Shibulal’s family office bets big on hospitality, realty biz

Business & Economy

SUMMARY
Infosys co-founder and CEO SD Shibulal’s family office, a private limited company that manages his family wealth, is expanding its hospitality
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Infosys co-founder and CEO SD Shibulal’s family office, a private limited company that manages his family wealth, is expanding its hospitality and real estate business further with investments worth R130 crore. The family office, which manages around R6,500 crore through various assets, including his family’s holdings in Infosys, runs a resort in Coorg, Karnataka called ‘The Tamara’, a 56-room luxury property. The family office is registered with the registrar of companies as Innovations Investment Management India.

“We established this family office because we expect the wealth to grow for generations. The BMW family in Germany is into the seventh generation and we want to be something like that,” said Senthil Kumar N, director and CEO of The Tamara.

The family is currently building two hotel properties, a 50-room luxury resort in Kodaikanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu and a 108-room city hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. While the Thiruvananthapuram property entails an investment of around R80 crore, Kodaikanal will need around R50 crore.

“We realised that we need to be proud of the properties we own. We want to do involvement management, not investment management,” said Kumar, who joined Shibulal’s family office in 2005 after some of the family shares were sold at the American Depository Receipts issued by Infosys. An IIM-Bangalore and BITS-Pilani graduate, Kumar said the Coorg property, which started operations in April 2012, broke even in its seccond year.

“We are doing our own operations and marketing, and gaining experience in running the hospitality business, and we don’t have any partnerships,” said Kumar. According to him, the family believes in giving an experience rather than sight-seeing. For instance, the Kodaikanal property is a restoration of a 150-year-old building. “This gives us lots of stories to tell the guests and, today, people are willing to pay the premium.”

He added, “You can’t click photos of millions of honey bees buzzing when the coffee blossoms,” he said, referring to the Tamara, which is built amid a 170-acre coffee plantation.

The family also owns nearly 900 acres of plantations of coffee and cardamom in Valparai, Tamil Nadu and Sakhleshpur, Karnataka. The company’s other investments include a 50% stake in ‘Avant Garde Hospitality’, which runs fine-dining restaurants ‘Caperberry’ and ‘Fava’ in Bangalore.

The company’s other key portfolio is apartment properties in the US and Germany. In the US, we manage 800 apartments in the Seattle area, which houses US multinationals like Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks. The family has two apartment complexes of 20-25 units in Berlin and Frankfurt.

“We have a bias towards real estate. We believe it has the highest potential to cover you against inflation. You can’t make money in a steady way from portfolios when you are managing thousands of crores unless you are a Warren Buffet!” said Kumar.

source: http://www.financialexpress.com / The Financial Express / Home> Front Page / by Anand J / Bangalore – March 12th, 2014

‘Baambe Mitayi’ Complete

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

BambeKF14jun2014

This one appears a travelogue as the shooting of this film was held at Mysore, Madikeri, Kushalnagara, Golden temple Bylakuppe, Chikkamagalur, Kuduremukha, Kalasa, Bidadi, Murudeshwara, Karawara, Hubballi, Gadag, Rani Bennur, Chitradurga and others place by debutant Chandramohan.

It is a Touchwood Creations maiden cinema in the debut direction of Chandramohan. Like the title the film is sweet in narration and who gets Disha Pande who comes from Bombay in the film is narrated in humor touch. Anchor and RK Niranjan Deshpande plays the major role. Chandramohan in the field of cinema as assistant for 12 years working with V Ravichandran, Umesh MS, Indrajith Lankesh, R Chandru, Sridhar and others.

Indrajith Lankesh one of the mentors of Chandramohan was present at the first media meet of ‘Baambe Mitayi’ at Kanishka Hotel to unveil the poster of the film starring Niranjan Deshpande, Disha Pande, Vikram, Chikkanna, Kishore Ballal, Sunil, Bullet Prakash, Moogu Suresh, Nallur Narayan, Baby Bindusri. Veera Samartha has scored music and RK SHivakumar is cameraman.

source: http://www.indiaglitz.com / IndiaGlitz / Home> IndiaGlitz Telugu / Saturday – June 07th, 2014

BADMINTON / APPRECIATION : Awesome foursome

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, Uncategorized

If Saina and Sindhu performed well, no praise is less for the way Jwala and Ashwini combined to give their best against tougher rivals. By Rakesh Rao.

The jubilant Indian women with bronze medals./ Photo: by Sandeep Saxena
The jubilant Indian women with bronze medals./ Photo: by Sandeep Saxena

In the past four years, women badminton players have brought laurels to the country. Saina Nehwal, P. V. Sindhu and the crack doubles combination of G. Jwala and Ashwini Ponnappa have given India the much-needed identity and a place among the elite nations.

For long, the success story of Indian badminton was associated with the unprecedented achievements of Prakash Padukone and the lone All-England triumph of P. Gopi Chand. Now, there is not much to talk about our men when compared to the feats of our women players. No wonder, when the prestigious Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals were hosted by India, only our women’s team was expected to win a medal.

In a format where each tie has five matches — three singles and two doubles — India went in with optimism in two singles and a doubles.

For a nation, that had failed to produce true world-beaters in women’s badminton until 2006, the event was a huge opportunity to showcase India’s worth at the global stage.

With Saina and Sindhu among the world’s elite, having won bronze medals in Olympics and World Championship respectively, India had hoped to make initial headway. With the experienced doubles combination of Jwala-Ashwini looking hungry to make up for the lost time, India was hopeful of claiming the decisive third ‘rubber’ in these best of five match format.

The anticipated, dismal performance of Indian men — losing to Malaysia and Korea in the league — was soon pushed into the background as the women’s team produced a series of consistent performances.

Clubbed with Thailand (headed by World champion Ratchanok Intanon), Hong Kong and Canada, the host gained in confidence by winning every tie.

Saina ended her lean trot to beat Intanon, the Thai girl, who has struggled with fitness and form since winning the World title in August last year.

Saina had not beaten a higher-ranked player since the conquest of World No. 2 German Juliane Schenk in the BWF Superseries Finals in December 2012. Therefore, the 22-20, 21-14 triumph over Intanon was more than just another victory.

Like Saina, Sindhu too won all her five singles. Creditably, the 18-year-old has beaten all three leading Chinese girls — World No. 1 and Olympic champion Li Xuerui, former World champion and World No, 1 Wang Yihan and the reigning Asian Games and All England champion Wang Shixian.

Among Sindhu’s victories, the ones against Indonesia and Japan stood out. The youngster fought match-points in both these matches.

Sindhu bounced back to stop Indonesia’s Bellaetrix Manuputty 21-16, 10-21, 25-23 and returned the following day to overpower Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi 19-21, 21-18, 26-24. In recent times, Sindhu had lost a few three-game encounters. Therefore, these victories should boost Sindhu’s self-belief.

If Saina and Sindhu performed well, no praise is less for the way Jwala and Ashwini combined to give their best against tougher rivals.

Unlike Saina and Sindhu, whose professional needs are taken care of by the Gopi Chand Academy, life is much tougher for Jwala and Ashwini.

Jwala trains under Mohammad Arif in Hyderabad and Ashwini with Tom John in Bangalore. They had to fend for themselves when they had travel to each others’ city for joint training.

Perhaps, these challenges and the adverse times they had faced together in the days leading to the Indian Badminton League (IBL) auction last year, have toughened them. Jwala even fought a legal battle and won a favourable verdict from Delhi High Court against the Badminton Association of India (BAI). So over all, the coming together of these two doubles specialists, who won the National title in December, has helped the country more.

“I think, Ashwini and I are playing better and enjoying our game more than we did before the 2012 Olympics. We will surely improve ahead of the Commonwealth Games, followed by the Asian Games this year,” assures Jwala.

It was against Japan, in the semifinals, that the World No. 36 doubles pair lost its only match to World No. 4 Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 12-21, 22-20, 21-16. Indeed, it was a gallant performance.

But this loss, after Saina and Sindhu had put India 2-0 up, proved costly. Japan easily won the third singles and the second doubles, where coach Gopi Chand experimented with Saina-Sindhu combination instead of the off-form pair of Pradnya Gadre and Sikki Reddy.

Overall, barring these four players, there is no bench-strength even in women’s badminton as well. India went in with just one plan and lasted as long it worked. All credit to Saina, Sindhu, Jwala and Ashwini for taking India to a historic medal. Will this prove as a catalyst for future medals in team events? Only time will tell.

source: http://www.sportstaronnet.com / Sports Star / Home> Vol.37, No.24 / June 14th, 2014

“Coffee: The World in Your Cup” Pours into Bradenton

Coffee News, World Opinion

by Lucielle Salomon

Have you ever been interested on what goes into that morning cup coffee? You can find out tonight at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton.

Coffee has been at the center of our lives for centuries.The South Florida Museum presents “Coffee: The World In Your Cup,” revealing that there is much more in your cup of coffee than you think. Tiffany Birakis, the museum’s curator, shares how one of the world’s most traded products became the American national drink.

“Coffee has impacted the American culture since the Revoution,” she says. “The Boston Tea Party, after that happened, the tax on tea, Americans switched to coffee and we’ve really never looked back.”

She says coffee is often described as work of art. Whether you drink it for a morning energy boost, or simply like the flavor, Birakis says coffee will always be associated with sparking good conversation.

“And especially with coffee, there’s always that aspect of getting together, at a place like a coffee house,” she says. “That’s a social aspect with coffee that I think we’ll never lose.”

The reception starts tonight at 5:30 p.m.

South Florida Museum presents Coffee: The World in Your Cup, an exhibit that tells the story of one of the world’s most widely traded commodities and how it has affected cultures, economies, and environments across the globe. Learn about the impacts of caffeine, the world’s most commonly-used drug, on your body, discover coffee’s early controversial reputation as a “revolutionary drink,” and consider the culture that surrounds coffee in the twenty-first century.

source: http://www.wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu / Wusf News / Home> Culture / by Lucielle Salomon / Thursday – May 29th, 2014

Delectable destinations at Seven Roads

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

From the junction at Seven Roads, Sujatha Shankar Kumar picks some centrally located eating places in Kodaikanal with unique hill-town flavours.

From bakeries and gourmet cafes to five star resorts, Kodaikanal’s kitchens have a zest for organic, churning out recipes from scratch. Cheeses, herbs and vegetables are procured farm fresh. The laid-back atmosphere of a small town is deceptive. Restaurants and cafes bustle about to cater to the busy crowds of the season.

Cafe Cariappa is a delightful nook with tables on barrels and wood panelled walls./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Cafe Cariappa is a delightful nook with tables on barrels and wood panelled walls./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Cafe Cariappa

A miniature gourmet coffee house for true coffee lovers, Cafe Cariappa is a delightful nook with tables on barrels and wood panelled walls. Alongside, they serve hot Belgian waffles with chocolate syrup and honey, carrot cake and organic muffins. Sandwiches are filled with cheese and mustard from Caroselle, specialty cheese maker from Pethuparai. Kishore Cariappa’s dream was sparked by environmental interests and a yen to grow organic coffee. Purchasing a small farm 35 km from Kodaikanal, Cariappa set out to preserve the natural ecosystem engaging the local Mannadiyars, early agricultural settlers. The single origin coffee at the cafe is pure Arrabica, a premium brand. Cariappa roasts and grinds the coffee beans, all in-house, with his specially procured Italian machines. An elephant drinking coffee from a cup adorns the brown Kraft packaging with Cariappa’s trademark stamp ‘Origin Palani Hills’. He says, “I want this to be a revolutionary centre for ecology where coffee is the meeting point.” As coffee grows in the shade, trees are never cut in his estate. Elephants do visit the Cariappas and my bet is Kishore wishes they drink his coffee!

JS Heritage Complex, PT Road

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / 1 part of 7 outlets / by Sujatha Shankar Kumar / Chennai – June 05th, 2014

IPL 7: India’s got talent

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

SUMMARY
It was a challenging year for the IPL. From a cricketing point of view, it grew, writes Harsha Bhogle

Captain Gautam Gambhir with teammates during KKR's felicitation ceremony at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday (Express Photo by Partha Paul)
Captain Gautam Gambhir with teammates during KKR’s felicitation ceremony at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

I am overjoyed by the resurgence of Robin Uthappa; not as much for the talent he possesses but for what he has overcome, for the decisions he took in life and the effort he was willing to commit to his decision. Most times most people know what to do; if they don’t, an informed opinion isn’t too far away. But it is the commitment to doing what it takes that is worthy of admiration. With Uthappa the runs were merely a by-product, a consequence of training and working hard when the result was far away and unknown. That is what produces applause and brings a smile.

I like the new-look Uthappa because his batting is tighter, more stylish than it was (and he was always stylish) and in an almost contrarian way, he has found freedom through going back to technique. By becoming tighter, by playing closer to his body I suspect he is playing shots that give him greater value and greater longevity. With Uthappa, it was never a question of class or timing, it was about being in long enough to cause lasting damage. He has chiseled his game and is looking so much better for it.

But now, the challenges begin. Can he continue to play within the new boundaries he has set for himself? Or will he rebel against his own discipline and seek newer territories for his boundless talent? Just as investors follow certain scrips, cricket watchers must follow Uthappa to see where he goes. I wish him well, he is a fine young man who has endured, and frittered away, much. He has now found peace and stability; those are boundaries for some, pathways for others.

If Uthappa’s was the dramatic resurgence at the IPL, it was a new look Wriddhiman Saha who caught everyone’s eye. You knew Saha was smooth and classy behind the stumps, that in front of them he was more than just capable, also that he was a brilliant fielder when the gloves were worn by someone else. But could he hit the ball with such intensity? Very few, dare I say nobody, could say they saw this coming. We never know, do we, who really resides within a person!

This is excellent news for Indian cricket. And it can be even better if Saha catalyses an Uthappa like resurgence in Dinesh Karthik. I suspect that a year from now, MS Dhoni would be looking at his career through a more critical lens and India will benefit from having a healthy competition between Saha and Karthik for the latter is a possessor of rare gifts too.

And what of Manish Pandey? He has promised much, often scoring big when the occasion was big enough, earning

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cricket> Indian Premier League / by Harsha Bhogle / June 04th, 2014

Coorg escapade — run amid greenery on June 1

Sports

Mangalore :

Test your mettle running through over the hills, through the waterfalls, streams, coffee estates and the thick jungles of Kodagu. Coorg Escapade being held on June 1 will give running enthusiasts a chance to blend with nature and fill fresh mountain air in the lungs.

Conceptualized by Next Level Sport and Entertainment, the run will flag off from Chelavara waterfalls. The trail is a scenic loop, which offers magnificent views of Kodagu. The trail offers different elevations, making the run truly challenging. The lowest point is 950 metres and the highest is 1,250 metres. The Run has three categories – The 10K Run, the 2.5K Fun Run and the 10K Relay for corporates and families.

The run was conceptualized with the mission of encouraging and promoting responsible tourism. As a part of this endeavour, the Coorg Escapade will not be using any plastic in the event, keep noise levels to a minimum and no private vehicles will be allowed past the nearest town Cheyandane. A shuttle service will transport participants and audience to and from the venue.

Participants and their families get to experience the rich cultural heritage of Coorg and interact with other runners during the bonfire dinner the 250-year old Nadikerianda Aine Mane (The Ancestral Home).

The first three winners will be awarded a cash prize up to Rs 1.80 lakh along with gift vouchers. The Race Categories and starting time are as follows: 10K Challenge – Anyone above the age of 15 – Start time – 7.15am; 2.5K Fun Run – Anyone above the age of 12 – Start time – 11.30am; 10K Inter Corporate Relay (2.5K X 4 members) – Start time – 10.45 AM and 10K Inter Family Relay (for Coorg Locals only) – Start time – 10.45am.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / May 24th, 2014

Robin Uthappa wins CEAT Domestic Cricketer of the Year

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
Robin Uthappa receives his award / Photo Courtesy: Sudatta Mukherjee
Robin Uthappa receives his award / Photo Courtesy: Sudatta Mukherjee

Robin Uthappa‘s dream run with the bat was rewarded in the 17th CEAT awards gala, where the stylish right-handed batsman walked home with the award for the CEAT Domestic Cricketer of the Year. On the recent IPL victory, he says “it wouldn’t have been sweet if we had not won.”

On the back of a stellar Ranji Trophy campaign for Karnataka, where he averaged a humongous 89 and led his state to a unique hat-trick of domestic titles i.e Ranji Trophy, Deodar Trophy and the Irani Cup. Uthappa was the lynchpin of his side with excellent displays at the top of the order.

Uthappa’s stupendous run did not stop there and helped his Indian Premier League (IPL), where he looked impregnable and took home the top run-getter’s Orange Cap. He had a jaw-dropping nine consecutive 40+ scores to lead his franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their second IPL triumph. Uthappa’s consistent displays with the bat have earned him an India call-up for their upcoming One-Day International (ODI) tour of Bangladesh.

source: http://www.cricketcountry.com / The Cricket Country / Home> News / by Cricket Country Staff / June 02nd, 2014

India’s coffee exports up 9% in Jan-May

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Uncategorized

Shipments for the product stood at Rs 2,347.92 crore in the corresponding period last year

CoffeeKF07jun2014

India’s coffee exports increased by 9.32% in value terms at Rs 2,567 crore during the January-May period this year on better realisation in view of firm global prices, according to the Coffee Board.

Coffee shipments from India, the world’s fifth biggest exporter, stood at Rs 2,347.92 crore in the corresponding period last year.

In volume terms, however, the shipments fell marginally to 1,59,275 tonnes in January-May of 2014 from 1,59,295 tonnes in the year-ago period.

“Because of firm global price trend, we got average export realisation of Rs 1,61,160 per tonne. This is 9% higher than Rs 1,47,394 per tonne earned in the year-ago period,” a senior Board official said.

Global coffee prices have risen by more than 80% during the period – after having dipped sharply last year – on expectation of production fall in the world’s largest coffee producer Brazil, the official added.

According the Board’s latest data, the country exported 43,465 tonnes of Arabica coffee and 73,645 tonnes of Robusta coffee during the January-May of this year.

The Arabica shipments rose by 31% from 33,220 tonnes, while Robusta exports dropped by 15% from 86,736 tonnes in the said period.

The shipment of instant coffee rose significantly by 91% to 18,875 tonnes in January-May of this year as against 9,850 tonnes in the year-ago.

Total domestic output is expected to be in line with the Board’s estimate of 3,11,500 tonnes for 2013-14 crop year (October-September), down by 2.1% from 3,18,200 tonnes produced in 2012-13.

India exports coffee largely to Italy, Germany, Belgium, Jordan, Turkey and Russia, among others.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Markets> Commodities> Food & Edible Oils / Press Trust of India / New Delhi – June 02nd, 2014

MP Pratap Simha receives rousing reception in Kodagu

Leaders

MpPratabSinhaKF06jun2014

Madikeri :

The newly-elected MP from Mysore-Kodagu constituency, Pratap Simha, was given a rousing welcome on his arrival here yesterday. The district BJP members had organised a road show in which Simha participated after offering special pujas at prominent temples in Talacauvery and Bhagamandala.

The open jeep road show commenced from Gadduge with MLAs K.G. Bopaiah, Appachu Ranjan, former MLC S.G. Medappa, District BJP President Suja Kushalappa and others participating in it.

Simha was later felicitated at a function held at Cauvery Kalakshetra. Addressing the press later, he assured that he would not allow any project which would be detrimental to Kodagu.

When questioned whether he would explore the possibility of providing a rail link to Kodagu, Simha said that with D.V. Sadanandagowda as Railway Minister the project would be explained as the survey work on the project has already been done from Mysore to Kushalnagar.

When a reporter pointed out that the survey report had opined that the railway project was not feasible, Simha said that all projects need not be profitable as railways was a service oriented department.

When asked about the development plans for Kodagu, Simha said that he would go by the suggestions of locals MLAs. He observed that the taluks of Hunsur and Periyapatna were deprived of good infrastructure and assured to give top priority for that.

When pointed out that the DC was not responding properly to the grievances of the people, Simha said that he would call for a meeting of all officers of district to discuss the matter and bring in harmony.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / June 01st, 2014