Tata Coffee plans to relaunch Eight O’ Clock Coffee brand in US, Canada

India-based Tata Coffee plans to relaunch its Eight O’ Clock Coffee (EOC) brand as well as offer new products in US and Canadian markets.

The company plans to introduce ‘single serve’ coffees in collaboration with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR), a US-based specialty coffee roaster.

In 2012, EOC and GMCR announced a multi-year agreement to make EOC, Tetley tea, and Good Earth tea available in different formats.

Tata Coffee managing director Hameed Huq said that the company is curently finalizing a plan to re-introduce the brand.

“We are coming up with the relaunch and will reposition the product completely by May or June this year for the US and Canada markets,” Huq added.

Tata Coffee acquired EOC for $220m from Gryphon Investors in 2006.

Last year, following a partnership with coffee manufacturer and chain Starbucks, Tata Coffee established a new roastery at Kushalnagar in Madikeri, Karnataka, with an investment of INR45m ($834,840). The plant has a production capacity of 375 tons.

source: http://www.hotdrinks.drinks-business-review.com / Home> Non- alcoholic / Hot Drinks News / by DBR Staff Writer / January 29th, 2013

Kodagu district’s heroes Cariappa, Thimayya to get more attention

Field Marshal K M Cariappa and Padmabhushan General K S Thimayya will now be remembered as national heroes by the district administration.

In the past, Field Marshal K M Cariappa’s birth anniversary was celebrated at his memorial in Roshanara, Madikeri, by his family members and students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan-Kodagu Vidyalaya.

After General Thimayya School was started by the Kodava Samaj in Madikeri a decade ago, students regularly assembled at Thimayya’s statue to offer floral tributes.

Apart from this, when VIPs and Army officers visit the district, they garland the statues of the two great sons of Kodagu.

After a garland of shoes was hung on Field Marshal K M Cariappa’s statue some time ago, a few retired Army officers and senior citizens decided to create awareness on the importance of these leaders by setting up the Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya Forum. The Forum celebrates the birth anniversaries of Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya which fall on January 28 and March 31 respectively.

In 2012, GOC-in-C of the Southern Command of the Indian Army Lt Gen A K Singh, senior Army officers, retired Army officers and people’s representatives took part in Field Marshall Cariappa’s birth anniversary celebrations that were held on a grand scale.

This year, the administration has decided to celebrate his 114th birth anniversary at Madikeri on Monday while the Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya Forum will simultaneously host celebrations in Gonikoppa.

Celebration Gets More Response

Forum president Col (rtd) K C Subbayya VSM, told Express that celebrations are usually held in Madikeri, Gonikoppa or Shanivarsante.

Forum secretary U M Poovaiah said competitions with themes related to the life of Field Marshal Cariappa had been organised to spread awareness among school and college students to highlight the importance of discipline and honesty.

This year’s competitions received good response, he said.

District Minister M P Appachu Ranjan said the government has sanctioned `3 lakh for the celebrations. Cariappa’s birth anniversary has also been added to the National Festival List and celebrations will be held at Madikeri, he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / Home> States> Karnataka / by B. C. Dinesh / ENS – Madikeri / January 28th, 2013

Priya Belliappa is all set to launch all women cinema ‘Ring Road Shuba’

A lady from hilly region of Karnataka Coorg district Priya Belliappa is all set to launch all women cinema ‘Ring Road Shuba’. The concept for this Priya Belliappa film is the real life murder. The culprit Shuba is behind the bars.

Studied in Pune Priya Belliappa is looking for a right protagonist role and intends to give training and then mount the film. The heroines with image are not required and I want someone who look for the story and accept the film.

As there is already one more Kannada film with the same subject Priya Belliappa is taking only the wafer line of the incident and adding more creativity to it. According to her the reality of the case is still not yet revealed. In the film ‘Ring Road Shuba’ the imagination of our team is the highlight she says.

Priya studying at Pune Film and Television institute worked in Ad Company and moved to Kannada cinema as assistant director with Ravindra in ‘Mathe Bannu Pritsona’.

The producer of this film is Ranjani Ravindra Das, wife of director HP Ravindra has inducted 15 members women team for the film.

Sanchari Das Molik is director of cinematography, editor is Moulsri Singh, Vani Harikrishna is music director, Rekha Rani is dialogue writer.

The selection of main protagonist is made via Suvarana News Channel reality show. It is ‘Suvarana Sundari’ crown the winner of this show earns and later appears before the camera

Vyjayanthimala mobbed in Bangalore

Yesteryear actress and dancer sure knows how to wow Bangalore’s audience. The actress, who dropped by to watch the The Gitanjali Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week that happened in Bowring Club, was pleased with the love and affection people showered on her.

Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa gave a warm welcome to the actress and also played a visual of one of her songs Bahron Phool Barsaon from her movie Suraj (1966) that starred Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala Bali in lead roles.

Draped in a pink and orange silk sari, Vyjayanthimala took the stage and said, “From the stage set up to the beautiful models and vibrant clothes — I am having a good time watching the fashion show.” She was invited by designer Jamila Malhotra, whose daughter Seema had showcased a special collection named Shimmer at the show. The actress sat throughout the show and was seen signing a couple of autographs as well. After the show, Vyjayanthimala was mobbed by fans of varying ages who were keen to take a picture with her.

The actress is known for playing a plethora of characters and is a recipient of numerous awards. Some of her works include Sangam (Hindi), Thenn Nilavu (Tamil), Devdas (Hindi), Vanjikottai Valiban (Tamil), Hatey Bazarey (Bengali), among others.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Fashion Show / by Sharanya C R, TNN / January 22nd, 2013

What a way to end, indeed!

Day 3 at the Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week Bangalore 2013 was reassuring. While some of the best and most talked about designers were left for the final day — the collections were at two ends of the spectrum, either being wonderfully interesting or being terribly drab. Here’s our roundup of what worked and what didn’t at the finalé day of PBFW…

Smallshop by Jason & Anshu was the perfect way to begin and while we couldn’t get enough of the sneaky flirtatiousness in most of their pieces, we really wished the colour palette was a bit more summery. That said, the natural silk hues worked wonders as did the fabrics and the the hints of florals and pastels. We loved their silhouettes and we’re now officially Jason and Anshu fans for life.

It seemed like a day of duos and Anu & Susan’s latest collection took to the ramp next. We’ve never seen lace and crochet thread work look so wearable and we love how they took the fabric out of grandma’s closet and made it sexy, risqué even. From gorgeous detailing to great cuts, this was one of the fashion highs of the evening.

Yashaswini Naik, whose collection raised the temperature quite a bit, proved that simplicity and clear design can win anyone over and we were mighty proud of the designers brazen collection. First of all, a huge round of applause to a female designer who attempted a male collection and secondly, applause for the amazing wearability of the clothes. We loved the colour palette and we think the printed beach shirts in whites and light blues — was something we’ve all been looking forward to for ages.

Nimirta Lalwani, as much as we assumed would be impressive, failed to create a stir and while a lot of people might call her clean lines and sombre coloured silhouettes fashionable and even trendy, we choose not to. The dresses looked lovely on the models, but assuming that these clothes would add or even complement someone’s personality, left us wondering whether playing it safe was the right way to go?

Indian fashion with a distinct European flavour is something that’s sure to catch some attention and Ritu Pande’s collection was inspirational. With motifs from European art mixed beautifully with Indian-inspired silhouettes — this is what fusion should be like. We loved the great lines, the sombre colours and the general feel of the collection. This was a winner.

Lokesh Ahuja’s collection of wonderfully structured suits that came up next, worked on many levels, because they were being showcased by a bunch of drop dead gorgeous models. What we were left wondering, however, was if this collection would look equally ‘fine’ on a common Bangalorean man. We’re still thinking…

A celebration of male fashion done, we were then offered Pop Patola, a collection we’ve been excited about all year through. Deepika Govind proved her mettle and retained the title of one of the city’s best designers with this collection. We couldn’t get enough of these clothes — funky, laden with character and colourful enough to eat. With a wonderful mix of traditional silhouettes and modern pop culture motifs and the exact opposite — modern silhouettes with traditional motifs: Pop Patola had us the moment the first model sashayed onto the ramp.

The grand finalé was grand indeed. Seema and Jamila Malhotra’s collection was loud, shimmery (true to its name) and colourful enough to leave the audience entranced. The pieces showcased were also faultless and the workmanship on them, incomparable. What didn’t work for us as a Bangalore audience was the lack of a Bangalorean connect. Unlike Shobha Nickham and some of the other designers who also presented bridal-themed collections laden with city references, this collection was very alien to us. That said, it was a visual pleasure and was the perfect way to end three days of high Bangalorean fashion.

A huge hurrah goes out to Prasad Bidapa and team for the great show, the even better planning and the whole wonderfully executed event.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / Daily News & Analysis / Home> LifeStyle> Report / by L Romal M Singh, Agency: DNA / Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Oman Veterans vs Coorg Republic Day of India hockey match on Feb 1


Muscat :
The annual Republic Day of India Hockey Cup match between Team Coorg Muscat and Oman Veterans XI will be played at Sultan Qaboos Complex Bausher on February 1.

The match, being organised by the Team Coorg Muscat and Friends of Naqvi Group, is scheduled to start at 4.00 pm.
Indian Ambassador J S Mukul will preside over the day’s proceedings while Oman Hockey Association (OHA) chief Mahfoodh Ali Juma al Juma will be the guest of honour.

The OHA Vice-Chairman Shaikh Saif Mubarak al Rahbi and General Secretary Redha Taqi al Lawati will also be present.
Team Coorg will be represented by Maj Cariappa, Chendu, Dinal, Erappa, Ganapathy, Hitin, Harshit, Jalal, Javis, Kuttappa, Kushalappa, Lavin, Muddappa, Nanaih, Rafeeq, Subbaih, Sakeel, Vinu and Zaman.

The Oman Veterans Team comprises Darwish al Balushi, Hamood Abdullah, Khalid Khalfan, Yousuf Darwish, Younis Darwish, Salim Rashid, Ali Hassan, Asim Dawood, Khamis Talib, Khalid Abdulrahman, Badr Hamdan, Salim Hamdan, Mohammed Nasser and Thani Sahim.

source: http://www.main.omanobserver.om / Home> Sports / Friday, January 25th, 2013

Simran Ayanna drums for Humble Harmony


Mysore, Jan.17
Youngsters, especially girls, are evincing keen interest in instrumental music nowadays, and do not hesitate to form bands to showcase their talents.

The 16-year-old Jammada Simran Ayanna, a class XI student (Commerce stream) of St. Hilda’s School, Ooty and an alumnus of St. Joseph’s Central School, Vijayanagar (passed out in 2012), is one such outgoing young lass who is both an avid vocalist and percussionist. She is also a member of the band ‘Humble Harmony.’

Simran, the only girl percussionist in Mysore city, developed interest in music at a very early age and started drumming seriously for the past 5 years ever since she attended a Shivamani concert at the Mysore Dasara festival. She has been groomed in music by John Siri of J.B. Musicals-fame in Gokulam.

Presently, she is under the tutelage of the renowned percussionist of Chennai Muralikrishnan, who runs the famous percussion school Jus Drums at Chennai. Simran also performs with her band ‘Humble Harmony’ where she drums and doubles as a vocalist. The band performed at the Mall of Mysore on Jan.5. Simran is fond of English music and also sings Hindi and Kannada numbers with equal flair. TWhe band Humble Harmony has Suraj as vocalist & lead guitarist, Manoj as vocalist and percussionist and Varun as bass guitarist.

Simran, who was in city on a month-long vacation, also sang Rolling in the Deep, the Grammy Award winning number of 2012 originally sung by Adele, at the MTV Unplugged show of Benny Dayal held on Jan. 11 at Windflower Resorts, Mysore.

Apart from her interest in music, she is also a good table tennis player who has represented her school in the Nationals. Now she plays for Hilda’s School and is District Number 2 in Nilgiris.

Simran is the second daughter of Jammada Ganesh Ayanna and Sandhya Ayanna (Kokkalera), residents of V.V. Mohalla here and grand-daughter of Jammada M. Poonacha & Gangamani Poonacha.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / January 17th, 2013

Mangalore varsity spruces up infra at constituent colleges

Mangalore , JAN. 18:
Mangalore University has taken steps to improve infrastructure at its two constituent colleges in Mangalore and Madikeri.

T.C. Shivashankaramurthy, Vice-Chancellor of the university, said this while inaugurating the BBM block at University College in Mangalore city on Friday. University College in Mangalore city is a constituent college of Mangalore University.

Giving details of the infrastructure development at University College in Mangalore, he said around Rs 1.80 crore has already been spent on the infrastructure development. Added to this, the university has built a BBM block at a cost of Rs 2.3 crore on the college campus.

The university is planning to add more postgraduate courses at its campus in University College. He said that the University College will have a new look by June this year.

Stating that constituent colleges in Mangalore and Madikeri have been accredited with ‘A’ grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council), he said these colleges will now seek ‘centre of excellence’ status.

H.R. Lakshminarayana Bhat, Principal of University College, said the college has a history of more than 125 years. Earlier, this college was called the Government College. It became a constituent college of Mangalore University 20 years ago. Since then it is known as University College, he said.

P.S. Yadapadithaya, Registrar of Mangalore University, and Chinnappa Gowda, former Registrar of the university, spoke on the occasion.

vinayak.aj@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> News> Education / by The Hindu’s Bureau / Mangalore, January 18th, 2013

Kodagu homemade wine a hit among tourists

Shops get wine for Rs. 100 to Rs. 110 a bottle

Kodagu is not only known for its natural beauty and salubrious climate, but also for oranges, coffee, spices and honey. Latest addition to the famed list is homemade wine. It is good tidings as the sale of homemade wine has been increasing in the district, thanks to the increase in the number of visitors, particularly to Madikeri.

Tourists have found homemade wine a good addition to their kitty when they go back from Kodagu. Wine is made from not just grapes or gooseberries. It is also made from betel leaves, ginger, pineapple, passion fruit, rice, and banana.

Sale of homemade wine is good during weekends when there are many visitors to Madikeri. Shops in Madikeri get supply from winemakers for Rs. 100 to Rs. 110 a bottle (750 ml). In turn, they sell it for Rs. 180 a bottle, even exceeding Rs. 200 on occasions and depending on the variety.

Initially, winemaking and consumption was limited to households in Kodagu. Thanks to home-stay visitors, who flock the district these days, wine has gained extremely in popularity, both in terms of consumption and sale, says Anil of Madikeri. There are specialists who make sugar-free wine.

Though, according to a rough estimate, more than 500 bottles of wines are sold in Madikeri during weekends, the quantum of business it churned out is yet to be arrived at.

It is estimated that wine is made in more than 1,000 homes in Kodagu.

There are reports that Stree Shakti groups too make wine. Wine is sold in a good number of shops across the district.

Wine sale will be high during winter. It has become part of the culture of Kodagu, according to K.T. Baby Mathew of Madikeri.

The Karnataka Wine Board, which promoted making of grape wine, can do a lot in this regard, he adds.

However, presence of liquor was found when samples collected from Virajpet were tested in a laboratory in Bangalore last year. Wine makers are expected to obtain licence from the Karnataka Wine Board.

The Excise Department had contended that certain winemakers mixed liquor with wine to boost its efficacy. Mixing brandy or whisky or rum will reduce the fermentation period.

Sunil, a winemaker, denies this and says there is no need for mixing liquor with wine. In some cases, the department had asked winemakers to stop making wine.

However, certain organisations had taken exception to the conditions imposed by the department stating that winemaking was part of local culture and it could not be stopped.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Karnataka / by K.Jeevan Chinnappa / Mysore, January 19th, 2013

Kodagu boy Suhail among 22 chosen for National Bravery Awards

Madikeri, Jan 19:

Suhail K M, a 17-year-old Kodagu boy, who without knowing swimming, had jumped into overflowing Cauvery River to rescue his classmate, who was about to drown, is among 22 children chosen for the National Bravery Awards-2012.
It was raining cats and dogs on November 3, 2011. The Cauvery River at Bhagamandala in Kodagu district had turned into a fast-flowing torrent.

A group of Class 8 students from the Sri Cauvery Junior College at Bhagamandala in Madikeri taluk attempted to cross the river via a bridge.

One of the boys, Faruq, stopped to clean his muddied trousers. Losing a toe-hold on the bank, he slipped into the water and the current carried him downstream. Faruq, who did not know how to swim, cried for help, the water entering his mouth and nostrils with each cry.

Seeing this, Suhail, who also did not know swimming, immediately jumped into the water and made his way towards Faruq. Reaching the ailing boy, he somehow managed to get to the shore and safety.

Suhail’s act of courage has rendered him suitable for an award from the National Awards for Bravery in 2012. Suhail is a resident of Ayangeri village near Bhagamandala. He wants to become a medical doctor.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the awards to children prior to Republic Day and all children will participate in the parade.

Apart from giving each awardee Rs 1 lakh cash prize, the government will also ensure that they pay no education costs till the graduate level. Awardees will also get a scholarship, which will allow them to study professional courses such as engineering and medicine.

source: http://www.CoastalDigest.com / Home> News / CD Network / Saturday, January 19th, 2013