‘It took me 45 days of continuous work to complete’
The world’s largest coffee painting by Saudi artist Ohud Abdullah Almalki depicting founding fathers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (R) and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in Jeddah | AFP /GUINESS WORLD RECORDS
A Saudi artist became the country’s first woman to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by making the world’s “largest coffee painting”. Ohud Abdullah Almalki used expired coffee to illustrate renowned leaders from the country and the neighbouring UAE in a 220 square metre piece.
“It took me 45 days of continuous work to complete, under the watchful eyes of two witnesses, video recording and drone footage,” Almalki said.
The artwork created on a canvas of seven connected cloths is called Naseej and was created in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Approximately 4.5 kg of expired coffee powder mixed with water was used to create the painting. The edge is done in a traditional Bedouin decoration style known as ‘Al-Sadu’.
“My aim is to remind the world of the centuries-old entente between the two nations,” Almalki said. The painting features the founding fathers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE — the late King Abdul Aziz bin Saud and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan.
In 2015, 8,264 women joined together in Saudi’s Riyadh to form the largest “human awareness ribbon”, to create awareness for breast cancer.
source: http://www.theweek.in / The Week / Home> News> World / by Web Desk / October 19th, 2020
A file photo of the recording of Yakshagana talamaddale Banada Pala in Arebhashe.
A talamaddale, a variant of Yakshagana theatre, recorded for the first time in Arebhashe, a Kannada dialect spoken in parts of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Kasaragod (Kerala), will be available on a social media platform shortly.
Arebhashe is spoken by a section of the Gowda community.
Recorded under the auspices of Karnataka Arebhashe Samskriti and Sahitya Academy, the Banada Pala Prasanga video recorded in Arebhashe will be uploaded on YouTube within the next 10 days, according to chairman of the academy Lakshminarayana Kajegadde. The performance lasts about two hours.
Banada Pala is the translated version of Yakshagana script “Sharasetubandhana” written by late Hattiyangady Rama Bhatta. Yakshagana bhagavatha (singer-cum-director) Bhavyashree Kulkunda has translated it into Arebhashe in the prosody suitable to it.
Mr. Kajegadde told The Hindu that Ms. Kulkunda has translated another script “Panchavati” written by Parthi Subba, considered as the father of Yakshagana, to Arebhashe on behalf of the academy. It is also for the talamaddale performance.
Ms. Kulkunda said that she is now fine tuning its script in Arebhashe in consultation with Ganesh Kolekkadi, an expert on prosody and Yakshagana script writer, and Subraya Sampaje, a Yakshagana bhagavatha. The two had guided her in translating the first script.
Mr. Kajegadde said that Ms. Kulkunda is now translating one more Yakshagana script Kamsa Vadhe written by Matti Vasudeva Prabhu to Arebhase suitable for Yakshagana performance. It is also for the academy.
In addition, the academy will get two more Yakshagana scripts translated into Arebhashe. Of them, one will be for talamaddale and the other for a Yakshagana performance.
Tentatively, it has identified Krishnarjuna Kalaga or Karnavasana scripts suitable for talamaddale and Indrajitu Kalaga as suitable for the Yakshagana performance. The scripts are yet to be finalised.
Thus, Mr. Kajegdde said that the academy will ensure that it had three scripts translated for talamaddale performance and two scripts suitable for performing Yakshagana. It will preserve those scripts and make them available to performers.
Ms. Kulkunda said that finding an appropriate word while translating Kannada Yakshagana songs into Arebhashe is a challenging task. The translation should also match with the Yakshagana prosody. She translated the first script during the lockdown.
The first video production has Kolthige Narayana Gowda, Jabbar Samo Sampaje and Jayananda Sampaje as “arthadaris”. Ms. Kulkunda, Murari Kadambalithaya and Akshay Rao Vitla are the background artistes.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Raviprasad Kamila / Mangaluru – October 19th, 2020
Visitors look at the vast range of antique utensils and other items exhibited from the collection of Ponnacchana Madhu in Madikeri on Friday.
She was speaking after inaugurating the exhibition of antique items from the collection of Ponnacchana Madhu at Coffee Krupa building near Raja Seat in Madikeri on Friday. The exhibition a part of Janapada Dasara, was organised by Taluk Janapada Parishat.
“The items that were used by our ancestors had scientific applications. Some utensils in the older days were designed to improve the health of people. Unfortunately, the young generation is forgetting the significance of the livelihood of their ancestors,” she added.
Zilla Janapada Parishat president B G Anantashayana said that the folklore was close to nature. Folklore is a form of knowledge. But, the modernity has been taking us away from this knowledge, he added.
Taluk Janapada Parishat president Anil H T said that Ponnacchana Madhu, the exhibitor, had collected rare items in the last three years.
These items will be on display till October 26. The work by Madhu and Preethu couple is laudable, he added.
Collector and Exhibitor Ponnacchana Madhu said that he purchased old items in the households, after convincing the elders in the houses. Many tourists have been willing to purchase them from me. However, they are not for sale. The collection began with an old lamp contributed by an old lady called Arifa Munavar, a scrap dealer in Madikeri.
Taluk Janapada Parishat Treasurer Ambekal Navin Kushalappa, Parishat Directors Savita Rakesh and Veenakshi were present.
Exquisite collection
The collection showcases traditional weapons, a 120-year-old mud bowl, an ancient lamp from a temple in Tamilnadu with 84 diyas, puja items, African dolls, bronze items, utensils, coffee grinding machines and so on.
The agricultural equipment are an added attraction.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / by DHNS, Madikeri / October 17th, 2020
Racially the ethnic groups in India have their own problems related to their personal life and security. Of their landed properties, personal freedom to practice their tradition and religion etc. Kodavas of Kodagu district, Karnataka, belong to one such ethnic groups, racially distinct from all other people.
Kodavas (Coorgs as English called them) are living in the hilly terrains nestled in the Western Ghats, a small identifiable geographical area. It has rain forests, mountain peaks and valleys, heavy rainfall, inhabited by wild animals and in the past the curse of epidemic Malaria. Obviously it is well-isolated and also insulated from the neighbouring places and people. As a result, Kodavas came to have their own unique culture and customs as also a language, dialect. They even had their own Gods in Guru Karana (ancestor worship). Naturally, their population is very small with no outsiders immigrating to Kodagu because of its hostile climate.
The Government of India should invoke the provisions of our Constitution and declare this Kodava community as being on the verge of extinction and provide Constitutional protection and guarantee for the preservation of their habitation known as Kodagu and their landed property considering Kodavas as an ethnic minority. Otherwise, in the next 50 or 100 years, Kodavas in Kodagu would be as rare as hen’s teeth! You may see someone dressed in Kodava traditional attire in museums, like we see native Americans (Red Indians) in US museums.
After independence Kodavas have become a minority population in Kodagu with about 1,50,000 Kodavas as against the immigrants and the other natives who number over 4,00,000. As a result, under our democratic system of Government, now Kodavas are politically, economically and socially relegated to oblivion and have become “vanishing” people.
It is not surprising, therefore, a Kodavathi, Mrs. Kaveri Ponnapa, with a Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology from London, chose to write a book, rather prophetically (let God forbid), titled, ‘The Vanishing Kodavas.’ It is a book that provides a treasure of information about Kodavas and their future as an ethnic race. It is a book no Kodava, nor a Democratic Government can ignore. Kodavas were hunters, agriculturists and warriors for centuries. All the Dewans of Kodagu Rajas were Kodavas and after independence Kodava community produced a Field Marshal (K.M. Cariappa), a General (K.S. Thimayya), over 12 Lieutenant Generals, many Fighter Pilots, Air Marshals and Naval Commodores.In the field of IAS and IPS, Sports and Science too, they have distinguished themselves. Mrs. Rathi Vinay Jha IAS, the visionary behind Kodava Heritage Centre, is one among them. Indeed Kodavas are an asset to our country. They should not be allowed to “vanish” from Kodagu.
I am made to ruminate about Kodavas in a way that does not augur well for them, after reading a report in newspapers on 27.9.2020 about a statement made by our Tourism Minister C.T. Ravi (in reply to a question by Congress MLC Veena Achaiah) about the works on ‘Kodava Heritage Centre’ at Vidyanagar near Madikeri, the District Headquarters of Kodagu District and former capital of Kodagu Kingdom and later C. State.
I first came to know of this proposed Centre in Madikeri sometime in the year 2004 while casually discussing with one of the promoters of the Federation of Kodava Samajas (Federation) located on the Kerala border at Balugodu, about 12 kms from Virajpet. The Federation was established in the year 2000-01 and even to this day is asking for money and more money from donors. But what do we have in return? For spending over Rs. 6 crore!? A shed-like Kalyana Mantap!
I gave the idea for the Federation to make it one Umbrella Organisation of all Kodava Samajas and an apex body for Kodavas to debate and discuss all their problems — political, property, cultural etc. — and speak in one voice, as a spokesperson, for all Kodavas. I gave the idea to an enterprising Kodava with many achievements. But the Kodava Federation located on a fault-line, failed in its objectives and purpose without direction. It has nothing to show except the annual jamboree.
As a result what we hear today on social media and at Kodava meetings is a cacophony of different, divisive voices. One group calls Kodavas as tribals and seeks that status under the Constitution; while the other group says no. One early immigrant group claims right over management of rituals in Bhagamandala and Talacauvery, asking Kodavas not to go to these temples wearing Kodava traditional dress. The controversy about inter-caste marriage is also continuing and it must be resolved.
The Jamma land tenure, which to some extent held at least some Kodavas bound to their land in Kodagu, thereby in a small way keeping Kodagu for Kodavas, was outright abolished leading to large-scale immigration of outsiders buying properties. The issue was never discussed in depth in any Kodava body. As a result now we see Kodavas emigrating from Kodagu after selling landed properties (paddy field and coffee plantation) to non-Kodavas who pay higher price. A clear sign of Mrs. Kaveri Ponnapa’s prognosis coming true!
In this world as we see today, the importance of possessing land by a racial group or the people of a particular religion can never be underestimated. No wonder, in Christian Europe and America, Right-liberals and also White-supremacists are dominating the political space nudging immigrant groups.
I remember in 1960s in the Fiji Island, where there was a majority of Indian immigrants who were businessmen and traders as opposed to the local Fijians (I guess earliest immigrants of African origin) who were landowners, there was a political crisis. An Indian origin man won the democratic election and became the Prime Minister. But, soon he was overthrown by a ‘local’ Fijian Brigadier. The reason was that the island-nation should be ruled by the ‘locals’, the land-owners. I thought there is a lesson in this for Kodavas to learn. The day Kodavas cease to be ‘sons of Kodagu soil’ (ªÀÄtÂÚ£À ªÀÄPÀ̼ÀÄ) they will vanish from Kodagu.
I am reminded of what Desmond Tutu, South African Bishop and Nobel Laureate for Peace had said: When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, “Let us close our eyes and pray.” When we opened our eyes, “We had the Bible and they had the land.”
This is what had happened and is happening to Kodavas today after the Jamma land tenure was outright abolished without a thought about the Kodavas of Kodagu. The Kodavas are having money and the immigrants the land!
I guess, Kodavas could have worked to get a variant of Jamma tenure through Amendments etc. But, majority was for its blanket abolition and naturally they should pay the price. Kodagu will soon cease to be their land of identity. Sad. No Kodava voice was raised in the Assembly against the abolition, I am told.
I attended a couple of meetings of the Federation of Kodava Samajas but found myself at large in a huge hall of zinc sheet-roof with about 25 members who are called Directors. The acoustics was so bad that much of what was said must only be guessed. Then once it rained and the meeting was ruined. I had to request the Chairman to adjourn the meeting till the rains abated. Well, by then, it was time for lunch!
Alas, there are so many Kodava Samajas, but not a single well-furnished venue to conduct a meeting in peace, dignity and proper protocol! When the meeting ambience is bad, good people avoid speaking, why, even good ideas do not cross our minds. But I do not think Kodava Federation could now unscramble the egg. We go to the meeting well-dressed in style like Kodavas usually do, but only to sit on a plastic chair kept in disarray in a huge hall!
While I was thus reflecting on the dismal condition of Kodava Federation, I heard of the Kodava Heritage Centre, with a museum, coming up in Madikeri, the place I had insisted for Kodava Federation. This first information came from my friend in Bengaluru, as I mentioned earlier, when I went to meet him as a courtesy. I jumped with joy. He then told me how it came about over a second cup of tea. He was also heartbroken, that the proposed grant from Government of India was lost to his Kodava Federation.
Be that as it may, let me now turn to our lady with a vision Mrs. Rathi Vinay Jha, an IAS Officer and a Kodavathi of Codanda family, who was the Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, New Delhi. She was apparently approached by someone for grant from her Department to the Kodava Federation and she decided to visit the Federation at Balugodu (Virajpet taluk) before releasing the fund. She visited the place, but paid a visit to Lt. Gen. C.G. Somanna (retd.), her uncle, living in Virajpet.
This visit, according to my friend, changed her mind about granting funds to the Federation and instead she came up with the idea of this Kodava Heritage Centre in Madikeri with a Kodava museum. To be built like the traditional Kodava Ainmane (family dwelling with a quadrangle) comprising an auditorium, a library, a museum with artefacts, items of excavation, attire, weapons etc., etc. I hope it will be built that way. Anyway, I said to myself, “Well, God fullfils himself in many ways.” How would the future generation know about the “Vanished Kodavas” otherwise!? For me this is a huge serendipitous happening for “The Vanishing Kodavas.” After all, with the abolition of Jamma land tenure the Kodava Diaspora, like that of Jews, had already begun. I shall now on forget the imaginary usefulness of the Federation for the Kodavas which for all these years of its existence does not have a museum nor a library to show. Yes, an apology of a ‘war memorial’ is built on the border of Kerala that would be seen only by Kodavas who go to the Federation!!
On returning to Delhi, Mrs. Rathi sanctioned about a crore of rupees for the project. Not only this, she ensured that required land is made available for the project in Madikeri itself. It is near the Mahindra Holiday Resorts in Galibeedu. But, it is a paradox that the Federation could not find a place in Madikeri! A reflection on promoters of the Federation and our Kodava politicians. Perish the thought.
Mrs. Rathi, a senior IAS Officer, now retired, is the sister of late Codanda G. Somiah, the legendary IAS Officer during Rajiv Gandhi’s Prime Ministership, who held many high positions including Home Secretary, CVC and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). I had the privilege of knowing him while he was in Bengaluru after retirement and had even spoken to him and published a couple of articles extracted from his book ‘The Honest Always Stand Alone.’
I was craving to see him personally but it was not to be. However, I made it, rather sadly, when he was admitted to the Manipal Hospital. I drove there from Mysuru one day and met him in the ward, his wife attending. I was an intruder. He was on ventilator but on hearing my name, lifted the ventilator to speak. I touched his extended hand. His wife sprang from her seat and warned him and requested me. I was deeply moved by his gesture.
Post Script: About a year back I had the opportunity to meet Air Marshal Kodandera Nanda Cariappa to whom I broached the subject of the stalled Kodava Heritage Centre in Madikeri. My two newspapers wrote a number of articles about it, but sadly nobody bothered. Not even our Kodagu MLAs. It was he who got me in touch with Mrs. Rathi who happened to be in her bungalow in Virajpet. After some time I met her once in the Metropole Hotel with her husband and discussed the Kodava Heritage Centre. I was surprised to hear that she had followed up on the discussion, met the bureaucrats in the Vidhana Soudha etc. By then, of course, she had retired.
Thus is the predicament in which Kodavas are today placed. This Kodava Heritage Centre seems to be the only Centre that will leave the footprints of Kodavas ‘on the sands of time.’ At least for this reason the enlightened Kodavas must be eternally grateful to Mrs. Rathi Vinay Jha IAS and also to Mrs. Veena Achaiah, MLC (for reviving the project which was almost given up).
I doubt if Mrs. Veena Achaiah had not asked the question in the Legislative Council and pursued it with officials, C.T. Ravi, the Tourism Minister, would have taken any interest and the project would have died a natural death.
Anyway, let us hope, Kodava Heritage Centre will soon be a reality. But, my regret is that despite the dismal future, Kodavas have no united apex body to voice their grievances.
Note: Nostalgically Speaking – 11 on ‘Kempaiah IPS: Officer Who Made A Difference’ was published in three parts on Sept. 27, Oct. 4 and Oct. 11 —Ed
e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns> Abracadabra by K.B. Ganapathy / October 13th, 2020
Countdown has already begun for Cauvery Theerthodbhava, which occurs on Tula Sankramana, in Talacauvery on Saturday morning at 7.03 am.
Owing to Covid-19 situation, the district administration has allowed a limited number of people to be physically present during the event. The live telecast of the Theerthodbhava will be streamed on social and electronic media for a larger number of people to witness the event.
Taking a dip in the Theertha pond is prohibited. The holy water emerging out of the Theertha Kundike, will be sprinkled on the people present at the venue. Entry will be given to only those who carry Covid-19 negative certificate.
Entry of vehicles from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery will be allowed only after 6 am.
Inauguration
District In-charge Minister V Somanna inaugurated a new building meant for ‘Mudi’ offering, ‘Pinda Pradana’ and for performing other rituals near Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala.
Virajpet MLA K G Bopaiah, ZP social justice standing committee president Kavita Prabhakar, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, SP Kshama Mishra and others were present. The minister later offered special prayers at Talacauvery. ‘District admin’s move not right’
MLC Veena Achaiah objected to the move of the district administration to impose ban on the entry of devotees into Talacauvery on the occasion of Theerthodbhava.
“This is a sensitive issue. Devotees wait for Theerthodbhava with which they have emotional attachment. It is not right on the part of the district administration to hurt the feelings of people, under the pretext of Covid-19.”
The MLC said that the district adminstration should have prevented the entry of tourists into the district, 15 days ago, if it wanted to reduce the crowd.
“The opinion of the local elected representatives was also not elicited by the DC before issuing the order. It is not appropriate to pass the order in the last minute,” she added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Top Karnataka Stories / by DHNS, Madikeri – October 17th, 2020
The furore over Tanishq’s new commercial has advertising professionals wondering about their creative freedom and safety in the field.
Illustration: tapas ranjan
Bengaluru :
A Muslim mother-in-law, a baby shower, an expectant Hindu daughter-in-law. These were the simple elements in jewellery brand Tanishq’s commercial for their latest jewellery line, aptly named Ekatvam. But what was meant to be a heartwarming display of oneness landed in troubled waters when enraged netizens promptly proclaimed the video a promotion of ‘Love Jihad’.
Many in the advertising fraternity, however, are still trying to figure out what was so controversial about the ad. Joyeeta Patpatia, the director of the Tanishq video ad, has known all along that advertisements have been conversation starters, but she never anticipated that the new campaign would blow up to this extent. Mumbai-based Patpatia, who has directed commercial videos for brands like HP, Britannia, Ikea, etc in her 15-year career so far, tells CE that this is her first experience with such an issue. “The story is about two women, where in the backdrop is the religion. But that the religion part will be blown up is something I had never expected,” says Patpatia, who has even been getting threats over the ad.
This kind of hate (one of the brand’s stores in Gujarat also received threats over the ad) has only left advertising professionals stressed about the safety of their field. For instance, Nilma Dileepan, founder of city-based Yellow Umbrella Production, who has been making ad films for 10 years, says, “I am scared because if I make a video on interfaith marriage or same sex relationships, people might come to my house to pelt stones at it.
Thoughts like this take away your creative freedom as an individual,” adds Dileepan. Though she has not encountered any controversy about her work, Dileepan has been trolled after her wedding. With a Malayali and Kodagu lineage, Dileepan wore a traditional saree from Kerala in a Kodagu fashion. This, in addition to, incorporating some Kannadiga traditions since she was marrying a Kannadiga. “My friends told me that my wedding video was trending in Kodagu. People thought I was destroying their culture,” says Dileepan.
While one might think that making a commercial video is a fun job, Vidyaa B Reddy says it’s about finding a balance. “Although we follow the brief by the clients, it is important to take care of people’s opinions so that it does not upset different communities,” says Reddy, founder of Kettle Studios. Patpatia, however, talks about how the ad has also received a huge amount of love. “Many have even come up with different caricatures of characters,” she says.
heart to heart The controversy has sparked debates about whether the video would get the same reaction had the religions of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law been swapped. Ex-model and transformation coach Tamanna Pasha, who was brought up by a Hindu mother and Muslim father, questions the same. “Aside from irritating those who are against interfaith marriage, the video also challanges the perception that the mother-in-law has to be evil.
The video was heart-warming but a segment of people, especially those with non-secular beliefs, have a lot of time to troll,” says Pasha, who is married to event manager Rafiushan Pasha. She adds, “I feel blessed to celebrate Diwali with my mother and Eid with my in-laws. Now people are more accepting. But the way my parents handled it during their time was incredible.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Monika Monalisa / Express News Service / October 15th, 2020
Chammatira Praveen Uthappa unanimously elected President
Virajpet:
Chammatira Praveen Uthappa has been unanimously elected as the President of the newly-formed Akhila Kodava Samaja Youth Wing.
This was announced by Akhila Kodava Samaja President Mathanda Monnappa at the General Body Meeting of the Samaja held at the Samaja Auditorium in Virajpet on Saturday.
Addressing the meeting, Monnappa said that the Youth Wing has been entrusted with the responsibility of moulding the younger generation of the community on the lines of Kodava culture and customs. Pointing out that youths are the assets of the country, he said it is important to attract them towards Kodava culture and traditions.
Noting that handing over power to younger generation may bring about winds of change in administration, Monnappa said that the Youth Wing was to be launched six months ago but it got delayed due to the outbreak of deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Asserting that Akhila Kodava Samaja will not interfere in the affairs of the Youth Wing, he said that, however, the Wing should progress under the guidance of senior community leaders and work towards the betterment of the youths.
Newly-elected Youth Wing President Chammatira Praveen Uthappa, in his address, said that the Wing will work towards harmonious living with members of all other communities. Maintaining that the Youth Wing will strive towards taking all Kodava speaking people along with it, he said that all differences that have arisen between communities due to misunderstandings will be sorted out in the coming days.
Asserting that Kodagu is a land of peace and harmony, Uthappa contended that Kodagu had never witnessed caste clashes before. But now, caste conflicts have surfaced because of vested interests who are out to disturb peace in the otherwise quiet hilly district, he said.
Maintaining that Kodavas do not want caste or community conflicts in their homeland, he warned that, however, Kodavas cannot remain silent when their roots get attacked by vested interests or communal elements.
Stating that the Youth Wing was for resolving local issues by bringing all communities under a single platform, Uthappa cautioned that at the same time, Kodavas will not remain silent spectators if their traditions and customs are threatened.
Office-bearers
The following were elected as office-bearers of Akhila Kodava Samaja Youth Wing: Annira Harish Madappa – Vice-President; Ajjikuttira Prithvi Subbaiah – Organising Secretary; Sannuvanda Darshan Kaverappa – General Secretary; Appanderanda Devaiah- Joint Secretary; Cheriyapanda Vishu Kalappa – Treasurer; Dr.Mullengada Revathi Poovaiah – Advisor.
The Youth Wing Membership drive will begin soon after the formation of a full-fledged Managing Committee.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 11th, 2020
The film won the best short film award in the Karnataka competition section of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2020
Set in Kodagu or Coorg, Karnataka, Priya Belliappa’s short film explores the lives of migrant labourers who come from across the country to work on coffee plantations.
A young man from a poor family in Kodagu, Kalappa (Avinash Muddappa) is one of the many educated unemployed Indians vying for just a handful of jobs. Despite having a doctorate, he finds that life in the city is not as lucrative as he had imagined and decides to join the workers on the coffee estates.
He meets Tabu (Geetanjali Thapa), a migrant worker from Assam who has travelled over 2,000 miles from her home to find a means of livelihood in the estates. But her name has not been included in the updated draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The film was conceptualised by Belliappa when she saw the influx of people travelling from Assam to work on the estates for a couple of months during the coffee season. The lives of the labourers who uproot themselves and their entire family for a few months for work made her curious, and the political and economic issues in the country formed the backdrop against which her story plays out.
Belliappa said, “The film is questioning a lot of things and these are questions that I do not have answers to but they nag me.”
The layered film questions lines and borders that define country, religion, language and caste; lines that become blurred in the struggle of life.
Speaking about how much of the film was shaped by the debates around the NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), she said, “The film was shot before the NRC and CAA became a national debate. It was not a topic that everyone really knew about. If you look at the larger picture [in the film], it’s about belonging…I also put in the idea that boundaries and borders are imaginary lines for states or districts, and you sit back and you think about questions of humanity.”
The character of the young man too is a reflection of the status of youth in the country, who are increasingly finding themselves with a bagful of degrees but no jobs and was shaped by a newspaper article that reported that people who with a PhD degree were standing in line for a peon’s job. The filmmaker wondered, “It really hit me hard because everything grows up thinking that if they get a certain education, they are guaranteed a certain job…but we look at what is the education system today where you cannot assure somebody who has done a PhD a job…Everybody needs a certain income to survive, but if it [education] cannot guarantee you a job, what is it that one needs?”
The short film format allowed the filmmaker to delve into certain spaces with greater creative freedom and she said, “The reason that I made this into a short film was that I did not want to be bogged down by the commercial aspects of it. When you make a feature film, you need to think much more about economic aspects like what is going to happen to the film, how are you going to get the money back…So I chose to go with a short as it would give me a certain creative freedom to explore this subject in the way that I wanted using the silences and the spaces that I create. In a short film, you can use your creative freedom with a lot fewer restrictions as opposed to a feature.”
The film won the Best Short Film Award in the Karnataka competition section of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) 2020. Responding to the recognition that the film has received the filmmaker said, “As a creative person, I want there to be a conversation [about this] and I hope that it reaches as many people as possible…if somebody thinks about this [the film], it’s good enough for me.”
She added, “The world over, there is a conversation about migrants moving, working…and we need to address it.”
Belliappa is planning to develop Frayed Lines into a feature.
source: http://www.cinestaan.com / Cinestaan / Home> Interview / by Sukhpreet Kahlon / New Delhi – October 08th, 2020
Puttanna Kanagal cast Jagadish as the lead in ‘Phalitamsha’ even though he had no prior experience in acting.
After the first few days of shoot of Phalitamsha, he wanted to give up
Filmmaker Jai Jagadish had no background in films or interest in it during his childhood. He belonged to a family, where his father, a farmer, insisted on Jagadish becoming a double graduate.
Puttanna Kanagal cast Jagadish as the lead in ‘Phalitamsha’ even though he had no prior experience in acting. Filmmaker Jai Jagadish had no background in films or interest…
Childhood and films
Hailing from Somwarpet taluk, Kodagu, he belonged to a family of coffee, pepper, cardamom and paddy growers. “My family consisted of five daughters and two sons. My father was a farmer.”
The filmmaker studied at the government school nearby. “I was a naughty child and uncontrollable, so I was sent to study in Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysuru.” Jagadish’s father insisted on him becoming a double graduate. He did his BA from St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru.
Jagadish never acted in a drama, and never thought of acting in films. “Cinema was not my cup of coffee. My friend, Manjappa, a college leader from Maharaja’s College asked me if I would act in a Puttanna Kanagal’s film, if he got me the role. I was amused by the idea and I challenged him to find me a role,” he says.
Jagadish had read in film magazines that no actor had been finalised for ‘Phalitamsha’. In a couple of days, he got a call for the role, against four heroines. “I said I wasn’t going to act in it. My friends tried to convince me. I told them that I had other intentions and want to start my own business,” he says.
Even so, he went to Bengaluru, to meet Puttanna Kanagal. “I was asked if I knew anything about acting and I immediately responded that I didn’t. My looks and physique came in my favour, I was offered the role. I was shocked.”
Jagadish was told to leave to Badami and join the shoot immediately, but he insisted on informing his family. “I made a lightning call to my father. I knew he wouldn’t agree, and as expected after I called and explained, expletives followed. In the corner of mind, I knew I shouldn’t let go off the opportunity so I went for it,” he says.
After a few days of shoot, he wanted to give up. “I had only one lungi and a toothbrush on me and I decided to flee from the sets. Kitty, Kanagal’s wife’s brother, saw me from a distance and asked me what I was doing, he told me to rethink and give best shot at acting,” Jagadish says.
Jagadish’s first film released in a grand manner but didn’t do well. “In ‘Phalitamsha’, some shots were taken at the flying training school, Jakkur. The principal of the school, Patil, was impressed by me and I spoke about my interest in flying. A year later, I met him on M G Road and he told me to meet him at the school next day,” he says.
Jagadish was asked to do some medical checkups and joined the school. He studied for almost two-and-a-half years, while he waited for acting roles. “S Siddalingaiah called me and asked me to play the role of Vishnuvardhan’s brother’s role in ‘Biligiriya Banadalli’,” he says.
The role with dark shades, created a new turn in his career. “Directors were looking for a young villain, which led me to many other films.”
He was soon seen in films like ‘Bandana’, ‘Paduvarahalli Pandavaru’, ‘Daranimandala’ and ‘Parajitha’
He has worked with different actors like Vishnuvardhan, Srinath, Rajkumar (in Guri), Puneeth Rajkumar. Ravi Chandran. “I’ve worked with maximum films with Vishuvardhan, he was my favourite hero and a good friend. I’ve acted with films in Ambareesh to…
Planter now
Jai Jagadish has an estate in Kodagu, and he calls himself a planter and farmer now. “This is my work now. I have decided to stay away from filmmaking as I won’t be able to withstand the losses now,” he says.
Demonetisation soaked the spirit of filmmaking off him. “Most people decided to not invest into films. After ‘Yaana’ that was directed by my wife and starred daughters Vainidhi, Vaibhavi and Vaisiri, didn’t do as expected in the box office, I decided to stay awayfrom production,” he adds.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment> Entertainment News / by Tini Sara Anien / DHNS / October 04th, 2020
Ancient abode: The ancestral house of Mukkatira Ipanna, the sharpshooter, in Nalvathoklu village in Kodagu. Photo by Boverianda Chinnappa
Mukkatira Aiyappa of Bonda village in Kodagu had three sons: Muddayya, Ipanna and Bopayya. Muddayya became a Munshi (clerk) in the Diwan Kacheri (minister’s office). Linga Raja II was the ruler of Kodagu at that time. With his first queen, a lady from the Chowrira family, he had a son Chikka Vira Raja. His second queen, Palanganda Devaki, was his Pattada Rani (chief queen). They had two daughters Muddammaji and Devammaji.
In 1816, Linga Raja was on a hunt in Murnad, Kodagu. He was accompanied by Muddayya when they came across Ipanna. Linga Raja challenged him to shoot a bird off a bison’s back as he was a famed sharpshooter. The bison was at a long distance and a gunhad to be used. Ipanna shot it and impressed the Raja who summoned him to the court the next day.
The next day, Ipanna went to the court dressed in a white Kuppya (traditional coat). The Raja asked him the significance of the colour of his costume. Without any hesitation, he replied that a Kodava normally wore a white Kuppya on two occasions — in his wedding and then during his funeral. Those days, rarely one spoke boldly in front of the Raja. But the Raja was not displeased. Instead he surprised all by saying that he would get his elder daughter Muddammaji married to Ipanna.
Ipanna was converted into a Lingayat, since the Raja was one. Ipanna was given a new name, Chenna Basavappa. Muddammaji and Chenna Basavappa were married and gifted a farm. But Muddammaji fell sick frequently. So, this farm was exchanged with another farm which belonged to the Raja’s relatives in Appangala. However, Muddammaji died within two years after her marriage. The Raja then got his younger daughter Devammaji married to Chenna Basavappa in 1819.
In 1820, Linga Raja died. His queen Devaki committed suicide by consuming diamond dust. Chikka Vira Raja became the Raja. Chenna Basavappa and a few others were discontent with his rule. So they schemed to have him ousted. They failed in their in their endeavour and Chikka Vira Raja came to know of it. Chenna Basavappa and Devammaji were kept under house arrest.
In 1832, Chikka Vira Raja planned to have Chenna Basavappa executed. Devammaji and Chenna Basavappa learnt of this. On Shivarathri, they drugged the guards and escaped from Appangala on horseback. They crossed the borders of Kodagu and reached Mysore , where they headed to the house of the British Resident Casamajor and sought refuge. Meanwhile, the couple’s one-and-a-half-year-old son fell into the hands of the Raja’s men and was handed over to the Raja whose queen took care of him.
Muddayya was an intelligent and respected man. He had been promoted to become the Raja’s Khas Munshi (chief accountant). A favourite of the Raja, he was deemed to be a future Diwan. When Chikka Vira Raja first heard of Chenna Basavappa’s escape he got angry with Muddayya who was his elder brother. He then beat him up. His Diwan, Kunta Basava, got Muddayya executed. But, in truth, Muddayya was not aware of his brother’s plans.
Chikka Vira Raja demanded that the two fugitives should be handed over to him. But Casamajor forwarded this matter to the British East India Company Government. In 1833, the Government declared that the couple should not be surrendered to the Raja. Chenna Basavappa and Devammaji were moved to Bangalore and were given a pension. Chikka Vira Raja schemed with Nanda Lal Bharthi, a merchant from Mysore, to have Chenna Basavappa murdered. But these attempts failed.
In 1834, the Company invaded Kodagu. The Raja surrendered to the British and was exiled. Chenna Basavappa and Devammaji returned to Kodagu. Their Appangala farm was returned to them. Chenna Basavappa assumed the title of ‘Arasu’ (king). He petitioned the Company to provide him with one of the other palaces of the Raja. He also wanted the former Raja’s farm at Nanjarajapatna and be placed in charge of the Gaddige (the Rajas’ mausoleum). But the Company didn’t agree to this. Chenna Basavappa died in 1868.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Statescan / b y Mookonda Kushalappa / July 06th, 2019
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