Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

I am happy with my tenure: T P Ramesh

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Outgoing Kodagu District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President T P Ramesh has said that he is happy with his work as the Parishat President as during his tenure, he has toiled considerably to develop interest in Kannada literature in Kodagu.

Addressing media persons on the last day of his administrative term on Monday, he informed about various activities related to Kannada literature that were organised during his term as the president over last three and half years.

“The Kannada Sahitya Parishat district unit, three taluk units and four hobli units have done their job of developing and spreading Kannada literature in the district. During my term as the President I have successfully organised four district Sahitya Sammelana, 10 taluk-level Sammelana,” he said.

Further, he informed that when he too charge as the Parishat President, the number of Sahitya Parishat members was 127 where as now the membership has increased to 1,100. As many as 12 endowments and one education endowment fund have been instituted and seven books have been published in last three and half years.

Explaining his achievements, the outgoing President said that the Parishat has built Sahitya Bhavan in Somwarpet, a library in the district Parishat office.

Foundation stone has been laid for the construction of the District Sahitya Bhavan and an idea has been formulated to build a library and book shop in the Sahitya Bhavan, which will be built soon.

For the first time in the history of the district, women litterateurs’ association has been formed and there are also plans to provide a platform for promoting children’s literature.

Kannada Sahitya Parishat member Baby Mathew, Kodagu district Women Litterateurs Association President Kasthuri Govindamaiah and others were present.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / Madikeri, February 28th, 2012 / DHNS

Prajwal Poovaiah another Coorgi Comes!!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorized

Kannada cinema and Coorg are inseparable. Coorg is such a rich place for Kannada film makers and the exotic mist filled shots and hilly region, lush greenery is always available here for film makers.

The land known for warriors, hockey is also famous for giving good talent to Kannada cinema. We have Daisy Boppana, Nidhi Subbaiah, Harshika Poonachcha and new addition is Prajwal Poovaiah.

Although Prajwal Poovaiah was seen at ‘Cotton Pete’ muhurut she was selected

by top director N Omprakash Rao for ‘Bheema Thiradalli’. Prajwal Poovaiah attended 40 days of shoot for her debut film.

Before coming to cinema Prajwal Poovaiah studied in Whistling Woods International Acting School of Subhas Ghai in Mumbai.

Prajwal Poovaiah plays the village belle in ‘Bhima Thiradalli’ while the mod role goes to Pranitha in that film. Vijay is the hero of this film.

Offers came pouring in for Prajwal Poovaiah when she was shooting for her debut film. Producer K Manju, Yogish Hunsur and two Tamil film offers came to her.

After completing ‘Bhima Thiradalli’ a big budget cinema of producer Anaji Nagaraj actress Prajwal Poovaiah picked Tamil films – Otthe Naneyum, Vipareethan and Viludu Maleyudum are the films she has signed as of now.

I want to act under all major director films is the ambition of Prajwal Poovaiah.

source: http://www.m.zimbio.com / from Cinejwala.com / February 22nd, 2012

Community classes get children to learn native language

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Since last month, Surajit Pal, a professor at the Indian Statistical Institute in Chennai, has been spending one day every month teaching Bengali to children from his community. Pal’s daughter, who is in class 8, is one of the students.

“We are trying to introduce our children to Bengali culture and literature,” says Pal. His wife and her friends are among the volunteer-teachers . The free classes began two months ago in the Bengali Association in T Nagar.

February 21 was celebrated as ‘International Mother Language Day’ across the city, and several organisations are trying to popularise regional languages among youngsters of their communities.

“We hope more students will join the classes. Most Bengali children in Chennai cannot read or write the language. That’s a pity because Bengali is so rich,” says Anjan Prasad Chakraborty, president of the Bengal Association.

The Kerala government has made a concerted effort to encourage Malayalis outside Kerala to learn their mother tongue by starting the Malayalam Mission. “We have learning centres in various cities where volunteerteachers , mostly housewives, teach the language,” says M Nanda Govind, president of the Malayalam Mission in Tamil Nadu.

With 150 centres and 2,650 students in Chennai, the Malayalam Mission will soon extend to Coimbatore , Madurai, Tirupur, and the Nilgiris. “We are overwhelmed by the response and that is why we are expanding,” says Govind.

Other regional associations are also trying to popularise their languages, albeit with a little less success. The Punjab Association has an arrangement with the University of Madras for students to learn Punjabi. “But there aren’t many takers. It could be because Punjabi families in Chennai feel that knowing Hindi is enough,” says Ramesh Lamba, general secretary of the Punjab Association of Chennai.

The Coorgi community may not have set up formal classes, But the community members try and get their children to imbibe the culture by speaking the language at home, says Smitha Kuttaya, who has been living in Chennai for the past 11 years. “We do not have a script, but we get our children to speak the language,” she says.

The community that seems most worried about the younger generation’s lack of interest in the culture is the Sindhis. “Hardly any of the children want to learn to speak or write the language. They think speaking Hindi is more than enough. We don’t know how to tackle this,” says Prakash Vaswani, member of the Sindhi Hindu Mandal Association.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / City> Chennai / Home> Collections> Regional Languages / by Kamini Mehta / TNN / February 22nd, 2012

Akshay Kumar to star in Mahesh Manjrekar’s movie

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


Akshay Kumar and Mahesh Manjrekar are joining hands for a socially relevant film. The duo is all set to work in the remake of Marathi film Shikashanachya Aaicha Gho.

Shikashanachya Aaicha Gho was directed by Mahesh Manjrekar himself in Marathi. It is an anti-education movie, which was recently made in Tamil and Telugu as Dhoni. The story is about an aspiring kid, who wishes to make his career as a cricketer but against his father’s wish.

It is said that Mahesh Manjrekar’s first choice was his friend Salman Khan. But as the actor is busy with other projects, the filmmaker decided to go with Akshay Kumar. The movie is reportedly made on Akki’s home banner and Kannada actress Nidhi Subbaiah is playing one of the female leads in the movie.

source: http://www.entertainment.oneindia.in / Entertainment> Bollywood> Gupshup / Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Coorg – The Kashmir of Karnataka & Scotland of India

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment


Coorg the modern name for Kodagu is a unique and beautiful hill station in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Coorg is a small district covered with dense forests and picturesque valleys and enchanting waterfalls. This is one of the closest experiences one can have with Mother Nature. Coorg is a famous tourist destination for both Indian and international tourists. This quaint and scenic hill station is commonly known as the Kashmir of Karnataka & the Scotland of India.

Coorg is the largest producer of coffee in India. It is recognized for its vast and magnificent coffee tree plantations all over India. It is said that the fragrance of coffee fills the air of Coorg . The gorgeous plantations are spread over the slopes of the hilly regions. Besides, coffee plantations Coorg and its cities are famous for spices like cardamom and pepper. Apart from buying coffee, lot of tourists buy the best and natural honey manufactured in Coorg as its souvenir.

Do you love animals and wildlife? Coorg has many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks and is known to be prosperous in wildlife.

It is recommended that wildlife lovers must visit Coorg to explore and experience the adventurous elephant safaris organized by national parks. One can also, catch a glance of wild bears, deer’s, tigers and many interesting and charming birds. It is said that there are hundreds of different species of birds found in the paradise – Coorg.

Tourists can take part in adventurous sports like river rafting, trekking, and angling. Coorg is the best place to listen to your adventurous spirit and enjoy yourself to the fullest. There are many places to visit including the Abbey Falls, Raja Seat, Nisargadhama and the Tibet Monastery are the main attractions. One can also, visit wildlife sanctuaries like Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajiv Gandhi National Park and Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. There are many historic and divine places including temples of Lord Shiva & Lord Vishnu –Omkareshwara which make the marvelous district heavenly.

Coorg has very pleasant summers and winters. However, it is recommended that tourists must avoid the monsoon season from May to October. A two to three day trip is good enough to experience the beautiful scenery of the captivating and serene Coorg.

Coorg homestay is the finest option for accommodation adding to the splendid experience. Coorg accommodation includes all types of housing which are available within one’s favorable budget. Coorg cottages are another great option to relax and unwind oneself and feel close to nature. Cottages in Coorg are known the best to experience the calm and mystical blue skies and mountains. Bird chirping sounds and unpolluted fresh air unlike big cities rejuvenates one’s body & mind. The resort in coorg has beautifully furnished cottages for both couples and families. Coorg also, has many hotel options near the capital.

Coorg is known to be the ‘Heaven on Earth’ and a numinous paradise which one must visit to explore its lush green mountains, enthralling waterfalls, wildlife & rich culture.

source: http://www.ZaraHutke.in / Home> Blog / February 23rd, 2012

Coorg, a green escape in Karnataka

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment

If you find Ooty, Kodaikanal or Munnar a bit too touristy and crowded a destination in southern India, Coorg is that perfect holiday spot in Karnataka that is sure to please toddlers, youth and the old alike.

Not that this hill station needs to be chosen for a sojourn by eliminating other similar destinations in the vicinity. Just a three-hour drive from Mysore, 150 km away, Coorg district on its own has much to offer, beyond its coffee, cardamom, pepper and beetelnut estates.

There is much to see, admire and soak in at this hill station, which the locals call Kodagu, on the slopes of the Western Ghats, what with some pristine trekking trails, picnic spots, waterfalls, wildlife, woods, forests, valleys and some mouth-watering cuisine.

Situated at a height of 1,525 metres, Madikeri or Mercara is the capital of Coorg, with a nice bazaar, quaint houses with red-roofs and liberal use of teakwood reapers for doors and furniture, so common among homes and clubhouses in Indian hill stations.

It may come as a surprise to some that Coorg has one of the largest settlements of Buddhists in India, just about 30 km away from Madikeri, with their own Namdroling Monastery built in 1963, which the locals call the Golden Temple.

Once you enter the monastery, you feel transported into some other world in the Orient, packed as it is with some 5,000 monks in bright yellow and red robes, with some soothing Buddhist chants, smell of incense and breathtaking sights of pagodas.

After seeing those large golden statues of the Buddha and Tara, the intricate murals and Tangkha paintings, don’t forget to taste some authentic Tibetan food here, especially the delectable momos and the subtle thugkpa, their noodle soup.

One is told it is the largest teaching centre of Nyingmapa – a major lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world – and the present Dalai Lama gave its shorter name, as opposed to Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargyeling that this mesmerising place was called originally.

Before dwelling further, where to stay is a question that is bound to crop up. While there are plenty of hotels and resorts, including the Orange County, that can even set you back by as much as Rs.25,000 per day, it is best to opt for a home stay.

There are some 35 of them in and around Medikeri in a range of Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000 per day where one gets not just to retire but also taste authentic Coorgi food and take some refreshing strolls on their plantations that grow coffee and other cash crops.

As far as the season goes, October to March — like most places in India — are the best months. The weather is pleasant with that welcome nip in the air. But Coorg during monsoons can be equally mesmerising and enchanting.

There are also plenty of places one can go to. There is Abbey Falls, not far, where one has to make his or her way through some dense woods, dotted with coffee bushes, trees and creepers, to suddenly find a cascading gush of water.

Abbey falls, among the many in Coorg, with cascading water
Then about 80 km away is the Iruppu Falls, right next to the Rajiv Gandhi National Park, also called Nagarhole, which is famous for its elephants, with a lot of other game and some 50 species of birds.

Children, especially, are certain to enjoy a visit to Dubare Forest, around an hour and a half from Medikeri. A ferry there takes you across to an elephant camp where one can see the pachyderms being bathed and fed, after which they are ready for a joy ride.

Talacauvery, around an hour away, is the source of the river Cauvery, with a temple to pay homage to this main source of water for some parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Not far is Bhagamandala, the confluence of three rivers: Cauvery, Kanika, and Sujyothi.

Another must-see is Tadiyendamol, which is the tallest peak in Kodagu and gives a breathtaking view of the entire Coorg, apart from the distant Arabian Sea. There is also the Naalkunaadu Palace built by Kodagu king Dodda Raja Veerendra in 1792.

After all this exploring, a bungalow at the plantation is perhaps the best place to retire. Toddlers can chase butterflies, and a hammock and freshly brewed coffee are sure to be at hand!

How far: Around 150 km from Mysore and 260 km from Bangalore

How to reach: By bus or car from Mysore. Closest airport is in Bangalore; the airport in Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu is another alternative.

Cost: Around 35-40 home stays in Coorg ranging Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000 per day

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Collections> Coffee / Life & Style> Travel / by IANS / February 21st, 2012

Big fat Kodava-Greek wedding

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Bangalore boy and actor Gulshan Devaiah of Shaitan fame tied the knot with Greek beauty Kallirroi Tziafeta in a quiet ceremony

The Kodava community has been claiming a Greek connection for centuries. Firmly reaffirming the heritage was Kodava boy Gulshan Devaiah who recently tied the knot with long-time girlfriend and actress Kallirroi Tziafeta. Gulshan has been making waves in Bollywood — first with Rohan Sippy film Dum Maro Dum, followed by Bejoy Nambiar’s Shaitan and Anurag Kashyap’s That Girl in Yellow Boots and was nominated for best supporting role and best actor in a negative role by various film awards this year, including the Film Fare award. The two met nearly two years ago — quite by chance — when Kallirroi, who studied acting at London International School of Performing Arts, came to India to meet friends and bumped into Gulshan, who was working on a play with Rajat Kapoor. In an earlier interview to this writer, Gulshan said that there were no instant sparks and that it took a couple of days for the duo to start chatting with each other. “I was ill when I met her, it was only later that we got chatting and we realised that we really really liked each other. We’re really serious and will get married sooner or later.” It turns out that Kalliroi, originally from Greece, soon moved to Mumbai. She has acted in several theatre productions in Mumbai, including Nostalgia Brand Chewing Gum, directed by Bangalore-based director Vivek Madan and performed in Jagriti a year ago.

The wedding hasn’t been a secret, but there’s been no publicity blitzkrieg either. In keeping with Gulshan’s low-profile image, the ceremony was attended only by close friends and family. For Kalliroi and her family, the tragic events unfolding in Greece (rioting and arson after austerity measures were introduced to combat the crumbling economy) were offset by the joy of being part of an authentic Indian wedding. The venue was a Kalyana mantapa in Bangalore (North) and the wedding had the Kodava community of Bangalore in attendance.

Gulshan was dressed in authentic Kodava wedding costume, including the headgear and black jacket. The cynosure of all eyes at the wedding, however, was the bride, dressed in bright red sari, in Coorgi attire. What’s more, Kallirroi had nearly 20 of her relatives who had specially flown down from Greece to be part of the joyous occasion. Friends said that among her relatives was her 85-year-old grandmother. Cousins, aunts and even Kallirroi’s mother wore Indian outfits.

Actress Kalki Koechlin took part in the wedding with her family. The only close friends Gulshan had with him at the wedding were his designer friends from NIFT and his theatre friends from Bangalore and Mumbai. If the wedding was a traditional affair with banana stalks being cut and pots balanced on the head of the bride, the post-wedding party was an informal affair with Gulshan dressed in designer black, waist coat, black shirt and trousers while Kallirroi chose a short black and beige dress. Kalki, friends and music composer Naren Chandavarkar played hosts at the party and ensured that everyone had a good time.

As for the thousands of women, who voted for Gulshan as one of the most eligible bachelors in an online poll last year, eat your hearts out for he’s now taken.

source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com / Bangalore / Home> Entertainment> South Masala> Story / Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Model Railroad Layout: New addition to tourist attractions

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

People can buy a platform ticket and view the miniature models
The city railway station here is now home to a ‘Model Railroad Layout’, which is the first of its kind in the country.

MP Adagur H Vishwanath threw the doors of the model railroad layout, which was created by the Mysore Division of the South Western Railway, open to the public here on Friday.

The scale models include six miniature trains – two of which are hauled by vintage steam locomotives – running through tunnels and up the hill with six coaches in each train.

It also has models of Chamundi Hill, K R Circle, KRS Dam, Clock Tower, Philomena’s church and Zoo. The 200 square feet model is housed at the existing Heritage Gallery on Platform One at the Mysore Railway Station.

The layout is lit with 500 LED bulbs and will be in operation with day and night effect.

Beacon of hope

For people of the region, who have been hoping that the Mysore-Bangalore double track and a railway line to Kodagu will come true, the ‘Model Railroad Layout’ could be a beacon of hope. The model has a double track between Mysore and Bangalore and includes the Srirangapatna station. The Madikeri station and railway line passing Kushalanagar has also taken shape on the model.

Speaking on the occasion, senior commercial manager, Mysore division, South Western Railway, Dr Anup Dayanand Sadhu said that the concept was initialised about two years back. Sadhu said that he had come across a similar model at the Science and Technology Museum at Chicago, USA, which had about 160 miniature trains.

Similary, Hamburg in Germany has one of the biggest railroad model layouts, he added. Divisional railway manager, Vinod Kumar, said the Mysore division was aiming to provide better facilities to passengers. He said the division was aiming to bag the most tourist friendly station award this year.

MP Vishwanath urged the railway authorities to convene a meeting with passengers and elected representatives to understand the problems faced by the people.He said, that it would them serve the passengers better.

Promise!

MP Adagur H Vishwanath said that work on the Mysore-Bangalore double track is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. He said a team has already visited to inspect the Tippu’s Armoury at Srirangapatna. Priority is to shift the armoury and complete the work at the earliest, he added.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / DHNS, Mysore / February 17th, 2012

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary – Popular Bird Locations

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary of India is present in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu section in southern Karnataka. It is well-known as one of the essential bird areas of the world and home to unusual and vulnerable bird life. It is propagated across 102 km. The sanctuary is adjacent to Bisle reserve forest to the north and Kukke Subramanya forest range to the west. It is present at a range of 287 km from Bangalore.

The topography is designated by extreme areas with waterfalls along its many hill channels. Numerous swamps are also available in this sanctuary. The altitude of the sanctuary differs from 160 to 1712 m, Pushpagiri peak is the topmost in the northern side. The sanctuary is one of the biggest places of tropical evergreen forests in Karnataka with almost 70% of the sanctuary included with forests. Pushpagiri has dense evergreen and semi-evergreen crops, with shola jungles and grasslands in places of higher level.

Indian Wild Dog, Brown Palm Civet, Indian Large Squirrel, Indian Hare, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Indian Muntjac, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Wild Pig, Large Flying Squirrel, Travancore Flying, Otter species, Stripe-necked mongoose and mouse deer are few of the animal species identified here. Three species of primates identified here are typical langur, bonnet macaque and lion-tailed macaque

Accepted as an Important bird Area the sanctuary has a wealthy variety of untamed birds like the Nilgiri wood-pigeon and Near threatened species like gray-breasted laughing thrush, black and orange flycatcher and Nilgiri flycatcher are discovered in this sanctuary. You can also see wild birds such as the blue-winged parakeet, gray-headed bulbul, Malabar grayish hornbill, white-bellied blue flycatcher and small sunbird. Reptiles generally seen in this sanctuary comprises of typical cobra, Indian mountain python, rat snake, olive keelback, king cobra and bamboo pit viper

How to Reach Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

By Air: Nearest Airport is in Bangalore (260 km) and Mangalore (135 km)
By Rail: Nearest Railway Station is at Mysore (146 km)
By Road: The sanctuary can be reached by road from Mysore via Madikeri (120 km). From Madikeri, the sanctuary is 25 km.

source: http://www.HolidaySeat.com / posted February 15th, 2012

Thimayya home gets due honours

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Uncategorized

It will be turned into a museum; transport dept, current occupant of the Madikeri mansion, has been told to vacate

The state government has finally realised it needs to give a fitting tribute to its war hero, former General of Indian Army, Kodandera Subbayya Thimayya. It has decided to convert his mansion in Madikeri, now housing the transport department, into a museum.

The Kannada and culture department, which has decided to take possession of the house, called ‘Sunny Side’, has given the transport department three months’ time to vacate the premises.

A decision to the effect was taken at a high level meeting of the Kannada and culture department a week ago.

The transport department has been given three months’ time to vacate the mansion
Grant sanctioned
According to sources in the department, the government had decided to declare the mansion as a memorial in 2005 following a letter written by former chief minister Veerappa Moily. The next year, the then finance minister had sanctioned a grant of Rs 1 crore for the purpose.

B Basavaraju, secretary, Kannada and culture department, told Bangalore Mirror, “It’s time we took over the building. Recently, a team of officials from our department visited the house and submitted a report.”

The regional transport office (RTO) will be shifted to a new premises. “Once the RTO shifts out, we will take up restoration work of the house,” he said. The department plans to have a museum displaying articles used by Gen Thimayya and a library comprising war literature aimed at motivating youngsters.

The mansion in Madikeri, spread across 2.6 acres, is the birthplace of the general, who was affectionately called ‘Timmy’ by his Army colleagues.
Sources said the transport department had bought the mansion way back in 1972 for Rs 2 lakh. Though the government housed the Gen Thimayya Memorial Bhavan in the same building a few years ago, it was in poor shape.

Repeated pleas by the people of Kodagu to convert the house into a memorial had gone in vain. “Except for a statue and a road named after him, there’s nothing in Kodagu to remember the great soldier,” said Sachin Bopanna, a resident of Madikeri.

Meanwhile, after a decade, the Army’s Southern Command has chosen Bangalore as the venue for its investiture ceremony, while the armed forces is all geared up for its 64th Army Day celebrations on Sunday.


Driving force
When K S Thimayya was the commander of the 19th infantry division in Jammu & Kashmir, he drew the Pakistani army out of Kashmir valley by personally leading the attack in the forward-most tank.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with then Lt Gen. K S Thimayya, G.O.C-in-C, Southern Command, at the officers’ mess in Pune in 1956.
Thimayya, who was the fourth general of independent India, was born on March 30, 1906 in Madikeri. He studied at Coonoor and Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Boys School before joining the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College in Dehradun. He served the Indian Army between 1957 and 1961.

After his retirement, he was appointed the Commander of UN forces in Cyprus, where he breathed his last.