An ultra sound scan indicated he had a kidney stone
Mysuru:
In a rare surgery, doctors at a government hospital in Virajpet removed a kidney stone weighing 800 grams from a 37- year- old man’s bladder on Tuesday.
Mohammed Rafiq, a daily wage worker from Kadanga village in Virajpet, was treated at the hospital after he complained of difficulty in passing urine and severe pain. “An ultra sound scan indicated he had a kidney stone. And an X- ray revealed it could be 8cm to 10cm in size, but we could not get the exact dimensions of the stone as its posterior length could not be measured. But when we opened up, we found it was much bigger. It was not easy, but after an long hour procedure, we succeeded in removing the stone. When we weighed it, we found it was 800 grams,” said Dr Vishwanth Chimpi, a general surgeon, who operated on Rafiq.
Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, he added that while Rafiq must have had the stone for the past four to five years for it to have grown so big, it was only since the past one year that he had been getting intermittent pain, which intensified more recently. “As it was a calcium phosphate stone, it did not explode , but could not come out in the urine either as it was so huge,” he explained.
Dr Vishwanath admitted that the stone found in the daily wage worker’s body was the biggest he had come across, although three years ago he had removed a stone weighing 600 grams from a patient. Rafiq is now doing well.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by Shilpa P / October 24th, 2019
Surendra Varma, a scientist at Indian Institution of Science, said he was happy to see the turnout during the festive season.
Bengaluru :
Heavy rain and Deepavali celebrations didn’t stop corporate communication professional, Danielle S, to attend an event organised by Friends of Elephants, an informal group dedicated to promote wildlife diversity. “I have attended previous events of this group. I was out of town and came back soon to attend it. These are good knowledge-sharing platforms,” she said, adding that she and her friends believe in celebrating festivals in meaningful ways like this.
Friends of Elephants conducts panel discussions and art and cultural activities on every fourth Sunday. Titled Elephants, Tigers and Lions (conservation and conflict), their last event on October 27 included movie screenings like Shanti Samsara by Ricky Kej, talks by Manoj Kumar, chief conservator of forests, Kodagu Circle, and Ravi Chellam, wildlife expert, and panel discussion with speakers and villagers from Bandipur. The forest officers shared their experiences of tackling wild animal attacks in estates and their translocation, while villagers shared how difficult their day-to-day life is because of animal attacks.
Surendra Varma, a scientist at Indian Institution of Science, said he was happy to see the turnout during the festive season. “We had organised one event during an IPL match in the city. There was no drop in the number of participants,” he added.Prabha Ramakrishnan, a resident of Indiranagar, said she always tries to attend the events. “We are a small group of women who are interested in nature and wildlife. We go for trekking, visit wildlife sanctuaries and attend events. Why should one miss such events in the name of festival?,” she asked.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Lesly Joseph / Express News Service / October 29th, 2019
– Swamy said that it was about a year ago that he had the discussion
with BJP leaders to set up a development council for the ethnic
group in Karnataka
– The ethnic race can be found at Kodagu, a a rich coffee- and
pepper-growing district of the southern state
_________________________________
Bengaluru:
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday wrote to the Karnataka government requesting it to grant an autonomous development council for the Kodavas, a small race native to Kodagu, a rich coffee- and pepper-growing district in the southern part of the state.
Swamy said that it was about a year ago that he had the discussion to set up a development council for the ethnic group in Karnataka with BJP leaders like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and the late Anant Kumar.
“Shri Anant Kumar then said that if the council is not being separated from Karnataka, he would welcome the Codava Development Council with certain financial autonomy,” Swamy said in his letter. Using the colonial spelling, Coorg and Codava, to refer to the ethnic group, Swamy’s request reflects the sentiments of a section of Kodava’s, who have long since demanded a special status and a separate state.
The district that measures over 4,100 square kilometers and known for its coffee and spices growing regions spread across hilly terrains, has a population of over 5.54 lakhs and according to the 2011 census. The people of this race have excelled in the armed forces and in the field of sports, especially hockey among other areas.
“I think it will be good if you now take up this matter with the centre and see that this idea of Development Council as asked for by the Codavas is implemented at the earliest,” Swamy said.
Though there have been earlier proposals to include Kodava’s into the list of Scheduled Tribes and other categories of special status, this has not yet been implemented. Swamy mentioned the contribution of Kodavas in the Indian armed forces. The first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian army was Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and was conferred the rank of Field Marshal on 28 April 1986. General K.S. Thimayya was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954 and took over as Chief of the Indian Army on 07 May 1957. There have been several people from this district who have joined the army. Swamy goes on to say that the race has been exploited by politicians with black money purchasing their coffee estates.
Currently, the Kalyana-Karnataka (formerly known as Hyderabad-Karnataka) region has been accorded special status to help overcome the regional disparity as these parts are home to some of the most backward regions in the country.
source: http://www.livemint.com / LiveMint / Home> Explore / by Sharan Poovanna / October 29th, 2019
Rahul Kamath, a man from the world of advertising and a newly converted lover of coffee, sat back in his chair.
Bengaluru :
When Rahul first developed an extreme love of coffee, he had not imagined even remotely where this affair would lead him. It had only been a year but this obsession had marked a sudden, clean and dramatic shift from his long-standing penchant for elaichi chai.
When his colleague Srinivasan, the accountant who sat in the cubicle next to his, commented on this change, Rahul was quick to respond, ‘It is elaichi chai that I’ve been having since my college days. How long can one keep drinking the same thick, inky stuff? Coffee, on the other hand, is so seductive and cool, man. Good coffee is like delicious, lingering sex, you know?’
Srinivasan, a nearly celibate Tamil Brahmin from Trichy [also called Tiruchi or Tiruchirappalli], did not like these casual mentions of sex in the office. However, well aware that Rahul was in an expansive mood, one where he would go on and on about assorted and inane things, Srinivasan persevered with the conversation, probably for the sake of friendship. It was only when it became quite likely that more graphic descriptions would follow to further illustrate what was already an inappropriate comparison that he thought it best to walk back to his cubicle. Shaking his head, he buried himself in the safety of his accounting ledgers where coffee and lingering sex thankfully made no appearances.
Rahul Kamath, a man from the world of advertising and a newly converted lover of coffee, sat back in his chair. He brushed back his thick black hair, stared into space and then closed his eyes. This almost always helped him think. Why did Srini go away so quickly? Rahul could never understand people who first initiated a conversation and then withdrew inexplicably. Unfortunately, there are plenty of such people in our offices these days—shallow guys with thick spectacles and a bucketload of grand degrees, most of them unable to hold a conversation for more than a few minutes. Let it go, let it go, Rahul, it is not worth the thought. Only a nice hot cup of freshly brewed black coffee was worth his time now; some lovely Americano would allow him to think and rise above the usual rut that was office civility.
Rahul took off for Red Horse Café, his favourite coffee place. It was small, cozy and warm, and just ten minutes away if one walked briskly. Just the thought of a steaming cup of Americano had geared him up for some thinking. He had read somewhere that Americano literally meant American coffee though it had actually originated in Italy. This nugget of information had intrigued him until he found an unconfirmed story suggesting that the name owed itself to American soldiers fighting in Italy during World War II. They used hot water to dilute the strong Italian espresso to produce the sort of coffee they drank at home. The Italians must have been aghast. But he doubted if anyone cared; after all Americano helped the Americans win the war.
Excerpted from An Extreme Love Of Coffee by Harish Bhat, with permission from Penguin Random House India.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / October 30th, 2019
Indian and European bees are the most sought after while stingless bees are slowly catching our attention for its medicinal properties.
(Photo | Meghana Sastry, EPS)
Your favourite mango will definitely become dearer if not extinct, if we don’t act now. Pollinators, which include bees, need a major protection boost.
There are 2,00,000 pollinators of which honeybees are the most sought after, why?
There’s a popular saying ‘as busy as a bee’. That term comes from the fact that honey bees are the only species who identify a flower and make multiple visits to the same flower until they get all the nectar and pollen out of it. They are the best pollinators and work in the most methodical fashion. From identifying to communicating and dividing work. Their social structure is fascinating and one that we can learn a lot from. There are 20,000 types of bee species of which the ones mentioned below are the most popular types in India. Indian and European bees are the most sought after while stingless bees are slowly catching our attention for its medicinal properties.
Common Name Scientific Name Natural Nesting Site Honey Yield
(KG)
____________________________________________________________
Indian Bees Apis Cerena Cavity, Termite Mounds, Tree Hollow etc. 8-10
European Bees Apis Mellifera Cavity 25-30
Rock Bees Apis Dorsata Tree Branches, Buildings etc 30-35
Dwarf Bees Apis Florea Twig in a bush <1
Himalayan Rock Bees Apis Laboriosa Underside of rock cliffs 40-45
Indian Stingless Bees/Dammer Bees Tetragonula Iridipennis Cavities, Hollows in tree trunks and walls <500 grams
_______________________________________________________
There’s been a lot of buzz about bees going extinct and people have been trying to find a way around it.
Here is a story from beekeepers who have found it very lucrative to harvest them.
There are multiple beekeepers like Apoorva - the bee man of India and organisations like the University of Agricultural Sciences in GKVK, Bangalore who conduct workshops and help people understand the importance of bees, train them on beekeeping and provide them with bee boxes.
Apoorva visits his bee farm in Bidadi regularly to check the health of the bees. He is a mechanical engineer but a beekeeper by profession. He found his passion for bees even before he graduated and took it up soon after. He’s been working on bees for over 10 years and works closely with farmers across the country. He travels, meets farmers, trains them, gives them bee boxes, follows up with them on the progress and reviews the health of the bees regularly. He also helps them sell their produce. While Apoorva works with a lot of people across the country, this is a story close to home where he’s been working with flood victims in Coorg.
He is involved in multiple activities such as honey production, bee breeding, manufacturing beekeeping equipment, selling honey and beehive by-products, mainly wax. His company’s annual turnover is over 2 crores. He has both Indian and Italian bees.
He initially collected bees from hives and then started breeding them in his apiary during the natural division season of bees. He also buys colonies from farmers when they multiply. This bee farm is near a cornfield which is rich in pollen. It is important to understand your demography he says. Having bee flora next to an apiary is very beneficial to harvest more honey and keep bees in good health. He harvests Indian bees in forests and hilly regions and also promotes only Indian bees to farmers as it’s easier since most of them cannot handle migratory beekeeping.
European bees which in India are Italian bees requires 4-7 migrations in a year for which, he travels around 1,200 kms pollinating thousands of acres in North Karnataka mainly Sunflowers, Til, Niger, Coconuts, Arecanuts, Banana, Avacado, Litchi and more. Honey yielding fields for Italian bees are Sunflowers, Eucalyptus, Til and Niger. He has more than 200 colonies now and will split them to make about 800 during the breeding season. A farmer keeps anywhere between 4-25 boxes. He needs about 3 boxes per acre and has to distance each colony by at least 10 feet.
Bee Harvesting has helped Coorg flood victims make a livelihood
Vijay Panduranga talks about the effects of the flood and the rehabilitation work in Coorg.
After the floods in 2018 that hit Coorg, a lot of farmers lost their land in turn livelihood and haven’t received much relief from the government. There were rescue operations but then not much is being done on the rehabilitation front.
With paltry compensation from the govt. Coorg flood victims are finding solace in the new beekeeping venture. Nectar flow is an initiative/program started by a few local people, spearheaded by Retd. Brigadier Devaiah to help provide a steady income to people interested in beekeeping. People have seen returns in the 1st few months. They say that the money that comes in lets them breathe. While beekeeping in an age-old tradition in Coorg, the methods are ancient. Devaiah was on the lookout for someone with a scientific approach to help them and that’s when he found Apoorva and sought help. Apoorva readily agreed and continues to work closely with the farmers. He has helped the farmers understand the species better, eventually getting them better yields. At Coorg, each farmer makes a minimum of 5 kgs of honey per year and each box sells at Rs. 600/- per kg. They also make money by selling colonies at Rs. 1,500/- per colony. Farmers produce about 2-3 kgs of beeswax per year which is approximately Rs. 350/ kg
Farmers from the North East, Chhattisgarh, Coorg and other parts of India find it difficult to sell the honey and wax that they produce. Apoorva helps them by buying the whole lot from them, filters them further if there’s moisture and sells them as and when he gets enquires. Honey is labeled as per the flowering season such as litchi, cardamom, clover, mustard, chilli, etc., the honey tastes different too.
The by-products such as beeswax, royal jelly and bees venom are other sources of income and, used in pharmaceuticals and beauty products.
The below-mentioned statistics are only an example of how bee pollination increases the yield anywhere between15% – 80%. These are scientifically proven numbers in ideal conditions (these are underestimated values).
Estimated global economic value of pollination is 217 billion USD in 2005
_______________________________________________
Crop Increase in yield per acre (%) Increase in yield per acre Income generation by pollination per acre
_______________________________________________
Coffee 15% 5 Bags 15,000/-
Aracanut 25% 2 Quintals 64,000/-
Coconut 20% 3,000 nuts 36,000/-
Banana 20% 5 Quintals 10,000/-
Watermelon 80% 4 Tonnes 20,000/-
___________________________________________
Farmers tell us their personal stories of how beekeeping has helped increase their yield with pollination in crops such as coffee, fruits and spices. They also make a good livelihood but extracting honey and wax. What they make is pure and unadulterated making the quality far more superior than the ones available off the shelves at supermarkets.
This is what a bee box looks like. This is one bee colony. They come on top to feed. There are multiple wooden frames inside quoted with wax, which help them construct combs.
Every bee box has an opening at the bottom which allows the bees to move in and out of it, to go out and collect nectar and pollen. Some farmers who have these bee boxes are also given out on rent for pollination to seed producers or other farmers who are in need of pollination.
Naganna (Saachi) Kalappa lives 3 kms away from the main Madhapur town in Somwarpet Taluk. He has been harvesting bees for 18-20 years. Bees were available in abundance then as the ecology was healthy and rich, and filled with plants that the bees needed to survive. However, the species has seen a massive decline in numbers as the human population has been increasing and trees are being cut down for personal benefits such as planting silver oak trees as it yields timber and in a short span of time. Since the decline in numbers, they now need to procure boxes and up their skills and knowledge. After adopting this scientific method, he has benefited as his crops are multiplying. He is making enough money to take care of the needs of his family. He also says I request people to stop destroying forests and help in sustaining them and grow trees that are required for agriculture instead of timber to improve the ecology.
Thammaiah CB (Dolly) lives 7 kilometers away from the main Madhapur town in Somwarpet taluk in the Coorg district. This part of Coorg witnessed the worst of nature’s fury in 2018. While he has been harvesting Indian Apis Cerena Bees in boxes he also harvests stingless bees in pots. The quantity of honey is way lesser than what is produced by other bees however, the quality is far more superior as it has a lot of medicinal properties and is sold at a much higher rate.
Thammaiah’s mother tends to her garden every day. She says it isn’t enough if you just harvest bees and have a coffee estate, it is very important to understand what kind of flowers and fruits attract them and cultivate them in your garden. This helps in increasing pollination and nectar production.
Fruit especially those with seeds are good pollinators.
Plants that one should cultivate to yield better results
Nectar: Plants such as Avocado, Litchi, Hibiscus etc.
Pollination: Plants such as Sunflower, Sesame, Mustard, Coriander, Niger, Coconut and more (bees are attracted to vibrant colours such as yellow and blue)
She also makes beeswax at home which is another income generator. She says that it is not a very laborious process and demonstrates. You first break the comb into a utensil with enough water and let it boil.
You let it boil until it reaches the required consistency.
You then squeeze out all the excess water and use the residue to make wax cakes.
This is the final product.
Apoorva pays regular visits to all the farmers across the country and conducts a health check.
It is very important to taste it as well. Every house he goes to gives him honey to taste. He jokes and says I am glad I don’t have diabetes. If I did, for the amount of honey I consume, I would be in a lot of trouble.
Bose Mandanna is the fourth generation coffee grower. He moved back to Coorg 53 years ago after completing a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. He talks of how he has seen farming change in the years to come. Back in the day farming was done in a very environmentally friendly way. Over a period of time, when they found pests taking over the plantation, they used some chemicals to deal with the pest issue. However, they soon realised that they were not only harming humans but also the bees and other pollinators in the environment. These chemicals known as weed killers have cancer-causing properties. On realising this, they decided to go back to organic farming. However, a lot of farmers have been affected by this chemical especially in Punjab as they are one of the largest agriculturists, and the Punjab mail is popularly called the cancer express as a lot of them are coming to Bombay for treatment. Also to note the groundwater gets affected by these chemicals. People are saying that there are bee-friendly pesticides available. He jokes and says “there are all chemicals and they cannot be friendly, they might not kill you but make you unconscious”. Please avoid chemicals and use bio controlled agents.
White Stem Borer Problem: These pests are known to attack the coffee plants and wreak havock hence they wrap the plants with white cloths to avoid this menace. There is a mild chemical in it but it only
touches the trunk of the plant and does not reach the coffee flower thereby not harming humans or bees.
May 20th is International Bees Day. UAS in GKVK conducted a 2 day class for people interested in beekeeping. Urban beekeeping is also becoming popular as people from the cities have started showing
interest.
The staff showed them how to identify and dig out for a beehive as they can build hives anywhere. This has to be done with caution so as to not break the hive.
You then mildly sedate the bees with some smoke by burning dry cotton cloth and get the comb out
Once you get the comb out, you tie them tightly to a frame but not so tight that they break.
Students learn to tie the comb to the frame.
While they learn to make honey, a student observes the comb.
Santosh from the faculty shows the class how to peel the comb before you can put it into a vessel to churn honey. The peeling has to be very fine.
These are the machines in which you put the combs in to extract honey. These machines are also made by Apoorva and sold to the farmers. There is a particular way the combs have to be kept and then manually churned.
A small community of farmers can only do so much, the government needs to step up and help take this initiative forward, make this bigger and reach more people.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Specials / by Meghana Sastry / Express News Service / October 28th, 2019
High Court orders contempt petition against officials
Bengaluru:
The Karnataka High Court has expressed its displeasure over the neglect of the historic Madikeri Fort and has directed the Government Advocate to register a Contempt of Court Case against officials for not obeying Court directives.
The Court was hearing the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by J.S. Virupakshaiah, a retired IAS Officer and a resident of Somwarpet. The petitioner contended that the Fort and Palace premises are heritage sites, dating back to more than three centuries. They are neglected and the exterior walls of the Palace are infected with fungus.
The government is running its offices on the Palace premises and despite this the monuments are neglected with no action plan initiated by the officials. The petitioner had prayed before the Court to issue directions to the Government to vacate its offices and hand over the monuments to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to maintain it.
Saving the monuments
The petitioner had said that the Government officials under the Zilla Panchayat had been functioning from the old Palace for many years. There are also offices of two MLAs and MLCs of Kodagu. A request was made to the ASI to take measures to preserve the Palace. The Government office buildings should be vacated first in order to take up the repair work. It was therefore inevitable to approach the Court, he contended. Also, there is an urgent need to save the historic monuments as incessant rains were causing harm to the structures.
Virupakshaiah said that the District Administration had promised to hand over the Palace by October end, to take up a temporary makeover. There is, however, no use of temporary work. In order to inspect the present condition of the Palace and the Fort, the officials from the ASI visited the Fort premises and have submitted a report to the Court on the matter, he added.
Roof Collapse
The petitioner told the Court that in January this year, the roof of the Palace in the Fort premises suddenly collapsed. The walls of the Palace are discoloured and the soldiers’ quarters have totally collapsed. The leaking roof of the main building was covered with plastic sheets as a temporary measure.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Krishnakumar noted that despite the Court order to shift the Government offices by Oct. 30, nothing has been done so far. Upset at the officers’ attitude, the High Court has directed the Government advocate to name the officials and file a Contempt of Court Case against them. The High Court has now posted the hearing to Oct. 31.
Glorious history
History of the old Fort dates back to the 17th century AD. It was built by King Mudduraja of Haleri dynasty. Tipu Sultan rebuilt the Fort with stone. The Palace was built by Lingaraja Wadiyar II in 1812. The Fort was acquired by Dodda Veera Rajendra in 1790 and later came under the rule of British in 1834.
Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner’s office too was housed in the same building. However, it was shifted to the present building four years ago.
The offices of the Agriculture Department, District Library, Court complex and Balamandira are functioning in the Old Fort premises.
The officials said that if the entire Palace is handed over to the ASI, the Central Government will release funds.
Offices must be shifted before Oct. 31: DC
Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has directed the Assistant Director of Land Records to shift the Government offices from the Old Fort to the new building of Zilla Panchayat, before Oct. 31 as per the High Court orders.
After shifting, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will take up renovation works of the historic monuments. Officials from the ASI visited the Fort premises and inspected the condition of the Old Fort building. The team of officials also furnished a report to the Court, on the probable steps towards the repair of the building. Following the same, the officials from various Government Departments agreed to vacate their offices.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 27th, 2019
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has directed the assistant director of land records to shift the government offices from the Old Fort to the new building of Zilla Panchayat, before October 31, as per the court orders.
The Madikeri Fort, also known as Old Fort.
The orders by the deputy commissioner have come in the wake of the High Court direction towards taking up renovation work of the historic establishment. The work will be carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Annies Kanmani Joy said that the district administration had promised the Department of Archaeology of handing over the old building by October end.
As there are government offices inside the Old Fort, the department could not carry out the restoration work of the building. Also, there were demands to shift the government offices to the newly built Zilla Panchayat building.
As per the directions issued by the High Court, officials from the ASI visited the fort premises and inspected the condition of the Old Fort building.
The team of officials also furnished a report to the court, on the probable steps towards the repair of the building. Following the same, the officials from various government departments had agreed to vacate their offices.
While the repair work was going on in January, the roof of the palace in the Fort premises had suddenly collapsed.
The walls of the palace are discoloured and the soldiers’ quarters have totally collapsed.
The leaking roof of the main building was covered with plastic sheets as a temporary measure.
Glorious history
Mudduraja, a ruler of Haleri dynasty, had built the fort in the 17th century.
Tipu Sultan rebuilt the fort using stones later.
The fort was acquired by Dodda Veera Rajendra in 1790 and later came under the rule of British in 1834.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / October 23rd, 2019
Although there are many versions of this ancient dish, no article on Coorg food is complete without this pork delicacy.
At the big village feasts and celebrations, besides the barbequed pork, there is always a deep, rich, pandi curry! (Kaveri Ponnapa)
In continuation of my eulogy on Coorg, I came across a wonderful person, Kaveri Ponnapa, dedicated to the Coorg Table, preserving traditions and informing us in a style reminiscent of 19th century romantic novels, about the flavours, aromas and life in Coorg. I had a Coorg lunch with her in Bangalore where she now lives and I was enlightened about Coorg spices, specialities and ingredients.
No article on Coorg food is complete without the famous Pandi curry…here’s what she has to say and her recipe.
“The Coorgs retreat to their homes, fields and ancestral strongholds to harvest, feast, sing and dance…The community hunt, once so much a part of these celebrations is gone; hunting parties no longer comb the forests in pursuit of wild boar, preferred, as recorded by early visitors to the land, by the Coorgs to all other meat. But true to tradition, pork features at the puthari feast.
An ancient tradition
We smoke, dry, preserve, curry, braise, fry and roast pork, extracting every ounce of flavour, varying the texture as much as we can, sometimes scooping a spoonful of preserved pork fat from a ceramic jar into a dish, intensifying flavours. At the big village feasts and celebrations, besides the barbequed pork, there is always a deep, rich, pandi curry…There are probably as many versions of this ancient dish, born out of our hunting past, as there are kitchens. I have my own favourites, tasted at various tables and feasts.
Karen Anand and Kaveri Ponnapa
Food changes with the ingredients available at hand; but sometimes one comes across a dish that has evolved so perfectly in its own time and place that it is best left alone. The personal benchmark for pandi curry came to me from a set of proportions for dry spices I wrote down in a journal more than three decades ago. It has travelled with me across countries and continents; every mouthful takes me back to Coorg, to that particular collective history —of forests, and a coming together of culture and spices from where this curry emerged.
If you cook it, you should get is something like this: cubed chunks of tender pork in a dense, molten gravy, releasing the slow heat of black peppercorns, grown in the hills of Coorg since the times when wild vines could be seen looping across trees, sketching great arcs and webs across the dense jungles. Red chillies were latecomers: even the violent little bird’s eyes, referred to locally as parangi, betray their foreign origins. Hidden notes from dark roasted spices that have survived a pounding in a mortar and pestle, and have begun to release their flavours into the pork should follow the heat of the roasted peppercorns. A sharp burst of kachampuli —that’s all you need—to slice through the gleam of melted fat. You may like a squeeze of lime, just for its exuberant freshness, before you tuck into a plateful. If you happen to have a wood fire in your kitchen and the patience to slowly meld all its flavours into one, harmonious whole: fierce, crushed ginger; a touch of golden sesame oil; all those dark spices, and rendered fat, it’s unlikely that you will ever forget the taste. It is as perfect a dish that ever came out of an extraordinary place.”
Coorg Pandi Curry
Ingredients
For the spice mix:
1 tbsp black peppercorns, or more, according to taste
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 ½ tbsp coriander seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
A pinch of fenugreek seeds
(1 teaspoon of cassia bark; ½ teaspoon cardamom; ½ teaspoon cloves, optional)
Dry roast each of the above spices separately, cool and grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder
For the curry:
1 kg pork, a combination of lean meat, fat and bone, cut into approximately 1-inch cubes
1 tsp turmeric powder
Red chilli powder to taste, optional
3 large onions
3 inch root ginger, scraped
1½ bulbs garlic peeled
2-3 fresh green chillies slit
3-4 tablespoons sesame oil
Salt to taste
2cups hot water
1 level tbsp kachampuli (Coorg vinegar)
Method
Wash the pork, pat dry. Sprinkle with turmeric powder, and red chilli powder if using, mix well, and set aside. Chop the onions finely. Scrape the ginger, peel the garlic, and grind together to a smooth paste in a food processor. Slit the green chillies and set aside.
Heat the sesame oil in a pressure cooker, and when hot, add the chopped onions. Stir and fry over medium heat until translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste, and fry until the raw smell disappears. Add the marinated pork cubes, raise the heat and fry until the meat changes colour. Now reduce the heat, add the dry-roasted spices, and mix until the cubes of pork are well coated with the spice mixture. Add salt to taste, 2 cups hot water (more or less, according to the thickness of gravy you prefer) and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low-medium, and pressure cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow the pressure to drop. Test for doneness. The pork should be tender but firm. Return to the heat, toss in the slit green chillies, add the kachampuli, and simmer for about 5-7 minutes over low heat. Serve with an extra squeeze of lime and kadambuttus (steamed rice dumplings). Pandi curry a few days old tastes even better.
Author Bio: Culinary expert and explorer Karen Anand has been writing extensively on the subject of food and wine for 30 years. Apart from having her own brand of gourmet food products, she has anchored top rated TV shows, run a successful chain of food stores, founded the hugely successful Farmers Markets, and worked as restaurant consultant for international projects, among other things. Her latest passion is food tours, a totally curated experience which Karen herself accompanies, the first of which was to Italy.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Brunch / by Karen Anand, Hindustan Times / September 28th, 2019
– The 33-year old achieved a career-high ranking of world number 10 in 2016.
– Chinappa will face 42nd-ranked Haley Mendez of USA in the first round followed by either Mariam Metwally (27) or Ho Tze-Lok of Hong Kong.
– The Chennai-based player, who has been spearheading India’s challenge in international events for more than a decade, wants to carry on at least till the 2022 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
in the World Championship in Cairo.
Chennai:
India’s leading female squash player Joshna Chinappa is working harder than ever as the world number 12 aims to break back into the top-10 of PSA rankings, starting with a good showing in the World Championship in Cairo.
The 33-year old, who achieved a career-high ranking of world number 10 in 2016, will be competing at the World Championship starting on Thursday.
“I am looking forward to competing at the World Championship. I would like to break back into top-10 this season, better my career-high rank of 10 and take it from there,” Chinappa told PTI in an interaction.
Chinappa will face 42nd-ranked Haley Mendez of USA in the first round followed by either Mariam Metwally (27) or Ho Tze-Lok of Hong Kong. In the pre-quarters, the Indian could face world number 2 Nour El Sherbini of Egypt.
“Right now, I am seeded 12 in the tournament. I have a couple of tough first and second-round matches. I have the current world No 2 in my pre-quarter, so, right now, I am just looking forward to taking it match by match,” she said.
Chinappa said she is also looking forward to representing her country in the upcoming SAF Games starting in December.
“After the World Championships I will go to the UK to train for few weeks. We have been informed that we have SAF Games coming up. And hopefully I can be part of the Indian team that plays there in Nepal.”
Indian players have been training without a full-time coach ever since Egyptian Achraf Karargui left on a bitter note ahead of the Commonwealth Games last year.
Talking about the standard of Indian squash presently, Chinappa, who won her 17th national title in June, said the competition at the domestic level has got a lot stronger.
“I have been playing nationals for a long time, the competition has gotten me a lot stronger especially in the last few years. You have Sunayna (Kuruvilla), Tanvi Khanna, and a bunch of other girls who have improved a lot and they are playing in the professional tour.”
The Chennai-based player, who has been spearheading India’s challenge in international events for more than a decade, wants to carry on at least till the 2022 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
“At the back of my mind, I still have the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2022, that I would like to compete in and win medals for India there. Yeah… that is what motivates me, and exciting times in squash and I really hope to do more for the game,” Chinappa added.
source: http://www.firstpost.com / FirstPost / Home> Latest News> Sports News / by Press Trust of India / October 24th, 2019
Donors from various organisations and companies have donated a combined total of Rs 188.04 crore for the Chief Minister’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund. The donations were received following a public appeal by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to contribute generously towards flood relief.
According to data, the donations came between August 13 and October 22, with officials expecting more funds in the coming days. The donations were by a total of 4,105 donors, with the highest number of donations on October 14. Highest in terms of donations received was on August 20, when a total of Rs 39.15 crore was contributed to the fund.
While the total amount available in the Natural Disaster Relief Fund was Rs 316.09 crore, Rs 97.17 crore of the said amount was the pending amount collected after the 2018 floods in Kodagu. “A total of 186 crore was collected from donors for Kodagu flood relief,” P A Gopal, joint secretary, Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, said. As on October 23, the amount of funds available was Rs 217 crore.
Donations were also received online for flood relief. Also, Rs 32.53 crore – one day salary of government employees – was handed over from the district treasuries for the relief, according to data.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Food Relief / by Akram Mohammed / DH News Service, Bengaluru / October 24th, 2019
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