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
Kodagu-based international rugby player Madanda Thimmaiah, who is the Director for Indian branch of UAB, an American Sports Institute, has been selected for the sports management training to be held Los Angeles and Arizona from Dec. 9-22.
The special training programme will be held on precautions and arrangements to be done at the sporting venues. Thimmaiah has already left for the USA with 16 selected basketball players from our country.
Thimmaiah, who has represented the country’s rugby team in Asian and Common Wealth Games, has been working as coach cum player of American Football. He is also the director of UAB Institute for professional basketball.
He is the son of Advocate Madanda Poovaiah and Tunga Poovaiah, residents of Virajpet.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / December 12th, 2016
Ricky Monappa from Bengaluru plans on hosting forest marathons in namma city in the first week of December.
When Bengaluru-based Ricky Monappa decided to tread the entrepreneurial path, he was rather clear about his intent – to offer eco-friendly travel experiences and tours and promote his love for his hometown Coorg.
But that’s certainly not where it ends – the 32-year-old intrepid traveler is now persistent that his recent initiative, Tropical Rush – a forest marathon, an annual affair finds ground in namma ooru.
“During my engineering days, tourism in Coorg was taking its baby steps. There was no proper information for travelers. As a passionate traveler, I felt the urge to do my bit in spreading knowledge and the value of the place. Hence, Coorg Express started. And, what better place that Bengaluru which boasts of receptive and travel-frenzy town?”, shares the alumnus of BMS College of Engineering.
Despite hailing from a family that gave conventional wisdom more weight-age; Ricky had his sights set on starting up since the start. “My parents wanted me to be an engineer, which I did, But even while I initially took up a desk job, starting with my own venture was always on my mind and the cards. My earliest memories of travelling were only with parents. Later on, I began exploring a couple of places with my friends for fun. However, all through, I realised not every travel agency could do a neat job of planning and executing insightful tours. So, I thought of taking up the challenge of bringing about a difference to the travel scene in this city and state, which I wanted to see.”
On days when he just needs his downtime, its playing a game of hockey and socialising for this enterprising individual. “I love meeting new people and getting different perspectives. It is something which I love doing whenever I can.”
Two years since he conjured up the venture, and Ricky believes he’s still learning the tricks of the trade. “I wish to make the concept of camping, and sustainable tourism actually a reality. While I will always stick to offering wholesome travel experiences through this venture; the underlying idea is to also encourage environment-based programmes. Tropical rush forest marathon is one such initiative where I wish to have as many trees planted and pledge for more in future. I’m hoping this an annual affair gets the nod from Bengalureans.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lofestyle, Pets and Environment / by Pooja Prabhan, Deccan Chronicle / November 29th, 2016
Teresian Girls’ College won the inter-collegiate Coorg Cup Hockey tournament for girls, organised recently.
Mahadev Anjali, Manager, Teresian Institutions, Prof Jose V K, Principal, Teresian College, Shruthi D, HoD, Department of MCom, Teresian Post Graduation Centre, Anthony Moses, Physical Education department and others are seen in the picture.
Coffee – the fuel that powers legions of tired-eyed Orange County workers every morning – doesn’t truly come from a cafe, a bag or even a bean.
Bodhi Leaf founder Steve Sims sits among coffee beans he has imported from around the world at his facility in Orange on Thursday, December 1, 2016. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Standing in an Orange warehouse, surrounded by more than 300 tons of imported coffee beans, Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders founder Steve Sims’ eyes gleam as he points from bag to bag, explaining the rich history behind each, going all the way back to “coffee cherries” gathered by the hundreds of international farmers he networks with. The precious pits of these cherries, known as coffee beans, can yield all kinds of flavors and sensations depending on how they are harvested and roasted.
With its Orange headquarters, an Anaheim Hills cafe and two new locations coming soon to Santa Clarita and Placentia, Bodhi Leaf works to bring the cream of the world’s caffeinated crop to hundreds of roasters, stores and individuals.
Sims, 47 of Yorba Linda, wasn’t always a coffee man. Once in real estate, he had to scramble to find a way to make a living when the Great Recession hit. After chancing upon a container of top grade Sumatran coffee in his travels, Sims made connections that – like a coffee plant – would bear bountiful fruit.
Bodhi Leaf sources its beans with the intention of going well beyond what people have come to expect from their morning cup of joe. Once they’ve had the good stuff, there’s no turning back, Sims said.
“It kind of draws you in,” he said. “Once they cross that line, they’re not going back to gas station or commodity coffee. There’s an element to coffee and people in the coffee industry – people have a passion for it, want to learn more about it and talk about it.”
Sims doesn’t just know where each bag of beans in his warehouse comes from – he personally knows the farmers who’ve cultivated them. The Bodhi Leaf team networks with farmers around the world, including in coffee hotspots in Columbia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatemala and Africa.
Sims said he and his team won’t sell beans before they’ve met the farmers in person, sometimes flying up to 36 hours to see what they’ll be getting in person. When they find something they like, they buy it at a premium to help ensure the farmers can make a living off their craft.
After a long journey, this worldwide parade of beans converges at the Orange warehouse. Customers in the front cafe can watch through a wall-sized window as staff stack mountains of bags in the warehouse or sit at the bar as beans whirl in a roaster behind the counter.
People, Sims said, like to know what goes into their – the more they know of the history and the process, the better that cup will taste. To this end, the shop has started holding classes once a month, offering insight into the history of coffee and techniques to get the most out of their beans.
Sims likens the growing trend of specialty coffee to craft beers – there’s an art to it that can get people hooked. His personal favorite, African coffee, can be an acquired taste for some, but once you’re a fan you won’t settle for less, he said.
“We’ve had people that drink gas station coffee their whole life come in to drink African coffee and ask ‘what is wrong with this!?’ But if they come in and try a few different coffees, they learn to appreciate it,” Sims said. “If you know what goes into it, it really makes you appreciate that cup more.”
source: http://www.ocregister.com / The Orange County Register / Home> Top News> News / by Jonathan Winslow, Staff Writer – jwinslow@scng.com / December 05th, 2016
Codava National Council (CNC), led by its president N U Nachappa, celebrated Puttari (Huttari), the harvest festival of Kodagu at a paddy field of Uthappa at Chikkabettageri near Kushalnagar on Tuesday.
The festival symbolises the homecoming of ‘Dhanya Lakshmi’. The Codava National Council members, wearing traditional attire, participated in the celebration.
Before cutting the paddy sheaves, the members offered prayers and offered by tying the leaves of ‘Arali,’ mango, jack, ‘Kumbali’ and cashew- nut.
After the ‘Nere Kattuvo’ ritual, the participants walked in a procession to the paddy fields accompanied by the ‘Dudikottpat’ (dudi is a small drum of Kodavas). Nachappa cut the paddy sheaves and initiated the celebrations. Before harvesting, they shouted slogans ‘Poli Polio Deva’ and fired three times in the air.
The Codava National Council members presented traditional Kolata, ‘Pareya Kali,’ ‘Chowkata’ and other cultural programmes, adding colour to the festivity. ‘Payasam’ (sweet) was prepared from the new rice and was offered to the God.
Mouth-watering dishes like ‘Thambut,’ ‘Adikehittu,’ ‘Kadubu,’ ‘Payasam’ and others were savoured on the occasion.
Later speaking to reporters, N U Nachappa said the Kodavas should be entrusted with the constitutional security. The government should announce autonomous status to Kodava land.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS – Kushalnagar, December 14th, 2016
Manyepanda Madaiah Chengappa recently took over as the Chairman of Karnataka Planters Association (KPA). Karnataka accounts for more than 70% of the coffee production in India.
According to United Planters Association of Southern India (Upasi), Karnataka’s post-monsoon estimated coffee production for 2015-16 was 253,340 tonnes, with the all-India number standing at 350,000 tonnes. KPA has about 700 members as of date.
In an interview with Furquan Moharkan of DH, Chengappa says that his aim as the chairman is to make domestic demand for the cup of coffee transform from an elitist drink to a common man’s drink.
What are the challenges that coffee plantation sector faces today?
Climate change has increased, apart from pests and diseases impacting the coffee crop productivity. The Arabica coffee crop yield has reduced from 1,200 kgs, to 600 kgs per hectare, while Robusta coffee has decreased from 2,000 kgs, to 1,400 kgs per hectare, over the last decade. For instance, this year, Kodagu has 300 mm less rainfall over the previous year, and Chikkamagaluru has also suffered a similar fate, which affects the standing coffee crop and development of new shoots in coffee plants for the coming season.
Labour wage constitutes over 60% of the total cost of coffee cultivation. The annual wage increase was below 6% till 2007-08. From 2008-09, the increase was very steep. Against 2007-08’s wage of Rs 79 per day, the current wage is at Rs 263 — an increase of 232% or an annual average increase of 15%. This could be the highest percentage increase for any industry in Karnataka. Also the statutory and welfare costs for the labour, which are over and above the wages and benefits, works out to an additional 50% of the wages. This is an additional financial burden for both corporate and proprietary planters.
However, the sale price for coffee at the farm gate hovers around Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,500 for a 50-kg bag, while the labour and fertiliser costs have spiralled disproportionately. The need to invest more funds for R&D to develop better quality coffee plants that are high-yielding and pest-resistant is another challenge.
What are your priorities after taking over as Chairman of the KPA?
Primarily, my major objective is to make domestic demand for the cup of coffee transform from an elitist drink to a common man’s drink. I would seek the Coffee Board’s assistance to establish coffee kiosks at public places like government offices, bus and railway stations, airports, shopping malls and educational institutions. This would make the demand for coffee explode in the country. Towards this objective, it would be necessary to jointly pursue vegetative clonal and tissue culture propagation of coffee, with United Planters Association of South India (Upasi) and Central Coffee Research Institute, Balehonnur, Karnataka. Also, to push for the import of pest and disease-resistant high-yielding coffee plant material. Identify biological viable and effective methods to treat effluents.
Also, request the state government and its Department of Agriculture to allocate Rs 1.9 crore in the state budget to fund the Upasi-KPA coffee research project. To establish soil and leaf analysis laboratories at Chettalli, Kodagu district and Chikkamagaluru district for the convenience of small and large growers.
A lady planters sub-committee has been constituted to promote community outreach programmes and showcase their achievements in cultivation of coffee, plantation nurseries, local marketing initiatives at national and international levels, home stays and plantation cafes for income augmentation.
What is the impact of the GST regime on the coffee plantation sector?
GST does not affect the coffee grower directly, as being agriculturists, they come under zero tax brackets. GST is applicable only after curing at the roasting and powdering stage, when the value-addition takes place, and the coffee can be consumed as a cup of coffee. According to Rule 7B (1) of Income Tax Act — “Income derived from the sale of coffee grown and cured by the seller in India shall be computed as if it were income derived from business, and 25% of such income shall be deemed to be income liable for tax.” This I-T Rule needs to be amended to tax coffee only at the stage of roasting and powdering that would enable the grower to sell coffee, which is plantation-specific, directly to the local and global markets.
Do you think that the import of pepper from Sri Lanka could affect domestic trade?
Import of poor quality pepper is killing the Indian pepper market. A regulatory price mechanism is necessary, whereby the price of pepper imported should be about 5% lower than the Cochin pepper auction price of equal quality of the day. Also, quality parameters of the imported pepper should be strictly monitored by a suitable government agency.
Your comments on the degradation of forests and environment pollution that have a bearing on the plantations in Karnataka.
The National Forest Policy is under amendment and a high-powered committee has been instituted for the purpose. The KPA and Upasi have jointly made a representation to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Also the elephant menace in Kodagu district has assumed dangerous proportions due lack of proper fodder and vegetation in the game sanctuaries. Plantation crops, fruit trees and human beings are being trampled upon and destroyed. Therefore, the translocation of elephants appears to be the only solution, as all other forms of deterrents and barriers have proved ineffective.
While tourism has phenomenally raised the socio-economic level of people in the plantation districts, it should not lead to environmental pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to promote eco-tourism in the plantation districts of the state. Also, aggressively ban all types of pollutants, plastics, discharge of sewage and chemical effluents into the rivers. People need to be aware of waste segregation, its recycling and proper disposal through the media platforms to promote eco-tourism.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Economy & Business / by Furquan Moharkan / DHNS – December 12th, 2016
As the martial Kodava race gets together to celebrate the annual harvest festival, Puthari, on Tuesday in their homeland Kodagu, they have reason to feel optimistic about their future.
The Karnataka government has initiated an ethnographic and socio-economic survey to see whether the community qualifies for the tribal status. It’s the second time the survey has been taken up, a response to the alarming decline in population.
“Our department has been doing the survey for the past two weeks. Apparently, the culture and traditions of the Kodavas are akin to tribals but the government cannot grant them the status unless the survey establishes it,” said P Manivannan, secretary, social welfare department.
The Centre has also considered a long-pending demand to include Kodava thakk, the Kodava language without a script, in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and a notification has been issued to initiate the process.
In 2011, the UPA government directed the then BJP government to take up the survey following petitions by the Codava National Council (CNC), which has been spearheading the community’s cause. It was put on the backburner for political reasons.
AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, along with Brijesh Kalappa, legal adviser to the Karnataka state government, recently impressed upon chief minister Siddaramaiah to order the survey to protect the race.
“Our community is dwindling in numbers very fast for many economic and sociological reasons. The population of Kodagu district is around 5 lakhs, of which Kodavas are not more than 65,000. There is an urgent need to sustain the Kodava genus constitutionally under Articles 340 and 342 of the Constitution that provide for recognizing ethno-linguistic tribal minority nationality,” CNC president N U Nachappa said.
Kalappa said: “When the last survey was taken up around two decades ago, many Kodava leaders, including prominent political leaders, had opposed it because they felt it was demeaning for the race, renowned for gallantry and sportsmanship. But now there is a sense of awareness among the community because they’ve realized it’s inevitable.”
The survey report will be given to the government by early next year and the Centre will take a final call based on the recommendations.
Earlier Kodavas were seen in large numbers in civil services, police and other government jobs but their numbers have dwindled owing to lack of reservation. Though they have been granted Other Backward Classes (OBC) status in the reservation schedule of the state government for jobs and higher education, Kalappa said his community has not gained much since they have to compete with the politically powerful Vokkaliga community that they share under 3A category.
Will Kodavas qualify?
Some anthropologists said Kodavas, as a race, are progressive and different from other tribes. “They cannot be compared to tribes like Bedar, Hakki-Pikki and Kadu Kuruba, among others,” said A K Ravesh, a researcher studying socio-cultural anthropology in Kodagu. The Kodava marriage and funeral rituals, among other things, portray a distinctive culture. A former minister also felt that Kodavas will not gain much if they are granted tribal status since the combined reservation for all STs is just 3% compared to 4% under OBC offered by the state government.
Scheduled Tribe tag
The Constitution does not provide a definition of a Scheduled Tribe. Artice 366 (25) mentions “such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes…” According to the website of the Union ministry of tribal affairs: “The criterion followed for specification of a community as Scheduled Tribes are indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness”.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / December 13th, 2016
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