Rear Admiral Ichettira B. Uthaiah took over as the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Visakha-patnam from Rear Admiral N.M. Sreekumar Nair, on May 31 in Visakhapatnam.
Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain and below that of a Vice Admiral. On handing over the helm at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, Rear Admiral Sreekumar Nair would take over as Director General Naval Project at Visakhapatnam, on promotion as Vice-Admiral.
Uthaiah was commissioned into the Indian Navy in November 1987. He holds a B.Tech degree in Marine Engineering, an M.Tech degree in Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation and an M.Phil degree in Strategic Studies.
In his 33 years of service, the Rear Admiral has served the Indian Navy in various capacities, with appointments at the Warship Design Directorate, Training Academies, Naval Dockyard and at the Command and Naval Headquarters.
His key staff appointments cover areas of Warship Design, Building and Acqui-sition; Warship Operation, Maintenance and Repair, Officer Training and Project Management of a mega Marine and Civil Infrastructure Project. His recent operational and staff appointments include General Manager (Refit) at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, and Principal Director (Ship Production).
On being elevated to the rank of Rear Admiral, the officer was appointed as Additional Director General (Technical) at Headquarters, Project Seabird. The mega project involves the creation of a futuristic Naval Base at Karwar, with four self-contained townships, a Naval Air station and a 400-bed tertiary care hospital.
An alumnus of the Naval War College, he was awarded the Vishist Seva Medal (VSM) for distinguished service at Naval Dockyard and was instrumental in concluding major warship construction contracts with Russian and Indian Shipyards as Principal Director.
The equivalent ranks of Rear Admiral in the Indian military are Major General (Army) and Air Vice Marshal (Air Force). Uthaiah is the son of Ichettira M. Belliappa (Bollu) and Lalitha (Cheppudira). Belliappa was serving as an officer at the Housing Board in Chennai. After retirement, he came to Kodagu and settled in Makkandur.
Uthaiah is married to Ramya, daughter of Maneyapanda Ravi. The couple has two children. While their daughter is pursuing her legal studies, their son is an architect. Uthaiah’s brother I.B. Viju Bopanna is working as a Global Drive Officer with Coca-Cola in the US.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 02nd, 2022
Vice Admiral adds new Navy attractions to Gen. K.S. Thimayya Museum at Madikeri
Modules of INS Shivalik, Sindhughosh Class submarine and AK230 Navy gun mount
Madikeri:
The INS Shivalik (F47) ship module was declared open for public viewing at ‘Sunny Side,’ General Kodandera S. Thimayya’s house in Madikeri that has been converted into a Museum and a War Memorial.
The 24-feet model, along with a Russian-made AK230 Navy gun mount (anti-aircraft gun) and a module of Sindhughosh Class submarine had arrived at the museum two weeks ago and they were dedicated by Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command yesterday. He was accompanied by his wife Roopa Dasgupta.
The modules were brought to Madikeri from Visakhapatnam Naval Base. INS Shivalik is designed to escape detection by normal radars and surveillance equipment and is one of the formidable stealth frigates in naval prowess. Apart from India, only the US, Russia, UK, France, Sweden, Japan, Italy and China have the capability to build stealth warships of this size and class.
Impressed by the museum and also the culture of Armed Forces in Kodagu, Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta said that the district has emerged as an inspiration to thousands of youth to join the Defence Forces. He said that it was an honour for him to inaugurate critical exhibits at the museum.
On the INS Shivalik, he said that the frigate was built in India and is one among the many warships built by India. “Shivalik was built at Mazagaon Dock. India has four public sector Defence shipyards — Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (Mumbai), Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (Kolkata), Goa Shipyard Limited (Goa) and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (Visakhapatnam). The Cochin Shipyard is also capable of making warships and INS Virat was built there,” he said.
Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya Forum Convener Major (Retd.) Biddanda Nanda Nanjappa (extreme left), Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command and his wife Roopa Dasgupta, Forum President retired Colonel Kandrathanda C. Subbaiah, Rear Admiral Iychettira B. Uthaiah and Madikeri Tahsildar Mahesh at the helipad in Madikeri when the guests arrived
‘Aatma Nirbhar’ Bharat
“The first indigenous warship was built by the Indian Navy in the 1960s where the concept of ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ Bharat was diligently followed. In the future, the Navy has plans to build 41 warships in the Indian Shipyards and 39 will be fully indigenous. Moreover these are the most advanced machines that have a formidable fire power that can shatter any other powerful ships of any country,” he said.
Giving a patient ear to the office-bearers of the Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya Forum that played a pivotal role in converting the rickety house of the celebrated General that once housed the RTO office into a swanky museum, Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta said that the dedication of the Forum, the respect shown by the people of Kodagu to the Armed Forces and also the dedication towards preserving heritage were commendable and inspirational.
Picture shows the dignitaries inside the ‘Sunny Side’ Museum.
AK230 Navy gun mount
On the AK230 Navy gun mount, he said that it has been designed to engage air and surface targets, such as anti-ship missiles, aircraft, helicopters, other types of air strike weapons, as well as small-size surface ships. It can fire 2,000 bullets from its barrel in one minute. The Navy still uses such guns and also the advanced ones, he added.
He appreciated Rear Admiral Iychettira B. Uthaiah for his efforts in bringing in the Navy equipment to the museum. The module of the Sindhughosh Class submarine was unfurled by Rear Admiral Uthaiah who handed it over to Major General (Retd.) Kuppanda Nanjappa of the Forum.
CDS late Gen. Bipin Rawat remembered
Forum President retired Colonel Kandrathanda C. Subbaiah narrated the story of establishing the museum and recalled the contribution of late Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat, late Lieutenant General Biddanda C. Nanda and former Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag. A minute’s silence was observed in honour of Bipin Rawat, his wife and other officers and soldiers who were killed in the recent chopper crash at Coonoor.
Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Dr. B.C. Satish presented a ‘thook bolcha’ (traditional Kodava lamp) to Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta and his wife while Lieutenant General Pattacheruvanda Thimmaiah presented ‘Odikathi’ (traditional sword of Kodavas) to Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta and also to Rear Admiral Uthaiah.
Before dedicating the Navy war machine modules, the dignitaries paid respects to the Amar Jawan War Memorial. They later went around the museum and were impressed by the collection
Forum Convener Major (Retd.) Biddanda Nanda Nanjappa, officer from Visakhapatnam Naval Base Nishanth B. Badoria, Kannada and Culture Department Director Darshana, SP Kshama Mishra, Sainik School Principal Col. G. Kannan, Vice-Principal Lt. Col. Seemanth Tripati, Squadron Leader R.K. Dey, students of the school and a large number of uniformed retired soldiers were present on the occasion.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 14th, 2021
An ancient Shiva Temple, said to be about 700 years old, has been discovered at Bollumadu village in Virajpet taluk. The temple, found at a spot behind the Post Office on Kadanga Paraane is in a highly dilapidated state and is on the verge of total collapse.
The temple, said to be built using red stones, first came to be known to the villagers through Tantris in 2008. Subsequently, the villagers had cleaned up the spot by cutting down the trees around the temple. But as the temple was not accessible by road, no renovation works could be taken up and the temple remained in its dilapidated state.
However, the temple exploration resumed two days ago with villagers again cleaning the vicinity by cutting down the bushes and other plants. During the exploration, a Shivalinga stone sculpture was found in the well of the temple premises. Also, the almighty’s Ayudha (weapon) ‘Kadtale’ and small Ganapathi idols have been discovered. This apart, the stone sculptured images of Tripata, Kumuda, Jagatti, Kanta, Pattika and Devakoshta Sopanas were found at the temple foundation. After the discovery of the ancient temple, Bollumada villagers contacted Nayakanda Prakash, who is staying at Mysuru, seeking his help for tracing the history of the ancient temple. Prakash is a former official of Archaeological Survey of India and had also served as a site supervisor at Ram Janmabhumi in Ayodhya, UP.
Prakash, who visited the spot, opined that the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva may be 600 to 700 years old and it may also be a contemporary of the times of the ancient Bhagamandala Temple.
Prakash, who collected some documents regarding the site, observed that an excavation was necessary to trace the complete history of the temple, according to Bollumadu Gram Panchayat President Matanda Arun.
Pointing out that the spot where the temple has been discovered is said to be a Pysari land, Matanda Arun said that a few families are residing in the vicinity of the newly discovered temple. Though the temple was discovered earlier, it could not be reached as there was no access and as such no one bothered to go there. Now a huge tree has fallen on the temple’s ‘Garbhagudi’ (Sanctum Sanctorum), destroying it.
Now, a villager has come forward to part with his land to make way for accessing the temple, Arun said adding that the Kodagu District Administration will be appealed to take up excavation of this centuries old temple.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 23rd, 2022
The second-seeded men’s doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop finished as the runners-up at the European Open.
Rohan Bopanna(right) and Matwe Middelkoop / @Twitter
The second-seeded men’s doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop, on Sunday, finished as the runners-up at the ATP 250 European Open. The Indo-Dutch pair went down 6-3, 3-6, 5-10 to the all Dutch pair of Tallon Grieskspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp in the a hard-fought final.
Bopanna and Middelkoop started well as they broke right in the second game of the first set. The Indo-Dutch pair then cruised to win the first set 6-3, but Grieskspoor and Zandschulp were too hot to handle for the remainder of the contests.
During the duration of the match, Bopanna and Middelkoop hit nine aces and converted 3 out of their 4 break points. They had earlier reached the final with a hard fought 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 10-7 win over Sander Arends and David Pel in the semifinal.
Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop had combined to lift the men’s doubles title at Tel Aviv Open earlier this month.
source: http://www.thebridge.in / The Bridge / Home> Tennis / by The Bridge Desk / October 24th, 2022
. Picture shows the students’ mother Jayanthi Poovaiah (daughter of Bottolanda Ponnanna of Hinkal, Mysuru) receiving the cheque from BVB Hon. Secretary P.S. Ganapathy as BVB School Principal Vijaya Narasimham and Class teacher Shashikala look on
Twin brothers K.P. Subbaiah and K.P. Somaiah of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) School in Vijayanagar, Mysuru, who have secured 624/625 and 615/625 marks respectively in the recently held SSLC examinations, were given Rs. 50,000 by the BVB Mysore Kendra to help them pursue further education.
Picture shows the students’ mother Jayanthi Poovaiah (daughter of Bottolanda Ponnanna of Hinkal, Mysuru) receiving the cheque from BVB Hon. Secretary P.S. Ganapathy as BVB School Principal Vijaya Narasimham and Class teacher Shashikala look on.
BVB School has been achieving 100% results in SSLC every year and this year also, out of 148 students, 120 cleared the exam in distinction and 28 in first class.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / June 01st, 2022
It was a proud moment for Colonel Bommanda Dhiraj Chengappa from Kodagu as he led a contingent of 46 horse-mounted Bodyguards and presented the National Salute to President Ram Nath Kovind.
The President’s Bodyguards also escorted Kovind to the Parliament House for the swearing-in.
Later, both President Kovind and ex-President Pranab Mukherjee were given an Inter Services Guard of Honour separately.
On conclusion of the Guard of Honour, The President’s Bodyguards escorted Mukherjee from the forecourt to the Iron Gate of the Rastrapathi Bhavan.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 25th, 2017
The ace shuttler opens up on her career, India’s position in badminton and Red Bull Shuttle Up
Ashwini Ponnappa has regularly been one of India’s highest-ranked women’s doubles players over the last decade Red Bull Shuttle Up
For more than a decade, Ashwini Ponnappa has been the gold standard when it comes to women’s doubles in Indian badminton. Whether as one half of a record-breaking pair with Jwala Gutta or later on with N. Sikki Reddy, Ashwini has endured as a beacon of consistency in a format that often gets overshadowed by the superstar culture around singles players.
In the midst of the fourth edition of Red Bull Shuttle Up, India’s first-ever exclusive women’s doubles badminton competition, Ashwini, who is also the face of the tournament, spoke to My Kolkata about her career, the disparity between men’s and women’s badminton in India, how Red Bull’s initiative is making a difference in women’s doubles and more. Edited excerpts from the conversation follow.
My Kolkata: When did you realise that you wanted to take up badminton professionally and what made you opt for doubles?
Ashwini Ponnappa: I got into badminton because of my parents. I was too young to make a decision myself, so my parents were the ones who helped me get into the sport. Ever since I started playing badminton as a kid, I haven’t played any other sport seriously. Growing up, I had a coach who was very strict and firm about the basics of the game. When I won my first national title in the sub-junior girls’ doubles category, I realised that I really want to take up badminton professionally. Once again, my parents’ support was crucial in making that decision. As for why doubles over singles, I’ve always done better in doubles and won more titles there. So, it was quite a simple choice for me.
Doubles is much faster and requires more smashing and forearm strength as well as better reflexes
Ashwini initially trained as a singles player for several years before switching to doubles Red Bull Shuttle Up
What are the most challenging aspects of playing doubles and how should one prepare separately for those challenges?
When I started playing doubles, most of us, especially the women, were singles players. We hardly had a specialised focus on doubles in India. Even when I trained at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, all the kids wanted to be singles players. Apart from Jwala (Gutta) and Shruti (Kurien), there were no other established female doubles players to look up to either. It was only in the junior category competitions that I was first part of doubles camps. Switching from singles training to doubles was quite difficult, as doubles is much faster and requires a lot more smashing and forearm strength as well as better reflexes. When you have two people on court on the same side, it’s not just about yourself. There’s a lot of coordination that goes into it, which is the most challenging aspect. You could be a great player by yourself, but if you can’t coordinate, you won’t succeed in doubles.
Jwala and I had a natural understanding of what the other person would do on court
Ashwini and Jwala Gutta are widely regarded as the best women’s doubles pair in Indian badminton history / BAI
What did you enjoy most about teaming up with Jwala Gutta for so many tournaments? What do you think set the two of you apart?
When I started playing with Jwala, I was a junior with little to no experience and she was already an established senior. She took a chance by deciding to play with me and I managed to rise to the occasion. Being able to match up to her standards was important and I’m glad I could do that. What made our partnership special and successful was the fact that our styles matched a lot, so we had a natural understanding of what the other person would do on court. We didn’t communicate a lot when we were playing, but managed to sync quite easily. At that point, we were also quite close off the court and she was extremely supportive, which made our team even more formidable.
Ashwini and Jwala with their gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games BAI
Was winning the gold medal at home in the 2010 Commonwealth Games (with Jwala) the proudest moment of your career or would you prefer your bronze medal at the BWF World Championships (also with Jwala) in 2011? Or something else altogether?
I’ll have to go with both, the Commonwealth medal as well as the World Championships one. Nobody had achieved either feat before. But more than anything else, what makes these two achievements among my favourites is that I had a great time while I played those tournaments. Often people go through a lot and sacrifice a lot to win, but don’t enjoy the process. I was lucky in that I had a blast while having my proudest moments on court.
The system at the 2012 Olympics was flawed
Do you have any regrets from your career so far, especially in relation to the Olympic Games?
The 2012 Olympics would definitely remain a regret. Given what happened (Japan had shockingly lost to Chinese Taipei in what was seen by many to be a deliberate defeat or an instance of “throwing a match” to secure an easier opponent in the next round, which, incidentally, also led to India’s elimination), it was disheartening, because we had played very well. Looking back, I think the system was flawed, they shouldn’t have let players know who was going to play whom in the next rounds. A month before the next Olympics in 2016, I had had a horrible bout of dengue. As a result, I wasn’t able to smash as hard and that had an impact on the result, which was also quite disappointing.
Red Bull Shuttle Up is trying to make badminton more inclusive
Ashwini has been pushing for greater focus on women’s doubles as the face of Red Bull Shuttle Up /Reb Bull Shuttle Up
Coming to Red Bull Shuttle Up, Simran Sanghi (a previous winner of the tournament) said that it’s “the perfect example of empowered brands empowering women… proving that women are the real matadors of society”. What do you make of Red Bull Shuttle Up and how it has been making a difference to women’s doubles?
The most important thing about Red Bull Shuttle Up is that it gives women’s doubles players an opportunity and a platform that belongs solely to them. This is really important because in India we have leagues that don’t even have the women’s doubles format, which seems unbelievable to me. That’s where Red Bull Shuttle Up is trying to make badminton more inclusive. The second aspect is about having fun. I’ve always believed that you play sport because you want to have fun and that’s something that Red Bull Shuttle Up manages to provide in ample doses.
We don’t see the sheer number of quality players in women’s badminton as we do in the men’s game
Ashwini believes that there is a big gap between Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu and the rest of the field in women’s badminton /BAI
Looking at the larger picture, where does India stand as a force in badminton today? Are we a global power or are we still in the process of getting there?
The fact that we won the Thomas Cup in May speaks volumes about the strength in depth when it comes to men’s badminton. Beating powerhouses in international badminton like we did in the Thomas Cup is no joke. In that sense, we’re definitely a global power among the men. On the other hand, the women’s game still has a long way to go. We don’t see the sheer number of quality players in women’s badminton as we do in the men’s game, especially when it comes to doubles. Even if you take singles, there’s quite a bit of a gap between P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal at the top and the rest of the field. There are a fair few young singles players who are doing well, but it’ll take them years to get to the levels of Sindhu or Saina. Coming back to the doubles, it’s the same problem I stated earlier. How can you expect doubles players to give you points in big tournaments when you don’t include women’s doubles as part of your domestic leagues? When it comes to women’s badminton, it’s not that we don’t have talent, but the talent that’s there isn’t being nurtured the right way.
Switching tracks, how do you relax and zone out? What are your hobbies and interests outside badminton?
Of late, I’ve enjoyed just chilling and watching dramas. I watch any and every kind, including Anime. I also watch a lot of YouTube content, especially motivational talks and conversations that pique my interest in general.
My most important goal is working on myself
Ashwini feels that she still has a lot of goals and dreams left to realise Red Bull Shuttle Up
What are the dreams and goals you are still chasing as an athlete?
I’ve still got a lot of dreams and goals, which is why I’m still playing! I feel like I’ve spoken a lot about them in the past and at the moment, I’d rather talk about my most important goal, which is working on myself. I’m trying to take a different approach with my holistic development on and off the court, and if that goes fine, the rest of the goals should fall into place.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / TelegraphIndia Online / Home> My Kolkata> People> Badminton / by Priyam Marik / October 17th, 2022
Thousands of devotees from Kodagu, across the State and Tamil Nadu congregated at Talacauvery in Kodagu last night to witness Cauvery Theerthodbhava amid chanting of mantras and other religious rituals.
The holy event took place exactly at the predetermined Muhurtha of 7.22 pm in Mesha Lagna at the foothills of Brahmagiri inside the Holy Brahmakundike, considered to be the source of River Cauvery.
It is believed that Goddess Cauvery comes in the form of a fountain-head where water gushes from the Brahmakundike. A team of priests, led by Prashanth Achar, Raviraj Achar and Gururaja Achar chanted Vedic hymns before sprinkling holy water on the devotees. Later, devotees collected the Theertha (holy water) to be distributed among community members and to be kept at homes as holy signs.
The rituals associated with the holy occurrence began at 5 pm and as the predetermined time neared, devotees chanted mantras and welcomed the Goddess. The Theerthodbhava took place after the Sankalpa Puja and Mahamangalarathi. As the water bubbles appeared in the Brahmakundike that was filled with flowers, Kumkum and vermillion, the cries of devotees reached a crescendo.
Devotees took a holy dip in the main pond (Kalyani) in front of the Brahmakundike and offered their prayers. They jostled to collect holy water in pots from the Kundike and the priests sprinkled the holy water on them.
The area around the pond was barricaded to enable crowd management and only small groups of devotees were let inside by the Police to prevent crowding and stampede. Despite barricades, devotees swarmed around the Brahmakundike and the Kalyani.
Devotees also thronged Triveni Sangama at Bhagamandala and many took a dip in the river and many offered the ritualistic Pinda Pradhana as a mark of respect to their elders.
The Kodagu Ekikarana Ranga distributed free breakfast and lunch to the devotees as part of its 27th year food distribution. Free food will be supplied till the end of Tula month on Nov. 17. Kodagu District Minister B.C. Nagesh, MLAs Appachu Ranjan and K.G. Bopaiah and others were present.
Devotees in traditional attire walk from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery
Unlike the last two years, thousands of devotees turned up to watch the spectacle and notably, many Kodava community members walked from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery along with musical bands and sang songs in praise of Goddess Cauvery. The holy place was teeming with devotees since early in the morning and the place was overcrowded by evening.
Various Kodava organisations like Akhila Kodava Samaja Youth Wing, Connecting Kodavas, Kodava Riders Club, Jabbhoomi Trust, Thingakoru Mottu Sanghatane, Ammathi Kodava Samaja, Ponnampet Kodava Samaja, Madikeri Kodava Samaja, Balele Kodava Samaja, Kodava Kootaaliyada Koota, Kodava Samajas of Napoklu, Virajpet, Hudikeri, Mysuru, Amma Kodava Samaja, Youth Council, Kodavaamera Kondata, United Kodava Organisation and Codava National Council walked along the route, singing paeans to the Goddess.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Top Stories / October 18th, 2022
A teacher, who was running a Kindergarten in the town and declared ‘brain dead,’ has given new lease of life to eight persons through organ donation after her death.
Asha (53), wife of Pandyanda Gappu Ganapathy and a resident of Sudarshan Layout in the town is the teacher, whose organs were donated at Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru by her family members.
On Oct. 8, Asha had gone to her daughter’s house in Bengaluru. She fell sick on Oct. 9 and was admitted to Narayana Hrudayalaya. The doctors who examined her found bleeding in her brain and despite treatment, she was declared brain dead. After counselling, the family members of Asha donated her eyes, kidneys, heart, liver and other organs, thus giving a new lease of life to eight persons.
She leaves behind her husband, one son, two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites were held at Kodava Samaja Burial Grounds at Madikeri on Tuesday.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 13th, 2022
Rea Achaiah participated in the All India Inter-University Roller Skating Championship 2021-22 held at Visakhapatnam between June 30 and July 3 and has won three Gold Medals.
She has also been awarded the ‘Best Sports Women of the Year 2019-20’ by Vishvesvaraya Technological University for her achievements in Roller Skating at a function held at SJCIT, Chikkaballapur, on June 27.
A student of 6th semester at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru.
She is the daughter of K.N. Achaiah and Priya Achaiah, residents of Vijayanagar 1st Stage in city.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / June 20th, 2022
WELCOME. If you like what you see "SUBSCRIBE via EMAIL" to receive FREE regular UPDATES.
Read More »
