Monthly Archives: February 2016

6th National Science Film Festival : EMRC wins Two Awards for Documentary Film

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Syed Kaleem, Senior Producer of EMRC
Syed Kaleem, Senior Producer of EMRC

Mysuru :

Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), attached to University of Mysore, won two national awards for the documentary film titled ‘DGWT – A cause for Concern,’ in the recently held 6th National Science Film Festival organised in Mumbai. The institute won the Silver beaver award which carries a trophy, a citation and Rs. 50,000 cash prize and also the best graphics award carrying a trophy, a citation and Rs. 30,000 cash prize.

The documentary was directed by Syed Kaleem, Senior Producer of EMRC, Mysuru and Former Director of EMRC, Odisha. This is the second National Award won by Syed Kaleem. The first one was in 2001 for the film on the life of Kodava’s titled ‘Kodavas, The highlanders.’

The best graphics award was received by Chandra Kumar, graphic artiste of EMRC, Mysuru. The film was photographed by Keerthi Kumar, sound effects by Badrinarayana and Somashekar was the Technical Director. The narration of the film was done by Beliappa.

The film highlights the grave danger caused due to depletion of ground water and its long time impact on ecology and environment.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / February 15th, 2016

Capturing Wildlife Needs a Trip to Wild, He Makes it Happen

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Nature
(From left) A kingfisher bird in flight; tourists clicking wildlife; Bopanna Pattada, and a rare sight of flying owl
(From left) A kingfisher bird in flight; tourists clicking wildlife; Bopanna Pattada, and a rare sight of flying owl

Bengaluru :

Photographing birds, especially the rare ones in the wild, and spending time outdoors are Bopanna Pattada’s passions. He quit his job as software engineer at Wipro to make his passion a profession. When he realised that he is not the only one in love with birds and Nature, he decided to start India Birding Adventures. Now, Bopanna finds places where photography enthusiasts can get good wildlife and avian shots and arranges trips to these locations. His clients vary from engineers to doctors to businessmen. “I plan one-day trips around Bengaluru. Sometimes we also go on longer trips to Ooty, Masinagudi, Bandipur, Mysuru, Nagarhole and Coorg,” he says. He also takes nature enthusiasts to places like Corbett National Park and Pangot at the foothills of Himalayas.

The best places to spot birds in Bengaluru according to him would be Nandi Hills for winter migrants, Hoskote lake for waterbirds, Ramdevarabetta for vultures, Bannerghatta for forest birds.He doesn’t take more than three to four members at a time. “Firstly, with smaller groups, it is easier to give personal attention and secondly large groups scare the birds away,” he says.

“As a trained photographer and naturalist, I instruct people on photography – what settings to use in which situation, and also help them in spotting birds and wildlife.” The job, for him, is an escape from a sedentary life.

“It takes me closer to nature,” he says. It can be challenging to click birds in flight. Bopanna suggests that the best time to click pictures is either in morning or evening, when they are most active. “Birds tend to be shy. They don’t let you get very close for photographs. Part of my teaching is on how to get closer to birds to take better photographs and also how to position yourself so that the photograph has a nice backdrop.” Bopanna’s images were featured in Sanctuary Asia Magazine and Bombay Natural History Society calendar-2015.

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He specialises in photographing birds flying or in action.

Photography enthusiasts can reach Bopanna through his website www.indiabirding.com or bopannap@gmail.com

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Pratima Shantaveeresh / February 10th, 2016

Is 100% FDI in coffee a boon or a bane?

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), World Opinion

Coffee growers in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts are, however, apprehensive.Many want to know the measures taken to protect small and marginal farmers, who constitute 90% of growers in Karnataka.

Bengaluru :

When coffee growers in Karnataka were going through a rough patch due to labour shortage, elephant menace and unprecedented fall in prices, the Centre in November last year allowed 100 % FDI in five plantation crops: Coffee, rubber, cardamom, palm oil and olive oil. The decision, meant to rejuvenate the sector, is expected to have a huge impact on Karnataka, which accounts for 70% of India’s coffee production.

As of now, 100% FDI is allowed only in tea plantation. “Relaxed FDI norms will help coffee and cardamom growers since it is expected to bring in big overseas investors and retail giants besides enhanced technology utilization, automation, research, management and production of value-added products. Permitting foreign investment will also boost India’s coffee exports offering better prices for growers here, ” says Coffee Board chairperson Leena Nair.

Coffee growers in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan districts are, however, apprehensive. Many want to know the measures taken to protect small and marginal farmers, who constitute 90% of growers in Karnataka. Some coffee growers’ associations are holding talks to oppose the move as they fear small growers would be forced to sell their estates to foreign investors. Their entry may prove detrimental for small coffee planters, who may not be able to match the wages and technology of foreign players.

“The Centre should have held consultations and allayed fears before allowing FDI. But they have done in it in a hush-hush manner and kept us in the dark, making us believe that there is a hidden agenda,” says NK Pradeep, a Coffee Board member from Chikkamagaluru. Former Coffee Board vice-chairman Sannuvanda Kaverappa says a parliamentary committee that visited Chikkamagaluru last year to interact with coffee growers left in a huff. Nair allays all fears of growers saying: “The small-grower segment need not worry as enough safeguards have been provided and the Centre and the state government can always reject any FDI proposal in their segment.”

A Coffee Board executive says FDI will benefit coffee growers. The measure is expected to make the coffee industry vibrant like the tea sector, which opened gates for foreign investments in 2002. “Rather than starting a new venture, foreign investors may partner with existing plantations or trading companies. FDI will help boost developmental activities such as replanting, rejuvenation and R&D that need huge funding. It may also help in upgradation, modernization and automation of coffee-processing, curing, marketing,” he adds.

source: http//:www.retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com / ETRetail.com / Home> Industry / February 12th, 2016

Easier way to talk the Kodava ‘takk’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All

K. Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University, said that the dictionary, which was being printed, would probably be released in Kodagu itself.

A minority language unfamiliar to many in the State will finally have a comprehensive dictionary of its own with meanings in Kannada and English.

Kodava vocabulary will be captured in Kodava Arivole, which will be published by Mangalore University in March.

Boverianda C. Uthaiah (77) and wife B.U. Thangamma (66) joined forces and compiled the Kodava-Kodava-Kannada-English, which has about 11,000 words.

Mr. Uthaiah is a former professor of agricultural sciences.

According to the UNESCO, Kodava is a ‘vulnerable’ language, said Lokesh K.M., coordinator, Kodava Samskritika Adhyayana Peetha at Mangalore University.

Those knowing Tulu and Malayalam can grasp Kodava takk (language) better as it has common words with these two languages, as well as Persian.

Though the latest statistics on how many speak Kodava takk is not available, according to the 2001 census, only 92,193 people speak the language, Mr. Uthaiah said.

A handicap he faced was trying to include 2,000 words in the lexicon as no one knew their meanings.

Mr. Lokesh, also a professor of History at Mangalore University, said the lexicon has some rare words such as ‘kaju’ (gold) and ‘aarayu’ (water). It has social and cultural terms, and words relating to folk traditions such as ‘jamma’ (a land tenure system in Kodagu with long-standing hereditary rights held by clans), and ‘okka’ (Kodava clan, all of whom have descended from a common ancestor). The dictionary also has botanical and zoological terms.

Mr. Lokesh said though two Kodava dictionaries have been published earlier, they are not comprehensive. I.M. Muthanna’s Kodava Nudi Artha Kosha, the first dictionary published in 1988, gave the meanings of Kodava words in Kannada. In addition, Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy brought out a handbook Kodava-Kannada-English Kaipudi in 1988.

K. Byrappa, Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University, said that the dictionary, which was being printed, would probably be released in Kodagu itself.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by RaviPrasad Kamila / February 12th, 2016

SAG 2016: Joshna Chinappa beats Pakistani rival, clinches squash gold

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

Top seed Joshna Chinappa came back from behind to beat second seeded Toorpaki Wazir of Pakistan to clinch gold at the South Asian Games on Monday.

JoshnaKF10feb2016

Star player Joshna Chinappa clinched the gold in women’s individual squash after beating Maria Toorpaki Wazir of Pakistan in a tense and ill-tempered summit clash to make up for India’s disappointment in the men’s event on Monday.

Top seed Chinappa, ranked 14th in the world, recovered from one set down to beat second seeded Wazir 10-12 11-7 11-9 11-7 at the brand new squash facility at the R G Baruah Sports Complex here.(Wrestlers make India proud at SAG)

With Chinappa’s gold, India has so far won three medals in squash with Sourav Ghosal and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu having grabbed a bronze each after losing to their Pakistani opponents yesterday.
Chinappa, one of the few top Indian players to have opted to play in the SAG, thus gave some solace to the team management after men’s players failed to reach the final.

The women’s final match had all the drama which was witnessed during the men’s semifinals with Chinappa expressing unhappiness to the match officials with the “aggressive” play of Wazir who was seen as trying to be a bit physical with the top-ranked Indian.

Wazir, ranked 50th in the world, won the first set 12-10 after a neck-and-neck contest but she got injured midway in the second set at 7-7 as blood came out of her left eyebrow region after contact with Chinappa and play was stopped for a while to get her treated.

The Pakistani was immediately given first aid and she resumed play after a few minutes. It looked like the break gave Chinappa time to ponder on her game and the glamorous Indian started dominating the match from there on.

Wazir looked tentative just after coming from her injury break and Chinappa did not take much time to take the second set 11-7 and level scores at 1-1.

The third set saw Chinappa taking a 5-2 lead but Wazir came back with some superb shots to make it 6-6 and then 8-6. By then there was tension among the crowd at the stands, but a calm Chinappa just went about her job and brought the score to 9-9 and then 10-9 before taking the set.

In the fourth and final set, Wazir gave some fight initially but later frittered away as Chinappa won it 11-7 to give India the first gold in squash in this edition.

Chinappa later made it known that she was not happy with the way the referees handled the match and that she did not enjoy playing the match as her opponent was “very aggressive” and “not playing fair”.
“Wazir is a good player but she was very aggressive. Fortunately, I won the gold but I did not enjoy playing the final. I play in the professional circuit and there, these kind of things, likes lot of interference and blocking (by rival player) does not happen,” she said after the match.

“I tried to keep myself calm but I had to let them (match officials) know what was happening on the court. I cannot let things happening all the time,” said Chinappa, who argued with the referee on a couple of occasions.

“I am a kind of player who plays fair, without these interfering and blocking etc. Doing all these is not nice for the spectators and also for the game,” she added.

Asked if the referees should have handled the situation better, she said, “I don’t want to be in trouble again but I feel it is their job to control the match and stop all those things. They should have done better.”

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / IndiaToday.in / Home> News> Sports> Other Sports / PTI / Guwahati – February 08th, 2016

Poovamma, Inderjeet to lead 68-member athletics team at SAG

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

Ace quartermiler MR Poovamma and Asian champion shot putter Inderjeet Singh will spearhead a 68-member Indian athletics team at the 12th SAF Games to be held in Guwahati from February 5-16, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said today.

Poovamma, who won gold in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2014 Asian Games, and Inderjeet, a gold medallist at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2015, will be part of the Indian squad which also includes Olympian shot putter Omprakash Singh Karhana.

The Indian athletics team, comprising 36 men and 32 women, will compete in the track and field tournament of the SAF Games which is scheduled be held from February 9-12.

India topped the medal tally in athletics in the previous edition held at Dhaka in 2010, winning 29 medals overall, including 10 gold medals, 11 silver and 8 bronze. The Indian team is expected to face competition from Sri Lanka, which finished second in the medal tally in track and field in the 2010 Games.

This time, the athletics competition will witness 20 events in men and 17 in women respectively at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium, Sarusajai Sports Complex, Guwahati.

AFI President and Olympian, Adille J Sumariwalla said: “The 12th SAF Games is special because it’s being hosted in Guwahati and we hope to notch up maximum number of medals at home.

Though the competition is being held at a time when our elite athletes are in the midst of their training for 2016 Olympics, we’ve tried to select the best possible team under the situation. The team is a good mix of experience and youth and we hope they will return with a rich haul of medals from the 2016 SAF Games.”

Meanwhile, the preparations are in full swing at the various National camps and a number of elite athletes who have qualified for Rio, are also expected to be part of the action at the SAF Games.

The National campers for quarter miles, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relays for both men and women under coach Yuri Ogorodnik returned from a 69-day training stint in Turkey and will reach Guwahati from their present camp in Thiruvananthapuram.

The leading long and triple jumpers in the country who are currently training under Romanian coach Bedros Bedrosian in Thiruvananthapuram are scheduled to participate first in the SAF Games and next at the Asian Indoor Championships to be held at Doha from February 19.

Asian champion Inderjeet Singh is scheduled to reach Guwahati directly from his training centre in the US. However, the organisers have not received enough entries to conduct the men’s hammer throw event, and therefore the event is uncertain till now.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / PTI / New Delhi – February 01st, 2016

M.M. Nanaiah passes away

Leaders

Three-time MLA for Madikeri and former Minister M.M. Nanaiah (75) passed away at a private nursing home in Madikeri around 6 p.m. on Sunday. He is survived by his wife Prema and sons Subramanya and Naveen.

Born in Napoklu, Nanaiah completed his LLB before entering politics. He was an ardent Congressman, and a close associate of D. Devaraj Urs and R. Gundu Rao. Though out of active politics, he continued to practice as an advocate till September last year.

Nanaiah was the Minister for Excise besides holding the portfolio of Minister for Infrastructure in S.M. Krishna’s Cabinet. He was also the general secretary of KPCC and held the post of district in-charge Minister of Kodagu.

Family sources said that the last rites would be performed at his native place in Napoklu on Monday.

Senior politicians cutting across party lines condoled his demise. Veteran leader and former MLC M.C. Nanaiah said the State had lost a great leader. KPCC president and Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao also expressed their sorrow.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – February 08th, 2016

I auditioned for Mareyalaare despite its troubles

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

PavitraBelliappaKF07feb2016

Mareyalaare is Coorg lass Pavitra Belliappa’s second Kannada film, a project she is quite excited about considering that movies were not in her scheme of things till not long ago. “I am an only child from a family that expected me to become an entrepreneur, as I had graduated in business studies. Many of my college friends were involved with the arts and showbiz, which interested me. They suggested that I should get a portfolio shoot done, which I did, after which I got the offer for my first Kannada film, KA,” says Pavitra.

While she was excited about bagging her debut, the actress tells us that the news remained a secret for her parents for a while. “I did not tell them that I had auditioned for a role or that I got it. It was only after the team did a promotional photoshoot that I broke the news. My mother was OK with my decision, but my dad was dead against it, as he had some preconceived notions about the film industry. He said that I should start a business or get married. I persisted, though, and he relented,” says Pavitra.

KA did not have a great run at the box office, but was good learning ground, says the actress, who subsequently auditioned for Mareyalaare. “I had heard about the issues director Sharat Khadri had in making this film with the earlier cast and even saw the movie Sandalwood Sa Re Ga Ma Pa that he made about his troubles. It was clear to me that he is very passionate about filmmaking. So, when his team announced that they were relaunching the film, I decided to audition, and as luck would have it, I was selected,” she says.

Mareyalaare, she adds, is a love story at its core, but there is more to it than meets the eye. “In fact, my character has three distinct shades. I start as this bubbly collegian, then become this socially-aware mature person, and in the climax, my character has a totally different look as well,” she says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Kannada> Movies /by Pratibha Joy / TNN / February 03rd, 2016

Bean there, drone that… Coffee planters for an eye-in-the-sky to assess crop health

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Science & Technology

CoffeeKF06feb2016

Coffee plantation owners keen to use drones to assess crop health

Mumbai:

Enabled by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones are leading agricultural data collection and facilitating precision analysis in agriculture globally, helping to improve crop yield.

Though the use of drones by civilians is as yet restricted in India, speakers at a recent coffee seminar urged the government to allow these hi-tech machines to help detect the health of the crop.

Apart from their military use, millions of farmers across the country could use drones and the new emerging technology to boost production and efficiency in their farms.

“We are on the cusp of a new era of farming, where precision agriculture practices can offer a new approach to crop management. We now have a technique that wrings out waste and uses data to maximise crop yields and profits. UAV technology is reshaping farming,” said Jaisimha Rao, coffee plantation owner and entrepreneur.

Game changer

Passionate about technology and agriculture, Rao noticed the lack of data-driven decision making while working on his family’s coffee plantation. He decided to combine the versatility of UAVs and computers, and ensure algorithms to analyse crops. Aiming to bridge the gap, Rao, who holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Carnegie Mellon University, founded TartanSense. The company uses UAVs to capture and analyse aerial imagery.

Blanket restrictions

“Flying drones and gathering data is a game changer for agriculture, and especially for large plantations like coffee. How we can use this technology in India is the moot point, since the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has restricted the use of drones,” he said.

Pointing out that the “blanket restriction by the DGCA to operate drones would kill the enthusiasm of start-ups” such as his, Rao said his drones had worked in Indonesia, Japan as well as in the US, with drones costing upwards of $100,000.

Speaking about the new technology, Sanjiv Sarin, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Coffee, who was moderating the talk, said, “We are entering the future of the coffee industry. The Coffee Board can work for government clearances to use drones in agriculture.”

Though coffee is shade-grown among silver oak trees, Rao said, “drones will soon be able to look at a tree and avoid it. Over the next 6-12 months, we are going to have an UAV that can fly under the canopy, measure each and every coffee bush and get data for the planter. Canopy penetration will be the true essence of precision farming.”

Big data

Agricultural drones are UAVs used for precision agriculture, which is a modern method of farming globally that uses big data, aerial imagery and other means to optimise efficiency.

The drone collects the crop’s image and makes a colour coded map based on its health, which is then assessed by the UAV firm.

Drones are helping assess the exact nature and area of crop damage during natural calamities, and are helping save huge amounts.

Stating that a lot of people are fascinated by drones, Rao said the real value add “is not the hardware, which is about how to fly them and get the data, but to analyse it and benefit the farmer.”

Detailing the functioning of the UAV, Rao said, “Our drone flies for about 20 minutes, and then the battery is dead. It can survey about 150 acres. We send the images up to the cloud, and can then stitch the data into a nice map. Once you get the image and sensor data in a map, one can get an actionable report and help the farmer. This is where the real skill lies.”

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Economy> Agri Business / by Amrita Nair-Ghasalla / Mumbai – February 05th, 2016

Rajpath redolent with the aroma of coffee country

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

CoffeeKODAGU05feb2016

Bengaluru :

The flavour of Kodagu permeated the Republic Day parade in New Delhi as Karnataka’s tableau rolled down Rajpath. The tableau `Kodagu, The Land of Coffee’ was one of the star attractions at the parade.

The tableau didn’t just grab eyeballs, it filled the chilly Delhi air with the delightful aroma of freshly brewing coffee. This was done using a gas container to blow coffee essence into the air.

The tableau was a thematic presentation of litterateur HL Nage Gowda’s Kannada literary work `Bettadinda Battalige’, which means “from the hills to your cup”.

As it neared the VIP enclosure at the parade, Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda stood up to cheer, prompting wife Datty to join in. He was followed by minister HN Ananth Kumar and wife Tejaswini, who clapped loudly as it passed by. Eight women and two men from Kodagu danced, while a couple dressed in traditional Kodava attire walked along. Coffee plants, the harvest, grinding and mixing coffee at different levels of production, were some of the depictions.

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source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / January 27th, 2016