Robin Uthappa would be playing for CSK for the first time in his career in the upcoming season.
Robin Uthappa. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Veteran batsman Robin Uthappa will be seeking a fresh start in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when the upcoming season gets underway. The 14th edition of the tournament is scheduled to start on April 9 with a clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Uthappa will be playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2021.
The right-handed batsman will ply his trade for the Chennai-based outfit for the first time in his IPL career. In January, Rajasthan Royals had traded him to CSK in an all-cash deal. Uthappa only played the 2020 edition for the Royals, having been bought for INR 3 crore in December 2019. He played 12 games last season in the UAE but failed to cement a secured batting position.
Overall, he managed just 196 runs in IPL 2020. And ahead of the start of the season, Robin Uthappa has set some lofty goals for himself. In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, he spoke about the things he is looking forward to. The first question for Uthappa was to name the team he was looking forward to playing against in IPL 2021.
In reply, the T20 World Cup-winning player said that he is looking forward to playing against defending champions Mumbai Indians. Uthappa opined that beating the reigning IPL champions would make CSK’s intentions for the season clear.
“Mumbai Indians. I think Mumbai Indians is the team that I would be looking to play against and doing well. They are a formidable side. Playing them and beating them would send a message across the board that we mean business,” said Robin Uthappa.
What is Robin Uthappa’s personal goal?
In another question, Robin Uthappa was asked about his personal goal for IPL 2021. In reply, the former Kolkata Knight Riders star said that he wants to win as many games as possible for his team. CSK will be looking to bounce back this season after a poor campaign in the last edition where they failed to make it to the playoffs. “To contribute to as many victories as possible. Win at least a handful of games for my team,” said Uthappa.
Uthappa also revealed the record he would like to break in IPL 2021. He stated that he would like to become the first player to score 1,000 runs in a single IPL season. No player in the history of the competition has managed to score more than 973 runs in one season. The record for scoring most runs in a season is currently held by Virat Kohli.
Uthappa’s most prolific season came in 2014 when he amassed 660 runs. “To be the first guy to score 1000 runs in a season,” said Uthappa.
Stressing on the need for more reservation for women in education and in the job sector, Dr Parvathi said that girls should not be deprived of education
Participants at the International Women’s Day programme organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and Aimanda Pommakkada Koota, in Maragodu village. Credit: DH Photo
Education becomes more meaningful if it instils cultural values among students, opined Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy chairperson Dr Parvathi Appaiah.
She was delivering the keynote address during the International Women’s Day programme observed by Kodava Sahitya Academy and Aimanda Pommakkada Koota, in Maragodu village recently.
Stressing on the need for more reservation for women in education and in the job sector, Dr Parvathi said that girls should not be deprived of education.
Madikeri Government First Grade College lecturer Bodukuttada Radhika Kuttappa said education alone can bring positive development among girls.
During the session, Taluk Panchayat former president Revathi Parameshwar spoke on ‘Kalakottaneke Pommakkada Badkal Badalavane’.
Aimanda Divya presented her views on ‘Kodagra Samskruthi, Samkraratha Bolachel Avvangada Pathra’.
Books and CDs brought out by Kodava Sahitya Academy were kept for exhibition and sale.
As part of the cultural programmes, students from Kaveri Degree College, Gonikoppa, members of Aimanda Pommakkada Koota and dance troupes from Virajpet performed dances on the occasion.
The best performances were awarded cash prizes, sponsored by Non-resident Indian Aimanda Jagadish.
Prior to the programme, office-bearers of Aimanda Pommakkada Koota and Kodava Sahitya Academy took out a cultural procession in the town.
Pommakkada Koota president Pushpavathi, Maragodu Gram Panchayat president Ayyandra Poornima Shrinivas, academy member Gowramma Madammaiah, academy former president Rani Machaiah, former principal Dr Pushpa Kuttana, academy members Babbira Saraswathi, Prabu Kumar and registrar Ajjikuttira Girish were present, among others.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> States> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS, Madikeri / March 14th, 2021
The Forest Department has installed railway barricades to stop entry of elephants in Alur range.
Across 4.5 km in Alur range, these will restrict elephant movement
The Forest Department has put up railway barricades for about 4.5 km in Alur range of Hassan district to avoid the movement of elephants. The 2.1 m tall barricades, made of used railway tracks, have been installed between Nagavara Elephant Camp and Bharatur in Alur taluk. This is the area wherein elephants from Kattepura forest in Kodagu district move towards Alur range crossing the backwater of Hemavati Reservoir located at Gorur.
People of Hassan have been dealing with the elephant menace for decades. As many as 70 lost their lives in the conflict in the district since 1991. Similarly, 63 elephants have died so far. Besides solar fencing and elephant-proof trenches (EPT), the department has taken up the installation of railway barricades as a solution to avoid conflicts.
K.N. Basavaraj, Deputy Conservator of Forests, on Friday, took a team of journalists to Nagavara Elephant Camp to show them the barricades. “We keep learning how to avoid conflicts. Now, the installation of railway barricades is considered to be the effective system to minimise the conflicts,” he said. Chandrashekhar, a contractor from Mysuru, has bagged the contract to put up barricades for 4.5 kms at a cost of ₹4.65 crore. He procured 750 tonnes of the used tracks from the Ministry of Railways at an open auction. “The barricades are 2.1 m above ground level. They have been erected with the support of concrete 1.5 m below the ground. Two horizontal barricades are such that neither a cub nor adult elephant could cross them. We have learnt from the past experiences where elephants died while attempting to cross the barricades,” the officer said.
The purpose is to avoid the entry of elephants from Kodagu to Hassan. In 2014, the department captured 24 elephants and relocated them, resulting in a decrease in man-animal conflict for a brief period. “However, the number of elephants increased gradually, as many crossed the Hemavati backwaters. Now, we are plugging the hole so that elephants’ entry from Kodagu is restricted,” the officer said.
The department plans to extend the barricade for 40 km covering the boundary points. In Kodagu, the elephants that raid coffee estates could be driven back to forest areas easily, while in Hassan it was not possible. The herds keep moving from one estate to another damaging the crop, the officer said.
Opposition from farmers
Farmers of Nagavara and surrounding villages in Alur taluk have opposed the railway barricades alleging that these would force the elephants to camp in their estates for a long period.
Rangaswamy, a resident of Nagavara, said, “No doubt the barricades restrict elephants coming from Kodagu. What about those elephants already in the boundaries? Now, they cannot go back to Kodagu because of the barricades and continue to remain in the estates located close to the barricades.”
Mr. Basavaraj, DCF, reacting to the allegations, said the barricades had been put up just now. The officers would analyse the elephants’ movement and take appropriate action whenever necessary. “We have plans to extend the barricades for 40 km. As of now, we have a system to open the barricades at key points to let the elephants go back to their places,” he said.
He further clarified, “The path that we are blocking is not considered to be the natural path of the elephants. Only in the recent years, they have begun to tread this path.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Sathish G.T. / Hassan – March 27th, 2021
Supermodel and actress Shubra Aiyappa is excited as she is set to shoot for her second Tamil fim. She has signed an action revenge drama titled Aaganya , where she plays the titular role. Shubra is currently training and working on her physical fitness in preparation for the role. “This film is titled Aaganya, which means rising from the flames, and I play the titular role. I am particularly thrilled about this film as I have always wanted to do an action film. This is the closest that I’ve come to doing it,” she reveals, saying that she had to not just audition with dialogues but also prove to the action director that she is physically fit and capable to do the role.
“The film is akin to the likes of Lara Croft in some ways in terms of the action and I am going to be kicking some serious butt. This revenge drama will see me in two shades. People will get to see a mean action avatar and then there is another side to me. It gives me a lot of scope to prove my worth as an actor and I’m looking forward to giving my best,” says Shubra, who is preparing for the role with some action classes in Bengaluru, following which she will be partaking in more classes and workshops in Chennai.
“I was shooting for the Rishi starrer Ramana Avatara prior to the onset of the pandemic. I haven’t really shot for a film ever since and am glad I get to return to the sets. I did a Tamil film a few years ago, but haven’t done anything after, though I do a lot of Tamil ads, I’m glad that I get to be a part of this film,” says Shubra, who hints that the makers might release this film as a multilingual eventually. Shubra will be shooting for 35 days for this film, as per the schedule, she shares.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Entertainment> Kannada / by Sunayana Suresh, TNN / March 16th, 2021
Senior IPS Officer from Kodagu district, Maneyapanda A. Ganapathy, yesterday took charge as the Director General of National Security Guard (NSG), an elite counter-terrorism unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Picture shows Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha congratulating M.A. Ganapathy at the NSG Head Quarters in Palam, New Delhi, this morning. Also seen are MP’s wife Arpitha Simha and daughter Vipanchi Simha.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / March 19th, 2021
With human-animal conflict increasing day-by-day in forest rich Kodagu district, Minister for Forest Aravind Limbavalisaid that a Kodagu-specific Foundation will be formed to mitigate human-animal conflict.
Replying to a question by BJP MLC Sunil Subramani in the Legislative Council recently, Limbavali said it has come to the notice of the Government that attacks on human beings by wild animals such as tigers and elephants are on the rise in Kodagu district. The Forest Department has taken many measures to prevent wild animals from straying into human habitats, he said and added that 47 water ponds have been formed to ensure that wild animals get water within the forests.
Stating that desilting of 66 water bodies is going on in the district, the Minister said that 34.35 km solar fencing and 161.60 km barbed wire fencing has been installed along the forest borders and 91.55 km elephant trench has been dug up. Besides, 33.37 km of suspended solar fencing and railway track barricades have been erected using 24.62 tonnes of old railway tracks. To erect more railway track fencing, the Department has purchased 496.17 tonnes of old railway track, he explained.
Limbavali further said that 52 rapid action teams have been formed and 71 teams to drive stray elephants have been constituted. These teams will also keep a watch on poaching, he said and added that the Government will take all measures possible to end human-animal conflicts, which has become a bane in the region.
He said that an adult female in a herd will be identified for radio collaring, to help track the movements of other elephants. Nine elephants have been radio-collared so far and the staff are keeping a track of their movements round the clock, he added.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / March 22nd, 2021
Stating that the huge landslide on Malethirike hillock coming under Virajpet Town Panchayat in 2018 has rendered the hillock unfit for human habitat, Revenue Minister R. Ashok said that a parcel of private land has been identified at Ambatti village of Bittangala in Virajpet taluk for rehabilitating displaced persons.
Replying to a question by Congress MLC Veena Achaiah at the Legislative Council, Ashok said that the process for purchase of the identified private land is underway.
Maintaining that no Government land was available in Virajpet Town Panchayat limits, he said that 7.70 acres of private land is being purchased for rehabilitation. Pointing out that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has reported that 57 houses in Malethirike Hillock, 5 houses in Ursu Nagar and 9 houses in Nehrunagar are unfit for human living, he said that the GSI report has explained the causes for the landslide, which included digging of the hills for road construction, unscientific foundation for houses and indiscreet felling of naturally grown trees, among others.
Stating that a total of 71 houses have to be relocated, Ashoka said that necessary measures would be taken during the rainy season to shelter people living in dangerous conditions, at care centres .
Welcoming the Minister’s statement on the action taken, Veena Achaiah said that apart from Malethirike Hill, there were over 2,500 people living in landslide prone areas in Nehrunagar and there is a need for rehabilitating them too.
Asserting that the 71 houses that the Government has proposed to construct is not enough, the MLC contended that there is Government lands at Balugodu, Arji, Kedamallur, Bittangala and surrounding places, which should be identified and distributed among the displaced people. Mentioning that the current economic position of the Government is not good, she said that the dearth of funds may further delay purchase of private land and the problem is sure to get more compounded with the onset of the monsoon, which is less than three months away.
Ashok, in his reply, said that he will direct the officials to identify lands if the Government gets inputs on the survey numbers under which Government lands are available.
Claiming that this will help save Government money and also help in rehabilitation, Ashoka said that a proposal has been sent to Union Government on establishing care centres in all flood-prone areas at a total cost of about Rs.10 crore. Asserting that such care centres will have all necessary facilities, he said that during other times, these centres can be used for holding Government meetings and other programmes. The Department is working out a plan in this regard, he added.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / March 23rd, 2021
The actor, who is busy prepping for her Tamil action film, says networking exists, but ultimately it comes down to auditions.
Shubra Aiyappa is busy honing her skills for her upcoming Tamil action film Aaganya.
The actor, who is learning martial arts from a Russian expert, says, “I’ve always been a fitness enthusiast, doing yoga and weight training, so thankfully the foundation is decent. We are going to start shooting soon in Chennai and I’m very excited.”
She shares that the film was offered to her two-and-a-half months ago when she was travelling. “The script sounded so fantastic on the phone that I flew down, auditioned and I was like hell, yes, I’m doing this.”
This is the actor’s first project since the lockdown.
She was shooting for Ramana Avatara when things came to a standstill. “The lockdown was an eye opener for me, professionally. I feel, as actors, we are very rigid that we can just be actors. Maybe it’s an egoistic thing (laughs). I realised that you can be so much more. I had a myopic way of looking at things, and that changed.
My mother is a wedding planner and when things opened up, I curated 10 weddings!” she says.
“Personally, I got to spend time with my family in a long time. I left home at 16 for modelling. I was in New York for a year and then in Mumbai. The lockdown turned out to be a blessing as I could be with my family in Bangalore,” adds the Vajrakaya (2015) actor.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Entertainment> Tamil Cinema / by Neha Sharma / March 23rd, 2021
Harshika Poonacha, who is gearing up to make her Bhojpuri film debut shortly, is set to make inroads in that industry.
The actress, we hear, has signed up for two more Bhojpuri films that she will start shooting for after the release of her debut. “My first Bhojpuri film is complete and is ready for release. I will start shooting for my two new projects thereafter,” says Harshika, adding that after a rather lackluster 2020, she is looking at this year with a lot of positivity.
“I am grateful that things are happening for me. I just had two very rough years, first with losing my dad and soon after with the pandemic and, now things are slowly back on track,” she says. Her Bhojpuri films apart, Harshika is also looking forward to her two Kannada projects , in which she says she has challenging roles.
“I have bagged two Kannada film projects and both are romantic thrillers.
Om Prema will see me as a boss lady who is the CEO of a company and gets the job done. She knows how to succeed in the corporate world and take care of her employees,” she says. The other yet-to-be-titled project has her playing a journalist who is extremely critical and curious by nature. Speaking about the character Harshika says, “I play a journalist who looks at every morsel of information with microscopic precision and has a very inquisitive nature. The script has been written well and I have already shot for a few days for the film,” she says. The actress will resume shooting for this film in April.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Entertainment> Kannada>Movies / by Joyeeta Chakravorty, TNN / March 21st, 2021
Kumar worked with adivasis in Andhra’s Araku Valley for decades, grew coffee of the highest quality and took it to Paris in 2017. On March 19, Araku Coffee opened its first café in India in Bengaluru. Kumar wants to replicate the Araku model for other crops as well, he tells us how
Cafe L’Orange
In the late 1990s, the late Kallam Anji Reddy, founder-chairman of pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, appointed developmental economist Manoj Kumar as the head of his NGO, the Naandi Foundation. Kumar’s brief was to foster sustainable livelihoods in rural India.
One of the many projects Kumar embarked on in the early 2000s was to get adivasi farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Araku Valley to grow specialty coffee, which, simply put, is organic and sustainably grown coffee of the highest quality. To many people, it appeared to a quixotic endeavour. Araku was not a traditional coffee-growing region. Kumar, who grew up in Kerala drinking kattan kaapi, the traditional home-brewed black coffee, had no real knowledge about coffee; and the Araku Valley had been riddled with Naxal insurgency for decades. Kumar worked with, and lived among, the tribals for over a decade and through biodynamic farming and the formation of an adivasi cooperative, one of the world’s largest fair-trade and organic certified cooperatives, he achieved the seemingly impossible.
In 2017, Kumar opened the first Araku Cafe and store in Paris and about a year later, Araku Coffee bagged top honours for the best coffee pod at the prestigious Prix Epicures OR awards in Paris. On March 19, Araku opened its first cafe in India. The 6000 sq ft, two-level flagship cafe in Indira Nagar in Bengaluru features, among others, an in-house roastery, the country’s first Specialty Coffee Association-certified Coffee Academy, a book store, and food that is sustainably procured.
In an interview to Moneycontrol, Kumar talks about the growing interest in specialty coffee in India, its transformative potential, and about replicating the Araku model in other parts of the country. Edited excerpts:
How do you see Araku’s flagship cafe take the specialty coffee story forward in India?
By and large, the production of specialty coffee in India has so far been almost nil, barring a few micro estates. We have been a notable exception. Our success has made coffee growers realise that it is possible to get much higher value and definitely profits if they can elevate their coffee to the level of a specialty coffee. I’m hoping that this desire to excel will be infectious to the community of coffee growers in India. They could learn to look at coffee as being more than just an average-to-poor-quality mass-produced commodity, which is neither financially rewarding nor sustainable. We are blessed to have the climate and topography to grow coffee. Europe and most of the coffee-drinking nations don’t grow coffee. I see our cafe in Bangalore as a place where people can interact and learn more about the power of specialty coffee. And we would want to take it beyond producers to policy makers and to everyone through a consumer movement to inculcate a certain pride in the opportunity we have to make coffee a profitable Indian-origin commodity and revive India’s agriculture to an extent. Araku is not a traditional coffee-growing region, and yet we have grown world-class coffee there. So, you can imagine the potential of places such as Chikmagalur and Coorg…
Tamagoyaki Toastie is on the menu of Araku’s café in Bengaluru.
Have you met people from the coffee-growing community who want to get into specialty coffee?
Absolutely. When we started the Araku journey, we had only between 10 percent to 20 percent of farmers whose coffee could be rated as specialty coffee. Today, I have 80 percent of my farmers all growing specialty coffee. I have requests from many small estate and large estate owners, and even people who are into wine now want to know if we can help them with the same regenerative agricultural practices that made our coffee world-class.
Araku Coffee co-founder Manoj Kumar
You’ve been to specialty coffee hotspots across the world. How have your experiences shaped the flagship store?
Scandinavia inspired me a lot. The quality of service there was based predominantly on knowledge. Every brewer, roaster, and barista I met had a completely different level of knowledge and that knowledge was shared with the customer. A relatable example would be going to an Apple store for the first time and discovering that every staffer has an in-depth knowledge about the products. So, one of the things I took away from there was that our team had to be knowledgeable about what they were selling, even if it meant setting up a coffee school at the cafe. Our team is not just selling a random service, they are selling coffeeology. And our prices are extremely competitive. Somebody even mentioned that a lot of the coffee we serve is, more or less, the same price as the coffee you get at Starbucks.
The Naandi Foundation has been at work replicating or adapting the Araku model in other parts of India. How has that worked out?
The Naandi Foundation is now massively expanding its agricultural footprint. We are now in a large way expanding into Wardha and the Vidarbha region, replicating the Araku model with other crops. We started off with pomegranate and that is very much on track but we are also exploring or expanding into other portfolios. Turmeric in that region is world-class, and it has a Geographical Indication tag. Then, we looked at red gram and other pulses. The idea is to have a bouquet of produce for the farmer to get it to be profitable and to identify one or two which become unique to that region. I think the winners here will be turmeric, pulses, and organic cotton. We are also looking closely at working in Meghalaya and Kerala and the Konkan belt.
You first went to the Araku Valley in 2001. Looking back, which was the turning point of your journey?
I’d think earning the trust and respect of the tribals was the turning point. I had started with just 1,000 farmers, and I would tell them that one day their land would produce a coffee that would be world-class. And they would always tell me that they wouldn’t let me down. That kind of love and trust from their end really made all the difference.
MURALI K MENON works on content strategy at HaymarketSAC.
source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / MoneyControl / Home> News> Trends> Features / by Murali K Menon / March 20th, 2021
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