Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Chinapa’s countdown

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Nikhil Chinappa (EPS)
Nikhil Chinappa (EPS)

One of the biggest festivals of the country, Sunburn will no longer have one of the country’s popular favourite artistes, Nikhil Chinapa. Instead, Chinapa will be seen collaborating with LIVE Viacom18 as the festival director, “I am going to be working with them as an artist. I do not aim to make the festival bigger and better than Sunburn,” he begins. As for the new festival, Chinapa says, “We haven’t decided a name. I want the festival to be amazing. Order a masala dosa but what matters is who you are eating it with, what time of the day it is, what music is running in the background and if the girl at the opposite table looked at you and smiled. I think all these factors make the experience amazing.”

The festival, scheduled from December 26 to 30 will be electronic and may coincide with Sunburn’s dates. “My vision is to have 17 screens at the end of 10 years. I will also include camping in the third year of the festival,” he adds. Chinapa promises a lot of new talent, artistes from abroad and of course his wife and DJ Pearl.

The venue will remain the same, Goa, though Chinapa agrees that down South, the East Coast Road in Chennai could also be a great spot to host the festival. “I think go-MAD is doing pretty good when it comes to Chennai. They should make it the biggest festival in Chennai. I did come for the latest version and it was well done.” He is also organising a festival for 21 year olds. “This fest has no alcohol and will teach youngsters to be music producers. The fest will be conducted by professionals,” he concludes. More information about the new festival will be announced later this month.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Mrinalini Sundar / ENS – Hyderabad / October 25th, 2013

For selector Arjun Halappa, professionalism is key

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Mumbai :

When people embrace dual responsibilities, dealing with the double-edged sword becomes inevitable. Air India’s Arjun Halappa is currently busy negotiating the many predicaments that come along with being a national selector and being an active player.

Being a player, Halappa rubs shoulders with potential candidates who could go and represent the country some day, while being a selector though, he has to ensure bias doesn’t creep in while doing his national duty. And as Halappa puts it: “drawing a line is critical”.

(Being a player, Arjun Halappa…)
(Being a player, Arjun Halappa…)

“I have played a lot of hockey and I know I have a lot more hockey left in me. So on that front I am assured. I have always idol-worshipped Dhanraj Pillay as a player. I try to emulate him as far as possible. Even at the age of 40-41, Dhanraj was a force to reckon with. So I want to follow in his footsteps. But it is a different ball game being a selector,” said Halappa, who turned out for Air India in the opening encounter of the 48th edition of the Bombay Gold Cup against Indian Navy at Churchgate’s Mahindra Stadium. For the record, Air India thrashed Navy 6-1.

“Having played hockey, people expect me to give them a hearing. They take it for granted that I will succumb to their requests just because I have shared the dressing room with them. But that is not the case. As a player, I will always respect the equation I share with my teammates. But when it comes to picking up the right candidate for India camps, I will do my job professionally,” added Halappa, who was part of India’s squad at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

At 32, Halappa is one of the youngest selectors. Dealing with senior selectors such a BP Govinda (Olympian and chairman of selectors) would sure be a tricky proposition. “You have to be respectful for sure. But I’ve been assigned a task and I believe doing my job with total commitment. Thankfully, I’ve never been required to assert myself.”

Results: Air India 6 (DS Darshan, Shivendra Singh, Birendra Lakra, Vikram Pillay, VS Vinaya, Joga Singh) bt Indian Navy 1 (Amit Kumar Goswami).

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Hockey> Air India / by Sudheendra Tripathi, TNN / October 21st, 2013

Nachappa elected vice-president of Karnataka Athletics Assn

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Sports

Former sprinter and Clean Sports India president Ashwini Nachappa was today elected as one of the vice-presidents of Karnataka Amateur Athletics Association in the polls held at its General body Meeting here.

Nachappa was elected as one of the four vice-presidents for a three-year term. The other three vice-presidents are Uday K Prabhu, Sunil Kumar Shety and A Munisanjeevappa.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara was elected unanimously as KAA President, while Chandrashekar Rai was made the Secretary. H R Udaya Kumar will be the treasurer of the association.

Para-athlete H N Girisha, who won a silver in the London Paralympic Games last year, was also named as one of the Executive Committee members.

The GBM, which was attended by 138 members, gave unanimous approval to the Annual Report, Accounts for 2012-13, besides also passing several amendments to the constitution of the Association.

Welcoming Nachappa’s election as KAA vice-president, CSI Convenor B V P Rao said, “I hope other former sportspersons would emulate Nachappa and become administrators to clean up sports bodies in the country.

“Nachappa has worked at the grassroot level as she was the head of Bangalore Urban District Association. I hope she would go ahead further and in near future would take up important positions in Athletics Federation of India,” he said.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / by Press Trust of India / Bangalore – October 26th, 2013

Ashwini to contest KAA elections

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Bangalore :

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara is set to continue as the president of the Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) while former star Ashwini Nachappa has entered the fray for the post of vice-president in the elections scheduled for October 26.

Parameshwara’s third term at the helm of KAA is almost certain as the top politician is the only one to file the nomination for the post on the last day on Monday.

There are five candidates in the fray for the four posts for vice-president. Besides Ashiwini, a key campaigner for cleaning Indian sports, the other aspirants are Uday Prabhu, Sunil Kumar Shetty, Munisanjeevappa and Babu Kumar.

There are three contestants for the secretary’s post vacated by long-serving official Satyanarayana, while two are in the mix for the treasurer’s post. The final list of candidates will be announced after the scrutiny of nomination papers on Tuesday.

The candidates: President: G Parameshwara; Vice-Presidents: Ashwini Nachappa, Uday Prabhu, Sunil Kumar Shetty, Munisanjeevappa, Babu Kumar; Secretary: RK Gopalkrishna, Chandrashekar Rai, Nataraj; Treasurer: Uday Kumar, Bhimannanavar.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Kaa / by Biju Babu Cyriac, TNN / October 22nd, 2013

Olympians to run as volunteers in Salwan Cross Country Run

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Olympians Shiva Thapa, KT Irfan and MR Poovamma would be running as volunteers with the visually impaired school children at the Coca-Cola Salwan Cross Country Run on November 10 at the Army Equestrian Centre here.

Apart from running alongside visually impaired children, Shiva Thapa, Irfan and Poovamma would also promote and emphasize upon the tenets of Salwan Cross Country Run — to encourage clean and fair sports at the grassroots level.

This year’s edition of Salwan Cross Country Run would witness participation by more than 1700 visually impaired and differently-abled schoolchildren, all of whom would be running with a volunteer to aid them during the race.

All the three Olympians, who would be running as volunteers, are under the aegis of Anglian Medal Hunt Company, a venture that seeks to nurture talent in the arena of Olympic sports and beyond.

From a humble beginning of 300 students running in the year 1995, the race saw participation from 48000 students from 800 schools across India along with 1800 visually impaired, 200 intellectually challenged children running in 2012.

The participants and winners across each category underwent a dope and age verification test at the 18th edition of the Salwan Cross Country Run last year, with an objective to promote principles of fair play and protection of the athlete’s right to compete in a fair and drug free competition — an initiative that would be strictly enforced this year also.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News> by Press Trust of India / New Delhi – October 20th, 2013

Reality bites for Bhamaa and Deepika

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

The story of Ganesh’s character in Auto Raja — which is based on a collection of tales about several auto drivers in Bangalore — is not the only one that has been inspired by elements of reality. The film’s female characters — who are played by Bhamaa and Deepika Kamaiah — are also based on real-life people.

(Bhamaa )
(Bhamaa )

Director Udayprakash says, “Deepika’s character is a strong corporate woman and I’ve met a person like her when I was working at a television channel. Our company started a radio wing and appointed a lady to head the channel. Her way of handling work was very different. She seemed more like a commanding person, and wanted to get work done at the earliest. However, this attitude didn’t go down well with her subordinates. But little did people know that she was a good-hearted person. I gave Deepika shades of her character.”

Bhamaa plays a village belle in the film, and this character has also been inspired by a real-life person. “Bhamaa’s role is loosely based on a girl who used to sell coconut water near a hospital in Rajajinagar. She later become an actress and did pretty well in the industry. I wanted someone who has certain innocence and Bhamaa fit the role perfectly. She comes in as a village girl and transforms herself by the end of the film. She has even lost some weight for the role,” says Uday.

The director also says that all the characters in the film are based on real-life people. “Even the supporting characters are based on real-life people. The film is a take on reality,” he says.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Coconut Water / by Sharanya CR, TNN / June 17th, 2013

Re-elected to Orange Growers’ Co-op. Society

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

ArunMachaiahKF26oct2013
Kodagu :

Former MLC C.S. Arun Machaiah has been unanimously re-elected as the President of Kodagu Orange Growers’ Co-operative Society for the term 2014-2018.

Kodagu Cooperative Association’s Deputy Registrar R. Sridhar was the election officer.

Rest of the office-bearers too were re-elected unanimously and they vowed to revive orange cultivation in Kodagu, which has seen improvement in the past few years.

K.G. Appaiah of Mekoor village is the Society’s Vice-President. The Directors are: Sunil Madappa of Gonikoppa town, K.U. Arun Poonacha of Devarapura, Arvind Kuttappa of Gonikoppa, S. Vishwanath of Mayamudi, C. Somanna of Balele, A.R. Krishnakumar of Devarapura, Sumi Subbaiah of Aruvathoklu, Shobha Kuttappa of Mekoor, K.K. Dinesh of Hathur and S.S. Suresh of Mayamudi.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 21st, 2013

Tributes to M.M. Kaveriappa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

A tribute to M. M Kaveriappa, Founder of Deenabandhu Charity

M.M. Kaveriappa (inset) participating in an MGP protest held in 1995 against the construction of a building in Cheluvamba Park.
M.M. Kaveriappa (inset) participating in an MGP protest held in 1995 against the construction of a building in Cheluvamba Park.

Sir,

It is with great sadness I read about the passing of M.M. Kaveriappa in Star of Mysore recently. Besides his involvement with Deenabandhu Trust, he was also involved with the activities of MGP and Mysore Lok Swaraj Andolana (MLSA).

At MGP, his relentless fight to get justice in a stock market related problem with shocking number of adjournments will always be remembered to show how Consumer Courts have not been able to implement the true spirit of Consumer Protection Act. Under CPA, there must be very few adjournments. But his case showed how it was ignored.

As a member of MLSA, he took active interest to promote the involvement of professionals in electoral process, an activity most consider below their dignity.

With his passing away, Mysore has lost one more social worker this year after Dr. H.A.B. Parpia.

— Bhamy V. Shenoy, Mysore, 03.10.2013
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Farewell Friend & Mentor !

Sir,

M.M. Kaveriappa passed away on Gandhi Jayanthi day. He was my friend and mentor. Hence this piece to honour him.

Kaveriappa was one of the founders of the Deenabandhu Charitable Trust and its President at the time of his sad demise.

I had worked closely with him over a period of time as Treasurer and so know the dedication and energy he brought into all he did to make the Trust what it is today. If the Trust is funding the education of needy Kodava students, if it is aiding poor patients and helping some old and inform Kodavas, it is in large measure due to the unflagging efforts of Kaveriappa.

He hid a kind heart under a brusque manner and often the recepients of the Trust’s donations would get a stern lecture from him as to the values of hard work and the need to succeed. In recognition of his contribution to our society, he was honoured by Kodava Samaja Mysore and Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and Gen. Thimmaiah Forum. Deenabandhu Charitable Trust will miss him sorely.

Kaveriappa was a wonderful raconteur and had a fund of stories with which he often regaled us. His recounting of these stories and word pictures of people was perceptive in the extreme and very understanding of human frailities.

Besides this he had a vast knowledge of the history of Kodagu and of the Kodavas and could talk endlessly on the topic.

Another of his interests was playing the stock market. He would gleefully exclaim over even the smallest of gains and declare that with it he could survive another day! Friends were often given a tip or two to their advantage.

In his demise, the community has lost a philanthropist, the Trust has lost a tireless worker and I have lost a friend.

— Gappu Madappa , Mysore, 5.10.2013

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Voice of Reader / October 12th, 2013

Readiscover : Stories from a sacred land

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

A fascinating picture of the people of Coorg, their origins, history, myths and traditions. The Vanishing Kodavas
By Kaveri Ponappa
Eminence Designs Pvt Ltd
Rs. 7500 PP360

The Vanishing Kodavas
The Vanishing Kodavas

Where the Coorgs came from, the enigma of their customs, social traditions, laws and dress are questions that have been debated ad infinitum. The Vanishing Kodavas by Kaveri Ponnapa is a work that not only answers these questions but also sheds light on the events that fashioned the people’s traditions and made them unique.
To do this, Ponnapa uses official records, correspondence, colonial accounts, the recorded history of the Rajahs of Kodagu or Coorg and the oral histories of the Kodava people themselves. The hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the wild, beautiful hills with their gurgling streams, dense forests, and abundant wildlife and flora serves as a canvas for stories about a people who made the hills of Coorg their home, and who, through their violent history, managed to preserve their ancient social customs, dress and way of life.

Replete with 300 colour plates, the book, which took Ponnapa 15 years to research, contains a wealth of information. Chapters tell stories of bygone eras, of myth and legends, of the tragic history of the people, of songs composed by warriors for whom routine violence was a way of life and of marriage rituals that were not only esoteric but also created to save a clan from extinction.

The reader is taken to a land that became almost sacred to its people — evident in the small, open-air shrines and large tracts set aside for worship – and into the heart of festivals dedicated to forest deities where trance and possession figure and oracles link the people to both their ancestors and their gods.

This is a book about a people who named the trees, shrubs, creepers and medicinal herbs, a people who created a rich oral tradition for themselves, worshipped their ancestors before all gods and danced before the spirits of the forest, and for whom upholding personal honour and that of one’s ancestry at all costs was the Kodava code.

Until recently the only source material for most contemporary accounts of Kodagu history were official manuals and gazetteer accounts. These were authored by missionaries and official historians of the East India Company and almost completely distorted the history of the Kodavas and obliterated the memory of the loyalty and affection the people felt for their kings.

The Vanishing Kodavas seeks to correct this image. It explores the unique role the tiny kingdom, ruled by Lingayat Rajahs, supported by a Council of Kodava Chieftains, played in the rise of the East India Company in southern India and focuses on a fast disappearing culture.

In The Vanishing Kodavas Ponnapa has created a volume of work that the reader will read, put away and revisit another day. Few writers can boast of making their work relevant to a general readership as well as to those for whom it will serve as a base for further academic studies.

Nalini Menon is a senior journalist

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Books> Readiscover /by Nalini Menon, Hindustan Times / October 12th, 2013

Bopanna-Roger Vasselin win Japan Open title

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

India’s Rohan Bopanna and France’s Edouard Roger-Vasselin have beaten Britain’s Jamie Murray and Australia’s John Peers 7-6, 6-4 in the final of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo to claim the doubles trophy.

The first set took 44 minutes while the second took 34 minutes to complete in a match that went on for 1 hour and 18 minutes.

There were no breaks of serve in the first set while a single break in the second set ensured that the Indo-French pair comfortably won the title.

Bopanna and Roger Vasselin were the fourth seeds in the tournament.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-ANI> Sports /by ANI / Tokyo – October 06th, 2013