Monthly Archives: April 2025

Rain plays spoilsport at Muddanda Cup Hockey Festival 2025: Mandepanda Champions

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Samajas, Associations, Clubs (wef. Sept. 03rd, 2022)), Sports, Women/Girls (wef. Sept 03rd, 2022), World Opinion

Chenanda to host 26th edition of Family Hockey Tournament at Napoklu in 2026

Madikeri:

The Mandepanda family was declared the winner of the Muddanda Hockey Festival 2025 held at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa College Grounds, Madikeri, after heavy rain interrupted their final against the Chendanda family yesterday.

Mandepanda was leading 1-0 when a downpour forced the match to be abandoned just over 12 minutes into play. Later, the organisers issued a statement confirming Mandepanda as the champions of the Silver Jubilee edition of the Kodava Family Hockey Festival.

Amidst overcast skies and thunderous cheers from the crowd, the much-anticipated final had begun with high energy. Chendanda earned the first penalty corner early on, but Olympian Nikin Thimmaiah failed to convert the opportunity.

Mandepanda responded with sharp counterattacks, securing their first penalty corner, which Gautam successfully converted to give Mandepanda a crucial 1-0 lead in the first quarter.

Rain began to intensify during the second quarter as Chendanda pushed hard for an equaliser. Despite earning back-to-back penalty corners, they failed to break through Mandepanda’s defence. As lightning flashed and thunder rolled, torrential rain forced a suspension of play.

Relentless downpour left the field waterlogged. After about half an hour of efforts to clear the standing water, the match briefly resumed. Chendanda came close to scoring, but Mandepanda’s young goalkeeper Dhyan Bopanna made a brilliant save to preserve his team’s lead.

 Moments later, the rain returned with greater intensity, turning the ground into a virtual stream. With further play impossible, officials from the Kodava Hockey Academy, referees and team managers declared Mandepanda the winners.

Despite being soaked twice over, the spirit of the crowd remained unbroken. Spectators packed into gallery corners, cheering, clapping and even dancing in the rain. However, disappointment lingered among fans and organisers alike, as many had hoped for a full and thrilling conclusion to the Silver Jubilee tournament. Earlier, in the third-place match, Nellamakkada defeated Kuppanda (Kaikeri) 2-1 to claim third spot.

The Kambiranda family that won the Muddanda Cup Women’s Hockey Festival 2025.

VIP speeches delay action

The final was marred by significant delays and drew heavy criticism from spectators. Many expressed frustration over poor planning and coordination, blaming the organisers for nearly four-hour delay in starting the final.

Originally scheduled to begin at 11 am, the final was postponed due to an extended inaugural ceremony where several Ministers and elected representatives delivered prolonged speeches, pushing the start time to around 2 pm.

Home Minister Dr. Parameshwara addressing the gathering.

Mere minutes after play commenced, heavy rain lashed Madikeri, leading to the abandonment of the match. “When a match is scheduled for 11 am, starting it at 2.30 pm is simply unacceptable — especially with rain forecasts and spectators waiting, hungry and eager, to watch the finals,” many said.

“Are we here to watch hockey or to listen to endless speeches?” one frustrated fan remarked. Spectators further noted that in professional tournaments, VIPs attend to witness the sport, not to hold the mic and deliver lengthy lectures, disregarding the value of spectators’ time.

Among the speakers were Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Virajpet MLA and CM’s Legal Advisor Ajjikuttira S. Ponnanna, Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda, MLC Mandepanda Suja Kushalappa, Kodava Hockey Academy President Pandanda Bopanna and Muddanda Hockey Festival Committee President Muddanda Rashin Subbaiah.

Just minutes after the final match between the Mandepanda and Chendanda began, heavy rains lashed Madikeri, leading to waterlogged grounds.

World Wide Book of Records recognition

The Silver Jubilee Muddanda Cup set a new record with 396 men’s teams comprising 5,544 players competing in 397 matches, alongside 58 women’s teams with 464 players competing in 57 matches during the five-a-side tournament.

The festival was officially entered into the World Wide Book of Records, with Sindhuja, a representative from the record book, announcing the recognition at the closing ceremony and presenting the certificate to the Muddanda family.

The 26th Kodava Family Hockey Festival will be hosted by Chenanda family at Napoklu in 2026. The family ceremoniously accepted leadership during a flag procession held on the Muddanda Cup Grounds.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Sports / April 28th, 2025

Kodagu popular getaway this Labour Day long weekend

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Bengaluru travel and hospitality companies have shifted itineraries to accommodate the holiday rush.

A Jayanagar-based travel company has switched from tempo travellers to mini buses to meet the high demand for trips within Karnataka this long weekend. Credit: MuddieTrails

With the Labour Day holiday falling on a Thursday (May 1), Bengalureans are turning the mid-week break into a long weekend by taking Friday off from work. Some are heading out on treks and road trips across Karnataka, while others are flying to destinations in other states or even abroad.

Harshitha Karunakar is off on a four-day vacation to Sri Lanka starting Thursday. She admits their schedule is “a bit packed for an international trip”, but the timing worked well for her family — her mother, a schoolteacher, is on summer break, and her retired father is free to join. “I applied for leave a month ago,” said the content writer. Their itinerary includes Buddhist temples, colonial landmarks, beaches, and sites linked to the ‘Ramayana’.

Former communications professional Brian Ammanna and his friends are limiting their road trip to three days. They are returning Saturday to avoid Sunday traffic. They will explore eateries in Mysuru before heading to Kodagu to unwind. Since most stays in Kodagu were expensive due to the long weekend rush, they booked one near Madikere, half an hour away.

Product manager Bharat Vijay and his mother Uma Devi, a field engineer assistant, are using the flexibility of remote work to start their trip on Wednesday. They will backpack through Kodagu, trekking up the Tadiandamol peak, and visiting monasteries and coffee estates.

Advocate Shamanth Surendra has settled for a day trip. Along with his biker friends and cousins, he plans to ride up to the Mallappa Konda hill — on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Andhra border — and the Bolumalai Fort in Tamil Nadu.

But some like IT professional Preeti K had to drop her family travel plans. She said most “decent hotels and resorts” in places like Kodagu, Kotagiri and Wayanad are either sold out or charging twice or more due to the long weekend demand.

‘Enquiries up by 2.5 times’

Travel and hospitality companies have shifted itineraries to accommodate the holiday rush. Muddie Trails, Jayanagar, saw enquiries more than double and responded by increasing their group trips to Ooty, Kodaikanal, and Munnar from one to three each. “One trip will start Thursday night,” said operations manager Shirky Sreemath.

Plan The Unplanned, Hulimavu, has scheduled two treks for May 1 — to Makali Durga and Kaiwara, both within 80 km of Bengaluru. As of Tuesday, each had 8-10 enquiries, mostly from 21-to-35-year-olds, but no confirmed bookings. “Long weekend plans are usually last-minute, so we are hopeful the slots will be filled by Wednesday,” said founder Jatin Munvar.

Chazing Sunsets, Chickpet, had sold 11 of 15 slots for a four-day jungle trail by Monday. “Mostly families with young children are booking. It becomes a short summer vacation for them,” said founder Rohit Kumar.

Nomadic’s hostel in Kodagu, which can accommodate 16 visitors, is fully booked. “Some guests have even opted to sleep on extra mattresses. We have had to decline more requests,” said founder Sandeep T K. And their D D Hills campsite in Tumakuru, which holds twice as many, has only a few tents left. “All these bookings are from Bengaluru,” he added.

Those seeking a long vacation had factored in the May 1 break well in advance. Sreemath’s company, for instance, had secured 50-60% of its bookings to Arunachal Pradesh as early as January, anticipating the holiday. Of these, 70% of travellers are from Bengaluru. “Booking early helps avoid expensive flights,” he explained.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> India> Karnataka> Bengaluru / by Barkha Kumari / April 30th, 2025

Bags ‘Best Co-op Society’ Award

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Picture shows the office-bearers of Kodagu Sahakara Sangha, Mysuru, with the award.

Kodagu Sahakara Sangha, Jayalakshmipuram, Mysuru, has bagged the ‘Best Co-operative Society’ award for the second time at the 67th All India Co-operative Week-2020 held on Nov. 17 at Chikkaballapur.

The Sangha had earlier bagged the award during the 61st All India Co-operative Week too for its service to society in the Co-operative sector.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Gallery> PhotoNews / November 26th, 2020

Kodagu police take up awareness sessions with students to teach law and order

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The police team has visited over 10 schools and colleges in the district to extend legal awareness to the students.

The school and college awareness programme was started by the Kodagu police under the guidance of SP K Ramarajan to curb crimes Photo | Express

Madikeri :

The Kodagu police is devising first-of-its-kind initiatives in the district with legal awareness campaigns conducted across schools and colleges.

Police officers including the SP are also holding interactive sessions with the students. A Cultural Club to promote talent among the police team has also been launched.

The cases of crime against children and crime committed by minors are rising across the country.

The school and college awareness programme was started by the Kodagu police under the guidance of SP K Ramarajan to curb crimes and promote general knowledge of law and order.

So far, the police team has visited over 10 schools and colleges in the district to extend legal awareness to the students.

“We initiated the programme keeping in mind quite a few objectives. Firstly, we want to stop the narcotic abuse among youngsters. Hence, we are conducting elaborate sessions with students (above sixth grade) and are explaining the legal battles they will have to face in case they get involved in narcotic abuse,” explained Ramarajan.

The sessions are also being conducted on cybercrime awareness and the do’s and don’ts that one needs to follow are being explained.

Traffic-related crimes are also being explained to the students even as the police team has readied videos to make students understand the consequences of breaking traffic rules.

“We have shot videos of the family members of the accident victims. We play this to the students to make them aware of the consequences of traffic-related violations and the need to follow safety measures while driving,” he detailed.

Further, the cases of sexual abuse and the need to report them immediately are being highlighted during the interactive sessions.

“We also highlight the concept of how the legal system works. Further, in case they are denied justice, we also make the students aware of the next best approach,” he explained.

From awareness on filing complaints to letting know the consequences of breaking the law, the Kodagu police officers are going the extra mile to ensure a good society. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Prajna GR / March 18th, 2025

Selected as scholarship delegate for UN Conference

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Mysuru: 

Another Mysurean Drithi Bopanna, pursuing M.Sc., in Global Business Management at Rennes School of Business, France, has been selected as a scholarship delegate for United Nation Organisation’s Annual “Change the World” Conference to be held at the UN Headquarters, New York City, in March 2019.

An alumnus of St. Joseph’s Central School and Sapient College, Vijayanagar, Drithi is the daughter of late Puliyanda Nithin Bopanna and Dr.Sujatha Bopanna, Dean of Studies, De Paul Degree  College, Mysuru.

About the conference

The “Change the World Model United Nations (CWMUN)” is an annual international meeting attended by 2,500 students from all over the world, where they debate the major issues of international political agenda.

Follow Star of Mysore on Instagram www.instagram.com/starofmysore

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 20th, 2018

Songs of the Forest

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To promote and preserve their way of life, Jenukuruba Ramesh has started Girijana Abhivrudhi Kala Samsthe, whose videos on YouTube have made their talent, and voice, heard in the outside world.

Madikeri :

Apart from external forces, the well-being of a forest also depends on those who reside in them the tribes. They protect nature, and their culture revolves around the flora, fauna, and every aspect of the forest.

However, owing to urbanisation, the tribes are losing their roots. To reintroduce the community culture and promote it to the outside world, the Girijana Abhivrudhi Kala Samsthe team was founded by Jenukurubara Ramesh, a resident of Nagarahole.

An internet search on the tribal dance of Nanachi Gaddhe of Nagarahole will introduce one to the rhythmic music and upbeat dance of the Jenukuruba tribes of Nagarahole. These forest dwellers sing songs that narrate their history and move in sync with the music coming out of plastic drums and sleigh bells. The song composed in the Jenukuruba language narrates the life stories, culture and history of the tribes.

“The tribals have unique culture, rituals and art forms. However, no one, including the community members, understood the importance of the need to protect and preserve our culture. But I had the strong urge to promote our lifestyle, and I formed an art team in 2007,” recalls Ramesh from Nanachi Gadde tribal settlement located by the forest fringe of Nagarahole.

Girijana Abhivrudhi Kala Samsthe members have performed across Kerala, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and other regions, promoting their culture.

As their popularity grew after videos of their performance were posted on YouTube by a few viewers who witnessed it live, the team was approached by movie directors. “Our team has performed in four Kannada movies. While two movies are yet to be released, our works can be seen in Vinay Kumar’s directorial venture Vyathe and in Rippen Swamy,” he tells.

Ramesh opines that art can preserve the unique culture of the tribes, and it is important for them to introduce their lifestyle to the outer world. “Art can help us get the attention of the government to fulfill our demands too,” he opines.

He explains that the tribal culture takes its roots from the forests as their ancestors sang life lessons while taking care of elephants.

He adds that the songs he has composed in the Jenukuruba language narrate the lifestyle of the community. “We pick forest resources and we depend on forests for everything. From extracting honey to looking for medicinal plants, tribals care for the forest. Even while picking honey, we make sure that we leave some untouched in the comb for the bees. Our deities in the form of stone installed by our ancestors are inside the forest. Our festivals revolve around the forest. Our graveyard is inside the forest. All these practices are now being retold by our team through plays, songs and dance,” he elaborates.

However, he opines that with urbanisation, the tribals are losing their culture. “Forest is like our sibling. But owing to government restrictions, we are being moved out of the forest which is affecting our culture. Many in the community have become victims of bad habits, and there is a need to create awareness in the community. While tribal leaders are voicing for the community to avail basic facilities, it is also necessary to create awareness among the community to bring the tribals back to their roots,” he adds.

He concludes by saying that tribes are torn between their ancestral culture and modernisation even as he explains that it would be tough for the community to move into townships as they are the children of the forest.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna GR / January 19th, 2025

Call to preserve Kodava land, language and culture

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Samajas, Associations, Clubs (wef. Sept. 03rd, 2022)), Women/Girls (wef. Sept 03rd, 2022), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Shree Kaveri Kodagu Mahila Sangha conducts annual cultural contests

Mysuru: 

Shree Kaveri Kodagu Mahila Sangha, Mysuru, conducted its annual cultural competitions on Apr. 13 at Kodagu Sahakara Sangha premises in Jayalakshmipuram.

Inaugurating the programme by lighting the traditional lamp, Kodagu Model School (Vidyashankar Layout, Sathagalli, Mysuru) Education Council Chairperson Chowrira Seethamma Kalaiah, who was the chief guest, spoke on preserving Kodava land, language, their unique attire, customs and traditions which are the real assets of Kodava community, whose population is dwindling alarmingly of late. Calling upon the parents and elders to impart knowledge on culture and tradition to their children, she felt for an urgent need to create awareness among youths on Kodava culture (Kodavame).

Kollira Bollamma Kuttappa, President, Kodagu Mahila Sangha, welcomed and presided.

K. Kavya Kuttappa, Vice-President; K. Bhavani Belliappa, Secretary; M. Jaya Muthappa, Treasurer; A. Tara Somaiah and P. Vimala Poonacha, Joint Secretaries; K. Pushpa Machaiah and K. Pushpa Nanaiah, Organising Secretaries and  P. Lovely Appaiah, Kodagu Mahila Sangha Advisor, were present.

Mysuru Kodava Samaja President Ponjanda A. Ganapathy, former Samaja Presidents Moovera K. Kuttappa, Kekada M. Belliappa and Kattera A. Kariappa and Kodagu Sahakara Sangha President Chambanda Nanjamma were the special invitees.

The Sangha members and their children actively participated in singing, dance, pick-and-speak and drawing competitions. 

Kaliyanda Renu Muthamma (Kodava songs, Pick & Speak), Anusha Kumar (Dance),  Vidyashree (Singing) and  Mukkaty Muthappa (Drawing) were the judges. The event concluded with prize distribution by Machanda Jaya Muthappa. Kodandera Pushpa Machaiah proposed a vote of thanks.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 24th, 2025

CIT Ponnampet wins MYCAS Hockey Tournament

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Mysuru: 

Coorg Institute of Technology (CIT), Ponnampet, won the State-level Inter-Collegiate Hockey Tournament, organised by MYCAS College in city recently. A total of 9 colleges from across the State participated in the tournament.

CIT, Ponnampet and Anugraha College, Kushalnagar, reached the finals and fought fiercely for the trophy. After scoring 2 goals each in a closely fought final match, the match went to a penalty shoot-out.

CIT won the battle and lifted the trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 while Anugraha College took the second place and received a cash prize of Rs. 7,000 and a trophy. Individual medals were presented to the players. While Best Player award was won by Gokul from Anugraha College, Bevan Ganapathy from CIT bagged Best Goal-keeper award.

Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated by Muruvanda Spoorthi Seethamma, an ultra-marathoner. Chethan, Brown and Abhishek were the referees.

G. Ramacharan, Director (Operations), MYCAS College, C. Archana, Principal, MYCAS PU College and Dr. T.J. Ramya, Lead Student and faculty development were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / April 21st, 2025

Rear Admiral IB Uthaiah is DG Warship Design Bureau

Amazing Feats, Defence Services (Air,Land,Sea),Police (wef. Dec 09th, 2021), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, , , , ,

New Delhi : 

RAdm IB Uthaiah, took over as the Director General, Warship Design Bureau, New Delhi, from RAdm Bimal Kumar.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy in Nov 1987, RAdm IB Uthaiah is an alumnus of the Naval College of Engineering, INS Shivaji, Lonavala, and holds an M. Tech and M. Phil degree in addition. In a career spanning over 35 years, he has served the Indian Navy in various capacities; with appointments at the Warship Design Bureau, Training Academies, Naval Dockyard (Vzg), all Naval Commands and the Naval Headquarters.

On being elevated to Flag Rank, the officer has tenanted appointments as Additional Director General (Technical), Project Seabird; Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam, and Chief Staff Officer (Technical), at the Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, prior taking over his current assignment.

source: http://www.aviation-defence-universe.com / Aviation & Defence Universe / Home> Navy / February 01st, 2023