Saving Kodagu District’s Forests

About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Kodagu district, the micro hotspot of biodiversity along the Western Ghats is considered one of the eight hotspots of biodiversity in the world.
Degradation of natural forests, loss of tree cover and diversity, depletion of ground water resources, economic instability due to continuous and persistent negative impact on the mainstream activity of coffee cultivation in the form of low prices, crop loss, labour problems, increasing human elephant conflicts, land use changes, are some of the pressures calling for attention to save this landscape.

A group of likeminded people and organisations who are stakeholders and are aware and involved in conservation activities came forward to form an organisation which culminated in the Kodagu Model Forest Trust (KMFT).

An eight-pronged strategic plan to address the issues was prepared and programmes designed to rejuvenate the social, cultural, ecological and economic stability of this unique landscape. Accordingly, KMFT has been mobilising support from various organisations, funding agencies, government, research institutions, general public and NGOs who are the stakeholders for maintenance of the health of this landscape.

One such programme through partnership building with NGO-government-community is being implemented in mitigation of Human-Elephant-Conflict (HEC) in the fringe areas of the only National Park of Kodagu, Nagarahole. The project aims to understand the cause for degradation of the natural habitat of elephants, destruction of elephant corridors and work to improve the natural habitat through partnerships. The programme thus conceptualised, initiated and implemented by the KMFT is ‘The Green Village Community Forum’ (GVCF).

The partnership is between the Kodagu Model Forest, Karnataka Forest Department and the Communities living in the problem area consisting of coffee planters, plantation labourers, tribal settlement and the local governing body. The objective is achieved through education and demonstration.

The Department builds the infrastructure, while the community jointly maintains the infrastructure by generating the required funds from within the community and with technical support from the KMFT. Months ago, the GVCF (Thithimathi-Devarapura) was launched, wherein the responsibility of the maintenance of the infrastructure was handed over to the GVCF. An aspect of the programme includes the installation of solar fences and distribution of weather kits to guards.

 

source: http: //www.deccanherald.com / DHNS

 

Halappa Still can’t believe he is Indian Hockey Captain

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, , , , ,
Arjun Halappa still cannot believe that he has been anointed captain of the Indian hockey team but as he prepares himself for the pressure cooker job, the veteran mid-fielder feels that a skipper should always lead by example.
Halappa has been a veteran of Indian hockey, having served the national team for nearly a decade. However, it is the first time he will be leading the national team after he was named captain for next month’s Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. 

“I never thought in my wildest dream that I would become captain of the national team. My father (BK Halappa) used to play hockey but I started playing the game to get a decent job as the financial condition of my family was not good. It was a dream to play for India and today I am the captain. It’s unbelievable,” the mid-fielder from Coorg told PTI Bhasha.

“A captain should lead by example. He should be a good human being and always keep his cool under pressure. A captain should never get carried away by emotions,” Halappa said. Halappa said as he goes about his job in the Azlan Shah Cup, he would draw inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahul Dravid besides former hockey skipper Dhanraj Pillay.

“Rahul and Dhoni, definitely, are huge source of inspiration. Dhoni has done wonders as a captain and Rahul is a proven performer. I also take inspiration from Dhanraj Pillay, who is one of the best captain Indian hockey has ever produced,” said the senior playmaker.

Halappa said that Indian cricket team’s World Cup-winning feat is an inspiration for the all sportsperson of the country, irrespective of their disciplines. “We all followed the World Cup as India was doing exceptionally well. The World Cup win is an inspiration for all Indian athletes,” he said.

Known for keeping his cool on the turf, Halappa said taking unnecessary pressure is not his style of playing. “I don’t take pressure unnecessarily. I always believe in what I do,” said the Olympian, who was a member of India’s silver medal-winning Delhi Commonwealth Games team. Despite going into the Azlan Shah Cup with a relatively young and inexperienced side, Halappa is confident of a good showing in the May 5-15 event, which India won jointly along with South Korea last year after the final was washed out.

“Last year also we had some new faces in the team but we won the title. I am confident of good show this time as well,” he insisted. In Azlan Shan Cup, India will be without the services of some key players, like drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, Sardara Singh former captain Rajpal Singh and Tushar Khandekar.

While Sandeep and Sardara are busy playing in the Belgium League, Rajpal and Khandekar are unfit. Halappa, however, said that the senior players will be back in the team before the Olympic qualifiers next year.

“We have 8 month to get prepared for the qualifiers. If we play to out potential, there is no reason why we can’t qualify for the London Olympic,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / New Delhi / PTI / Apr 21st, 2011

Kodagu Celebrates Arjun’s Selection as Hockey Captain

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, , , , , , , , ,
Arjun Halappa, lad from Kodagu will lead the Indian Hockey team in the Sulthan Ajhlan Shah Cup hockey tourney to be held in Malaysia, next month.
Indian Hockey team captain Arjun HalappaIt is after several years that a Kodava will be leading the Indian Hockey and with this selection, Kodagu district has a reason to celebrate as hockey has been an inseparable part of Kodagu culture. 

Arjun is the son of B K Halappa and Pramila from Somwarpet. Arjun has been playing in the hockey team for the last 11 years.

With Arjun Halappa leading the team, he becomes the 6th Kodava to lead the India Hockey team, after M P Ganesh, B P Govind, M M Somaiah, B P Subramani and A B Subbaiah.

Basking over his son’s achievement, proud father B K Halappa speaking with the reporters said that he was sure that his son would get the opportunity to lead the Indian team one day or the other.

Mother Pramila, recalling Arjun’s childhood days, said that he used to take part in school-level hockey tournaments and had led the team at various levels. “I am sure he will excel as the captain of Indian Hockey team. It is a big responsibility but I have great confidence that he will do his duty with all dedication,” said Pramila.

Arjun’s wife Bhavana expressing her feeling said that Arjun has gained lot of experience after being in the team for 11 years and captaincy for him can be a platform to revive the glory of the national game.

However, the hockey fans who have always felt that Arjun should have been selected as the captain long back, still have a reason to rejoice because it is better late than never.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / DHNS / Somwarpet / Apr 07th, 2011

After Ginger, its Turn of Banana in Kodagu

Agriculture, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Uncategorized, , ,
After tasting success in growing ginger in Kodagu, the farmers have started growing Cavendish variety of banana in Kodagu. There is a demand for Cavandish banana in Kerala.
Cavendish variety of banana grown in Virajpet. DH Photo The farmers were growing Cavendish banana on a pilot basis six years ago. However, now they have made it a permanent affair. The Cavendish banana grown in Kodagu is similar to that of the banana grown in Kerala. It has the same taste and size. In Kerala, Cavendish banana is used in medicine for indigestion among kids. One banana weighs 300 to 400 gm.

Every week, 10 to 15 tonnes of Cavendish banana is supplied to Calicut, Thalassery, Kannur, Kootuparambu from South Kodagu. One kg of Cavandish banana is sold between Rs 14 to 16 in wholesale in Kerala while Cavendish banana from Kerala costs between Rs 20 to 25.

Cavendish banana is grown in Balele, Karmadu, Kanoor, Mayamudi, Maldare, Ghattadalla, Siddapura, Heggala, Kedamullur, Thora, Permumbadi and Makutta. As Cavandish banana is grown in Kodagu, there is less demand for Cavendish banana from Kerala. As wholesale merchants in Kodagu are dependent on inter-state market, there is continuous demand for Cavendish banana growin in Kodagu, said merchants.

For temples

There is a great deamand for ‘Elakki’ banana grown in Kodagu in Hunsoor, Mysore, Bangalore and Kerala. ‘Marabale’ or ‘Kaadubale’ which is grown in South Kodagu has demand in temples of Tamil Nadu for making ‘Rasayana prasadam.’ The Palani temple in Tamil Nadu has been preparing ‘Rasayana prasadam’ using Marabale from Kodagu.

About five to 10 tonne ‘Marabale’ grown in South Kodagu is supplied to Palani temple every week. The cost of Marabale is Rs 7 to 8 in wholesale.

The growers supply it according to the demand from the temple.

 

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / DHNS / Virajpet / May 08th, 2011

 

In Search of Kodagu’s Lost Princess

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, , ,
HISTORY
In search of Kodagu’s lost princess
C P Belliappa locates the tombstone of Victoria Gowramma, the favourite daughter of Chikka Veerarajendra, the last king of erstwhile Coorg, at the Brompton Cemetery in South West London. The story of the princess is a heady cocktail of colonial power, politics, greed, romance and disappointments.
Queen victoria’s godchild: The marble bust of Victoria Gowramma. Photos by the authorBrompton Cemetery, located in South West London, covers an area of about 40 acres. 

This burial ground, established in 1836, is presently used more as a park; and is popular with cyclists and joggers. The cemetery is located not far from Stamford Bridge, home to Chelsea Football Club. I visited the cemetery last year to locate the final resting place of my protagonist – Princess Victoria Gowramma of Kodagu.

The office at the sprawling cemetery has painstakingly recorded the names of the people buried there since its inception, and has a databank being updated. I was shown a map of the area where the grave I was looking for, was situated. It took me more than an hour to locate the tomb stone of Victoria Gowramma.

The cross on the head-stone was broken and it was covered with thick undergrowth. This was the spot where story of Kodagu’s princess ends having started with her birth in 1841 at Benares. The epitaph on the tomb-stone drafted by Queen Victoria is still intact.

I stood there trying to picture that day, April 4, 1864, when the horse-drawn hearse carrying the body of the princess would have arrived followed by her husband Colonel John Campbell and their three-year-old daughter Edith. Also present would have been Lady Lena Login, the long-time guardian of the Coorg princess.

It would have been a particularly painful experience for Colonel Campbell, as the grave where his second wife was to be buried already had the mortal remains of his second son Colin from his first wife. The boy died in a freak accident in 1856. Interestingly, Colin was born in 1842 at Bellary in Karnataka while Col Campbell served in the 38th Madras Native Infantry.

The process of unearthing facts about Princess Gowramma and her father, Chikka Veerarajendra, the last rajah of erstwhile Coorg, and then reconstructing their lives was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle after finding all the pieces.

The princess was the favourite daughter of the rajah, who was exiled to Benares after he was dethroned by the British in 1834. Chikka Veerarajendra and Princess Gowramma were the first Indian royals to sail to England in 1852.

Both spent the rest of their lives in England. When the King of Kodagu and the eleven-year-old princess were presented to Queen Victoria, the Queen was instantly taken up by the young girl. To the astonishment of her court, the queen took the princess under her wings as her goddaughter. Queen Victoria, along with her royal consort Prince Albert, was present at the baptism ceremony of the Indian princess.

The Queen lent her own name to her goddaughter and called her Victoria Gowramma.
Two years later, when the sixteen-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh landed in England, he too became an instant favourite of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Duleep Singh had already embraced Christianity, and this prompted the queen and her royal consort to indulge in match-making between Princess Victoria Gowramma and Maharaja Duleep Singh. The story involves colonial power, politics, religion, proselytization, greed, romance and disappointments.

I made it a point to visit Buckingham Palace and Osborne House (in Isle of Wight), where Princess Gowramma used to be a frequent guest of Queen Victoria. I could visualise a nervous Princess Gowramma in the opulent white drawing room where the queen received her close friends and relatives.

At Osborne House, the young princess from Kodagu would have played with the royal children where they were also taught house-keeping, cooking, and gardening. Princess Gowramma was particularly close to Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria. (Princess Alice’s daughter Alix married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.)
The high point for me was to see the beautiful marble bust of Princess Victoria Gowramma, which was sculpted by the queen’s favourite sculptor: Baron Carlo Marochetti in 1856. The bust is special since it is painted to depict a life-like image of the princess.
Recently I traced the direct descendants of Princess Victoria Gowramma to New South Wales in Australia. I spoke to one of them: Ms Marian Ethel Singleton, a 72 year old great-great grand daughter of the princess. However to my utter dismay, the lady though aware of her bloodline, did not evince any interest in her ancestry!

(Belliappa is the author of the book ‘Victoria Gowramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg’, on the extraordinary life of the Coorg princess.)

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Supplements / Spectrum

 

Hockey Alone Cannot Feed – S. Prema ( Karnataka State Women’s Hockey Captain )

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Sports, , , , , , , , ,

BANGALORE:

National championships and awards count for nothing for the hapless S Prema. The Karnataka women’s hockey captain is another among hundreds in the sporting fraternity which pursue sports in all earnestness without just rewards.

Only that in her case, she has nowhere to turn to: neither does she have a job nor are her parents financially strong enough to take care of her needs.

Daughter of daily wage earners who work in a coffee plantation in Siddapura, Kodagu, Prema, 20, has seen hardship from close quarters. She has seen her parents do the odd jobs for a mere Rs 100 per day. She has seen the income increase marginally over the years but hardly substantially enough to turn their fortunes around.

Two less than square meals a day was the norm ever since she was born but was made possible only when Prema’s parents made a concerted effort throughout the day.

There were periods when her father was indisposed, especially during rainy days, forcing her mother to brave heavy rain and work through the day. But then their dream, as Prema says, was to see her shine as a hockey player.

“Ever since I took up the game when I was in eighth standard and joined the Kudige sports school, I was forced to depend on my parents to buy equipment or for travel and tournaments. They never said no to me. They would borrow money to ensure I got the best. It was heart-rending to see them struggle thereafter to pay back the money,” said Prema, who now trains at the State sports hostel in Mysore.

“In the past couple of years I stopped asking them money. We are being well taken care of by Sports Hostel,” said the full back, a final year BA student at Teresian college.

What has dismayed Prema is that the game hasn’t been as productive as she thought it would be. “I have played in the National championship before. We won the South Zone tournament this year in Tirupati and I am leading the side again in Bangalore. I only hope I get a job so that I can take care of my parents.”

Penpix

  • S Prema
  • Age 20
  • Hails from: Siddapura, Kodagu
  • Trains at: Sports Hostel, Mysore
  • Coaches: Devanand, Vijayakrishna
  • Parents: Daily wage earners

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Apr 06th, 2011

 

Country’s First Woman Diplomat Dies at 85

Amazing Feats, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, , , ,
C B Muthamma

The country’s first woman diplomat (Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer), Chonira Belliappa Muthamma, died at a private hospital in Bangalore on October 14, 2009,  following a brief illness, family sources said.  Muthamma (85) was born in a modest family at Virajpet in the hilly Kodagu district of Karnataka.

She had served as the ambassador to Hungary, the Netherlands and Ghana. She was also part of Indian diplomatic missions in several countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. Muthamma, the first woman to enter Civil Services in 1949 after clearing UPSC examinations, opted for foreign service and was posted as Third Secretary in the Indian Embassy,Paris.

She had also served in Indian Missions in Yangon and London, besides the Pakistan Division and American Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. The late diplomat was member of the special Non-Governmental Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues set up by Olof Palme, better known as the Palme Commission.

 

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Oct 22nd, 2009

 

‘ The Highland, Coorg ‘ – a Poem on Coorg

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, ,

Mallalli Falls, CoorgMallalli Falls, Coorg

The Highland, Coorg

Disheveled meadow swells aloft
And the sailing blue whispers the song
Tickles the niched nature wind soft
Unearthed ecstasy stays strong

Hangs low, coffee seeds so genuine
Cardamom widespread a unique aroma
Urchin chants through the bottled wine
The valour stands an enigma.

A narrow adorable river streams
Along the heaven in a mysterious way
Bliss blooms through the dark dreams
While the dawn watches mists play

Thick downpour roars out the rest
A gloomy mask for half a year
Atop a tree a sparrow’s nest
Within which is a gun and a chandelier.

Slugabed daylight late kisses the ground
Reluctantly peels out the slumbered eye
Perplexed eyeballs scowl blur around
And later discovers the deep blue sky.

By: Taufeeq, Mercara, Coorg

 

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Oct 30th, 2009

 

Coorg Girl plays a Lead Role in ‘Aaranya Kaandam’

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

Yasmin PonnappaYasmin Ponnappa

Yasmin Ponnappa (Coorg Girl), who’s debuting in Aaranya Kaandam, is a Bangalore-based model. Apart from modelling, she has also appeared in many television commercials and has won many beauty paegants.

Ask her about her role in the film and she gets all excited, “I am like a hurt doe in a jungle, which works up courage to fight back. I am really happy to be working on this project, especially with Jackie dada.” Surprisingly, this Bangalore girl can speak Tamil fluently. “I learnt Tamil when I was young. Thanks to that, I can now give hundred percent to the movie. I don’t have any language problems now,” says the sexy Coorg lass.

Directed by Kumarraja, Aaranyakandam is produced by SPB Charan. The film also stars Jackie Shroff for the first time in a tamil film. Ravikrishna and yasmin ponnappa play the lead roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja scores the music.

 

source: http://www.coorgnews.wordpress.com / Nov 01st, 2009

Feathered Jewels of Coorg

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, , , , , ,

Feathered Jewels of Coorg

Feathered Jewels of Coorg

By Dr. S.V. Narasimhan

Coorg Wildlife Society, Rs. 99

**********************************************

This bilingual book beautifully documents the richness of the avifauna of the small Kodagu district. The book contains the descriptions and sketches of 305 species of birds along with synoptic notes of each family.

The initial chapters have a useful, concise and good general description of bird morphology, anatomy, general usefulness of birds, migration and tips for bird watching. These details make the book more useful for a general reader. The main text contains brief description of each species with its common and scientific names in English, Kannada and Kodava languages.

The status, key morphological characters, habitats, habits are clearly explained. Thus the book is not only a good checklist, but also a valuable field guide to the birds of Kodagu. The descriptions of bird species are precise and follow the standard format.

These are excellently supported by the beautiful colour paintings by the author who is professionally a practicing physician. Giving details of specific bird watching areas within the district would have enhanced the usefulness of the book. Zafar Futehally, the famous ornithologist, writes in his foreword: “The book is invaluable in arousing an interest in birds among the population of Coorg, and Narasimhan has done great service to local birders.” He adds: “Dr. Narasimhan is fortunate in his profession.

Apart from the service which doctors render to mankind, they develop the habit of looking at things closely, attempting to connect cause and effect.”

This elegantly printed and neatly got up book goes a long way in fulfilling the need for such practical information about birds as also about the natural wealth of Kodagu. Feathered Jewels of Coorg emphasises the urgent need for protecting all our natural resources so that our lives may be better and more joyful.

For a well-produced book like this, the pricing is surprisingly low.

– By K.B. Sadananda

 

source: http:// www.coorgnews.wordpress.com  / Nov 10th, 2009