Hockey Coorg gets associate member status

Records, All, Sports

The governing body for hockey in the country, Hockey India, announced on Monday that Hockey Coorg will be inducted as an associate member in their set-up.

The move will now see Karnataka represented by two individual bodies; Hockey Karnataka and Hockey Coorg, and both units will be allowed to field teams at the National Championships.

“Hockey Coorg’s priority will remain the same and that is to nurture talent for the Karnataka side,” PE Kalaiah, president of Hockey Coorg, told Deccan Herald. “They (Hockey Karnataka) will have first refusal of right (players) from the talent pool and we will then give the remaining players a platform to improve their skills.

“The concept of this membership is not to attract boys who are playing in Bengaluru but originally are from Coorg, but rather to have a larger talent pool that remains in the State. Plenty of players are either on the fringe or ply their trade in different States. We might as well have them play for our State and remain at home,” he explained, while alleying any fears of change in dynamics of the functioning of HK.

Spotting talent
Hockey Coorg has 24 senior teams from different parts of Coorg that are affiliated to them but talent-spotting at the school level remains on top of their list of priorities. “Hockey Coorg’s first preference will be to conduct school-level tournaments and ensure that the players have the right infrastructure and opportunity to play. Presently, more than half the boys at the SAI camp in Bengaluru are from Coorg and have worked their way up the existing system,” added Kalaiah.

Sandeep Somesh, Joint Secretary of Hockey Karnataka, echoed Kalaiah’s sentiments on the subject.

“This is a move in the right direction for Hockey Karnataka as the players we nurture will have more opportunities to represent the State, since Hockey Coorg is an affiliated body and we will get to choose the best players from a larger group,” he noted.
Sandeep also dismissed any concerns of presence of two teams hampering the functioning of the body.

“Nothing changes,” he stressed. “Though Hockey Coorg will be an independent body, Hockey Karnataka remains the regulating body for hockey in the State.”

While both bodies will look to work in tandem in the near future, plans on infrastructure and other training processess are still in the pipeline.

“Hockey Coorg will work alongside us in the future but the roles for both bodies will be clearly defined and we will look to execute them,” remarked Somesh.

While divulging into the role that Hockey Coorg could carry out, the former India International spoke of Coorg being a perfect breeding ground for budding talent.

“We have seen that over the last several years, Coorg has produced some of the best players that the country has seen. I have no doubt that they will continue to do a fine job. They have been organising inter-school and inter-college tournaments as well as club-level tournaments from where players have been spotted and trained,” he pointed out.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by Arjun Ganesh / DHNS – October 27th, 2015

A Platter Full of Coorg

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Coorg or Kodagu, which is tucked up high in the Western Ghats, has been a tourist attraction for long. Perhaps a lesser-known facet of this land of pungent greenery and winding roads is its exquisite cuisine, which, despite its patronage among the connoisseurs of food, have largely flown under the popular radar.

What stands out when it comes to Coorgi cuisine is their unabashed embrace of non-vegetarian food, which they serve for their weddings and other festivities. The cooking ingredients are all home-grown and limited by provincial availability. Maybe this explains why the cuisine does not enjoy a widespread popularity.

Kochiites can get a taste of the delectable cuisine this coming week at the Coorgi food festival hosted by Casino Hotel’s Tharavadu Restaurant.

The hotel staff say the festival was long overdue as the customers have long been demanding Coorgi varieties on the restaurant’s menu. “All the dishes are made with authentic Coorgi ingredients, which are sourced from Thankamma Monappa of Berries and Leaves in Coorg. They send us the ingredients as dried powder so that it does not get spoiled,” says Dinuj Viswanathan, the restaurant manager. “The Coorgi cuisine shares a lot with the Kerala style, especially in their generous use of coconut in many of their dishes. But they do not use coconut oil to cook, which is a major departure. We have made changes to the way the dishes are prepared to cater to local taste buds,” say executive chef Asif Ali.

ChefAsifAliKF25oct2015

A major highlight is the Pandi Curry (pork curry), which is made by using sliced pork pieces and is cooked in its fat. “The preparation uses kachampuli (a dark vinegar and a mainstay of many Coorgi dishes) and pepper paste,” says assistant chef Mehboob. Another major attraction is Kaime Unde Barthada, which is poached and fried meatballs (mutton).

CoorgiCrabKF25oct2015

The other dishes include the Coorgi Spicy Fried Pork (Pandi Barthad), Puthari Curry (Stewed Kidney Beans with bitter gourd and salted fish), Spicy Coorg Crab Curry, Coorg Chicken Fry, Kaad Mange Curry (made using ‘kartha masala’, the typical dark, dry roasted spice mix of Coorg cuisine) and desserts like Karjikais (puffs with a vanilla flavoured coconut filling). Also featured are some favorites like Kadamputtu (round, steamed rice puttus, faintly glossy on the outside, firm and moist in texture), Paputtu (creamy cardamom-scented rice cakes) and the ever-so-famous Bella Kappi (traditional Coorg coffee sweetened with jaggery).

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Saumesh Thimbath / October 24th, 2015

The Tamara Carnival – music, dance and culture this Christmas

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

The Tamara Hotel in Coorg, has launched a new product for this festive season, The Tamara Carnival, a fusion of food, music, dance and drama events taking place from 21st December 2015 through to 4th January 2016.

This event promises to be a one-of-a-kind global festival to showcase India’s great social and cultural heritage through music and dance. Not only will Indian culture be showcased, Western music and entertainment will also be catered for through a Blues Band and even a stand up comedian.

This is intended to be the first Tamara Carnival and a signature event of The Tamara prior to taking the carnival forward as a brand to be held accross its other properties in the future.

Speaking on The Tamara Carnival, Mr. Senthil Kumar N, Director and CEO of The Tamara said “The Tamara Carnival is a signature offering of The Tamara and is aimed at elevating and enriching guest experience. The festival has a signature activity daily so that not one day during the festival is the same. Whilst staying at The Tamara Coorg, every guest can enjoy live performances from artists across the country in addition to the treks, coffee plantation visits yoga sessions, and spa treatments already avilable at The Tamara Hotel.” Mr.Kumar added, “The idea is to create this festival franchise, grow it organically and collaborate with the best international and domestic partners to create a niche in enriching guest experience.”

www.thetamaracarnival.com

source: http://www.sourcewire.com / SourceWire, News Distritbution / Wednesday – October 21st, 2015

The Timeless Allure of Kodagu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Nature
Dubare Reserve Forest is a great place to ride on elephants | Manjusha Naik
Dubare Reserve Forest is a great place to ride on elephants | Manjusha Naik

Kodagu, also known as Coorg or Kodava Nadu, is undoubtedly one of the best places I’ve visited. It is Karnataka’s well-known tourist attraction and known for it’s coffee plantations, oranges and various spices. Kodavas are the most dominant community at Kodagu.

Kodava cuisine is famous for its bamboo shoot curry, rice rotti and Kadumbuttu-rice dumplings, usually consumed with Pandi (pork) curry. It is also known for its homemade wines made of grapes, sugarcane, beetel nuts, orange, chikoo and gooseberry. These wines are made out of carefully handpicked fruits and are available at the local stores. Homemade chocolates are quite famous too. Honey and Kachampuli (vinegar) are the favourites of the locals.

Buddhist shrine at Bylakuppe
Buddhist shrine at Bylakuppe

I loved visiting the Dubare Reserve Forest and Elephant Camp and running into over 150 elephants. The Buddhist temple and monasteries at Bylakuppe was another delight. I loved photographing the cheerful monks, the multi-coloured Tibetan flags strung across the sky and the detailed murals.

The serenity here evokes within a sense of stirring spirituality and the feeling of being above it all continues when you visit Abbi or Abbey falls, located amid the lush coffee plantations. This place is best visited during monsoon. As I walked across the bridge near the falls for a better view of the scenic beauty, I was mesmerised.

Raja’s seat, located in Madikeri, is known for it’s beautiful view of the valleys that are covered by mists early in the morning. Sunsets here are worth watching too.

I clicked a lot of pictures too at the Nagarhole National Park with the beautiful Kabini lake. There was much to photograph here, including tigers, leopards, wild boar and deer. For a better visual access to the national park, visit it in the summer as during monsoon this place is overgrown by lush forests.

Talacauvery, located in the Brahmagiri hills, is a sacred place where River Kaveri originates. It attracts tourists from all over the world. During the Kaveri Sankramana festival, there are hundreds of people here, trying to collect holy water.

I also visited the Kandi Makki Devastana at the Arji village, Virajpet, in the month of March. A special pooja was held here for about three-and-a-half days for the deities Murthillu, Muthappan, Puakka, Korathi, Potathere and so on. It has been about eight months now since my visit and I am still overwhelmed by the way I felt when I stepped into this sacred place.

Kodagu has a pleasant weather throughout the year. Between June and August, there is heavy rainfall. There are plenty of homestays and resorts. The most recommended ones are The Orange County in Virajpet, Tamara in Yavakapdi village and Amanvana and Honey Pot in Madikeri.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Manjusha Naik / October 22nd, 2015

India’s biggest IPO in 3 years fully subscribed

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All, World Opinion
Girls sit at the window of a Cafe Coffee Day outlet in Mumbai, February 25, 2015. The firm behind Cafe Coffee Day, India's biggest homegrown coffee chain, is set for a market debut that could value it at almost $1 billion, even as the country's burgeoning cafe culture draws global giants Starbucks and McDonald's. Cafe Coffee Day, a cafe pioneer in India, aims to list a 20 percent stake, raising roughly $200 million, within the next quarter, sources with direct knowledge of the plans said. Picture taken February 25, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade / @ Reuters Girls sit at the window of a Cafe Coffee Day outlet in Mumbai, February 25, 2015. The firm behind Cafe Coffee Day, India’s biggest homegrown coffee chain, is set for a market debut that could value it at almost $1 billion, even as the country’s burgeoning cafe culture draws global giants Starbucks and McDonald’s. Cafe Coffee Day, a cafe pioneer in India, aims to list a 20 percent stake, raising roughly $200 million, within the next quarter, sources with direct knowledge of the plans said. Picture taken February 25, 2015. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade / @ Reuters

New Delhi (NewsRise):

The owner of India’s largest coffee chain received bids for 1.2 times the shares it offered in the nation’s biggest initial public offering in three years, indicating that investors remain bullish on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to revive economic growth.

Coffee Day Enterprises, which runs the Cafe Coffee Day outlets, received 31.3 million bids for the 25.8 million shares it offered, according to provisional data on the National Stock Exchange. The company aims to raise as much $176 million via the IPO.

A slew of companies, including India’s largest discount airline, have filed for IPOs this year, betting that Modi’s reforms and easing interest rates will revive growth in Asia’s third-largest economy. As many as 16 companies filed their draft prospectus with markets regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India between July and September, the highest quarterly filing in four years, Business Standard newspaper reported.

“Improvement in the economic situation means that the appetite will pick up,” said Deven Choksey, managing director at K.R. Choksey Shares and Securities. “If quality papers come at a reasonable price, investors will be more than happy to purchase.”

Until Thursday, Coffee Day Enterprises had received bids for 75% of its shares on offer. Demand picked up after a lukewarm response on Wednesday, the opening day for subscription, led by bids from the so-called Qualified Institutional Buyers that included local banks and insurance companies.

Discount carrier IndiGo’s parent InterGlobe Aviation is likely to open the 25 billion rupee ($385 million) initial public offer on Oct. 26, Economic Times reported. Mumbai-based L&T plans to sell 17.5 million shares, or nearly 11% of outstanding stock of unit Larsen & Toubro Infotech. L&T, which currently holds 161.25 million shares in the unit, plans to raise around 15 billion rupees via the share sale.

Coffee Day Enterprises has been expanding outlets in recent years, betting that rising disposable incomes and increasing coffee consumption in the world’s second-most populous nation will boost revenues.

Analysts had largely advised investors to be cautious about the company’s financials and its complex structure, which includes a range of businesses from real estate to software services. Coffee Day’s other businesses have a history of weak returns on capital, they said.

From January to September this year, 15 companies had raised $992 million through IPOs in India, compared with $197 million last year and $235 million in 2013. The market is still a fraction of what it was in 2010, when 64 firms raised $8.34 billion, according to Prime Database.

source: http://www.asia.nikkei.com / Nikkei Asia Review / Home> Markets> Equities / October 16th, 2015

Thousands witness Teertodbhava

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Devotees thronged to collect teertha after the Teertodbhava at Talacauvery in Kodagu on Sunday.
Devotees thronged to collect teertha after the Teertodbhava at Talacauvery in Kodagu on Sunday.

Several devotees reached Talacauvery ahead of the scheduled event

The annual spectacle of ‘Teertodbhava’, symbolising the emerging of holy water from the ‘Brahmakundike’, a tiny niche at the foothills of the Brahmagiri Hills at Talacauvery in Kodagu, occurred at 12.15 a.m. amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns by priests on Sunday. The Cauvery originates from Talacauvery.

Thousands thronged the spot to catch a glimpse of the occurrence. Many devotees had reached Talacauvery much ahead of the scheduled event. “Everything went off well,” Manu Muthappa, president of the Bhagandeshwara-Talacauvery Temple Management Committee, said.

Devotees streamed into Bhagamandala to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangama, offer prayers and proceed towards Talacauvery, located about eight km away. The district police had a tough time controlling devotees. Priests sprinkled ‘teertha’ on the devotees as soon as it emerged from the Brahmakundike.

The water is not allowed to overflow from the niche, since it is considered inauspicious.

Distribution of teertha will take place on Sunday evening and Monday morning. The entire area had a festive appearance with people scrambling to carry ‘teertha’ from the birthplace of the river.

There is also a tradition of the devout performing rites in memory of the deceased and adequate arrangements were in place to cater to the devotees. Public representatives, administration and police officers were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by V. Paneesha And / Madikeri – Mysuru, October 19th, 2015