In Photo: World Coffee Events Creative Director Amy Ball
Despite the strong growth of coffee shops in the Philippines, the Filipino brand of coffee has yet to have a wider presence in the international market.
World Coffee Events, a group that is part of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and Speciality Coffee Association of Europe, said the world has yet to be fully aware of the Filipino coffee beans.
“In the United States I know there is an awareness of coffees in the Philippines, but it is not common to see beans from the Philippines in specialty cafés. But I know they are always looking for quality coffees everywhere, and I know there is interest in developing more of a sort of a specialty commodities market here,” World Coffee Events Creative Director Amy Ball said.
However, Ball said the Philippines is slowly gaining a name for itself in the world’s coffee industry through its representatives who have continued to rank high in the annual Word Barista Championships.
Ball commended the progress the Philippines is making in its bid to professionalize the country’s coffee shops.
“There is a difference now in food-and-beverage training, and they understand the specific skills of the job, and that is a really cool thing to standardize and professionalize, so that shows there is some traction and some progress,” Ball said.
Meanwhile, Philippine Asia Conferences and Exhibitions President May Juan said there is now a boom in coffee shops across the country, noting that the number of independent coffee players has exceeded those from popular franchises.
“According to research that we have seen, there are more independent cafés and coffee shops compared to franchises. But, of course, these franchises are still strong in marketing. This is also the case for restaurants. Not that we want to kill the franchises, but it is good to see that there are more independent players. This will show that our country is indeed progressing. You have to create a balance,” Juan said.
Juan, whose company will be handling the Philippine Restaurant, Café and Bar (Philresca) Expo in March, said there are now also more companies supplying equipment for café businesses.
Philresca will be the first trade event focusing on restaurants, cafés and bars. It will also host the Philippine National Barista Championship and Philippine National Latte Art Championship, where the winners will represent the Philippines at the world championship in South Korea in November next year.
Outside of coffee shops, Juan noted that full-service restaurants and fine-dining centers in the country are now revisiting Filipino cuisines.
“Mostly the food here is modernized, so the authenticity is a bit lost. If you go to Thailand or Vietnam, they have some sort of ownership of their food. Here in the Philippines, adobo alone has different versions,” Juan said. “So there is a debate. When you talk of adobo or sinigang, we have to know its history. Is it really a Filipino or a Spanish dish?”
Juan said they will be working with institutions like Culinary Generals & Razor Chef Philippines in a discussion of traditional Filipino food, and how there can be a single identity that can be presented to the international market.
source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph / Business Mirror / Home> Envoys & Expats> Features / by Danielle Gabriel / December 24th, 2016
The Ponnampet Kodava Samaja organised Kodava Samskrithika Dina and ‘Puthari Kolmand Namme,’ at Ponnampet on Monday.
The members, irrespective of age, participated actively in ‘Bolakat,’ ‘Ummathat,’ ‘Puthari Kolat,’ ‘Pareyakali,’ and ‘Valagathat’ cultural programmes. The event saw shooting coconuts, musical chair competitions for men and women, skit by T Shettigeri Schoolchildren and Puthari dance ballet by the students of Ponnampet Appacchakavi Vidyalaya.
The winners in various competitions are as follows:
Coffee beans cool after being dark roasted at Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea in Waterbury (Photo: Courtesy Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea)
Coffee drinkers are growing up. So is their beverage of choice.
Baby boomers and seniors are the biggest coffee consumers in the United States, according to the National Coffee Association.
An increasing number of Vermont companies are hoping that baby boomers’ desire for locavore products will lead them to purchase coffee that is roasted close to home. They import their beans from a variety of sources and provide high-end coffee for those who have cultivated a taste for their caffeinated beverage of choice.
As is the case with craft beers and craft spirits, Vermonters are showing an affinity for locally roasted, small batch coffees. For some, the country of origin is the most important selling point. Others search for esoteric flavoring or the recognition that the coffee beans are Fair Trade or organic..
Mané Alves of Vermont Artisan Coffee and Tea in Waterbury said while some people drink coffee only for the caffeine, many others are developing a more sophisticated palate for the beverage.
“The previous generations may not have cared that much,” he said, “but I think that has evolved. We’re not at the wine model yet, but we’re moving toward it. … In a restaurant, you’re likely to ask for a cabernet or pinot, rather than just a red wine. People are starting to order coffee based on the varietal or country of origin.”
Vermont Artisan Coffee and Tea is among a growing number of Vermont companies dedicated to coffee roasting, some of which are doing very inventive things like infusing cold coffee with nitrogen or using coffee for meat rubs.
Alves, a native of Portugal, worked in the wine industry in California, but moved into the world of coffee when he followed his future wife to Vermont. Sensing a void in the field of coffee education, he said, he founded Coffee Lab International in 1995.
“I was lucky because I came from wine country and had the sensory background which could be applied to the coffee industry,” Alves said. “At that time, there was no place people could go to learn, but these days, the Specialty Coffee Association of America and other organizations in Europe have established a curriculum where we can teach about brewing, cupping, roasting, and being a barista. It’s almost like professional development classes.”
Alves is putting the finishing touches on a new building, which is tentatively scheduled to open in early January. It will include a larger space for teaching and a coffee bar. It will be the first fully certified facility on the East Coast.
“We only roast coffee when we have an order, so people have to order ahead,” he said. “This way, I can sell by the cup.”
The cupping and tasting classes Alves will offer will follow the curriculum of the nonprofit Coffee Quality Institute, while the roasting classes will be of his own design.
Alves has developed a new product line, Caff-Draft; a nitrogen-infused cold coffee. The product is poured from a tap and resembles a dark ale, but tastes like coffee.
“It’s very refreshing,” he said “and we’ll have different types that we’ll put on the market seasonally.”
The new café will have two or three different spigots for Caff-Draft. Additionally, Alves is planning some mixed coffee drinks using local brewed alcohol.
Customer loyalty matters
Like Alves, Sandy Riggen came to the world of coffee via a circuitous route. A former caterer and private chef, Riggen bought Brown and Jenkins Coffee 10 years ago with her husband, Rich Williams. The company is one of the state’s older coffee roasters, dating back to 1984.
The sensory team at Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea cups a production roast. (Photo: Courtesy Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea)
Riggen said baby boomers continue to favor percolated coffee over more modern single-serve options. The majority of her sales are online, with a subscription business of nearly 2,000 people. The company also has commercial and personal accounts and sells its coffee at the Vermont Maple Outlet on Route 15.
“Our demographic is over 50, well-traveled, well-educated and worldly,” Riggen said. “I know a lot about my customers and they tend to be more loyal than millennials.”
Baby boomers are interested in learning more about what they drink, Riggen said, so she has begun providing more background material about her coffee on the company’s website.
Brown and Jenkins has 72 different types of coffee, including 14 single origin beans, a designation which indicates that all the beans come from the same location.
Riggen said coffee can be used in a variety of foods and she offers coffee rubs as part of her product line. It was only after she had purchased the company that she learned one of the secret ingredients in her grandmother’s signature gravy was coffee.
Boomers want better coffee
A relative newcomer to the field of gourmet coffee is Tony Basiliere, the 63-year-old owner of Earthback Coffee Roasters in South Burlington. Basiliere said he thinks baby boomers are drinking less coffee than they did in their youth, but are gravitating to better coffee.
“They are enjoying coffee more for its flavor attributes,” he said, noting that young people are following suit. “Being into coffee as a young person is a hip thing, which I think is fantastic.”
Earthback Coffee can be purchased online and at locations in Washington and Chittenden counties. It is the exclusive coffee served at Tight Squeeze in Burlington.
Baby boomers and their millennial counterparts are part of what is known as the third wave of coffee, Basiliere said, a movement which considers coffee to be an artisanal product similar to wine rather than being treated as a commodity.
But Basiliere said he thinks, in some cases, that wave is being pushed a bit too far by those who make coffee overly light in order to accentuate the flavor characteristics, but lose body as a result.
Basiliere has been in business since 2011 and his beans are certified by the Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade or USDA Organic. He said baby boomers are particularly interested in the organic label for health reasons.
“We’ve beaten ourselves up and we want to take better care of ourselves now,” he said, “but the reality is that specialty grade coffees, even those without an organic certification, don’t have anything bad in them.”
The name Earthback comes from Basiliere’s commitment to a healthy ecosystem.
“My philosophy in business,” he said “is awareness of the environment, constantly seeking ways to lessen the impact or footprint.”
Basiliere makes his deliveries with recycled banana boxes and only a tiny percentage of the company’s waste goes to a landfill. He recently purchased a Loring coffee roaster which he described as the most energy efficient on the market, using one-fourth the energy of a conventional roaster with no emissions.
After years of medical warnings about the effects of coffee, Riggen said she is pleased that current studies show that there are benefits to drinking it.
“Coffee is universal,” she said. “It connects the world.”
Check them out
Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Company
Mahindra is on the verge of converting Goa into the next off-roading destination, as they conclude the 2nd edition of the Thar Club Challenge on August 5-6, at Dona Paula, Goa. Alongside the Club Challenge, Mahindra Adventure also kicked off the 1st edition of the Thar Fest, which aimed at bringing together the off-roading and the 4×4 community at one place.
Now what is the point of having a Thar and not making full use of its off-roading credibility? Mahindra had something similar in mind when they started with the Thar Club Challenge in 2015, which saw Bangalore Off-road Development Authority (B.O.D.A) take the glory. This year was no different, as 10 well-reputed off-road clubs battled it out to lift the coveted cup. However, the only thing that changed was the difficulty level and of course the winning team. Let’s talk about the five gruelling challenges first.
Day 1 kicked off with the Thar Fest, which included the scrutiny of the vehicles. After the scrutiny, all the Thars rallied to the track venue. After reaching the site, the 10 teams were briefed about the tasks before them. With each team consisting of three vehicle entries in the Stock, Modified and Pro-Modified category, the Club Challenge was about to begin.
Club Challenge 1
The first challenge was called ‘Pass the Baton’ which was a night event. In this, the teams had to sync all three Thars to pull a bundle of logs tied together with chains through rutted trenches and slush-pit, uphill climb negotiating sharp corners.
Now, as simple as this may sound, with the constant down-pour from the rain-gods, the muddy ground made sure that the participants had to really work their way to start the competition on a winning note. The Gerrari Off-roaders emerged victorious as the other teams were left tasting the mud behind.
Club Challenge 2
‘Trench Trouble’ was the second obstacle which was highly technical in terms of team involvement in dismantling all four wheels and putting the vehicle on stands. Carrying the tyre to the top of the trench in four different direction with the second team collecting it and putting it back on the vehicle and recovering themselves from the trench. With a second win in their pocket, the Gerrari Off-Roaders took a commendable lead in the front. But there was more to come and the others had not given up as yet.
Club Challenge 3
Day 2 began with an event that was my personal favourite. Why you ask? Because the 3rd challenge involved Thars and a ball. Yes, You read it right. The third obstacle was Goalll!!!, where the competitors were put in a slushy field with a ball with the aim to play football with his Thar and score a goal using his vehicle tyres and bumpers in the minimum time. This time, it were the defending champs, B.O.D.A who got the most points.
Club Challenge 4
The fourth challenge was unique as well and called Trench Trouble 2. The teams had to negotiate cones and various other obstacles and collect flags en-route. The more the number of flags the more the points. Surely this technical stage was challenging and the experienced V5 Coorg Off-Roaders took top trumps.
Club Challenge 5
The last and most interesting obstacle was the ‘Bus Stop’. In this obstacle the teams had to work together with props like ladder and spare tyres to negotiate a laid vehicle carnage which including climbing over a bus, water tanker and other vehicle debris.
Being the most difficult of all the obstacles, the teams showed unspoiled teamwork and devotion. There was a lot of screaming, pressure, fretting and energy, but it was only to win the title of the best off-roading club in the country.
Although, the Gerrari Off-roaders took a flying start to the event, it were the V5 Off-Roaders from Coorg who won the title in the end.
After a gruelling battle of over two days and 5 challenges, the defending champs B.O.D.A passed on the winning trophy to V5 Off-Roaders from Coorg, closely followed by Gerrari Off-Roaders from Chandigarh. The 2nd runner up title was won by Team Flywheel from Kerala, thus ending the Mahindra Thar Club Challenge on a high note.
source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / Auto Today / IndiaToday.in / Auto> From the Magazine / by Pratik Rakshit / New Delhi, December 08th, 2016
Metallic bikinis are a must-have as you head for your next beach vacation in 2017. Kingfisher Calendar 2017 girl Dayana Erappa shows you just the right way to sizzle in metallic bikins.
As we bid goodbye to 2016, the new year 2017 promises to be an exciting year for fashion and style. The much talked-about Kingfisher Calendar for the coming year has already created a buzz. Just like the preceding editions, the new edition and is a sizzling melange of aesthetically shot jaw-dropping pictures of five bikini-clad models: Alliny Gomes, Dayana Erappa, Kanishtha Dhankar, Nora Fatehi and Vartika Singh. The maverick behind these insanely hot pictures, Atul Kasbekar recently took to Instagram to share yet another ridiculously sexy image of the ethereal Dayana Erappa. Wondering what are we gushing about? Read more to be amazed.
Amidst a black woven hammock lying in the sand, Dayana looks drop-dead gorgeous in a metallic bikini. The bikini is replete with a black and copper coloured detailing. What’s more, you may wonder? Look closely and you will see a zingy choker necked detail completing the bikini and lending it its hot vibe. What’s hotter? Dayana posing sexily in the metallic one-piece and showing exactly why Gold Is the New Bold.
Slaying us with yet another metallic daze, Dayana donned a silver two piece that comprised one-shouldered top and paired it with towering silver stilettos. Quirking it up with a seriously amazing hairdo of silver cornrows and braids. The maverick behind this insanely hot hairstyling is the international makeup and hair stylist Marianna Mukuchyan.
source: http://www.india.com / India.com / Home> Lifestyle / by Nirupama Chaudhary / December 26th, 2016
Packaged Coffee & Cafe Chain India Market Segmentation and Major Players Analysis and Forecast to 2021
Pune, India :
This report gives an in-depth analysis of coffee industry in India.
Coffee as a segment has steadily gained share of total consumer spending on beverages over the last many years.
Coffee serves as the first rung on the ladder for young consumers in India, while it reflect growing demand among consumers looking for convenient, decent-quality coffee at home and in the workplace.
Opportunities for coffee to gain more popularity among new consumers, as well as reclaim those exiting the category, lies in continued modernism, both in terms of developing new flavours and improving quality.
Request a sample report @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/744788-india-packaged-coffee-cafe-chain-market-outlook-2021
According to “India Coffee Market Outlook, 2021”, packaged coffee market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 12% over next five years.
Coffee market consists two categories, such as packaged coffee and coffee shops & cafe market.
Instant coffee is creating a huge demand in packaged coffee segment. The convenience, versatility of flavour and format, and branded experience provided by instant coffee enable it to be positioned as a premium hot drink option, particularly for new coffee drinkers in predominantly lower income tea drinking markets. The easy preparation of instant coffee, as well as its aptitude to be tailored to local taste preferences has made it the “coffee of choice” in most markets in India. Instant coffee has propelled brands like Nestle, HUL and Tata Coffee in its category. However filter coffee is also expanding its presence among Indian consumers.
The market for filter coffee is predominantly southern India where the competition from local/regional player is significant.
The RTD market for coffee based beverages is likely to grow, although it is currently at a very nascent stage However, it benefited from a range of new product launches towards the end of the review period.
These products are mainly consumed by young and middle-aged demographics and tend to be consumed in the mornings as an energy booster. T
The channel which contributes most to the sales of packaged coffee is traditional retail channels, whereas modern retail is currently in the moderate stage.
The growth of cafe chains over the last decade also boosted the visibility and per capita consumption of coffee among Indian consumers.
Cafe Coffee Day, Barista and Tata Starbucks are some of the leading players in cafe market.
Coffee consumption is higher among southern part of the country. However other regions are expected to increase in term of coffee consumption during forecast period.
Robusta coffee production is much higher than Arabica in India, which is anticipated to increase much higher in the future years.
Key points in table of content
1. Executive Summary
2. Global Coffee Market Outlook
2.1. Market Size By Value
2.2. Market Size By Volume
2.2.1. Overall Market
2.2.2. Europe Coffee Market
2.2.3. Asia & Oceania Coffee Market
2.2.4. North America Coffee Market
2.2.5. South America Coffee Market
2.2.6. Africa Coffee Market
2.2.7. Central America & Mexico Coffee Market
2.3. Market Share
2.3.1. By Region
2.3.2. By Country
2.4. Production
3. India Coffee Market Outlook
3.1. Market Size By Value
3.2. Market Share By Category
3.3. India Packaged Coffee Market Outlook
3.3.1. Market Size By Value
3.3.1.1. Overall Market
3.3.1.2. Instant Coffee Market
3.3.1.3. Filter (Roast & Ground) Coffee Market
3.3.1.4. Ready-To-Drink Coffee Market
3.3.2. Market Share
3.3.2.1. By Company (Instant Coffee)
3.3.2.2. By Type
3.3.2.3. By Sales Channel
3.4. India Coffee Shops and Cafe Market Outlook
3.4.1. Market Size By Value
3.4.2. Market Share By Company
3.5. Production
3.6. Product, Price & Variant Analysis
4. India Economic Snapshot
5. Raw Material
6. Manufacturing Process
7. Market Penetration
8. PEST Analysis
9. Policy & Regulatory Landscape
10. Trade Dynamics
10.1. Import
10.2. Export
11. Channel Partner Analysis
12. India Coffee Market Dynamics
12.1. Key Drivers
12.2. Key Challenges
13. Market Trends & Developments
13.1. Increasing Superiority of Coffee Shops and Baristas
13.2. Chilled Addiction among Young Consumers Drives the Popularity of Cold Brew Coffee
13.3. The Indulgence Trend Drives the Preference for Premium Coffee
13.4. Coffee has Turned out to be a Trendy Beverage for the Young Consumers
13.5. Focus on Innovation of Food & Localize Menu
14. Competitive Landscape
14.1. Porters Five Forces
14.2. Company Profiles
14.2.1. Carnation Hospitality Private Limited (Barista Cafe)
14.2.2. Coffee Day Global Limited (Cafe Coffee Day)
14.2.3. Devyani International Limited (Costa Coffee)
14.2.4. Hindustan Unilever Limited
14.2.5. Jubilant FoodWorks Limited (Dunkin Donuts)
14.2.6. Nestle India Limited
14.2.7. Pan India Food Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (The Coffee Beans &Tea Leaf)
14.2.8. TATA Coffee Limited
14.2.9. Tata Starbucks Private Limited
15. Strategic Recommendations
16. Disclaimer
Get this report @ https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=744788
source: http://www.einnews.com / EINnews / Menu> All News Topics> Press Release by Industry Channel / EIN Presswire.com / Pune India – December 20th, 2016
Tata Coffee, part of the $100-billion salt-to-software Tata conglomerate, announced post-market hours on Monday that it would set up a green field instant coffee facility of 5,000 MT capacity in Vietnam at a cost of $50 million (about Rs 350 crore).
source: http://www.profit.ndtv.com / NDTV PROFIT / Home> Markets / by Sandeep Singh / December 20th, 2016
Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan will lead the Indian challenge alongside Leander Paes and Brazil’s Andre Sa in the doubles category of the upcoming Aircel Chennai Open set to begin here on January 2.
Paes and Sa are seeded third, and Bopanna and Jeevan, seventh.
Bopanna and Jeevan reached the quarterfinals of the Chengdu Open in China early this year.
Purav Raja and Divij Sharan have teamed up as the other Indian entry for the category.
Jonathan Erlich (Israel) and Scott Lipsky (USA) is the top seeded pair.
Player field (doubles) (read as names, team ranking):
Jonathan Erlich (Isr) & Scott Lipsky (USA) (99); Guillermo Duran (Arg) & Andres Molteni (Arg) (111); Leander Paes (Ind) & Andre Sa (Bra) (112); Nicholas Monroe (USA) & Artem Sitak (NZ) (114); Wesley Koolhof (Ned) & Matwe Middelkoop (Ned) (117); Andre Begemann (Ger) & Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) (126); Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (Ind) (128); Purav Raja (Ind) & Divij Sharan (Ind) (128); Steve Darcis (Bel) & Benoit Paire (Fra) (133); Johan Brunstrom (Swe) & Andreas Siljestrom (Swe) (136). — Sports Reporter
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Tennis / by Sports Reporter / December 20th, 2016
The members of Mysuru Kodava Samaja seen with the newly harvested paddy crop during Huthri festival celebrations in city last evening.
Mysuru :
Hundreds of Kodava community members celebrated “Huthri” festival in city last evening with traditional fervour.
The festival symbolises harvest season and the arrival of grains (wealth) into a Kodava home. The festival was organised by Kodava Samaja – Mysuru at Sree Cauvery Educational Institutions premises in Kuvempunagar.
Kodava men and women were dressed in their traditional best. The celebrations reflected traditional Kodava culture. The ritual of “kadiru” cutting was performed by hockey coach Kotera Muddaiah amidst gun salute and cheering of “poli poli deva”, praying for prosperity, by the members.
Later, the harvested bundles of paddy were brought into a decorated hall, pujas performed to Lord Igguthappa and Goddess Cauvery. “Kadiru” and the traditional dish of “Thambittu” were distributed to the gathering. On stage, a series of cultural programmes were performed including “Balopaat”, Bolakaat”, “Kolaat”, “Kathiyaat” and “Ummathaat”.
Prizes were distributed to the winners of the recently held Kodava cultural competitions organised by the Federation of Kodava Samajas where members of Kodava Samaja Mysuru had won prizes in eight of the nine competitions.
President of Mysuru Kodava Samaja Moovera K. Kuttappa, Vice-President Ballyamanda M. Nanaiah, Honorary Secretary Mandira P. Kalaiah, Joint Secretary Chottekalappanda Prema Uthaiah, Treasurer Mechanda M. Ponnappa and others were present on the occasion.
KODAGU GOWDA SAMAJA
The festival was also organised by Kodagu Gowda Samaja at the Gowda Kalyana Mantap in city. Paddy was traditionally harvested and pujas were performed to Lord Igguthappa and Goddess Cauvery. Later, the traditional “Thambittu” was served to the participants. Community members performed various traditional dances praying for prosperity of the land and its people.
Kodagu Gowda Samaja President Chettimada U. Janardhana, Vice-President Kodakandi G. Bharath Kumar, Secretary Kuntikana S. Ganapathy, Jt. Secretary Neyanni K. Ramesh, Treasurer Kadyada Ravi Bheemaiah and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 14th, 2016
The country’s fastest woman over a distance of 400 metres suffered a debilitating injury in 2012 but came back strongly and won the Arjuna Award in 2015.
Image credit: Twitter
“At Beijing I was just a reserve and at Rio I was a senior member of the team. In between, eight years have passed but nothing, absolutely nothing has changed,” says the 26-year old Machettira Raju Poovamma, an athlete not known to mince her words.
The athlete, living in Mangalore for the last 25 years, has been India’s fastest woman over a quarter-mile or 400 metres for the last three years and was a part of the 4×400 metres relay team that finished 13th at Rio 2016.
Scroll.in spoke to Poovamma on the sides of the GoSports Foundation’s annual awards function in Bengaluru. Poovamma, sponsored by the Foundation since 2015 was recognised as the ‘Most Consistent Performer’ for her contributions to Indian athletics over the years.
“They lift you up, then bring you crashing down”
Some readers may remember that Poovamma, who was a reserve for the women’s 4×400 metres relay team in Beijing was India’s youngest athlete at the Olympic Games in 2008.
She was expected to be a shoo-in for the London 2012 team, but as Poovamma found out, things don’t always go to plan. A month before the trials for the Olympics were to be conducted, the sprinter suffered a horrendous injury which kept her out for almost 10 months and made her forego what was almost a guaranteed spot on the team for a second successive Olympics.
As we sit in the well-lit lobby of the ITC Windsor, Poovamma sporting a blue blazer is almost choking as she forces the words out, “Those times were really dark. I want to erase those memories.”
But as I found out, Poovamma’s problem is an age-old one and not something unfamiliar in the Indian sports scene. We identify the talent after they’ve set the sporting scene alight, not before, mind you, hype them up to atmospheric levels and then turn on them when their performance levels go down or missing. Clearly, standing with our athletes in troubled times is something we still have to learn.
Undergoing weight training in the gym, Poovamma ruptured the L4-L5 vertebrae disc in her spine. The lumbar spine (or the lower back) consisting of the L1-L5 vertebrae helps in supporting the upper body and allowing motion in multiple directions. Degeneration of the L4-L5 disc can result in possible leg pain and/or severe back pain.
During that time, Poovamma says that the same journos who praised her for her achievements in the span leading up to London turned on her. She says, “I read newspaper reports saying that I had gone missing, questioning why I was not performing at any meet. These people, the same ones that lifted me, had brought me crashing down.”
Post this revelation, I ask Poovamma the only logical question that comes to my mind, “Didn’t anyone check with you?” to which her answer is a resounding no. “It was very difficult for me to even go to the washroom but no one bothered checking with me,” says Poovamma as her expression turns expectedly sombre.
A happy ending
Her injury is a recurring one, and she has had to go through rehabilitation therapy several times post recovery. She seems happier with the Bengaluru-based not-for-profit’s involvement, “When you undergo an injury like that, you want some help, some support. Their (the Foundation’s) backing has given me a moral boost,” lending further credence to the theory that private organisations like GoSports, Olympic Gold Quest, JSW Sports and Anglian Medal Quest are filling important gaps in India’s sporting infrastructure.
A self-proclaimed fan of Jamaican sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross, Poovamma says she took up the 400 metres “for fun.” Born to a contractor at the Mangalore airport and a homemaker, she says she took up the 100 and the 200 metres after which she tried her hand out at the 400 metres.
Her mother, M R Jaji, is a lucky charm according to the sprinter. “Since 2005, I can’t recall a single domestic meet that she has missed. They (parents) are old but they do their utmost best to motivate me,” says Poovamma of her family’s involvement.
As she goes up to collect her award, Poovamma doesn’t shy away when asked about her journey as she reiterates, “I’ve been around for eight years but the diet, the schedule, the way of training as prescribed by our sporting authorities, nothing has changed.”
The Rio debacle is still on her mind as she recollects, “Prior to the Olympics, everyone was training individually with their personal coaches. We came together a week prior to the Games. In these events (relay), you need coordination, especially for the baton pass. A fraction of a second can make a difference.”
The authorities, she insists, have done nothing to change the approach to athletics in India, “In the West, each athlete has his or her personal diet and training regime designed for them. Here, they spend their time in the run up to the Olympics predicting the number of medals. I can only be satisfied in the fact that I gave my best on the day.”
And give her best, she did. After returning from injury in April 2013, Poovamma won the relay gold and silver in the individual 400 metres at the Asian Championships held at Pune, also notching up her personal best of 51.75 seconds at Lucknow the same year.
Her finest moment came the following year at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea where India won the 4×400 m relay gold as she won the individual bronze. Poovamma is currently ranked second in the 400 m category in Asia as she sets her sights on the upcoming World Championships to be held in London in August 2017.
But for Povamma, her greatest achievement is not that she has scaled the heights to reach the top of her sport in the country but the fact that she has seen the depths and has climbed back up again.
We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in.
source: http://www.thefield.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Sports news and scores> World Athletics / by Arka Bhattacharya / December 17th, 2016
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