Category Archives: Sports

‘Cauvery Calling’ campaign kickstarted at Talacauvery

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Sports
Isha Foundation Chief Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev at the launch of ‘Cauvery Calling’ campaign, at Talacauvery in Kodagu, on Tuesday. Actors Rakshith Shetty and Diganth took part in the rally.
Isha Foundation Chief Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev at the launch of ‘Cauvery Calling’ campaign, at Talacauvery in Kodagu, on Tuesday. Actors Rakshith Shetty and Diganth took part in the rally.

Cauvery Calling, a campaign conceptualised by Isha Foundation was launched in Talacauvery, the birthplace of River Cauvery, on Tuesday.

Isha Foundation Chief Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev rode a motorbike himself to arrive in Madikeri on Sunday. Film actors Rakshith Shetty, Diganth and Shashi followed him.

A puja was offered at the ‘Theerthakundike’ in Talacauvery, earlier to the launch event.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said that through the campaign, there is an aim to plant 242 crore saplings on the banks of River Cauvery.

Trees help to increase the capacity of soil to retain water. Isha Foundation will work towards getting the necessary assistance from the government, he said.

He pointed out that the River Cauvery has become thinner by 39% in the last 70 years.

“The groundwater level in the river catchment area has been depleting drastically. Due to excessive deforestation in the catchment areas of the river, water is not flowing further and the river is getting dry even before reaching the sea. As a result, a drought-like situation has been arising during the months of April-May itself. This has created repercussions in terms of droughts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Around 47,000 farmers living on the banks of River Cauvery have ended their lives in the last 10 years. It is noteworthy that the places of massive landslides have been due to excessive human interference. It is the need of the hour to wake up to the warning sign,” said Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.

Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje said that the Central and the state governments will support the ‘Cauvery Calling’ campaign.

This month, the state government will sign a memorandum of understanding with Isha Foundation in this regard, she said.

MLA K G Bopaiah strongly felt the need to conduct a scientific study so as to know the reason behind massive landslides in Kodagu. He also demanded action against those who have encroached the government lands.

Air Marshal (retd) K C Nanda Cariappa and sportsperson Ashwini Nachappa were present during the programme held at Crystal Hall in Madikeri.

PM tweets

Replying to a tweet by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted at 4.13 pm on Tuesday, conveying his wishes to ‘Cauvery Calling’ campaign.

“Happy to know about your effort. It will surely add to the endeavour of harnessing Jal Shakti and preventing unnecessary wastage of water,” said the prime minister.

He also wished Sadhguru on his birthday saying, “Also wishing you a Happy Birthday! Praying for your long life and best health!”

15-day bike rally

The motorbike rally organised as a part of ‘Cauvery Calling’ campaign will pass through Hunsur, Mysuru, Mandya and Bengaluru. Public functions will be held in these places. The rally will reach Bengaluru on September 8.

The bike rally will traverse a distance of 1,500-km in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and will culminate in Chennai on September 17.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DH News Service, Madikeri / September 03rd, 2019

Robin Uthappa to lead Kerala in shorter formats for upcoming season

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports
BCCI
BCCI

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) have confirmed that veteran batsman Robin Uthappa will lead Kerala in the shorter formats for the upcoming season.

An official decision is yet to be taken on who will lead the side for the longer formats, but incumbent Sachin Baby remains the favourite.

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) have put to bed the speculations and growing rumours surrounding a potential leadership role for Robin Uthappa after confirming that the 33-year-old will be leading the state in both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20. When Uthappa captained a KCA XI side in the Captain K Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament in Bengaluru last month, it was suspected whether the veteran would do the same in the regular season. But the KCA have now confirmed it, putting an end to all chatter surrounding the matter.

“Uthappa is an India international and we will like to utilise his experience in the best possible way. We have communicated our decision to coach Dav Whatmore and he has expressed no reservation,” KCA secretary Sreejith V Nair was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“We have faith in Robin’s leadership skills and that’s why we have decided to name him captain for the shorter formats,” he added.

However, Nair confirmed that a decision was yet to be taken on who will lead the side in the longer formats. While incumbent Sachin Baby remains favourite, Nair also kept the possibility of Uthappa potentially leading the side in the Ranji Trophy, stating that a decision will be taken after evaluating the Karnataka man’s performance in the shorter formats.

“We will evaluate Robin’s captaincy once both Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournaments end. Ranji Trophy is beginning only in December. So we still have time to take a decision on Kerala’s Ranji Trophy captain,” Nair said.

After 14 years with Karnataka, Uthappa moved to Saurashtra in the 2016/17, but unfortunately missed the entirety of the previous season due to injury. Last month, it was confirmed that the Kolkata Knight Riders man will represent Kerala in the upcoming domestic season.

source: http://www.sportscafe.in / Sports Cafe / Home> Cricket> National> News / by Sports Cafe Desk / August 28th, 2019

Destination Tokyo: Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

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Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya is a former Indian field hockey player from Coorg, Karnataka. He was a member of Indian squad in many international games, including the team that won the Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games.

Somaya went on to play two more Olympic Games, viz., 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games, and 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games. He was the captain of the 1988 Olympics team.

A member of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Games, he is happy to see more and more youngsters coming forward to take up hockey seriously, and India’s young players impressed him with their determination at the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.

“These days, the opportunities are more in the country. A structure has been formed in most of the sporting disciplines where young talent is encouraged.

They should grab this with both hands. They should focus on sports,” said Somaya, while talking to The Free Press Journal on the eve of the National Sports Day.

Looking ahead for sports in the country in the coming years

Things are looking very bright indeed. We have established our prominence at the Asian and Commonwealth level. The next step is to make a mark at the Olympics.

There have been many new ideas and suggestions. Do you feel they have been implemented if not why?

I feel that there have been many new ideas that have been implemented successfully. The Khelo India scheme has shown great promise in identifying young talent to prepare a wide base of sportspersons for international competitions.

The central and state governments have announced many incentives for successful and aspiring sportspersons that have been well received. Private companies are setting up academies and offering financial aid for sports stars.

Do you feel there is a lack of sports culture in our country? What is the remedy

A sports culture is gradually being propagated among people. There is an increasing awareness of the contribution of sports to overall fitness of an individual.

Infrastructure is being made easily accessible in cities and smaller centres also. An effort is on to integrate sports as part of the curriculum in schools.

India has reduced sports to merely an extra-curricular activity. Your comments

There is an air of positivity in regard with sports in India today. Sports like badminton, kabaddi, table tennis are jostling for space with cricket, hockey and football for viewership.

With the IPL style format competitions in all sports there are lucrative careers on offer. Incentives by the Government and sponsorship by Private companies have given sport great impetus.

Funds have been the main crunch which has been the complaints of many. Your take.

Funds for sports are more easily available today. At the highest level the TOPS scheme provides elite athletes with substantial financial support.

Private organisations like TATAs, Reliance, Jindal and a host of NGOs like Olympic Gold Quest are ensuring that there is a steady stream of funds for sportspersons at different stages of their career.

Your take on lack of Infrastructure, recognition of sports other than cricket, lack of ambition or national plan? I am sure you have a bag full of remedies. Please share

There is already a lot of improvement in infrastructure for other sports in India. These need to be taken to rural areas soon since a lot of the talent is emerging from smaller centres, 2-3 tier cities and villages.

Public-Private Partnership is critical to ensuring that the Infrastructure in the country reaches people even in the remotest areas.

Your comments on our athletes who would board the flight to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, and hockey in special

I’m certain that India will put up a good showing this time at Tokyo 2020. Shooting, Wrestling and Badminton are good medal prospects. In other events too India can push hard for medals.

Our hockey team has done well in the recent Pre- Olympic test event at Tokyo and this augurs well. We have a sound blend of effervescent youngsters and battle hardened players. We have consistently maintained our fifth position in the FIH rankings for the past year.

source: http://www.in.news.yahoo.com / Yahoo News / by Free Press Journal / August 29th, 2019

The happiness of a long-distance biker

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

SangeethaJairamKF21aug2019

Yoga teacher Sangeetha Jairam rides off into the yonder in her spare time

“I’m no biker chick,” Sangeetha Jairam says firmly. “I am more of an adventure-traveller; my motorcycle is something of a companion-teacher, who has taught, and continues to teach me, a lot about life.”

Biker chick or no, Jairam, who is within eye-balling distance of 50 but doesn’t look it, is definitely one more name added to the growing number of women who make long-distance rides on their motorcycles. Her most recent ride was from Finland to Norway in June 2019. She was part of a group of eight motorcyclists, all riding Japanese bikes, who rode from Helsinki to Nordkapp and back, covering a distance of around 3,600 kilometres in 12 riding days.

Jairam rode a Kawasaki ER6n, a 600cc motorcycle. The itinerary was Helsinki-Kuopio-Kuusamo-Ivalo-Skarsvag-Rovaniemi-Vaasa, and back to Helsinki.
“That was indeed one great experience,” she says, enthusiastically. “Our daily distance bar was set at 500-plus kilometres, and since it was summer in Finland, the sun shone all day and all night, and we couldn’t tell the difference!”

Everything pointed North on that trip. The European Highway E69, has its northern terminus at the North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe accessible by road. The Cape has a 307-metre-high-cliff with a large plateau on top, where visitors, weather permitting, can watch the midnight sun and view the Barents Sea to the North.

“The best part of the ride was reaching Nordkapp, Land’s End of the European continent, 2,093 kilometres from the North Pole,” says Jairam. “To get there, we had to ride around the Arctic Sea, which was a stunningly scenic road. I had my first-ever experience of the Arctic gale there. At times, it took real effort to keep the motorcycle from rising up in the air! Since it’s the Arctic region, there was hardly any vegetation except rolling grasslands and lots of reindeer skipping across the road. It was truly an amazing ride.”

Jairam inherited a passion for bikes from her father. “After he graduated, my father returned to India from Germany in 1964 on a motorcycle! All my childhood, I saw him on a motorcycle, so it was only normal for me to ride one.”

Currently, she alternates between riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan and a Hero MotoCorp Impulse, but her all-time favourites continue to be the BMW, Triumph and Honda motorcycles.

It’s not all been smooth riding, of course. While riding in Bhutan, some years ago, she got over the Pele La pass and the bike had a flat tyre. “It was 4pm, not a good time to be stuck in the mountains,” she recalls. “It was late, the light was fading and the skies opened up! Then, a lone vehicle came over the pass, a pick-up truck, onto which my bike was loaded; the next repair shop was 70 kilometres ahead, and on that track, it meant a travel time of four hours. But this experience taught me that bikers are blessed; my initial dismay turned to pure exhilaration!”

Discussing her enthusiasm for riding bikes, Jairam, who often takes solo trips, says riding motorcycles is a hobby and travelling to experience new places and people is a passion. “I would not call it an expensive hobby because this is what I love doing most. There is little else I spend on, I save to moto-travel.”

Jairam grew up in Coorg and did her schooling at The Lawrence School, Lovedale in the Nilgiris, where she says she had the best time of her life. “I always wanted to ‘give back’ to the school, and three years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to introduce yoga into the school curriculum.”

Interacting with children has to be the best job on earth, she avers. “Children are awesome, they keep me fully engaged. Just like riding motorcycles, my day job, too, has taught me so much and given me immeasurable happiness.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Motoring / by Sheila Kumar / August 21st, 2019

Winning at Worlds always a dream: Ponnappa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
In 2011, Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze medal in the World Championships held in London alongside Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles event.
In 2011, Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze medal in the World Championships held in London alongside Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles event.

Indian shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa has said it’s always been her dream to perform and win at the World Championships and that’s why she would try to give her best at the tournament beginning on Monday in Basel, Switzerland.

Ponnappa will be participating only in the women’s doubles event alongside N. Sikki Reddy as her mixed double’s partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy has pulled out of the tournament with injury. Ponnappa and Sikki will begin their World Championships campaign on Tuesday against Taiwan’s Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.

“My main focus is to give it my all. There is no sure shot chance of winning for anyone. Hopefully things go well for us and we do well at the World Championships as it’s always a dream to win there,” Ponnappa told IANS.

“Our performance at the Hyderabad Open was good and has definitely given us confidence going into the World Championships,” she added.

In 2011, Ashwini won the bronze medal in the World Championships held in London alongside Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles event. And since then, medals have eluded her at the Worlds. However, she is hoping for a better performance this time around by finishing on the podium.

Ponnappa and N. Sikki recently won the silver medal at the Hyderabad Open after they lost to Korean players Baek Ha Na and Jung Kyung Eun in the summit clash.

Speaking about her camaraderie with N Sikki — they won the bronze medal at 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast — Ponnappa said: “She is great to play with. There is a good understanding on court and both of us are very supportive and encouraging towards each other on court, which helps a lot.”

The performance of the Indian shuttlers has not been great this year as they have not been able to win many medals. Recently, Chirag Shetty and Rankireddy became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win a BWF Super 500 event in Bangkok. Apart from that, there has been little joy for the Indian shuttlers in 2019.

However, Ponnappa feels the performance of Indian players has not been bad.

“No one likes bad performances, least of all us players. It’s not like we like losing. It is definitely very hard to get back after a first round loss. But that is what sport is and the knowledge that there is even the slightest possibility of us doing well and reaching our goals is what keeps us going and helps us get back to court to work hard to get it,” said Ponnappa.

“There have been a few good performances the last couple of months with players reaching the semis and also winning big tournaments. That is definitely motivating for everyone,” she added.

Speaking about her own performance, the Indian shuttler believes that she is just focusing on putting up her best foot forward and working on basics.

“The roster has been hectic, but despite our first round losses the matches we’ve lost and the quality of them have been good, so it’s just about having faith in ourselves and continuing to work and trust things will fall into place.”

source: http://www.gulftoday.ae / Gulf Today / Home> Sport / August 16th, 2019

Hyderabad Open: Silver for Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Top-seeded Indian women’s double champions Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy won the silver at the Hyderabad Open badminton championship, losing to Korean players Baek Ha Na and Jung Kyung Eun in the final clash. The pair lost to the Korean champions 17-21, 17-21 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

Reddy took to social media to announce the silver in an emotional post: “It’s silver medal for me and my partner @p9ashwini in Hyderabad open Grand Prix.

We had played pretty good matches from the first round but unfortunately we couldn’t pull the finals match which will make us learn and get better. I would like to thank each and everyone who came and supported us especially to my family, friends, fans and well wishers. I have nothing but gratitude. Also it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my coaches, support staff and to my sponsors…. Thank you everyone #nevergiveup #toughsituationsbuildstrongpeople #keepfighting #bepositive”

Meanwhile, reighning national champion Sourabh Verma defeated Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 21-13, 14-21, 21-16 in the 52-minute final to win the men’s single title.

source: http://www.femina.in / Femina / Home> Trending> Achievers / by femina / August 12th, 2019

Little champs reign in slush-filled paddy field

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Nature, Sports
Students of Kodagu Vidyalaya transplanted paddy seedlings in a field at Ibnivadi in Madikeri taluk recently.
Students of Kodagu Vidyalaya transplanted paddy seedlings in a field at Ibnivadi in Madikeri taluk recently.

Children played to their hearts’ content in a slush-filled paddy field at Ibnivadi during the ‘Nati Sambhrama’ programme.

The Ibni Springs Cottage and Green City Forum jointly organised the programme – in which more than 40 students from the Kodagu Vidyalaya took part and got an experience of paddy transplantation for the first time.

Children soiled their body and clothes to gain practical knowledge of transplantation. Even though the children did not have any training in paddy transplantation, they learnt it through trial and error and transplanted paddy as they fancied.

They also took part in rounds of football, throw ball and tug-of-war that were organised in the field while their parents cheering them.

Kukkera Jaya Chinnappa, Green City Forum president, who spoke on the occasion, said that the forum intends to send out messages on environment conservation, agriculture, waste management and cleanliness to the people. Programmes are being conducted in this regard in both urban and rural areas, he added.

The winning teams were awarded prizes.

Kodagu District Working Journalists’ Association President Savitha Rai, Kodagu Press Club President Ajjamada Ramesh Kuttappa, Green City Forum founder-president Cheyyanda Satya Ganapathy, former president Ambekal Navin Kushalappa, general secretary Polakanda Rakesh and director P Krishnamurthy were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / August 03rd, 2019

Kodagu Shuttler For World Seniors Badminton

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

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Thathapanda Jyothi Somaiah, daughter of Thathapanda Dally Somaiah and Pookunji Somaiah (Thamane Chettolira) has left for Poland to represent India in World Seniors Badminton Tournament 2019. The tournament will be played from Aug. 4 to 11.

The 2019 BWF World Senior Championships, officially BWF World Senior Badminton Championships Katowice 2019, is a tournament which will be held at Spodek in Katowice, Poland.

This is an individual championship with men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles events. The age categories are divided as: +35, +40, +45, +50, +55, +60 +65, +70 and +75.

The World Senior Championships is a prestigious individual event for players and the winners of each category is awarded a gold medal and crowned World Senior Champion in their particular age category. The runner-up gets a silver medal while the third place winner gets a bronze medal. Jyothi studied in Government Primary School, Maragod and Junior College, Madikeri. She graduated from of FMKMC College, Madikeri and did her B.Ed at Sarvodaya College, Virajpet.

Jyothi has the credit of being a Kodavathi to take part in Republic Day Parade at Delhi in 1984. She has worked as an announcer on AIR, Madikeri.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / August 02nd, 2019

Tennis star Rohan Bopanna conferred with Arjuna award by sports minister

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Sports

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 receives the Arjuna Award from union sports minister, Kiren Rijiju. Alongside him is his wife Supriya Annaiah. - SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Rohan Bopanna receives the Arjuna Award from union sports minister, Kiren Rijiju. Alongside him is his wife Supriya Annaiah. – SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

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

Tourists throng Dubare to enjoy rafting

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Sports
Tourists go rafting in River Cauvery at Dubare.
Tourists go rafting in River Cauvery at Dubare.

Rafting, an activity that is a big favourite of tourists at Dubare, is back. As a result, the tourist camp is buzzing with activities again.

As river rafting had been banned in River Cauvery at Dubare a year ago, the number of tourists had dipped drastically.

The rafting association had urged the district administration and District In-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh to lift the ban on rafting and support the local entrepreneurs.

As the ban has been lifted, tourists are now making a beeline during weekends to take part in the adrenaline-pumping and adventurous activity.

This, in turn, has left the organisers of the rafting activities as well as the local vendors smiling.

River water level

Water rafting at Dubare is being conducted along a distance of eight kilometres. The water level in River Cauvery too has risen, following good rain in the district. More number of youth were seen enjoying rafting.

The sport was relaunched at Barapole as well. Barapole is located 35 kilometres away from Madikeri. A fee of Rs 600 is charged per head for those keen on rafting activity.

River rafting was introduced in Dubare in 2002. In case of good rain, rafting activities can been conducted till December.

Dhanush, a software engineer who took part in rafting at Dubare, said, “The plans to take part in the rafting activity could not be realised a year ago as it had been banned. Now, we got a new experience.”

Elephant camp

Businessmen said that as the rain was less this year, more number of tourists were landing in Kodagu. Many of the tourists have also been visit the elephant camp at Dubare.

Randeep from Bengaluru said that he would like to explore all tourist sites in Kodagu.

Tourists have been thronging Raja Seat, Abbey Falls, Mallalli and Irpu Falls. The homestay and resort business has also been revived, the businessmen added.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Kushalnagar / July 19th, 2019