Monthly Archives: May 2012

Yellow balls better for ’keepers, says Chetri

Sports

Chief Minister felicitates players, coaches

The blue coloured hockey turf for the London Olympics might have received flak from players and coaches but India’s goalkeeper-captain Bharat Chetri said though the turf was slippery the yellow balls improved visibility for the goalkeepers.

“Not much of a difference. But, the pitch is a little fast and we just have to get used to it. The turf was slippery and needs time to settle down. The blue colour of the turf and yellow balls helped me to pick the ball easily. We are going to play more matches on the blue pitch before the Olympics which will help us to get used to the conditions,” Chetri said at a function on Monday, organised by the State government to honour the Karnataka hockey players in the Indian team for their outstanding performances in the Asian Champions Trophy and Olympic Qualifiers.

Chetri, who left for Pune in the evening to join the preparatory camp for the London Olympics under coach Michael Nobbs, said the Olympic test event has helped the team to identify the grey areas needed for improvement before the July 27-August 12 mega event. “The team’s fitness wasn’t a problem but we have to work on our defence and finishing. Despite the losses, overall it was a good experience. We now know where we lack when it comes against big teams. There are some technical issues that we need to work on,” pointed out Chetri, who was hit by viral fever during the London test event and missed most of the action.

“Ignace (Tirkey) will be rested for the Azlan Shah Cup and the team will more or less be the same as the one that went to London,” he added.

India won the Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos (China) last September by beating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-2 in the tie-breaker while the hosts trounced France 8-1 in New Delhi in February to seal their place in the London Games.

Six hockey players and three coaching staff from Karnataka were given away cheques to the tune of Rs 49 lakh by Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda. “They have all made the state and the country proud and happy. We hope that the Indian team will get the gold medal at the London Oly-mpics,” said Gowda.

Apart from Chetri, Ignace Tirkey, SV Sunil and drag-flicker VR Raghunath, the foursome who played in both the tournaments were richer by Rs 10 lakh each. Promising youngster SK Uthappa, who donned India colours in the Olympic Qualifiers, received Rs five lakh while VS Vinay, who was the standby in the same meet, got Rs one lakh.

Three members of the coaching staff, goalkeeping coach AB Subbaiah, and assistant coaches BJ Cariappa and Gangadhartapa Shetty took home Rs one lakh each.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to honour 112 national level and international sportspersons for their good performances in the year 2009-10. The amount to be presented will be Rs 1.3 crore.

The Department of Youth Service and Sports will organise an event to honour the sportspersons soon, said a release.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Sports / DHNS / Bangalore, May 14th, 2012

Who, what, when, where, why

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Who are the two models that have been spotted at all IPL shows in India? Mitali Rannorey and Dayana Erappa are the two local faces who usually sashay down the ramp at Prasad Bidapa’s IPL fashion shows.

What is actor Santosh Kumar doing in New York? He is there for a holiday and has been regularly posting updates too. The NYC bug seems to have bitten Santosh, who has forgotten that he is just a tourist and is happily calling himself a New Yorker.

When were fans spotted going berserk outside the Puma store in Indiranagar? When the Deccan Chargers’ cricketers were there for a promotional event. Fans went crazy clicking pictures of their favourite stars.

Where is our Sandalwood brigade heading to this September? Raghavendra Rajkumar, Diganth, Yogi, Yash, Radhika Pandit, Aindrita Roy, Nidhi Subbaiah, Priyamani, musicians Gurukiran, Harikrishna and a choreographer have accepted invitation from AKKA to entertain NRIs in Atlanta.

Why was choreographer Rahul Dev Shetty attracting attention at the recent RCB versus DC match in the city? He made a fashionably late entry but did not seem to enjoy the match. He was more excited about chatting with other guests, devouring delicacies and glugging alcohol.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Talk of the Town / May 11th, 2012

MPs not eager to spend fund on local area

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Bangalore:
Community halls, then roads – that’s what tops every MP’s priority list. A study, done by Public Affairs Centre (PAC), tracks what MPs have done for their constituencies after being elected, and how they have used their Member of Parliament Local Area Development fund (MPLAD).

The study says that construction of community halls is a favourite project, with a majority of MPs giving funds freely for it. Next on priority is the development of roads. “The study shows that only 30% of funds given for Rajya Sabha MPs and 57% of MPLAD funds from Lok Sabha members have been used. Underutilization of funds must be questioned, says Samuel Paul, urban expert, PAC. One example is Bangalore South MP, who has utilized only 25% of his MPLAD fund.

Less educated were the go-getters

As per the study, MPs whose educational qualification is only up to Class 12 have been able to get more funds than MPs who are highly qualified. “When MPs with just PU qualification have been able to make use of up to 65%, Tejaswini Gowda, an MP with a PhD, has used only 26.5% of the funds. They are only policy makers and not executive authorities, why should they be given funds? Instead, the government can use these funds for necessary development,” said Paul.

In the 15th Lok Sabha, between 2009-2011, so far, DB Chandregowda used 100% for Bangalore North constituency, whereas Bangalore Central MP PC Mohan has used 28%, followed by Bangalore South MP HN Ananth Kumar who used a mere 25%.

As per data available in public domain, liquor baron Vijay Mallya, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka during 2004-09, used just 8.5% funds for local area development, whereas Prema Cariappa made use of a whopping Rs 84.7 crore. Among the 13 Rajya Sabha members, M Rajashekara Reddy used a mere 0.9% of the total fund and scores the lowest.

“The problem with Rajya Sabha members is that they are hardly connected with the local area and thus, there is underutilization of funds,” says Paul.

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, MP from Hassan, and Mallikarjuna Gowdar, Davanagere MP, used 100% funds, as against Srikantappa DC from Chikmagalur, who used only 14.1%.

“Overall, experienced MPs showed marginally better utilization than first-timers. Also, first-timers from BJP did better than experienced MPs, while first-timers from Congress did marginally better than experienced MPs,” said Patibandla Srikant, a PAC member who was part of the study.

D V Sadananda used funds quick

In the 14th Lok Sabha (2004-09), D V Sadananda Gowda, then an MP, made use of just 40.9% of funds, but during his second term from 2009, he used 84% just before his resignation, when he became chief minister.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / May 11th, 2012

Flowers, fruits to enthral onlookers in Madikeri

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

Show to be held from May 11 to 13
The flower-fruit show at Rajaseat will be unveiled on May 11 at 4.30 pm.

The yearly programme organised by District Administration, Zilla Panchayat and Horticulture Department will be held from May 11 to 13.

This year, the Government has not released any special grant for the flower show owing to drought in many parts of the State. Despite this, the officials are all set to put up a good show.
Despite organising the show in a simple manner, the show is nothing lesser than the previous shows.

The highlight of the show this year will be the drawing of animals and birds using white stones. Monsoon show using test tubes will also enthral the audience this time.

As many as 6,000 flower pots of 125 varieties will be displayed. Some medicinal plants will also be displayed. Names of all the plants will be displayed so as to help the students and general public.

Vegetable carvings will be a part of the show. In the evening, musical fountain and light show will be held.

The programme will be inaugurated by Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah. Zilla Panchayat CEO M P Appachu Ranjan, MLC M C Nanaiah, M P H Vishwanath among others will take part.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / DHNS / Madikeri, May 10th, 2012

With every sense of rhythm

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Spinning music
Fatboy Slim was here! Originally christened Norman Cook and nicknamed the godfather of dance music, this artiste is a wizard at the turntable, churning out beats and rhythms which are hard to resist.

And in a City like Bangalore, where chances to dance are few and far between, his performance at EZone Club on Sunday was a welcome opportunity to shake a leg to a few catchy tunes.

The stage was set for a night of trance, electronica and everything to do with dancing – with neon strobe lights and a psychedelic video display.

The crowd came in slowly and was surprisingly sparse through the evening. As darkness began to fall, the hosts of the evening — Nikhil Chinappa and Rohit Barker — emerged on stage and began to keep the crowd entertained with witty one-liners and promises of a legendary night.

Popular turntable artistes DJ Ivan and ‘Brute Force’ took over the opening acts, keeping the crowd pumped up with upbeat music and a pulsing beat.

For the crowd, the event was nothing less than a party. They came with a dazzling array of accessories, and electric blue afros, large sunglasses and flashy bags. Beer and cigarettes were passed freely around and the open-air ground was converted into a makeshift dance floor, the strobe lights adding to the club-like ambience.

The crowd may not have been particularly impressive — to the extent that Nikhil Chinappa actually began to urge the people in the elevated VIP stands to come down and gather around the stage — but the youngsters who turned up knew how to party.

Right before the artiste was set to appear, Nikhil said, “I’m going to come there and have a good time with you guys — that’s how good he is!”, following which he and Rohit Barker slipped off stage. A countdown began to announce Fatboy Slim’s arrival on stage, although it turned out to be a rather flexible one, with the announcers pushing back his arrival time every few minutes.

When he did make an appearance, he crawled onto the stage and crouched under the turntable, urging the crowd to cheer even louder from that position. It was only when his name was finally announced — complete with the electronic version of a drumroll — that he leapt up and the audience went wild.

His energy on stage was incredible; not for a single minute did Fatboy Slim stay still. Instead, he pranced around the turntable, constantly gyrating, pumping his fists and in general, pushing the crowd to the absolute brink of an excitement overdose. He played some of his classic numbers such as ‘Weapon of Choice’, ‘Praise You’, ‘The Rockafeller Skank’, ‘Right Here Right Now’ and ‘Champion Sound’ and although not everyone in the crowd recognised the numbers, they didn’t hold back from having a good time.

Evidently, improvisation is Fatboy Slim’s forte, because he included a few Bangalore references — accompanied with a liberal dose of swearing — into a few of the songs

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Supplements> MetroLife / DHNS / May 07th, 2012

2-day workshop on female foeticide

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders

A two-day workshop on female foeticide and rights of women for higher economic opportunities was inaugurated at Panjab University on Monday. Over 200 delegates, including office-bearers, functionaries of NGOs and students from different departments of the university, are attending the workshop.

At the inauguration, Prema Cariappa, chairperson of Central Social Welfare Board, said, “The menace of female foeticide has to be fought with, especially in north India, with social as well as legal tools.”

Ninette Vas Sharma, guest of honour, expressed her views on the rights of girl child. T R Sarangal, chairperson, Punjab State Social Welfare Board; Sumitra Chauhan, Haryana State Social Welfare Board; Varsha Khangwal, director Social Welfare, Chandigarh administration; and Dr Ranjay Vardhan addressed the delegates.

Dean, Department of Law, Dr Virender Kumar spoke on the rights of women in property.

The second day of workshop will have people from the economic world delivering speeches. Certificates to delegates will be distributed by Madhu Bansal, the wife of Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / Home> IE > Story / Express News Service / Chandigaru, Tuesday 08th, 2012

Indian women lift Asian Squash title; men falter against Pak

Amazing Feats, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

In the women’s final, Joshna Chinnappa waged a grim battle against world number 16 Joey Chan and Dipika Pallikal, against world number seven Annie Au to seal the deal in India’s favour. File photo: V. Ganesan. / The Hindu
Indian women squash team today created history by winning its maiden Asian title by defeating top seed Hong Kong 2-0 in the final in Kuwait.

The men’s team, however, went down 0-2 against Pakistan in the summit clash in the 16th Asian Team Squash Championship.

In the women’s final, Joshna Chinnappa, ranked 71st in the world, waged a grim battle against world number 16 Joey Chan before winning 11-3 11-8 8-11 11-8 in 38 minutes to put India 1-0 ahead.

Dipika Pallikal, ranked 14th, then complemented the superb show by her compatriot, winning 11-8 12-10 11-8 against world number seven Annie Au in 32 minutes to seal the issue in India’s favour.

India’s best performance in the women’s team championship was a silver medal at the last championship held in 2010 in Chennai.

Unperturbed by the difference in rankings, Joshna stamped her class over Chan right from the beginning. She took advantage of the fact that the day before, her opponent had to endure five hard games against her Malaysian counterpart Delia Arnold.

Joshna’s aggressive play, laced with delicate drops and deception, was simply too much for Chan to handle as she dropped the first game 11-2 in less than 10 minutes.

Joshna kept her composure to keep at bay an aggressive Chan in the second game. The Hong Kong racqueter seemed to be warming up in the third game and her shots were more effective as she had the Indian scurrying around the court.

Unaffected by the loss of third game, Joshna came back with a vengeance and wrapped up the fourth game and match to give India the much needed first point.

Dipika went in next against world number six Annie.

Dipika had never beaten Annie earlier but that did not deter her determination.

Dipika’s aggression paid dividends against Annie, who is renowned for a steady lob and drop game. The Indian kept the pressure on her opponent throughout the match with her aggressive play and characteristic finishing shots.

Annie made a gallant fightback in the third game, but Dipika held her nerves to claw back from 4-7, winning six straight points to help India collect their first ever Asian senior women’s title.

The Indian men’s team, however, faltered at the last hurdle against arch rivals Pakistan.

National champion Saurav Ghosal squandered a 2-0 advantage and went down in five games to Pakistan’s number one Farhan Mehboob in the first singles.

The script did not change in the second singles as Siddharth Suchde lost to Farhan Zaman in five games.

The India’s men’s team equalled its silver-winning performance in the team championship in the inaugural edition of the tournament held in 1981 in Karachi.

The Results (finals):

Women: Joshna Chinnappa bt Joey Chan 11-3 11-8 8-11 11-5 (32 min)

Dipika Pallikal bt Annie Au 11-8 12-10 11-8 (37min).

Men: Farhan Mehboob bt Saurav Ghosal 10-12 6-11 11-7 11-6 11-9.

Farhan Zaman bt Siddharth Suchde 11-7 11-6 11-13 7-11 11-9.

source: http;//www.TheHindu.com / Sports> Other Sports / PTI / New Delhi, May 06ht, 2012

Dubai : Bunts UAE Conducts Blood Donation Campaign

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's

Dubai, May 6:
Bunts UAE this year successfully kicked off and concluded ‘Blood Donation’ Campaign at Latifa Hospital, Dubai on the 4th of May, 2012, Friday from 10.00 AM to 2.00 PM with record number of donors participation.

Sudhakar Alva the main man behind this campaign thanked the authorities for being tolerant and supportive in the campaign and promised more contribution to the Blood Bank from all the Indian Communities living in UAE. The Donors poured in great numbers from various parts of UAE into Lathifa Hospital enthusiastically for this great cause. It was also great to see Presidents and Office Bearers of most of the regional Community Associations of Karnataka together in one place for this noble cause. A record was created with more than 100 numbers participation.

As per the Dubai Blood Donation Centre (DBDC), the need for blood is ongoing and must be met every day. The demand for blood is growing faster than the collection rate and DBDC has been requested to have an instant response to the rapid growth in blood demand which is obviously proportionate to the fast growing population of the city along with healthcare facilities. DBDC is the only blood supplier in Dubai. Its services extend to Thalassemia patients (Thalassemia Center at Al Wasl Hospital), road accident and burn victims (Trauma Centre at Rashid Hospital), patients with neonates and maternity health complications (Lathifa Hospital), cases diagnosed with cancer or scheduled for open heart operations (Dubai Hospital) as well as to all private health facilities within Dubai that are entitled for transfusion services.

The Members volunteered along with hospital authorities were busy welcoming donors and filling up the required forms, examining blood samples and getting ready for the extraction of blood all with smiles on their face. They were issued a ‘Donor Card’ exclusively as a proof of their support.
The campaign kicked off with good numbers of Bunt’s voluntarily taking part along with female members and youths. Other patriotic associations who have been willingly doing these types of blood donation campaigns are Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, UAE Amchigele Samaj, Ramarajya Khsatriya Sangha UAE, Padmashali UAE, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada Gowda Samaja Dubai, UAE Bunts, Billawas Dubai & Northern Emirates, Billawa Balaga Dubai who have already recorded their names in the list of blood donors of India in UAE.

Bunt’s UAE staged a breakfast stall with Snacks, Tea, Coffee, Fruits, Juices etc. at the blood donation campaign was given a boost with the support and participation of prominent community leaders like Sarvotham Shetty of UAE Bunts, Lokesh Puthran, President along with Vice President Yadav Kotian and main co-ordinator of Blood donation campaign in UAE, Bala Salian of Mogaveers UAE, Sudhakar Alva of UAE Bunts, Ravi B. Shettigar, President of Padmashali UAE, Satish Poojary President of Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, Anand Bailoor, Jagannath Bellare, Sudhakar Poojary of Billawas Dubai & Northern Emirates, Sudhakar Thumbe, President of Billawa Balaga Dubai, Representatives of Vishwakarma Seva Sangha & Shodhan Prasad of Nama Tuluveru UAE. Also were Ashok Belman of Gulf Kannadiga and many other prominent members of other well known associations.

The event concluded at around 2 PM
Report: Shodhan Prasad
Photos: Ashok Belman (Gulf Kannadiga)

source: http://www.DaijiWorld.com / Dubai, May 06th, 2012

Soles can create sisters

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

What made the holiday pictures flaunted on Facebook by Chondamma Cariappa different was that they featured shoes! Each time Chondamma took a trip to a new destination, she would put up fascinating pictures of shoes she came across during her travels.

Characteristically, this would kick off lengthy discussions on the details of the pair on show between friends. So, last September Chondamma reinvented her passion: she created a space for women who want to share their best finds with others.

Chondamma’s blog, which is aptly named the sole sisters, introduces itself with ‘You walk in wearing a nice pair of shoes and somewhere in the room a woman wonders ‘where did she get it from?’ What makes the blog an interesting browse is its pictures, which aren’t snapped by Chondamma but by women across the world. “It began with my friends but within a month the word spread like a wild fire and women from different parts of India and later from across the world started sending in the pictures of shoes that took their fancy. Till now I would receive about ten pictures a day,” says thirty-two-year-old Chondamma, who is a creative art director in a Mumbai-based advertising firm. On sole sisters, you will see beautifully shot pictures of women flaunting cheaply-priced slip ons from the streets of Jaipur or Lokhandwala to stilettoes bought from an upmarket shoe store in London to a funky pair of sandals picked from a store quietly hidden in an unexplored market of your city.

“I am not a brand obsessed person. In fact, my favourites are kohlapuri chappals which come in many colours. I pick up shoes which look interesting,” says Chondamma, who is born and brought in Bangalore. The blog also shares details of each pair of shoes like the name and the location of the woman who has mailed the picture, the store or the market from where the shoes are bought and the price.

This August, Chondamma organised a party for the sole sisters in Mumbai. It was called a ‘Bootleggers Party’ where all the like minded women turned up wearing boots. “The idea popped up when I read the comment on a photo of a woman from Mumbai that said: “Where in Mumbai do you get to wear boots?” Chondamma was pleasantly surprised that almost 50 women showed up to the party.

Nowadays Chondamma is busy with her next big project which is a website for shoe lovers. It will have a review section, contests and celeb section. “My job in advertising pays the bills. My blog and the upcoming website are my passion. May be in future I will have my own brand of shoes,” laughs Chondamma.

source: http://www.wonderwoman.intoday.in / Home> Wonder Woman> Career-woman> Work wise / by Harsha Chawla

Five Indian shuttlers qualify for London Games

Sports

New Delhi, May 3
For the first time in Olympics, Indian badminton will see a record participation from five players in four different categories.

According to the new world rankings released Thursday, Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa and V. Diju made the cut.

While Saina qualified on the basis of her superior ranking of World No.5, Kashyap qualified after he qualified for the semi-final of the India Open Super Series here last week, which was the last event in the qualification period.

Kashyap’s semifinal appearance propelled him by six spots to No. 24, which made him the highest ranked Indian ahead of Jayaram.

For the first time since the introduction of the sport in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Indians also qualified in mixed and women’s doubles.

Jwala and Ashwini, who won the Commonwealth Games women’s doubles title in 2010, jumped four spots over the last week to reach World No. 16 and it was enough for them to book their London berth.

Jwala and Diju, the country’s top mixed doubles pair, also booked their ticket to London as they are ranked No. 15.

In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Vimal Kumar and Dipankar Bhattacharjee got an entry in men’s doubles category since they bagged entry in the singles event as well.

IANS

source: http://www.india.nydailynews.com / Home> News> Desi News / Thursday, May 03rd, 2012