The 18th annual get-together of Kuvempunagar Kodava Residents Association, Mysuru, will be held tomorrow (July 28) at 10 am at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Community Hall, Kodava Samaja, Vijayanagar 1st Stage.
Association President Iythichanda P. Kalappa will preside.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Briefs / July 28th, 2019
The President of Coorg Wildlife Society (CWS) K.C. Biddappa has been appointed as the Honorary Wildlife Warden of Kodagu District by the State Government in recognition of his service in protecting the wildlife and environment, according to a press release.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Briefs / July 24th, 2019
Baddira A. Subbaiah (Raja), a resident of Kushalnagar, passed away here this morning. He was 92.
He was former President of Kushalnagar Kodava Samaja and retired High School Head Master.
He leaves behind his wife Rani, son Roy, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites will be held tomorrow (July 24) at 10 am at Kushalnagar, according to family sources.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / July 24th, 2019
Mysuru:
Alexander has taken charge as the Mysuru Division Deputy Conservation of Forests (DCF) – Wildlife.
The post was lying vacant following the transfer of DCF Sidramappa Chalkapure about four months ago.
Alexander took charge as the new DCF (Wildlife) from DCF Dr. K.C. Prashanth Kumar, who was holding the additional post.
A native of Ammathi, Virajpet taluk in Kodagu district, Alexander joined the Forest Department as the Range Forest Officer (RFO) in 1985 and has served in Mysuru, Nagarahole, Kodagu, Bengaluru, Hassan, Mangaluru and other places. He was promoted as DCF in 2014 and was serving in Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation.
The State Government has now transferred Alexander as the DCF (Wildlife) for Mysuru Division.
Complete in-charge of Dasara elephants and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary come under his limit.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 22nd, 2019
The Asian Games gold medallist says he “would have loved to receive it from the president at the Rashtrapati Bhawan along with other athletes and achievers”.
Rohan Bopanna finally got his hands on the Arjuna award, as he received it from the union sports minister Kiren Rijiju here on Tuesday.
“It is an amazing feeling to hold the award. Definitely, I would have loved to receive it from the President at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, along with other athletes and achievers. But that does not take anything away from the thrill of receiving it,” said Bopanna, who received the trophy, along with his wife Supriya Annaiah.
More than the award, Bopanna, a former world No.3 doubles star who narrowly missed the mixed doubles medal with Sania Mirza in the Rio Olympics, said that he was delighted to meet such a sports-loving minister.
“He is such a big tennis fan, and has been watching tennis for a long time. We spoke for nearly 45 minutes and it was great and very positive. He also talked about following women’s cricket, as Smriti Mandhana also got the award today,” said Bopanna.
During his interaction with the Sports Minister, Bopanna also requested that all the matches featuring the Indian tennis players on the Tour be streamed live on the internet for the benefit of youngsters in the country.
“It may be difficult to get it on television, but live streaming is something that can inspire the young players. The minister was very receptive and said that he would see how it can be done,” said Bopanna.
Not having received any money so far this year despite being part of the TOPS funding, Bopanna did broach the subject with the minister. He was told that the national tennis federation needed to keep the athletes in its Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) so as to make it a smooth affair.
“The SAI Director General, Neelam Kapur was also there. I was told that the medical bill for me and the funds for the first three months had been approved. So, it should be a matter of time before it reaches us. I have already sent all the original bills so far,” said Bopanna.
Since Bopanna and Divij Sharan had won the Asian Games doubles gold, they have been kept in the TOPS as a team. Thus, whatever money is sanctioned would be given 50% to the two.
“I would love to continue to play with Divij on the Tour. But, the fact is that with our ranking, we are not getting into the ATP-500 and Masters events. It is not easy to play only the big tournaments with other partners. Even now, the cut for Washington DC is 47. Me and Denis Shapovalov are one out at the moment, and have to wait. That is the reality. If we don’t play the big tournaments on the Tour, how do we prepare for the Grand Slams and the Olympics,” queried Bopanna, who will be partnering Shapovalov till the US Open.
source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / Sport Star / Home> Tennis / by Kamesh Srinivasan / New Delhi – July 16th, 2019
Constant efforts are being made to convert children in the district by supplying books containing evangelical literature, to the libraries of government schools in Kodagu through post, said Hindu Jagarana Vedike leaders.
Speaking to the media in Madikeri on Wednesday, Hindu Jagarana Vedike General Secretary Kukkera Ajith said that the forum condemns the supply of books only related to the Christian religion to the government libraries and schools in the district.
The books are supplied through post, by some organisations based in Shivamogga and Bengaluru, he said and accused the role of vested interests behind the same.
There is a racket of caste conversion at work, he said and urged the government to withdraw the books and to initiate strict legal action against the suppliers of the books.
“Most of the children who study in government schools belong to financially less privileged families. Christian ideologies are being spread through the books, targeting these children. Severe protests will be conducted against the activity,” he added.
He further pointed out that the DDPI too has no knowledge about the supply of evangelical books to schools.
Various books related to Christian religion are printed in different names, he stated and demanded action by the district administration of Kodagu.
Balele bandh
If the education department does not take action against the supply of Christian books by unknown persons before July 25, a bandh will be observed in Balele, warned zilla panchayat member B N Pruthyu.
He urged the authorities to initiate a police inquiry into the same.
Speaking at a meeting held at Vijayalakshmi PU College in Balele, he said that the values of Hindu religion are mocked in the books ‘Yohananu Bareda Suvarthe’ ‘Sathyameva Jayathe’ and ‘Devada Pudiya Oppanda’, printed in Kannada and Kodava languages respectively.
Alamengada Bose Mandanna, C S Krishna Ganapathy and members of local gram panchayat and taluk panchayat were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Mangaluru / July 17th, 2019
Kodavas loved to pursue two patriotic passions. One was to be part of the nation’s defence forces and the other was to play the national sport. Hence, it was said that a Kodava was born with a hockey stick in one hand and a gun in another.
Hockey was not just a sport in Kodagu, it was a way of living. Kodagu’s children practised and excelled in hockey. There was untapped talent in Kodagu but there was no way to demonstrate it.
Considering this, Pandanda Kuttappa (Kuttani) and his brother Kashi Ponnappa decided to begin the annual Kodava hockey festival in 1997. “I wanted this festival to be of use to children. I wanted them to get a chance to play for India,” says Kuttappa , former first-division hockey umpire.
That year, Kuttappa’s extended family helped organise the event. Teams from 60 Kodava clans came to participate. The Kaliyanda team won the Pandanda cup. The event is called a festival (namme, in Kodava language), and not a tournament because it helps bring people together to celebrate. Each year one Kodava clan conducts the tournament and the cup is named after the clan. The Kodava Hockey Academy governs the annual festival.
The academy also decides which family can organise the tournament in a particular year. As of now, families have been selected to organise the tournament until 2025.
According to Shantheyanda Ravi Kushalappa, any family that wants to organise the festival should apply to the Kodava Hockey Academy. The application will be checked and considered on a first-come- first-serve basis. The selected family will have a year to prepare for conducting the event. The state government partly funds the event on most years. Lok Sabha MP for Mysore-Kodagu also grants some money. The rest of the money is collected by the family through donations.
The family puts together a committee which is responsible for organising the event. They select a convenient ground and arrange all the facilities near the family’s ancestral residence.
According to the Limca Book of Records, the Kodava hockey festival is both the largest and the longest hockey tournament in India. This is probably the world’s largest family tournament as well. In 2018, 329 teams participated in the Kulletira Cup held in Napoklu.
Men, women and children take part in the tournament. There is no bar on age or gender. Among the prominent women players are goalkeeper Shivachaliyanda Nilan (Ekalavya awardee) and Malamada Lilavati.
In 2014, the Thathanda family organised a rink hockey event for 35 families. Later, two formats were supported: league matches for champions who regularly made it to the semifinals and knockouts for others.
In recent times, a number of similar family tournaments such as Kodava cricket, badminton, tug-of-war and golf, Kodagu Gowda cricket, Kodagu Heggade hockey, Amma Kodava cricket, Yerava cricket, Kodagu Muslim football and volleyball events are held in Kodagu.
The champions
There are a few strong family teams who often make it to the top. The Palanganda team has won the festival the highest number of times (five) so far. They entered the finals eight times (between 2006-2016).
Kodagu has produced several Hockey Olympians like Maneyapanda M Somaya, Mullera P Ganesh, B P Govinda, Arjun Halappa, S V Sunil among others. Most of the winning teams have Olympians in their midst. The Koothanda team, led by former Olympian K K Poonacha, comes a close second, having won the festival four times (including the 1999 draw with Kulletira team) between 1998-2008. The Cheppudira team, with another Olympian C S Poonacha, were the runners-up in the 2001 edition.
Olympian goalkeeper Anjaparavanda B Subbaiah’s team has been consistent over the years since 1997. They were winners twice and in the finals five times. Subbaiah attributes the team’s success to the remarkable individual efforts of its players.
The Kaliyanda team won thrice and came second twice. The Nellamakkada team won thrice and hosted the 2001 Cup. Kulletira won all the three times it came to the finals. The Mandepanda team won the tournament once.
In the 2018 finals, the defending champion Chendanda scored two goals and didn’t allow Anjaparavanda to score. Two Olympians were on the field: Nikkin Thimmaiah, a young forward, and Subbaiah, veteran goal-keeper.
“The hockey festival brought the family together. The family members stay in different villages. Earlier, there were no interactions between them, and they didn’t know each other (for many decades),” says Subbaiah. This has been the case with many Kodava families.
The kids of Kodagu are taught to wield the hockey stick at a young age. Their parents make crude hockey sticks and play the game with them after school hours.
Every summer, during the months of April and May, this festival brings together members of joint families. The relatives living in the cities, in the army or elsewhere converge in Kodagu. Uniforms and kits are prepared and at least eleven players are registered. For weeks, the teams practice playing with their hockey sticks on fallow fields and empty grounds.
Personal touch
My family team, the Mookonda team, is quite strong having players like Nikhil, Jnapak who trained in Sports Authority of India.
The first time I watched a Kodava hockey festival game was in our hometown Ammathi. It was the 2001 Cup. Cousins, aunts and uncles came together after a long time. Even my paternal grandmother, who was bed-ridden at the time, requested us to take her to the stadium to watch the hockey game.
The air was filled with slogans being shouted out cheering our home team: “Come on, Mookonda! Steady, Ammathi!”
We also went to watch the Muckatira family match during the 2002 Chekkera Cup in Hudikeri. Even while the sun was beating down upon us and we were all sweating, we cheered the team enthusiastically.
Paused by calamity
Floods and landslides ravaged parts of Kodagu in 2018. In order to show solidarity with the victims, the 2019 hockey festival was initially cancelled. However, the cancellation was not appreciated.
“A year break would make youngsters lose a chance to practice and display their skills,” says Hockey Coorg treasurer Palanganda Lava. Paikera E Kalaiah, who played in the 1975 Hockey World Cup, presides over Hockey Coorg.
Therefore, Hockey Coorg organised a 2019 family tournament with 146 teams in Kakotparamb. Funds were handed over to the calamity victims during the closing ceremony.
In 2020, the Harihara Muckatira family will host the event.
As families bond during this annual festival, hockey players, both young and old, exhibit their talent.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Top Stories / by Mookonda Kushalappa / July 13th, 2019
Kodagu Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K Lakshmi Priya has directed the concerned officials to dispose of the wet waste from Gonikoppa Gram Panchayat limits, at a landfill site in Halligattu village, under police protection.
Conducting a special meeting at Gonikoppa Gram Panchayat on Wednesday, the ZP CEO sought details on the current condition of the landfill site.
The government grants should be utilised towards the unit, which is meant for the collection of waste generated from Gonikoppa, Ponnampet and Aruvattoklu villages, she added.
As the local residents have been opposing the waste disposal unit, police protection should be taken during waste disposal at the site, said the ZP CEO.
Lakshmi Priya meanwhile told Panchayat Development Officer Chandramauli to segregate dry and wet waste.
The wet waste should be collected at the Halligattu waste disposal unit and the dry waste should be collected at the dry waste collection unit near Gonikoppa market.
Three workers should be deployed at each ward for the door to door waste collection. The attendance of workers should be recorded through the biometric system, she said.
PDO Chandramauli said that there is no provision to invite tenders for waste management under the Panchayat Raj Act. Therefore, no tenders have been invited in this regard.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DH News Service, Ponnampet / July 17th, 2019
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award on Kakamada Ganga Changappa for her outstanding contribution towards child welfare. The Award was presented to her recently in Delhi.
After her marriage, Ganga Changappa, who holds a Master’s degree in English, settled down in Munnar where her husband worked for Tata Tea. Looking for something worthwhile to do, she found her vocation – welfare of women and children among the Tata Tea estate workers, teaching them skills which they could turn to profit.
With the active support of Tata Tea, she became very involved in setting up a special school and rehabilitation centre in Munnar for children with disabilities – Dare School. She was its Principal for nine years and with her innovative ideas imparted specialised skills to her students in order to make them independent and earn a living.
Her dedicated work was well recognised and in 1999 she received the FICCI award.
When her husband retired as a director of Tata Tea, they settled in Kodagu. Even here, Ganga was determined to work for disabled youngsters. Tata Coffee, as part of their corporate social responsibility, set up a school on the lines of the Dare School, in Kodagu.
The school, Swastha, a special school for the differently-abled was set up in Sunticoppa in 2003. It is partly residential and offers free education. She has worked tirelessly for eleven years taking the school to great heights. Tailoring, screen printing, offset printing, book binding, paper bags and candle-making are a few of the skills being taught there.
Some of the youngsters from the school even got a chance to represent India at the international level in the Para-Olympics.
by P.T. Bopanna
source: http://www.coorgnews.in / CoorgNews.in / Home> Features> NewsMakers / by P.T. Bopanna / December 02nd, 2014
Dr. C.V. Sneha took charge as the Additional DC of Kodagu District yesterday.
She was the Chief Administrative Officer at the Directorate of Medical Education, Additional Commissioner (Administration) in Excise Department, Deputy Secretary at Mandya Zilla Panchayat, Land Acquisition Officer in Tumakuru District and Assistant Commissioner in Ramanagaram district.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Briefs / July 07th, 2019
