Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Chhetri, Aditi SWAB sportspersons of the year

December 17, 2017Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sportsadmin

Sunil Chhetri and Aditi Ashok bagged top honours at the ACT Fibernet-SWAB awards in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Sunil Chhetri and Aditi Ashok bagged top honours at the ACT Fibernet-SWAB awards here on Saturday. The pair claimed the ‘Best Sportsperson of the Year’ awards in the senior category while Anil Kumble was declared the ‘Coach of the Year’.

Before a star-studded gathering that included chief guest Abhinav Bindra and sporting luminaries from the city, former India hockey captain M.P. Ganesh was presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.

Bengaluru FC was adjudged the ‘Team of the Year’ while racing driver Arjun Maini and swimmer Damini K. Gowda emerged the ‘Best Sportspersons of the Year’ in the junior section.

“Bangalore holds a very special place in my heart,” said Bindra, in an eloquent address laced with humour. “I spent many days of my youth shooting at the SAI South Centre here. There is something in the air of Bangalore that makes it special for sports, and I am not saying that because I have just flown here from Delhi.”

Chhetri, whose exploits for the Indian National team and BFC saw him edge out the likes of K.L. Rahul, Rohan Bopanna, and Pankaj Advani for the top prize, said: “When I started off, I was scared of journalists. Over time, I recognized the role they played and built a relationship with them.”

Ganesh, who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games, spoke of his playing career and his transition into administration. The 72-year-old felt government officials, journalists and former athletes needed to join hands to nurture sporting talent.

Harendra Singh, coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, presented the ‘Coach of the Year’ award to Kumble, under whom India won five successive Test series between July 2016 and March 2017.

Kumble was modest in his acceptance of the award.

“I think coaches in cricket don’t have too much to say or too much to do. But nonetheless, this is an excellent recognition of all the good work that the team did over the past one year and they have continued with their winning ways,” he said.

“I’m confident that the team which we have will certainly go on to create history in South Africa and then beyond. The team under Virat certainly has the capabilities to achieve that.”

K. Sriram, a member of the KSCA’s media staff, was presented with the ‘Behind the Scenes’ award while the Karnataka Badminton Association was declared the ‘Association of the Year’.

source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar / Home> More Sports / by Team Sportstar / Bengaluru – December 16th, 2017

Asia’s first woman coffee taster was nearly ‘brewed’ out

December 10, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Bengaluru :

Asia’s first lady of coffee Sunalini Menon says she never planned on being a coffee-taster. She says that she decided on a course in Dietetics or a Phd. in Foods, when she chanced upon an advertisement calling for Assistant Cup tasters at the Coffee Board of India. “I had tried tea tasting as a child at an uncle’s tea estate in Munnar and the ad brought back happy memories of sipping, slurping, spitting and looking wise. I applied for the post and was called for the interview.”

She had to compete with eight men with more experience and qualifications, and that was her first job interview. Sunalini came first in the written and oral tests.

Sunalini, Asia’s first woman coffee taster, says, that the internal panel of examiners were not too keen to appoint her because she was young, had no knowledge about coffee and was a woman who could get married and give up the assignment. “But the then chairman of the Coffee Board was insistent that gender should not come in the way of a job and that as I had topped the interview, that I should rightfully be given the assignment.” Sunalini then joined the Coffee Board of India in 1972.

It wasn’t easy working at the Coffee Board of India, she says. She was the only woman at the officer’s cadre level in the Board then. “The staff working under me refused to accept my instructions or the schedule I had set for work, they were not used to taking instructions from a woman,” she says. “Fortunately, I had a chief who took me under his wing and advised me to first learn the subject and give them time to accept me. His parting words were ‘Tread slowly, but firmly’.”

The in-house training she was given was intense. Every day, she would taste washed arabicas, unwashed arabicas, washed robustas and unwashed robustas, to understand the various nuances in a cup.
Also, a founder trustee of the Women’s Coffee Alliance – India Chapter, Sunalini was present at the Coffee Santhe held recently at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. She says, “This is our annual fund raiser to help empower women coffee-plantation workers and their girl children.”

Coffee tasting is both a science and an art

While carrying out coffee tasting, there is a protocol that one needs to follow. The attributes that are evaluated in the cup are fragrance, which is the smell of the coffee powder in the dry state, and aroma, which is the smell in the wet state, when water is added to the powder. During the aroma evaluation, the crust (floating particles on the surface of liquor or the brew prepared for tasting and all the aromatic volatiles) is broken. With“Breaking of Crust”, fragrance, aroma and the other attributes are evaluated for flavour, aftertaste, acidity, mouthfeel, uniformity, balance, cleanliness, sweetness and, finally, the overall rating of the cup.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran / Express News Service / December 08th, 2017

On the happiness lane

December 8, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorizedadmin

Actor Harshika Poonacha began her career at the age of 15 in the Kannada film industry. She has acted in all the Southern language industries. Harshika is remembered for her memorable performances ‘Jackie’ with Puneeth Rajkumar, ‘Thamassu’ with Shivarajkumar and Yash, ‘Advaitha’ with Ajai Rao and ‘Crazyloka’ with V Ravichandran in Kannada. She has also worked on a few projects in Telugu and Tamil languages. She won the State Award for ‘Best Actress’ for ‘Thamassu’. She has also made an appearance in ‘Big Boss’ with actor Sudeep and ‘Super Minute’ with actor Ganesh. Harshika will soon be seen playing interesting roles in ‘Chitte’ in Kannada and ‘Charminar’ in Malayalam.

“I usually never get a weekend all to myself but whenever I do, I make the best of it. My tight work schedule makes it impossible for me to indulge in things that I enjoy doing, so weekends give me a chance to take a break from the routine and spend time with my family and friends. I make sure that I don’t rush through the weekend and take time to enjoy whatever I am doing.

I am a huge movie buff. There have been weekends when I have watched at least four movies in a day. I have learnt a lot about acting and the art of making films just by watching movies. There are a few actors whose style and work is worth emulating. I admire Urmila Matondkar for her ‘oomph factor’ and I have even made videos of her songs. I also enjoy watching the movies of Madhuri Dixit Nene and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Weekends are the time I slip into a lazy mode. Some of my Saturdays start with an early morning run and a round of swimming at a club. This sets the tone for an eventful weekend.

I try to pack in a lot of variety into my weekends. I enjoy doing up the interiors of my home and adding colour to every corner. I shop for home decor and sometimes change the cover of the couch and the wall paint as well. I do this to overcome the monotony of being in familiar surroundings.

I love automobiles. I picked up a passion for bikes and cars from my father. I still cherish the days when I was taken on short rides by my father and I would be so eager to hold the handle of the bike and steer it. My father too wouldn’t hesitate to let me hold it. I now own a bike and I ride it occasionally.

Cooking is another favourite pastime during the weekend. I don’t mean to praise myself but I am a good cook and an experimental one at that. I make ‘Mutton biryani’ and ‘Ghee rice’ with ‘Chicken curry’, mutton and liver preparations in Coorgi style. In the sweets category, I make ‘Mysore Pak’, ‘Holige’, ‘Kaju Barfi’ and ‘Gulab jamuns’. I don’t believe in going by the recipe book but do my own research for some interesting recipes. My mother and aunt have helped me develop an interest in cooking.

I am not a party person and have a handful of close friends. I hang out a lot with Reshma Kunhi. She’s my best friend and I enjoy spending time with her. My friends and I usually go out for movies and wrap up our outings with a dinner. And if we are in a mood for some desserts, then we head straight to J W Marriott. They have the finest of midnight desserts.

I try to make time for all the things that I love doing on weekends because it makes me feel happy and stay positive.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Metrolife / by Nina C. George / DH News Service / December 07th, 2017

City Corporation honorary lifetime award for Kadri Gopalnath

December 7, 2017Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sportsadmin

Mayor Kavita Sanil addressing a press conference at the Mangaluru City Corporation on Tuesday.

Three more chosen in Yakshagana, Education, Sports categories

A committee of the Mangaluru City Corporation has chosen well-known saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath for the corporation’s first Ullal Srinivas Mallya Memorial Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award carries a purse of ₹ 1 lakh, a memento and a citation. The award will be presented during the Mangaluru City Corporation Day at the Town Hall here on December 8.

In addition, the committee has chosen three persons for the Ullal Srinivas Mallya Memorial Award for Yakshagana, Education and Sports.

They are Agari Raghurama Bhagavatha (Yakshagana); K.A. Rohini (Education) and M.R. Poovamma (Sports). Each one of them would be given away a purse of ₹ 50,000, a memento and a citation.

Announcing the awards here on Tuesday, Mayor Kavita Sanil said that the corporation has instituted the awards for the first time to recognise the contribution of those who have brought laurels to Mangaluru.

The selection committee comprised B.A. Vivek Rai, former Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University and also Karnataka State Open University; B.A. Abdul Rahman, former Vice-Chancellor, Kannur and Calicut universities, K.N. Tingalaya, former Chairman of Syndicate Bank, Rita Noronha, a social worker, and Manohar Prasad, a journalist. The Mayor is the ex-officio chairperson of the committee.

She said that the corporation would conduct a drawing competition for primary and high school students within the jurisdiction of the corporation in the forenoon on December 8. The topics would be Mangaluru International Airport; New Mangaluru Port; National Institute of Technology, Surathkal; National Highway 66 and Mangaluru-Hassan railway line.

The topics have been selected on the basis of contribution of late Mallya for their development. The venue would be the mini Town Hall. There will be three awards each in primary and high school categories. Students will have to register their names either by sending a message on WhatsApp to 9964160249 or 9113995063 before December 6.

She said that the programmes of the City Corporation Day would be conducted from 2.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. The awards would be presented at 6.30 p.m. There would be cultural programmes before and after the award presentation. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala, would present the awards.

The Mayor would present a karate demonstration after the award presentation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – December 06th, 2017

‘Strengthen JD(S) in Kodagu’

December 7, 2017Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leadersadmin

The JD(S) should be strengthened for the growth of the party in Kodagu district. The party workers should create awareness on the secular stand of the JD(S) by visiting households, said former minister B A Jeevijaya.

He was speaking at JD(S) workers meet in Madikeri on Sunday. The political change in the country should start from the state. To meet this goal, JD(S) workers should unitedly work for the victory of JD(S), he said.

JD(S) district President Sanketh Poovaiah said that The Congress and BJP are engaged in dividing the society on the basis of caste and religion and people have lost faith in the Congress and BJP.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service – Madikeri / December 04th, 2017

Hockey World League Final: AB Subbaiah wants India to play attacking game

December 6, 2017Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Sportsadmin

Indian hockey team drew one match and lost one match, in their first two ties at the Hockey World League Final so far

India lost 2-3 against England during the Men's Hockey World League Final 2017 in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.(PTI) — India lost 2-3 against England during the Men’s Hockey World League Final 2017 in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.(PTI)

AB Subbaiah, former Indian hockey team goalkeeper and coach, isn’t worried with team’s inconsistent showing in the ongoing Hockey World League Final. But he is concerned with their defensive play, which resulted in 2-3 loss to England in their second league match on Saturday.

He wants the young Indian side to play an attacking game from the start to end and suggests it as the only way of getting success against the rivals. “We need to play an attacking hockey till the end. To match-up with world’s top team this is the only formula to adopt,” Subbaiah told HT on Sunday.

“Look at team like Germany, which kept the rivals at bay throughout the match on Saturday, but on the other hand our boys in the match against England looked slow and in defensive mode from the very beginning,” he said, adding, “Indian could wake up only after sustaining two goals in the match. Though they came up with some good hockey by restoring parity, they lost steam thereafter.”

Known for his flawless expertise at tiebreakers during his days in the game Subbaiah admitted that India have good bunch of fit youngsters, who can surprise any team in the world, but they need to maintain pace in the match till the end. “Defensive errors in the match let India sustain all three goals against lower ranked England. We could have won the match easily, had we not committed unforced errors,” he said.

He, however, praised the young goalkeepers Akash Chikte and Suraj Karkera for showing well in absence of regular and experienced custodian PS Sreejesh, who is nursing injury. “These youngsters are quite good under the bar, but need to have experience. The number of young goalkeepers in the national camps should be five at least and should be given match practice and exposure too,” said Subbaiah.

“Only with a big pool of talented goalkeepers, we can pick the best one for a particular match of the event. I don’t find any of these young goalkeepers 60 percent close to the caliber of Sreejesh, but it’s true that in future they may achieve that reputation.”

Advocating for a quick but solid return of a fit-again Sreejesh in the team soon, Subbaiah said that the experienced keeper is the need of the hour for India, especially when they would be playing in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Cup and Olympic qualifiers next year.

“We don’t have any other option, and Sreejesh would be the key players in India’s things of scheme next year, which can change the fortunes of the Indian hockey,” he said. “It’s good to know that Sreejesh has been recovering fast and is 70-80 percent match fit, but he should take the field only when he is fully fit,”

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> isl 2017-2018> Other Sports / by Sharad Deep, Bhubaneswar / December 04th, 2017

CNC observes Huthari in traditional fervour

December 4, 2017Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Natureadmin

CNC President N U Nachappa and CNC members observed Huthari festival by cutting paddy sheaves in the filed of Uthappa at Chikkabettageri near Kushalnagar on Sunday.

The Codava National Council (CNC) led by its president N U Nachappa celebrated Huthari, the harvest festival of Kodagu, at a paddy field of Nandineravanda Uthappa, in Chikkabettageri village near Kushalnagar in Kodagu on Sunday.

By cutting paddy sheaves in the paddy field of Uthappa, the members celebrated the festival in a traditional manner.

The members offered prayers to the gods and began the Huthari celebrations with ‘Nere Kattuvo’ ritual. The leaves of mango, jackfruit, “Arali”, “Kumbali” and cashew nut trees were used in the ritual.

After the ritual, the participants walked in a procession to paddy fields accompanied by the ‘Dudikottpat’ (Dudi is a small drum of Kodavas).

After firing thrice in the air, the paddy sheaves were cut and brought home in a procession.

The CNC members performed traditional Kolata, Pareya Kali and Chowkata on the occasion. People relished Payasa, “Thambittu,” “Kadubu”, “Pandikari” and other delicacies on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the CNC President urged the government to include Kodava language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

He said that the government should accord tribal status to Kodavas.

The central government should declare a holiday for Huthari festival.

The CNC is continuing its struggle for an autonomous Kodava land and Kodava land should be declared a union territory. The culture and tradition of Kodavas should be included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Unesco, he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by DH News Service, Kushalnagar / December 03rd, 2017

Bopanna: Indian players will benefit from more Challengers

November 28, 2017Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Speaking after an unveiling of his portrait at the KSLTA in honour of his French Open mixed doubles victory, Bopanna said last week’s tournament in Pune and the ongoing one here proved that Indian players can step up if they get to play more Challenger events.

Rohan Bopanna and his wife Supriya Annaiah at the unveiling of life size photograph of the doubles player in honour of his mixed doubles Grand Slam victory at the French Open 2017. - V. SREENIVASA MURTHY — Rohan Bopanna and his wife Supriya Annaiah at the unveiling of life size photograph of the doubles player in honour of his mixed doubles Grand Slam victory at the French Open 2017. – V. SREENIVASA MURTHY

India’s No.1 doubles player Rohan Bopanna believes nothing can prevent Indian players from stepping things up if they have access to more Challenger events. Speaking after an unveiling of his portrait at the KSLTA in honour of his French Open mixed doubles victory, Bopanna said last week’s tournament in Pune and the ongoing one here proved that.

“At Pune there were two Indians in the final and here we are seeing Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri play so well. Yuki has a great chance to be in the top 100 again. So the more Challengers we have in India, the better. If each State can have a Challenger and a Future then definitely we will produce a lot more players.”

Reflecting on his own season during which he won four titles and finished runner-up thrice even while playing with multiple partners, Bopanna said: “The key thing I learned especially with the partner changes was to completely focus on my game and not really worry about who I was partnering…to focus on my strengths and the way I play.”

In spite of forging a successful partnership with Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, he will pair up with Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin for the upcoming season.

“The challenge that I had with Cuevas this year was that we didn’t really practice much. He played singles so we only played matches. So I decided to find someone who was focused on doubles.”

Bopanna has played before with Roger-Vasselin before – most recently at Wimbledon 2017 – and with a fair amount of success.

“I always like to choose someone who gives me the chance to play my game freely. He doesn’t have any major weapons but he is a solid returner. And he helps me a lot at the net. He gives me the freedom to be aggressive.”

source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar Live / Home> Tennis / by N. Sudarshan / Bengaluru – November 24th, 2017

‘Rakshith and I will be working together’

November 28, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorgadmin

Actor Rashmika Mandanna has just completed shooting for ‘Anjani Putra’ with Puneeth and ‘Chamak’ with Ganesh.

In ‘Anjani Putra’ she plays a lively character, while ‘Chamak’ will see her slip into the role of a homemaker.

The actor says that she had the freedom to improvise and make contributions to the script in both the projects.

Rashmika has her hands full at the moment but doesn’t want to lose any opportunity to work on experimental subjects.

She talks to Nina C George about her journey so far.
What’s your role in ‘Chamak’?
I play Ganesh’s wife in the movie. It is unlike the roles that I have worked on before.

What is the movie about?
The story traces the life of a young married couple living in a city. The film delves into the challenges and pressures faced by young couples. It also takes a look at how important one’s
attitude is when confronted with problems.

What made you accept ‘Anjani Putra’?
I liked the way my character is positioned in the film. My onscreen name is Geetha. I could easily relate to the childish ways and lively nature of the character.

The audio of ‘Anjani Putra’ has just been released. Tell us about it.

Two of our songs have been shot on the streets of UK. That was a brilliant experience. Each song has a different feel to it.
Puneeth is a good dancer. Was it tough to match steps with him?
More than matching steps, I was overwhelmed by seeing how helpful Puneeth is. He takes you along with him and is supportive of his co-stars. It is fun when big stars help you at every step.

How was your experience of acting with Puneeth and Ganesh?
It is interesting to watch how established actors go about their job. How they handle their characters and what they do to get under the skin of the character is in itself a learning
process. I treasure the time spent with them.

Are you under pressure to prove yourself as an actor?
I am not under any pressure because I like to work at my own pace. I am fortunate to have bagged projects with Puneeth and Ganesh this early in my career and I know that it is going to be tough going forward. But that doesn’t make me nervous. It has only made me a stronger person.

Will we see you work with Rakshith Shetty anytime soon?
Yes, Rakshith and I will be working together in the future. It is now doubly exciting to work with him because we are very comfortable in each other’s company.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Nina C. George / DH News Service / Bengaluru – November 26th, 2017

Karnataka : To save River Cauvery, Kodagu students send a scroll to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

November 25, 2017Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Natureadmin

A group of children in Kodagu have written — rather drawn — to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to protect river Cauvery which is under threat because of unplanned development activities. Instead of the usual way of writing a letter, the children opted for a scroll which has a series of paintings which depict the current state of the river.

Meena Cariappa, a social worker associated with the Opportunity School in Madikeri and wife of Air Marshal Cariappa (rtd), told Bangalore Mirror, “it is a scary situation the way river Cauvery is facing. While environment activists are working towards protecting the river, the children of Kodagu have joined hands in this mission and have attempted to draw the attention of the prime minister himself.”

She says if PM can look into the issue, the river can be a role model for the entire country itself.

She said, “Apart from a tweet to the Prime Minister’s Office, we have sent a six-ft–long scroll to the Prime Minister’s residence, hoping that he would look at it and there could be some change. There are many things happening in the name of development which is destroying the river, the lifeline of South India.”

The scroll reads: Respected Prime Minister, Please Save the Cauvery. We can see it dying and it won’t be there when we grow up. Only you can save it. There is a photograph of the Cauvery flowing in the centre. There are two photographs of the river on either side — one stating ‘what you had’ and another ‘what we get’. The entire text is handwritten on a recycled paper. It has pictures of about 100 students, though nearly 1,000 kids participated.”

“We have sent this scroll to the Prime Minister’s residence as part of Children’s Day celebration. We are hopeful that that he will respond to the students’ request. We are waiting,” Meena said.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 23rd, 2017

Kodagu First

a Celebration. Positive News, Facts & Achievements about Kodagu, Coorgs and the People of Kodagu – here at Home and Overseas