State Government applies brakes on project citing irreparable damage to the ecology
Mysore/Mysuru:
Following an adverse report by the Karnataka Forest Department that pristine forests of Western Ghats (in South Kodagu and Mysuru) will be destroyed if the proposed Thalassery-Mysuru project is implemented, the State Government has stalled the project and has conveyed the same to the Centre, reports said.
The ambitious project, costing more than Rs. 5,000 crore, has been identified by Kerala State Government and it has entrusted it to Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL). The survey work for the projects was entrusted to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The KRDCL has submitted the Pre-Feasibility Report by proposing the alignment via Kutta (Kodagu district in Karnataka) to the Railway Board.
The survey was, however, not permitted in Karnataka due to stiff opposition by the Forest Department officials who reasoned that the project will spell doom for rich biodiversity of South Kodagu as the Railway line will pass through the lush green areas of Nagarahole National Park and Tiger Reserve, Kutta, Kanoor, Balele, Thithimathi before entering Mysuru.
The proposed Railway line passes through nearly 84-km of thick forests covering 49-km in Kerala and 35 km in Karnataka that are rich repositories of biological diversity having large chunks of tropical evergreen forest, the Forest Department said.
Following the opposition, the Kerala Government proposed an alternative route that has Thalassery in Kerala and Kadakola in Karnataka near Mysuru as starting and ending points and the route is via Sultan Batheri from Thalassery to Kadakola that does not cut through forests. Instead, the line will pass through H.D. Kote, Antharasanthe border, and reach Bavali village from where the line proceeds towards Kerala.
This alternative line, however, envisages a 22-kilometre tunnel at Antharasanthe Range of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (Kabini area), Bavali and surrounding forests to avoid the rail line cutting through the forests. The proposed alignment passes through the tunnel between corridor of Nagarahole and Bandipur from Pulpally Taluk of Kerala to H.D. Kote Taluk of Karnataka.
Even this route has been shot down by the Forest Department and officials have said that tunnels are bound to affect water recharge underneath the forests thereby causing severe ecological damage to the habitat system.
Sources said that the Forest Department has also stalled the Nilambur-Nanjangud Railway line for which the DMRC has prepared a DPR. Department officials did not accept the project since the lines were passing through Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves.
Though this Nilambur-Nanjangud line had been included in the Pink Book of Railways and Rs. 8 crore set apart for the DPR, the Kerala Government kept the project in abeyance following strong objection from the Karnataka Forest Department, sources said.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 08th, 2021
A Kodagu origin Psychiatrist, settled in New Jersey, USA and gofundme.org have jointly donated medical equipment to Kodagu District COVID Hospital.
The Psychiatrist, Dr. Chottera Shobha Tuttu, a native of Guyya village near Siddapura and America’s gofundme.org have donated 53 Oxygen Concentrators (5 lts. and 10 lts. capacity) to the District COVID Hospital, which was received by Dean of Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. K.B. Cariappa in the presence of Dr. Sannuvanda Kaverappa of Napoklu, Dr. Vishal Kumar, Dr. Manjunath, Dr. Roopesh and others.
Dr. Kaverappa said that the doctors in the US had created a WhatsApp group and discussed with Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Charulatha Somal on helping the district and accordingly, 53 Oxygen Concentrators were donated by them, which was handed over to the Hospital.
He also said that because of the efforts of retired IAS Officer Avaremadanda K. Monnappa, the medical equipment was received from the US and Dr. Tuttu has sent these equipment for the benefit of COVID positive patients, who are undergoing treatment.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 27th, 2021
Producer and live sound engineer Anish Ponnanna has so far invited Swarathma’s Varun Murali, Parvaaz’s Khalid Ahamed and more.
Producer and sound engineer Anish Ponnanna. Photo: Courtesy of The Engineer’s Pick
In the crowded sphere of video content, Bengaluru-based Anish Ponnanna’s channel The Engineer’s Pick didn’t start out for the sake of gaining subscribers or views, but more as a “pure-play passion project” driven by the seasoned sound engineer and producer’s satisfaction. As it turned out, that focus still worked wonders for The Engineer’s Pick, which has over 67,000 subscribers and over 13.6 million cumulative views on YouTube.
Ponnanna began working in live sound engineering in 2010 and has since become the go-to man behind the console for composer-singer Clinton Cerejo , singer Vijay Prakash, plus fusion acts like Indian Ocean and Swarathma . Along the way, he often noticed “inefficiencies of live shows” when it came to delivering quality sound. In 2018, he launched The Engineer’s Pick from his own funds. “The live character was the focus. Musicians were informed in advance that there would be no overdubs or pitch corrections post production; and that they had to perform as if they were performing for a live audience,” Ponnanna says.
What has worked so far, as numbers show, are traditional Kannada songs revived with pristine production, like vocalist Ananya Bhat’s rendition of “Sojugada Sooju Mallige ,” which went viral and currently stands at nearly 13 million views. Other artists featured on two seasons of The Engineer’s Pick include folk artist Bindhumalini and vocalist M.D. Pallavi, folk-fusion band Swarathma’s guitarist Varun Murali rendering a quiet flip of “Bolo Kya Hai,” multilingual fusion act Shubham Roy Collective, vocalist Varijashree Venugopal and more. Most recently, they uploaded a performance of Kashmiri folk song “Aies Bayo” by Parvaaz’s Khalid Ahamed, violinist Apoorva Krishna and percussionist Rahul Shivakumar.
A behind-the-scenes shot of Ponnanna (center) with artists M.D. Pallavi (left) and Bindhumalini (right). Photo: Courtesy of The Engineer’s Pick
Ponnanna says, “I like to blur the boundaries of genres and languages, although I would like artistes to perform in their own mother tongues. It is the timbre (characteristics of a voice or an instrument) that I’m after.” So far, they’ve had performances in Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Tulu and Kashmiri. Curated by the producer, he says he approaches an artist and lets them pick the composition. “I have an episode coming up in Bengali. I may even have an episode in Kodava Thak – my own mother tongue. I experiment with both classical and contemporary styles. Experimentation is key; I do that a lot,” Ponnanna adds.
Previously self-funded, The Engineer’s Pick did run into trouble with finances and management once the pandemic took hold across the country. They then received funding from non-profit organization The Whitefield Project for the Arts & Culture and the Sanjeeth Shetty Foundation, which Ponnanna calls a “blessing” that’s helped keep the channel afloat. Another sponsor came in the form of audio company Shure, who provided high-end microphones.
Above all, there’s a certain science on the acoustics and production front that helps increase repeat listening. The producer says, “The mid and high frequencies are not too pronounced like they usually are in commercial music releases. This approach makes the compositions grow on you. I also choose compositions that suit this style of mixing. This methodology is what I believe is bringing subscribers to the channel.” With six episodes out from the second season of The Engineer’s Pick, at least eight more are in the pipeline. “You will surely get to hear some soulful music,” Ponnanna says.
Watch the video for “Aies Bayo” below.
Aies Bayo | Khalid Ahamed | Apoorva Krishna | Rahul Shivakumar | The Engineer’s Pick | S02E06 | LIVE
source: http://www.rollingstoneindia.com / Rolling Stone India / Home> Artists / by Anurag Talat / May 23rd, 2021
The shops have to display the negative RTPCR reports to offer service to the residents on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6 am to 10 am.
Representational Image. (Photo | PTI)
Madikeri :
The Madikeri City Municipal Council mandates negative RTPCR reports for the shopkeepers to function during relaxation hours.
The order has been passed by the City Municipal Council commissioner Ramdas with immediate effect. All the shopkeepers including essential shops can function only if all the employees possess negative RTPCR report.
The shops have to display the negative RTPCR reports to offer service to the residents on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6 am to 10 am.
The KSRTC Bus Stand in Madikeri has been established as the swab collecting center to enable the COVID tests on shopkeepers on Monday between 7 am and 10 am.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Pragna GR, Express News Service / May 23rd, 2021
Coffee leaf rust on young coffee bushes in Rwanda. An expert advises farmers to grow the crop under shade to provide a conducive environment for a parasite that could control the leaf rust disease. Copyright: CABI
Nairobi :
Coffee farmers should grow the crop under shade to provide a conducive environment for a parasite that could control the fungal disease leaf rust, an expert says.
Coffee leaf rust, caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, is characterised by small yellow spots on upper leaf surfaces and orange powdery lesions on the underside of leaves. Infected leaves eventually drop off, lowering the yield and quality of the crop.
“Shade also creates a conducive environment for the coffee leaf rust hyper-parasite and we need to maximise this potential.”
Beyene Zewdie, Stockholm University
But a study conducted in Ethiopia considered the origin of Arabica coffee, known scientifically as Coffea arabica, shows that a natural enemy that grows on top of leaves infected by the disease could be key to helping farmers fight it.
“The rust is a global challenge for coffee production,” says Beyene Zewdie, a co-author of the study and post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences at Stockholm University, Sweden, adding that it reduces coffee yields by up to 30 per cent.
According to the study published in Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment this month (1 May), researchers analysed both the rust and a fungus that attacks it called Lecanicillium lecanii. Observations were carried out from 2017 to 2019 during the wet and dry seasons in Southwestern Ethiopia.
“We found that coffee leaf rust was more severe during the dry season whereas the hyperparasite [parasite whose host is also a parasite or L. lecanii] was more severe during the wet season in two out of three years,” says the study. “The rust incidence increased with management intensity while the hyperparasite was more common under less intensive management.”
Zewdie says the research could help shed light on the relationship between the rust and the hyperparasite, and to manage the two.
“We also found a slight variation in the environmental requirement of the rust and the hyperparasite,” Zewdie tells SciDev.Net. “The rust can thrive in low moisture conditions whereas the hyperparasite favours areas characterised by moist and shaded habitats.”
Zewdie says most farmers in the study area perceive coffee leaf rust as a less important disease because although severe coffee leaf rust infestation leads to leaf-drop, coffee shrubs normally get back the leaves during the next wet season.
But he cautions that the loss of leaves can have a negative effect on the performance of the plant, and says shade would help mitigate the damage.
“Coffee needs shade and growing the crop under shade could buffer the microclimate around the coffee shrubs,” he tells SciDev.Net. “Shade also creates a conducive environment for the coffee leaf rust hyperparasite and we need to maximise this potential to make use of the capacity of the hyperparasite to suppress the rust in areas where the two interacting species co-occur.”
Bernard Mukiri Gichimu, a senior lecturer at Kenya’s University of Embu, Department of Agricultural Resource Management, who was not involved in the study, says that the findings could be important for farmers.
“The discovery of L. lecanii as a hyperparasite against the coffee rust fungus in a natural environment is a major breakthrough that may have a significant contribution in the management of the coffee leaf rust,” says Gichimu. “With climate change, the disease has become even more damaging … even in areas that were hitherto known to be less prone to the disease.”
Mukiri adds that using the natural enemy to fight the disease may be preferable to fungicides which can fail to control the disease either due to poor quality or handling or resistance of the disease-causing agent to fungicide.
“Reduced use of fungicides will also reduce environmental pollution which will be beneficial to the non-target organisms and safe to both the farmers and coffee consumers,” he says.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
source: http://www.scidev.net / Sci Dev Net / Home> Agriculture> News / by Nelson Mandela Ogema / May 24th, 2021
“A week ago, a COVID positive patient underwent dialysis treatment at the centre. This resulted in the spread of COVID-19 to the staff,” explained one of the nurses.
A patient undergoing dialysis at the Kodagu Institute of Medical Science in Madikeri (Photo | Special arrangement)
Madikeri :
Amid the COVID second wave, Kodagu district is faced with a massive staff crunch in the healthcare department, with numerous calls for appointment of staff not bearing results. The district requires 500 staff nurses in total to manage the healthcare sector efficiently, but over 70% of the posts remain vacant. The brunt of this crunch is faced by the minimal staff who are working overtime to enable proper treatment for patients. Their plight gets worse when some of the staff are laid low by COVID-19.
The District Dialysis Centre in Madikeri, which was running at Madikeri District Hospital, has now shifted its base to the Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences following the pandemic. A total of 71 patients regularly report to the centre for dialysis and eight staff nurses alongside three Group D workers enabled treatment and care of these patients. However, a dialysis patient who visited the centre to avail treatment had tested positive for COVID-19 and reported to the dialysis centre despite the infection.
“A week ago, a COVID positive patient underwent dialysis treatment at the centre. This resulted in the spread of COVID-19 to the staff nurses. Five nurses and one Group D worker among the total 11 staff at the centre tested positive,” explained a staff nurse requesting anonymity. This resulted in five nurses being ordered to undergo isolation, resulting in shortage of hands at the dialysis centre.
“We have to continue the dialysis treatment to the patients. Out of the 71 regular patients, 57 are currently reporting to the centre as the rest of the patients are COVID positive and being treated separately. Only three nurses are conducting dialysis on 57 patients and this has forced us to work in double shifts,” she explained. The nurses report to the centre as early as 7.30 am and work for over twelve hours a day to continue treating the patients. While they did not complain, work stress, they say, is inevitable.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Pragna GR, Express News Service / May 18th, 2021
Prior to joining Netflix, he was with Uber and has also worked for Google and Infosys
Streaming giant Netflix has announced the appointment of Nanjappa Palekanda as Vice President, Experience and Operations.
With 18 years of experience, Nanjappa has worked with big names, including Infosys, Uber and Google. His expertise lies in HR Service Delivery, M&A, Risk & Compliance and Portfolio Management for the People function.
On his appointment, he wrote, “I am grateful for the incredible professionals and amazing well-wishers I have come across throughout my career – Infosys, Google and Uber.
I now head into an exciting new adventure at Netflix, with the same drive to work with amazing people.
During this special personal moment, I would like to urge all my well-wishers to spare a positive thought/action in support of all those in India (or those who have loved ones in India), who are braving the heart-breaking situation brought upon by the pandemic.
There’s loss and suffering for sure, but there are also numerous everyday heroes, going out of their way to support others, many of whom they have never met before.”
source: http://www.exchange4media.com / Exchange4Media / Home> Internet Announcement News / by exchange4media.com Staff / May 20th, 2021
KC Cariappa was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2021.
In February 2015, when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) refused to put their paddle down and looked destined to sign Karnataka’s KC Cariappa, it seemed like the stars were finally set to align for the mystery spinner.
For a man who was yet to play a First-Class or List-A game, Cariappa was the talk of the town after the Knight Riders landed the final bid at ₹2.4 Crore, 24 times his base price of ₹10 lakh. But for those devoted to the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), Cariappa’s talent was already there to see.
KKR’s investment in Cariappa came as a result of the spinner troubling the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis among others in the nets. A ban slapped on Sunil Narine meant Cariappa was the immediate beneficiary, with KKR turning towards the spinner for a quick replacement.
However, things didn’t exactly go to plan for Cariappa, with the spinner forced to bear the onslaught from Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers in his debut IPL game. That he foxed De Villiers to scalp his maiden IPL wicket did provide a means of consolation, but his figures (1/28 from 2 overs) forced him onto the benches for the remainder of IPL 2015.
Since then, Cariappa hasn’t had a chance to feature much in the IPL. 5 matches in the 2016 season, one less game in 2017, just a solitary match in IPL 2019 sandwiched between him being unsold in 2018 and 2020, and half a season on the bench for the Rajasthan Royals in 2021.
There’s a fair argument to say Cariappa certainly hasn’t enjoyed the rub of the green, with mystery spinners not ubiquitous in modern-day cricket, at least in India. Yet, with age on his side and IPL teams in recent times willing to hinge their bets on relatively unknown talents, Cariappa is willing to take whatever’s happened on the chin.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Cariappa spoke about his IPL journey so far, admiration for Gambhir, learning from Ajantha Mendis‘ bowling videos and more.
“I haven’t got too many chances in the IPL. When I got selected in 2015, my name did the rounds, but I didn’t get too many matches. ABD was my debut wicket, but after that I didn’t play, Narine came back and I lost my chance. Even the few seasons I played for Punjab, I played only a few games. I feel there wasn’t a proper balance, even in my performance.”
“But like everyone says, more the matches, higher the confidence. I still remember the first match I played, there were 1 lakh people in the Eden Gardens crowd, it was surreal. I would love to get more matches in the seasons to come and re-live those moments.”
Cariappa’s rather serendipitous introduction to cricket was preceded by his interest in playing hockey, further pushed by his family’s roots in Coorg. Often referred to as the ‘Nursery of Hockey’, Coorg’s Kodava Hockey Festival is well known across the world, and it was only natural that Cariappa found a liking for the sport.
At around 19 years of age, though, life took a turn for the spinner. Cariappa walked through the gates of one of Bengaluru’s most famous cricket clubs, the Jawahar Cricket Club, seeking to transition from tennis ball to leather-ball cricket.
A fortuitous session in the nets handed Cariappa an opportunity to shift from fast bowling to mystery spin, but the art of perfecting the variations with the leather ball did not come easily for the Kodava lad.
“When I first shifted to spin, I didn’t even know it would be mystery (laughs). When I started bowling spin, my seniors told me it was coming nicely off my hand. I started watching a lot of Ajantha Mendis’ videos, at that time Narine hadn’t made a name for himself yet. Once I started bowling well, people started calling me Mendis, that’s a good memory.”
Cariappa’s early years of cricket with the tennis ball were restricted to him trying to stifle batsmen with pace, but once he got the hang of bowling spin, things started to fall in place for him.
However, by his own admission, it needed a lot more than just some tutorials on the internet.https://3d5eb348d2dd17a3b54d55303c13dbf4.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
“It is very easy to bowl a carrom ball with the tennis ball. I didn’t have too much practice bowling with the leather ball, it was very hard despite me practicing for 2-3 hours a day. I then started watching Narine’s bowling videos, and I was shocked by the variations he had. Nowadays, times have changed, there are different types of mystery spinners as well!”
“People told me I haven’t been playing regularly for Karnataka when I went unsold in the IPL auction” – Cariappa
It’s no small truth that most of the opportunities in the IPL are a byproduct of good exhibitions in domestic circuit, even across formats. In this regard, Karnataka have boasted of probably the biggest names over the past few years, with the likes of KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal and most recently, Devdutt Padikkal becoming household names through the cash-rich league.
The aforementioned players, though, have had a lot of opportunities to prove themselves for Karnataka, while that’s a luxury Cariappa has missed out on.
The spinner has featured in quite a few Karnataka squads since his maiden Ranji Trophy call-up in 2014, but the presence of established players such as K Gowtham, S Gopal and J Suchith has forced him to remain on the sidelines.
What’s more, Cariappa’s economy rate of just 5.02 played a big role in Karnataka’s 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali title win, the state’s maiden T20 trophy victory. In 11 matches of the tournament, he picked up 10 wickets and was hit for just a single six, underlining the impact he had that season.
“I feel the main problem is that I’ve played only in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Even there I’ve performed well, my economy rate is around 5-6 RPO. In 2016 KPL, I was the highest wicket-taker. Karnataka has some really good players like Gowtham, Shreyas, Suchith and so understandably my chances are less.”
“But the problem is even if you miss a year of domestic cricket, the chances of you getting picked in the IPL is less, and I have faced this issue a few times. When I went unsold, people said because I didn’t play for Karnataka, I wasn’t picked.”
“Gambhir wouldn’t compromise on the field, he was a very good captain” – Cariappa on his time with KKR
Cariappa spent just one season with the Knight Riders in IPL 2015, but it took only those many months for him to have some fond memories of the franchise. Cariappa reserved special praise for his KKR skipper Gambhir, who was his first captain in the IPL.
“Gambhir was a very good captain. He was a little strict in terms of bowling discipline, and effort on the field was something he wouldn’t compromise. Outside the field, he didn’t bother you. On the field, you had to give your 100% and that’s what I loved.”
The 27-year-old also had some words of praise for Sanju Samson, who led the Royals in IPL 2021.
“Samson was really good, he is always calm. When I played U-19, he also played that same season for Kerala. The way he captained the side in IPL 2021, he always ensured the players were brimming with confidence.”
“The RR management treats domestic and international players with the same respect”
As for his maiden season with his third IPL franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, Cariappa lamented the temporary cancellation of the tournament owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, but he had some positive things to say about the team.
“RR look at every player the same, there are no assumptions. Ben Stokes is such a warm person, he would come and talk to us while we would eat. Buttler would talk the least, he is always smiling, and when you see him you get really positive vibes. Even in the practice sessions, whether you are international or domestic, it didn’t matter, we were all looked after very well.”
He delved a little deeper into how his Karnataka teammate, Gopal, was at his pranking best during quarantine periods of IPL 2021.
“Shreyas is a prank master. When he was in quarantine, he would call up everyone through the hotel phone. He’s a very jolly guy. I was close with Miller and Tewatia in the RR camp, I have played with them before. This season was turning out to be good, hopefully when it resumes we should be in a good position to start off well.”
As for the opportunities that could come knocking at his door in the months or years to come, Cariappa is confident of making the most of what comes his way. There might be some mystery shrouding the future of domestic cricket or even the IPL, but for the talented spinner, there isn’t a shadow of doubt enveloping his final goal: give his 100% on the field, carpe diem and don the national jersey in the near future.
Through his four-year-old ‘Bhuvanam Foundation’ and initiative ‘Feed Karnataka’, Bhuvan with support from actress Harshika Poonacha handed over 200 food kits to the Municipal Council Commissioner.
Food kits were distributed in Madikeri Mann’s Compound Ground on Tuesday (Photo | Special arrangement)
Madikeri :
It is not common for an actor to share his mobile number across social media. But Bhuvan Ponnanna, the Sandalwood actor and native of Kodagu, has done just that even as he is working relentlessly to extend a helping hand to the needy during the pandemic.
Through his four-year-old ‘Bhuvanam Foundation’ and initiative ‘Feed Karnataka’, Bhuvan with support from actress Harshika Poonacha on Tuesday handed over 200 food kits to the Madikeri City Municipal Council Commissioner Ramdas. These kits will be handed over to needy families across the city. Further, the home guards, police and a few journalists also received food kits from the foundation.
The actor has also taken a unique initiative where food kits and medicines will be home delivered to needy residents across Kodagu. Two vehicles equipped with food kits and medicines will start doing the rounds across Madikeri, Gonikoppal and Virajpet areas from May 26 and the needy can avail food kits from the foundation following verification. The medicines will be supplied with display of prescriptions only. To avail the services, the eligible beneficiaries can contact the helpline number 9945008004.
Also, the initiative helps local farmers by buying vegetables from them and distributing it to the needy along with the food kits. Many donors including doctors have donated to the foundation and the organisation has so far distributed over 2000 food kits to the poor across Karnataka.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Pragna GR, Express News Service / May 25th, 2021
Sannuvanda Srinivas Chengappa (60), President of Virajpet Taluk Journalists Association and a resident of Thithimathi, passed away this morning at a hospital following brief illness.
He leaves behind his wife, two daughters, one son and a host of relatives and friends. Last rites were performed at Thithimathi today.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / May 20th, 2021
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