SHEER JOY Badminton ace Ashwini Ponnappa (right) and Karan Medappa tied the nuptial knot in Ammatti on Sunday. DH PHOTO
Indian badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa entered a new phase of her life after marrying model Ponnachettira Karan Medappa at the Kodava Samaja, Ammatti, on Sunday.
The marriage rituals were held as per the Kodava tradition. Ashwini was draped in a traditional Kodava saree and Karan was dressed in ‘Kuppasa Datti’.
The wedding reception was held in Serenity Hall, Virajpet, on Sunday evening.
Tennis player Rohan Bopanna and squash player Jyotsna Chinnappa were among the sports stars who attended the function.
Ashwini had announced her engagement to Karan in November via an Instagram post.
Ashwini said she would continue her involvement in sports even after marriage.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by DH News Service / Siddapur – December 24th, 2017
Harshika Poonacha and her gang of giggling friends were coming out of a coffee shop when a man accosted her and wanted to know if she was interested in playing the heroine in his forthcoming movie.
Then a Class 10 student, Harshika was certain that he was a prankster and not a filmmaker, and didn’t bother to reply. But her friends told him that she was a dancer, head of their cultural team and that if he was serious about the offer, he should talk to her dad at her house, not far from where they were.
This was how the schoolgirl got catapulted to the world of movies through the Kannada film PUC — it was no trickster who made the offer but filmmaker Ramesh who was looking for a girl of her age group to do the lead role. In the next two years, however, she concentrated on her studies, and during her engineering course, she balanced studies and films so amazingly well that she not only passed her course with distinction but also established her foothold in the Kannada industry.
“I had offers from software biggies but I had to make a choice between films and a corporate job and I chose the former,” says Harshika, who has been shooting in Kochi for Charminar, her debut film in Malayalam.
After spending a month in Kochi and shooting in the city as well as Thrissur, she is literally gushing about Mollywood and says that she is sure to miss the industry as well as Kochi now that they have wrapped up the shoot. Originally from Coorg, she can speak several languages and she has added Malayalam to the list. “I speak so fluently that they now say that I am ready for dubbing,” she says.
Harshika plays a Malayali girl settled in Bengaluru in the movie directed by Ajith C Lokesh and her co-stars are Ashwin Kkumar, who played the villain in Jacobinte Swargarajyam, and Hemanth Menon.
“Charminar is a love story but there is a suspense that is linked to the title, so I can’t reveal more about the plot,” says the actress, who is looking forward to acting in more Malayalam films.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Malayalam> Movies> News / by Sujit Chandrakumar / TNN / December 17th, 2017
Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and a game of fine margin and even after 140 years, we are still not sure on what defines a successful player. They say, in any discipline of life, you need to have talent and everything else will take care of itself. But, the irony is that talent plays a very short role and grind, determination, stubbornness plays a big part in shaping up an individual’s career. Indian cricket is filled with examples of too many talented players not meeting their potential and players with a limited skill set achieving most out of their limited talent and becoming successful on the world stage.
After the turn of the century, Indian cricket became aspirational and wanted to dominate on and off the field and many players came from small towns and villages and made a name for themselves. Robin Uthappa from the state of Karnataka was a breath of fresh air and many big things were expected of him. And, on debut against England at Indore in an ODI, he smacked 86 runs and stamped his authority. Uthappa was a lad who was expressive, had big booming drives and technically was a sound player and coaching staff saw something in him. He was chosen for the 2007 ICC World Cup and was expected to be part of the Test team soon. Uthappa, as any player, got limited chances early in his career, but made full use of it and on the 2007 tour of England and Wales played an innings at The Oval which was reminiscent of 2002 NatWest final and pulled a victory out of nowhere.
Here’s blast from the past: Robin Uthappa going berserk vs Chennai Super Kings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e9wHpkvCX4
Match 18, RCB vs CSK: Best of Robin Uthappa
Life is funny and unpredictable and Uthappa learned this the hard way and soon lost his spot in the team after being part of 2007 World T20 and 2008 CB series teams which won the silverware. Uthappa made contributions and would have thought of cementing his place in the side. In 2008, Indian Premier League came to town and Uthappa got decent amount of sum and was part of Mumbai Indians. The form of the Karnataka dasher tapered off and the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina started to jump ahead of Uthappa and soon lost his spot and was not told by selectors what was he doing wrong and to be fair to him, the selectors or management were not sure about his role in the team and his batting position kept on changing.
So, Uthappa took the boot on his chin and started plundering runs in domestic cricket, IPL and was hoping that his comeback would come, but India had moved on and Uthappa had to content being a player who would make sporadic appearances in case of injury or rest. Uthappa is only 32 years old but sadly last represented India in 2015 and many emerging players (Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey) have climbed ahead of him and even deep down he must be knowing that making a comeback looks very tough. The game of Uthappa is solid and his first-class record is pretty decent and the hunger is still there.
Any cricketer would tell you that playing Test cricket or scoring an international century is the ultimate high that you can get, but Robbie has neither one and it will sting him when he looks back on his career. The talented yet somewhat unlucky dasher has represented India in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is and is still slogging it out in Ranji Trophy and would think of another recall to make amends. But, that ship has sailed and despite being talented and confident, Uthappa who made his debut before Kohlis and Sharmas would feel a tinge of sadness about how his career panned out.
source: http://www.freepressjournal.com / The Free Press Journal / Home> Cricket / by Dhaval Mehta / December 17th, 2017
Codava National Council President N U Nachappa offers prayers to firearms as a part of Thok Namme, at an estate in Kolakere near Napoklu on Monday.
Codava National Council observed Thok Namme at an estate in Kolakere near Napoklu on Monday.
Speaking after offering prayers to firearms, CNC President N U Nachappa said that ‘Thok Namme’ (Gun Carnival) is organised to highlight the significance that guns represent in Kodava culture and life. “Possessing firearms is a right of the Kodavas.
It is also a religious and cultural symbol of the Kodavas.
The programme is being conducted in order to create awareness on the constitutional rights of Kodavas to own a gun. The programme also features mass worship of guns and aims to pass the message to the government that the possession of a gun is a birthright of a Kodava,” he said.
Nine resolutions, including urging the government to recognise the importance of guns in Kodava culture were passed on the occasion.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Napoklu – December 18th, 2017
Sunil Chhetri and Aditi Ashok bagged top honours at the ACT Fibernet-SWAB awards in Bengaluru on Saturday. Before a star-studded gathering that included chief guest Abhinav Bindra and sporting luminaries from the city, former India hockey captain M.P. Ganesh was presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award. – SUDHAKAR JAIN
Sunil Chhetri and Aditi Ashok bagged top honours at the ACT Fibernet-SWAB awards here on Saturday. The pair claimed the ‘Best Sportsperson of the Year’ awards in the senior category while Anil Kumble was declared the ‘Coach of the Year’.
Before a star-studded gathering that included chief guest Abhinav Bindra and sporting luminaries from the city, former India hockey captain M.P. Ganesh was presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.
Bengaluru FC was adjudged the ‘Team of the Year’ while racing driver Arjun Maini and swimmer Damini K. Gowda emerged the ‘Best Sportspersons of the Year’ in the junior section.
“Bangalore holds a very special place in my heart,” said Bindra, in an eloquent address laced with humour. “I spent many days of my youth shooting at the SAI South Centre here. There is something in the air of Bangalore that makes it special for sports, and I am not saying that because I have just flown here from Delhi.”
Chhetri, whose exploits for the Indian National team and BFC saw him edge out the likes of K.L. Rahul, Rohan Bopanna, and Pankaj Advani for the top prize, said: “When I started off, I was scared of journalists. Over time, I recognized the role they played and built a relationship with them.”
Ganesh, who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games, spoke of his playing career and his transition into administration. The 72-year-old felt government officials, journalists and former athletes needed to join hands to nurture sporting talent.
Harendra Singh, coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, presented the ‘Coach of the Year’ award to Kumble, under whom India won five successive Test series between July 2016 and March 2017.
Kumble was modest in his acceptance of the award.
“I think coaches in cricket don’t have too much to say or too much to do. But nonetheless, this is an excellent recognition of all the good work that the team did over the past one year and they have continued with their winning ways,” he said.
“I’m confident that the team which we have will certainly go on to create history in South Africa and then beyond. The team under Virat certainly has the capabilities to achieve that.”
K. Sriram, a member of the KSCA’s media staff, was presented with the ‘Behind the Scenes’ award while the Karnataka Badminton Association was declared the ‘Association of the Year’.
source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar / Home> More Sports / by Team Sportstar / Bengaluru – December 16th, 2017
Asia’s first lady of coffee Sunalini Menon says she never planned on being a coffee-taster. She says that she decided on a course in Dietetics or a Phd. in Foods, when she chanced upon an advertisement calling for Assistant Cup tasters at the Coffee Board of India. “I had tried tea tasting as a child at an uncle’s tea estate in Munnar and the ad brought back happy memories of sipping, slurping, spitting and looking wise. I applied for the post and was called for the interview.”
She had to compete with eight men with more experience and qualifications, and that was her first job interview. Sunalini came first in the written and oral tests.
Sunalini, Asia’s first woman coffee taster, says, that the internal panel of examiners were not too keen to appoint her because she was young, had no knowledge about coffee and was a woman who could get married and give up the assignment. “But the then chairman of the Coffee Board was insistent that gender should not come in the way of a job and that as I had topped the interview, that I should rightfully be given the assignment.” Sunalini then joined the Coffee Board of India in 1972.
It wasn’t easy working at the Coffee Board of India, she says. She was the only woman at the officer’s cadre level in the Board then. “The staff working under me refused to accept my instructions or the schedule I had set for work, they were not used to taking instructions from a woman,” she says. “Fortunately, I had a chief who took me under his wing and advised me to first learn the subject and give them time to accept me. His parting words were ‘Tread slowly, but firmly’.”
The in-house training she was given was intense. Every day, she would taste washed arabicas, unwashed arabicas, washed robustas and unwashed robustas, to understand the various nuances in a cup.
Also, a founder trustee of the Women’s Coffee Alliance – India Chapter, Sunalini was present at the Coffee Santhe held recently at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. She says, “This is our annual fund raiser to help empower women coffee-plantation workers and their girl children.”
Coffee tasting is both a science and an art
While carrying out coffee tasting, there is a protocol that one needs to follow. The attributes that are evaluated in the cup are fragrance, which is the smell of the coffee powder in the dry state, and aroma, which is the smell in the wet state, when water is added to the powder. During the aroma evaluation, the crust (floating particles on the surface of liquor or the brew prepared for tasting and all the aromatic volatiles) is broken. With“Breaking of Crust”, fragrance, aroma and the other attributes are evaluated for flavour, aftertaste, acidity, mouthfeel, uniformity, balance, cleanliness, sweetness and, finally, the overall rating of the cup.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran / Express News Service / December 08th, 2017
Actor Harshika Poonacha began her career at the age of 15 in the Kannada film industry. She has acted in all the Southern language industries. Harshika is remembered for her memorable performances ‘Jackie’ with Puneeth Rajkumar, ‘Thamassu’ with Shivarajkumar and Yash, ‘Advaitha’ with Ajai Rao and ‘Crazyloka’ with V Ravichandran in Kannada. She has also worked on a few projects in Telugu and Tamil languages. She won the State Award for ‘Best Actress’ for ‘Thamassu’. She has also made an appearance in ‘Big Boss’ with actor Sudeep and ‘Super Minute’ with actor Ganesh. Harshika will soon be seen playing interesting roles in ‘Chitte’ in Kannada and ‘Charminar’ in Malayalam.
“I usually never get a weekend all to myself but whenever I do, I make the best of it. My tight work schedule makes it impossible for me to indulge in things that I enjoy doing, so weekends give me a chance to take a break from the routine and spend time with my family and friends. I make sure that I don’t rush through the weekend and take time to enjoy whatever I am doing.
I am a huge movie buff. There have been weekends when I have watched at least four movies in a day. I have learnt a lot about acting and the art of making films just by watching movies. There are a few actors whose style and work is worth emulating. I admire Urmila Matondkar for her ‘oomph factor’ and I have even made videos of her songs. I also enjoy watching the movies of Madhuri Dixit Nene and Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Weekends are the time I slip into a lazy mode. Some of my Saturdays start with an early morning run and a round of swimming at a club. This sets the tone for an eventful weekend.
I try to pack in a lot of variety into my weekends. I enjoy doing up the interiors of my home and adding colour to every corner. I shop for home decor and sometimes change the cover of the couch and the wall paint as well. I do this to overcome the monotony of being in familiar surroundings.
I love automobiles. I picked up a passion for bikes and cars from my father. I still cherish the days when I was taken on short rides by my father and I would be so eager to hold the handle of the bike and steer it. My father too wouldn’t hesitate to let me hold it. I now own a bike and I ride it occasionally.
Cooking is another favourite pastime during the weekend. I don’t mean to praise myself but I am a good cook and an experimental one at that. I make ‘Mutton biryani’ and ‘Ghee rice’ with ‘Chicken curry’, mutton and liver preparations in Coorgi style. In the sweets category, I make ‘Mysore Pak’, ‘Holige’, ‘Kaju Barfi’ and ‘Gulab jamuns’. I don’t believe in going by the recipe book but do my own research for some interesting recipes. My mother and aunt have helped me develop an interest in cooking.
I am not a party person and have a handful of close friends. I hang out a lot with Reshma Kunhi. She’s my best friend and I enjoy spending time with her. My friends and I usually go out for movies and wrap up our outings with a dinner. And if we are in a mood for some desserts, then we head straight to J W Marriott. They have the finest of midnight desserts.
I try to make time for all the things that I love doing on weekends because it makes me feel happy and stay positive.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Metrolife / by Nina C. George / DH News Service / December 07th, 2017
Mayor Kavita Sanil addressing a press conference at the Mangaluru City Corporation on Tuesday.
Three more chosen in Yakshagana, Education, Sports categories
A committee of the Mangaluru City Corporation has chosen well-known saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath for the corporation’s first Ullal Srinivas Mallya Memorial Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award carries a purse of ₹ 1 lakh, a memento and a citation. The award will be presented during the Mangaluru City Corporation Day at the Town Hall here on December 8.
In addition, the committee has chosen three persons for the Ullal Srinivas Mallya Memorial Award for Yakshagana, Education and Sports.
They are Agari Raghurama Bhagavatha (Yakshagana); K.A. Rohini (Education) and M.R. Poovamma (Sports). Each one of them would be given away a purse of ₹ 50,000, a memento and a citation.
Announcing the awards here on Tuesday, Mayor Kavita Sanil said that the corporation has instituted the awards for the first time to recognise the contribution of those who have brought laurels to Mangaluru.
The selection committee comprised B.A. Vivek Rai, former Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University and also Karnataka State Open University; B.A. Abdul Rahman, former Vice-Chancellor, Kannur and Calicut universities, K.N. Tingalaya, former Chairman of Syndicate Bank, Rita Noronha, a social worker, and Manohar Prasad, a journalist. The Mayor is the ex-officio chairperson of the committee.
She said that the corporation would conduct a drawing competition for primary and high school students within the jurisdiction of the corporation in the forenoon on December 8. The topics would be Mangaluru International Airport; New Mangaluru Port; National Institute of Technology, Surathkal; National Highway 66 and Mangaluru-Hassan railway line.
The topics have been selected on the basis of contribution of late Mallya for their development. The venue would be the mini Town Hall. There will be three awards each in primary and high school categories. Students will have to register their names either by sending a message on WhatsApp to 9964160249 or 9113995063 before December 6.
She said that the programmes of the City Corporation Day would be conducted from 2.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. The awards would be presented at 6.30 p.m. There would be cultural programmes before and after the award presentation. D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala, would present the awards.
The Mayor would present a karate demonstration after the award presentation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – December 06th, 2017
The JD(S) should be strengthened for the growth of the party in Kodagu district. The party workers should create awareness on the secular stand of the JD(S) by visiting households, said former minister B A Jeevijaya.
He was speaking at JD(S) workers meet in Madikeri on Sunday. The political change in the country should start from the state. To meet this goal, JD(S) workers should unitedly work for the victory of JD(S), he said.
JD(S) district President Sanketh Poovaiah said that The Congress and BJP are engaged in dividing the society on the basis of caste and religion and people have lost faith in the Congress and BJP.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service – Madikeri / December 04th, 2017
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