Monthly Archives: December 2018

Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan, India’s Asiad gold-winning pair, to partner on ATP Tour from 2019

December 9, 2018Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinionadmin

The all-Indian doubles pair will start their season at home in the Maharashtra Open.

India’s 2018 Asian Games gold medal winning pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan has decided to form a permanent partnership and will play together on the ATP Tour from the 2019 season.

Bopanna and Sharan – ranked 37 and 39 in the ATP year-end doubles ranking respectively – will start their season at the Maharashtra Open in Pune and will play one more tournament before taking part in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

“We have played with each other before and we gel well. Plus we have similar rankings so we can enter the bigger tournaments together,” Sharan told Scroll.in. “Both of us are from India and it is always nice to play with someone from your country,” he added.

The idea to pair came up organically and was something both of them were keen on, especially after their title-winning run in Indonesia in August this year. “We have been in touch and were thinking about this, especially after the Asian Games. I enjoy playing with Rohan and we form a good pair,” he said.

But the partnership can also go on to be a lot more meaningful for Indian tennis with an eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. An all-Indian doubles pair with the experience of playing together on the circuit will be a welcome addition the squad.

On his part, Sharan did say that playing together now will give them the opportunity to play more tournaments together for India in the future. The duo displayed good chemistry when they played together in Indonesia and more tournaments together will give them a chance to get better. Much like the pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi in the early part of this millennium.

After the Maharashtra Open, the pair plans to play in either Sydney or Auckland depending on the entry list and then the Australian Open. There is a strong possibility that they will team up in the Davis Cup as well, when India take on Italy in February in the qualifiers for the Finals.

The 32-year-old Sharan is a late bloomer and has had a great season in 2018, reaching a career-best 36 and was briefly the highest-ranked Indian in doubles ahead of Bopanna as well. Sharan had a host of partners in the last year, after ending his long-standing partnership with fellow Indian Purav Raja. Last year at the Maharashtra Open, Sharan had played with Yuki Bhambri while 2016 Chennai Open champions Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan had played together.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Indian Tennis / by Zenia D’Cruz / December 07th, 2018

Kumaraswamy gives start to housing project for flood-hit families in Kodagu

December 9, 2018Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, Alladmin

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and others at the laying of the foundation stone for the houses for flood-affected families, at Jamboor village, near Madapura, in Kodagu district on Friday.

Kodagu Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Development Authority to lead rebuilding efforts

Acknowledging the courage displayed by the people of Kodagu during the floods and landslips a few months ago, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy offered all help from the government to those displaced and affected by the unprecedented calamity.

The CM made an announcement on the setting up of the Kodagu Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Development Authority, of which he is chairman. It will carry out reconstruction and rehabilitation work and restoring the flood-ravaged district.

Mr. Kumaraswamy was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the construction of houses on a 50-acre plot at Jamboor village near Madapura in the district on Friday. Each house will be built at a cost of ₹9.80 lakh.

Reiterating the State government’s promise of fulfilling all demands of affected families, the CM said the government was determined and committed to ensure a respectable life to the displaced families and urged them not to panic about their future.

Never in the past has the government come forward to build a 2BHK home for displaced families in the State, Mr. Kumaraswamy said, and added that the donations to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund would be used for the construction.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said there was no dearth of funds with the government for offering succour to the affected. The lost charm of the district following the floods and landslips would be restored, he added. He said the government is putting all its strength towards rebuilding Kodagu and the constitution of the authority is a major step in this direction. “The Centre has not released any special aid to flood-ravaged Kodagu,” he alleged.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha took exception to the DyCM’s comment in his speech and argued that the Centre has also responded positively to the flood-hit district.

Objecting to Mr Parameshwar’s remark that the Centre should have announced a special package for Kodagu like it did for Kerala, Mr. Simha said the Centre did not announce any package to Kerala but released funds under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Also, the highways in Kodagu were being repaired and reconstructed from the Central grant, he maintained.

The MP displayed a letter on the Centre’s aid to the State which was also acknowledged by the Chief Minister.

In his address, Minister for Housing and Urban Development U.T. Khader said compensation for coffee and black pepper growers would be announced soon. The construction of houses for the families would start from Saturday at Jamboor, Somawarpet and Madikeri. Around 55 houses would be built in one month in the respective colonies.

Minister in-charge of Kodagu district S.R. Mahesh spoke about the efforts made by the government after the disaster struck the district and the immediate succour provided to the affected families.

MLA Appachu Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner P.I. Sreevidya and others were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – December 08th, 2018

Cleanliness jatha in Madikeri

December 6, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Featuresadmin

Green City Forum Convener Kukkera Jaya Chinnappa called upon the residents to keep their surroundings clean.

Speaking at a cleanliness jatha organised by Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan Kodagu Vidyalaya here at Madikeri on Wednesday, he said the Central government has been focusing on cleanliness and sanitation.

There is a need to ensure that all the households have toilet facilities. The residents should keep their surroundings clean, he added.

The students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavana Kodagu Vidyalaya and General K S Thimayya Public School participated in the jatha.

The jatha was carried out from Gandhi Maidan and passed through Raja Seat Road to KSRTC bus stand. Handbills were distributed among the public.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Districts / by Naina J A / DH News Service,Madikeri / December 05th, 2018

Hockey World Cup Memories: AB Subbaiah remembers 1994 edition, where India’s chances were undone by South Africa

December 5, 2018Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Playing as a goalkeeper for the Indian team, AB Subbaiah was part of the 1998 Asian Games gold medal winning side. He has been feted with the Arjuna Award. He spoke to Amit Kamath.

I was India’s goalkeeper in the 1994 World Cup, which was held in Sydney. What a memorable tournament it was!

We had a great team consisting of players like Dhanraj Pillay, Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Riaz.

Our preparation for the World Cup was also excellent. The 1994 World Cup was one of the first coaching assignments of Cedric D’Souza and he had prepared the team really well. I remember that a lot of players came from either Mumbai or Karnataka at that time.

While most of our other coaches used to train us by working on our strengths, Cedric was the one who made us prepare by focusing on our rivals’ strengths and tactics. Cedric had a technical style of coaching which involved studying other teams. It was a modern style of training which helped us prepare for each and every situation.

We played some great hockey against the best teams in the world. That tournament saw us register wins over South Korea and Belgium in the group stage. We also had close matches against Germany and the Netherlands.

It was a great team and we had done very well but one unfortunate thing was the 2-2 draw against South Africa in the league stage. That proved to be the difference between us and Germany in qualifying for the semi-finals. At that time, just two teams from the group were to qualify for the semis.

I remember that after our last group match, we had to wait for the match between the Netherlands and Germany to end to see if we could qualify. They played out a draw, which led some of us to feel like they had an understanding.

But there were a few things which proved to be our undoing in that tournament. Against the good teams in our group we performed really well, but against an under-rated team like South Africa, we were a little slack in our approach. That was probably because we were focusing on the bigger teams in the tournament. When you play at an event as big as the World Cup, you have to prepare equally for each opponent however big or small it is.

What also hurt us was a misplaced pass by Shakeel Ahmed when we were up 1-0 against Germany. The Germans capitalised on the error, stormed into out D and equalised!

Another memory that sticks out from that tournament is the goal the Netherlands’ Taco van den Honert scored against me in our group match. At that time, players would whack or slap-hit the ball towards goal in penalty corners. But when the Netherlands played us, Taco drag-flicked the ball into the top right corner. It surprised all of us! It was the onset of the era of drag-flicks.

What also went against us was that one of our most prominent forwards, Sabu Varkey, was not available during the tournament. If he had played, he would have been a livewire at the front and the results would have been different.

Eventually, we could not qualify for the semis and had to play Argentina in the playoffs for the 5th to 8th position spots. We won that match in an exhilarating tiebreaker. We beat them comprehensively! At that time, finishing 5th and 6th was commendable because it also meant that the team would qualify for the Champions Trophy. So, on one hand, we were happy, but on the other hand, we felt that since a lot of young players had come from the junior team, so we could have done really well in this tournament.

And then we beat England for the fifth-sixth position match which made it a memorable tournament for us. Finishing fifth at that tournament was not that bad because it was just one step away from the semi-finals. We were unfortunate to miss the chance in that way. But what was more unfortunate was that at the Atlanta Olympics two years later, we again missed the semi-final cut narrowly like that.

That was what teams need to realise! We were good enough to make it to the semis at the 1994 World Cup. But it was just because of one underrated team beating us in one match that we missed out.

For the full Hockey World Cup 2018 schedule, click here

source: http://www.firstpost.com / FirstPost. / Home> Latest News> Sports News / by A B Subbaiah / December 02nd, 2018

Kodagu district and Kannur airport to be catalysts for mutual growth

December 4, 2018Business & Economy, World Opinionadmin

Mangaluru :

Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) and Kodagu district are betting big on the proximity factor and the tourism potential for mutual growth. Kodagu, the hill district of Karnataka, will be one of the major beneficiaries of the Kannur International Airport that will begin operation on December 9.

V Thulasidas, Managing Director of KIAL, recently told BusinessLine in Kannur that Kodagu passengers would find this airport convenient because of its proximity to major towns in the district.

Proximity
Virajpet in southern Kodagu is just 58 km away from the airport (which is located at Mattannur), and Madikeri in northern Kodagu is around 90 km from the airport.

G Chidvilas, former president of the Kodagu District Chamber of Commerce, said though Bengaluru is located around 260 km from Madikeri, it requires around seven hours of travel. “From there you need at least one hour to reach the Bengaluru airport,” he said.

The Mangaluru International Airport is around 140 km from Madikeri, and around 170 km from Virajpet. The Kannur airport is much closer to Kodagu towns than these two airports, he said.

Tourism potential
Stating that coffee crop and tourism are the two major contributors to the economy of the district, Chidvilas said the district is a major tourism destination in Karnataka. Many corporates in the hospitality sector have opened resorts in the district. Apart from this, the district has many home-stay accommodations.

“Since Kannur is an international airport, we are expecting an influx of foreign tourists into Kodagu,” he said.

Cargo to Gulf
Thulasidas said KIAL has had several interactions with the chambers of commerce from its catchment areas, including the Kodagu chamber. “I went to Madikeri and had meetings with the chamber. We will work together as a team to promote tourism in this catchment area,” he said.

On the potential for cargo handling from the Kodagu region, the KIAL MD said the presence of an airport nearby offers scope for exporting flowers and spices from the district to the Gulf destinations. From there, these cargoes can go to Europe. The construction of the cargo complex at the airport is expected to be completed in one-and-a-half years.

Road connectivity
Chidvilas said Kodagu, which is known for floriculture activities, is now dependent on the Bengaluru airport for export. The Kannur airport will provide another alternative to the floriculturists to tap the export market.

Asked about the condition of roads between the Kodagu centres and the airport, he said the problem is with the stretch of roads in Kodagu and not Kerala. A stretch from the Kerala border to Virajpet, which needs to be widened, passes through a reserve forest, he said.

Thulasidas said the road from Kannur town to Mattannur (where the airport is located) and from there to the Karnataka border will be a National Highway. The road from Mattannur to the Karnataka border, which is already being developed by the Kerala government into two lanes under another scheme, is almost completed.

The development of the roads will help people from both Kannur and Kodagu areas, he added.

source:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home / by A J Vinayak / December 03rd, 2018

Traditional flavour marks Kodava National Day

December 3, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, Alladmin

Kodavas take part in a programme as a part of the Kodava National Day observed by the Codava National Council in Madikeri on Sunday.

The 28th Kodava National Day is dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives during the floods and landslides, Codava National Council (CNC) President N U Nachappa declared while inaugurating the Kodava National Day organised by CNC at Gandhi Maidan on Sunday.

Nachappa while addressing the gathering said that CNC has been fighting for the self-respect of the villagers rendered homeless by nature’s fury.

“The government should fulfil all the demands of victims at relief camps. A disaster of bigger scale is waiting to happen if Harangi dam is not rebuilt. The government should initiate an enquiry into the fitness of Harangi reservoir,” he urged.

He said that a probe should also be done into the alleged misappropriation of relief materials.

Nachappa also urged the government to establish a separate department for disaster management.

“The genocide of Kodavas in Devati Parambu by Tipu Sultan can never be forgotten. Yet the state government is observing the birthday of Tipu, hurting the sentiments of Kodavas,” he said and alleged that miscreants had been disrupting CNC’s campaign.

“The genealogy studies on Kodavas was also stopped abruptly,” he added.

Traditional celebrations were the highlight at the 28th Kodava National Day.

After the traditional Kodava ritual, a cultural procession was taken out from General Thimayya Circle to Gandhi Maidan, through General Thimayya Circle.

Youth wearing the traditional Kodava attire walked in the procession to the beats of ‘Dudikott Patt’.

‘Bolakkatt’, ‘Kattiyatt’ and ‘Kolata’ drew the attention of people.

CNC members Chandira Raja, Karavanda Saraswathi, Boppanda Bollamma Nanaiah, Hanchettira Nayak and Areyada Savitha were present among others.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> District / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / December 02nd, 2018

‘Kodagu is Back’ campaign to promote tourism

December 2, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, Alladmin

The resort and homestay owners have initiated a campaign to promote tourism in the district.

The campaign ‘Kodagu is Back’ is aimed at promoting tourism in the district which had been affected by landslides and flash floods causing extensive damage during August.

The tourism industry has sprung back to life in the face of floods affecting Kerala. However, in Kodagu, the tourism industry failed to recover. Hence, the resort and homestay owners in the district have posted two short films to highlight that Kodagu is safe and tourists can visit without any fear. The duration of the video is one-and-a-half minutes and has gone viral on social media.

The short films produced by Drishti have attempted to showcase safety in tourists spots, trekking areas, rivers and mist-filled Kodagu district. There are over 4,000 homestays in the district. After the massive floods that ravaged the district in August, a majority of the homestays have remained closed.

“Other than horticultural crops, the main source of income for the district is tourism. Though tourists are visiting the district since November first week, it has not grown as per the expectations. Hence, the short films are an effort to promote tourism in the district,” said Hotel and Resort Owners’ Association President Nagendra Prasad.

Over one lakh people in the district are dependent on the tourism sector for livelihood. After the landslides, the labourers have returned to their native places. About 80% of the business has been affected. Resort and homestay owners are attempting to sell the resorts. However, there are no buyers, he lamented.

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation too joined hands with the resort owners in promoting tourism.

KSTDC Managing Director, Kumar Pushkar said, “There are two hotels run by KSTDC in the district. In the last four months, we have incurred a loss of Rs 1.50 crore.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Districts / by Adithya K A / DH News Service,Madikeri / November 30th, 2018

Coffee classes in Coorg

December 1, 2018Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Educationadmin

Attention, coffee lovers. Here’s your chance to live and work at an estate during harvest season.

Much work goes into the perfect cup of coffee, even before the myriad stages of pulping, grading, roasting, brewing et all can begin. What bothers Marc Tormo, is that most of us don’t know about any of it.

Marc is a coffee expert, roaster and brewer of repute. Originally from Barcelona, he settled in Auroville in 1996 and has since been making a living out of specialty coffee. This harvest season, Marc wants to spend an immersive weekend at a coffee estate in Coorg — with enthusiasts, aspiring entrepreneurs, or just those who love their coffee — demonstrating every step that goes into coffee-making. Aptly titled From Crop To Cup, the workshop will help participants learn what happens in every step of the process.

So expect to spend a day with coffee pickers, helping them in their task. Be prepared to lend a hand in the washing, drying and roasting as well. And it’s not only about cultivation: “Participants will also be introduced to international standards of cupping (coffee tasting), and taught how to assess flavour, aroma, body consistency, sweetness, bitterness and the like,” he says over a phone call. “There will also be blind tasting sessions, as well as collaborative sessions where participants will have to work with each other,” he adds. Home brewing lessons are also included.

All this will take place at the estate of Old Kent, whose owners are facilitating the workshop. Participants will be put up in English cottages in the estate.

Crop To Cup will be held at Old Kent Estates and Spa, Coorg, from December 7 to 10. The cost per head is ₹24,000. For details, call 9789896454.

The estate can be contacted through www.oldkentestates.com and reservations@oldkentestates.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Meghan Majumder / November 30th, 2018

Kodagu First

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