Mallalli waterfall in the taluk has come alive following heavy rain in the region. The milky flow of water is attracting tourists from across the district and also the state.
A vast patch of land on the top of the waterfalls helps tourists peek into the water spectacle. The row of peaks of Western Ghats on the otherside, as if kissing the skies, makes for a visual treat. The Pushpagiri shrine enhances the visual treat.
The Kumaradhara river that jumps from a height of 150 foot here, flows towards another small waterfall.
The waterfall, in particular, has been drawing people in hordes. Students and tourists from different parts of the State visiting the waterfall.
The footfall swells during holidays and the available space is too small to hold the crowd. It also exposes lack of basic amenities in the place.
The waterfall is located within a distance of three km from Hanchinahalli on the way to Pushpagiri.
Pushpagiri can be accessed through Shanthalli located at a distance of 22 km from Somwarpet.
If one is lucky, he or she may also behold the sight of rivulets enroute Mallalli.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by DH News Service / Somwarpet (Kodagu) – August 13th, 2017
Cougar Motorsport announced that they have extended the automatic entry benefits for the RFC Global Series 2017 Grand Finale, to the top four teams on the Force Gurkha RFC India 2017 leader board. Previously, this coveted award was given only to the top Indian driver of the competition. However, this year Cougar Motorsport will now sponsor RFC India 2017’s top four drivers and their co-drivers by subsidising their RFC 2017 Grand Finale entry ticket worth $3,900 and also provide return airfare worth $1,100 from Malaysia, where the finale will be held later this year.
Gurmeet Virdi and co-driver, Kirpal Singh Tung, from team Gerrari Offroaders, Chandigarh, who won the Force Gurkha RFC India 2017, are already entitled to these benefits. In addition to that, the winner team will also get a sponsorship of up to $3,000 towards their competition vehicle rental amount.
However, the other beneficiaries announcement would be the remaining podium finishers — Jagat Nanjappa and co-driver Chetan Changappa from Coorg-based V5 Offroaders, driver Sanbir Singh Dhaliwal and co-driver Gurpartap Singh from Gerrari Offroaders, Chandigarh and the fourth position holder, Siddartha Santosh and co-driver Prithviraj AC from Team BODA (Bangalore Offroad Drivers Association).
source: http://www.carwale.com / Carwale.com / Home> News / by Aditya Jadhav / August 17th, 2017
PARIS, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 05: Rohan Bopanna of India plays a forehand against Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France during the Mens Doubles semi final match on day six of the BNP Paribas Masters at Palais Omnisports de Bercy on November 5, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
FRESH from ending a 14-year wait for his maiden Grand Slam title, Rohan Bopanna is eyeing up more major success at Wimbledon next week.
The Indian ace fulfilled a lifetime ambition when he won the mixed doubles title with Gabriela Dabrwoski at the French Open this month and hopes the momentum will continue into SW19.
“Never give up on your dreams. That is something which stands out (from this win),” the 37-year-old said on the eve of the event.
“Age is only a number. You can’t set a timeline (for achievements). As long as you believe in yourself and keep working hard, nothing can stop you.
“I worked towards my goal every single day. I am grateful that my team also put in the effort. Although tennis is an individual sport, everyone has contributed.
“Huge congratulations to Gabriela for becoming the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam. It helps to share a sense of camaraderie with your partner. I will partner her at Wimbledon also.”
With that triumph in Paris, Bopanna became only the fourth Indian in history – after Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza – to win a slam.
The 16-time ATP tour winner’s previous best finish at Wimbledon has been two semi-final finishes in the men’s doubles (2013 and 2015). In the mixed event, Bopanna has only reached the last eight once, and that was four years ago.
Bopanna, for so long a national stalwart on the Davis Cup stage, reckons a change in self-belief is one of the main reason for him pl-aying “the best tennis of his career”.
He explained: “At the start of the year, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and I won the Chennai Open. Th-en, Marcin (Matkowski) and I reached the Dubai Open final. In April, Pablo Cuevas and I took the Monte Carlo Masters title. So I’ve played with three different players this year.
“I’ve had to adapt to their styles and figure out a way to use our combined strengths to get good results. This is the main reason why I feel that I’m now playing the best tennis of my career. Every time I step on to the court, I feel like I can win.
“This level of confidence is something new. I have never given up on anything – this is my strength. I constantly keep doing the right things, irrespective of the result. When I was a junior, I lost a lot of tournaments in the early rounds. I wasn’t discouraged, I just continued to work hard. Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay hold their winners trophies after their victory in the doubles final of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in April 2017. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
“I carried this same attitude into my professional career. I don’t have any regrets about not winning a Grand Slam title for the first 14 years of my career. The things I’ve learnt has made me a better player.
“I played Queens with Ivan Dodig, as Pablo was not available. Pablo and I will team up for Eastbourne and Wimbledon. Our goal is to try and qualify for the year-end London Masters.”
Bopanna and Croatian team mate Dodig reached the last four of the Aegon Championships last weekend, losing to French duo Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasseli 4-6, 5-7.
As well as focusing on his own goals, Bopanna is also doing his bit to help the next generation of talent come through an often maligned tennis system in India.
“To get singles champions, we need to have a system in place at the grassroots level. We have very limited support from the Federation (AITA) or corporates. We need that system to compete with European standards. We still have a long way to go,” he said.
“I am also bringing a couple of coaches (Britain’s Aubrey Barrett and Serbia’s Dragan Bukumirovic) to my academy in Bangalore from outside. They will be here for a year and help these kids. I tell the players if they go, go for a year not for a month or so.
“In a month it does not really help improve much. That’s why I am bringing these coaches; let’s hope the kids make good use of this opportunity”.
Gurmeet Virdi (left) with his co-driver Kirpal in Goa. Tribune Photo
Chandigarh :
Chandigarh’s Gurmeet Virdi and co-driver Kirpal Singh Tung won the Force Gurkha RFC India, which concluded today at Dona Paula (Goa). With this win team Chandigarh Gerrari Offroaders get an automatic entry to RFC Global Series finale, to be held in Malaysia later this year.
The team also won $8,000 prize money. After a week-long nail-biting competition, Virdi and Tung claimed the trophy with a total score of 2019 points out of 2600. Virdi defended his title and is the only Indian driver to have won the country’s toughest off-road motorsport competition since its launch in 2014.
The overall second position went to Jagat Nanjappa and co-driver Chetan Changappa of Team V5 Offroaders from Coorg with 1906 points. In an interesting turn of events, Gerrari Offroaders’ Sanbir Singh Dhaliwal and co-driver Gurpartap Singh overtook Siddartha Santosh in the final moments to clinch the final spot on the podium with 1685 points.
Virdi was elated on winning the country’s most coveted off-road motorsport trophy for the second time in a row. “I am overjoyed that we’ve successfully managed to defend our title. It was a pretty tough competition, the positions kept on changing, but we are happy that we came out victorious,” said Virdi.
As the top Indian driver of the competition, he will get monetary benefits of up to $8,000, along with a paid-for entry in the RFC Grand Final in Malaysia and the travel expenses. Moreover, Cougar Motorsport will contribute up to $3,000 towards the cost of arranging the vehicle to participate in the event in Malaysia. “There was no pressure throughout the event but the last stage of the competition gave me some serious chills as the competition was really close. It’s the first time that our club Gerrari Offroaders has clinched two positions on the podium in RFC India. Overall, I couldn’t have been happier,” added Virdi.
This is the second consecutive year when veteran Indian rallyist Jagat Nanjappa competed in RFC India. He is satisfied about the fact that he has risen up from last year’s eighth position to the second position this year. “This year it turned out to be a brilliant competition amongst the top three throughout the event. Virdi has defended his title with full force and I congratulate him on his superb performance,” said Nanjappa.
Nanjappa took the first position in his category (1611-3010cc diesel). From being eliminated in the first special stage of RFC India last year to making it on the podium this year, it has been a fairytale journey for Sanbir Singh Dhaliwal. “It was really close till the last moment. The first few days I was concentrating on preserving my vehicle. I was observing how the course behaved. Things started to improve with each passing day. In the last 10 stages, I became more aggressive and the event finally concluded exactly the way I wanted it to,” said Dhaliwal.
The Team Spirit Award was given to R Sumanth Shenoy from Chikmaglur, while the Jungleman Award went to Dr. Chaitanya Challa of Hyderabad Jeepers Adventure Association. The Most Unique 4X4 Award went to the Hornet driven by Yamunanagar-based Sushant Saini.
The Environment Award went to William Dwaine Jungen from Arizona (USA), while the Best Service Team Award went to Gerrari Offroaders.
The Team Award went to BODA. The Rookie of the Event was awarded to Goan driver Dattaraj Raut Dessai and his co-driver Pratik Prabhu Dessai for their exemplary performance.
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Chandigarh / Tribune News Service / July 31st, 2017
Commanding show: Ranjan Aiyappa scored a brace in Railways’ demolition of Bengaluru Hockey Association. | Photo Credit: V. Ganesan
Santa Singh scores Punjab & Sind Bank’s winner
Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) warmed up for the title defence with an authoritative 6-2 win over Bengaluru HA in a Pool A match of the 91st MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup all-India hockey tournament at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Friday.
Former champion ONGC trounced Hockey Odisha 7-1 in a Pool B contest, augmented by a hat-trick by former International Diwakar Ram.
In the last match of the day Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) edged out BPCL in an evenly contested Pool A tie, through a solitary goal by Santa Singh.
There was fluidity and cohesion in most of Railways’ moves. Ajmer Singh opened the account for Railways with a stirring run from the left. With the defender giving up the chase thinking the ball was out, Ajmer made the most of it with a neat push. Drag flick specialist V.R. Raghunath equalised with a perfect penalty corner that struck the top of the roof. From there on, it was Railways’ show.
Comprising mostly of youngsters with veterans Vikram Kanth, V.S. Vinaya and Raghunath for company, Bengaluru HA forwards appeared clueless in the striking circle.
If the half-time score (2-1 in favour of Railways) was an indication of a close contest, it was way off the mark. Railways toyed with Bengaluru defence, with Ranjan Aiyappa scoring a brace. The area of concern for Railways coach C.R. Kumar, will be the number of penalty corners, seven, that it conceded.
Hockey Odisha went down without a fight to ONGC conceding seven goals.
Rohan Bopanna along with Serbian coach Dragan Bukumirovic at his tennis academy in Bengaluru. (Image: Instagram/rohanbopanna0403)
The French Open mixed-doubles champ Rohan Bopanna, who made it to the Wimbledon quarter-final, is back in Bengaluru. Taking no time off after his long month of play, the tennis star was back in action, not for his game, but to train children at his tennis academy.
Bopanna shared this picture on social media of him with his students. “Always a great feeling to be back in Bangalore at the tennis academy.” And looks like the kids are getting tips not just from one pro but Serbian coach Dragan Bukumirovic too.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> Magazines> Panache / by Maleeva Rebello , ET Bureau / June 25th, 2017
While a group of about 25 boys and girls each was selected last year, there were neither dedicated coaches nor clear plans on how to go about the process. National Hockey Academy CEO, M.P. Ganesh, assured that no junior player had been left without direction. – K. MURALI KUMAR
Two years after it was conceived as a platform to train talented youngsters, the Delhi-based National Hockey Academy will finally see the first of its trainees in July after try-outs for the same were finalised over the last week of June.
While a group of about 25 boys and girls each was selected last year, there were neither dedicated coaches nor clear plans on how to go about the process, and that is something Hockey India and the Sports Authority of India seem to have sorted out.
“A list of about 120 boys and 110 girls was received from Hockey India, and 27 boys and 22 girls have been shortlisted. Four have been kept on stand-by in case of any discrepancy after age verification for which we have already sent details. The age criterion was 14-17 years, or those born between Jaunary 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003. The target is to have this batch ready in time for the 2024 Olympics,” Academy CEO, M.P. Ganesh, told Sportstar.
The former India captain and coach, who was brought on board for an initial period of three years, has also been involved in preparing the blueprint for the NHA. The selected juniors will be called up in the next two weeks, and sent to Shilaroo for training.
The trials, though, were not free of controversy. Almost half of those called up for trials were selected by Hockey India’s zonal performance managers B.J. Cariappa and Pramod Bathlaw. Sources confirmed that Bathlaw’s list, comprising players from the northern states, was under scrutiny for recommendations en masse from only a handful of academies and that he had been removed from the post by Hockey India.
Officials also revealed that he was kept away from the stadium during the trials. The players were tested on fitness, skills and game intelligence, with HI’s High Performance Director David John overseeing the selection. There was also a question mark on the fate of the 25 players selected last year. While some have been moved to the national junior core group, the others have been either retained after the trials or sent back to their regional training centres.
No junior, Ganesh declared, had been left without direction. “In fact, I spoke to the SAI director general, Injeti Srinivas, to make sure that the kids being sent back to the STCs were re-admitted. We cannot play with their future,” he said.
Ganesh said the next step was to appoint coaches for the NHA. “We want at least one foreign coach in the set-up to train and develop Indian coaches. It has been approved, and we are trying to get things in place,” he said.
Coal India will be the sponsoring partner for the Academy. “We are also looking at getting teachers for various subjects to visit and teach the kids, who will then appear for exams through open school,” Ganesh said.
source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar Live / Home> Hockey / by Uthara Ganesan / New Delhi – July 03rd, 2017
Sports marketing agency Meraki Sport and Entertainment manages Bopanna’s commercial endorsements and is also Enerzal’s sports marketing agency
Mumbai :
Following up on his maiden Grand Slam success at the French Open last month, Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna has partnered with FDC India’s balanced energy drink brand Enerzal.
Enerzal has also partnered with Bopanna’s Bengaluru based tennis academy.
“Tennis is a sport that we as a brand are invested in and believe that India has tremendous potential to excel at globally. Teaming up with Rohan and his academy allows us to truly be a part of the tennis ecosystem, from the grassroots all the way to the top. We also believe that this partnership complements our existing investments in the sport,” said Ameya Chandavarkar, director, FDC India.
Bopanna added, “For any professional athlete, diet and nutrition is of the utmost importance. To ensure that we are at the peak of our performance during matches we need to be optimally hydrated. Having a brand like Enerzal supporting and working with me to get it right is something that I have wanted for some time. I am also happy that the brand has partnered with my academy. It is fantastic to partner with a brand whose objective is the development of tennis in India.”
Sports marketing agency Meraki Sport and Entertainment manages Bopanna’s commercial endorsements and is also Enerzal’s sports marketing agency.
“Over the last two years we have worked with Enerzal to structure partnerships across a range of different sports. Staying true to the brand’s objective of enhancing India’s sporting ecosystem we have partnered with initiatives, events and teams that do just that. From grassroot tournaments like the Subroto Cup to sponsoring India’s Davis Cup match against New Zealand in Pune, the brand is committed to supporting all levels of the sporting ecosystem.” said Namrata Parekh, Co-Founder & Director – Meraki Sport & Entertainment.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> Industry> Services> Advertising / by Gaurav Laghate, ET Bureau / July 12th, 2017
International squash player Joshna Chinnappa was on Tuesday appointed senior sports officer of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco).
Chinnappa met chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy at the secretariat and received the order in the presence of power minister P Thangamani, energy secretary Vikram Kapur and Tangedco chairman M Saikumar.
The decision to make a direct appointment under the sports quota was made after the squash player made a request. Chinnappa won the women’s title in the Asian Individual Squash Championship in April this year.
Earlier this year, she reached the quarterfinals of the World Championship in Egypt. She also won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in the women’s doubles with Dipika Pallikal-Karthik. She has won seven titles so far.
Though many national and international sport persons are employed in public sector undertaking like railways, oil companies, banks etc, this is probably the first time an international sports person has approached the Tamil Nadu government for a job.
“Squash is not very famous in the country and therefore I did not approach PSUs. I approached the Tamil Nadu government for employment as the government has allocated money for several sports persons,” Chinnappa told TOI.
“In the next 5 or 6 years if I decide to retire from the sport I want job security and so I approached the state government. I will be joining the job in a few days and only after that I will come to know of the type of work I need to perform,” said Chinnappa.
Tangedco has in the past appointed sports persons, but this is the first time a sports person of international repute has been appointed in the discom. “It is the first time an international sport person has applied for an employment with us. She stands number 1 in squash in India and 14th in the world,” Saikumar told TOI.
Chinappa’s appointment in Tangedco comes a day after the chief minister announced cash rewards for Tamil Nadu athletes who won medals in the Asian Athletic Championship which concluded in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> More Sports> Others / by Sivakumar B / TNN / July 11th, 2017
For putting India on the squash map and winning multiple tournaments to secure the world number 10 rank in 2016.
At eight, when most girls are busy playing hopscotch on school playgrounds, Joshna Chinappa was busy making frequent trips to the Madras Cricket Club and debating which sport — badminton or tennis — she would like to pursue professionally. While good at both, her family background (her father Anjan Chinappa and great-granduncle Field Marshall KM Cariappa were both squash players) saw her gravitate towards the lesser-known sport of squash. Her standout moment came in the 2014 Commonwealth Games doubles event, when she along with partner Dipika Pallikal Karthik became the first Indian players to win a gold medal; and her stellar performances saw her seize her career-highest World No. 10 rank in 2016.
The initial challenges
Squash wasn’t well known when I started playing, and getting financial assistance and sponsorships were tough. My parents could only afford to send me for a couple of tournaments a year and I had no choice but to travel alone from the age of 10, as it was expensive to have someone accompany me on each trip.
Training routine
I play about 15 tournaments a year. I love training, so preparing for an event really charges me up. Training each day lasts for about five hours. I work with my fitness trainer on my strength and conditioning and with my squash coach on court. I also do a lot of weight training, and agility and sprint sessions.
On injuries
They are always hard for athletes to deal with because sport is our livelihood and passion and to not be able to do something you love is heart-breaking. On the bright side, an injury can help put things into perspective…it can make you much stronger, both mentally and physically.
On women in sports
I feel it’s the women today who are really putting sports on the radar. We have so many achievers — strong, powerful women who have come from such diverse fields and backgrounds showing us how, with a little support, wonders can be achieved. It’s so great to see them work hard and win despite the tough circumstances they face. I’m sure that if they receive the support they truly deserve, the sky is the limit!
source: http://www.vervemagazine.in / Verve / Home> Verve People / Text by Tina Dastur , Photography by Prateek Patel / June 08th, 2017
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