Rakshit Shetty and Rashmika Mandanna’s engagement will be an Indo-Western affair.Photobook: These photos of Rakshit Shetty and Rashmika Mandanna are highest degree of cuteness
Rashmika Mandanna and Rakshit Shetty, the resident It couple of Kannada cinema, will be getting engaged in a few days from now.
And, needless to say, this has created quite a buzz amongst their die-hard fans. During a recent interaction with a leading daily, the lovebirds opened up about their plans for the D-day.
Rakshit said that his entire family will be heading to Coorg a day before their engagement. In Coorg, they will relax and catch up with each other.
“We don’t get to go to Coorg often, so this will be the perfect time to relax and chill with the family. Resorts and hotels have already been booked for everyone, so the revelry will begin on July 2 itself,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, his mother added that the Shetty family plans to give Rashmika countless gifts on the day of the engagement.
Similarly, Rashmika’s family too is quite excited about the engagement. In fact, the actress’ parents have already asked a gourmet expert to ensure that the best Coorg and costal specialities are served at the engagement. Moreover, a designer cake has been ordered for the ceremony. Interestingly, a team of six photographers from Coorg will be attending this Indo-Western themed function and capturing the couple’s special moments.
“It is indeed a red letter day of our life and we are determined to leave no stone unturned to preserve those memories,” Rashmika added.
Well, it goes without saying that this a happy time for this couple. We wish them the best for the future.
source: http://www.regional.pinkvilla.com / Pinkvilla.com / Home> Kannada> News / by Roktim Rajpal / June 28th, 2017
“Solitude is imperative in today’s mad world,” notes Alexis Greenwood. That is this 35-year-old’s excuse for packing his fishing rods and running away from Bengaluru on weekends. “My favourite fishing spot is the Cauvery river stretch in Coorg. The quiet wilderness takes you away from the chaos,” he says. Greenwood, who is a learning and development manager at First Advantage, has even made a business of this childhood hobby . With three like-minded partnerfriends, he set up fishing-travel company Nature’s Beat four years ago.
Juggling careers is not new to him. Even as a business management student at the city’s Wigan & Leigh College, he would do a night shift at a mortgage bank.
Fishing is the instrument to unwind when he feels tired of imparting communication skills as a behavioural trainer during the course of the week.
Greenwood takes a mixed bag of three to four software professionals to licensed angling sites at Shivasamudram, Coorg. He even conducts groups for salt-water fishing on the coastline. He teaches them the basics and handling equipment with different types of baits at about Rs 5,000 per head. Most species of fish they catch are released back into the water. The invasive species, however, are given away to the locals.
Ask Greenwood who he learnt the art of angling from, and he gets nostalgic. “I must have been seven-years-old. My mother taught me to fish using a bamboo stick with a hook. We often went on camping trips to the Cauvery river stretch flowing through Galibore (near Mekedatu),” says Greenwood, a Mangaluru-born who was educated in Ooty.
Juggling careers is not new to him. Even as a business management student at the city’s Wigan & Leigh College, he would do a night shift at a mortgage bank. “I didn’t like asking for pocket money from my mother. I loved buying high-tech music gadgets and gear. I decided to fund it myself and took up the job for Rs 10,000 per month,” recalls Greenwood.
He believes that pursuing two careers is important, if only to break the monotony. “My job as a trainer is a means to my end.Fishing is the end to my means. In the age of instant results and click-and-buy online, fishing teaches one to sit and wait. More often, we don’t even get what we want. It teaches me patience,” says Greenwood. Evidently, there is no room for feeling a burnout here.
He has no plans of scaling up his business model, but his five-year-old daughter is apparently hooked to the sport.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> News> Politics and Nation / by Smita Balram, ET Bureau / May 17th, 2017
Though the actress was in talks to star opposite Tollywood’s big stars, things did not work in her favour.
Actress Rashmika Mandanna
Actress Rashmika Mandanna always wanted to be a part of showbiz, but the 21-year-old is surprised with how quickly things worked out for her. After winning a beauty pageant, and then starring in the acclaimed Kannada blockbuster Kirik Party, she is now a name to reckon with.
While she has two big Kannada films in her kitty, she is also working in Naga Shaurya’s next in Telugu. Though the actress was in talks to star opposite Tollywood’s big stars, things did not work in her favour. But the speculative reports have always kept her in the news.
“It’s overwhelming. The dream was always to be busy and now I shoot day and night,” she says adding, “Since I have never acted before, whatever character I take up is different and new for me. I am going with the flow. There’s no pressure. But I’m excited about watching myself on screen; it gives me a high. I entered the industry with apprehensions but things worked out fine.”
Rashmika shares that she’s very fortunate to be debuting with Naga Shaurya’s film. “The team went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Now that I am not shooting for the film, I actually miss Hyderabad because of the love and affection they showed,” she says, adding that adapting to Telugu was a bit confusing initially due to the similarities with her mother tongue, Kodava takk. Happy times: Rashmika and Rakshit
Meanwhile
Her relationship with Kannada actor Rakshit Shetty has been the talk of the town for a while now. So much that the two decided to take things to the next level! “There wasn’t anything between us really. But there came a point when more than our work, people talked about us. In fact, it was our families who suggested that we take this forward because it was just becoming an unnecessary ordeal. Well, the families are happy and it’s great for us too because now we can go about our work without all the pressure,” she shares.
So, is an engagement on the cards? “Yes,” confirms Rashmika, as she adds, “I respect him immensely. In fact, I occasionally still call him sir and he feels embarrassed! But beyond that, I know I will be safest with him in my life.”
Marriage and relationships are career changers for many. “But not for me! This move was just to end the pressure that the world has put on us. Rakshit is very encouraging and respects my choices. He was even instrumental in my decision to debut in Telugu. He has taught me everything I know about the industry,” she shares.
We loved how our yesteryear heroines like Ambika, Suhasini Maniratnam and Khushbu Sundar still know how to make heads turn.
Wearing elegant saris, they looked a million bucks on the red carpet of the 64th Jio Filmfare Awards South 2017.
Keeping them company and making quite the style statement was the very young and talented Rashmika Mandanna.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies> News / by Sunayna Suresh / TNN / June 19th, 2017
The actor will be seen playing the role of Kuldip’s lawyer Parduman Shahpuri in the film.Gulshan Devaiah in a still from the film.
Mumbai:
Known for his effective portrayal of unconventional roles in several films including ‘Hunterrr,’ ‘Hate Story,’ ‘Shaitaan’ and ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram Leela,’ Gulshan Devaiah is set to spring a huge surprise on the audience and his fans with his forthcoming movie, ‘Kuldip Patwal: I Didn’t Do It!’ in which he plays a lawyer.
The actor known for taking the road less traveled will be seen playing the role of Kuldip’s lawyer Parduman Shahpuri in the interestingly titled film. He’s given the case of the alleged assassin – Kuldip Patwal – by the State Government to defend him in court. He goes all out to defend him but playing it fair along the way.
Gulshan’s character of a lawyer has a wealthy Punjabi background owing to inheritance. And because he’s privileged, he thinks he shouldn’t charge his mostly under-privileged clients. He’s self-assured to the point of being arrogant; direct and wears his heart on his sleeve.
He’s a peoples lawyer – he questions the service charge at restaurants; politicians’ motives for coming to power. His upturned moustache is his pride and utters lines like – ‘God couldn’t be everywhere, so He sends me there’ and ‘Mera naam Parduman Shahpuri avayein hi nahin hai’
Remy Kohli, says – ‘Mr Gulshan Devaiah worked quite a bit on the Punjabi character – Parduman Shahpuri – as he hails form Bangalore. His minimalist expressions go really well with the loud lines he has to speak. In fact none of the characters in the film are crude burlesque.’
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / Deccan Chronicle / June 16th, 2017
The Travancore wolf snake sprawled near the bathroom mirror of the author’s room / Photo by Medha Saxena
Homestays in Coorg offer visitors a glimpse of a unique eco-system. Coorg or Kodagu is part of the Western Ghats that have been declared a world heritage site. It has many plantations that host hundreds of threatened species
It had beautiful dark coffee-brown scales with yellowish stripes and a sinuous slender body stretching no more than two feet.
The languid Tranvancore Wolf snake lay sprawled on the bathroom mirror. It had sneaked in to avoid the gentle night precipitation and was basking in the steam left behind by the hot water running earlier. It was hard to miss once the solar light was flicked on.
Gradually, it coiled back and slithered to a safer, darker corner behind the mirror. I was not sure at the time if it was venomous since it resembles the common Krait and is often targeted for the same reason. Suffice to say that I lay awake for most part of the night, wondering whether my nocturnal guest would like to take a peek at the room as well.
This was my penultimate night at the Rainforest Ecolodge on Mojo Plantation nestled at 1100-m altitude in Kodagu, Karnataka. The monsoon in a rainforest comes with its own delights and surprises. Leeches are a case in point. They crave to attach themselves to any warm body passing by to satisfy their desire for blood. But their presence also indicates a fertile soil and ecosystem. They are both the predator and the prey.
Beautiful butterflies found in plenty during monsoon in the rain forests of the Western Ghats / Photo by Medha Saxena
Then there are the frogs, toads, spiders, wasps, dragon flies, lizards, snakes and birds. Their tribe multiplies and diversifies with every shower of water it seems. And the heavens provide them plenty of those here. But they only proliferate in undisturbed habitats. Each one of the creatures that call the rainforest home have adapted themselves to it over the millennia.
Each adaptation and evolution is a fascinating revelation. Weaver ants are a marvellous example. Thousands of them coordinate with each other to stitch together nests out of leaves much bigger than themselves.
Trees themselves appear like curated art installations climbing vertically and horizontally. They are draped with vines, creepers, fungi, moss, lichen, orchids and a variety of other epiphytes that resemble emeralds and jewels on a bride. They glisten and shine best on bright wet mornings.
Twinkling fireflies circle the trunks during nightfall. The valley was covered with a million of these mating fireflies a month or so earlier in a perfect ‘symphony in light’ as the student-interns Meghna and Lily, working at the plantation recounted.
Being in a rainforest during monsoon is also a musical extravaganza. Its inhabitants are engaged in a synchronised performance at all hours of the day. Louder than revellers in a marriage procession the frogs and cicadas often accompany the sound of rain, streams and wind. The cacophony is coupled with serenity in equal measure. If you listen hard enough everything in the forest sings. But how many of us really listen?
Geography and Bio-Diversity
Kodagu is part of the wide-ranging Western Ghats, older than Himalayas, spanning from Gujarat to Kerala for 1600 kms. It directly intercepts the Indian monsoon winds. One of the eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biodiversity, it has 325 globally threatened species (flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish) and many that are unique to this area.
The lush green forests also help with carbon sequestration and reduction of global warming / Photo by Medha Saxena
This mosaic of natural beauty was inscribed as a world heritage site in 2012 meant to be protected by the Western Ghats Natural Heritage Management Committee (WGNHMC) and receive international support.
The tag was achieved after much opposition by states that feared that development will be impeded. Critics said that an informed consent was not obtained from the gram sabhas and Forest Rights Act 2006 was not implemented properly during drafting of the proposal for grant of heritage status. It could also violate the historic customary rights of the adivasis.
The forests of Western Ghats, however, aid economy and transportation by keeping the ports and creeks along western coast silt-free. The forests and mangroves also help with carbon sequestration and reduction of global warming.
Other critics say that the declaration has no effect on damaging developmental activities. As recently as June 2, 2017, there were protests in Madikeri over destruction of wildlife habitat, Cauvery river catchment area and forest land for the construction of railways, highways and power lines. As more of the landscape is disturbed there is more human-elephant conflict. Illegal construction, mining and corruption have caused water scarcity during summer months in an area that is generally overfed by rains.
The ensuing struggles repeatedly point us back towards essential questions of what is development. Who is it meant for? Who do the forests belong to? And how are decisions to be taken in the interest of all parties concerned?
Organic Farming
In ancient times the exotic products of the Kodagu region were traded along the Silk Route and on oceanic routes via the Arabian Sea. Cardamom and black pepper were indigenous to this region. Rice was the main crop. Coffee was brought from Yemen to Chikmagalur in India by Baba Budanin in 1670.
Legend has it that the Coorg Rajas may have given land to Moplahs near Nalkanad who introduced coffee seeds to the area. In the mid-1850s many European coffee plantations sprung up followed by private Indian ones. When the British left, they sold their lands to the local population. There are strong remnants of British culture here, like the North Coorg Planters Club dating back to 1883.
A walk through the greens gives an idea of the rich biodiversity of the region / Photo by Medha Saxena
Now a good chunk of the land is covered in coffee, tea, rubber and palm oil plantations. Commercial chemical-based farming and unsustainable agriculture have eroded this landscape. Smaller landholders and farmers still find it difficult to turn a good crop and farmer suicides affect the Western Ghats as well. There has been an attempt to set up farmer-owned companies by Agriculture and Organic Farming Group India. Hundreds of homestays have also come up in Coorg in the past few years to complement agricultural income.
Sujata and Anurag Goel, owners of Mojo Plantation, have successfully experimented with organic farming doing multiple cropping with cardamom, black pepper, coffee and vanilla under the shade of the rainforest. Spice trees, fruits and vegetables are also grown in open areas.
A molecular biologist, Sujata Goel explained that fungi secrete enzymes to release nutrients from decaying wood and dead organisms. Shivani, the manager, described on a tour of the plantation that fungal mycelium act as telecommunication networks for the trees to convey threats. They are also used as biological pest control. Similarly, termites redistribute soil and recycle nitrogen. Even weeds have an important role to play as temporary hideouts for insects.
Plants themselves synthesise compounds (terpenes, tannins, phenolics) to repel insects and convey distress signals to other plants and predators. Chemical pesticides kill the natural defence mechanisms of plants..
The Wise, Old Relic
Meghna and Lily recount a magnolia tree that they variously describe as a ‘tree of life’, ‘tree mother’, ‘earth mother’, ‘magical beautiful wise old relic’ that has twists, turns and huge branches that one can climb and roots that open up into giant cave systems and tunnels underneath – in the middle of a coffee plantation.
It was ‘a metaphor for India’ for them, probably signifying layers of wisdom, age and continuity in a land of general mayhem. Neither trees nor our bodies survive in exclusion to their environment. The commune with nature is complete. If you listen carefully, everything in the forest sings.
The author teaches in Delhi University
source: http://www.nationalheraldindia.com / National Herald / Home / by Medha Saxena / June 10th, 2017
The JD(U) leaders offered baagina to river Cauvery at Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala on Sunday.
JD(U) state president M P Nadagouda, women’s wing president Manjula Umesh, Kodagu district unit president Sunil Kumar, Mandya district unit president Basave Gowda also offered special prayers at Bhagandeshwara Temple.
Speaking to reporters, Nadagouda said the state government and opposition parties have failed to fulfill the demands of the people. There is a need for alternative forces in the state. In this background, efforts are being made to strengthen JD(U). With the both Centre and state governments mud-slinging against each other with regard to waiver of loans, the farmers are in distress.
Manjula Umesh said that farmers are backbone of the country. Having unable to repay the loans, the farmers are committing suicide.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS / Madikeri – June 12th, 2017
The details of expenses of Madikeri Dasara Janotsava for the year 2016-17 were presented at the audit meeting at Kaveri Kalakshetra in the city on Thursday.
Committee general secretary Chummi Devaiah said Dasara Janotsava was organised at a cost of Rs 67.18 lakh.
He gave the following details: Rs 2 lakh was spent on Karaga, Rs 19 lakh on Dashamantapas, Rs 23 lakh for gallery and lighting arrangements, Rs 40,000 for city decoration and poets’ symposium, Rs 8 lakh for cultural programmes, Rs 4 lakh for medals and prizes, Rs 2.50 lakh for Rasasanje programme, Rs 1 lakh for Dasara Sports meet and Rs 1.20 lakh on food, lodging and travel.
The other expenses were: Rs 50,000 for flower arrangements, Rs 1.9 lakh for banking expenses, Rs 24,000 on travel expenses of the delegation to Bengaluru, Rs 25,000 on CCTV cameras, Rs 10,000 for website maintenance, Rs 20,000 on grill construction around pump lake, Rs 1.13 lakh for tender EMD repayments, Rs 35,000 on puja expenses, Rs 25,000 for parking fee repayments and Rs 20,000 for auditing costs.
Member Umesh Subramani said there is a need to introduce corrections to the Dasara Committee’s bylaw. Chummi Devaiah said the committee members had requested the government for more grants. Though it was assured that Rs 75 lakh will be sanctioned, only Rs 60 lakh was released later and Rs 2.31 lakh was collected from public.
Mahesh Jaini and Arun Kumar urged to make preparations three months in advance for Dasara this time. Committee president Kaveramma Somanna presided over the meeting. secretary Nandakumar and honourary secretary Prakash were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Madikeri – June 02nd, 2017
No new hotels or resorts can take shape in the Talacauvery sanctuary
The government has declared the Talacauvery Wild Life Sanctuary spread across 105.59 sq km as an eco-sensitive zone. This comes after the Environment Ministry notification on the proposed ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) in the Western Ghats. The state has about five national parks and 27 sanctuaries, seven conservation reserve and one community reserve. The draft notification was issued on May 25 last year and the final notification was issued on May 15.
Kodagu Chief Conservator of Forest Manoj Kumar told BM this is an eco-sensitive zone under the Environment Protection Act. As per the Act, the area around the protected area could be heritage sites and others and there has been a provision to declare them as sensitive zones. But this was not being done and the National Wildlife Board based on the Supreme Court direction had stated that it is about 10 km, if not declared. Hence, so far it used to be 10 km. “But we started rationalising the area and had sent a proposal. Each proposal is now being approved and the rest of the sanctuaries in the area around will soon be declared as sensitive zones. It is not the Kasturirangan report. It is a statutory requirement and the state government after discussion with the district administration and representatives had sent a proposal,” he said.
As per the notification the region around the sanctuary from 1-16 km has been declared as the eco-sensitive zone. No commercial activity such as mining can be conducted and no new industries can be set up here. It also prohibits extension of industries that cause pollution, major hydel power plants, saw mills as well as rearing of animals. This declaration is also likely to hamper the union government highway project from Bhagamandala to Kerala’s Panathoor.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / June 06th, 2017
Fresh off his latest film, Gulshan Devaiah recalls working with the late Om Puri, and how actors respond to a ‘real’ location as opposed to a set
Wearing a knee brace and hobbling along on a crutch, Gulshan Devaiah still looks dapper in his hat and shorts when we meet at a at a screening of A Death in The Gunj, in the city. Politely obliging selfie requests, Devaiah tells us how he likes to challenge himself. In this film, (Konkona Sen Sharma’s directorial debut) that would have meant playing the part of Vikram – played by Ranvir Shorey. The rough and tumble alpha male who gets drunk and rides his bike, makes fun of everyone around him and talks with a cigarette in his mouth is nothing like Devaiah in real life. “That’s why, if I’d had the freedom to choose, I would have loved to play him,” he says, half-chuckling, half-regretfully.
He has no regrets, however, over his final turn in the film, what he calls, “the best movie I’ve been a part of”. A lot of it has to do with the stellar ensemble cast – from actors such as Kalki Koechlin, Vikrant Massey, Tillottama Shome and Shorey, to stalwarts such as Tanuja and the late Om Puri. But Devaiah admits that the biggest draw was the chance to be directed by Konkona. Turns out, she was a “sensitive director and a capable writer”.
Much of that comes from her years of experience in front of the camera, Devaiah believes. He recounts how she added little details – nuances and colour – to sequences that make a world of difference to the film and its characters. Such as when a friend lights two cigarettes at a time and offers one to his friend, who is driving the car they are in. “He doesn’t give him a cigarette and offer to light it for him – he lights it and gives it to him. These are things only actors will think of; they may not make sense in isolation. But visually, it makes such a difference – it gives you an insight into the nature of the friendship between the two,” Devaiah explains. It’s the sort of detail that he believes pervades the film, to the point that while watching it, he even “forgot” he was in it. “I’ve had more important roles; longer roles in films where I’ve been the protagonist. But I’ve never been as happy with a film as I am with this one.”
It’s high praise from someone who has worked with the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Ram Leela. Bhansali, Devaiah lets on, is “everything people say he is, but a whole lot more”. Fun, passionate, sensitive and supportive, Bhansali taught him a lot, he says. “He gave me the freedom to experiment. He takes a long time to shoot, and that can be testing for some people, but once you get going it’s fine. I always felt like I wanted to work more with him; I didn’t want the break that came after 10 days of shooting. He lives for his movies – unfortunately, he doesn’t always find people who share the same level of dedication and commitment.”
It’s been an interesting experience going from that kind of grandeur and opulence, to the realism and small budget of A Death In The Gunj. SLB’s sets can be overwhelming, he admits, so the more time you spend on them, the better it is for you, as you cease to be intimidated and become more comfortable. Plus, working on a set is very different from working in a real location, in that actors have to “tailor their process”, he explains. “Each experience is different. I had to make adjustments in the way I approached my craft. SLB’s movies – the visuals, the melodrama, the music – is all larger than life. You have to submit
yourself to that, and it can be difficult.” Calling filmmaking an “unnatural process”, he explains that shooting in real locations is a little easier. Everything from the way the wind blows to the “reality around you” influences you and subtlely enhances the way you play your character. “On a set you have to use your imagination. Here, you can use more impulse. That’s the basic difference.”
The film is also special to him because it marked one of the last projects for Om Puri, who tragically passed away before he could see the film, Devaiah rues. Still, he has fond memories of working with the thespian, who despite not feeling very well on the set, would light up the atmosphere like “a 5,000-watt bulb”. His craft, Devaiah says, has the ease of a hot knife through butter. As it is with Tanuja. He uses a football metaphor to explain: “When a striker hits a goal, he has people running around him and the goalie running at him, but he still scores. He can do that because there’s a calmness in his mind.” Watching Tanuja and Om Puri do their thing was just like that. “They approach a scene with such steadiness and composure. When the mind is calm it’s active, and when it’s active, it’s creative.” That, he feels, has been the biggest lesson from working with the stalwarts.
There are other lessons here too – like the film’s take on machismo and masculinity. It’s a conversation Devaiah agrees is important to have, given the charged atmosphere in the country regarding gender. He recounts how people in the film industry too submit to these unspoken prejudices, questioning everything from why a man is sitting cross legged to how he is holding his glass. The period film both establishes and questions these
concepts through the protagonist’s (played by Massey) struggle with machismo. In all, it’s been a fruitful experience for Devaiah, who is confident the film will communicate what it wanted to, beautifully.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Sunday Read / by Sowmya Rajaram, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / June 03rd, 2017
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