Category Archives: Green Initiatives / Environment

Meet Brijesh Kalappa-The Man behind Karnataka’s Victory in the Cauvery Case

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Records, All

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The Supreme Court delivered its historic verdict on Friday that the state of Karnataka will get 14.75 TMC or thousand million cubic feet more water, in addition to the 270 TMC awarded by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 2007. The Cauvery water sharing dispute has been a bone of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since the time of the British Raj.

This verdict is a clear victory for the poll bound Karnataka. However, Karnataka’s victory is mainly credited to Brijesh Kalappa who quit his cabinet rank post for the case.

Brijesh Kalappa is an advocate in the Supreme Court and Former Additional Advocate General, Haryana. He is an alumnus of the National Law School of India University and has also been a Legal Advisor to the Government of Karnataka (with the rank of Minister of State.) He has a sustained interest in public affairs even from his student years. He is a former journalist and has a wide range of interests including reading and travelling. On the professional front, he has worked with several legal luminaries on subjects of importance in civil, criminal, water and electoral laws and has individually represented governments, eminent individuals and major industrial houses. He is gifted with the prowess for distinctive sharp-edged analysis and has the advantage of surmounting well accepted beliefs by his inquiring nature. He is also the spokesperson of the Indian National Congress.

As a Legal Adviser, Kalappa could not appear on behalf of the State of Karnataka. The Cauvery Water Dispute had been very close to his heart, more so since he hailed from Kodagu. Thus he expressed his desire to re-join legal practice in order to continue to appear for the State of Karnataka when the prospect of the final hearing in the Cauvery Dispute before the Supreme Court loomed. The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah understood its significance, since he belonged to the basin area of the Cauvery River and thereby consented. Kalappa therefore resigned from the position of Legal Adviser to the Government of Karnataka/Chief Minister and re-entered the legal team that he was a part of for a decade and a half.

Kalappa had written a detailed post sharing his experience of appearing in the Cauvery case

In this interview, Kalappa has an exclusive chat with The Indian Jurist regarding the latest victory of Karnataka in Cauvery River dispute and his all over experience throughout the case.

The Indian Jurist: Sir, First of all Congratulations for the victory in the Cauvery Judgment. To begin with- you quit your position as the cabinet minister to concentrate on this case. So what exactly gave you the courage and the motivation to do so?

Brijesh Kalappa: In 2007, when the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal award has come, at that time I was very much a lawyer and then I had also prepared the SLP and had worked in regard to the Cauvery case. From 2007 onwards we kept waiting that the Supreme Court will hear the matter and finally when the Supreme Court actually decided to hear the matter on a day-to-day basis in 2017, ten years later, I had been by then appointed as legal advisor to the Chief Minister of Karnataka and Mr.Siddaramaiah was kind enough to have conferred me the rank of minister so at that time my first instinct was that we should succeed in Cauvery just like we had succeeded in Krishna earlier. I was the Advocate on Record for the State of Karnataka in the Krishna Water Disputes, where Karnataka was the beneficiary of the greatest possible award of 524.256 m for the Almatti Dam and enhanced share of the share of Karnataka from 734 to 910 Tmc.

TIJ: Though there has been a reduction in the share of Tamil Nadu but now Karnataka is obligated to release a monthly share. So this in turn does benefit Tamil Nadu and is not complete loss for the state?

BK: No, certainly it is not a loss for Tamil Nadu and I would actually look at it this way that as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, it is important only if they have a workable order- doesn’t matter if they receive 500 TMC from Karnataka every year. But if Karnataka has refused to give them 500Tmc and they are running to Court every year then what is the joy of having an order like that. It should be a workable order. If it doesn’t work then there is no point. Tamil Nadu will also not enjoy the sweet success of having an order which isn’t going to be implemented. The thing which is important is to have something which is implementable.

TIJ: In one of the media interactions with the reporters at Vidhan Soudha, Karnataka Chief Minister Mr.Siddaramaiah stated that the verdict was not in full accordance with the plea and only some relief had been sought. So are you satisfied with the judgment?

BK: As far as the complete requirements are concerned they are certainly not fulfilled. One can see straight off that Karnataka people could have had much more. But I think there has to be a sense of give and take. We also have a sense that this is final because after the Supreme Court where else can you appeal? You can only go to God next.

TIJ: The major grouse of Karnataka was that the farmers in the Cauvery basin were restricted by curbs on the water usage. So how far this judgment would be beneficial for the farmers now?

BK: The victory is straightaway for farmers. About a lakh and half farmers are going to be benefitted straightaway and as far as the Bengaluru city is concerned, I think the needs of Bengaluru city, which was considered as of the most unlivable city after Cape Town (South Africa), that will finally be resolved.

TIJ: So how has been your experience throughout the entire case these years? You might have been receiving both brickbats and bouquets as well in the case?

BK: See, when you appear in a case like this, a daily assessment is made about your performance. The Cauvery Case is not about the final order, like as if it were to happen in a single day, For instance whenever there is distress, fate is ours to release say maybe 15 cu ft or 20 cu ft of water, many people don’t understand the outcome or implications of this, they would immediately say that the legal team have totally failed us and then there will be burning of effigies and people sending us very vicious WhatsApp messages and people making very horrible comments and mainly these people have lived of the state for so long but what they forget that this is an ongoing case and it is going on, at least as far as I am concerned, for a decade and a half. Suppose they say look Rs 1 Crore has been given to “X” lawyer then public says ‘look at this lawyer they have received such a huge amount’. But 1 Crore rupees over 15 years is nothing or 2 crore rupees a year means nothing because once you are living in Delhi, the living standards are very high there and how much a lawyer earns is very high. So in comparison to all of that what you are actually earning is probably less than a techie who is working in a top software firm. But people will say, “No-No Look at the kind of money these guys are making”. So this is the kind of campaign which really hurts you. But the overall point is that there must be satisfaction in what you do and satisfaction comes from within. So once you understand that this all blaming is just people’s frustration then you are okay with it. Even the normal client, when fails to get justice, he will always blame the lawyer and he will not say anything against the judge or anyone else. So we think of it in that sense. I have personally received both brickbats and bouquets during these years. I have endeavored to treat both with equanimity. This is actually what Lord Buddha says. There is much more to do, miles to go before we sleep. Threats to our environment ought to be thwarted, greater concern for water usage implemented and selfish concerns repelled.

TIJ: So finally this landmark judgment has held that a river is no one’s exclusive property; it is a national property and not a state owned. Will this judgment become a basis for all the other water disputes as well?

BK: This is indeed a wonderful law which has been laid down by the Supreme Court because the previous law had always been laid down under a reference for under such circumstances. So this is a particular law in regard to equitable apportionment which has been now laid down and it’s of course a high point as far as the law in regard to equitable apportionment is concerned. And further, everybody will certainly look at this judgment for all times to come.

source: http://www.theindianjurist.com / The Indian Jurist / Home / by Naazish Fatima / February 19th, 2018

Brewing higher profits and saving birds on the farm

Agriculture, Coffee News, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
A velvet-fronted-Nuthatch in a plantation.
A velvet-fronted-Nuthatch in a plantation.

Arabica coffee helps both farmers and wild birds in the Ghats.

Coffee lovers may be discerning about their sweet arabica brews and the bolder robusta ones, but both types help maintain the diversity of wild birds in the Western Ghats. One, a little more than the other.

Arabica grows under the deep shade of native trees, with benefits for both farmers and birds. The surprise is that Robusta, also grown under native shade, is not far behind in the Ghats, unlike in other parts of the world.

These insights from a group of researchers were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Native trees are cut down to grow robusta, in order to give it more sunlight, earning this coffee the tag of being inhospitable to wildlife. In Vietnam, for instance, full-sun coffee growth occurred at the expense of native trees. India too has leaned towards robusta: between 1950 and 2015, planted area under robusta grew by 840% while arabica grew by 327%.

Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS-India) and USA’s Princeton University compared bird diversity in 61 arabica and robusta estates across Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts in Karnataka.

Some surprises

What they found is that the plantations supported 79 species of forest-dependent birds in all, but arabica estates hosted twice the number of endemic birds than robusta. They also supported more birds that depend on forests, and eat fruits, insects and other food. Interviews with 344 coffee-growers showed that arabica was more profitable, with returns of around ₹1 lakh per hectare.

Yet, surprisingly, robusta plantations also hosted high bird diversity. “To our surprise, robusta agroforests had much higher diversity of birds that are specifically adapted to the habitat than we expected,” says scientist Krithi Karanth of WCS-India, who led the study.

Since robusta farmers in the Western Ghats retain native trees, they have been able to preserve the complex canopy structure, setting them apart from others worldwide, says Ms. Karanth.

“Though the current selling rate for robusta is only around ₹3,000 for a 50-kg-bag, it is easier to grow,” explains Suresh M. D., who owns a one-acre coffee plantation of both coffee types.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Environment / by Aathira Perinchery / Kochi – February 16th, 2018

Mahouts, kavadis felicitated for their services

Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Sports
Mahout Vasantha and Gundu and kavadis Jaibal and Ravi being felicitated by retired secretary for forests A C Lakshmana and his wife Savithri at Mathigodu Elephant Camp, in Virajpet taluk, Kodagu district, on Wednesday. ACF S R Prasanna Kumar, RFO Y K Kiran Kumar and veterinarian Dr Mujeeb ur Rehman are seen.
Mahout Vasantha and Gundu and kavadis Jaibal and Ravi being felicitated by retired secretary for forests A C Lakshmana and his wife Savithri at Mathigodu Elephant Camp, in Virajpet taluk, Kodagu district, on Wednesday. ACF S R Prasanna Kumar, RFO Y K Kiran Kumar and veterinarian Dr Mujeeb ur Rehman are seen.

In recognition of their services, mahouts Vasantha and Gundu and kavadis Jaibal and Ravi were felicitated by retired secretary for forests A C Lakshmana at Mathigodu Elephant Camp in Virajpet taluk, under Nagarhole National Park, on Wednesday.

It has to be recalled that Jaibal and Ravi, caretakers of elephant Drona, successfully took part in the operation to rescue a rogue elephant at Nagavara in Alur taluk, Hassan district, recently. Another elephant, Gopalaswamy, from Veeranahosahalli camp had taken part in the operation.

Jaibal and Ravi could complete the operation even though Drona was attacked by the rogue elephant, which was in ‘mast’. “Drona was injured but he recovered in a few minutes and joined Gopalaswamy to complete the operation,” Jaibal said.

Vasantha is the mahout of Abhimanyu, the star trouble shooter. Vasantha said, “Abhimanyu has taken part in 30 operations to rescue rogue elephants in Hassan district alone. He has taken part in various elephant rescue operations across India whenever there was a man-animal conflict. Besides, he was instrumental in rescuing seven tigers. When my father Sanappa was his mahout, Drona had rescued 12 elephants in Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

Assistant Conservator of Forests S R Prasanna Kumar said Vasantha was also on a 10-day tour to Indonesia, along with Nayaz from Dubare camp, to train the elephant caretakers in that country.

A C Lakshmana said that elephants are the most intelligent animals on earth and their caretakers understand them well and train them accordingly. “The services of the elephant caretakers to the Forest department in tackling man-animal conflict and in conserving the nature is commendable. They work under adverse conditions. So, it is our responsibility to recognise their services,” he said.

He said that even though there is a general feeling among the people that ‘kheda’ (operation of rescuing elephants) has been stopped, only ‘kheda’ as a sport has been stopped. “The last kheda as sport was held at Kakanakote forest in 1972, and in 1962, even then President Rajendra Prasad was witness to ‘kheda’. However, all rescue operations of elephants, during man-animal conflict, are similar to ‘kheda’. Now, the officials have the option to use tranquilisers in case the operation becomes difficult,” he said.

Range Forest Officer Y K Kiran Kumar said, till recently, there were 38 elephants in Mathigodu camp, but four of them have been given to Chhattisgarh while another four have been shifted to nearby camps, where availability of fodder is adequate.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Mysuru / February 14th, 2018

Awareness programme on forest fire

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
An awareness rally on forest fire was held in Gonikoppa.
An awareness rally on forest fire was held in Gonikoppa.

A forest fire is not a natural incident. There are always human hands behind the accident, said Wildlife First president K M Chinnappa.

He was speaking during the flagging-off of an awareness rally conducted by Wildlife First and the Aided High School at Gonikoppa to create awareness against forest fires.

Negative impact

“A forest fire not only results in the loss of valuable flora and fauna but also increases the temperature levels. This will further result in less rainfall and depletion of groundwater level. The amount of rainfall is diminishing year by year as the forest cover is depleting. If this continues, drought will be the most common phenomena,” Chinnappa said.

Dependence on forests

Inaugurating the rally, Titimati Assistant Conservator of Forests Sripati said that the existence of all organisms depends on the existence of forests. “Everyone should, therefore, extend their help towards preserving forests and wildlife,” he added.

Around 3,000 handbills on forest conservation were distributed among citizens on the occasion. Up to 50 students took out a procession and raised slogans on conservation of forests.

Science teacher and Tiger Pug Nature association coordinator D Krishna Chaitanya was present on the occasion.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Gonikoppa / February 05th, 2018

A 270-km cycle trip to save Cauvery

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Sports

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The skies are not opening up as expected and the state is likely to witness drinking water crisis next summer. In an attempt to protect the environment and raise awareness, especially about the Cauvery catchment area, two cyclists Ashish Muthappa, a second-year interior design student at Jain University in Bengaluru, and his friend Chengappa Chekkara, an HR consultant, also based in Bengaluru, will cycle from Bengaluru to Virajpete on August 12.

Muthappa told BM, “Cauvery is the lifeline of South India. It provides water to over 80 million people and 600 major industries across the region. The food, water and economic security of southern India depend largely on Cauvery. Trees were axed for a high-tension power line from Mysuru to Kozhikode in Kerala. There is a proposal to expand the railway network and four-laning of national highways through Kodagu. The weather is already changing and it is becoming humid. The projects will indeed cause large scale destruction of several thousands of precious trees that guard the Cauvery catchment area. Do we really need this development at the cost of water?”

In the past, the duo participated in several cycle expeditions in Bengaluru city for a cause. Ashish said,”“We hope to leave Bengaluru at about 1am so that we reach Mandya early in the morning. We are looking forward to interacting with farmer groups there. We hope to video-record our interactions with famers. We are approaching cyclists in Mysuru. Cyclists from Coorg are expected to join us in Mysuru, Gonikoppa and Virajpete were the expedition ends, “he said.

Cycling 270 km to protect the catchment area is just the beginning. “We would like to spread more awareness on environment degradation by cycling through the Western Ghats stretch soon. When we observe the Cauvery catchment area, we have noticed that massive deforestation is taking place and no afforestation,” they said.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / August 02nd, 2017

Karnataka halts Kerala in its tracks, saves Kodagu

About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Science & Technology

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Says it has not approved the Thalassery-Mysuru rail link

A burgeoning environment movement across Kodagu was put to halt — albeit breifly — by the state government on Wednesday.

Putting an end to the rising levels of anxiety among thousands of Kodavas and green activists, the state government clarified that it has not approved the controversial rail link connecting Thalassery (Kerala) with Mysuru (Karnataka) via Kodagu. Further, the state government clarified that it would not even allow preparation of detailed project report (DPAR) for the proposed rail link as the project would jeopardise the fragile ecosystem of the pristine Western Ghats.

Allaying the fears of thousands of people, RV Deshpande, Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries and Infrastructure, told the state legislature that the government expressed its opposition for the project. Drawing the attention of the state government, BJP MLA from Virajpet KG Bopaiah alleged that both Karnataka and Kerala already met once and agreed to carry out survey for the proposed rail link amidst stiff opposition from the local population.

Deshpande acknowledged that a meeting between secretaries of Karnataka and Kerala did take place recently, however, the Karnataka government had not consented for the project. “Holding a meeting does not ensure our approval for the project. We have not consented for the rail link project. Further, the project is yet to be approved by the Railway Board and thereafter a formal request has to be made by the Kerala government. Only then, we will be able to take a decision,” Deshpande revealed.

Going further, Deshpande stated, “We already had discussion about the project at government level. Our forest department has not only expressed reservations but also opposed the project as it would jeopardise the green cover and affect elephant corridor through which the rail link passes. Hence, the state government in principle has not consented for the project.” According to Bopaiah, as per the Railway minister’s reply in the Lok Sabha in December 2017, a joint meeting between Kerala and Karnataka secretaries had resolved to take up survey along the route only if the Kerala government submits a proposal to Karnataka provided it does not cause disturbance to wildlife areas. Interestingly, the rail link spanning more than 200 km would pass through Wyanad of Kerala and enter Kodagu at Kutta to pass through thick forest regions like Balele-Nittor-Canoor and Thithimati to reach Mysuru.

Perturbed that the new railway line with a project cost of Rs 6,685 cr would result in clearing of about 40 per cent of Kodagu’s forest, Kodavas, including retired defence officials, planters, environmentalists and public had staged massive protest rallies recently at Kutta and Madikeri. Fighting against the projects that would spell doom over the fragile eco-system of Kodagu where the River Cauvery originates, people from Kodagu, Mysuru and Bengaluru had launched Save Kodagu and Cauvery campaign led by Coorg Wildlife Society. Col (Rtd) Muthanna had even accused Kerala political leaders, including Congress parliamentarian KC Venugopal, of misusing his office as the Congress in-charge in Karnataka by leading Kerala delegations to push for destructive projects cutting through Kodagu benefiting Kerala.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> States / by Niranjan Kaggere, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 08th, 2018

Don’t make a killing

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Nri's / Pio's

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A documentary film about the elephant-man conflict in Karnataka posits that solutions to loss of life due to elephant attacks can only come through co-existence. Not everybody agrees, though. We look for some answers.

There is a moment in Elephants in the Coffee when Naveen Cariappa (his family has farmed an area in Coorg for more than three generations) talks about how media, officials and conservationists rush to the site of an elephant death, but remain silent when a coffee plantation worker is killed as a result of conflict with the very same elephants. The lament encapsulates the kernel of the 58-minute documentary – that the solution to such man-elephant conflict lies not in taking sides, but in pursuing solutions that encourage a peaceful co-existence between both parties.

Created by author, documentary filmmaker and cultural explorer Bhaskar Krishnamurthy and journalist-turned-educator Tom Grant, Elephants in the Coffee looks at the fragile relationship between elephants and humans, and has been shot mainly around Nagarahole National Park and the coffee estates skirting it.

Krishnamurthy, who was in the city for the screening (he is based in the US) says this, his first film on the subject, was born out of a desire to understand what happens as human population grows and elephant habitat shrinks. “Are we at the threshold of cutting our relationship with animals? The more plantation workers die as a result of this conflict, the more tolerance for wildlife is going to reduce. And that doesn’t bode well,” he says. Grant adds: “Cariappa represented an important duality, or internal conflict, among farmers. He loved elephants and nature. He worked with people in the national park to help improve the situation for elephants. But when they began destroying his crops and threatening his workers, he had to seek solutions. He found no reasonable measures by which he, as a small farmer, could protect his farm from crop raiding elephants. In our minds, he is a symbol of the Indian farmer who is being forced to change his attitude toward an animal he once saw as a benevolent god. Now he, as many others, see the elephant as a menace that must be addressed.”

There are others. PC Bopanna, a farmer describes how he survived after an elephant pelted him to the ground, but today, hobbles along on a crutch, his leg badly damaged in the incident, even multiple surgeries later.

Then there is the other side – of elephants losing their habitat, of majestic creatures being robbed of their homes and reduced to residents of tiny spaces once they’re marked as violent and aggressive and eventually, captured. Krishnamurthy speaks with feeling of the 60 elephants housed in captivity in Karnataka, and how they may be alive, but living regimented lives like that for the rest of their days “is no life at all”.

Fences have not worked, as illustrated by viral videos of an elephant slipping under a railway crossing barrier at Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary earlier this year.

Elephants in the Coffee also shows how elephants outsmart all kinds of barriers, trampling them with ease. As the film makes clear, ‘If you make a 20-foot-long moat, the elephant will walk till the 21st foot and cross over there’. Successful models have been few, such as the SMS-based warning system developed by Dr Anand in Valparai to warn workers when an elephant is in the area, or the SMS messaging system at Tata Coffee, demonstrated in the film by biologist Karthic Krishnan.

Conservationist Padma Ashok is also of the opinion that co-existence is the only way forward. She opines that solutions need to be thought of by people local to the area, by taking into consideration the topography, landscape and geographical features of the area. “From the elevation to the length of the river in that area, everything matters. And you need a combination of two-three solutions to tackle the problem, because elephants are able to outsmart most,” she says.

Not everyone agrees, though. Praveen Bhargav, former member of the National Board for Wildlife, believes harmonious co-existence is “one of the greatest myths in conservation”, a utopian idea that “rarely works in the long term with most conflict-prone large mammals”. He advocates “site-specific solutions driven by scientific knowledge and a deep understanding of the social context”. He adds: “Loss of a family member is tragic but it must be seen in perspective. In Karnataka alone, more than 10,000 people have lost their lives in road accidents in 2015 while around 15 people have died due to elephant conflict. Large swathes of elephant habitat have been fragmented/lost due to agriculture, human settlements, encroachments, dams, highways, resorts etc which is a major driver of conflict.

There is no magical solution but conflict can be minimised by spatially separating humans and large wildlife to the extent possible by deflecting developmental projects, preventing ad-hoc grants of public lands by the revenue department, incentive-driven voluntary resettlements and innovative ideas for creating viable buffers around reserves involving local communities. In some specific cases, marooned, isolated population of elephants may have to be moved out to minimise conflict.”

Krishnamurthy believes the biggest problem is a lack of education. People have no idea what impact a cup of their coffee is having in the wild. He suggests the promotion of sustainable wildlife products, say by giving “a premium to the coffee you drink”. “At least that way a part of it will go back to wildlife conservation.” He would also like more stringent requirements for ownership of coffee estates and homestays that have mushroomed indiscriminately in these areas over the past few years. “So many of them are owned by people living, say, in Bengaluru. Maybe one way to minimise the number of such estates is to lay down laws that owners have to have strong roots in Coorg,” he explains. And to ensure better welfare of the captured elephants, mahouts need to be treated better and paid more. “Otherwise they’re losing interest and daily wage labourers who are paid a pittance and have no interest in forming a relationship with the animal, are taking their place.” The best answer, though, he believes, is technology. “Even the SMS warning service is eventually a human intervention. Instead, I’m sure that in Bengaluru we can develop technology to identify elephant movement and tracking, where there is no need at all for a person to physically go out there and do it.”

For Grant, the solution also lies in people considering the cost of their cup of coffee. As he puts it: “Americans drink an average of three cups of coffee each, but they have little idea how coffee is grown. India is one of the top exporters of coffee. And now Tata has a joint operating agreement with American coffee giant Starbucks. Yet no one in America who drinks coffee knows that India’s elephants are locked in a struggle for survival with the people who grow coffee.”
The answer isn’t that people stop drinking coffee, he emphasises.

Rather, “if every coffee drinker gave a penny for elephants with every cup, we could solve this problem in an instant”.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Opinion> Sunday Read / by Sowmya Rajaram, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / April 30th, 2017

Elephants In The Coffee To Be Screened At BNHS

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

The growing coffee industry in India has given rise to conflicts between humans and elephants leading to deaths of both humans and these huge mammals.

Poster of the movie 'Elephants in the Coffee'
Poster of the movie ‘Elephants in the Coffee’

Having a cup of coffee is a routine activity for many. Have you ever thought is your cup of coffee fatal for anyone? The growing coffee industry in India has given rise to conflicts between humans and elephants leading to deaths of both humans and these huge mammals. A documentary by international photographer, author and explorer D. K. Bhaskar and journalist Dr Thomas Grant ‘Elephants in the Coffee’ offers an insight into this topic. The screening of this internationally acclaimed documentary has been organized at BNHS Hornbill House on Friday, 19th January at 6:00 PM followed by a discussion with Mr. Bhaskar.

The Documentary:
Celebrated as the elephant God in India, elephants are now seen as a ‘menace’. ‘A god that became a menace’ reads the tagline of this documentary which is catchy and strong yet could implore an array of ideas. Shot mainly around the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka and surrounding coffee estates, this 58 minute documentary sheds light on the relationship between humans and elephants.

The documentary explores and highlights the views of all involved stakeholders including villagers, coffee estate owners, naturalists, government and even the mahouts or elephant care takers. This documentary has garnered national and international appreciation and multiple awards at film festivals.

‘Elephants in the Coffee’ has been produced by CLIC Aboard, a non-profit organization established by Mr. Bhaskar which works to connect students in US and India through photography.

The team which worked on this documentary included three student associates from CLIC apart from Dr. Grant, Mr. Bhaskar and others. For more details regarding the film, visit http://www.elephantsinthecoffee.com/

The documentary will be screened at BNHS on Friday, 19th January at 6:00 PM. Mr. Bhaskar would later engage in a discussion session to throw light on the film, the human-elephant conflict and related topics. The screening is free and open to everyone.

Details in a nutshell:
What: Screening of ‘Elephants in the Coffee’
When: Friday, 19th January
Time: 6:00 PM
RSVP: Siddhi Shelar – s.shelar@bnhs.org / 022-22821811

source: http://www.mid-day.com / Mid-Day / Home> Mumbai / by mid-day online correspondent / January 10th, 2018

The lure of Nishani Motte

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Sports
Devaragundi Falls
Devaragundi Falls

Travelling to Nishani Motte and hiking there was on our bucket list for a long time. We had heard that the place is also called the ‘Leech Kingdom’ as it is surrounded by a large number of leeches during the Monsoon.

On a Saturday early morning, I left Bengaluru with four of my friends for this interesting journey. We took the Hassan Road which is good to drive during the Monsoon months.

The first stop we planned was the Devarakolli Falls, which is a few km after Madikeri on Madikeri-Mangalore Road.

The Falls lie parallel to the main road and there are some shops for the travellers to have snacks. You can’t take bath in the Falls but it is a great place to shoot some good pictures.

After the short break, we hit the road for beautiful Devaragundi Falls, which is exactly 13 km from Sampaje, and located in a village called Thodikana. You need to park the vehicle two km before the Falls and do a small trek of two km on a flat jeep track to reach the Falls, which is so majestically placed inside the forest and is easily accessible.

To say the least, it was beautiful and gushing at the peak of Monsoon. Until January end, there is water for taking bath in the Falls but it gets dry during the peak of summer.

However, one should keep an eye on the kids as the water gushing area is steep. We were informed about this by the local villagers.

After a refreshing bath, we reached Mayura Cauvery in Bhagamandala to stay the night over.

The rooms were decent enough. We had our dinner in the small village of Bhagamandala.

Next day morning, we visited the forest office in Bhagamandala and got permission from the department to trek to Nishani Motte after paying a nominal entry fee and guide charges.

There was also another group who joined us in the trek. The Nishani Motte trek is around five km in total. One has to hire a jeep or travel in their own vehicle to the base from the forest office. The base is around five to six km from the forest office. We started our trek around 9 am.

The initial trek was a mild climb through estates and huge trees. In 20 minutes, we could see the grasslands and the leeches too. No wonder this place is called the ‘Leech Kingdom’ as thousands of leeches jumped over us.

Two hours through the trek, we reached the peak which was misty and foggy. We enjoyed every minute of the trek exploring the greenery and escaping from the leeches.

It started to rain during the last leg of our trek but it was an amazing experience to completely get drenched and enjoy the walk with friends.

Finally, we reached the other side of the base. We had our jeep waiting for us to drop us back to the Forest Department office. We reached the forest office around 2.30 pm, had a great lunch and finally visited the Thalacauvery Temple which is just a 15-minute-drive from Bhagamandala.

After visiting the Thalacauvery Temple, which is interestingly the birthplace of river Cauvery, we started our drive back to Bengaluru with lovely memories to cherish forever.

(The author can be contacted at kavinkishore85@gmail.com)

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Kavin Kishore/ January 03rd, 2018

‘Preserve the sanctity of Brahmagiri’

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Coffee planter Manavattira Dore Somanna warned the district administration of locking up the entrance of Brahmagiri if the entry of public is not banned within a week.

He further added that the Brahmagiri, the birthplace of river Cauvery has been converted into an abode of illegal activities. “Tourists have been spoiling the sanctity of the place by littering it with garbage. This will affect the purity of river Cauvery.”

He said that the district administration should also ban the illegal shops near Talacauvery. Tourists should be banned from discarding the food leftovers at the Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala. CCTV camera should be installed to monitor the activities of people. Additional staff should be deployed at the spiritual destination to perform the religious rituals smoothly. Also, the temple should conduct the ‘Ashtamangala Prashne’, he added.

Badumanda Muttappa, Padiyammanda Yogish Monnammaiah, Manavattira Papu Changappa and Manavattira Harish Biddappa were present in the press meet.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Napoklu – January 01st, 2018