Rising international coffee prices this year could hit South Korea soon, industry officials said Tuesday, although major franchises and coffee companies say they have no immediate plans for a markup.
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) in its October report noted the significant rise in coffee prices, with Robusta, used mostly for instant coffee, increasing 30.1 percent compared to last year. Arabica, used by Starbucks and other brands of premium coffee, is priced 30.1 percent higher than last year.
The prices have been driven by serious droughts in major coffee producing nations like Vietnam and Brazil, coupled with increasing demand in developing countries, including China.
Industry officials say firms and franchises have purchased their coffee through futures contracts that will last for up to a year and help keep the local coffee price stable. When coffee prices continue to rise, however, there will be pressure for a hike, they say.
Starbucks has already marked up its coffee prices in China and the United States this summer. It hasn’t raised its prices in South Korea for over 28 months after the last hike in 2014.
“It is true that there are factors for a price increase, such as the price of coffee beans, monthly lease fees and employment costs,” an official at Starbucks Korea said. “At this point, however, we are not considering a price hike.”
“Most of the coffee beans at our stores have been purchased through futures contracts. The international price increase is not necessarily immediately reflected in our products,” he said.
Namyang Dairy Products Co. and Maeil Co., leading local producers of coffee drinks, both indicated they are not planning to raise prices for now, but industry officials say they are being pressed by poor corporate performance.
“We are looking at the price graph after coffee prices began to rise this year,” said an official at Maeil, the operator of the coffee franchise Paul Bassett. “If this trend continues for the long term, the effect is inevitable.”
source: http://www.english.yonhapnews.co.kr / Yonhap News Agency / Seoul – November 15th, 2016
Fourteen-year-old Nithin H A from Arameri village in Kodagu who received the Hoysala Bravery award for rescuing his friend, Sufiyan, from drowning has only one regret. “I could not save Salahuddin who had also fallen in.”
The two boys had accidentally fallen into the pond when Nithin acted swiftly, extending his umbrella and pulling Sufiyan in. Unfortunately, his umbrella broke and he could not rescue Salahuddin.
Nithin was presented the award at a ceremony organised by the Department of Women and Child Development in Jawahar Bal Bhavan, where children from across the state were felicitated for their achievements.
Four other children- Sukanya K S from Bagepalli, Chiranth D R from Shikaripur, Shreyas N Rao and Shashikumar G M from Mysuru- were conferred with the Hoysala and Keladi Chennamma awards for their presence of mind to save the lives of others. They each received a cash prize of Rs 10,000, a memento, citation and a medal.
Exceptional talent in the fields of art, sports, music, culture, innovation and scholastics was recognised through the Exceptional Achievement Award presented to 17 children, who had been recommended by the state government for the National Award.
Seema Ningappa Shettar from Indiranagar, Bengaluru, realised that rural schools lacked funds for lab equipment like microscopes. “In the regular microscope, only one person can view the specimen at a time. So I made a digital microscope which uses a mobile camera and a convex lens. It is much cheaper than other microscopes.” she explained. The Class 9 student’s innovation won her the fifth-place at ‘Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)’, organised by Ministry of Science and Technology.
The Department also conferred ‘Child Welfare Awards’ on four individuals and four institutions for their commendable service in the field of child welfare.
Akshara Foundation, Bengaluru; Anthyodaya Social Service Society, Bagalkot; Margadarshi Society, Kalaburagi and Parents Association of Deaf Children received the award which carried a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a memento and a citation. Srirama Reddy from Byrapalli, Kolar, Sridhara Hande from Udupi, Nagarathna Sunila from Belagavi and Santhosh Bapu from Bidar received the award for their work in education, arts and healthcare for children. They received cash prize of Rs 25,000 each.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / DHNS – Bengaluru – November 15th, 2016
India on Friday named a 18-strong team for their men’s hockey tour Down Under beginning November 23.
Defender V.R. Raghunath
New Delhi:
Looking to build on their positive show in the Asian Champions Trophy, India on Friday named a 18-strong team for their men’s hockey tour Down Under beginning November 23. Defender V.R. Raghunath was handed captaincy duties in the absence of injured goalkeeper Sreejesh P.R., for a three-week tour that will involve a four-nation tournament followed by a three-match test series against the hosts.
Raghunath joins the squad after being rested for the Asian Champions Tophy, while Manpreet Singh is back from injury to bolster the midfield. Defender and drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh, who was the top scorer in the ACT, will be Raghunath’s deputy. Focus is clearly on merit and future talent with coach Roelant Oltmans rewarding those who performed consistently in Malaysia.
Young Akash Chikte, who revelled under pressure in the final against Pakistan in Malaysia, will shoulder goalkeeping duties while Uttar Pradesh’s Abhinav Kumar Pandey is the second custodian in the squad. Mohammad Amir Khan and Satbir Singh are the new faces in the attack. Said Oltmans, “Abhinav has been in and out of the camps. He has had a knee injury for a while but has made a strong comeback and we are pleased with his performance in this camp.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> In Other News / November 12th, 2016
Robin Uthappa’s career has gone downhill due to lack of opportunities.
Robin Uthappa went from being a match-winner to one of those Indian cricketers left searching for reasons for his axing.
It isn’t common for Indian cricket to produce a hard-hitting batsman who is conventional in his strokeplay and yet has the ability to play shots out of the book. For the nation that saw the emergence of some of the great batting artists like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, it couldn’t come up with a talent who could be moulded to the team’s requirements anytime and at any place.
However, just when the hopes were down and the efforts of the national board’s search were beginning to be questioned, arrived the man with skills totally alien to the Indian fans.
Early days
Robin Uthappa, a well-built lad from Karnataka was making the headlines in 2005 for his performances in the domestic circuit.
He was born in Kodagu in Karnataka to a Christian mother and Hindu father.He was educated at Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College in Bangalore. His mother Roselyn is a Malayali. His father, Venu Uthappa, a former hockey umpire is a Kodava Hindu. He is married to his long-time girlfriend Sheetal Gautham.
The batsman came into the spotlight after making a gritty 66 for India B against India A in a Challenger Trophy match in Mumbai. Although his team went on to lose that match, the national board was surprised to see a 19-year old taking the attack to an experienced pack of bowlers which included the likes of Zaheer Khan, Murali Karthik and RP Singh. In Mohali in 2006, he smashed his way to a 93-ball 100 for India B against an India A team in the subsequent edition of the same tournament.
The Indian selectors wasted no time in drafting the dashing right-hand batsman as they were taken for a ride by a rare talent that they had never witnessed before. The reward was a place in the Indian team for the ODI series against England in 2006.
Debut
The right-hander had to wait for the final ODI to make his debut and the man he replaced in the team was no ordinary cricketer – Virender Sehwag. The pressure was on the 20-year old to justify his selection not just for making it to the Indian team, but for replacing someone with the calibre of Sehwag.
Uthappa went on to make 86 on his debut, which served as a platform for his international career. It was a dream start considering the fact that he was young and was looking to break into an Indian team that was filled with immense talent. He made full use of the occasional chances that he got since his debut and was rewarded with a spot in the Indian squad for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies. The World Cup didn’t turn out be an interesting affair for him and the team as the Indians were knocked out in the group stages itself.
Just when the critics started to circle around, the big-hitter made a strong statement during the sixth ODI of the Natwest series against England in 2007. He went on to make a crucial 47 to take the Indians home and keep the series alive.
By now the world had witnessed what Uthappa was capable of. His fearless attitude combined with a calm and clear head made him one of the most exciting prospects to watch out for. The young lad was rewarded again with a berth in the team for the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Uthappa chipped in with some crucial knocks in the T20 World Cup and showed the signs of a future star. His 50 run knock against Pakistan in one of the matches was hailed by the Indian fans as it came in at a time when the team was tottering at 39/4. With this, he became the first Indian to score a 50 in a T20 international match. India subsequently won the match in a bowl out 3–0, where he bowled one of the three deliveries that hit the stumps.
Loss of form and subsequent resurgence
However, his form dipped after the Asia Cup in 2008 and with the rise of some of the young blood, Uthappa was overlooked by the selectors. He returned to domestic circuit and also played all the editions of the IPL since its inception in 2008. He has represented Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sahara Pune Warriors and is currently playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.
In 2013-14, he had a superb domestic season with Karnataka completing a treble of the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Uthappa followed that up with an outstanding IPL in 2014, in which he scored 40 or more in eleven successive innings, breaking Mathew Hayden’s record of eight and was the leading run-scorer of the tournament.
This saw him make a comeback into the Indian team for the tour to Bangladesh for the ODI series in 2014, where he made one fifty in a series of rain-interrupted matches. Uthappa couldn’t hold onto the spot following a modest tour of Zimbabwe in July-August 2015. However, he had a fantastic 2014-15 Ranji season ending up as the highest run-getter of the season.
His ramp shot against England in 2007, the walking smack over the bowler’s head and his improvised batting were a delight to watch for the Indians. Though the batsman has often shown the signs of a rare commodity who juggles between being conventional and witty at times, Uthappa has been hard done by the lack of opportunities. It would be fair to say that the national selectors, in their impatient quest for unearthing new talents, lost a gem who could have redefined the art of stroke making in cricket.
source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda.com / Home> Cricket> Opinion / by Shyam – Sunder / November 11th, 2016
Ahmed Legesse of Ethiopia accepting the top prize at the 1st Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards gala in New York. Illycafé photo.
Last week, the espresso-focused Italian coffee giant Illycafé presented its first annual Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards, recognizing the top quality producers in its supply network.
Held at the Delegates Dining Room of the United Nations in New York, the event notably pulled the mask off Illy’s signature blend, while more importantly recognizing and promoting the individual producers behind it in the spirit of quality through collaboration. The company has been holding a similar awards program annually in Brazil, yet in UN-fashion, decided to expand the program to include a number of additional major producing countries.
From its quality lab in Trieste, Italy, Illy identified the three best lots from the 2015-16 crop year from each of nine countries that have regularly contributed to Illy’s signature blend, before an international jury selected the top lot from each country. The awards gala itself recognized all 27 finalists.
The countries represented included Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India and Nicaragua, while the international jury — calibrated by Mark Pendergrast and Illy Quality director David Brussa — was composed of coffee professionals, chefs and members of the coffee-focused media, including Peter Giuliano, Kerri Goodman, Corby Kummer, Grace Hightower, Suvir Saran, Viki Geunes, Luigi Taglienti, Maria Loi, and Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira.
In the end, Ahmed Legesse from Ethiopia was presented with the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award, with coffee praised by the jury as having an intense yet delicate flavor, and unique high-intensity floral jasmine notes mixed with a hint of citrus and fresh fruit. Receiving an equal score, a Honduran lot from Juan Angel Milla received a special honorable mention.
“Exactly 25 years ago, my father Ernesto Illy created the Brazilian Quality Award, which triggered the transformation of Brazil into a high quality coffee producer,” illycaffè Chairman Andrea Illy said in an announcement following the event. “Today we celebrate this important milestone by extending this prestigious award to all the major producing countries of the unique illy blend, with the aim of building the future of coffee by bringing together growers and coffee lovers.”
Here, by country, are all 27 finalists in the 2016 Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards
Brazil
1. Juliana Tytko Armelin
2. Daniella Romano Pelosini
3. Arabela Pereira Lima
Nicaragua
1. Jose Arauz
2. Carlos Alberto Cruz Lopez
3. Victor Hugo Castillo
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Nick Brown
Nick Brown is the editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. Feedback and story ideas are welcome at publisher@dailycoffeenews.com.
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source: http://www.dailycoffeenews.com / Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine / by Nick Brown / November 08th, 2016
The organic coffee grown by Girijan farmers in the picturesque Araku valley of Visakhapatnam district is making a mark not only in the country but internationally as well, and all efforts will be made to promote it in an aggressive manner, according to Social Welfare and Tribal Welfare Minister R. Kishore Babu.
He was speaking here on Wednesday morning after releasing two new products of the Girijan Co-operative Corporation (GCC), a state government undertaking. The products are Vaisakhi Coffee and Kumkum (saffron) powder. “Coffee cultivation is bringing light into the lives of Girijans in the Eastern Ghats of Visakhapatnam district. The state government has taken up a project to bring one lakh acres under coffee cultivation in the district and Rs. 526 crore would be spent on it,” he said.
He lauded the GCC for procuring coffee directly from the Girijan farmers and marketing it on its own, eliminating middlemen. He said Araku coffee would be promoted under the brand name Vaisakhi and there was good demand for kumkum powder. “The GCC has already received orders worth Rs. 10 lakh from the famous Srisailam Siva temple in Kurnool district, and we expect big orders from other temples in the state and outside as well,” he said.
Kishore Babu said the state government was giving the GCC functional autonomy and “in the past few years the turnover of the GCC has risen almost three-fold from Rs. 90 crore in 2013. For the current year we have set a target of Rs. 365 crore and Rs. 155 crore has already been achieved. In the next five years, the turnover of GCC should cross Rs. 1,000 crore.”
GCC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director A.S.P.S Ravi Prakash said the corporation would strive to increase the income levels of Girijans and “GCC has waived farm debts of Girijan farmers to the extent of Rs. 1.8 crores.”
Araku MLA G. Sarveswara Rao said organic products such as turmeric and coffee procured from the Eastern Ghats inhabited by the Girijans, should be promoted in the domestic and international markets.
sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in
sourcce; http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / by CH. R.S. Sarma / Visakhapatnam – November 09th, 2016
From cricketers to squash players to shuttlers — athletes are falling in love with surfing as a hobby and fitness necessity.
Surfing instructor Murthy Megavan with India Test opener Murali Vijay.
Surfing’s biggest moment in India might well be when Priyanka Chopra is seen in the Baywatch movie next year. But quietly, three of Indian sport’s fittest bods are riding the waves on one of Chennai’s pristine beaches. Squash’s decade long champ Joshna Chinappa, India Test opener Murali Vijay and former World Championship medallist in badminton doubles Ashwini Ponnappa have each given a try to taming the threatening rips and breaking waves at Kovalam beach’s Covelong Point surfing facility on India’s east coast these last few years, making surfing the avant-garde recreation of India’s top sportspersons.
You would expect fitness’ reigning celebrity deity Milind Soman to have dropped by to catch a wave – and he has indeed.
You’d reckon Matthew Hayden the big Aussie who played IPL in Chennai and takes off on Tasman coast with his surf board and fish rods, would definitely have given it a go. And you’d guess Indophile Jonty Rhodes, a perpetual adventurist, to have sniffed out this sea corner of India. But Joshna, Ashwini and Vijay have swooshed surfing right into the heart of India’s sporting fraternity – more are expected to follow.
Fit bods first streamed into Indian cable televisions glamorously through Baywatch and the red trunks. But even as Indian sport shaves off the bulges from its ranks and acquires lean muscle, surfing – incidentally an Olympic discipline at the 2020 Tokyo Games – is the latest in recreation and rehab even.
Ashwini took a day-trip to Chennai last month and headed straight to Covelong having heard about the surfing haunt from friends. “I was there for a day and went to the beach directly. It’s the most fun I’ve had, but it’s quite a bit of a workout,” says the Coorgi, who trains at Bangalore and Hyderabad alternately.
Known for her devotion to fitness – needed for covering the back court from where she has a mean smash, whipped at some of the fastest speeds in women’s badminton – Ashwini was bound to be attracted to surfing. However even half an hour on the board catching waves winds up being a colossally intense workout — not one Ashwini minds.
“I ended with sore muscles after my first try. But I definitely want to try this as part of fitness work. It’s good for the core, and I am hooked,” she said. Wary of water on her face initially, and not the surest of swimmers, Ashwini was initially cagey. But as soon as she negotiated the shallow waters and the baby waves – feet apart and bent at knees, hands steering the balance, she was excited and knew this wasn’t the last time she’d be strapping on the board to the ankle.
Having overcome the fear, and the beach being just an hour’s flight away from Hyderabad, Ashwini hopes to be a regular.
Squash champ Joshna Chinappa has always freakishly pursued fitness – given her sport demands exacting amounts of strength and agility from its practitioners.
She was on the fitness treadmill right from when she went to play the British Open junior finals a dozen seasons ago, but she heads out to Covelong in her hometown, mostly owing to her love of the water.
She first fetched up a year ago for a one-off lesson from Covelong’s inspirational instructor Murthy Megavan. Murthy, son of a fisherman and abandoned by his father, took to the sport starting off on a wooden window plank, but has now a hundred surf boards at his centre – some coming from donations of foreign enthusiasts.
On her first ride, Joshna would lose balance and fall off, almost hurting her foot.
“It’s very hard. I fell off, but got back on and gave it another go. I used to think I have great balance in my sport, but after the first time surfing I realised I couldn’t even get up and stand on the board,” she laughs recalling the first fumbles.
Upper-body fitness
Surfing needs an all-round supple body, but demands some superior upper body fitness to start out. Lying flat on the board, surfer typically paddle into deeper waters first, move to squatting in half position and then with an almighty strain on the leg stand on the board, taming the rips.
“I’d hurt my leg first time, but I returned because all I cared for was that my friends would see me standing on that board,” she laughs. “It felt like I’d conquered the world because it’s a challenge to come down a wave,” she says, adding that the general level of strength for anyone trying out has to be high. “The hard part is staying on the board, and we’re just the elementary level. Imagine the pros,” she says.
A regular season is too risky still for Joshna to go out surfing given fear of injury, though she insists it’ll be her favourite activity in off-season.
One man who doesn’t bother worrying — also because he’s put in more surfing hours — is India top-order batsman Murali Vijay. Murthy says he’s been coming to Covelong since 2014 and enjoys an easy breezy connect with the sport – not unlike his day job of facing upto quicks with mighty elegance.
“He likes surfing because it calms him down, he’s told me,” Murthy says. “Vijay’s come here before start of major series. He’s good on the board, and finds it equivalent to yoga or meditation,” Murthy says.
Surf season in Chennai is April to September, though Murthy expects more to camp here year-round.
“All the sportspersons who’ve come here are excellent students and respectful of the instructors and the sport. No starry airs, no attitude,” he says. You can’t afford to when striking a good body and leg position and dealing with an oncoming wave.
Ashwini was a quick learner, moving onto the 9 foot board used for Levels 3 and 4 pretty fast. “It’s like breathing comfortably when trekking. Only 10 percent arrive here fit to surf straight away, given the demands on the upper body. It’s great to know Indian sportspersons are top level in fitness,” Murthy says.
Riding the peaks then is just a matter of discipline and technique.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Sports Others /by Shivani Naik / Mumbai / November 02nd, 2016
WARMING UP: Akansha Salunkhe, Sunayna Kuruvilla, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa. Photo: M. Vedhan
After months of living out of a suitcase, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa are back in the city, but they are not resting. The two are at the Indian Squash Academy (ISA) here for a three-week camp to get ready for the World women’s team championship to be held in Paris from November 28 to December 3.
“The (past) three months (playing in PSA World tour) have been crazy, playing week after week,” Dipika said to The Hindu here on Friday, after the training camp. “It’s nice to practice again with Joshna. When it comes to a team, we are at our best. We enjoy each other’s company,” she added.
With two of the country’s top under-19 players in Sunayna Kuruvilla and Akansha Salunkhe making up the four-member team to Paris, Joshna, the top-ranked Indian at 13 in the world, felt the team is looking to first enter the top eight, and then take it one step at a time. “It will be tough, no doubt, but we will do our best,” she said.
Acknowledging the competition, which includes top players from England, Egypt, France, Australia, Malaysia, The Netherlands and the USA, Coach Cyrus Poncha said a top-eight finish “is what we are aiming for”. Concurring with Poncha, India’s foreign coach Ashraf El Karargi, said it will be difficult to look beyond the quarterfinals.
For the two juniors, Sunayna and Akansha, it will be a learning experience and an opportunity to prove to one and all that they are here for the long haul. “It is a big honour. I have so much to learn,” said Sunayna, for whom this will be the third International (senior) event after World juniors (Poland) and South Asian Games (SAG, Guwahati). Akansha said her aim is to “improve myself” after having played in the SAG (Guwahati), Asian team championship in Taipei and the World juniors (Poland).
Ashraf revealed Egypt’s Zahed Mohamed (men’s World No. 25) and Shehab Essam (No. 92) will train at the ISA with the Indian junior players from January 15 next year for the Asian juniors (boys and girls) championship to be held in Hong Kong in February 2017. “They are experienced pros, and playing with them will certainly help our players improve,” he said.
source:http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by K. Keerthivasan / Chennai – November 05th, 2016
Attacking batsman Robin Uthappa is a proud Bengalurean. The 30-year-old India cricketer isn’t amused when called a ‘Madrasi’. “I make it a point to say I’m from Bengaluru,” he states pointedly. Uthappa is as passionate about the city he calls home as he is about cricket. Be it the chocolate fudge at Corner House or the steaming-hot idlis at Brahmin’s Cafe, Uthappa can’t get enough of the city. In a chat with STOI, the talented Kodava lists five things he loves about the city.
WEATHER
I love the weather in Bengaluru. The city has the best weather in the country. It has gotten a little warmer in the past few years, but still the weather here is incomparable.
SCENT
I love the scent of this city, it’s warm and comforting. It’s very different from anywhere else. Whenever I get off a flight, the first thing I do is to take a few deep breaths and I know I’m home. This is something you cannot experience anywhere else in the world.
PEOPLE
I love Bengalureans. I’m talking about those who are born and raised here. Our people are extremely hospitable and caring. You don’t get to see or much less interact with very many of them, because not only has the city grown physically and economically, it has also seen a huge influx of people from other parts of the country and even the world. Sadly, though, this has resulted in a change of temperament, which was once as cool as the weather. Still the people of Bengaluru are loving and giving, as we’ve seen on numerous occasions. That’s something I simply love about the people here.
FOOD
The range we have here is out of the world. My wife and I are both foodies and love trying new cuisines and restaurants. The city’s cosmopolitan fabric makes it a food hub. There are a lot of old hangouts which take me back in time. Among the places I visit regularly are Corner House, Hotel Airlines, Fanoos and Richie Rich. One place I visit a lot these days is Brahmin’s Cafe in Basavanagudi. When we plan a breakfast outing, our whole family is up early and we are there by 7 am. We get out there as often as we can.
Robin Uthappa
MY TIME
When I need my space, I get into the car and head in the direction of the airport. There are other connecting roads which have less traffic and I enjoy driving on them, too.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India /News Home> Sports> Off the field / by Manuja Veerappa / TNN / November 06th, 2016
In the northern part of the Mahadevpet quarter of Madikeri town lies a royal graveyard, unbeknownst to many. Gaddige is a set of three regal mausoleums built in the Indo-Saracenic style and enclosed within a compound. Upon each of these rectangular structures is a large dome and four turrets. Two kings of Kodagu (Dodda Vira Rajendra and Linga Rajendra) and their queens lay buried in the two larger identical structures and a third smaller one has the remains of the chief preceptor (Rudrappa) of the kings.
Beside these three tombs, at a little distance away but within the same enclosure, are the tombs of a father-son duo Biddanda Bopanna (Bopu) (1769-1807) and Biddanda Somayya (1800-1879). They had served Kodagu and its kings as sarva-karyakaras, or army generals. While Bopu was the general under Dodda Vira Rajendra (1789-1809), Somayya was the general under Chikka Vira Rajendra (1820-1834). Both tombs have the statue of a Nandi upon it.
Under the Kodagu kings, jamma ryots (farmers by inheritance) held their farmlands by military tenure. The word jamma came from the Sanskrit word for birth, janma. Every able-bodied male jamma ryot had to compulsorily serve in the king’s army. Known as chaudigaras, they worked for 15 days at a time. Around 10 to 100 soldiers served under an army chieftain called the jamedar and a number of jamedars served under an army officer called karyakara. The karyakaras worked under a sarva-karyakaras, or the general. The karyakaras and the sarva-karyakara wore a kombu toppi, a gold zari-bordered red turban with a kombu (horned emblem) in front.
A Kannada inscription states that Biddanda Bopu of Bavali village entered the Raja’s service through palace duties on the fifth day of the new moon of Magha month in the Keelaka year (1788). He worked for 19 years until the year Prabhava, bravely risking his life while fighting wars against Tipu Sultan of Mysore and hunting elephants, tigers and other wild animals, to ultimately become a sarva-karyakara. The Biddanda family originated in Kokeri village in Kodagu nearly three centuries ago. In this Kokeri house lived brothers Medappa and Poonacha. Medappa was a member of the local village panchayat and he married Chaniyapanda Subbavva in 1768. They had a son Bopu, who was born in 1769 on what was deemed to be an inauspicious day by the panchayat members. It was decreed that the son’s face was not to be seen by the father and that the mother was not to be allowed into the house. Hence, the mother and the son lived with the maternal family in Podavada village.
Chronicles of the pastUnfortunately, after some time, both Medappa and Subbavva passed away. The orphaned boy was then brought to the Kokeri Biddanda house by his uncle Poonacha. In 1788, at the age of 19, Bopu joined the king’s army. He worked hard and rose through the ranks to become a karyakara. Poonacha and his wife passed away and their two daughters were married into other families. In 1795, the king transferred Poonacha’s property, which was called ‘Mookanda Bane’ (pasture), to Bopu and his paternal relatives for the military services they had rendered.
Bopu moved from Kokeri to Bavali where he built a ‘Nalkett Mundmane’ — a traditional country house (mane) with four blocks (nalkett) built around an open central courtyard (mund). This became the ‘Biddanda Ainmane’, or ancestral home, in Bavali. One can find description of many events pertaining to Karyakara Biddanda Bopu in Reverend Hermann Moegling’s Coorg Memoirs.
In 1799, the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War broke out between Tipu Sultan and the British. When the British laid siege upon Srirangapatna, the erstwhile capital of Mysore kingdom, Dodda Vira Rajendra sent his treasurer Karnika Subbayya and his officer Karyakara Bopu to invade the Tulu region, which was then a part of the Mysore State. Bopu led the Kodagu army and defeated Sadri Behari and Mir Mohammed who held the Kodial (Mangalore) district. Soon, Kodagu occupied Mangalore, Barkur, Bantwal, Bellare, Viragamba, Udiavara and other regions. Karnika Subbayya came to hold and govern Kodial at that time.
Eventually, news came from Srirangapatna that Tipu Sultan was killed and that Mysore was taken over by the British. Later, Kodagu was made to evacuate the Tulu region and return it to Mysore. Karyakara Bopu was later made the sarva-karyakara of Kodagu. Biddanda Somayya was born in the year Roudri (1800) to Bopu and his wife Mayavva. Bopu died in 1807 at the young age of 38 years. In commemoration of his remarkable army tenure, the king of Kodagu ordered that Bopu be entombed near the royal tombs of Gaddige.
Somayya joined the Raja’s army in 1821. Like his father, he rose through the ranks to become a sarva-karyakara. In 1834, Kodagu got into a conflict with the British. Under him, the Kodagu army was able to inflict damage upon the British army initially. But Chikka Vira Rajendra, the last king of Kodagu, chose to surrender to the British. He was then exiled and the British took over Kodagu.
In those days, the British decreed that all the native officers would be retained in service. But Sarva-karyakara Somayya refused to be in the service of the new government and thus, retired early instead. After his retirement, Somayya lived in the Bavali Biddanda Ainmane and got involved in farming. But he did have one last wish. After his death, he wanted to be buried beside his father and before the rajas of Kodagu. The British allowed this and refused to have anybody else, including any surviving relatives of the rajas, to be buried in the Gaddige area. Somayya died on August 16, 1879. His tomb was erected in Gaddige with the permission of the Chief Commissioner of Coorg. There is a separate graveyard for other members of the Biddanda family in Bavali as well. While the tombs lie neglected today, their history and significance continue to throw light on the history of our people.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / By Mookanda Kushalappa / November 08th, 2016
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