If there is a word that can describe Ashwini Ponnappa’s present state of mind, it would be tranquil. At the moment, the doubles shuttler is sorted in her head and clear in her heart. The recent success at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) has only contributed positively to the cause.
The Bangalore player, who impressed by playing four matches in a day and winning medals at Gold Coast, said this edition of the CWG was extra special, simply because of the way the team played and won together.
“This one was special, extremely special. We won our first team gold and the atmosphere in the team was all very positive. Everybody was giving their best, trying to do well for the country. It felt good to be a part of the team. My first CWG in 2010 was special for obvious reasons and on top of it, we had won doubles gold,” Ashwini told TOI.
However, the World Championships bronze medallist felt there was a lot more she could do.
“Although it was India’s best ever show in the CWG, personally, I could have done better. I am one of the senior-most players in the team now and I feel I could have contributed more than what I did by pushing more in my matches and sharing a lot more insights with the juniors. Personally, I feel that me and my partners could have done better,” Ashwini, who won the women’s doubles bronze with N Sikki Reddy, said.
Her efforts in Gold Coast were so remarkable that even coach Gopichand praised Ashwini in one of the felicitation functions after the Games. Gopi called Ashwini the real champion of the team.
“I am grateful to Gopi sir for saying all the good things. He was generous with his comments, but I would say the whole team did well and right feedback from Gopi sir helped all of us,” she said.
Ashwini, who had a long partnership with Jwala Gutta, now looks settled with Sikki and Satwik Rankireddy in women’s and mixed doubles respectively.
“I would say it is going good for me. I am happy with the way we played and hope to do better with them. It’s good to have left the partnership decision to the coach (Tan Kim Her). As long as he sees us having the potential to do well as partners, we’ll definitely be playing together (with N Sikki Reddy and Satwik Rankireddy).”
She admits that things were not easy after her split with Jwala, two years ago, but with time, things are falling in place for her.
“Initially it was tough as I was recovering from dengue so I was pretty low. I wasn’t feeling strong. A lot has happened during the two years. I have changed partners, got married, and become physically and mentally much stronger,” said Ashwini, who got married to businessman and model Karan Medappa last year.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Sports News > Badminton News / by Tushar Dutt / TNN / April 20th, 2018
Shanthalli is a hobli situated in the Push-pagiri region near Mallalli. It falls on the border of Kodagu-Hassan- Dakshina Kannada. In a district where liquor is an integral part of cultural traditions, this north Kodagu hobli is quite an exception.
It has not had a liquor shop in its limits for decades, holding on to the Gandhian dream of a liquor-free society. It has a population of 9,245, with women outweighing men by far. During the 1960-70s, a few of the villagers would indulge in brewing country liquor. But the village development committee imposed heavy fines to deter them. The excise department booked village shopkeepers who would sell liquor on the sly. And now, as far as anybody can remember, the last conversation about a liquor shop in the hobli occurred ten years ago.
The gram panchayat refused to furnish a no objection certificate (NOC).
Shanthalli is quite close to Bisle Ghat, Mallalli Falls, Pushpagiri hills. Manda-lpatti Hills, near Madikeri, are just 22 kilometres away.
Naturally, the region attracts many tourists. While many home-stays have come up in the region, owners have made their peace with the gram panchayat’s decision to bar liquor shops or bars from the hobli. Almost 80 per cent of the largely agrarian population belongs to the Vokkaliga Gowda community. For how long they can protect their corner of earth remains to be seen.
But for now, the hobli is an inspiring example to the rest of the nation.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> States / by Coovercolly Indresh, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / April 23rd, 2018
From lush green coffee estates to the Cauvery, the distinct culture and traditions of Kodagu, is a known certitude. While Kodavas form the indigenous majority, the district is also home to several other communities such as the Arebashe Gowdas, Maaples, Heggades, Airis, Billavas, and Eravas. And the uniqueness of these communities is that each of them has, in a way, embraced a bit of the Kodava culture. Topping this list is the tradition of community sports spread across the district—just like the aroma of coffee —during April and May. Hockey, cricket, kabaddi, volleyball, throwball, squash, badminton, and athletics – the different communities get sun-kissed playing and watching the various sports that unravel during the summer months.
It has been 22 years since community sports began here when Pandanda Kuttappa and his brother Kashi Ponnappa introduced hockey. This was followed by the Arebashe Gowdas who flagged off cricket 20 years ago. “While tennis ball cricket stared in 1995 at village cluster level, it began as a community sport in 1998,” says Rishith Madaiah, secretary of Arebashe Gowda Cricket Academy. Kedambdi Cup, Paikera Cup, Kuttana Cup – each family takes turns in organising annual cricket tournaments, which go on for 21 days between April and May.“The Arebashe Gowda community has 18 clans and 920 families,” adds Rishith. The tournament began with 54 family teams and this year will see participation from 225 families at the Cheremane Cup.
This year’s Kulletira Hockey Cup will see a record-breaking participation of 333 teams – which has found a place in Limca Book of Records. “What started as a support ground for hockey enthusiasts has now made its mark at an international-level,” says sports journalist Kayapanda Shashi Somaiah. International hockey players like Prabhjot Singh, Deepak Thakur, Devesh Chauhan, Vikram Pillay, and Yuvraj Walmiki will take part in the tournament, whose final will be held on May 20.
A sum of `1.5 crore is going towards organising this event and Dr A B Subbaiah, former Indian goalkeeper and secretary of Hockey Karnataka says, “It is pleasant to see how hockey has been reuniting Kodava families. However, the funds could be used in a better way – in training new talents and in building a hockey association – than cracking it up on two months’ amusement.” The other community that gets busy in sports during the summer months is the Muslim community which has been organising cricket and volleyball events for over a decade now. Then there are Dalit Jai Bheem Cup Cricket, Malayalee Cricket Cup, Billava Cup, and Marati Cricket Cup.
The indigenous tribal communities too have recently started organising community sports, among which is the Erva Cricket Cup. While the Kodava hockey tourneys get their funds from private companies, other sports are mostly sponsored by noted families in their community, by community social clubs and from politicians who represent these communities. Meanwhile, it is the brotherhood and harmony that unfolds profoundly at these games. “It has united families divided due to property dispute and separated by boundary limits,” says Shashi Somaiah, sports journalist.
A few have other thoughts. “Nearly 21 years have passed since hockey was introduced as a community sport here. Yet, it has not contributed any international players. The game has to become result-oriented than entertainment-oriented,” says Ulliyada M Poovaiah, editor of a Kodava newspaper.
What’s new this year?
The winners of Kulletira Hockey Cup, along with cash prizes, will be gifted the Kodava traditional weapon, Peechakathi, and Kodava traditional attire. Blood donation and eye camps will be held during Cheremane Cup.
Cultural uniqueness
While community sport is bringing families together, it is also bonding two different families in kinship. The cultural uniqueness of each community comes alive during the inaugural and closing ceremonies.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR / Express News Service / April 22nd, 2018
The 22nd Kulletira Hockey Festival, a popular event of Kodava families, was inaugurated yesterday at General K.S. Thimayya Stadium here.
Speaking as the chief guest, Additional Advocate General A.S. Ponnanna expressed apprehension over the gradual decrease in Kodava population in Kodagu district and other places. He appreciated Kodava families coming together and organising the hockey festival every year.
Inaugurating the festival, former Olympian and Hockey Academy CEO M.P. Ganesh hailed Kodagu district for providing over 25 hockey players to the nation in the past but regretted that not a single Kodava was a member of the Indian Hockey team now.
Kodagu Hockey Vice-President K. Nanaiah pushing the ball with a stick to mark the inauguration of the first match as chief guests former Olympian Mollera P. Ganesh, Additional Advocate General Ajjikuttira S. Ponnanna and others look on.
Kodagu Hockey Organisation Vice-President K. Nanaiah, Kulletira Hockey Festival Chairman Shambu Mandappa and Aruna Beba spoke on the occasion.
A book titled ‘Padebeera Kulleti Ponnanna’ written by I. Ramesh Uthappa was released by the dignitaries
MELANGE OF COLOURS: The women-folk of Kulletira family, attired in their traditional best and holding ‘thaliyathakki bolcha,’ to receive the dignitaries yesterday.
The invitees were welcomed with traditional Kodava volaga and thaliyathakki bolcha.
The first match between Kodagu International XI and India Olympian XI was inaugurated by K. Nanaiah by pushing the ball with a hockey stick. India Olympian XI won the match with a score of 1-0. A short spell of rain played the spoil-sport.
KODAGU CALLING: Picture shows a large hoarding of Kulletira Cup Hockey Festival displayed on M.G. Road in Bengaluru to beckon the hockey-buffs.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 2018
Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club in association with Mysuru District Badminton Association had organised a District-level Badminton Tournament from Apr.13 to 15 in city. The Tournament was inaugurated by International Sportsperson and Arjuna awardee Arjun Devaiah at Mysore University Indoor Badminton Court in Manasagangothri and Matches were held at Club premises in Vijayanagar 1st Stage.
The winners of the Tournament are as follows: U-10 Boys – Winner: Gaurav; Runner: Akarsh; Girls – Winner: Anica Ganapathy; Runner: Kohana.
U-15 Boys – Winner: Santhas; Runner: Kushwanth; Girls – Winner: G. Aishwarya; Runner: Shiyana Ganapathy.
Player of the Tournament – Boy: Kishal; Girl: G. Aishwarya.
Best Upcoming Player – Boy: P. Chirag; Girl: Mariyam Fathima.
Association Secretary Prabhu was the chief guest at the valeditory. Club President M.P. Nanaiah, Secretary K. N. Kushalappa, Treasurer Ashwath, Coach Harsha and others were present at the prize distribution.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / Friday – April 20th, 2018
The area has a charming location but is populated mainly by low-income earners which could be one reason for the low voting percentage.
Dinesh Gundurao
Bengaluru:
Gandhinagar constituency in the heart of Bengaluru houses the Majestic area, the transport hub of the capital city where the BMTC and KSRTC bus stations besides the City Central Railway Station, now known as Krantikari Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway Station are located.
The constituency is also home to several theatres some of which have closed down and the offices of several film distributors and has become synonymous with the Kannada movie industry. Not to forget the bustling commercial centre which Gandhinagar has become over the decades.
The area has a charming location but is populated mainly by low-income earners which could be one reason for the low voting percentage. In the 2013 Assembly polls, the turnout was a mere 40%, below the Bengaluru Urban district average of 57%.
The constituency has a diverse economy and is considered a melting pot of cultures with a heavy floating population who rely on marketing merchandise at the popular markets in the Majestic area. Gandhinagar also has its historic landmarks-it has the 83-year-old Janatha Bazaar building on Kempe Gowda Road, which was inaugurated by the Yuvaraja of Mysuru way back in 1935.
Former minister and KPCC working president, Dinesh Gundurao, son of former CM late Gundurao, is a popular figure here and has represented the constituency four successive times. In 2004, Gundu Rao defeated JD(S) candidate Nagaraj by a margin of 28,268 votes and followed it up by winning the seat in 2008 beating the BJP candidate P.C. Mohan by a margin of 6,966 votes. He repeated his success in 2013 winning the seat by 22,607 votes. Going by the indications emerging from the constituency, it could be a cakewalk again for Mr Rao, considering his popularity among voters.
A major vote bank are the slums of Okalipuram and Subhash Nagar while other areas like Binnypet and Dattatreya Temple locality are mostly commercial hubs and non-residential areas. Of the six BBMP wards, five are represented by Congress and one by the BJP.
Crying for attention
Though know as a high profile constituency represented by the son of a former CM, Gandhinagar has been crying for attention with serious problems like traffic congestion, garbage management, footpath encroachment and water clogging remaining unattended to.
Most of the footpaths and subways in the Majestic locality have been encroached by street vendors forcing commuters to walk on the roads risking their lives. Water logging is another major problem in the constituency. Vathsala, a resident from Pipeline Road said, “Our houses are flooded with water whenever it rains in the area. Despite complaining about this several times, no official has cared to address the problem.”
A few residents, especially motorists are not happy with the slow progress of the Oklipuram underpass construction. “The work was started five years back and is still under progress. There is too much dust from construction activity and hardly any precautionary measures have been taken near these sites,” said Raghu, a resident of Oklipuram. However some residents said that despite the problems, they did not have any difficulty in reaching out to their MLA. Shashank, a resident of Subashnagar said, “We have no problem in meeting our MLA any time. He is pretty accessible and always responds positively to our problems and demands.”
So irrespective of the Modi wave if it still exists or anti-incumbency, the Congress is all set to retain Gandhinagar. The BJP and JD(S) are yet to announce their candidates and they would need extraordinarily strong leaders to face up to Mr Gundu Rao and come up with a win considering the confidence voters have in him.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Politics / by Abhilash Mariswamy / Deccan Chronicle / April 18th, 2018
Chinappa and Pallikal had to settle for a silver in the women’s doubles competition India squash stars Joshna Chinappa (left) and Dipika Pallikal with their CWG silver medals at Chennai airport on Monday. Pic/PTI
India’s leading squash players, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, returned to a warm welcome here late last night after winning silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Chinappa and Pallikal had to settle for a silver in the women’s doubles competition. Pallikal also won a historic silver in the mixed doubles with Saurav Ghosal. As defending champions, the thought of the past glory did come to the mind, said Chinappa, who had won a gold medal in the Glasgow Games in 2014 alongside Pallikal.
“Four years since, much has happened in squash. We were there on the podium then and the goal was not to miss that moment again. To that extent it was satisfactory finish,” she said. “We are encouraged to work harder for next big challenge, the Asian Games in August,” she added.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
source: http://www.mid-day.com / mid-day.com / Home> Sports News> Other Sports News / PTI / April 18th, 2018
Ashwini Ponnappa (right) won her third Commonwealth Games medal as she bagged a Bronze in women’s doubles with N Sikki Reddy in Gold Coast. (Photo: Reuters)
India completed their best-ever medal in badminton at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) on Sunday with a total of the six medals, including two Gold, three Silver and a Bronze.
India not only won a Gold and two Silver in the singles events but scooped a gold medal in the Mixed Team event, a Silver in men’s doubles and a Bronze in the women’s doubles.
The reason for India to win double the number of badminton medals this year than the last two CWG is the success of doubles.
On Sunday, after the Games officially got over, Pullela Gopichand said that he felt “this tournament belongs to Ashwini (Ponappa).”
Ashwini Ponnappa is a name well known in India. She has been India’s top doubles players for quite a lot of years now but it is truly now that her name has begun to be highlighted well.
During the Mixed Team event final against Malaysia, Ashwini played the first match of the tie, the mixed doubles, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. Satwik, who is only 17 years old, is already one of the best doubles players in the country and world No.21 in men’s doubles along with Chirag Shetty. However, on April 9, 2017, it was Ashwini who led the pair to a stunning win against Rio Olympics silver-medallist Peng Soon Chan and Liu Ying Goh.
Ashwini Ponnappa was constantly chatting with Satwik, guiding him, during their mixed doubles match in the Mixed Team event final. (Photo: Reuters)
In the first game of the mixed doubles, the Indian pair completely dominated the Malaysian pair but Chan and Goh soon found their way through Ashwini and Satwik and took over from the second game.
In the decider, Chan and Goh were leading 12-7 at one point but the Indian pair then won a point to make it 8-12. From there as Ashwini led the way with her serve, India won seven straight points to go up 15-12.
Therafter, Chan and Goh could win only three more points before Ashwini and Satwik took the match away.
Ashwini in that mixed doubles victory was a sight to behold. Such was her brilliance that even the commentators were in awe of her skills and intelligence.
One could see in those final few moments, the determination and belief in her eyes and her strokes, she knew they could win it. Even as the Malaysians played it around, Ashwini knew exactly where the shuttles would come, she would leap up front and go for the kill.
Satwik supported her ably. Ashwini was constantly chatting with Satwik, guiding him, discussing their strategies, leading the team and it showed. Satwik’s control at the back of the court enabled Ashwini to absolutely intimidate the opponents at the net. Ashwini’s sharpness and booming smashes, along with Satwik’s jump smash, eventually took them home.
It was that unexpected mixed doubles victory that pegged the defending champions Malaysia behind. It gave Kidambi Srikanth to come forth and play his game.
Like Gopichand said, “The win in the team championship was very critical to put the team 1-0 up and give the confidence to Srikanth to beat Lee Chong Wei.” And Srikanth dominated the legend Chong Wei in some style.
Satwik and Chirag, thereafter, missed the chance to seal the win in men’s doubles and India’s Golden Girl Saina Nehwal came next and sealed the deal, giving India their first-ever mixed team Gold at CWG. (India Open: Indian doubles stars show spark, five pairs in quarters)
Ashwini, along with N Sikki Reddy, went on to win a bronze medal in women’s doubles and missed a mixed doubles Bronze by a whisker.
Consider this, on April 14, Ashwini played a total of four matches. Four gruelling badminton matches and still managed to scoop a Bronze in women’s doubles.
ASHWINI’S ROLE IN GUIDING THE YOUNGSTERS IN INDIAN DOUBLES
Ashwini’s importance in this badminton setup is not limited to the medals she brings home. Her stature has gone beyond that.
She plays in two different categories with two youngsters — a 17-year-old Satwik and a 24-year-old Sikki. She is the one who is making them better players.
Satwik is one of the most successful stories to come out of Premier Badminton League (PBL), where he plays along Olympic medallist Pia Zebadiah for Hyderabad Hunters. He came into prominence playing alongside Zabadiah but the immense growth the youngster has shown in the past year and a half, is down to the experience he is gaining from Ashwini.
Ashwini is a leader on the court. She teaches Satwik the mental aspect of the game and that helps him when he plays with Chirag in men’s doubles. (BWF rankings: Satwiksairaj-Chirag Shetty break into world top 20 for first time)
In fact, Ashwini is almost transmitting her leadership quality into Sikki. Sikki, who also plays mixed doubles with Pranaav Jerry Chopra, shows those leadership qualities alongside Pranaav.
Ashwini has achieved a great deal over the years. A women’s doubles Gold with Jwala Gutta in 2010 CWG started a long success story. Even then, perhaps the success did not get its due recognition. Thereafter, came a Silver in women’s doubles with Jwala at 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, a Bronze in women’s doubles at the 2011 World Championships and many more. Yet, those achievements hardly created a stir in the sporting spectrum.
Doubles badminton needs to be given its due credit. In Australia, while Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth held sway at the individual events, the doubles players quietly took home two medals. Consequently, India was the most dominant nation in badminton during the Gold Coast events.
At the age of 28, Ashwini has a great deal of experience and many more years of play where she can achieve more glory and impart far more knowledge.
Even as the success story of Indian badminton at CWG 2018 was largely attributed to the credentials of the singles, it were truly the doubles players who stamped their name uniquely in Australia.
Among a host of Indian badminton stars in Gold Coast, Ashwini perhaps shone the brightest.
source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> Sports / by Abreshmina S. Quadri / New Delhi – April 16th, 2018
Ever heard of a coffee tasting session instead of the wine tasting session? Well, the entire concept of coffee-tasting is a not a far-fetched one considering the coffee-lovers are showing interest in tasting a large variety of coffee that is yet to be discovered.
‘Cupping’ is the word used for tasting session for brewed coffee to evaluate the quality of the coffee bean. It has been a prevalent practice in Britain since late 1990’s which is also recognised to be as the First Wave of American coffee, as per media reports.
As per a coffee expert, wine is considered to be a finished product that is already packaged in a bottle and just needs to be tasted whereas the coffee needs to freshly brewed and then is given for tasting thus changing the mechanics of the tasting sessions.
Another coffee expert said that a rise in the coffee brewers and constant innovation in the caffeine industry along with the rise in dedicated blogs for coffee tasting are the driving factors to increasing interest towards coffee-tasting sessions.
Some of the steps included in the coffee tasting sessions are as follows:
-Smelling the aroma of the dry coffee before it is added to the water.
The pour matter too because the purer the water, the more space the coffee has to extract.
The ratio of coffee to water matters also matters: around 13 grams of coffee to 230 grams of water, or 1:17. Given that an espresso is normally around 2:1, and one can see the difference in intensity. The water should be approximately 94/95 degrees, so just off the boil. Let the grinds infuse for around four minutes. Good quality coffee still tastes good when it cools, whereas poor quality coffee decreases further as it cools.
-Smell the coffee
Use a flat, wide spoon angled away from you to break the bubbly film on the top to release the aroma. Push the spoon through the crust, about halfway down into the cup, and put your face right up into it. Inhale at will. The sweeter, chocolate flavours go well with milk, while the fruity samples are best served as black.
-Then taste the coffee
Skim the top with the spoon, in order to avoid any floating grinds, and put a little on our tongues to slurp. Do not be ashamed of slurping the coffee and try to coat the entire mouth with coffee and push it at the back of the tongue where the taste buds are stronger and so you could identify the aroma.
-The ranking
Look out for the body, or texture/mouth feel, and the acidity. Also, take note of both the flavour and the aftertaste. Consider the acidity of the coffee as well.
So now we hope that the coffee lovers would be all set to take part in coffee-tasting sessions.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-ANI> International / by ANI, London / April 17th, 2018
Around fifty youths mostly professionals at various sectors volunteered themselves to clean up the Cavuery River at Srirangapatna taluk on Sunday
Mysuru:
Around 50 youngsters, mostly professionals in various sectors, volunteered to clean the Cauvery at Srirangapatna on Sunday.
Uniting under the banner, ‘Yuva Brigade’, the youngsters assembled bear the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, and cleared the river of plastic and cloth dumped in the waterbody.
Members from the Mysuru-based NGO Swachanda also participated in the programme.
“We arrived at the banks of the river around 6am, and started to fish plastic and cloths from the Cauvery. This went on till 11am. We cleared around two truckloads of garments dumped by devotees in the river. The waste removed from the river was transported to the designated dumpyard,” Swachanda member BK Purushotham told TOI.
Members of the ‘Yuva Brigade’ led by social activist Chakravarthi Sulibele, have initiated a campaign to clean the Cauvery starting from Talacauvery to Srirangapatna. The campaign started on April 12.
The campaign is called ‘Jeeva Nadige Jeeva Thmbi (Infuse life into the river that is our lifeline)’. On Thursday, cleaning started at Siddapura, while the river was cleaned at Kushalnagar on Friday, Ramanathapura on Saturday, before the activists proceeded to Srirangapatna on Sunday.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City News> Mysore News / Times News Network / April 16th, 2018
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