Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Chandigarh Gerrari Offroaders qualify for RFC Global Series

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports
Gurmeet Virdi (left) with his co-driver Kirpal in Goa. Tribune Photo
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

Two books to be launched tomorrow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg
Author Lakshmi Palecanda with her two new books in Mysuru.
Author Lakshmi Palecanda with her two new books in Mysuru.

The city will witness the launch of two works by scientist-turned-author Lakshmi Palecanda on Sunday – one of which is a romantic novel titled The Fifth Wedding.

The other work ‘Indian American – Then Indian Again’ is a collection of her writings over the years in an Indian-American magazine India Currents.

Lakshmi Palecanda, who is a molecular biologist and has worked in the U.S. for many years, returned to India and has settled in Mysuru since 2009. She writes both romantic fiction and creative non-fiction. The Fifth Wedding is a romance based in South India and any south-Indian reading it will recognise the characters, places and scenes used, said the author.

The book Indian-American…Then Indian Again is laced with humour and encapsulates laugher, tears, loneliness and feelings of accomplishment that come with moving to a new country and then returning to find that “home” has changed , Ms. Palecanda explains. “I was smitten by the written word and decided to turn into a full-fledged writer a few years ago while taking a small class,” she said.

The launch is by Book Clubs 2015 at Hotel Roopa Elite (above Saravana Bhavan) behind Vontikoppal Post Office, 6th Main, Vontikoppal, at 5 p.m.

The books will be released by Javeed Nayeem and Lalitha Rao. Ms. Palecanda will be in conversation with Sujatha Rajpal, another author from Mysuru, sharing her experience about the books.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – July 29th, 2017

Two Cong CMC members join JD(S)

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders

Two Congress councillors defected into Janata Dal (Secular) on Thursday here.

K M Ganesh and Leela Sheshamma, members of Madikeri City Municipal Council (CMC) joined the regional party at a convention organised in the city. They were followed by several other leaders from both the Congress and the BJP parties.

Former Mysuru-Kodagu MP A H Vishwanath, who recently joined JD(S) after severing ties with Congress, said the state is in need of the government dedicated for the cause of Kannadigas. There is no need for a dispensation holding its reins in Delhi, he added.

Substantiating his demand for supporting a regional party, Vishwanath said, “JD(S) state unit president H D Kumaraswamy should be given a full term as chief minister, as the people have witnessed the rule of both the BJP and the Congress governments respectively.” If one has to find solutions to demands over land, water, language and also agrarian issues, JD(S) should be brought to power, he said.

“Politics is not stagnant water, where a person looking for new possibilities always looks for a change. It was the only reason I chose to tread a new path after severing ties with Congress party with which I was associated for 40 years. We were the victims of Delhi tyranny, where it was even difficult to run the show let alone taking any decisions. Adding to this, the behaviour of state-level leaders was also not acceptable.”

Without taking the name of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Vishwanath said, “A person whom I brought into the fold (of Congress party) has been creating havoc in administration, compelling to change course towards Kumara (Kumaraswamy).”

Speaking about the contribution of the regional parties in the country, he said it is also essential to support JD (S) in the state. The land is replete with natural resources like sand and iron ore that has been changing hands beyound boundary of the state, he added.

When the threat to natural resources reached its peak during the rule of BJP government between 2008 and 2013, the then opposition leader Siddaramaiah took out a Padayatra from Bengaluru to Ballari demanding people’s support to form a government to ensure corruption-free government. However, though now in power, the chief minister has reneged on his promise and is neck deep in corruption, Vishwanath charged.

Venting his ire against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vishwanath said that the prime minister has not taken any measures to bring back black money stashed abroad and deposit it in the bank accounts of poor. Due to confusing economic policy, four lakh people have lost jobs in metropolitan cities, he claimed.

He said Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is headed by a corrupt, yet another example of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah failing to keep his promise of corruption-free governance. Vishwanath announced that he will tour Bagalkot, Chitradurga, Vijayapura and Davangere to create awareness among the people about Congress misrule in the state.

MLA G T Devegowda from Mysuru said the government is out to break Lingayat community in the name of separate religion. It was unexpected from Siddaramaiah, he said.

Former minister B A Jeevijaya lauded Vishwanath as a model politician who still believes in principles. He was in the company of D Devaraj Urs, a prominent chief minister ever seen in the state.

Many other leaders from Maragodu, Shirangala, Kadagadalu, Chettalli, Suntikoppa, Besur, Janardhanahalli and Kodlipet joined JD(S) along with the councillors.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by DH News Service, Madikeri / July 28th, 2017

JD (Secular) convention in Madikeri on July 27

Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders

Janata Dal (Secular) will organise a convention at Kaveri Kalakshetra in Madikeri on July 27.

Briefing media persons here on Saturday, JD(S) district in-charge Vijay said that former MP A H Vishwanath, MLA G T Devegowda, former MLA Shivakumar and former minister Jeevijaya will take part in the convention.

K M Ganesh, who has tendered resignation to Congress, will join the JD(S) on the occasion. Along with him, around 30 leaders are likely to join the JD(S), he added.

The party’s candidates will win forthcoming Legislative Assembly election in Madikeri and Virajpet constituencies, he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Madikeri / July 22nd, 2017

Harshika Poonacha can’t wait for Chitte’s release

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg
Still from the film
Still from the film

Harshika Poonacha has completed the talkie portions of Chitte, and the actress says she is excited with the way the film has taken shape.

Sharing a few pictures from the film with City Express, she tell us, “I’m only left with two more songs. From whatever few scenes of mine I have watched on screen board during spot editing, I can say that every scene is beautiful. I can’t wait to share my excitement with the audiences when it releases,” she says.

The film, directed by ML Prakash, is a thriller, and explores the life of a newly married couple. She is paired opposite Yashas in the film. Chitte is special because it’s all about me,” says Harshika.

Meanwhile, the actress will be off to UK soon, where she will be shooting songs for her first Tamil film. “I’m just waiting for my passport to get my UK visa stamped,” says the actress, adding, “I want to complete these two projects before I sign my next.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Kannada / by Express News Service / July 24th, 2017

Tennis champ Rohan Bopanna is back in Bengaluru and already started training the next-gen

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion
Rohan Bopanna along with Serbian coach Dragan Bukumirovic at his tennis academy in Bengaluru. (Image: Instagram/rohanbopanna0403)
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

Samiti too lays claim on Light House Hill Road

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Mangaluru :

The controversy surrounding naming of Light House Hill Road took a historical turn with Sullia Amara Kranti Utsava Samiti too laying their claim to name the road. Turning back pages of history to shed light on role played by Vokkaliga community prior to India’s first War of Independence, the Samiti demanded that the road be named Bavuta Gudde Road and the hillock which also has St Aloysius College continue to be referred to as Bavuta Gudde.

Gopal Peraje, convener of the Samiti said the 1837 revolt against the British, a good two-decades before the first War of Independence of 1857 was the offshoot of dethroning of the Kodava ruler in 1834 by imperial rulers. The revolt engulfed Kodagu, Sampaje, Sullia, Bellare, Puttur, Kumble, Manjeshwar and even Mangaluru which saw thousands of people rally round the leadership of Ramayya Gowda of Kedambadi. Ramayya was ably assisted by many leaders, he said.

The dethroning of the Kodava ruler and change in taxation system from material to monetary terms were the main reasons for sparking the revolt, he said. The rebels that marched from Kedambadi took control of government treasuries in Sullia, Bellare, Puttur and Kumble and also went on to wrest control of Mangaluru from the British, he said. The rebels lowered the British flag that was erected on Bavuta Gudde and hoisted the flag of Haleri dynasty of Kodagu there.

Noting that the rebels wilted under the East India Company’s counter-offensive and many rebels were captured and prominent leaders hanged in public at Bikarnakatte and another leader publicly hanged in Madikeri Fort, Gopal said the rebels ruled Mangaluru for 13-days from April 5, 1837. The Mangaluru City Corporation and state government must take this historic fact in to account and name the road as Bavuta Gudde Road to commemorate this freedom struggle, he noted.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mangalore News / by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / July 25th, 2017

National Hockey Academy springs to life, finally

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

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
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

Rohan Bopanna signs partnership with balanced energy drink Enerzal

Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports
Sports marketing agency Meraki Sport and Entertainment manages Bopanna's commercial endorsements and is also Enerzal's sports marketing agency
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

Businessman’s dream home for wife to be up in 24 hrs

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Highlights

Tyag Uthappa from Kodagu is planning to gift a 3-bedroom house covering 2,400sqft, built in 24 hours flat

A Bengaluru-based company is out to prove a point, and also set a world record with this dream home

The Limca Book of World Records has acknowledged this claim and will send a team to document the execution
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DreamHouseKF19jul2017

Bengaluru :

A three-bedroom house covering 2,400sqft, built in 24 hours flat. At Rs 48 lakh, plus tax. That’s some fast and furious work, and cheap too.

A Bengaluru-based company, specializing in rapid construction and building innovation technology , is out to prove a point, and also set a world record with its dream home for a city businessman.Tyag Uthappa, coffee planter and businessman from Kodagu, is planning to gift the marvel to his wife on her birthday .

Using the precast method of construction, the project is tentatively scheduled for July 15 at T Agrahara, close to Stonehill International School in North Bengaluru. The Limca Book of World Records has acknowledged this claim and will send a team to document the execution.

The construction will cost Uthappa about Rs 48 lakh, plus tax, compared to Rs 70-80 lakh for a normal construction of this size.

“The delay in the project handover, quality of construction and exorbitant prices are making people think twice before investing in real estate projects. Precast technology could be the answer. It reduces construction timelines and improves sustainability and quality . Most important, precast buildings can last a lifetime,” said Paddy Menon, chief disruptor, REBEL Disruptive Building Technologies, who’s taken the lead in attempting a record.

According to the 2015 Survey of Construction from the Census Bureau, the average completion time of a singlefamily home is around seven months. “The amount of time it takes to build your home depends on the type of home you’re building and various other factors, like labour, raw material supply and weather.But this is amazing, considering that these factors become irrelevant. The new technology can give a fillip to affordable housing and the Modi government’s ambitious project to provide houses to all by 2022,” said a builder.

How is the construction done in such quick time?
Menon explained: “We use moulds using precast to create structural elements which are standardized.” A house could have 15 to 25 large elements. These are transported to the site, using trailers. We use standard strip foundations we normally see at construction sites, and with the help of cranes we assemble these walls (elements) and construct the whole house. We ensure that the elements are assembled with great care and precision, with appropriate joints.This technology helps us skip a lot of procedures which we follow in the conventional method of construction, and makes work easier and faster,” Menon explained.

Construction trend: In 2016, a 10 storey structure was built in 48 hours in Mohali, using precast technology , and entered the Limca Book of Records.

A builder said there have been instances of houses being built in 48 hours, a week or month, but this is the first time someone is attempting to set a record by building a 2,400 sqft house, which could change the way the construction industry is going about its work.

Saves time, improves quality: Paddy Menon, chief disruptor, REBEL Disruptive Building Technologies, said precast technology has proved its worth by saving a lot of construction time in Europe and West Asian countries. The best part of the technology is that it not only speeds up construction work but also enhances quality of the final output.

This technology is still nascent in India, though a few large projects are happening in a few metros, and need a lot more awareness among common people.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Manu Aiyappa Kanathanda / July 03rd, 2017