Sandalwood actress Harshika Poonacha was originally supposed to be making her Tamil debut in the 4K (Kanavil Kanda Kadhal Kavithai) that had Jai in the lead.
But director Hashim Marikar has pushed the filming of Jai’s project to later this year and has begun working on his next, which is said to be a thriller, in which she’s a part of.
Talking about the film, she says, “I play a college girl in this film. She’s both bold and bubbly. She stands up for the issues in her college and help it solve. She rides a sports motorbike and dresses up in a rather rugged style. She’s more of a charmer, I should say. While so many guys try to woo her, I have my eyes on only one.”
Malayalam actor Maqbool Salmaan plays her love interest in the film. “We shot most of our portions in a college in Kochi. We will be shooting some city portions in Chennai soon,” she adds.
The film also stars Sampath Kumar, Paoli Dam and Lena in the lead. “We all have different stories to tell, but all of them are somehow connected. It has been a fun shoot so far,” she reveals.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Tamil> Movies> News / by Sharanya CR / TNN / March 17th, 2017
Annual art show at Taj West End from February 24 to 26
Bengaluru, Karnataka :
Rotary Club of Bangalore (RCB) will be showcasing its annual art exhibition Kala for Vidya on Friday, February 24, at The Taj West End – Art Corridor.
The event is to be inaugurated by Ms. Shefali Vaidya, the eminent columnist and Mr. Prasad Bidappa, the fashion guru, guests of honour.
26 prominent Indian artists have joined hands with RCB along with The Taj West End for the cause, the education of economically weaker section children. The Art Show will be on display February 25th and 26th, 2017, from 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. for art lovers to enjoy and contribute.
‘Rotary club of Bangalore has a long history of service projects. We have constructed 40 government primary schools, run our own high school, build toilet blocks, and similar projects. A successful Kala for Vidya show will mean one more step in the direction of making India free of illiteracy.
This initiative by Rotary Club is part of the larger effort to bring in underprivileged children into the mainstream through education’, said Rtn. President Ranga Rao, RCB. He further added “What is special about this show are the fine artists coming to partner with us for the cause. Well-known artists such as Gurudas Shenoy, Milind Nayak have been our source of inspiration for us to sustain the cause for over 9 years generating smiles on the faces of the children of rural India.”
Mr Somnath Mukherjee, the General Manager of Taj West End,’ The Taj West End has always aimed to showcase the finer things in life and the Art Corridor is a perfect example of it. We have partnered with RCB for Kala for Vidya in the past as well and is an extension for the support we provide for artists’.
Rotary club of Bangalore is 82 years young and has an enviable spectrum of service projects. We have partnered in running the Rotary TTK blood bank, significant dialysis presence, inculcate solar and green values in rural areas, and many other socially relevant projects.
source: http://www.indiaprwire.com / IndiaPRWire.com / Home> Healtcare-Hospital, Childrens related News / February 20th, 2017
The lissome Coorg beauty took a breather after Vajrakaya, and is now back as the love interest in this new Kannada film.
Shubra Aiyappa
Two years ago, at almost six feet, a svelte and beautiful Coorg beauty towered into Sandalwood and created waves, and “simply” wowed audiences in a song. She then went off the radar for a bit.
Now, back as the love interest of John Seena, Shubra Aiyappa hopes for some more tall claims. Her ‘John Seena’ however has nothing to do with the WWE popular wrestler John Cena. It’s just the title of the upcoming directorial venture of Simple Suni of the Simple Aag Ondh Love Story and Bahuparak fame.
The model-turned-actress Shubra makes a comeback after two years and speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about her love for John Seena, and what made her wait for a while despite the huge popularity she attained after her short and sweet special appearance in Vajrakaya’s famous song No Problem alongside Shivanna.
“My second film in Kannada is very different from my earlier one, as an actress. I had never expected that first-ever song in Kannada featuring me along with the great Shivarajkumar Sir would become so popular, and would go onto be the number one song of that year. That is so so wonderful.”
Though, I play the love interest in my John Seena, the character I am portraying is very interesting, though revealing any more about her would spoil the whole fun of the movie,” says Shubra, adding that it will be a complete transformation for her.
On why she chose to wait for some time despite her huge popularity, the actress feels that she is not a person who will do something just because she has to, but only when she wants to. “I love my craft so much that I will be a part of something if I have a connect with it. When the first film came to me, it was very exciting. I knew that there would not be too much of a screen presence but sharing the screen space with Shivarajkumar Sir, playing his love interest, and also the song was a great debut,” Shubra says.
She admits that she did get a lot of offers, but did not accept them out of choice. “After doing a film of that level, it only made sense to either do something on par with it or to wait for something higher,” she says. In a first for her, she will be lending her own voice in John Seena.
“I got many calls and enquiries but nothing got caught my attention. The numbers are irrelevant, and also, if I choose the wrong film, it would be difficult to bounce back as history has seen such actresses typecast.
Hence, I have been a little more careful with the choice of movies, and decided to take a break for something after Vajrakaya. I got an offer that involved Suni Sir for his next directorial. He has such a great reputation since Simple Aag Ondh Love Story, and the kind of films he has been making are different. Once I heard the fantastic script, I had to accept it,” she adds.
With the shoot in progress, the actress is doing her home work for John Seena — there are strict instructions at home to speak only in Kannada, amongst a huge to-do list.
“Featuring in the No Problem song, as a beautiful girl was easier for me, as I was a model. Now working for Suni has been very great. He is quirky at work, and there is never a dull moment,” she says.
The actress thanks her modelling days for helping her to a great extent when she took up films. “I started modelling at 15, and have worked for almost all the designers in India, and walked on the international catwalk as well. I am certainly not over-confident, but modelling helped me face my fears (in front of the camera). When I started doing ads, I was identified, and I was also interested in doing films as it allows me to explore different characters and evolve,” Shubra explains.
Before signing off, the actress who loves dancing says that her parents have been the greatest support for her, and post No Problem, they have changed their caller tunes to the song that saw her catapult to fame. “Even now, they help me with rehearsals at home as they know Kannada very well,” she ends.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Entertainment> Sandalwood / by Shashiprasad SM – Deccan Chronicle / March 01st, 2017
The city’s art connoisseurs were in for a treat early this week, when US-based Sri Lankan artist Geramin Sebastian La Brie held a charity exhibition of her work.
The proceeds of the show were in aid of underprivileged children suffering from cleft lip and palate, and art lovers wasted no time in picking up the paintings.
The show was curated by Rubi Chakravarti and supported by Deutsche Cleft’s Regional Director, South Asia, Dushyant Prasad, and Lalit Sanghvi.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / January 05th, 2017
Kodagina Gowramma has made significant contributions to the Kannada literary world, said Asha Hegde, secretary of Karnataka Lekhakhiyara Sangha.
Speaking after conferring Gauramma Datti Nidhi award for 2016-17 instituted by the district Kannada Sahitya Parishat on Shanthi K Appanna here on Saturday, she said “Though Gowramma lived only for 27 years, she made her mark with her works, which are relevant even to this day. A feminist and a freedom fighter, she had invited Mahatma Gandhi to her house, during his visit to Coorg.”
She said, “Gowramma inspired women writers with her feminist ideology and strove to create an awareness about the atrocities on women through her works.”
Speaking after accepting the award, Shanthi K Appanna said “Though she has been living away from Kodagu for the last 15 years, her love for the land has not diminished. Gowramma is an inspiration for my works. I started writing poems and stories when I was in Class IV. It was my mother who encouraged me to write,” she said.
Kannada Sahitya Parishat district president B S Lokesh Sagar, Fisheries department assistant director Milan Bharath and others were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS – Madikeri, February 05th, 2017
For as long as I can remember, my grandmum has always been old, almost timeless. Time is perhaps the most active change agent. It makes even actors and actresses, with millions to spare for matters, cosmetic, look like second hand imitations of their older selves – but what can it take of those like my Avayya?
In many ways, I always assumed she had conquered time. Even looking at her lying motionless, now, in the midst of a crowd, it only seemed as if she was going to awake from her nap and sip her cup of black coffee, and then some time later, brandy with hot water.
She lived a simple life that belay the many tribulations, women – especially those widowed at an early age – overcame for the prosperity of their family. At 101, she had passed. Quietly.
My Memories of Avayya (and her Imaginary Friends)
As the mournful masses milled around her body to pay their final respects, I couldn’t keep a steady mind. I was sad but also confused.
Here was a woman who in her lifetime had lived through the invention of the modern television set, World Wars I and II, the Indian freedom struggle and independence from the British, the Cold War, the Emergency, the invention of the internet, the Pokhran nuclear tests, the year 2000, her second (or third, I don’t know for sure) favourite grandkid’s playing Bryan Adams’ Summer of 69 on repeat, and much else. You tend to associate a certain degree of immortality to someone of that stature.
At 101, she had passed. Quietly. (Photo Courtesy: Roshan Cariappa)
She was a reservoir of knowledge, the lone connecting thread between five generations of a family that stretched across many geographies far from her native town.
My own personal memories of her were fond.
When we were children, we visited Coorg in the summers a couple of times. Avayya – probably in her 70s then – still managed a home and an estate by herself. I found old houses eerie – a fact manifoldly exacerbated by Avayya’s telling us of our long deceased Granddad’s proclivities for pinching people’s bottoms in the night. I huddled under the blankets in the night, my tiny bottom firmly planted on the ground, waiting to fall asleep. It worried me greatly that the others seemed unperturbed by Granddad’s post life nocturnal harassment. Some even attested, amusingly, that they had been subject to said antics.
Sometimes, while making supper in the kitchen, she’d venture out in the abject darkness to fetch firewood or water. While we sat beside her and ate rotis and bamboo shoot curry, she’d narrate anecdotes of people and events that, for us city rats, seemed from North of Jupiter. Somehow, she seemed to know it all. Mostly, her stories were about our Uncle Jimmy and his drunken misadventures. She had a wry smile; her eyes closed momentarily in a wink. And if you saw her then, with the many wrinkles even, her face betrayed a childlike impish charm.
She also had a wicked sense of humour. Many years later, while living at my uncle’s house in Mysore, she started animated conversations with imaginary friends from across the hall. Now, if you were studying late for your board exams (like my cousin Bopu was at that time), this was no laughing matter. Try doing any of those innocuous activities you do around the house with someone actively conversing with people you can’t see, let alone host. It warranted a visit from my uncle from abroad to set things straight. Having inherited some of her traits, my uncle armed her with a stick and some ash, and is said to have told her to put it to use if ‘them imaginary friends’ showed up. Just in case. And surely enough, her friends and conversations were gone. Maybe it was a ploy to see her son, but I think she did it just for kicks.
She was a reservoir of knowledge, the lone connecting thread between five generations of a family that stretched across many geographies far from her native town. (Photo Courtesy: Roshan Cariappa)
The week after she passed, we had a traditional ceremony. The family gathered to partake in the rituals – that included sharing her virtues, praying to the gods to look upon her kindly, offering her favourite things: food and drink.
While we took turns keeping aside a morsel of rice and meat, each, for her on a plantain leaf, somebody remarked to refill the brandy. Apparently, the level of brandy in the glass from the night before had depressed. While some of us looked at Bopu, who maintained it had evaporated, I couldn’t help but smile.
It just could have been Avayya and her imaginary friends.
(Roshan Cariappa is a Bangalore-based tech entrepreneur, occasional writer, and musician. He finds inspiration in Bharat, dharma, economics, music, and startups. He tweets at @carygottheblues.)
source: http://www.thequint.com / Home> Blogs / by Roshan Cariappa / February 19th, 2017
The Sarang helicopter team talks about the risks in the air,how they were inspired to master the skill of formation flying and the courage it takes to deliver a flawless performance
Bengaluru :
In their saffron uniforms, the men and women who swing their Sarangs into perfect flight formations display skill and dare and splendid teamwork. Not many on the ground know the challenges and risks that go into it.
After enthralling the crowd at the inaugural day of Aero India 2017, the pilots shared their life stories, and how they came to be flying their HAL Dhruv choppers.
Sneha Kulkarni wanted to become an event manager, but ended up as an Indian Air Force pilot in 2006. “When my elder brother joined the Army, I went for a training camp. There, the uniform inspired me to join the air force. I had not believed that I would become a pilot, but here I am,” a relaxed Sneha said on Tuesday afternoon.
Wing commander Sachin Gadre, team leader, says the choice of a new teammate is almost always a collective one, with the final call left to him. “First, we ensure that the person joining our team actually volunteers to be here. Considering how strenuous and challenging it is, we don’t want them to be under any risk. He or she has to fly with us once before we finalize the person to ensure that the entire team bonds. The ability to remain calm, no matter what, is the most important quality,” he said.
“We fly so close to each other that the slightest mistake could be disastrous. And we have to ensure that we maintain our formation. We need to have our emergency protocol in place and follow it,” he added.
Considering the challenges, the Sarang Air Force Helicopter team performs on non-fixed wing aircraft, flying the choppers in perfect sync. The highly skilful pilots are called into action 12-15 times a year for various academy parades, exercise programmes and other formal events. To achieve the perfection that they are famous for, they have to put in nearly 500 hours of practice time, specially on a helicopter. “It is for the safety and beauty of our performance that we train so hard. It requires courage,” says Gadre.
It was precisely this precision that attracted squadron leader Bhushan Rao to the elite team of performers. “I saw them perform at Marine Drive in Mumbai and was so impressed that I immediately wanted to join. It is much more difficult than the apparent ease with which the performance happens,” said Rao, who is serving his second tenure and has been with the team since 2012.
Wing commander P Prithvi Ponappa, 38, says he was watching a Sarang display in 2003 when he first wanted to fly one. And at Aero India 2015, he finally did. For him, performing at the Aero Show is like being on home turf. “It was always my dream to perform at the show. I was on standby last time, so this is a dream come true. The first time I flew, I was so nervous that I was looking to my senior beside me for guidance,” he said. The airman from Kodagu narrated how every display performance is preceded by multiple dry runs on the ground, followed by a mandatory video debriefing.
Wing commander Ashish Moghe says, “Apart from maintaining the basic level of fitness that an average military aviator should have, the team claims that they do nothing out of the ordinary, apart from following a balanced diet.”
The voice of the team cannot be missed. Tinju Thomas, 28, from Ahmedabad, is an economics graduate and now commentator of the Sarang team for four years. Managing a team of 15-16 officers and pilots and 30 technicians isn’t easy, but for her it is as much fun as it is duty. “I always wanted to visit Bengaluru and my work brought me here,” she laughs.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / Arpita R / TNN / February 17th, 2017
Four elephants from Mathigodu elephant camp in Kodagu district left for Uttarakhand on Monday. The elephants have been sent to Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve as per the MoU signed between the Karnataka and Uttarakhand governments.
The elephants that left for the north Indian state are Thunga (15), her two-year-three-month-old calf Karna (7) and Bheeshma (7). Mahouts Gopal, Rama and Lingappa, are accompanying the pachyderms.
The elephants halted at Kallabettu forest in Hunsur on Monday evening and will resume their journey on Tuesday morning, said Mathigodu RFO Kiran Kumar. He said the elephants will travel by lorry. The mahouts will be with the elephants till they get accustomed to the new environment, said the RFO.
Elephant Thunga is the daughter of Varalakshmi, who is at the elephant camp. Karna is the son of Chamundi who was captured at Dandeli. Bheeshma is an orphaned elephant who was found on the periphery of Veeranahosahalli. He was separated from his mother and was reared by mahouts at the camp.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / DHNS- Gonikoppa (Kodagu District) / February 21st, 2017
Senior journalist Raj Chengappa has been re-elected as the President of the Editors Guild of India.
At the Annual General meeting of the Guild on Saturday Raj Chengappa was unanimously re-elected as its President and Prakash Dubey as General Secretary, a statement released here said.
The Guild also elected Kalyani Shankar as Treasurer.
At the meeting, the Guild decided to take a fresh look at the criminal defamation law in India and explore legal options for seeking its abrogation, the statement added. PTI ADS DV
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
Are Kodavas (Coorgs) Hindus? The answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. If one defines Hinduism as a way of life, then Kodavas are Hindus. If one looks at Hinduism from a rigid caste-centric angle, then Kodavas are not Hindus.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), former president of India, who was one of the most erudite scholars of all times, had said: “Hinduism is not a religion, but a commonwealth of religions. It is more a way of life than a form of thought. The theist and the atheist, the sceptic and the agnostic may all be Hindus if they accept the Hindu system of culture and life. Hinduism insists not on religious conformity but on a spiritual and ethical outlook of life. Hinduism is not a sect but a fellowship of all who accept the law of right and earnestly seek for the truth.”
The concept of Hinduism as propounded by Radhakrishnan was lofty and incorporated the essence of the ancient Indian civilisation. But in the present era of ‘Mandal’ and ‘Kamandal’ politics, it is caste which determines the Hindu identity.
Kodavas are a unique race of people who live in Kodagu (Coorg, as the British called it), the smallest district in Karnataka. Very little is known about the origin of this community of warriors who have lived on the slopes of the Western Ghats of South India from time immemorial. This land-owning community known for its martial traditions, has a distinct culture that is strikingly different from that of the neighbouring cultures.
If caste is used as the yardstick to ascertain whether Kodavas are Hindus, then this small community, numbering less than two lakh, are certainly not Hindus because they do not belong to any Hindu caste and there is no caste system among the Kodavas.
Another important factor which characterises the Hindu caste system is the belief in the supremacy of Brahmanism. Judged from this yardstick too, Kodavas are not Hindus because there is hardly any role for Brahmins in the various Kodava ceremonies related to birth, marriage and death. It is the elders in the community who conduct all rituals.
Kodavas are basically ancestor and nature worshippers. Every Kodava is a member of a patrilineal okka (clan) that has descended from a common ancestor. The Karanava, the first ancestor of the clan, is revered as a god, and Kodavas worship the ancestral spirit, their Guru Karona.
While their ancestors are their guiding spirits, Kodavas consider their elders as their living guides. The youngsters greet their elders by touching their feet three times and the latter invoke their ancestors when they bless them.
Every ancestral home (ainmane) invariably has a kaimada, a small shrine nearby, where prayers to ancestors are offered. The ancestral homes face the east, and Kodavas start their daily chores by opening the main door of the house and saluting the sun in prayer. And idol worship is non-existent. A lamp (bolcha) or hanging lamp (thook bolcha) is lit, both at dawn and dusk, to invoke the blessings of the ancestors. The lamp is kept in the nellakki nadu bade (central hall in the ancestral home).
The sacred area around the lamp is empty and no idol or photograph adorns the space. The same goes for the space where meedi (offerings to the ancestors) is kept. Most of the important decisions are solemnised in front of the lamp. However, in recent years, in some ainmanes, framed photos of Hindu gods are kept in these sacred spaces.
There are no idols in the kaimada, the central place of ancestor worship, where the annual ritual of Karonang Kodpo is held in memory of the ancestors. A few kaimadas have figurines resembling humans, to represent their ancestors. To sum up, Kodavas believe that there is a direct link between the living and their ancestors.
Major deviation
Kodavas worship river Kaveri as water and not as an image. During Kaveri Sankramana to celebrate the birth of the river, goddess Kaveri is symbolically represented by a decorated coconut or cucumber.
Another major deviation from mainstream Hinduism is the practice of meedi offerings for ancestors which consist of food items, including non-vegetarian dishes like pork, the signature dish of the Kodavas. Along with the food, liquor is also offered to invoke the blessings of ancestors. This practice is inconsistent with the rigid notions of ‘pollution’ practiced by orthodox Hindus.
Though Kodavas had maintained their own religious identity of ancestor and nature worship, things began to change after 1600 AD with the advent of the Lingayat or Haleri kings in Kodagu. The Haleri Rajas built Hindu temples and appointed deva thakkas (temple headmen) to propagate their faith among the Kodavas. Tulu and Kannada-speaking Brahmin priests were brought from outside Kodagu to perform pooja at these temples.
Over the years, temples dedicated to deities such as Bhagavati or Muthappan have come up in Kodagu. These deities mainly belong to the neighbouring Kerala. Igguthappa, the god dedicated to rain and harvest, was also one such belonging to Kerala. Kodavas also worship a few spirit deities like kulika, pashana murthi etc who belong to Tulunad or Kerala.
In today’s circumstances, it is essential that we maintain our Kodava identity instead of trying to embrace mainstream Hinduism where we do not belong. The belief in ancestor and nature worship is much more rational and scientific, compared to belief in myths and rituals which are alien to Kodava religious practices. It is best they tribe remains Kodavas and not Hindus.
(The writer is a senior journalist and author based in Bengaluru)
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Panorama / by P T Bopanna / February 17th, 2017
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