sri Dandi and Subha Venkatesan had teamed up with Poovamma and Rupal on that occasion.
The men’s quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Santosh Kumar, Mijo Chacko Kurian and Arokia Rajiv also failed to stand on top of the podium as they clocked 3:05.76 to finish second behind Sri Lanka (3:04.48). Vietnam was third with 3:07.37.
The Sri Lankan team was ahead after the first leg but Santosh put India in the lead in the second. Chacko kept India in the lead after the third leg but Sri Lanka’s anchor runner Hewa Kalinga Kumarge overtook Arokia at the final stretch.
Santosh and Chacko were not part of the Indian quartet that clocked 3 minutes and 3.23 seconds to book a Paris Olympics quota during the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas earlier this month.
Muhammed Ajmal and Amoj Jacob had teamed up with Muhammed Anas Yahiya and Arokia Rajiv on that occasion.
Muhammed Ajmal and Amoj Jacob had teamed up with Jyothika Sri Dandi and Subha Venkatesan for the mixed 4x400m race on Monday as India was aiming to enter the Paris Olympics bracket in that event. The quartet was the first choice members of the mixed 4x400m team and they were thus not fielded on Tuesday in the men’s and women’s relays.
On Monday, the Indian mixed 4×400 relay team set a national record while winning the gold medal but missed the target of entering the Paris Olympics qualification bracket.
The quartet of Muhammed Ajmal, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Amoj Jacob and Subha Venkatesan clocked 3 minutes 14.12 seconds to win the race. The earlier national record of 3:14.34 was clocked by the Indian team while winning silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.
Monday’s timing would put the Indian mixed 4x400m team at the 21st place — from earlier 23rd — in the Road to Paris list of World Athletics while the aim was to be either in the 15th or 16th spot.
India, thus, is in a difficult position to make the Olympics cut as only sixteen teams will compete in the mixed 4x400m relay event in Paris.
India’s target on Monday was to at least better 3:13.56 and sit at the 16th spot, but the country failed to do so.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Athletics / by PTI – Bangkok / May 21st, 2024
Rani’s entire career has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the folk dance form, Ummathat, of the Kodava tradition.
Rani Machaiah (seated) was felicitated at a function in Madikeri on Thursday, 26 January. (Supplied)
The news came as mellifluous as the song that accompanies Ummathat, the traditional dance form of Kodagu.
Rani Machaiah — better known as Ummathat Ki Rani — was at her home in Madikeri when she received the news of the nation honouring her with Padma Shri.
Congratulatory calls have been flooding her from relatives, friends, well-wishers, and most importantly, from her large number of students since Wednesday, 25 January.
“A train of thoughts crossed my mind,” the 79-year-old shared her experience with South First. “I have worked for around 50 years, promoting this traditional dance form.”
She has been leading Ummathat since 1984 and she had trained over 10,000 students.
Rani recalled taking her students to different states to showcase the dance form. “Ummathat is performed by a troupe of 20 — two will be singing and the other eighteen will dance to narrate a story,” she explained.
“This dance form is similar to the traditional ones of every other state,” she added.
Creating masters
Rani doesn’t dance anymore. But she still teaches students to master the art form. She had trained several batches of students.
Padma Shri Rani Machaiah. (Supplied)
“Once they get married, they leave and a new batch joins. Girls of any age can join the troupe,” Rani said.
Her students had performed in Lakshadweep, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and several places across Karnataka.
“We get invitations from various places and institutions from all over the country and we perform our traditional Ummathat there,” Rani, who has dedicated herself to preserving and promoting the traditional dance form, said.
Rani was born in 1943 in Siddapura in the Kodagu district. Her husband, the late Machaiah, was an advocate, who passed away when she was 65.
Her son, Sathish Machaiah, 55, is a software engineer in Bengaluru. Rani’s daughter, Saritha Devaiah, is a homemaker in Kodagu. Her husband Devaiah owns a plantation.
When asked about her inspiration to take up Ummathat, Rani said it was personal interest.
Now, a lipi
Rani is the chairperson of Kaveri Kalavrunda Sangha, an organisation she founded. She is the recipient of the Rajyotsava Award and many other honours.
She was a former president of Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and at present, she is encouraging groups of Kodavas working on designing a lipi — alphabet or script — for the Kodava language to preserve its literature since the language doesn’t have a lipi now (traditionally, Kodavas use the Thirke script, which is an abugida).
“It will look somewhat similar to Kannada and it will have phonetics and extra words that are used in the Kodava language in Kannada lipi,” Rani said.
source: http://www.thesouthfirst.com / South First / Home> States / by Bellie Thomas / January 27th, 2023
This is only the second documented occurrence of the Ligdus genus in 129 years, according to naturalists.
Ligdus garvale spider discovered in Kodagu district. | Photo Credit: special arrangement
A group of naturalists from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka recently discovered a new species of spider in Kodagu. They named it Ligdus garvale after the village where it was found. Garvale, a village in the Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu district, is where the spider was discovered.
This jumping spider is significant as it represents only the second documented occurrence of the Ligdus genus in 129 years, according to naturalists.
The research team includes John T.D. Caleb from the Department of Anatomy at Saveetha Medical College & Hospital in Chennai, A. Divyashree from Kuvempu University in Shankarghatta, A.P.C. Abhijith from Indraprastha Organic Farm in Mysuru, and Lohith Kumar from Montrose Golf Resort and Spa in Kodagu.
According to Ms. Divyashree, Ligdus garvale was found in Garvale village, which is surrounded by agroforestry. “Coffee plantations are prominent in the area, along with pepper and paddy fields where the Ligdus Garvale, a jumping spider, was found,” she added.
After the team of naturalists observed the spider and recorded their findings, they sent the specimen to Mr. Caleb for anatomical examination. “Ligdus garvale represents just the second recorded occurrence of the Ligdus genus in 129 years. The first, Ligdus chelifer, was documented in Myanmar in 1895,” Mr. Abhijith said.
Mr. Abhijith explained that the eight-legged creature was discovered beneath the leaf of a torch ginger plant in Garvale village in north Kodagu. “The Garvale jumping spider measures approximately 0.2 inches in length. It has eight legs, eight eyes, and a body covered with fine pale hairs. Only one male Garvale jumping spider was found, and the new species was named after the Garvale area where it was discovered. So far, this is the only area where it has been found,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau, Bengaluru / May 24th, 2024
India is Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee. The country grows Arabica and Robusta varieties.
Photo: BloombergItaly, Russia, The UAE, Germany And Turkey Are Major Coffee Export Destinations For India.
India’s coffee exports rose by 12.22 per cent to $1.28 billion in 2023-24 on higher demand for Robusta coffee in the global markets, according to the commerce ministry data.
The country exported coffee worth $1.14 billion in 2022-23.
India is Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter of coffee. The country grows Arabica and Robusta varieties.
Arabica coffee beans have less caffeine content than the Robusta. Arabica has sweet and smoother taste, while Robusta is generally more bitter and harsher on the taste buds.
In volume terms, coffee shipments from India rose 13.35 per cent to 1,25,631 tonnes during the January-March period of 2023-24. The country had exported 1,10,830 tonnes of coffee in the same period in 2023.
Italy, Russia, the UAE, Germany and Turkey are major coffee export destinations for India.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Industry News / by Press Trust of India, New Delhi / May 24th, 2024
Kaapi Machines, India’s first and largest coffee equipment, training, and services company, proudly announces Teja Achar as the winner of the2nd Edition of the ‘NationalLatte Art India 2024’. This prestigious event, following the immense success of the first edition last year, this year Kaapi Machines with the Coffee Board of India, has once again showcased the exceptional talent and passion of India’s finest latte artists.
The championship journey commenced on April29,2024, with preliminaries held in Delhi, Mumbai,and Bangalore.
These events highlighted the immense talent across India, culminating in a grand finale where the finest artists competed for the top honour.
The grand finale, held in Bangalore, was a spectacular display of creativity and skill,culminatinginTeja Achar’s victory. He will now represent India at the World Latte Art Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, this June.
Abhinav Mathur, CEO & Managing Director of Kaapi Machines, expressed his delightatthesuccessful conclusion of the championship, stating, “We are thrilled to witness the incredible talent and dedication displayed by all the participants. Teja Achar’s victory is a testament to the growing appreciation and skill level of latte art in India. At Kaapi Machines, we are committed to nurturing and promoting this art form, and we look forward to seeing Teja Achar representourcountryonthe global stage in Copenhagen.”
Kaapi Machines remains committed to fostering talent and passion within the coffee community, and this championship is a testament to that dedication. As the country’s leading coffee equipment and training provider, Kaapi Machines continues to supportandinspirecoffeeenthusiastsandprofessionals alike.
source: http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in / India Education Diary / Home> National News / by India Education Diary / May 24th, 2024
30th Anniversary Celebrations, an exhibition of water colour paintings ‘Nisarga Lalithya’ by well-known artist H.P. Rangaswamy of Mysuru.
Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club-Mysuru President K.D. Muthappa inaugurates.
Senior artist and Founder-Chief Convenor of Bharani Art Gallery N.B. Kaverappa, presides, Artist Ganjifa Raghupati Bhat, writer Dr. Majjigepura K. Shivaramu, Nanjundaswamy of e-Biotorium Network Pvt. Ltd., Mysuru, will be the special guests.
Artist H.P. Rangaswamy will be present, 11 am.
Expo open to public, Gallery premises, Vivekanandanagar, up to 7 pm.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Events Tomorrow / May 25th, 2024
As a final year college student, Sharath Somanna bagged his first contract in 2013 by approaching a building owner who had stopped construction mid-way. Five years later, he has grown into an accomplished builder and interior designer, whose company executed projects worth Rs 20 crore last year.
He is now focusing on turn-key projects instead of taking mere contractual work and is all set to turn his company, Blue Oak Constructions & Interiors Pvt Ltd, launched in 2014 with an investment of Rs 46,000 into a pan India firm and also has plans to go global soon.
Sharath Somanna bagged his first construction contract when he was doing his final year BBA (Photos: Special Arrangement)
“Clients today are not in favour of a separate designer, a separate contractor and so on. We are trying to give them that one solution,” says the 27-year-old Somanna. “Since we come from a contracting background, and with a great team of in-house designers, we do the best execution. And, we don’t charge for the designs.”
But it has not been a smooth sailing for the son of an army man from Kodagu district, whose lack of formal training in civil engineering or interior designing did not deter him from winning big projects, ranging from residential buildings to commercial structures to corporate offices to industries.
Before touching the pinnacle in Bengaluru’s construction industry, Somanna had gone through tough times. He suffered huge losses, to the tune of Rs 55 lakh, in the first year of starting his company in 2014.
“Though I was stressed a lot, my never say die attitude gave me the required boost to face the challenges and take the learning in my stride. I never give up,” says Somanna, recalling the initial setback.
After setting up the company he had taken up two projects worth Rs 16 crore. “Getting the projects was easy,” he recalls. “But as I didn’t come from a business family, I lacked mentorship and advice. I made a lot of mistakes. I used the same strategy which I applied in my first project, but later understood that it does not work for other projects.”
The first project had come his way when he was studying BBA at M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bengaluru. “One day, on my way back from college, I came across a half-done construction of a residential building and wondered why the construction had stopped. The next day, I approached the building owner to take the job forward,” he says.
Somanna says he is surrounded by a team of talented professionals who help in executing his projects to client expectations
Somanna took a 51-year-old experienced civil engineer along with him and told him that if he got the project, he would hire him. The tactic worked and he got his first project.
“The owner gave us a small advance of Rs 4 lakh. We took up the Rs 1.1 crore project and completed the 46,000 square feet building in one year,” he says. But the next project ran into trouble. “The project was huge, but we lacked the managerial wherewithal to sustain it. The developers didn’t pay us on time. In the first year itself the company suffered a loss to the tune of Rs 55 lakh.”
However, the gritty fighter that he is, Somanna took the blow in his stride. “It was a good learning and I enjoyed it,” he shares.
He rebuilt his team, recruiting good talent and fine-tuning the business model. “Though I went through a lot of stress, it gave me the boost and energy to work harder. Despite the losses, nothing pulled me down. I saw lot of cheating, engineers backstabbed me. But I never gave up, and I never will,” he asserts confidently.
“When I couldn’t pay my workers on time, I made up my mind that I should work meticulously in such a way that at any given point in time, I should have a buffer for five years to pay my employees. Today, I can proudly say that I have achieved that benchmark.”
Somanna was just 22 when he learnt to manage his finances and employees.
A national level hockey player during his college days, Somanna likes to play golf now when he has the time
But how did he overcome his loss? “Since my parents come from a middle-class background, they could not support me with money, but gave the much needed emotional and moral support. I waited for opportunities and bagged some good projects to offset my losses thereafter,” he shares.
Blue Oak, which has executed a plethora of projects successfully since 2016, has never raised any external funding. Among its projects were 200 flats covering an area of 3.5 lakh square feet, high-end residential buildings, plush corporate offices and industrial projects in Mysuru. It is now looking forward to bag a resort project in Goa this year.
“From this year, we are concentrating more on Design Build solutions where we will execute the entire project from conceptualisation of the structural design to interiors and completion,” he shares his vision for the future.
Blue Oak, which started with 11 employees on board and 60 people working onsite and now has 18 employees and around 150 people working onsite, stands apart for its rich talent pool as experienced people have joined it from JLL, Cushman & Wakefield and a couple of American companies.
Ask him how he understood the nuances of the business, on which he had no prior knowledge, and he quips: “As a businessman, I still believe that more than me breaking my head in understanding certain procedures of the company, it is always better to surround yourself with smart people.”
Somanna was born and brought up in Kodagu district’s Madikeri, where he studied till class six. Then he moved to Bengaluru and studied at St Joseph’s Indian High School staying in the hostel. After his parents moved to Bengaluru, Sharath has been living with them.
A creation of Blue Oaks Constructions & Interiors
His father Ganesh Appaiah is a retired army man and his mother Seethamma Ganesh is a housewife. On the footsteps of his father, who was a hockey player, Somanna too played hockey at the national level for Karnataka during his student days. Nowadays, he plays golf when time permits.
He has brought in the sportsman’s discipline into his personal and professional lives. He works from 10 am to 10 pm and does a 40-minute meditation religiously every morning before starting his day. He is also a dog lover. “My two golden retrievers and a cocker spaniel are my stress busters,” he adds.
There is one nagging question. What does Blue Oak mean? “Blue stands for clarity. Oak is the strongest wood used in construction. And Lion is our logo. So, we promise to give you the strongest building with clarity and truth, which I think is lacking in the construction industry,” he says with clarity.
That he also means what he says is evident from the meeting this writer had with him at a palatial two-storeyed house in an upscale locality of Bengaluru. The interiors of the house are being redone by Blue Oak.
As Somanna is closely monitoring the job, he could explain the minute details of the rework being done there. He has decided to retain some of the old wood carvings while redoing the kitchen and bathrooms aesthetically to match the tastes of the owner.
Somanna taking a break with his parents and pets
“I never had the heart to change this wooden door of the pooja room with such intricate work. Though we were given freehand to redo the whole house, I convinced the owner to retain certain antique elements to give the best of both the traditional and modern blend,” he explains.
Somanna is literally living his dream these days. “I was keen on doing some business from a young age. I used to trade bubble gum tattoos in school and always dreamt of becoming an entrepreneur,” he recalls with a laugh.
This Article is Part of the ‘Amazing Entrepreneurs’ Series
source: http://www.theweekendleader.com / The Weekend Leader / Home> Amazing Entrepreneurs’ Series / Vol 10, Issue 36 / by Usha Prasad, Bengaluru / July 27th, 2019
Jayalakshmi Govindarao(93), Founder of ‘Rashtramata’ weekly newspaper and the first woman newspaper editor of Kodagu district, passed away at her residence on Jain Street on Tuesday morning.
She leaves behind three sons, one daughter and a host of relatives and friends.
Jayalakshmi, who started ‘Rashtramatha’ weekly in 1974, was the editor of the newspaper.
She had also served as the President of Virajpet Mahila Samaja and was involved in Congress party actively.
Last rites were held at Ursunagar Burial Grounds in the town.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 22nd, 2024
Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwar called on senior Congress leader Mittoo Chengappa at his residence in Kushalnagar on Thursday, 16th May 2024.
Earlier, Dr. Parameshwar had gone to Kumbaragadige village near Mutlu in Somwarpet, Kodagu district, where he met the family of U.S. Meena, a minor girl who was recently beheaded by a man. The Minister inquired about Mittoo Chengappa’s health and reminisced about old memories as Congress activists and wished him good health before leaving.
Madikeri MLA Dr. Manthar Gowda, former MLC Veena Achaiah, KPCC General Secretary K.P. Chandrakala, Congress youth leader N. Madhu and other prominent leaders were present with the Minister during his visit to Chengappa’s residence.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 18th, 2024
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