he Karnataka Forest Department is awaiting a response from its Madhya Pradesh counterpart on transfer of 11 tamed elephants from three state camps for ‘forest-related activities’.
Recently, while hearing a PIL filed by Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) the High Court had refused to interfere in State government’s decision on transfer of pachyderms.
The CUPA in its petition had contended that the elephants might not to able to sustain the extreme weather in Madhya Pradesh.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Ajay Mishra told Express that three elephants from Dubare, two from Mattigodu and six from Bandipur elephant camps, are listed for translocation to MP. He said they are basically second line elephants and doing similar jobs here. Karnataka has 95 tamed elephants in its many camps.
Allaying fears that elephants will be used for non-forest activities in MP, he said they would be used only for patrolling and not for display or safaris.
There have been instances when elephants from one state have been translocated to another and the pachyderms have had no problem in adjusting to the new environment.
“It may take some time for them to acclimatise but it will not create any problems. The beauty of elephants is that they develop a bond with their caretakers very soon,” he said.
The Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh has to look out for arranging mahouts and kavadis since Karnataka cannot spare their services. As per the Forest Department manual, there should be a mahout and a kavadi for each, and Karnataka has enough staff to take care of all the 95 jumbos. Elephants are known for co-existence and the question of feeling alien does not arise, argued Mishra.
There is a standard food chart for tamed elephants in camps and the forest department of every state has to follow it strictly.
“The tamed jumbos are just like our employees and separate registers are maintained to record its health, food habits, behaviour and service. Once they attain superannuation, they are given rest in camps,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Shyam Sundar Vattam / ENS – Bangalore / March 16th, 2013
Sandalwood actress Nidhi Subbaiah, who is making her mark in Bollywood, seems excited to watch Bombay Talkies. “Waiiiting to watch bombay talkies!Never been this excited for a film for a long long time!What was the last film you were excited to watch?” tweeted the actress.
Nidhi, who has acted in Kannada movies such as Pancharangi, Krishnan Marriage Story and Anna Bond, after talking bout Bombay Talkies, could not resist sharing some of her Bangalore memories. “I remember Sarfarosh, with dad-for someone who hated standing in long queue’s in d theatre,he actually bought tickets in black!Lido theatre!” she tweeted.
The actress, who featured in the 2012 Hindi film Ajab Gazabb Love opposite Jackky Bhagnani, is likely to return to the Sandalwood screen with the film Vara that’s likely to release sometime this year.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional / by Parinatha Sampath, TNN / May 04th, 2013
Kodagu district administration has made preparations for webcasting facilities in five selected booths in each of the two Assembly constituencies during the May 5 elections, Deputy Commissioner, N.V. Prasad has said.
Addressing presspersons at the Old Assembly Hall in Madikeri on Friday, Mr. Prasad said webcasting would be done on the day of mustering and de-mustering — at the St. Joseph High School in Madikeri and Government Junior College in Virajpet — as also the day of counting at the St. Joseph’s High School. Steps had been taken to deploy police, paramilitary forces, videographers and micro-election observes to the sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling booths in the two constituencies, Dr. Prasad, said.
Vehicles
As many as 71 buses, four mini-buses, 34 maxi-cabs, 80 jeeps, have been hired for election duty in the district. There are 87 vehicles in Madikeri constituency and 102 in Virajpet taluk.
There are 4.02 lakh voters in the district. In Madikeri there are 2.02 lakh voters —1, 00,235 men and 1, 01,839 women — and in Virajpet there are 2, 00,259 voters —1, 00,290 men and 99,969 women, Dr. Prasad said.
Steps have been taken to distribute voter slips to the voters through the booth-level officials. Those who had not received the slips could call the helpline located at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Besides, voter facilitation centres would be opened on May 5 to distribute voter slips to those who have not received it, Dr. Prasad said.
Only two candidates of each political party would be allowed to set up booths at a distance of 200 meters from the polling booth on production of permission letters issued by the panchayat development officers and officers from the urban local bodies.
Sale of liquor has been banned in the district from 5 p.m. on May 3 to midnight of May 5 in all bars and restaurants, hotels, resorts, clubs as a precautionary measure, Dr. Prasad said.
Officials deputed for election duty could cast votes at the centre opened at the office of the Assembly Election Officer. If not, they could send the votes through post before 8 a.m. on May 8, the day of counting, to the counting centre at the St. Joseph’s High School, he said.
Counting
Dr. Prasad said that as many as 14 counting tables had been allocated to each of the Assembly segment. A supervisor, group ‘C’ employee, one Central government employee as the micro-observer and a counting agent representing the contesting candidates would be present. A media centre had been opened near the counting centre.
He appealed to the owners of the plantations, industrial units, shops and commercial establishments to give e a one-day leave to workers and employees on May 5 to facilitate voting. Police have made elaborate bandobast to maintain law and order during the elections by deploying more than 1,000 personnel and officers drawn from the paramilitary, district armed reserve, police. There will be special vigil at the booths identified as naxal-affected, he said.
Slips distributed to voters through the booth-level officials
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysore – May 04th, 2013
(Harshika Poonacha ) Harshika Poonacha turned a year older on May 1. And the actress was in great spirits, starting her big day at midnight and having cut three cakes already by the morning, when we at Times of India called the actress to wish her.
Her plan of action for the day, she told us, was to spend time at home with family and friends, and then head out in the evening for the launch of a fashion event company that she will be a part of, which will culminate in her birthday celebrations. Her involvement in a fashion event firm does not come as a surprise, given that Harshika has, in the recent past, been a judge on a talent hunt show exclusively for the Kodava fraternity.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional / by Prathibha Joy, TNN / May 01st, 2013
The Kapi Trail, a joint effort by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), Thomas Cook, Karnataka Ministry of Tourism and Coffee Board of India, is a unique tourism experience that allows travellers to experience coffee plantations of the South, in a different way.
Caffeine kick
“Our idea was to use the flavours of coffee and the whole coffee tourism experience as a trigger point to encourage people to explore South India,” says Rene Baumann, vice president, BIAL. “And since the airport brings in people from all over the world. This initiative would spotlight south India in a different way,” Baumann explains.
The big picture
The trail offers packages that cover Bangalore, Mysore, Coorg and Chickamagalur. One can learn about the history of coffee and the processing of the bean; engage with the local culture, traditions and cuisine or stay in ancestral homes and plantations. For the sporty holiday maker, there are scenic mountain treks and cycling tours.
Culture vultures can opt for heritage walks with visits to ancient temples and palaces – the 18 m tall Gomateswara statue, the largest monolithic in Asia at Sravanbelgola, to the only Hoysala temple still active at Belur. Wild life buffs are definitely spoiled for choice. They can get a taste of the wilderness via jeep safaris or visit The Tholpetty and Bhadra sanctuaries in the region. The Tholpetty forest, part of the Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary, is also a tiger reserve. One can go on a guided forest trek or understand where your bean really comes from, with a visit to a plantation pulp house and drying yard.
The Namdroling monastery in Bylakuppe, Coorg and the coffee museum in Chickmangalur are also worth a visit.
The Silicon Valley, a rough triangle that stretches from San Francisco and Oakland in the north to San Jose in the south, could be mistaken for an extension of an Indian city.
From streets with names such as Gurudwara Road to Indian restaurants and even a store named The Love Of Ganesha, the area is home to thousands of Indians, many of them techies. And first-time filmmaker Rucha Humnabadkar, who has assisted Nagesh Kukunoor on his films Hyderabad Blues (1998), Rockford (1999) and Bollywood Calling (2003), is looking to capture the journey of these people in her new film, For Here Or To Go?
“It’s the story of every Indian who comes to the Bay Area with dreams of making it big,” says Rucha. The script is written by Rishi Bhilawadikar, who is actor Atul Kulkarni’s nephew, and is based on posts from his blog, Stuff Desis Like. “I met Rishi about a year ago and we got talking about this script that he’d written. I was interested in making the film right off the bat,” she says.
Actor Gulshan Devaiah, who was last seen in Hate Story (2012), is playing the lead character, a first-generation immigrant from Mumbai. “He is a loner who likes western culture. He wants success and goes to America in search of it,” says Gulshan. “However, he soon finds that he’s facing the age-old dilemma of migrants, where do I belong?” he adds. Although the actor hasn’t had a similar experience himself, he will be meeting techies in the States and hopes to draw inspiration from their lives.
The film, which goes on the floors by July, will be shot in the Bay Area and Mumbai. “It’ll be nice to have a wide release,” says Gulshan. “This is a story that needs to be told, especially with the spotlight on immigration reform right now,” says Rucha, referring to the Mark Zuckerberg-led initiative FWD.us (pronounced forward US).
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Movies> Entertainment> bollywood / by Sumedha Deo, Hindustan Times / Mumbai, April 30th, 2013
Thousands of tribals in HD Kote and Hunsur haadis are likely to ignore the May 5 Assembly election as they have temporarily migrated to Kodagu and Wayanad to work in coffee estates. It is unlikely that they will come back to vote as there is a strong feeling that their exercising franchise has helped little in bettering their lives.
There are 115 haadis in H D Kote and about 30 in Hunsur with a total population of about 30,000.
The tribals here are predominantly agricultural labourers and with the region facing severe drought and agricultural activities still to resume, there is hardly any job on offer for them. Even forests are almost shut for them and they are hardly able to lay their hands on minor forest produce.
With no other choice, a majority of young and middle-aged men and women have left in search of greener pastures, leaving elderly parents at home to take care of their children. The tribals say that despite them casting their votes in successive elections, not much has changed in their lives. “Moreover, it’s a matter of bread and butter. We cannot give up a day’s wages and come just for the sake of voting,” said Raja from D B Kuppe haadi.
While many tribals have shifted their base to coffee estates as early as December and will return on May, those located on the borders of Kerala and Kodagu travel to their work places daily. Tribals are preferred for weeding and tree pruning as they are experts in it and get wages ranging from `150 to 300 daily.
Srikanth of the Tribal Joint Action Forum said that the tribals’ long-pending demands like title deeds for their cultivating lands, places of worship and graveyards, better health facilities and quality teachers who can bridge language barriers of their children among others are still to be met.
Most importantly, the poor tribes are upset over a series of attacks on fellow tribes by forest staff while collecting minor forest produce and over the problems they face in burying dead bodies. Graveyards of tribal clans are located inside forests and they have to brave deep trenches to carry dead bodies for burial. However, he feels that most tribals may not stay away from voting as they are conscious about voting rights and will find their way to polling booths if they have encouraging employers. Sources in the district administration said they are trying their level best to convince tribals to vote by holding talks with community leaders.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Vincent D’Souza – Mysore / April 30th, 2013
The audio of upcoming movie Case No 18/9 which has Sindhu Lokanath, Niranjan Shetty and Shwetha Pandit in the lead roles, will be released on April 29. (Sindhu Lokanath )
The film is the remake of critically acclaimed Tamil movie, Vazhakku Enn 18/9. The Kannada version is directed by Mahesh Rao of Murali Meets Meera and Bhadra fame. Sindhu is essaying the role of a house maid in a teen crime thriller. There are six songs in the film scored by Arjun Janya. Recently, the film was in news for actress Harshika Poonacha doing a special number in the film.
Meanwhile, Sindhu’s last outing in Sandalwood Sa Re Ga Ma failed to live up to the expectations of the audience. The actress will be seen in varied roles in her upcoming movies — Nan Lifeali which has Anish in the lead, Jai Bajrang Bali opposite to Ajai Rao, Prachanda which has Yogesh in the lead and bilingual movie Coffee with my wife, which will mark her debut in Telugu industry.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada / by Vinay Lokesh, TNN / April 28th, 2013
Panorama from reception area of Vivanta by Taj – Madikeri
Forget the big cities, Stephen McClarence discovers the charm of small-town India in the Coorg district.
You’ve almost certainly had a phone conversation – however brief – with someone in Bangalore, the boom city of South India.
Fifteen years ago, it was a sleepy old-worldly place, green and gracious. So many people went to retire there that it was called the Pensioners’ Paradise. Now, thanks to its burgeoning call centres, it’s the most dazzlingly modern of India’s cities, full of high-rise office blocks, shopping malls, and aspirational, high-spending young people.
The greenness is in shorter supply these days. “What used to be here?” I once asked a man showing me round a techno-park boasting IBM and Microsoft. “Nothing was here,” he said. “Only forest.”
In just such a forest, four hours’ drive to the west, naturalist Sanjeev Kumar is taking a wry view of Bangalore’s headlong development. “When I was a boy there, we used to have to wait an hour for a bus,” he says. “Now a bus comes every five minutes, and we have to wait an hour in the traffic.” Kunihit Aya, grocer in Bekal
Butterflies flutter past like floating tissue paper as Sanjeev leads my wife and I on a forest walk. “Maybe we will see a Malabar whistling thrush,” he whispers. “I was once playing the flute and as soon as I stopped, it carried on with the same tune.” A bird starts singing high in a nearby tree. “No, no, that’s a barbet.”
We’re a few miles outside the small town of Madikeri, far from the main tourist routes. Goa, to the north, is a familiar destination for Brits; so is Kerala, to the south. But Madikeri, capital of a district called Coorg, is unknown to many Indians, never mind foreigners.
That’s likely to change. High in the hills at nearly 3,500ft, and surrounded by rubber and coffee plantations, it has a new luxury resort: Vivanta by Taj, Madikeri. More than 60 cottages and villas are dotted down a hillside, with electric buggies ferrying guests from one spectacular viewpoint to another. Vast panoramas of rainforest and misty blue mountains stretch all around.
As a retreat, a scenic eyrie, it could hardly be bettered, but for us Madikeri itself turns out to be as great a lure. It’s a perfectly ordinary small Indian town, and that’s its charm. The wheel of life turns considerably slower than in the cities; people have time to talk to each other and to strangers; we have a delightful couple of days exploring it.
Some 40 years ago, the great travel writer Dervla Murphy chronicled her two-month stay here in the engaging On a Shoestring to Coorg. She likened the area, once British India’s smallest province, to the Garden of Eden, a place where “a civilised harmony still exists between landscape and people.”
She explored Madikeri’s library, where “earnest-looking young men were sitting around large tables studying fat tomes, or consulting yellowed newspaper files.” Similar young men – perhaps the originals’ grandsons – are still here, still studying and consulting. The dusty shelves behind them buckle under the weight of the fat tomes. Upstairs, string-tied bundles of monsoon-ravaged documents are stacked high, like slag heaps of bureaucracy.
Next door, a yellow-distempered British church has become a museum. Religious sculptures from the 12th-century share space with a portrait of George V, a watchful stuffed leopard and a Victorian portable typewriter. Also a rusty trunk, labelled “Trunk”. The walls are still lined with colonial monuments: “Molly, for over 30 years the dearly loved and loyal, faithful and devoted wife and pal of Lt Col Sir Richard Burke, late Resident of Mysore”.
We’ve caught the town’s Friday market. The streets are full of traders selling garlic, honey, trainers, chillies, wall clocks, dried fish by the barrelful, sachets of rat poison. The traders are courteous, and curious about us. Many have the characteristic caramel-coloured complexions and aquiline noses of Coorg people, said to be descended from Greeks who got lost.
We buy coffee and aniseed from Mr Shoukath Ali’s spice stall, piled high but neat with cardamom, cinnamon, cashew nuts, cloves. “Dates from Iran,” says Mr Ali. “Figs from Afghanistan.” A tiny old man joins us, his face lined like runes: Mr Yusoof, Mr Ali’s landlord, still working at 85. He sits watching, shrewdly, and, as I take a photograph he darts forward to be in the picture, giggling.
We need to change money. “Be seated,” says the bank clerk, and a zen-like hour of paperwork stretches ahead. Ledgers are entered, forms are filled in, and I take them to another clerk who gives me a metal token, numbered 87, to keep until the cashier calls me over.
Raju Shah, a businessman clutching Token No 86, sighs about the laboriousness of it all, but it gives us a chance to talk. He recommends a restaurant and guides us to it. His wife, Dimple, invites us to call round.
The whole town feels pleasantly suspended in a gentler time, nowhere more so than at the 130-year-old North Coorg Club, where retired coffee planters and army and air force officers gather in the evening to play bridge and billiards. Little seems to have changed since Indian independence in 1947, when decades of club presidents called Mr Frazer, Mr Pritchard and Mr Humphries made way for Mr Chengappa.
Madikeri is how Bangalore used to be, we reflect as we drive to the call-centre city to catch a train north. On the way we have lunch at a pleasant roadside cafe called Prashanti. “‘Prashant’ means ‘place of peace’,” the owner explains. A Bollywood soap opera blasts at full volume from a TV in the corner. We’re suddenly back in the 21st- century.
Getting there
Cox & Kings (0845 154 8941, www.coxandkings.co.uk) has seven-night breaks from £1,695pp, including three nights at Vivanta by Taj, Coorg and four at Vivanta by Taj, Bekal, a wonderfully relaxing garden-village resort 50 miles away in Kerala. The price includes breakfasts, private transfers and international flights with Emirates.
Visit www.tajhotels.com for more information on the hotels.
Stephen McClarence travelled to London (for his flight) with East Midlands Trains. 0845 712 5678, www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk
source: http://www.yorkshirepost.com / Yorkshire Post / Home> Lifestyle> Outdoors> Travel / by Stephen McClarence / April 29th, 2013
That Sandalwood is making its presence felt everywhere is no surprise. Day after day, our immensely talented actors continue to impress Bollywood. The latest one to join the bandwagon is actor Deepika Kamaiah who will be seen in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Phata Poster Nikla Hero. For someone whose foray into acting was purely accidental, she couldn’t have asked for a better break. “I was a bit apprehensive about acting in a Hindi film at first but everyone made me feel welcome. Shahid Kapur is such a humble guy and helped me with dialogue delivery.” She talks to us about her films, fetishes and why modelling will always hold a special place in her heart.
A thoroughbred Coorg beauty, Deepika has grown up in namma ooru and has fond memories of her childhood. “I studied in Army School and Bishop Cotton Girls College. Modelling happened right after college and I’ve been doing it for seven years. I enjoy the adrenaline of walking on the ramp. It’s a completely different ball-game from acting though.”
She is one of Prasad Bidapa’s muses and was noticed by film makers. She even participated in the MTV Style Awards in Mumbai and won. Her first film was Chingari opposite Darshan and the film received rave reviews. “To be honest, I didn’t plan my foray into acting. I went with the flow and wanted to experiment.” Being spontaneous has worked wonders for this pretty actress who will be seen in an instrumental role opposite Shahid Kapur in Phata Poster Nikla Hero. “I was really surprised when Rajkumar Santoshi called me. I play the role of a village belle whose presence shapes Shahid’s journey in the film.” A tad apprehensive at first, Deepika wasn’t sure what to expect when she had to begin shooting. She recalls how the entire unit was very friendly, helpful and great to get along with. Going by the ever-growing South presence in Bollywood, Deepika feels it’s helping newcomers like her overcome barriers. “Since the Southern industries produce a lot of original scripts, directors and producers are keenly watching us. It’s a great time for synergy between artistes.”
It’s looking like a pretty busy year for her in Sandalwood too. She will be seen in Auto Raja and Neene Baari Neene. Speaking about Auto Raja that’s up for release next month, she tells us what it was like shooting with Golden Star Ganesh. “He is arguably one of the funniest actors we have. His comic timing and style of dialogue delivery is impeccable,” she says adding, “I play the role of a tough corporate woman who takes challenges head on.” She had a blast on the sets and even daringly rode an auto rickshaw! “Ganesh totally ribbed me for that but it was such a fun experience.” Her next film is Neene Baari Neene, which is based on music. “There are nine songs in this film, one of them sung by Shreya Ghosal. The movie is about the beauty of music and how it enriches our lives.”
Does all work and no play make Deepika a dull girl? Evidently not. She loves cooking and thinks it’s a major stress buster. “I enjoy preparing biryani, pudding and desserts! I have a sweet tooth,” she adds. A self-confessed lover of shoes, she owns over 250 pairs! “I absolutely love Aldo and Zara. I also admire Rohit Bal and Sanchita Ajjampur for their work.” She was recently spotted at her friend’s wedding having a blast with close friends and she says, “My friends keep telling me I’ve no time for them ever since I became an actress! I spend as much time with them when I’m free,” she adds with a laugh. This pretty lass also loves travelling and has a soft spot for Europe. “I’m taking off to Australia on vacation after my film commitments and I can’t wait for that.”
Here’s hoping 2013 has better things in store for her.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Entertainment> Sandalwood / by Sindhuja Balaji, DC / March 18th, 2013
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