Tourists have been visiting Madikeri in large numbers to spend their Christmas holidays and to celebrate the new year.
A large number of tourists visited Raja Seat, Omkareshwara temple, Abbey falls, Madikeri Fort, Dubare, Harangi dam, Talacauvery, Bhagamandala and Irpu.
Following landslides in Kodagu, the turnout of tourists had decreased drastically, which had worried the resort and homestay owners.
The long holidays for government offices, banks, schools and colleges, has made the tourists happy.
Commercial establishments at General Thimayya Road, Kohinoor Road, bus stand and hotels made brisk business.
In some hotels, meals were not available after 2 pm. The hotel owners said that there was a problem in preparing meals as the number of tourists had increased suddenly.
Tourists from different places enjoyed the traditional Kodava cuisine.
There was an increase in the traffic density on the roads. Police had a hard time controlling traffic movement, especially on Monday night.
The shopkeepers and hoteliers are expecting more people in the coming days till the end of the year.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Districts / by Adithya K A / DH News Service / Madikeri – December 25th, 2018
None of the five members, who watched the film ‘Paarane’ to certify, knew Kodava language
Mysuru:
Kodava film ‘Paarane’ that has been screened in several National and International Film Festivals cannot be screened in the upcoming Bengaluru International Film Festival. Reason: Regional Office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has rejected certification for the movie because the members who watched it did not like the colour grading and the long-duration shots in it.
Shockingly, none of the people at CBFC who watched the movie knew Kodava language, which is crucial to make a decision of issuing certification! Now, forget Bengaluru International Film Fest, the movie-makers cannot even apply for National Film Awards without a CBFC certificate.
‘Paarane’, directed by Shreelesh S. Nair, tells the story of struggle by people from a village named Paarane for their existence and entity. Encroachers attack and try to destroy their native natural resources in the name of business. Realising this, the protagonists revolt against the invaders. The high-point of the film is that it is made on a shoestring budget of merely Rs. 3 lakh, as claimed by the Director. None of the actors were professionally into films and it introduces many new actors. Its duration is 1 hour and 32 minutes.
Nair, who is from Kerala and currently a resident of Bengaluru, said that the movie cast people from Paarane village and filmed around Kodagu district with sync sound. ‘Paarane’ has won the Certificate of Achievement at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. The film also participated in the Kolkata International Film Festival and has been selected for the Golden Grand Film Festival, Redwood Film Festival and Eurasian Film Festival.
Shreelesh S. Nair
“A Kodava language film making it to film festivals, which is first time in India, has definitely excited the team. It has been nominated at Indonesia Film Festival and a small festival to be held in Berlin,” Nair said.
Tasting success at International level, Nair approached CBFC’s Regional Office in Bengaluru for certification. “None of the five members, including the Regional Officer, who watched ‘Paarane’ knew Kodava language. The film has only 11 shots in it and the CBFC objected to it. I was asked why there were no close-up shots of actors,” Nair said.
“Shockingly, a CBFC official who objected to the colour grading, said why was Coorg not looking beautiful and I told him that was the way I have made the film. The official insisted that he has rules to follow and cannot certify any film and I told him to please show me the rule book. Only if rules are made public filmmakers can know what kind of films CBFC object to,” Nair said.
Nair, who took objection to the way he was treated at Regional Office of CBFC, was told to go to court or appeal to CBFC head office in Mumbai. And for that he needs Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000. “I made the movie in a small budget of Rs. 3 lakh and I don’t have the resources for the appeal and to go to the court,” he said.
Advocates who are in the know of CBFC guidelines said that the CBFC can reject a scene when it is vulgar, if it provokes communal tensions or threatens to damage the sovereignty or integrity of India or extremely and unnecessarily violent.
The CBFC does not have powers to reject certification on a movie’s total length or dull colour as it amounts to denying freedom of expression of the film-maker, lawyers said.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 28th, 2018
Kidambi Srikanth and Ashwini Ponnappa turned out to be amazing pranksters as they tricked a bunch of kids at a badminton academy in Secunderabad, disguised as old people.
Kidambi Srikanth and Ashwini Ponappa played a prank on young kids.
Indian badminton stars Kidambi Srikanth and Ashwini Ponnappa turned out to be amazing pranksters as they tricked a bunch of kids at a badminton academy in Secunderabad, disguised as old people.
The two proved that they are not only ace badminton players but also brilliant actors when they disguised themselves as an old couple and went to the Garuda Badminton Academy, pleading for a few minutes of playtime with the kids training there.
Granted five minutes of playing time, rather half-heartedly, the two seemed to annoy the kids by showing some poor badminton skills, pretending they have back-ache, before unleashing their true self to a loud cheer from everyone watching at the academy. The kids later ran towards Srikanth and Ponnappa as they removed their mask to reveal who they were, asking for autographs.
Srikanth and Ponnappa, who are currently playing the fourth season of the Pro Badminton League, are not the only athletes to have carried out such a stint. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo had once disguised himself as a bearded homeless man and embarassed a kid on the street with his skills.
Ashwini Ponappa is playing for Hyderabad Warriors in the Pro Badminton League season four while Kidambi Srikanth represents Bengaluru Raptors.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports / by Sports Desk / December 29th, 2018
Police personnel take part in a round of tug of war in Madikeri on Saturday.
Sports helps in maintaining mental and physical health of an individual, said IGP (Southern range) K V Sharath Chandra.
He was speaking at the valedictory of the annual sports meet for police personnel at the Police Grounds in Madikeri town on Saturday night.
Sports helps overcome stress,” the IGP reminded.
Kodagu Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar said police personnel in the district in the last five months had faced a lot of challenges. All the officers had been working honestly, she commended.
Running race, tug of war, slow bike race and other competitions were held during the tournament.
Deputy Commissioner P I Sreevidya, retired police officers association president Chotu Appayya and others were present during the valedictory.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Naina J A / DH News Service / Madikeri – December 23rd, 2018
Set to grab attention: Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan believe their styles complement each other well enough to go all the way.
Our lefty-righty combo will be to our advantage, says Divij
Not since 2013, when Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna combined, have two of the highest-ranked Indian doubles players come together to play on the ATP Tour.
As the 2019 season-opener, the Tata Open Maharashtra, gets underway from Monday, Bopanna teaming up with Divij Sharan is set to grab attention. The two best doubles practitioners in the land won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta and clearly have the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in their sights.
“Really happy to be playing with someone from India again,” said Bopanna. “It has been a long time and it is special to travel and compete with someone from your own country. We thought this may be a good opportunity looking at Tokyo as well.”
In fairness, the present seems nothing like the 2013 heyday when India had three players in the world’s top 10. Bopanna is now ranked 37 and Divij 39. Yet, it hasn’t stopped the duo from feeling upbeat. Divij in particular, after playing with a dozen partners this year, hoped the latest association might just be the right one.
“Rohan has got a big game, which can help us go all the way [in tournaments],” he explained. “Our lefty-righty combo will be to our advantage too. What will make a difference is us doing good in a few big tournaments, which was missing in my previous partnerships. I think both of us, with our strengths, can go really deep.”
Bopanna believed that they complement each other well. “Divij moves well at the net and volleys better while I hit with a lot of power from the back of the court,” said the 38-year-old. “It helped us at the Asian Games when we came through a couple of super tiebreaks by really working to our strengths. But we still have so much to learn.”
In such a nascent partnership, Divij felt that it was important not to worry about results and the accompanying pressures early on.
“We shouldn’t think too much even if we have a great first few weeks,” the 32-year-old said. “Initially you just try and get used to playing with each other. We are confident that we can do well. We just need to give ourselves that chance.”
Big-match experience
According to Bopanna, his big-match experience would come in handy. “Divij hasn’t had a full year playing all the Masters,” he said. “My being there to constantly guide him through that will be an advantage. It was a similar thing when I was with Mahesh because I had someone who had already done it at that level.”
“Also, training and being together makes a difference. Most successful doubles teams do that. When I played with [Pablo] Cuevas (in 2017), we had good results but we didn’t practise much because he was playing singles. So looking forward to competing alongside Divij.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Tennis / by N. Sudarshan / Pune, December 29th, 2018
America Kannada Koota and Havyaka Sangha donated a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the Madikeri Rotary Club to be handed over to the Kodagu flood victims.
At a programme organised, doctor couple settled in Atlanta – Dr Subrahmanya Bhat and Dr Annapoorna Bhat – handed over the cheque to Rotary Club President O S Chingappa.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Subrahmanya Bhat said that Kannadigas were saddened at the devastation caused following flood and landslides in Kodagu in August.
Dr Annapoorna Bhat said also spoke.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Naina J A / DH News Service / Madikeri – December 23rd, 2018
The winners are Kolera Zaru Ganapathy, chairperson, Sai Shankar Educational Institutions, Ponnampet and Chennai-based industrialist Ashok Kumar Shetty, owner of Sincona Estate in Kodagu.
Bengaluru :
Two individuals who went out of their way to assist people affected during unprecedented floods and landslides which struck Kodagu district this August, have shared the title of ‘Coorg Person of the Year 2018’.
The winners are Kolera Zaru Ganapathy, chairperson, Sai Shankar Educational Institutions, Ponnampet and Chennai-based industrialist Ashok Kumar Shetty, owner of Sincona Estate in Kodagu.
The duo were joint winners in a poll conducted by www.coorgtourisminfo.com. This is the first time that the award is being shared by two people.
When educationist Zaru Ganapathy heard about the tragedy, he initially announced that he would take 25 students in his residential school. Gradually, parents of more children starting approaching him.
Ganapathy said there were 130 students at present from the affected villages who are accommodated in the residential school. “We are giving them free education and are ready to look after them for another three years,” he said.
The second Coorg Person of the Year is Chennai-based Ashok Kumar Shetty, owner of Sincona Estate, on the Madikeri-Somwarpet state highway, near Makkandur. A 450 metre-long stretch of the highway was washed away due to landslides, forcing villagers and students to trek through hills to reach their homes. Taking note of the plight of the villagers, Shetty offered nearly two acres of his land to the Public Works Department for restoring the highway line.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / December 27th, 2018
New office-bearers have been elected for Coorg Wildlife Society.
Kambeyanda C. Biddappa has been elected as President, Ketolira A. Chengappa as Vice-President, Apparanda A. Cariappa as Secretary, Chendanda S. Poovaiah as Treasurer, Chendanda P. Aiyappa has been elected as Joint Secretary. Prof. Kambeyanda C. Belliappa, Iychettira M. Machaiah, Chendanda P. Jeffrey Muthanna, Bollera B. Chengappa, K.N. Madappa, B.A. Poonacha and C.K. Poovaiah have been elected as Executive Committee members.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 22nd, 2018
A view of the new District Court Complex on the outskirts of Madikeri.
The construction work of the Kodagu District Court Complex in Madikeri has reached its final stage.
The red coloured court complex situated on the outskirts of the city reminds one of the High Court building in Bengaluru.
A new building for the district court has been a long pending demand of judges, lawyers and the public.
The current court complex at Old Fort in Madikeri houses the courts of various levels. The building leaks in the rainy season, resulting in damage to documents.
The court proceedings are also hit due to the poor condition of the building. The Old Fort premises is currently under the jurisdiction of the archaeological department.
The department had been repeatedly requesting the administration to relocate the zilla panchayat office and the old court complex to the new premises so that the preservation works of the Old Fort Hall and the Madikeri Palace could be taken up.
Work on the new district court complex began in 2014 and is carried out at a cost of Rs 36 crore. The last stage of work is pending.
The building was supposed to be completed by this December. But heavy rains in June, July and August resulted in the delay. Now, the work is expected to the completed by the end of February 2019 and the courts will possibly function in the new building from the first week of April.
The three-storied court complex comprises of court hall, auditorium, record room, safety room and a separate room to accommodate the under-trails during the investigation. The installation of furniture in the court hall is in progress, said the contracted agency.
The workers said that care has been taken to ensure the safety of the new building.
The building has been designed in such a way that the building walls are protected from rain. During the incessant rains in August, there were incidents of minor landslides at the new court premises. Therefore, protective walls have been built around the court building.
There is also a parking facility in the new complex.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Districts / by Adithya KA / DH News Service / Madikeri – December 26th, 2018
Former minister M C Nanaiah inaugurates the Kodava children’s folk and cultural festival in Napoklu on Thursday, by dancing to the tune of Kodava traditional music.
Kodava people should remain united to protect their culture, said former minister M C Nanaiah.
He was speaking after inaugurating ‘Kodava Makkala Janapada Samskruthika Habba’ organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, in association with Kodava Makkada Koota, at the premises of Ankur Public School in Napoklu on Thursday.
Kodava people should not sell their properties to outsiders. If Kodagu is occupied by non-Kodavas, it would be difficult to save Kodava tradition. Kodava language and culture is unique and every Kodava has a role to play in preserving the same, Nanaiah added.
Kodava Sahitya Academy chairman Pemmanda K Ponnappa presided over the programme. Kodava Samaja president Biddatanda Ramesh Changappa was present.
Achievers Chirotira Thammaiah, Baleyada Uttappa, Kaibulira Subbaiah, Kundyolanda Subbaiah, Chiyakapoovanda Devaiah, Napaneravanda Somaiah and Boppanda Bollamma were felicitated on the occassion.
Students from 15 schools in Napoklu hobli took part in the programme. Children performed folk arts ‘Baloppatt’, ‘Bolakkatt’, ‘Ummattatt’ and ‘Kattiyatt’ during the fest.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Districts / by DH News Service / Napoklu – December 20th, 2018
WELCOME. If you like what you see "SUBSCRIBE via EMAIL" to receive FREE regular UPDATES.
Read More »
