Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Chikka among 4 Indians to make Asian Tour cards

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Four Indians, led by S Chikkrangappa, earned their Asian Tour cards while Swede Daniel Chopra topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage presented by Sports Authority of Thailand today.

ChikkaBF24Jan2015

While Chikka (68), the leader after the second round was tied fourth at nine-under 276, former winner on Asian Tour, Himmat Rai (72) and young Angad Cheema (72) qualified in tied 12th place at five-under 280 each.

The fourth Indian to make the grade was another young talent, Abhijit Chadha (71) at one-under 284 in tied 37th place.

Amardip Malik (67) at two-over 287 missed out in 62nd place as did Khalin Joshi (74) at four-over 289 in tied 77th place and former Hero Indian Open winner, C Muniyappa faltered in the final round with a 76 to end at five-over 290 in tied 84th place.

Chopra, a two-time winner on PGA Tour and a former winner on Asian Tour carded a final round of three-under 68 and finished at 15-under 270 to top the Qualifying School.

Chopra, who played most of his golf in the formative years in India, outclassed the field by signing for a three-under-par 68 to win by four shots on 15-under-par 270 total at the Springfield Royal Golf Club.

Finland’s Kalle Samooja, a former member of the Asian Tour, returned with the day’s lowest round of 65 to take second place while Thailand’s Phiphatphong Naewsuk settled one shot back in third on 275 at the Qualifying School.

Himmat Rai also returned to the Tour by finishing 12th, while Angad Cheema and Abhijit Chadha made the card for the first time by finishing inside top-40 and ties.

Chopra, who fired six birdies against three bogeys, shrugged off the final round pressure and credited his experience for a remarkable performance this week.

Chikka made up for the disappointment of missing out on his Tour card by one shot last year by putting up a remarkable display in what was only his second attempt at the Qualifying School.

“This means a lot to me. I really worked hard for this. It took me a year to come back again and finally get my Tour card. It has a tough week.
Missing out last year was really emotional for me but it has made me a stronger person. My attitude in my game got better and I am really happy I made it,” said the 21-year-old Indian.

All Qualifying School entrants will be eligible to compete on the burgeoning ADT, which was inaugurated in 2010 as a gateway to the premier Asian Tour.

With the Olympic Games looming in 2016 where golf will be reintroduced as a medal sport, players in the region could earn their spots in Rio de Janeiro by earning Official World Golf Ranking points through the Asian Tour and ADT.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by Hua Hin (Thailand) / PTI / January 24th, 2015

HOME SPUN – A town like mine

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg
Different kind of busy: The local hospital in Ammathi sees all kinds of illnesses and injuries. Photo: Sukalyan Basu
Different kind of busy: The local hospital in Ammathi sees all kinds of illnesses and injuries. Photo: Sukalyan Basu

Hooked to the silence, slowness and familiarity of Ammathi, this town in Coorg suits me fine

It is 20 minutes since I got out of bed to the alarm bell of our cat wanting to go out. I’m seated before my laptop, with a tumbler of filter coffee by my side. I listen to the birds, of which there are at least a dozen varieties in our garden. When a two-wheeler (a nurse’s husband leaving for work a little before 7am) drones outside and my husband begins to get restive for his second cup of coffee, I switch off the laptop. The next half-hour is reserved for sitting by the window, doing nothing. By half-past eight, I’m in the hospital.

All sweetness and light? No. Today, for instance, in the emergency ward there is a man who fell while plucking pepper and broke his back; a suspected cerebral malaria, which can kill in quick time; an attempted suicide (using pesticide) and a woebegone tribal whose wife tried hacking off his leg with an axe.

A surgeon in a rural hospital must treat every type of illness that comes in: broken ankles, diabetic ulcers, scorpion and snake bites, hernias, tumours, lungs with tuberculosis, bleeding guts and gangrenous limbs, suicide attempts and family quarrels ending in mental and physical damage. I love the unpredictability and the challenges that keep coming at us. The day over, I come home and, after half an hour of watching television, I am in the kitchen making tea, anticipating the quiet hours I have before bedtime.

Ammathi is a little town in south Kodagu (Coorg), with two-and-a-half streets, a post office, a hospital, a convent and a government school, a police outpost, bank, vegetable vendor, three liquor shops, one of which is also the newsagent, a bakery and others that sell everything from lipstick to cattle feed. Many houses huddle alongside the shops, while larger bungalows hide inside coffee estates that stretch in all directions beyond the town.

Coorg offers easy, lazy holidays of doing nothing besides sighting elephants, enjoying the silken air of my childhood, or what’s left of it, feasting on Kodava food like pandi curry (pork curry), akki otti (rice roti), kadambutoo (rice dumplings) and crab. Visitors always say they are dying of envy for us locals but hardly ever wish to stay longer than a weekend.

“How do you spend your time here?” we’re asked. “What do you do on weekends?”

Weekend? Mine is half a Sunday. This week, I had to forsake my half hour of television and trot back — on a Sunday evening — to the wards: an eight-year-old girl with serious injuries that happened at home. It might even be a police case…

“Visitors always say they are dying of envy for us locals but hardly ever wish to stay longer than a weekend”

To make a living doing what you really enjoy is a blessing to be preserved at any cost. Once a week we go to the Sunday market to buy vegetables, although half of what we consume comes from our own garden and from my doctor friends, nurses and family. Everyone knows everyone else in our community and exchanging produce is common practice. When we drive, we can sometimes give a lift to a woman or children waiting for a bus along the way, a custom long abandoned in most urban areas for understandable reasons.

Fresh sardines from across the hills bordering Kerala are on sale in town; if you are willing to indulge in a shady deal, you can have venison, partridge, rabbit or wildfowl on your dining table. All that enviable brawn and swagger that you see in our Kodava men is thanks to the muscle-building properties of wild meat, no doubt about it.

Our town has progressed from my childhood days of oil lamps and lanterns. Years ago came the outsiders who climbed the hills of Malanad to sell sardines and bananas. These Maplahs soon began to trade in oranges, cardamom and pepper. They made money, built homes (at first modest little houses that were always either pink or green) and put down roots. These hard-brained Malayalis have cornered most of the trade and help sustain the economy. With the recent flood of migrants from the north, we Kodavas have been reduced to a minority. And that we do not like.

But signs of affluence are everywhere. On the busy streets, cars outnumber people. Ammathi boasts 18 auto-rickshaws. Most accidents that take place here involve one of these.

My patients are puzzled when they hear that besides doctoring, I ‘write stories’. Fellow writers feel the same about my profession. Recently the friend of a friend who was holidaying in Coorg with her family brought her daughter to me with an abscess that needed to be drained. She asked repeatedly if it was possible to do it here and later when the girl was well, came to thank me. “We’re so lucky that you are here,” she gushed. “We were planning to cut short our holiday and go back to Mumbai for treatment.” City people always think that medical help in rural areas will be non-existent or sub-standard.

Habits die hard and we’ve got comfortably hooked to silence and slowness. I like living in this place with its haphazard development, elephants on the roads and the long journeys to some urban paradise for a few days of ‘comfort’. I want to be able to go to the shop nearest home and buy two eggs for tonight’s dinner and owe ₹8 to the shopkeeper to be paid soon enough when my husband needs an urgent box of matches, or the shopkeeper brings his child to me with stomach ache.

When I vote in the next elections, I want to enter the two-roomed, tile-roofed panchayat office and stand in line next to friends, cousins, patients, the gardener, plumber and the red-eyed local drunk and cast my ballot. I hope I will never have to face the jolt of living in any place that is bigger. Smaller is all right. Very much all right.

(In this monthly series, authors chronicle the cities they call home.)

Kavery Nambisan
Kavery Nambisan

Kavery Nambisan is a surgeon and the author of A Town Like Ours

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / BLink / Home> Read > HomeSpun / by Kavery Nambisan / January 02nd, 2015

Northern command dedicates Army Day to people

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All
Army Day is being celebrated across the northern command with a theme, Indian Army: Friend of the Awam - In War and Peace.
Army Day is being celebrated across the northern command with a theme, Indian Army: Friend of the Awam – In War and Peace.

Jammu :

The northern command of the Indian Army has dedicated this year’s celebration of the army day on January 15 to the people of the state both in war and peacetime.

“The Army Day is being celebrated across the northern command with a theme, Indian Army: Friend of the Awam – In War and Peace,” Udhampur-based spokesman of the Northern Command, Col S D Goswami said.

He said that even as the Army defends the borders and combats terrorism, it has shown an exceptional spirit of service when called upon to support internal security or in response to natural disasters.

“Reiterating its commitment towards the Awam, a large number of medical and veterinary camps are being organised at various locations. For the school children and the youth, awareness lectures are specially being held at many places,” Goswami said.

He said that the army units across the Northern Command are celebrating army day that is being observed on January 15 every year.

“The event is of great significance and is observed to commemorate the assumption of the appointment of Lt Gen (later Field Marshal) K M Cariappa as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, in 1949,” he said.

He said the Army has always played a pivotal role in nation building while displaying exemplary professionalism, commitment and bravery not only in defending the nation but also in all tasks entrusted to it.

“This day inspires the troops to continue to enrich the glorious traditions of the Indian Army with their dedication and sacrifice. It is also a solemn occasion to salute the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty and also an opportunity to remember the immense contribution of veterans in making our Army, what it is today,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / PTI / January 11th, 2015

Berry, berry good

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg
Basa Strawberry Boudin
Basa Strawberry Boudin

Make the most of strawberries this season. Use them in desserts, salads and also with fish

There’s more to strawberries than dipping them in chocolate sauce or making a pie. Chef Naren Thimmaiah, Executive Chef, The Gateway Hotel Residency Road, showcases the fruit here in different ways; two of these preparations are savouries – a Mexican guacamole and a pan seared basa fish topped with a strawberry compote. The strawberry lends a pleasing tartness to the sauce which complements the milder flavours of the fish. The three dessert recipes, French and Cajun classics, have been adapted by chef to appease the fussiest of culinary connoisseurs.

“Strawberry is a tender and delicate fruit so while cooking be careful not to overcook it unless, of course, it’s a jam,” is Chef Thimmaiah’s advice.

Basa Strawberry Boudin

Prep: 15 mt

Cook: 10 mt (Serves: 1)

120 gms Basa fish, 20 gms strawberry, 25 gms chopped spring onion and onion, 6 ml olive oil, 4 gms parsley, 8 gms chopped garlic, 1 fresh red chilli, chopped, 60 gms cooked rice, 7 gms butter, sprig of thyme (leaves picked), salt to taste, crushed pepper, bell pepper for garnish 1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium flame and saute the onion, spring onion and parsley until the onion is translucent. 2. Add strawberry, garlic and little water, bring to a boil. 3. Add the fish (you can sear it lightly first so the fillet doesn’t break while cooking) and bring it back to boil again. 4. For the herbed rice, mix cooked ricewith butter, thyme, chopped red chilli and salt. 5. Serve hot Boudin in full plate with the herbed rice.

Strawberry a la bouille

Prep: 30 mt

Cook: 35 mt (Serves: 1)

(For the sponge) 20 gms flour, 20 ml milk, 1 pinch baking powder, few drops of vanilla essence, salt to taste, 20 gms white chocolate flakes (for garnish) (For the first filling) 10 gms sugar, 1 beaten egg, 10 gms butter, (for the second filling) 30 gms fresh strawberry, chopped, 20 ml cream, 10 gms sugar 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl. Incorporate the milk gradually and mix till the dough can easily be handled and forms a ball. 3. Transfer to a baking pan and brush the top with egg wash (beaten egg with little milk). Bake the sponge for 25 minutes. 4. While the sponge is getting baked, melt the butter in small bowl, beat the sugar and egg into it and mix well. 5. Refrigerate this for some time to thicken slightly, then roll out and cut into smaller pieces. 6. Mix the strawberry, cream and sugar on a pan over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes. 7. Cut the sponge in thin, long slices and place pieces of the egg-butter mix on it, top with strawberry-cream mix and roll carefully into pinwheel shape. 8. Allow it to set in the refrigerator. Garnish with white chocolate flakes and fresh strawberry pieces.

Glazed Strawberry Guacamole

Prep: 10 mt

Cook: 5 mt (Serves: 1)

45 gms fresh strawberry, 40 gms avocado, fresh lime juice to taste, 10 gms chopped onion, 10 gms chopped tomatoes, 2 gms chopped coriander, 1 chopped green chilli, 2 gms chopped garlic, 4 ml olive oil, 2 ml honey, 15 gms fresh lettuce, salt and pepper to taste 1. Cut the strawberry lengthwise and the avocado into cubes. 2. Add all the chopped ingredients in a bowl and mix well with the avocado and strawberry. 3. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice. 4. Serve with fresh lettuce and garlic toast.

Strawberry Mille Fuille

Prep: 20 mt

Cook: 35-40 mt (Serves: 1)

60 gms Puff pastry, 1 tbsp icing sugar, 50 gms double cream, 3 drops vanilla essence, ½ tbsp caster sugar, 60 gms strawberry, lemon juice to taste, icing sugar to taste 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Roll the puff pastry out to 5mm thickness and place in the oven for 15 minutes till golden brown and risen well; remove from the oven. 3. Pour double cream into a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Add the vanilla essence and caster sugar and whisk gently until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. 4. Add strawberries and lemon juice into a saucepan and saute until smooth. Stir in the sugar, to taste. 5. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. 6. Cut each piece of pastry in half through the middle to make two thin pieces. 7. Place one piece in the centre of each plate and top with some of the cream mixture. Lay some of the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, then top with a second piece of pastry. Dust with icing sugar and spoon over the strawberry sauce.

Strawberry Chocolate Meringue

Prep: 25 mt

Cook: 20 mt (Serves: 1)

18 gms strawberry, 3 egg whites, 10 gms sugar, 6 ml cream, dash of vanilla essence, 10 gms dark chocolate 1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 2. Take a clean bowl and beat the egg whites until frothy. 3. Add strawberry, cream, sugar and vanilla essence. Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form. 4. Bake it for ten minutes. You can drizzle melted chocolate over it and serve chilled.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Food / by Shivani Kagti, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / January 10th, 2015

Harshika’s pooch at Bengaluru pet show

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

harshikaKF12jan2015

Kannada actress Harshika Poonacha’s love for dogs is something everybody who knows of her is aware of. The actress is known to have shared pictures of her dog on her social network sites quite often.

The actress did so again while she was on the way to the much-looked-forward to pet show that was held at the Jayamahal Palace grounds in Bengaluru on Sunday. The dog, we must say, looks quite the poser – quite like his mistress.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Kannada Movies / TNN / January 04th, 2014

Athlete Poovamma to continue representing Karnataka

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Mangaluru :

Middle distance runner Machettira Raju Poovamma will stick with her state Karnataka. Part of the Asian Games gold medal winning quartet, Poovamma originally from Kushalnagar in Kodagu district and since settled here is presently taking part in a training camp at Thiruvananthapuram. Poovamma at one time had contemplated shifting base to a state that treated her talent better and represent it in national athletics meet.

Nixing opinions expressed by her in this regard, Poovamma back home for a short break from training told reporters here that Karnataka government had assuaged her concerns and given positive assurances to meet her needs as an athlete. “Abhayachandra Jain Sir (minister for youth empowerment and sports) is taking keen interest in my progress and has assured to help meet professional needs that I have flagged with him in recent times,” she said.

Asserting that her immediate priorities were to excel in the Asian Track and Field meet and the World Championships coming up next year, Poovamma who has a personal best of 51.73 secs in the 400metre race, said, “I want to break the national record in the name of Manjith Kaur that stands at 51.05 secs.” The World Record for this event is 48.6 seconds, Poovamma said, adding the ultimate aim of any athlete is to make this record their own.

For Indian athletes to achieve this, it is imperative that athletes are exposed to training stints and exposure meets abroad, she said. Having a personal coach and trainer too helps in the build up, Poovamma said, adding these are some of the requests that she has placed before Jain. “It will also be helpful if we could get sponsors who can help us train in US,” she said, adding participation in meets abroad will help athletes here find their level.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru /by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / December 30th, 2014

CG Open Golf 2014: Chikkarangappa triumphs

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports
Chikkarangappa. Photo: K. Murali Kumar
Chikkarangappa. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

S. Chikkarangappa defended his title in style at the CG Open Golf 2014, producing a final round of four-under-66 at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club course on Saturday. The Bengaluru golfer totalled 17-under-263 in the PGTI Super Series event and also topped the Rolex Rankings.

Om Prakash Chouhan bettered the course record with 10-under-60 in the fourth round, and was rewarded with the second spot carding 16-under-264.

Overnight leader C. Muniyappa of Bengaluru returned a card of 15-under-265 for third place.

Chikkarangappa (67-66-64-66) started with pars on the first three holes, birdied the fourth, fifth and seventh.

Muniyappa bogeyed the 11th, as the former struck form to manage birdies on 16th and 18th for the title.

Final scores (after fourth round):

263: S. Chikkarangappa; 264: Om Prakash Chouhan; 265: C. Muniyappa; 266: Sanjay Kumar, 267: Shamim Khan and Mukesh Kumar; 268: Abhijit Singh Chadha; 271: Kapil Kumar; 272: Anura Rohana; 273: Md Zamal Hossain Mollah.

Rolex rankings (after CG Open): 1. S. Chikkarangappa, 2. Om Prakash Chouhan (Mhow), 3. Shankar Das (Kolkata), 4. Rashid Khan (Delhi), 5. Anura Rohana (Sri Lanka), 6. Sanjay Kumar (Lucknow), 7. Mukesh Kumar (Mhow), 8. C. Muniyappa (Bengaluru), 9. K Prabhagaran (Sri Lanka), 10. Shubankar Sharma

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / Mumbai – December 07th, 2014

A star-studded start in Bengaluru

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

When Kannada actress Prajna launched her event management firm — Live Spotlight Events (which she runs with Ankita Naik, Prince and Partha) — to coincide with her birthday celebrations earlier this week, her pals from the industry turned up in droves to support her.

Sanjjanaa
Sanjjanaa

Prajna played perfect host, welcoming her guests to a sneak preview of what her firm had on offer and a party to ring in her big day.

We spotted Sanjjanaa, Harshika Poonacha, Sindhu Loknath, and Bhavana enjoying the dance-and-fashion extravaganza that was put up from the front row.

As the evening wore on, Ragini Dwivedi, Srujan Lokesh, Tilak, Ramya Barna and Deepika Kamaiah, among others, joined in the celebrations.

As DJ Hussain spun Bollywood hit after hit, the guests took to the dance floor, with Tilak showing off some impressive moves.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru> Namma Metro / TNN / December 19th, 2014

COORG – Upside of the Downs

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

Mercara Downs Golf Club, one of India’s oldest, turns 100

In full swing: Golfers flock to the Mercara Downs Golf Club on weekends. Photo by Bhanu Prakash Chandra
In full swing: Golfers flock to the Mercara Downs Golf Club on weekends. Photo by Bhanu Prakash Chandra

Caddies have it hard at Mercara Downs Golf Club. Spread over 102 acres, its course has water hazards and hillocks and is ringed by woods. Golfers flock here on weekends. Some are on the course at the crack of dawn.

For Ganesh Mahendra, a planter from Coorg, a round of golf in the afternoon is absolutely sacred. “It is a great way to unwind after a long day in the plantation,” says the 37-year-old who cultivates black pepper, cardamom and coffee on his 120-acre estate at Suntikoppa.

Mercara Downs Golf Club
Mercara Downs Golf Club

Located in Coorg, the Scotland of India, Mercara Downs is shrouded in mist on most winter evenings. A veil of nostalgia, too, hangs over the place; it is gearing up for its centennial celebrations.

I.K. Anil
I.K. Anil

At a hillock near the club house, we meet I.K. Anil, 63, captain of the club. “During the colonial period, only the British could play golf,” he says. “Indians were not allowed, as the club was run by the British and it was their choice who they should have. Later on, a few Indians were taken to the club and were allowed to play. But, they were just less than 10 per cent.” There used to be inter-club tournaments with the Belur Golf Club and the Tata Coffee Golf Club. “We have had expats coming here and saying ‘My grandfather used to play golf here’,” he says.

Anil shows us a tree which used to have a thatched hut under it, where the Brits would party. “We did not have a club house then,” he says, adjusting his hat. Mercara Downs was just nine holes on 30 acres during the British period. “It was all browns then. Now, we have lovely greens,” says Anil. And, 18 holes.

Keeping the course green is a challenge. “It has to be irrigated inch to inch, which is a big constraint in cities,” Anil says. “Luckily, we are blessed with plenty of water. Once the northeast monsoon stops, we start irrigating.”

Harish Appanna finds the greens a real treat to the eyes. He comes to the course thrice a week. His estate is in Chettalli, 20km from Mercara. A hockey player, Appanna took to golf easily. “I took coaching for a week,” he says. “Then I would come here and practise every day. Now, I love golf more than hockey.” The 57-year-old is secretary of Mercara Downs.

Roy Chengappa, 59, loves hanging out on the course with friends. “It helps me connect with nature,” says Chengappa. He shows us a lapwing perched on the course: “These birds lay eggs among pebbles, to keep them safe from predators like foxes.” The lapwing appears on the club logo, too.

A coffee planter, Chengappa never used to play golf earlier. “One day, I just came here and hit the ball. It felt great. Then I became a member,” he says. Now, he plays once a week. “It is an intelligent game,” he says. “You have to hit a stationary ball. It involves a lot of science, especially physics and mechanics, as well as physical and mental abilities.”

Golf is for gentlemen, says Anil who has been playing for the last 35 years. “It is the toughest to play, but the easiest to cheat,” he says. “If the ball goes into a depression, one can take it out without anyone seeing it. We are trying to inculcate certain values in youngsters.”

Mercara Downs will soon be a hot destination for golfers from abroad. “We have a helipad here. A few days from now, Japanese tourists will come here looking at business opportunities,” says Anil. “It is easy to get outstation golfers. In the US they do not have many public golf courses. In Japan, one has to wait years for a round of golf, leave alone membership.”

Outstation golfers can buy a lifetime membership in Mercara Downs for Rs3.5 lakh. For local players it is Rs1.3 lakh, as the club wants to have more regulars around.

Mercara Downs has helped a lot of aspiring golfers take up the game. Two years ago, Mahendra had a hole-in-one. “My first shot on the 11th hole went in phadaak,” recalls Mahendra. The odds of an average golfer hitting a hole-in-one are 12,000:1. He was thrilled and threw a party; the bill came to Rs22,000. The next time he was playing, he hit a shot which rolled close to the hole. “I prayed, ‘God, let this not get in’. I was worried about losing money again!” says Mahendra, who played in the Valentine Team Amateur Golf Challenge in Bangkok.

Ace golfer Trishul Chinnappa, 21, says Mercara Downs is an “out-of-the-world place”. “The sand traps make the course more challenging,” he says. “Similarly, the elevation has an effect on the way you play. You need to use a lot of skill and get creative while playing in Mercara Downs.”

Golf has become quite popular in Coorg. Other courses are at the Tata Coffee Golf Club at Pollibetta and the Coorg Golf Links at Bittangala. Chinnappa was five when he took up the game. “Back then I used to be the only kid in Coorg playing golf,” he says. “But, today I see a lot of youngsters taking up the game. It is indeed good for the sport in our community.”

Chinnappa and other distinguished sportspersons from Coorg district will be honoured at the Mercara Downs centenary celebrations on December 12 and 13. The evenings of glitz and glamour will have live music performances and a fashion show by designer Prasad Bidapa.

source: http://www.week.manoramaonline.com / The Week / Home> Sports / by Mini P. Thomas / Monday – December 08th, 2014

Amdavadis sway to the beats of Nikhil Chinapa

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

The December party scene is on in full swing and more and more musical events are keeping Ahmedabad on its toes.

Nikhil Chinapa
Nikhil Chinapa

On December 13, Amdavadis got a healthy dose of EDM as one of the most popular artists Nikhil Chinapa came down to the city as part of Moon Mantra, an EDM evening. Alongwith Dual Drama’s scintillating performance, Nikhil Chinapa had Amdavadis on their feet this Saturday.

A number of young enthusiastics came to the event dressed in their designer best. People were seen recording videos and clicking a number of selfies with their friends.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Gujarati> Music / Ano Patel, TNN / December 15th, 2014