Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

K A Rathan from Kodagu selected for state Kabaddi team

K A Rathan

A Rathan from Kodagu has been selected for the Karnataka State Senior Kabaddi team.

Hailing from Koothi in Kodagu, K A Rathan was a player in the Bank of Baroda team. Now, he will represent Karnataka in the senior team.

He had given his best performance during the 68th Men’s Senior National Kabaddi Championship held at Ayodhya recently.

As the state team had reached the quarter-final, the team is selected for the upcoming Federation Cup and National Games as well.

Rathan hopes to get selected for the Indian team in the future.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Somwarpet / April 18th, 2021

Nagappan Takes Over As UPASI President

Coonoor:  

Al Rm. Nagappan has been elected as the President of United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) for the year 2019-20.

A coffee planter by profession, he manages the family business of Karrie Kollie Estate at Suntikoppa in Kodagu. Nagappan was elected at the 126th Annual Conference of the Association held in Coonoor in Nilgiris district.

Nagappan has been in the coffee industry from 1982 and has rich experience in planting industry. His involvement with the planting association has been longstanding. He is an avid sportsman, with Golf being one of his passions.

Nagappan was associated with the Mercara Downs Golf Club for many years as Hon Secretary. He served in Karnataka Golf Association in various capacities and went on to become the President of the Karnataka Golf Association

Prashant Bhansali, CEO of Kairbetta Estates, a family-run tea plantation and an orthodox tea manufacturer, was elected as the Vice-President.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 15th, 2019

Basketball player Navaneetha enters into wedlock

Pattemane Navaneetha and K M Adarsh

Indian Railways Basketball Team captain Pattemane Navaneetha, from Suntikoppa, entered into wedlock on Sunday.

She married K M Adarsh, who is serving in the Indian Army.

Navaneetha is the daughter of Pattemane Uday Kumar and Girija of Suntikoppa.

Adarsh is the son of K T Muddaiah and Lalitha Kumari of Mysuru.

Navaneetha has represented the nation in the basketball tournaments held in India and abroad.

The marriage functions were held as per the Gowda community traditions, at Raitha Bhavan, in Kushalnagar.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Suntikoppa / February 14th, 2021

Book On Legendary Forest Officer K.M. Chinnappa To Be Out On July 2

Mysuru:

‘Kaadinolagondu Jeeva,’ a book based on first-hand experiences of the famed Forest Ranger K.M. Chinnappa (now retired) will be released in city on July 2 by Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, President and driving force behind Adamya Chethana Trust, Bengaluru, and the wife of late H.N. Ananth Kumar, Union Minister. 

The event will be held at Hotel Roost on Hunsur Road at 10.30 am and it is organised by Wildlife First and Bharathi Prakashana, Mysuru. The book is written by T.S. Gopal, retired Principal of Srimangala Junior College and has been published by Poornachandra Tejaswi Prakashana in the year 2000. 

When the book was published it was an instant hit and was published in three volumes. Later in 2010, Navakarnataka Publication published a comprehensive collection of all the three volumes. The 400-page book has 14 pages of colourful photos and has many stories and experiences of Chinnappa. 

About K.M. Chinnappa

Born in 1941 at Kumatoor village in South Kodagu to an Armed Forces family, Kotrangada M. Chinnappa is the quintessential wildlife protector. A true son of the soil, his father was a soldier who took to farming after retirement. Chinnappa joined the Karnataka Forest Department as a Forester in 1967 and has been a frontline warrior all his life. 

For much of his career he served as a Ranger in Nagarahole where he was best known for his uncompromising ways and his almost fanatical adherence to law. 

When Chinnappa joined as the Ranger at Nagarahole, the region was infested with numerous criminal activities such as timber smuggling, marijuana plantation, poaching, cattle grazing, setting up of unauthorised breweries at the sanctuary although the area was set up for protecting wildlife. 

However, Chinnappa pledged to bring a dramatic change in the way the forest functioned. He ensured that the number of tigers and deer, which were dangerously low, increased, all the encroachers were chased from the forest and the wild animal natural habitats were restored. When he joined Nagarahole, the forest area was only 250 sqkm and now it has expanded to 653 sqkm. 

During his struggle for wildlife conservation, Chinnappa became an enemy of many people. He was always on the threshold of getting killed. In the year 1970, he barely escaped from death when a gang armed with sticks attempted to attack him during his visit to a temple. 

Chinnappa was made to surrender his licensed revolver because many people who did not support him addressed him as a criminal and threat. Chinnappa was falsely accused of a murder which forced him to spend 12 days in a prison before he was found guilt-free. 

In 1992, an angry mob burned his newly constructed home few days after the work was completed in Kumatoor. He fought the long battle and faced many difficulties and unexpectedly resigned from his post in 1993. He won the CM’s Gold Medal in 1985. Now, Chinnappa is the President of Wildlife First, continuing his crusade against timber mafia and green destructors. He is also into agriculture, his passion.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore /Home> News / June 20th, 2019

Karnataka Arebhashe Samskruthi and Sahitya Academy completes digitisation of 84 books

Mangaluru:

In an attempt to popularise, protect and preserve the language, as well as to obtain ISO language code, the Karnataka Arebhashe Samskruthi and Sahitya Academy has completed the digitisation of 84 books.

Academy member Bharathesha Alasandemajalu said that books that were published from 1968 to the recent ones, including two PhD theses, have been digitised. The PhD thesis on Arebhashe in English by Prof Kodi Kushalappa Gowda, published in 1970 at the Annamalai University, has been digitised. Earlier, the language was known as Gowda Kannada. The other works include the digitisation of a souvenir that highlights the culture of the Gowda community, he said.

In total, digitisation of the 38 books published by the academy, ‘Hingara’ -the tri-monthly magazine of the academy, and 21 books published by different authors have been digitised, and available on arebashe.sanchaya.net.

The team has digitised 142 editions of ‘Kodava Sangathi’, a fortnightly, whose editor was Pattada Prabhakar, and an important book on the Amara Sullia uprising of 1837, by Deviprasad Sampaje.

The books are available under three categories, books published by the academy, Arebhashe  Sahithya and editions of Kodagu Sangathi, and Hingara Bharathesha said.

The digitisation works will be inaugurated on June 25 in Madikeri, in the presence of chief minister’s advisor for e- governance Beluru Sudarshan and Kodagu Kannada Sahitya Academy president M P Keshav Kamath. Academy president Lakshminarayan Kajegadde will preside over the event.

“In case the language has to obtain international recognition, then an ISO language code is important. Digitisation is a step towards obtaining the code. It will also give the public easy access to the existing Arebhashe literature,” he said.

Vishwanath Badikana, assistant professor, Kannada, Aloysius College, and member of the academy, said that books that have been digitised are not available in the market. The works on Arebhashe dictionary, a blend of Lexicon and Kittel dictionary, encyclopedia and Arebhashe glossary-documenting Arebhashe culture, through the items used by people who speak this language, is near completion.

“This is probably first-of-its-kind work undertaken for a sub-dialect, through an academy that has a small base. According to an estimate, about 10 lakh people speak the language,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Mangaluru News / by Deepthi Sanjiv / June 22nd, 2022

Joshna Chinnappa gets ₹75 lakh from Chief Minister for winning gold at Glasgow event

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin handing over a cheque for ₹75 lakh to squash player Joshna Chinnappa in Chennai on Thursday.  | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday handed over a cheque of ₹75 lakh to squash player Joshna Chinnappa, who won a gold medal in world doubles championships in Glasgow recently.

Minister for Sports Development Siva V. Meyyanathan and senior officials were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by JDennis Solomon Jesudasan 10525 / Chennai – April 29th, 2022

Dhyan Chinnappa appointed as Adnl Advocate General

Dhyan Chinnappa

Senior advocate of Kodagu, Maletira Dhyan Chinnappa, has been appointed as the Additional Advocate General of Dharwad Bench of the High Court. 

Dhyan Chinnappa obtained his Law degree in National Law College, Bengaluru, and attained post-graduation from London in 2002. He has served in various courts in the country.

He is the son of M P Chinnappa and Kaveri Chinnappa.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / October 30th, 2019

Blindfold Test: Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio, Parts 1 & 2

In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music.
(Photo: David Crow)

Seeing a colorful press photo of Rudresh Mahanthappa and his bandmates adorned in masks, tights and capes might lead one to believe that they are the comic book-like heroes from which the trio’s name is derived. But the alto saxophonist has been clear: He is paying homage to his own musical heroes — Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Lee Konitz, for starters. Rollins and Konitz virtually trademarked the chord-less trio format embraced by Mahanthappa and his rhythm section players, both of whom work regularly in other highly regarded trios: bassist François Moutin with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, and drummer Rudy Royston with guitarist Bill Frisell.

In this rare iteration of the DownBeat Blindfold Test, all three musicians were asked to comment on selections consisting entirely of trio music. It was Mahanthappa’s second Blindfold Test, and the first for Royston and Moutin. The following article originally ran in two installments in DownBeat’s May 2022 and June 2022 issues.

ORNETTE COLEMAN

“Dawn” (At The Golden Circle Stockholm, Blue Note, 1966) Coleman, alto saxophone; David Izenzon, bass; Charles Moffett, drums.

Rudresh Mahanthappa: That’s Ornette Coleman, At The Golden Circle, with David Izenzon and Charles Moffett. This is on Blue Note, not Atlantic, I believe. When I was at Berklee in the ’90s, I wanted to do a recital of all Ornette Coleman music. It had a horrible name — it was called “Ornette, or Not.” We ended up doing a ballad called “Dawn” — this is it? There it is, I hear the melody now. 5 stars.

François Moutin: I don’t know of anything else that David Izenzon did, but he’s a monster bass player.

JERRY BERGONZI TRIO

“Have You Met Miss Jones” (Lost In The Shuffle, Double-Time, 1998) Bergonzi, tenor saxophone; Dan Wall, organ; Adam Nussbaum, drums.

Mahanthappa: It sounds like Steve Grossman when he was in his Sonny Rollins phase. It has a Jerry Bergonzi vibe to it, too. It’s not Dan Wall, is it? Adam Nussbaum? Jerry is great. For better or for worse, Grossman, Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, even George Garzone, to some extent Dave Liebman — these guys were like the kings of this post-Coltrane [sound]. I think Grossman was the forefather of all those guys, including Michael Brecker. Steve was playing like that when he was only 19 years old with Elvin Jones.

Moutin: There’s one lick in there that could have been you on tenor, Rudresh.

Mahanthappa: It’s the same source material, just up a fifth. I tried playing tenor in high school; I sounded terrible on tenor.

Rudy Royston: Adam Nussbaum is on! I like all the energy, rhythm, big fat sound … not like that “clean” stuff that was going on at that time.

Moutin:I’ve played with him half a dozen times, and every time, it was an incredible experience.

Royston: He’s a cat who believes in the drums leading the band, the drums leading the vibe. He came to UNC when I was there. He said, “You should be able to tell what the tune is from what I’m playing.” You could hear it in his rhythms and how he was defining stuff around the melody. He’s still a bad cat.

Mahanthappa: 5, shall we go 5 stars on that?

Moutin: Yeah.

Royston: Everyone was killing on that.

MELISSA ALDANA & CRASH TRIO

“Turning” (Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio, Concord, 2014) Aldana, tenor saxophone, Pablo Menares, bass; Francisco Mela, drums.

Royston: Is that Melissa Aldana? The thing I love about Melissa is how she uses space. She’s never in a rush. She always waits, and then she does that thing where she starts low, I don’t know what it is [sings the line]. And the way she uses … falsetto?

Mahanthappa: Altissimo. I like Melissa a lot, I don’t know her playing real well. One of the things that’s hard for me to realize is that there’s a whole generation of folks that were influenced by people our age. Melissa told me a story about how into Mark Turner she was, and how he gave her a seven-hour lesson once.

Royston: That’s a great trio. I saw them at Dizzy’s. They were a good trio.

Moutin: Good composition, too.

Mahanthappa: 5 stars.

CHRIS SPEED TRIO

“Arrival High” (Platinum On Tap, Intakt, 2017) Speed, saxophone; Dave King, drums; Chris Tordini, bass.

Moutin: Triplicate?

Mahanthappa: No, it doesn’t sound anything like that. It kind of reminds me of Bill McHenry. Is it George Garzone? It definitely sounds like it could be someone of our generation. It could be Rasmus Lee, or it could be …

Moutin: Donny McCaslin?

Mahanthappa: No, it can’t be, that’s not Donny’s sound. Or guys that I went to Berklee with, like Matt Renzi … all these cats that played all that modern shit, but with harder reeds and a darker sound, as opposed to Donny. It was almost like a reaction to Michael Brecker, “We’re going to go dark!”

Royston: I know this drummer, man.

Mahanthappa: It could be Chris Speed, too. Is this the trio with Dave King? There you go. Chris was a little older than me, but he was still in Boston when I was in school, but he was hanging out, playing his ass off. 5 stars. Chris is a bad motherfucker and more people should know who he is.

Royston: I knew that it was [Dave King on drums], but I just couldn’t put my finger on that sound. Big tom sounds, and you can hear all that facility with the rim shots and the bells. You can hear all that stuff in the Bad Plus.

… To be continued in the June 2022 issue of DownBeat. Same Hero Trio time. Same Blindfold Test space!

Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio (Part 2, June 2022)

Previously on The Blindfold Test: Our three heroes, led as always by the indubitable alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and ably assisted by his sideman sidekicks François Moutin and Rudy Royston, added to their legerdemain with a perfect four-for-four on last month’s treacherous playlist, a feat they accomplished even while blindfolded (figuratively speaking). After easily nailing the mysterious Ornette Coleman and killers Jerry Bergonzi and Melissa Aldana, a bit of high drama occurred as their last unknown audio assailant proved elusive until Mahanthappa deduced the culprit to be Chris Speed at the 11th hour. But this month, new and more dangerous challenges lie ahead. Can our heroes pull of a perfect score, or will they succumb to the weight expectations they’ve already set? Read on to find out!

BRANFORD MARSALIS

“Gutbucket Steepy” (Trio Jeepy, Sony, 1989) Marsalis, tenor saxophone; Milt Hinton, bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts, drums.

Rudresh Mahanthappa: Sounds like Arnett Cobb. It’s not rough enough to be Turrentine.

Rudy Royston: Sounds like Turrentine right there.

François Moutin: It’s not Turrentine?

Mahanthappa: It’s so of another generation. It reminds me of Houston Person records, or even Lockjaw. But I could also see Seamus Blake totally playing like this, and doing it convincingly, and sounding like an old cat. I could see Josh Redman playing like this too. But I’m stumped.

Moutin: It’s not Ron Carter, is it? There’s something in the sound … I don’t know.

[afterwards]

Mahanthappa: I would have never gotten that.

Moutin: You tricked us.

Mahanthappa: Branford definitely has his own sound, but then he can kind of inhabit all these other things, historically.

Royston: “Tain” came to my mind with that ride cymbal, but I was like, “I don’t think so.” I needed to hear a “Tain”-ism.

Moutin: 5 stars.

Royston: I didn’t know Branford could do that. Branford was getting a lot of lip back then, going to Sting’s band, and all the jazz cats were like, “Oh, man!”

Moutin: Makes me realize how much Ron Carter borrowed [from] Milt Hinton.

Mahanthappa: I’m a little embarrassed; Branford and I just hung out last week.

ANNA WEBBER

“Forgotten Best” (Idiom, Independent Release, 2021) Webber, tenor saxophone; Matt Mitchell, piano; John Hollenbeck, drums.

Mahanthappa: It’s killing, whoever it is.

Moutin: European?

Mahanthappa: Sounds like Anna Webber, kind of? With Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck? Anna’s ridiculous, she can do anything. 5 stars, 5½! I had Anna come and speak to my advance improv class last semester. She was amazing. She’s actually kind of codified and demystified “free improvisation.” She had this beautiful list of all these techniques to work on. Imagine Jamey Aebersold’s scale syllabus, but it was techniques and strategies for free improv. It was literally just one sheet of paper, and it was a lifetime of stuff to work on.

Moutin: Matt Mitchell is amazing.

Mahanthappa: Matt was in Bird Calls. He was practicing [his piano etudes] in sound checks for every gig we did.

Royston: He did those every day when we were in Dave Douglas’ band. You just knew it was going to come [mimics atonal piano sounds]. I used to try to play with him to figure out [the time].

JEFF BALLARD TRIO

“Western Wren (A Bird Call)” “Mivakpola” (Times Take, Okeh, 2014) Ballard, drums; Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone; Lionel Loueke, guitar.

Moutin: It’s killing. I don’t know what it is, but it’s great!

Mahanthappa: That’s insane. I can’t even …

Royston: And that wasn’t Jeff on drums? Jeff Ballard?

[afterwards]

Mahanthappa: I never would have guessed that.

Moutin: I should have guessed that.

Royston: I thought that was Jeff, because you can hear that staccato style. When Jeff plays, he plays “off” the drums. Everything is precise and staccato.

Moutin: Beautiful. 5 stars.

Royston: I’ve got to get that.

JOSHUA REDMAN

“Mantra #5” (Trios Live, Nonesuch, 2014) Redman, soprano saxophone; Matt Penman, bass; Gregory Hutchinson, drums.

Royston: Sounds like Branford.

Moutin: Ravi? Not Ravi Coltrane?

Royston: That’s definitely Brian Blade.

Mahanthappa: Is that McBride?

Royston: Joshua? That’s not Hutch on drums?

[afterwards]

Mahanthappa: Oh, god, Matt sounds amazing. That sounds great. I don’t know Josh’s playing well enough to recognize it, to tell you the truth. But he always sounds great.

Royston: Hutch man, wow. We’re friends. He came to Denver when I was in high school. He was playing with Roy [Hargrove’s] band. We had this jam session in Diane Reeves’ basement. I was trying to play all this “Tain” stuff. Roy was there. Then, Hutch comes in, he’s got the flu. He has this big bomber coat on, he sits on my drums and my cymbals and he just [gestures a seriously minimal ride pattern]. I wanted to leave after that. That was a lesson learned right there. I went upstairs and ate some of Diane Reeves’ cooking. DB

The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.

source: http://www.downbeat.com / Down Beat / Home> News / by Gary Fukushima / June 14th, 2022

Founder-Member Of Kodagu Vidyalaya C.B. Devaiah Passes Away

Madikeri: 

Codanda B. Devaiah, fondly called as Devi Sir, one of the Founder-Members of Kodagu Vidyalaya and a resident of Mattadkad Estate at Suntikoppa, passed away at a private hospital in Gonikoppal yesterday morning. He was 75.

Devaiah leaves behind two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.

Last rites were performed at Codanda Burial Grounds  here yesterday evening, according to family sources.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 14th, 2022

Bopaiah meets Gadkari, seeks highway expansion in Kodagu

Former Speaker K.G. Bopaiah felicitating Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in Madikeri on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Union Minister tells MLA to adopt ‘Nagpur model’ to improve yield of Kodagu oranges whose production is on the wane        

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has promised to look into the demand for highway improvement and expansion in Kodagu if a proposal in this regard came to his office from the State government.

Mr. Gadkari gave this assurance when former Speaker and MLA K.G. Bopaiah met him in Madikeri. Mr. Gadkari is on a private visit to Kodagu with his family members and was staying in a resort in Madikeri.

Mr. Bopaiah shared details on the highways and the steps to be taken for tourism development in the district. “The works will be considered on priority if the Centre gets the proposal on the list of works to be taken up for highway development,” the Minister told the MLA, at the meeting.

Mr. Gadkari spoke about Kodagu’s tourism potential and employment it brings to locals.

Mr. Bopaiah felicitated Mr. Gadkari and presented him with a book besides honey, spices and coffee for which Kodagu is famous. Mr. Gadkari complimented the purity and freshness of the honey.

Expressing concern over the drop in the yield of Kodagu oranges, the Union Minister told the MLA to take steps in this regard, creating an environment for rejuvenating the yield on the model developed in Nagpur which is also known for oranges, besides taking steps for improving the variety.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – June 13th, 2022