Category Archives: Uncategorized

Looking out for the destitute

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Uncategorized

Mysore:
Unlike other business administration postgraduates, these two graduates have opened a non-government organization to help the needy. They provide food, shelter and rehabilitate mentally-challenged persons and the destitute in Mysore.

Meet 28-year-olds, B Manu and Vinod Kumar, who have rehabilitated around 109 mentally-challenged destitutes since the inception of their NGO two years ago. They aim to rehabilitate the destitute and reunite them with their family members.

They earn by organizing rehabilitation camps for individuals, who are addicted to alcohol and drugs and use the income to help poor orphans, who are suffering from diseases. So far, this NGO has rehabilitated more than 300 people, including destitute, drug and alcohol addicts.

Speaking to TOI Manu said, “I had been to Himalayas three years ago and I found many people who had left their families and were suffering from psychiatric problems. This inspired me to help mentally-challenged orphans. We don’t collect any donations from people but we accept even old clothes, food grains and other necessary things.”

Presently, doctors, psychiatrists, and nurses in this center are treating 11 mentally-challenged orphans for free of cost.

Manu and Vinod, who run the NGO-Wee Care Hospital-have formed a rescue team. Whenever the NGO gets a call from the public regarding mentally-challenged people suffering from diseases from any place of Mysore district, they visit the area and bring them to the NGO on T Narasipura road for treatment.

Two destitutes who were rehabilitated here are now working as security guards at their place. They are getting good salary too.

Manu was residing with his father Bal Gopal, a businessman and mother Shobanna. But for the past year, both Manu and Vinod are residing on the hospital premises to provide better service. Vinod’s parents K A Bojappa, a coffee planter and K B Kamala, are in Kodagu.

“Nowadays people are depressed for various reasons, so we have started working from the grassroots level. We have started organizing training programmes in schools to build self-confidence among children,” says Vinod Kumar.

Self-confidence training programmes have been organized in 33 schools. Soon similar kind of programmes will be organized in rural areas.

source: http://www.Timesofindia.indiatimes.com / City> Mysore / Home> City> Mysore / by Pavan M V / TNN / February 25th, 2012

Model Railroad Layout: New addition to tourist attractions

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

People can buy a platform ticket and view the miniature models
The city railway station here is now home to a ‘Model Railroad Layout’, which is the first of its kind in the country.

MP Adagur H Vishwanath threw the doors of the model railroad layout, which was created by the Mysore Division of the South Western Railway, open to the public here on Friday.

The scale models include six miniature trains – two of which are hauled by vintage steam locomotives – running through tunnels and up the hill with six coaches in each train.

It also has models of Chamundi Hill, K R Circle, KRS Dam, Clock Tower, Philomena’s church and Zoo. The 200 square feet model is housed at the existing Heritage Gallery on Platform One at the Mysore Railway Station.

The layout is lit with 500 LED bulbs and will be in operation with day and night effect.

Beacon of hope

For people of the region, who have been hoping that the Mysore-Bangalore double track and a railway line to Kodagu will come true, the ‘Model Railroad Layout’ could be a beacon of hope. The model has a double track between Mysore and Bangalore and includes the Srirangapatna station. The Madikeri station and railway line passing Kushalanagar has also taken shape on the model.

Speaking on the occasion, senior commercial manager, Mysore division, South Western Railway, Dr Anup Dayanand Sadhu said that the concept was initialised about two years back. Sadhu said that he had come across a similar model at the Science and Technology Museum at Chicago, USA, which had about 160 miniature trains.

Similary, Hamburg in Germany has one of the biggest railroad model layouts, he added. Divisional railway manager, Vinod Kumar, said the Mysore division was aiming to provide better facilities to passengers. He said the division was aiming to bag the most tourist friendly station award this year.

MP Vishwanath urged the railway authorities to convene a meeting with passengers and elected representatives to understand the problems faced by the people.He said, that it would them serve the passengers better.

Promise!

MP Adagur H Vishwanath said that work on the Mysore-Bangalore double track is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. He said a team has already visited to inspect the Tippu’s Armoury at Srirangapatna. Priority is to shift the armoury and complete the work at the earliest, he added.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / DHNS, Mysore / February 17th, 2012

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary – Popular Bird Locations

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary of India is present in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu section in southern Karnataka. It is well-known as one of the essential bird areas of the world and home to unusual and vulnerable bird life. It is propagated across 102 km. The sanctuary is adjacent to Bisle reserve forest to the north and Kukke Subramanya forest range to the west. It is present at a range of 287 km from Bangalore.

The topography is designated by extreme areas with waterfalls along its many hill channels. Numerous swamps are also available in this sanctuary. The altitude of the sanctuary differs from 160 to 1712 m, Pushpagiri peak is the topmost in the northern side. The sanctuary is one of the biggest places of tropical evergreen forests in Karnataka with almost 70% of the sanctuary included with forests. Pushpagiri has dense evergreen and semi-evergreen crops, with shola jungles and grasslands in places of higher level.

Indian Wild Dog, Brown Palm Civet, Indian Large Squirrel, Indian Hare, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Indian Muntjac, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Wild Pig, Large Flying Squirrel, Travancore Flying, Otter species, Stripe-necked mongoose and mouse deer are few of the animal species identified here. Three species of primates identified here are typical langur, bonnet macaque and lion-tailed macaque

Accepted as an Important bird Area the sanctuary has a wealthy variety of untamed birds like the Nilgiri wood-pigeon and Near threatened species like gray-breasted laughing thrush, black and orange flycatcher and Nilgiri flycatcher are discovered in this sanctuary. You can also see wild birds such as the blue-winged parakeet, gray-headed bulbul, Malabar grayish hornbill, white-bellied blue flycatcher and small sunbird. Reptiles generally seen in this sanctuary comprises of typical cobra, Indian mountain python, rat snake, olive keelback, king cobra and bamboo pit viper

How to Reach Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

By Air: Nearest Airport is in Bangalore (260 km) and Mangalore (135 km)
By Rail: Nearest Railway Station is at Mysore (146 km)
By Road: The sanctuary can be reached by road from Mysore via Madikeri (120 km). From Madikeri, the sanctuary is 25 km.

source: http://www.HolidaySeat.com / posted February 15th, 2012

Thimayya home gets due honours

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Uncategorized

It will be turned into a museum; transport dept, current occupant of the Madikeri mansion, has been told to vacate

The state government has finally realised it needs to give a fitting tribute to its war hero, former General of Indian Army, Kodandera Subbayya Thimayya. It has decided to convert his mansion in Madikeri, now housing the transport department, into a museum.

The Kannada and culture department, which has decided to take possession of the house, called ‘Sunny Side’, has given the transport department three months’ time to vacate the premises.

A decision to the effect was taken at a high level meeting of the Kannada and culture department a week ago.

The transport department has been given three months’ time to vacate the mansion
Grant sanctioned
According to sources in the department, the government had decided to declare the mansion as a memorial in 2005 following a letter written by former chief minister Veerappa Moily. The next year, the then finance minister had sanctioned a grant of Rs 1 crore for the purpose.

B Basavaraju, secretary, Kannada and culture department, told Bangalore Mirror, “It’s time we took over the building. Recently, a team of officials from our department visited the house and submitted a report.”

The regional transport office (RTO) will be shifted to a new premises. “Once the RTO shifts out, we will take up restoration work of the house,” he said. The department plans to have a museum displaying articles used by Gen Thimayya and a library comprising war literature aimed at motivating youngsters.

The mansion in Madikeri, spread across 2.6 acres, is the birthplace of the general, who was affectionately called ‘Timmy’ by his Army colleagues.
Sources said the transport department had bought the mansion way back in 1972 for Rs 2 lakh. Though the government housed the Gen Thimayya Memorial Bhavan in the same building a few years ago, it was in poor shape.

Repeated pleas by the people of Kodagu to convert the house into a memorial had gone in vain. “Except for a statue and a road named after him, there’s nothing in Kodagu to remember the great soldier,” said Sachin Bopanna, a resident of Madikeri.

Meanwhile, after a decade, the Army’s Southern Command has chosen Bangalore as the venue for its investiture ceremony, while the armed forces is all geared up for its 64th Army Day celebrations on Sunday.


Driving force
When K S Thimayya was the commander of the 19th infantry division in Jammu & Kashmir, he drew the Pakistani army out of Kashmir valley by personally leading the attack in the forward-most tank.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with then Lt Gen. K S Thimayya, G.O.C-in-C, Southern Command, at the officers’ mess in Pune in 1956.
Thimayya, who was the fourth general of independent India, was born on March 30, 1906 in Madikeri. He studied at Coonoor and Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Boys School before joining the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College in Dehradun. He served the Indian Army between 1957 and 1961.

After his retirement, he was appointed the Commander of UN forces in Cyprus, where he breathed his last.

Teasing the taste buds

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

Bangalore:
Coorg recipes are famous for its variety in flavours. The Kodava way of preparation is different from that of the other South Indian dishes. And if you want to relish some spicy chutneys, then the Coorg ginger chutney is the ultimate dish. It is simple and delicious to taste and can be eaten with rice or chapati. And here is the recipe for you to try out the delicious cuisine.

Ginger chutney:

To prepare ginger chutney, you would require 1 cup coconut , 2-3 green chillies, 1 inch ginger, salt according to your taste, 1 spoon tamarind juice.

Stage 1: Put all the ingredients in the mixer and grind until it becomes a smooth paste.
Stage 2: For seasoning, heat the pan with 1-2 spoon of oil. When the oil heats up, add few mustard seeds and 5-6 curry pattas to it.
Stage 3: Add the seasoning with the paste, and your chutney is ready to be served.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / South> Bangalore / Express News Service / The New Indian Express / Bangalore, February 16th, 2012

CNC seeks Jnanpith for Appacha Kavi posthumously

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorized


Madikeri, Feb. 10:
The Codava National Council (CNC) has urged the Centre to present the Jnanpith award posthumously to renowned litterateur of Kodagu Haradasa Appacha Kavi, hailing from the Appaneravanda family.

CNC President N.U. Nachappa, who put forth this demand at a press conference held here yesterday, said that at a time when Kodava culture was edging towards digression due to cultural invasion, it was Appacha Kavi who through his unique literature, gave a new lease of life to Kodava dialect. The stories, drama, folk songs and poetry penned by him are gaining credence in the modern day and has been the inspiration for many more Kodava writers.

Nachappa said that he had submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Kodagu district administration, to be forwarded to the Central Government and the Kendra Sahitya Academy.

CNC members Jammada Mohan, Kaliyanda Prakash, Mookonda Dileep, Pullera Kalappa, Shwathi Kalappa and Ajjettira Rani were present at the press conference.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / February 10th, 2012

Nutrition food card to Jenukurubas

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Uncategorized

Madikeri, Feb 4, 2012, DHNS:
The state government has started a programme to distribute nutritious food for Jenukuruba and Koraga community members in the state.

Jenukuruba community members are found in Kodagu, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts and find it difficult to carry out their living during monsoon. Hence, they are given nutritious food for six months in a year.

Every family is given 15 kg ragi, 2 kg tur dal, one kg horse gram, 2 kg jaggery, one litre oil and 30 eggs. There are 3,105 Jenukuruba families in the district. The nutritious food is given to 2,064 families in Virajpet and 1,041 families in Somwarpet. A sum of Rs 28 lakh is spent on Jenukuruba families in the district. The TDP officer Ganti said all the families are given a nutrition food card.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Districts / DHNS / February 04th, 2012

Jalebee Cartel, Nikhil, Pearl to perform at Future Music Festival Asia

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorized

Mumbai:

Jalebee Cartel, Nikhil Chinappa and Pearl will represent India at the Future Music Festival to preimere in Asia this year. The fest is one of Australias largest dance music festivals, featuring renowned DJs world over.

The 12 hour music fest with over 40 acts is scheduled to take place on 17 March at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Speaking on the fest with Radioandmusic.com, Jalebee Cartel’s bass player – Gforce Arjun said, “Future Music Festival is a fantastic festival, It feels great to be a part of the line-up which boasts the like of ‘The Chemical Brothers’ and others. All of us are huge fans of the Chems… and have been fans for such a long time.”

The multi award winning festival will be headlined by the club music superstar ‘The Chemical Brothers’. Other international artistes to feature in the concert include American rap legend and DJ Grandmaster Flash, Chase & Status, The Wombats, Pendulum, Grand Master Flash, Sneaky Sound System, Cosmic Gate, John 00 Flemming, Super 8 & Tab, Zane Lowe, Alex Metric, The Potbelleez, Kid Sister, The Stafford Brothers, Ruby Rose, Andy Murphy, Shinic Osawa, Blink, Goldfish and more.

source: http://www.RadioandMusic.com / Home> Editorial> News / RnM Team / February 03rd, 2012

National Girl Child Day observed

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Uncategorized

Bangalore:

Karnataka State Social Welfare Board on Thursday observed National Girl Child Day in Bangalore. To mark the event, electronic Application For Women Empowerment and Development Action (e-AWEDAN), a software that enables registered voluntary organisations to submit applications for grants-in-aid under various schemes of the Central Social Welfare Board, was launched. Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson of Central Social Welfare Board and former Rajya Sabha member Prema Cariappa underscored the need to stop female foeticide in the state.

How does e-AWEDAN works?
Through e-AWEDAN, one can send request grants and check the status. For this, one needs to register their voluntary organisation and enable it to submit grant applications online. Once done, they can apply for various schemes of the CSWB like family counselling centre, condensed course of education for women programme working women’s hostel scheme, awareness generation programme, and so on. Contact 2346 0064/ 2356 8378 for details.

source: http://www.ibnlive.com.in / South> Bangalore / Express News Service / The New Indian Express / Bangalore, posted: February 03rd, 2012

Freestyle Fitness: Bandra’s New Sports Clinic

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, Uncategorized

Match Point

If the Nadal-Djokovic final made you want to up your stamina (and girlfriend standards), we suggest you rally around Freestyle Fitness. This week-old endurance training centre and ‘sports clinic’ in Bandra aims at getting you one step closer to your favourite sportstar, quite literally, with squash champion Joshna Chinappa training right next to you. There’s also members like Neha Dhupia , thrown in for the glam quotient.

Lunging With The Stars

While they have a gym where you can go about your usual exercise routine, Freestyle Fitness specialises in making personal training regimes followed by athletes accessible to you. So this means your agenda could include physiotherapy along with sports conditioning and rehabilitation. They have Crossfit ceiling bars used for a complete functional workout under the guidance of a certified trainer (Rs 6,000 a month in groups of four) and a sandpit for joggers with weak knees. The coolest bit is that they even integrate squash and tennis games into your schedule to break the monotony that comes with most gym workouts. For this, Freestyle Fitness has tied up with clubs around Bandra – Khar Gym, Bandra Gym and Otter’s Club – where they can book a court for you even if you’re not a member. Net profit, indeed!

Expect to find expert trainers here like Egypt’s ex national fitness coach, a nice upgrade from the Mr India hopefuls carelessly dictating their personal exercise routines, the kind you see in many gyms around the city. Sign up and Freestyle Fitness will conduct a thorough past and present fitness analysis on the basis of which they’ll chalk out the most effective game plan for you. They even conduct boot camps with members at Mahalaxmi Race Course, Jogger’s Park and nearby beaches to regularly test and check improved fitness levels.

Juiced Up

Coming soon: Yum smoothies and juices from Fellas Café. They’ve even tied up with sports nutrition brand Neulife for protein shakes. No Whey!

Getting there: Freestyle Fitness, 301, Silver Pearl, Waterfield Road, opposite China Gate, Bandra (W), call 31924779, Rs 6,000 a month for Crossfit training and Rs 4,000 a month for gym membership.

source: http://www.bpbweekend.com / brown paper bag / Tuesday, January 31st, 2011