Rohan Bopanna Says India Has No Top Singles Players Due to Lack of Federation Support

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Tennis – Bopanna says enough changes in doubles already; no further required

Tennis – Indian doubles tennis specialist Rohan Bopanna says that Indians do better in doubles as compared to singles due to lack of supoort from the Indian tennis federation. Bopanna analyzed, “The main reason for the lack of singles players is the federation: we do not have support, when players decide to turning pro, and travel, they have no sponsor. The federation does not support us, we make a lot more effort to emerge because it is not easy, indeed it is almost impossible to keep up with the Challengers through which you’re forced to start: a player gets to 26, 27 years without having enough experience, and then switches over to doubles if he still has the passion and desire for tennis. When this situation will change we will see the results. This is another of the reasons why I opened the academy, I would begin to cultivate the players the basics, because we have a system with which they can grow. We also have no tournaments: if you exclude Chennai which is part of the main tour, there are maybe two Challenger and a couple of Futures, and gaining experience in India is very difficult. In Spain, France, Italy, there are smaller tournaments every week, so it is easier to gain experience without having to travel too.”

Bopanna is also not happy with the changes introduced in doubles in order to quicken the game. “I think they have already introduced enough. Even just the super tie-break in the deciding set was a major change. The format is already fairly rapid, the matches are shorter, with the exception of Slams. It’s fun to introduce new concepts, but the format is already so fast. Personally I would prefer to play three sets normal, but as players we are required to adapt to what is being proposed.”

The Banglorean, who was picked by Davis Cup captain Mahesh Bhupathi over Leander Paes, says Bhupathi has been instrumental in his growth as a player. “Certainly playing with Mahesh Bhupathi helped me a lot: having a companion of my own nationality was good. I did well at the beginning of my career with Qureshi, we obtained excellent results (final at the US Open in 2010), but playing with Mahesh taught me a lot. He had a lot of experience, played twice at the highest level for many years gave me a great hand to understand my game, understand how to position myself well on the field and deal with new situations for me. The fact that it was the Indian was a great part, get along off the field helps to perform better in the game.”

The 37-year-old will partner with Pablo Cuevas for the Monte Carlo Masters starting tomorrow and is currently ranked 24th in the ATP Doubles Rankings.

source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org / Tennis World / Tennis World Magazine / Home> News> Indian Tennis / by Prakash / April 17th, 2017

Docu showcases decline of Kodagu

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

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Coorg: The Untold Story blames mushrooming resorts for district’s garbage pile-up

A six-and-half minute documentary shot by a group of environmentalists highlights the environmental degradation of Kodagu district.

The documentary titled Coorg: The Untold Story was shot by Clean Coorg Initiative in association with Surfing Swami Foundation and Mantra Surf Club. Shot in Madikeri and other parts of Kodagu district, it highlights the garbage pile up due to the mushrooming of resorts across the district.

It further went on to state that illegal land conversion, encroachment and sand mafia were turning out to be a nightmare for the district and how the garbage pile up on the banks of the river Cauvery is a threat not just for the residents of the district but for people living in Bengaluru and other cities.

Blaming the government and tourists, environmentalists have accused authorities of going soft on the resorts.

The activists fear that Kodagu district is not far from becoming the Mandur landfill where Bengaluru’s garbage is dumped.

Speaking on the crises, Col Muthanna from the Coorg Wildlife Society said, “Kodagu has an overall population of 5.5 lakh people whereas the number of tourists who visited the district last year was 13 lakh. In fact, the density of population in Kodagu is just 135 per sq/km, which is one of the lowest in the country.

“There are many resorts which have been constructed near the banks of Cauvery river, which release their bio-waste into the river. The government should never allow the expansion of resorts as it may also lead to the landslides and other disasters. We are not against the resorts but against their expansion,” he added.

Another environment activist Sundar Muthanna said that Kodagu which is known as the Scotland of India was fast becoming the Garbage Dump of Karnataka. He said that all resorts must mandatorily have sewage and garbage processing units in the resorts.

He warned that the district was turning into an urban jungle which will not just impact the people of the district but also people residing in Bengaluru and other parts of the state as the main source of drinking water is from the district.

The untold story

* The documentary titled Coorg: The Untold Story was shot by Clean Coorg Initiative in association with Surfing Swami Foundation and Mantra Surf Club.

* Shot in Madikeri and other parts of Kodagu district, it highlights the garbage pile up due to the mushrooming of resorts across the district.

* It further went on to state that illegal land conversion, encroachment and sand mafia were turning out to be a nightmare for the district and how the garbage pile up on the banks of the river Cauvery is a threat not just for the residents of the district but for people living in Bengaluru and other cities.

* Blaming the government and tourists, environmentalists have accused authorities of going soft on the resorts.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / April 21st, 2017

Kodagu Gowda families’ cricket tournament from tomorrow

Sports

Preparations are in full swing for organising Kodagu Gowda families’ cricket tournament, at General Thimmaiah Stadium in Madikeri from April 21.

The tournament is organised jointly by Kodagu Gowda Yuva Vedike and Paikera family. It will commence on April 21, with a qualifying round till May 4. The quarter-final and semi-final will be held on May 6 and the final will be held on May 7.

Kodagu Gowda Yuva Vedike publicity committee president Kudekal Santhosh said that 180 families had taken part last year. This year, 210 families have registered for the tournament.

The organisers will also hold a free eye camp and diabetes screening camp on April 29. “A flood-lit kabaddi tournament will be organised on April 30, with women’s teams taking part – out of 32 teams registered, eight are women teams. Even a throwball tournament, for women too, will be held,” said Santhosh.

“A torchlight rally to mark the beginning of sporting events will be taken from Omakareshwara Temple to Guddemane Appayya Gowda statue and then to district stadium by the athletes, who have made their names in national and international competitions,” said sports committee president Baladi Manoj. He said that it was Kodagu Gowda Samskrithika Academy which started the cricket tournament 18 years ago. The youth wing has been shouldering the responsibility of the tournament for the last five years.

A sum of Rs 74 lakh would be spent on organising the tournament. The inauguration of the tournament will be attended by Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer Shambhunath Swami, Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS News Service / Madikeri – April 20th, 2017

306 teams vie for top honours in Kodava family hockey festival

Amazing Feats, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

As many as 306 teams have enrolled for the prestigious Kodava family hockey tournament scheduled to begin here on Monday. With Biddatanda family hosting this edition of the annual tournament, the event is named Biddatanda Hockey Namme-2017.

The hockey festival, in its 21st year, promises to a treat for hockey buffs with a record number of teams are vying for the top prize. The tournament has produced fine talents over the years some of whom have made the cut into state and national teams. The matches will be played at three grounds – two at Gen Thimayya Stadium at Cheriyaparambu, and at Govt PU College ground.

Grounds Committee chairman B B Belyappa said, “Final touches are being given to the grounds to make them match-ready at a cost of Rs 16 lakh. The 27-day tournament is being organised at a cost of Rs 1.6 crore.”

Thunder showers, in the recent past, in the run up to the competition have delayed the preparations. With rain taking a break on Saturday, the groundsmen took up the last-minute preparations to make the grounds ready for the matches, starting on Monday.

For the first time in the history of the tournament, a metal gallery has been erected for the benefit of the spectators. The organisers have also made necessary arrangements like mats, sound system, lighting, media gallery at a cost of Rs 33.50 lakh.

As many as waterproof make-shift food stalls have been set up at the grounds. Safety measures are also in place with shade nets covering the banks of Cauvery river to prevent people from venturing into water and contaminating the same.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha had promised Rs 30 lakh from his MPLAD funds for the tournament but released only Rs 20 lakh. Zilla Panchayat is also expected to chip in with Rs 4 lakh for building a check wall.

MLC Shantheyanda Veena Achaiah has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh. Legislators K G Bopaiah and MLC Suneel Subramani too have promised funds.

Hockey India, Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Kodagu and Umpire Association have extended their support to the event. President of Umpire Association Katumaniyanda Umesh has taken over the mantle of supervising the matches.

According to technical director of Biddatanda Hockey Namme B S Thammaiah, seating facilities have been made for 20,000 people. It includes 4,000 seats for VIPs. Parking facilities have been made on 15 acres of land.

Hockey Olympian Anjaparavanda B Subbaiah will inaugurate the tournament on April 17 at 10.30 am. Founder of Hockey Namme, Pandanda M Kuttappa, will be the chief guest, while Prof B C Ponnappa of Biddatanda clan will preside over the inaugural function.

Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa, Forest Minister B Ramanath Rai, former minister M C Nanaiah, MP Prathap Simha, MLAs K G Bopaiah and Appachu Ranjan, MLCs Shantheyanda Veena Achaiah and Suneel Subramani, SP P Rajendra Prasad, president of Kodagu Hockey Association Pykera Kalaiah and Muliya Prasad from Muliya Foundation are also expected to attend the inaugural session.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Napoklu – April 16th, 2017

Biddatanda Hockey Namme 2017 fixtures released

Records, All, Sports
Sampath of Biddatanda Hockey Namme technical committee, ground committee president Biddatanda Belliappa and Kodava Sahitya Academy president B S Thammaiah release the fixtures of the tournament at Madikeri Press Club on Tuesday.
Sampath of Biddatanda Hockey Namme technical committee, ground committee president Biddatanda Belliappa and Kodava Sahitya Academy president B S Thammaiah release the fixtures of the tournament at Madikeri Press Club on Tuesday.

The fixtures of Biddatanda Hockey Namme 2017 were released at Madikeri Press Club on Tuesday. The tournament will be held at General Thimmaiah Stadium at Napoklu Cheriyaparambu from April 17.

Speaking after releasing the fixtures, Kodava Sahitya Academy president B S Thammaiah said that the fixtures released are official and matches will be held based on these fixtures.

The inaugural session will be held between 11 am and 12.30 pm on April 17, he said.

He said that the Rest of India and Coorg Regiment of Indian Army will play inaugural exhibition match between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm. The majority of people in Kodagu are not aware of Coorg Regiment in Indian Army. Hence, to introduce the regiment to the people, the exhibition match is being organised, he said.

The Rest of India hockey team will be led by Indian Hockey player Raghunath. The inaugural session will have Army band and Kodava dance, Thammaiah said.The tournament will have 18 to 24 matches everyday.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS – Madikeri, April 12th, 2017

Making coorgis aware of their culture via music

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

Bengaluru :

Bouncing back with his second music album Nangukodava 2, after a successful prequel Nangukodava 1, Mandepanda Niron aims to raise the level of cultural awareness of the Coorgi community through music. He states that his album holds its distinction in representation of all aspects of the culture.

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How it began
Niron began his career in music production in 2008 with community musical performances and programmes. In 2010, he began his collaboration with C J Anil, who is the co-owner of the production house in Banashankari, Bengaluru.

In the same year, Niron began composing remixes to retro music such as Chalthe Chalthe, Mere Sapnon ki Rani and Neele Neele Ambar Par. His love for his community coupled with his passion for music led him to begin the project of Nangukodava ( We Coorgis) where he invested nearly `5-6 lakhs and availed no financial gain.

Niron gave Udapanda Vimala, a teacher at Cauvery high school a platform to display her talent by giving her the opportunity to write the lyrics for his first album Nangukodava 1.

She also wrote most of the songs of the second album except for two songs — Kodava mangala and Selfie — which were written by Niron

The Process
Awareness and improvisation of culture are key to Niron’s mission. However he faced difficulties in bringing forth his ideology as he had no financial aid and self-funded the cause.

He received no support as there were ego clashes and attitudinal differences amongst the people. Despite the struggle he managed to process the sequel to his first album where he includes all facets of daily life through his songs ( Iguthappa Swamy – Relation to their God , Jeevamanna -life and philosophy, Ponhputtaraj, Selfie – a modern relation for the youth, Yelama Ponnamma – a proposal for marriage).

Future Prospects
His passionate endeavours towards his community have brought him acclamation and praise. His initial target was to raise the cultural banner of his community amongst the members itself, he now decides to move the boundary further by reaching a nationwide platform.

He hopes his music will reach the cinema through A grade movies and gain popularity in other languages as well. He plans to work with advertisements and promotional agencies to add credibility to his already eminent profile.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Erica Cyril / Express News Service / April 12th, 2017

Arunachal Festival of Speed: Amanpreet in lead

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Amanpreet Ahluwalia proved he’s a master of short turns and deft handling as he finished first in the autocross, or the Super Special Stages.

With the breathtakingly beautiful Dirang valley for inspiration, National autocross champion Amanpreet Ahluwalia jump into the lead on the first day in the fourth edition of the JK Tyre Arunachal Festival of Speed here on Saturday.

He proved he’s a master of short turns and deft handling as he finished first in the autocross, or the Super Special Stages as it’s called here.

However, the championship suffered a huge setback after quite a few big names pulled out. Seven-time Desert Storm winner Sunny Sidhu pulled out citing engine issues. Joining him were ten-time Raid de Himalaya champion Suresh Rana and newly-crowned India Baja champion, Gaurav Chiripal. Both withdrew citing different reasons.

Organisers said Gaurav was stuck in Dubai due to personal issues while Rana’s car’s front axle was damaged. Another prominent rallyist Raj Singh Rathore, too, withdrew.

The hero of the day was Amanpreet. Driving a Maruti Gypsy, Amanpreet tackled the slippery grass track at the L’Opon Stadium to delight the locals, who had gathered in moderate numbers to watch the action-packed event. He needed just 2minutes and 09 seconds to complete the zig-zagging course.

“It was fun racing on this tricky course,” Amanpreet, a veteran rallyist from Delhi, said. “We are happy that we have taken the early lead. There is still a long way to go and we hope to drive on this momentum through the weekend,” he added.

The top seeded racer among those in classified cars here, K. M. Bopaiah from Coorg, had to settle for the second place in his 1600cc Polo. Delhi’s Sandeep Sharma finished third. In the autocross and sprint cars for local talent, Babit Lyngdoh shot into the lead, winning both his rounds.

The provisional results

1. Amanpreet Ahluwalia & navigator Ajay Kumar(02:09), 2. K.M. Bopaiah & Gagan Karumbaiah (02:12), 3. Sandeep Sharma & Prathap Thakur (02:13), 4. Ewellson Cyngdoh & Rijop M Sangma (02:14).

source: http://www.sportsalive.com / Sports Star / Home> India / by K. Keerthivasan / Dirang Valley (Arunachal Pradesh) / April 15th, 2017

Karnataka government to verify disputed land in Kodagu

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All

Bengaluru :

The state government on Tuesday took a decision to survey the disputed forest land, wherein the Jenu Kuruba tribals of Diddahalli had gone on an agitation, in Madikeri, Kodagu.

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After an hour long meeting with chief minister Siddaramaiah, forest minister B Ramanath Rai, social welfare minister H Anjaneya, revenue minister Kagodu Thimmappa said the government has decided to verify the land records of Diddahalli before taking a final decision.

“After a detailed discussion, the government has decided to verify the land records of Diddahalli on whether the land is forest land or revenue land. If we verify the land records as being forest land, then we will make all efforts to provide them suitable rehabilitation area with amenities. But if the land records show that it is revenue land, then within eight days we will ensure that they have the title deeds for that land,” said Thimmappa.

The revenue minister said he will be personally camping in Kodagu on April 16 or 17 for resolving the issue.

Thimmappa said the deliberation was held with all stakeholders and that valuable inputs were shared on the case from all parties.
“The government is keen on resolving the issue and we will try to do it at the earliest,” he said.

In December 2016, the Jenu Kurubas of Madikeri who were working in the nearby coffee plantations had been agitating against the eviction by forest department and local police citing it was forest land.
Later that month, the Bettale Seve (nude protest) by a tribal woman in Diddahalli and the alleged insensitivity shown by cops in trying to disrupt the protest held by members of Jenu Kuruba (a tribe) had drawn sympathy from several quarters.

This being the last year before elections, this looter government will do anything to get the votes.

The Diddahalli faceoff had put the government in a spot, with members of civil society strongly criticizing the move.

On Monday, former MLC A K Subbaiah who spoke on behalf of the civil society, which has been seeking respite for the agitators, welcomed the government decision and expressed his hope that the state will give justice to the tribals.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sandeep Moudgal / TNN / April 11th, 2017

MTV Roadies Rising Episode 9th April 2017 Video, Nikhil Chinappa’s Gang Wins First Task

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

MTV Roadies Rising Episode 9th April 2017 Video, Nikhil Chinappa’s Gang Wins First Task :- The stunt based reality show MTV Roadies Rising journey kick-started from last week which is having good feedback from audiences. In the show, there are the gang leaders including, Rannvijay Singh Singha, Prince Narula, Neha Dhupia and Nikhil Chinappa and those stars are having rocking feedback at the show.

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Now at the show, the gang leaders are having the new challenge in front of them to identify their warriors behind the masks. And all the warriors will be wearing the mask on their face so it is for the gang leaders it will be tough to search the warriors.

MTV Roadies Rising Episode 9th April 2017 Video
The gang leaders and the team are needed to use their brains only to defeat the teammates who were seen doing competition with them. The team also said that the other gang’s warrior is needed to search the perfect gang warriors and they need to compete with them in the task.

As the task started, the gang leaders were shocked to see the each of their, participates were using their brains and they were also seen defeating each of them. Nikhil identified the male dancing feet, Neha guessed the jersey number. Rannvijay guessed a gang and they were seen performing their task at the Goa.

Nikhil Chinappa’s Gang Wins First Task
After the participants’ perform the task, the final results were announced and the masks people were also got revealed. Prince made the most number of wrong guesses at the place of Jahangir so it was tough for his team to announce the gang leaders. So the task of the team announced and the teams got divided where there were two groups.

But now there is a big twist and as per this twist the winner of the challenge will announce who will rule the gang and the members who will perform well will get immunity too so that they won’t be evict either they will be coming at the bottom line.

The game started and the correctly guessed gang members the water comes out from a pipe with water from a pond using buckets. The team 2 had to stop them from successfully filling the pipes.

But when Divya from the Ranvijay’s team failed to perform well she got dumped which irked Ranvijay as he doesn’t want to lose someone from his team.

Prabjot leant against the barricades and it seems like advantage for them. 4 members performed for Nikhil’s team and the Nikhil’s team won the challenge. Due to Neha’s team did not perform well so she had an argument with Nikhil as Nikhil’s team perform well.

The performance of Neha’s gang was very disappointing also and Prince team also face disqualification as his team did not perform up to the mark. Nikhil’s gang won the game and he thanked Karan Kundra as it was actually Karan select them to be the perfect one.

Before the episode came to an end, a new twist was announced that now the gang leaders and their team won’t leave in the five-star hotels, rather they will be staying in the jungle at the tank as now the challenges of the Roadies will be the more difficult one.

source: http://www.dekhnews.com / Dekh News / Home / by Chitra Home Chowdhury / April 09th, 2017

Coffee farmer in Wokha is brewing a tasteful future

Coffee News
Phanbem Kithan, a coffee farmer from Wokha village, collects ripe coffee beans at his farm.
Phanbem Kithan, a coffee farmer from Wokha village, collects ripe coffee beans at his farm.

Kohima (EMN):

55-year-old Phanbem Kithan, a progressive farmer from Wokha village, in Wokha district, has been growing coffee for the past 15 years. He tried his hands at coffee plantation in 2002. Since then, he has devoted his life to growing the crop. The harvest from his crops has been increasing with each passing year.

The coffee kiosk set up by the Land Resources department at the Hornbill Festival in 2016 at Kisama, and one which was the main attraction of locals and tourists alike, was supplied by Kithan.

The farmer credits his success to the Coffee Board of India (CBI) which he said has been with him at every step of his journey in growing coffee. The journey had not been easy in the initial period of his venture. However, the logistic support and assistance rendered by the CBI has enabled him to extend his plantation every year.

Today, in an area of 6.5 hectares, Kithan has 30,000 coffee plants of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee. He said to be expecting a harvest of 1, 000 kilograms of coffee this year; it will generate an income of possibly Rs. 1, 60, 000.

Kithan has undergone about 14 training events in various parts of India. He also won the ‘Best Nursery Maintenance’ award of the Coffee Board of India for 2014-2015; he was awarded with a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 20,000.

The CBI, he said, is highly appreciative of the coffee from Wokha as the ‘best quality and organic’ although some improvements are still required to improving the colour of the coffee. He said also that there was no problem in marketing–the produce is sent directly to the coffee board.

To encourage farmers to take up coffee plantation, Kithan has set up a nursery, since 2009, with the assistance from the CBI for maintenance. Saplings are distributed to interested farmers after inspection and after ‘analyzing’ their ‘dedication,’ he said.

Offering advice from his expertise, Kithan said that a good and healthy sapling with at least 5-12 leaves can last for about 100 years, which should begin from the nursery itself. He expressed confidence that Wokha would be covered by coffee plantations in a few years time, and that the district would be able to yield 2-3 truckloads of coffee every year.

Stating that there was no loss in growing coffee, Kithan hoped that the state of Nagaland would take up the crop. The land is blessed with highly favourable climatic conditions and the soil type is suited for production of coffee.

With the expertise that he has gained over the years, Phanbem Kithan is more than willing to assist and share his knowledge with anyone who is interested in taking up coffee plantation.

It was informed that the department of Land Resources had distributed 13.40 lakh coffee seedlings to farmers covering an area of 670 hectares. Coffee plantation in the state has been developed by the department in collaboration with the CBI. 920 hectares have been developed spreading over the eleven districts of the state.

The department has also prepared a five-year plan for development of coffee in Nagaland covering an area of 5000 hectares across the state by 2019-2020; 10,000 households have been identified for this plan and will be implemented in convergence with the board.

According to the plan, the land to be used for coffee plantation is 917 hectares during 2016-2017; 1190 hectares during 2017-2018; 1710 hectares during 2018-2019; 953 hectares during 2019-2020.

Taking advantage of tree species, including plantation crops developed through watershed programmes, coffee being a shade-loving crop has shown easy acceptance by the rural community as either main or subsidiary crop.

Unlike decades ago when farmers stopped coffee plantation due to lack of marketing avenues, it is hoped that the department working on marketing strategies will encourage more farmers to grow coffee. Another prospect is that Nagaland would emerge to produce quality organic coffee for export and local consumption.

During a visit to the state in 2016, Dr Pieter Vermuelen, a coffee expert from South Africa, commented that Nagaland had the potential to developing a sustainable economy through exporting coffee.

source: http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com / Eastern Mirror / Home> Top News> Current Article / by Akono Tsukru / April 04th, 2017