Coorg Butterflies Make their Annual Tour to Silent Valley

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Aralam Wild Life Sanctuary, one of the most precious evergreen forests in the state, is witnessing the breath-taking annual migration of butterflies from the Coorg hills. The wintering butterflies, mostly of Albatross species, breeze by the rivulets in the forests like gentle patch of yellow clouds, making their way to Nilambur forests and to Silent Valley, apparently guided by an unknown collective memory passed on to generations.

The amazing migration of the butterflies is better seen in the morning and when the sun gets hot by noon, they stop moving. As many as 40,000 Common Albatross butterflies can be seen in a single flock in the morning, says V C Balakrishnan of Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS) and a regular visitor at Aralam during this season. The Great Orange Tip, Lesser Gull and Plain Pussin butterflies can also be seen following the Albatross migration, he said. Many varieties of butterflies of Daniane sub species were seen congregating in the Aralam Sanctuary in the season. Lakhs of butterflies roosting on trees in the forests is a sight of a lifetime, Balakrishnan said.

Experts say that the butterfly migration through this stretch of Western Ghats is known to start from the evergreen forests in Coorg where these butterflies generally lay eggs on a particular tree locally known as Choota Maram or Asthi Maram (Drypetes Venusta). The butterflies fly through Aralam to Nilambur and to Silent Valley forests. “However, not much is known about when these butterflies would return to Coorg,” Balakrishnan said.

A group of nature lovers and butterfly enthusiasts would annually visit the sanctuary to witness the wonderful natural phenomenon every January. The Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department conducts joint explorations with MNHS during the season to survey butterflies. Many new species have been identified during these explorations. “We have been regularly conducting butterfly surveys during the season for the past eight years,” said Harikrishnan Nair, Wildlife Warden, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary.

A total of 242 species of butterflies were spotted at Aralam, the highest among the forests in the state. This makes a big share of the total of 320 butterfly species found in the entire state. “The thick evergreen forests and the rich diverse flora at Aralam make perfect home for the butterflies. However, the maximum number of butterfly species is recorded here because we conduct regular surveys and scientifically categorise it,” the Wildlife Warden explains.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service – Kannur / January 13th, 2014

Uthappa, Nair lead Karnataka fightback

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Bangalore :

Uttar Pradesh’s despondent body language was a dead giveaway on a day when their hopes evaporated as swiftly as the moisture on the KSCA pitch. At 15 for three within 40 minutes of play hosts Karnataka looked dead and buried. Yet by the end of the first day’s play in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, it was UP that looked broken and disjointed.

Ranji Trophy Tracker

("The plan was to just hang…)
(“The plan was to just hang…)

Karnataka, powered by two brilliant centuries by Robin Uthappa and Karun Nair and a rollicking unbeaten 89 by CM Gautham, dramatically turned the tables in one of the finest fightbacks seen on this venue. At close, the hosts were 297/5.

UP, who opted to bowl first on a green top laden with moisture were over the moon when they plucked out Karnataka’s three heavy run-getters, KL Rahul, R Samarth and Manish Pandey, all without opening their account. That brought the in-form Karun Nair, who had opened the batting against Delhi and made a century in challenging circumstances, to join forces with an unusually circumspect Uthappa.

Amit Mishra, the pick of the three-pronged medium-pace attack, was getting the ball to move disconcertingly. The alternate strips of grass and bald pitch challenged the batsmen. Deliveries that hit the turf seamed and skidded through while the rest went at a different velocity.

“The plan was to just hang in there. We were not concerned with the scoring but sought to see off the new ball and the moisture on the pitch,” explained Uthappa as Karnataka took all of 23 overs to crawl to 50.

Uthappa, though, was the more assertive partner. He eschewed risks, but still came up with some spanking drives and leg glances while Karun got his eye in and made it count. The pair added 120 runs for the fourth wicket.

Brief scores: Karnataka 297-5 (Robin Uthappa 100, Karun Nair 100, Gautham 89*, Amit Mishra 2-70, Ali Murtuza 2-87)

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Domestic Cricket> Amit Mishra / by Vedam Jaishankar, TNN / January 09th, 2014

Kodagu homestays come of environmental age

Business & Economy

Kodagu district which was one of the first districts in South India to find the home stay business an alternative to the traditional ways of tourism, has now threaded another path and quite astute one at that. Most home-stays are now compatible with environmental rules delighting users from high value catchment areas like Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Most importantly, tussles between Home stays and resorts with various panchayats, district administration and villagers about environmental hazards have found a logical conclusion. People in eco-sensitive areas in Kodagu district, specially close to Madikeri, harboured antipathy to home-stays and resorts for environmental reasons.

“It had to happen, Kodagu thrives on its natural attributes, its orange, coffee and spice gardens, misty mountains and perennial water streams. If these attributes were polluted that is the end of the district as well as the business of homestays. So we asked our members to strengthen their environmental compliance levels. We have been working on these lines for over an year and now we have 90% compliance in over 65% of home stays and few more were on the way to higher compliance,” Nalini Achchaih of the Kodagu district Home Stay association told dna.

There are about 200 homestays in Kodagu district and over 50% of them are in and around Madikeri. About 45% of them are registered while many of them are in the process of doing so. “Many of our members were suffering due to delay in registering their home stays due to the strict environmental and administrative standards, but they have worked diligently towards it and have achieved high level of compliance,” Nalini said.

“The home-stays in Madikeri are such good stress busters. Many of us go there once in every other month, I and some of my friends used to go only to the few registered home-stays, but now we have so many registered establishments and even environmental-compliant,” said Ajit Shetty, a techie from Bangalore.

Madikeri also hosts some corporate home-stays like Tamara Resorts. “The standards we impose on ourselves are stringent. Our new-gen guests patronize only establishments that are legal and environmental-friendly. There were some teething problems initially, but we have rectified them, specially the needs of the villages situated around us. We have opened up new road for them and installed a waste management system,” Senthil Kumar N, chief executive officer of Tamara Resorts, said.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by M Raghuram / Place:Madikeri, Agency:DNA / Wednesday – January 15th, 2014

Coffee Board reconstituted

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

Bangalore :

The Coffee Board has been reconstituted after a two-month delay.

Many new faces figure in the revamp, which happens once in three years.

The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry through a Gazette Notification dated January 6 has announced the revamped board that will be in place till three years from January 6 to January 5, 2016.

According to the notification, N.K. Pradeep, Shri Nandi Estate, Chekanahally Belur Taluk, Hassan, Karnataka; Anil Kumar Bhandari, Suntikoppa, Kodagu, Karnataka; Immanuel T. Rampuram, Chatnahalli Estate, Siddapura South Kodagu, Karnataka will represent large growers.

Jabir Asghar, Bangalore, Karnataka; B.S. Jayaram, Bidarahalli Post, Mudigere Taluk, Chikmaglur, Karnataka; D.M. Vijay, Hangaravalli Post Aldur, Chikmagalur, Karnataka; A. Thara Aiyamma, Neela Estate, Balele, Kodagu, Karnataka; Vijay Jagirdar, Bangalore, Karnataka; Vasantha Lakshmi Narayana, Near Andhra Bank, Pitapuram Colony, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; C.P. Varghese, Chittemalil, Malankara, Nenmeni, Sultan Bathery, Wayanad will be small growers’ representatives.

Representatives of coffee trade interests are D. M. Purnesh, Classic Coffee & Spices Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, Karnataka. Dr. S. M. Kaverappa, Haletaluk, Napoklu, Kodagu, Karnataka. Ramesh Rajah, M/s. Ramesh Exports Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, Karnataka.

Representatives of curing establishment: A. N. Devraj, Avaathi Post, Chikmagalur, Karnataka. K. A. Ibrahim, Suntikoppa, Madikere Kodagu, Karnataka.

Representatives of labour interests: G. Bhaskar, Jeyammal Street, Ayyavvo colony, Aminjikarai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. N. M. Adyanthaya, President INTUC, Karnataka & Vice President National INTUC, Nagi Towers, Kadri Hills, Mangalore, Karnataka. Prof. K. P. Thomas, Kakkathottathil House, Kottayad Road, Sultanbethery, Wayanad, Kerala. R. Chandrasekharan, President INTUC, Kerla Branch, Ayikkumathu House, Sooranad North, Sooranad Kollam Kerala.

Representatives of coffee growing States other than principal coffee growing States: K. V. Satyanarayana, Additional Chief Secretary, the Secretary in-charge of the Agriculture Department, Government of Tripura. Rajesh Prasad, Commissioner Industries & Commerce, Assam.

Representatives of consumer’s interest Uma I. B. Shankar, Hosmane Extension, Chikmagalur, Karnataka. Iftekhan Khan, 28, New Ashonknagar, Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

Representatives of instant coffee manufacturers: C. Rajendra Prasad, Chairman & Managing Director, CCL Products (India), Ameerpet, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

Eminent Personality in the field of research /marketing/ management/ promotion of coffee: Peter Mathias, Kelagur Estate, Sunkasale Post, Mudigere Taluk, Chikmagalur, Karnataka.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / by Anil Urs anil.u@thehindu.co.in / Bangalore – January 13th, 2014

Coffee exports may increase on demand rebound from Europe

Coffee News

Shipments up 37% since October; re-exports too rise

Gathering steam: (From left) Jawaid Akhtar, Chairman, Coffee Board of India; J.S. Deepak, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; and Anil Bhandari, President, India Coffee Trust, addressing a press conference, in New Delhi, on Thursday. /— Kamal Narang / The Hindu
Gathering steam: (From left) Jawaid Akhtar, Chairman, Coffee Board of India; J.S. Deepak, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; and Anil Bhandari, President, India Coffee Trust, addressing a press conference, in New Delhi, on Thursday. /— Kamal Narang / The Hindu

New Delhi :

The pick-up in coffee exports since October will help shipments in the current fiscal exceed last year’s levels, says the Coffee Board. Coffee exports in 2012-13 stood at 2.98 lakh tonnes.

“Exports have picked up since October and we expect total shipment in the current financial year to cross last year’s levels,” said Coffee Board Chairman Jawaid Akhtar.

He was speaking to reporters after announcing the launch of the fifth edition of the India International Coffee Festival to be held in Bangalore during January 21-25.

The stability in prices witnessed in recent months coupled with the rebound in demand from traditional buyers in Europe is seen aiding exports.

Since October, coffee exports are up 37 per cent at around 66,264 tonnes against last year’s 48,346 tonnes in the same period.

However, since April shipments in the current fiscal are up 6 per cent at 2.22 lakh tonnes against 2.09 lakh tonnes in corresponding last year.

“Exports of value-added and instant coffees have risen sharply in recent years, resulting in higher margins and realisations,” said J.S. Deepak, Additional Secretary, Commerce Ministry.

Re-export of coffee has also picked up and is likely to exceed last year’s level of 90,000 tonnes in 2013-14. Akhtar said domestic consumption continues to rise at 5-6 per cent annually, driven by both in-home and out-of-home consumption.

Domestic consumption is estimated at around 1.2 lakh tonnes. The rising popularity of chains such as Café Coffee Day, Barista Lavazza and Costa Coffee among the younger generation has made coffee drinking more fashionable.

Anil Bhandari, Chairman of the India Coffee Trust, said the coffee festival is expected to attract over 1,000 delegates, including from overseas. Every alternate edition of the bi-annual event would be organised in the producing region, mainly Bangalore, Bhandari said.

The previous edition of the coffee fest was held in Delhi in 2012.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / by The Hindu Burea vishwanath.kulkarni@thehindu.co.in / New Delhi – January 09th, 2014

Lit Buffs Throng Honey Stalls, But Shun Booze

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Writers and literature lovers visiting this hilly town are clamouring for honey, and staying away from its liquor stores and bars.

Bee-rearing is popular in and around Madikeri, and stalls selling honey are doing brisk business during the 80th all-India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. The three-day gala ends on Thursday.

About 20 shops in the vicinity of the literary carnival trade in honey. On a normal day, they sell 30 to 50 kilos. Over the past two days, sales have doubled.

Ashok, Secretary of the Coorg Progressive Beekeepers Co-operative Society, said, “Each shop has asked for 500 boxes. Each box holds 12 one-kg bottles.”

Despite the demand, vendors have not hiked their prices. “A kilo of pure honey in a sealed bottle costs `220. The price is `180 otherwise,” Ashok said.

Honey production peaks between March and June. “This is actually off season. We are struggling to meet the demand,” he said.

There are 1,100 bee-keepers in and around Madikeri, and 6,000 in Kodagu district.

Chandappa, head master of a government school in Bijapur district and a conference delegate, said, “We don’t get honey in our districts. That’s why we are taking home some.”

The visiting writers and literature buffs aren’t giving good business to liquor shops, though.

Thimmappa of National Wines on the Madikeri main road feels the guests are not the drinking type.

“On normal days, we sell seven to eight boxes of whiskey, with each box containing 12 bottles. Since Monday, the number has come down to four or five,” he said.

Traffic diversions for the literary carnival have also had a negative impact on the liquor business, he said.

Madappa, another liquor shop owner, said visitors from North Karnataka don’t drink.

“A small number come for wine and ask about the percentage of alcohol in it,” he said.

The weather is not helping the liquor business either. “It has become warm over the past week, and that is one of the reasons our customers have just one or two pegs of whiskey,” said Madappa.

The temperature in Madikeri on Wednesday afternoon (4pm) was 26 degree Celsius, not warm at all by the standards of northern Karnataka districts, where temperatures touch 40 degrees. Madikeri has about 30 liquor stores and bars.

Pure for sure?

Rajashree, owner of a honey shop in Madikeri, offered tips on how to test the purity of honey. “Take a cup of water and put a drop of honey in it. If the honey is pure, it goes to the bottom, but if it is adulterated, it spreads,” she said. The second trick is to use paper. “Dip a piece of paper in the bottle. If the honey is pure, the paper will not get wet,” she said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Rashmi Belur and Ashwini M. Sripad – Madikeri / January 09th, 2014

THINK TANK : Be a sport !

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

There is a positive change in the sports scene in India and this is just the beginning…S.R. Suryanarayan in conversation with squash player Joshna Chinnappa.

Indian squash player Joshna Chinnappa / Photo : R. Ravindran. / The Hindu
Indian squash player Joshna Chinnappa / Photo : R. Ravindran. / The Hindu

Having watched her father play since she was a toddler, Joshna says she had taken to squash like fish to water. “I also had a choice of playing tennis or badminton, but I stuck to squash because I began loving the sport,” said the national women’s champion and currently a top 20 player in the world. Like those who have nothing to do with cricket, Joshna too is envious of the way cricket and cricketers garner so much space in the media and other activities of public interest. But she says that it has not affected the growth of other sports in the country nor the progress of such sportspersons. “Look at Saina Nehwal, wrestler Yogeshwar and other achievers in various sports. They are getting recognition even in the Olympics,” Joshna says. But yes, the champion player would be happy if there was proportionate rise in the coverage of such achievements in the newspapers.

Changing scene
Joshna talks of a talent in her own sport, Mahesh Mangaonkar, a youngster from Mumbai who recently won a PSA tour event (akin to winning a professional tournament in say tennis or badminton) but which got very little publicity. “It was a significant win and deserved more,” she said. But then, Joshna admits that unlike 10 or 15 years ago, when squash hardly found mention, things have changed vastly. “We have three players (Dipika Pallikal, Saurav Ghosal and myself) in India who are in the top 20 in the world rankings and our players have been regularly making an impact in various international tournaments,” she says, adding that it has ensured a certain visibility for squash now. Recognition too has been coming, stating that she received the Arjuna award last year.

What has heartened her is the increasing number of juniors taking to the sport and for this, she acknowledges the presence of the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai as one prime reason. “For two years now, there has been an overwhelming response for the junior national championship. This is a good sign,” she says. “There is much more accessibility to the courts now and this helps in maintaining consistency in performances.”

Looking back, Joshna does not regret one bit choosing squash for a career. “I like the sport. I enjoy playing it and my hard work is also paying me well. I am sure this must be true of every sport and sportsperson,” she says. Like many other squash players in the world, Joshna too keenly looks forward to seeing the sport in the Olympics!

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Nxg> Think Tank / by S.R. Suryanarayan / Chennai – January 08th, 2014

Madikeri ready to weave magic on literary enthusiasts

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Madikeri, the must-go town on the tourist’s itinerary, will be a literature enthusiast’s destination for the next three days. The 80th All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana is all set to begin at this hill station on Tuesday and the town is awash with the yellow and red colours of the Kannada flag.
MadikeriKF17jan2014
Thousands of language aficionados have descended here, not bothering about the cold winter weather.

Hordes of volunteers are sweating it out for the success of the extravaganza. The literary conference is being held here after a gap of 32 years. Madikeri had hosted the 18th conference in 1932 and the 54th in 1982.

Writer Na D’Souza, who presides over the meet, will be brought in a procession to the dais named after writer Bharatisuta at the Field Marshal K M Cariappa College grounds in the town.

The venue has been named I M Muttanna Mahamantapa. Cutouts depicting Kodagu’s must-see tourist spots, with famous lines of well-known poets, adorn the main entrance to the venue.

The venue has a seating capacity of 20,000, including a thousand chairs for VIPs and special invitees. Giant LCD screens have been erected for the large gathering to watch the on-stage proceedings.

A second dais has come up at the auditorium in the adjacent college to host literary sessions and cultural programmes. The entrances to the eight roads leading to the main venue have been named after prominent personalities.

More than 400 stalls selling books and handicrafts have been set up beside the main venue. A total of 2,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the conference.

There will only be one-way traffic on the narrow roads of the town for the duration of the conference. KSRTC buses will ply passengers for free within the town during the event.

A total of 600 cooks will prepare the choicest of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the delegates attending the meet. Food arrangements have been made at the Police Parade Grounds, one km from the venue.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Madikeri – DHNS, January 06th, 2014

A drink devoid of discrimination

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)

Coffee lore may not be marked by more than about a hundred years after the bushy crop made the three districts of the erstwhile Princely State of Mysore its home. Not many may recollect the happening of the centenary of its arrival in the State, if at all the event was celebrated. Residents of the old residential areas of Mysore city may remember the middle-aged, Khaki-clad, bicycle-borne, vendor sporting pith hat in the style of a hunter, peddling coffee seeds under ‘his’ brands of a) Chikamagalur Coffee, b) Giri Coffee (meaning Bababudangiri) and c) Coorg Coffee, delivering the material at the doorsteps nearly 60 years ago. The much-awaited coffee seed peddler vanished unheralded with the passage of time, leaving his captive customers, connoisseurs of refined tastes of Mysore, high and dry.

An unforgettable phase of the history of coffee in Mysore city, however brief, was marked by the presence of a) coal-fired, manually operated coffee-roaster with a capacity to roast a couple of pounds (equivalent to one kilogram) of coffee seeds and b) hand-operated grinding device in most of the middle-class households in order to brew fresh coffee, particularly to appease the grandpa and grandma in the joint-families, now not known to the younger generation of our times. The two most-prized equipments have since gone to the junk-yard (gujari).

The coffee planters may be concerned with a) the timely showers, particularly the April showers coinciding with the blooming of flowers on the bushes, b) the afflictions bugging the bushes and lately, c) the onslaught of jumbos devouring the lush green plants in a jiffy, but the city-dwellers are hell-bent on having their cuppa. The labour class (if there be one such class still in society) as well as the truant white-collared gentry in government offices must gulp the addictive drink more frequently than the limits prescribed by the physician. They couldn’t care less if the brew was loaded with the objectionable chicory and with disregard to right proportions of plantation ‘A’ and Robusta as well as peaberry, not to talk of adulterants.

Bangalore is shortly hosting the fifth edition of the India International Coffee Festival in which more than 1,000 delegates are expected to take part in the five-day global event, apart from attracting more than 10,000 visitors. The festival may augur well for MNCs of the coffee world, but the kick got out of the now-defunct coffee roaster and coffee grinder cannot be matched by brands such as ‘Starbucks.’ Coffee is unarguably the only unifying agent that abhors discrimination in society.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Editorial / January 10th, 2014

83 Dignitaries feted at Kannada Sammelana

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

SammelanaKF14jan2014
Madikeri :

A total of 83 persons were felicitated in recognition of their services to Kannada on the closing day of the 80th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana here yesterday.

Veteran litterateur Prof. Dejagow feted the dignitaries in the presence of Sammelana President Pundalika Halambi.

Those feted were: Shantalinga Mahaswami, Jayadev Kadadevaramath, Mugur Nanjundaswamy, V.G. Nayak, M. Doddamani, G.T. Veerappa, H.V. Jayaram, Dr. Shivananda Gaali, Vamadevaiah, Dr. G.K. Ramchandrappa, Dr. Sharanu Patil, Halmidi Kallol, Rajashekhar Hathagundi, B. Rangaswamy, M.B. Vishwanath, Jenukurubara Sannappa, Ganga Changappa, Siddappa Tallalli, L.S. Shashtri, Prof. K.H. Belura, D. Ganesh, M.B. Perla, Somanath Mudda, Gaddigayya Karikantamath, Dr. Shashikanth Sinnoor, Gowramma Basavegowda, Mahalingappa Itagi, E.V. Sathyanarayana, B.M. Patel Pandu, G. Guruprasad, Veeranna Charantimath, Shekharagouda Malipatil, Prof. Kodi Kushalappa Gowda, A.R. Nagarajcharya, Dr. Wooday P. Krishna, K. Sathyanarayan, B.M. Patil, B.K. Mathapati, Shivaranjan Bolannanavar, C.S. Bopaiah, B.R. Subba Rao, Puttichanda S. Ganapathy, Dr. S.D. Narasimhan, Mukkatira Chotu Appaiah, H. Sridhar Hande, Raviteja, Vishwanath Hoogar, S.V. Nagaraj Rao, Dr. M.B. Subhash Chandra, Dr. G.R. Basavarajan, G. Suresh Gowda, Mukunda Rao Lokunde, S.

R. Manavalli, K.B. Talageri, Gayatri Ramanna, T.A. Narayan Gowda, Gayatri Navada, Mavalli Shankar, T.A.P. Nagaraj, Maddikere Gopal, Prof, M.G. Chandrashekharaiah, Nataraj Swamiji, R. Vijaya Raghavan, Bhaskar Jois Hebri, B.K. Hongal, R. Shivanna, C.H. Naarival, Sunil Patil, Umesh Aradhya, C.V. Shankar, Nazir Ahmed, B.R. Satish, Chalavali Ramakrishna, Yalanadu Anjanappa, Dr. S. Shivarudraswamy, Babu Shivapujari, H. Dandappa, G.H. Paramashivaiah, A.G. Hari Gopal, Nagesh Boppanadu, N. Krishnamurthy, Veeranna Karabantanal and Virupakshappa Abbigeri.

Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Shivashankarmurthy, former BBMP opposition leader M. Nagaraj, Sammelana office-bearers Sangamesh Badavadagi, P. Mallikarjunappa and others were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 10th, 2014