Nagaraju’s dogged fight over a period of 18 years for his ancestral property began from scratch
Claiming to be a descendent of the erstwhile rulers of Kodagu, a flour mill owner from Mysore has now gained possession of the historic 17th century palace and fort which is predominantly in the heart of Madikeri town.
“My efforts of 18 years have ended with the President of India ordering that the palace belongs to me,” a beaming H C Nagaraju, the owner of the flour mill in Shivarampet, told Business Standard.
He has displayed a notice in his shop that says: “As per the order of His Excellency President of India, the Mercara Palace belongs to H C N Wadeyar.” It quotes the order No.F.No.1-204/2013-RTI (Hq) dated 26-9-2013, Government of India, Janpath, New Delhi.
This is the latest notice displayed in his shop to inform his customers of his successful fight, in addition to already putting up copies of other documents and photos of his forefathers belonging to the erstwhile Haleri dynasty of Kodagu.
Nagaraju’s dogged fight for his ancestral property began from scratch, from corresponding on the issue with a number of authorities like the Departments of Archaeology, and the state and Central governments and moving the courts. Before approaching the courts, he began to acquire documents from various sources, including the British Library in London to establish that he descended from the Haleri rulers.
“My father often told me that we belong to the Kodagu royal family and the Madikeri Palace belongs to us, based on what his father and grandfather had told him,” he said, narrating how he began to establish his right over the palace and the surrounding fort in Madikeri. “To establish what my forefathers were saying, we had swords, shields, palm leaf manuscripts in our house which my father gave away, finding them of no use,” he adds.
Calling himself H C N Wodeyar, he has displayed his claim he is the Maharaja of Coorg and owner of the Madikeri Palace. According to him, his lineage starts from Queen Devajammanni, wife of Lingaraja. The palace, which witnessed rebellious uprisings against the colonial rulers in 18th century, it presently houses the Kodagu’s Deputy Commissioner’s office within the fort.
“They have agreed to shift to a new place and hand over possession to me,” he said, adding he intends to convert his ancestral palace into a tourist attraction. Beside the palace stand two life-size statues of elephants that attract people who visit the monument.
Lingaraja succeeded the famed Dodda Veera Rendra Wodeyar (1780-1809), the hero from Kodagu history, as the Coorg Raja. His successor Viraraja was deposed in 1,834 following which the British annexed Kodagu and exiled the last of the rajas, bringing an end to the nearly two-century-long reign of the Haleri dynasty that came to power in the 17th century, in the district nestling amidst the lush Western Ghats, known for coffee and oranges, besides elephants.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Current Affairs> News> Et cetera / by Gouri Satya / Mysore – May 04th, 2014
In an astonishing revelation, the City Municipal Council has claimed of lacking information about the number of roads and streets and the population in particular road or street in Madikeri city.
The reply of the public relation officer of the Madikeri CMC to a Right to Information query filed by an individual, which is available with Deccan Herald, shows that the CMC lacks information on the population in CMC limits.
T C Thimmaiah, a resident of Dechur had filed an application under RTI to the CMC on January 20, seeking information.
He had sought information as he had complained on the creation of wards in the recent poll for Madikeri CMC was not according to the specific guidelines.
The people residing in his ward were included in the voters list of another ward. He also alleged that the area and population was not considered while constituting the wards.
“For example, the population in Ward No 17 is 465, while the population in Ward No 1 is 1,916. The population is almost four times more in Ward No 1 compared to Ward No 17.
Therefore, I filed the RTI with the CMC to know on what basis they had divided the wards,” he told Deccan Herald.
The CMC has 25 blocks which has been divided into 23 wards. He had sought information about the roads, streets, number of houses and population in particular area.
CMC Assistant Executive Engineer who is also the Public Information Officer, K M Ravikumar sent a reply to the RTI query on February 26, along with information about 23 wards attached to it. The reply note said that “the revenue department office of the CMC does not have any information about the roads, streets, number of houses and population in the said blocks.”
Wonderstruck T C Thimmaiah has said that it is ridiculous that the authorities have no information about the population based on which the election is held.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar / DHNS – Madikeri, March 28th, 2014
One of a kind comedy show is happening at a popular hangout in Pune at 9 pm today. It is a unique combination of music and comedy where The Yellow Experiment and Nikhil Chinapa will tickle the funny bones of the audience with their music-centric comedy and improvisation. We speak to them and find out how they plan use music and comedy together! The Yellow Experiment that will perform a unique comedy and music show tonight DNA Correspondent DNA
The Yellow Experiment that is – Daniel Fernandes, Kenneth Sebastian and Kanan Gill will be in Pune today and they tell us what makes their show so different!
Daniel has performed all over the country over the last two years and thinks there is nothing better than comedy. Kenneth Sebastian’s trademark is his incredible vocal ability which he uses to combine music and comedy. He performs regularly at comedy clubs like The Comedy Store and Canvas Laugh Factory and has been hailed as one of the top acts to watch out for in the years to come. Kanan Gill is a writer, musician, stand-up comedian, ex-software engineer and fitness enthusiast. He has won the Punch Line Bangalore competition and the open mic at The Comedy Store in Mumbai.
The Yellow Experiment is a comedy collective. “Through this new mix, the show will appeal to the audiences of both music and comedy,” said Fernandes. He has performed at The Irish Village and Olive Bistro before but, “the show at High Spirits will be the biggest one I have done in Pune” he added.
Talking about the unique combination, Sebastian said, “I already have a music background and I incorporate it in my comedy too. In today’s show, we will talk about music trends and song writing”. Most standup comedians joke about politics and other issues but Sebastian says, “We will talk about music and our jokes will be with respect to it”.
“It is not a traditional comedy, but it is based on the suggestions from the audience & Nikhil will join us at the end of the show for an improvisation of music and comedy”, added Kanan Gill.
For Nikhil Chinapa, it’s his first time at intentional comedy. He said, “This is my first attempt at comedy so I am half-excited and half-nervous about the show tonight.” Chinapa and Daniel used to talk and discuss about EDM on Twitter and that’s how they got talking about The Yellow Experiment. He added, “I love to try things out and give new things a shot.” One thing he would like to say to the people who are coming to the show today is, “There will be no intentional nudity”.
This first ever combination of music and comedy will be something to look out for, as two most appealing genres of entertainment come together with The Yellow Experiment and Nikhil Chinapa.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Pune / Place:Pune, Agency:DNA / by Deeksha Sharma / Saturday – May 03rd, 2014
Actress Harshika Poonacha had a busy and fun birthday, which she celebrated on May 1. The highlight of the day, however, seems to be the eight cakes she got on her big day.
The B3 actress took to Twitter to tell her followers how she spent her day. “It was a wonderful birthday indeed… Was at wonderla and rushed to the LIVE in Suvarna news,” she tweeted. She later posted a picture of a cake and said, “My 8th cake for the day… loved evry bit of it and thnq all for ur lovey wishes… Feels lik celebrating my b’day evrydy (sic).”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies / TNN / May 02nd, 2014
We had told you about actor Gulshan Devaiah and his wife Kallirroi’s visit to her family in Greece.
To surprise Devaiah, she invited his dear friend of seven years, Kalki Koechlin, to Greece to holiday with them.
They went to the Acropolis one afternoon and spent an entire day walking around Athens. Their hosts and friends Robin and Katharina took them around. Nothing beats creating great memories with dear buddies.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Bangalore Mirror Bureau / May 02nd, 2014
Harshika Poonacha went back to college today — and no, it was not to complete a degree or start a new one. The actress was at Don Bosco college in Bangalore to inaugurate a festival on the campus.
“Good morning twps. I’m sorry as I cudn reply u all,Yes I’m coming and I’m on my way to Don Bosco college. Gonna inaugurate d Fest fr You al (sic),” she tweeted on Tuesday morning. She then followed that up with a selfie, which she captioned, “Fun to be at College Fests. Takes me back to college.”
Harshika has a busy 2014, with as many as five films lined up — Meetru, Beet, Crazy Krishna, Anandha Thollai and Panipuri.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies / TNN / April 29th, 2014
Shalini says oduputtu is a favourite / by Special Arrangement
Coorg food blogger Shalini Nanda shares her recipes and memories of food. And reminds us that with any traditional cuisine, so much depends on the terroir
If you are a recipe seeker on the Internet you couldn’t have missed the site Coorg Recipes that takes you into the world of the Kodava community who love their food and drink and celebrate the produce they grow in their inimitable cuisine.
The newly re-launched avatar of the site features more than 40 traditional recipes from the Coorg region of Karnataka. P.T. Bopanna, a Kodava who’s been running the site says there is a “recipe of the month” section featuring recipes from contributors that’s been made interactive.
The new recipes come from well-known Coorg food blogger Shalini Nanda Nagappa, who now lives in Canada. “Growing up in an Army family, we were stationed in and travelled to various places in India. This provided wonderful opportunities to indulge my natural curiosity about all things related to food. My mother’s interaction with ladies from around the country, and abroad, invariably led to recipe exchanges that fed this fascination,” says Shalini in an e-mail interview.
At every opportunity she travelled home to Coorg to her maternal grandparents’ home. Under the watchful eye of her indulgent grandmother she enjoyed whipping up cakes and desserts for family. She self-published a cookbook in 2010, called A Cookery Year in Coorg (she runs a blog by the same name). Excerpts from an interview:
What is it about Coorg cuisine that sets it apart from others? What’s its distinguishing characteristic?
As with any traditional cuisine, much depends on the terroir, so to speak. Rice, grown in the fertile valleys of Coorg, is the staple, and it was eaten at every meal. I think there is an amazing number of ways in which rice is transformed into flatbreads, crepes, noodles, steamed cakes and more. Some are echoes of preparations found in the cuisines of neighbours in coastal Mangalore, North Kerala and Malanad. Others are quite unique, like paputtu, maddputtu, and oduputtu.
Rice and puttus are accompanied by curries of mutton, poultry, pork, (both fresh and preserved), salt fish, freshwater fish and crab, bamboo shoot, and wild mushrooms. Farmed produce like pumpkin, and fresh and dried beans are popular too. The recurring notes in these preparations tend to be that of fragrant cassia, cloves and cardamom, the brightness of fresh green herbs and green chillies, the sweetness of fresh coconut, the deep warmth of pepper, and dark roasted coriander, cumin and mustard.
Add to this the clarifying effect of sharp citrus, or powerful kachampuli, (a souring agent made from Garcina gummi-gutta). In all these, every cook has a unique take on how, and how much. With changing social norms and the physical environment, some significant elements of Kodava cuisine like wild game, once abundant in the forests of Coorg, are no longer viable. Foraged potherbs, and the use of coconut oil and lard are also not as widespread today. The cuisine continues to evolve, though, with cooks recreating traditional dishes by making use of what is readily available. For example, if one does not have access to wild bamboo shoot one can substitute with farmed bamboo shoot, imported from Thailand. It’s not quite the same, but it works.
Why is it that the “pandi cury” has become almost a synonym for Coorg cuisine, outside the Kodava community?
The short answer to that would be “because it’s so good!” Joking aside, for the uninitiated, a quick glance through the range of recipes on coorgrecipes.com should tell anyone there is much more to discover. Still, the combination of dark roasted spices, pork, and the unique sharpness of kachampuli combine in pandi curry to create something special.
What made you take to cooking? What kind of dishes do you like to cook?
I’ve always loved food, so I suppose it was natural to hang around in the kitchen picking up on the goings on. I’ve also always been curious about the entire process of preparing food, even before I was old enough to handle things on my own. My maternal grandmother indulged that interest and encouraged me. When I was young I was always whipping up cakes and desserts for the family. I enjoy most cuisines and like to cook anything that catches my fancy. I love seafood, and living on the coast of the Pacific NW, I am privileged to have access to some of the best out there. I also have a particular interest in the vast range of regional Indian cuisines.
Among the recipes you have shared, which are your most treasured ones, and why?
I feel every recipe has some special association, whether it evokes memories of meals past, was shared by a friend, or is just some fun innovation. Oduputtu is a particular favourite. I didn’t eat this when growing up, and it isn’t commonly made these days. I would hear my mother recall how she and her siblings were welcomed home from school long before they actually reached the house, by the delicate fragrance of the resin used to scent this unusual rice pancake. Her descriptions spurred me to seek out the clay pan it is traditionally cooked in, season it, and set about practicing getting the batter just right.
With the kaipuli recipes, I enjoyed the process of testing how exactly to substitute one locally found citrus fruit with another that is more widely available where I live and has a similar flavour profile, but different physical characteristics. Palya, which is the simplest style of preparation of vegetables, is applied to a variety of wild greens that once were commonly eaten, each for known health benefits. It’s been wonderful discovering some of these, like thaaté thoppu (Cassia tora), for myself.
For people living outside Coorg, will ingredients/cooking apparatus you have featured in recipes in coorgrecipes.com be easy to come by?
Coming from an army family and having lived outside Coorg for much of my youth, and now living in North America, I am familiar with many of the limitations as well as the possibilities in recreating recipes. Many ingredients are specific to the Coorg region, but on my blog I make it a point to try out, and offer what in my opinion may be the closest substitutes for both ingredients and equipment wherever possible. In India, there are online sources like coorgshoppe.com to help source ingredients like kachampuli and spices.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Bhumika K / Bangalore – April 24th, 2014
Women’s match ends in a draw, Kodagu XI defeats Virajpet XI Kodava Hockey Academy President Pandanda Kuttappa is seen hitting a silver hockey ball with silver hockey stick to mark the inauguration of Thathanda Hockey Namme-2014 at Virajpet in Kodagu yesterday. ( Picture right ) shows women in action.
Virajpet :
The exhibition hockey match organised as part of the inauguration of Thathanda Hockey Namme-2014 between SAI Mysore and SAI Kodagu women’s teams ended in a draw with both teams scoring two goals each.
In the other match played between Virajpet XI and Kodagu XI, Kodagu XI team defeated their opponents convincingly by 4-2 goals. The specialty of the tournament is that the organisers have introduced the new rules and regulations which the Hockey India will be introducing from Sept. 2014. Accordingly, Own Goal and Golden Goal have been removed.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / April 21st, 2014
Nidhi Subbaiah may have moved to Bollywood but she is still known here as the Pancharangi girl.
The bubbly character she played in Pancharangi follows her wherever she goes. Nidhi shares that as an actress, she has never really planned her career.
Whatever has happened and is happening is all by chance, she quips.
“People ask me what my next project is and I say I don’t know. They’re awestruck and wonder why this answer but that’s true. I don’t plan anything and simply take things as they come,” says Nidhi.
A Mysorean, Nidhi lives and works in Mumbai.
She shares that she is now more than comfortable with the City and slipped into the ethos and the culture pretty well.
She made her acting debut with Abhimaani in Kannada and later did Anna Bond.
And before she knew it, she was hand-picked to play the lead in Ajab Gazabb Love.
“I was shooting for Anna Bond in Spain when I got a call from a friend in Mumbai who said that I had been chosen for Ajab Gazabb Love and that I had to give my dates immediately. It was a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety. But that film gave me a good break,” she recalls.
Nidhi thinks that her strength lies in her ability to easily adapt to situations and roles.
“I want to dip my fingers into as many varied roles as I can which is what I have done in all the projects that I’ve worked in so far. In Vara, I played a quiet character. It was the opposite in ‘Krishnan Marriage Story’ and I played a extrovert in Pancharangi. Thankfully, I have been remembered for most of them,” she notes.
Work has always come to Nidhi. She recollects that she has never been in a situation where she has had to go looking for projects.
“I’ve never been pushy to bag as many projects as I can. And I have no regrets for the many projects that may not have come my way. I don’t take myself too seriously. I take things as they come,” reasons Nidhi.
Nidhi has been listening to a few scripts in Kannada and she says that she is likely to approve at least two or three projects.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Metrolife / DHNS – by Nina C. George / April 21st, 2014
Actor Bhuvan Ponnanna and Harshika Poonacha walk the ramp along with designer Jayanthi Ballal in city last evening. Mysore :
The sharp showers last evening did not deter the enthusiasm of fashion lovers who gathered at Jayachamarajendra Golf Club here yesterday to witness the fashion show organised jointly by Fashion Designer Jayanthi Ballal and Country Inn.
The catwalk and sashaying of lissome models was delectable to watch. The combination of male and female models attired in black dress received a good applause by the discerning gathering of fashion lovers of city.
The star attraction of the show was actor Harshika Poonacha and Bhuvan Ponnanna who came on the ramp together. The models comprised college students from city and Bangalore.
Most of the fashion shows usually play western tunes to enthuse the models during catwalk. To beat the monotony, old Hindi songs were played during the ramp show to arrive at a new trend without compromising on glamour and glitter.
Speaking on the occasion, Harshika opined that compared to Hollywood and Bollywood, a good platform was rarely available in the South for fashion shows despite the presence of promising models here. She commended Jayanthi Ballal in hosting a good show opening vistas for upcoming models.
Addressing the gathering, Jayanthi said that she has been arranging fashion shows for the last three years in city to provide a platform for budding models and fashion designers. However, she opined that the people of city were still a bit conservative and situation should improve gradually. She said that it was heartening that some parents were willingly encouraging their children to participate in fashion shows. She reiterated that it was a wrong notion that modelling and fashion shows would drive youngsters astray.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 20th, 2014
WELCOME. If you like what you see "SUBSCRIBE via EMAIL" to receive FREE regular UPDATES.
Read More »
