Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy is seen lighting the lamp to inaugurate Kakkada Namme at Kutta Kodava Samaja yesterday, as Kutta Kodava Samaja President Kallichanda Vishnu Cariappa, Dr. Rekha Vasanth, Ralie Ganapathy, Dr. Pemmaiah, ZP President Sharin Subbaiah, Smt. Viju Devaiah and Kodagu District Information Officer Chinnaswamy look on. Pic. right shows Dr. Teethira Rekha Vasanth and Dr. Kottangada Pemmaiah, who were feted on the occasion. Standing: Teethira Vasan, husband of Dr. Rekha; Ralie Ganapathy; K.B. Ganapathy and ZP President Sharin Subbaiah.
Kutta (Kodagu) :
The Kutta Kodava Samaja here celebrated the third ‘Kakkada Nemme,’ the festival of monsoon, at a function organised at the Samaja building yesterday.
Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy inaugurated the festival by lighting the traditional lamp.
Speaking on the occasion, Ganapathy said the festival had special significance because it celebrates the month of agricultural activities in Kodagu and gives an opportunity for the people to prepare a unique kind of medicinal food item known as Maddu Kulu prepared from the juice derived from a particular kind of wild vegetable leaves.
Ganapathy said it was a good decision on the part of the Kodavas of this area to have constructed a Kodava Samaja building here in Kutta town which is located in the border of Karnataka-Kerala. The Samaja building, therefore, is a symbol of Kodava strength and also their unity in an area where migrant labour and traders from the neighbouring Kerala are found in large numbers.
Complimenting the Kodava Samaja for making efforts to further develop the Samaja, he asked the members to support the management in every way possible for their own good.
Kutta Kodava Samaja President Kallichanda Vishnu Cariappa, who presided, explained the significance of Kakkada Nemme.
Earlier, Geetha Appaiah and Rishi Muthanna offered prayers to Goddess Cauvery by way of invocation. Kodava Samaja Joint Secretary Teethira Mandanna welcomed.
Gonikoppa College Teaching faculty Dr. Teethira Rekha Vasanth, who had obtained a Doctorate degree and Dr. Kottangada Pemmaiah, who secured 247th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Exam this year were felicitated.
Kalyatanda Ralie Ganapathy, Kodagu ZP President Sharin Subbaiah, Smt. Viju Devaiah, Kodagu District Information Officer Chinnaswamy, Samaja Vice-President Hottengada Ramesh, Secretary Konganda Suresh, Treasurer Machamada Subramani, Directors Cheppudira Partha, Kechamada Vasu Uthappa, Teethira Kabir Thimmaya, Bachariyanda Prakash, Kolera Neela Appanna, Kodanda Leela Cariappa and others were present.
An attractive expo-cum-sale of household articles, dress materials, ethnic food items and cars of different models was also arranged in the Samaja premises.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – August 03rd, 2015
Kodava Samaja, Mysuru, will be celebrating ‘Kakkada 18’ at Kodava Samaja building premises in Vijayanagar in city at 7 pm today, according to K.M. Belliappa, Hon. Secretary of the Samaja.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief / Monday – August 03rd, 2015
ANUBHUTI KRISHNA grudgingly climbs through slippery rocks and hills, but the heady aroma of coffee keeps her going
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. The closing verse from Robert Frost’s famous poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, reverberates in my mind as I pant my way along the muddy path, evading grasshoppers, beetles, bugs and an occasional salamander. Even though these are no woods, and I have had a good night’s sleep, this is the closest I have been to the woods in years, and I am on the verge of giving up. The lines, therefore, make perfect sense.
Remembering and playing the verse in my head repeatedly could also be my way of shutting out the nasal voice of Arun, my guide for the morning. He is the owner of the coffee plantation I am staying at and a compulsive talker too. He insisted that I come for the early morning trek with him (he also arranged for a pair of gum boots for me and helped me put them on – much to my embarrassment) and has been talking non-stop right from the time we left the cottage.
A visit to Coorg had been on my mind for years. I had been to the Himalayas, I had been to the Nilgiris, I lived not far off from the Aravallis, but I had yet to set foot on the Western Ghats. So when my friend suggested that I come with her to the plantations, I jumped at the opportunity. There was something else that she had told me: the coffee plants bloom in the middle of summer and that was the best time to be in Coorg, among low and dense foliage bursting with delicate white flowers which look and smell just like jasmine. It was only after we had reached our home stay, a neat set of cottages built alongside Arun and his wife Kaveri’s residence, that we realised the coffee flowers had already bloomed in spring. But by then, I was so absorbed in the shades of green that surrounded us that the lack of white hardly mattered.
Located at an hour’s drive from Madikeri, the estate is as green as green can possibly be. We had reached there driving through narrow winding hill roads lined with tall oaks and shrubs and had almost missed the elusive turn to the estate. Far removed from habitation, our place of stay is a true example of the back of beyond. The cottages – there are only two of them, since the owners do not want to overcrowd the place – stand bang in the middle of the plantation. The day was bright and sunny when we had arrived in the afternoon; by early evening, however, the sky had already turned a shade of charcoal, and soon rains were lashing at the tiled roof of the cottages: what else could a parched soul from a concrete jungle ask for?
We spent the evening sitting on the cemented ledge of the long verandah, savouring strong coffee and munching on crunchy onion and potato bhajjis made by Lakshmi, the doe-eyed housekeeper of the home stay. It was here, with the coffee and the bhajjis that I met Arun: he had come to say hello and had hung around through the evening, talking animatedly about coffee, climate and Coorg; he had left only after I had agreed to go out with him around the estate in the morning.
In the middle of a thicket now, drenched in sweat, with a steady stream of water dripping from millions of thick, broad coffee leaves on my arms and legs, struggling to climb the slippery hill, and surrounded by unruly branches and the abundant insect life, I curse myself for having agreed to the trek: how nice it would have been to just sit in the verandah and write!
My chain of thoughts is broken by Arun’s voice. He is as energetic as ever, and busy explaining to me why he has brought me here. “I want you to remember Coorg for a long time,” he says, while offering me his hand. I reluctantly take it and climb another tricky rock. He keeps talking and offering me his hand, even as I gasp for breath and almost slip over a pile of soggy leaves, wondering if the climb will ever end.
I am close to tears of frustration and exasperation when I finally see the rays of the early morning sun streaming in through the canopy of leaves. In another few minutes, the dense shrubs magically disappear and we are standing on a large rocky clearing atop a hill that has no road or walkway.
As I look down at the sea of fluorescent paddy fields sprinkled with tiny ponds formed by last night’s rain, the thick forest along the horizon with trees that touch the clouds, the silver mist rising from the earth and mingling with the golden rays of the sun midway, and the height of the hill I have just climbed, my heart fills with gratitude for Arun. I now know what he meant when he said that he wanted me to remember Coorg for a long time. Thanks to him, I will never forget it.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Anubhuti Krishnan / Chennai – August 07th, 2015
Tata Coffee is looking to transform itself into a premium specialty coffee company from a commodity player with an aim to tap the growing specialty coffee market. The company has been consistently moving up the value chain in both its plantations business as well as its instant coffee business.
The company has 19 coffee estates spread over 18,224 acres situated in the Western Ghat at different altitudes that have highly conducive micro-climates.
Tata Coffee, a subsidiary of Tata Global Beverages, is a fully integrated coffee company with its own coffee plantations, coffee curing factories, roasted and ground (R&G) coffee facility and instant coffee production plants.
source: http://www.money.livemint.com / Live Mint / Home> Company News / E-paper / Mumbai – August 03rd, 2015
Coorg is synonymous with quaint coffee estates, lush falls and serene greenery. But did you know that it also houses a mini-chocolate factory, handled completely by a woman? Ever since the quiet town of Coorg started seeing the abundance of homestays, many women started to see themselves in a new light – as entrepreneurs. One such woman is Ketolira Fancy Ganapathy from the tiny village of Yavakapadi near Kakkabbe in Kodagu district.
What initially started as a hobby has now become a full-fledged business for this confident woman. Right from her childhood, Fancy had the desire to make delicious chocolates. She first learnt the art of making chocolates in high school. When she sent over pickles to her friends in Chennai, she got lessons in chocolate making as a return gift. Soon, she started making them for small-time functions and social gatherings in and around Kodagu. When the coffee market in the district started to fluctuate, she resigned from her lecturer’s post and turned her hobby into a full-time business.
Her chemical-free chocolates are widely loved for their delicious taste and have found many regular takers over the past three years. She has a farm where she grows pineapple, orange and passion fruit which she utilises as ingredients for chocolate. She sources dry fruits and fruits like mulberry from outside. She sells chocolates at Rs 1200 per kg while her input costs are around Rs 800-900 per kg. She is helped by her family and friends in this arduous task.
Most of the times, her produce is exhausted by consumers within her locality. In fact, a nearby resort buys products worth Rs 5,000 from her every week. Based on the orders received, Fancy also ships her chocolates to Bengaluru and Chennai. “Everyday, we prepare eight kg of chocolates. It’s a lengthy and exhaustive process. We have some assistants for paper cutting, labelling and have got an affiliation from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, thanks to our excellent quality standards,”
explains Fancy.
Through Nalaknadu Flowers and Foliages Association, Fancy is encouraging women in rural areas to produce goods right in the comfort of their homes. She aspires to start an organic co-operative society that markets locally produced chocolates, pickles, and wine.
What more, she is also the only chocolate manufacturer in Karnataka who has tied up with the postal department to market her produce. In order to enjoy her goodies, all you have to do is to place a call to the postal department and you will get her home-made goodies delivered to your doorstep. This service is presently active in Mysuru, Bengaluru and Mangaluru postal departments. What more, you can also enjoy fresh coffee powder supplied from the Coffee Planters Club through this service.
“We prepare a large variety of chocolates and they are in good demand locally. Thanks to this arrangement, we are now supplying our produce to select cities, reaching out to thousands,” says Fancy.
“Fancy Ganapathy makes flavoured chocolates which are very tasty. She enriches the glory of coffee, cardamom, pepper and ginger which grows in coorg,” says planter Suresh Chengappa of Honey Valley Estate. Every week, he buys 5-6 kg of her chocolates for the visitors who stay in his resort.
Fancy is also working on a chocolate exhibition in her estate, which is nearing completion. She is also planning to organise a chocolate tour for the tourists and has converted her vintage bungalow into a chocolate showroom, where her visitors can learn how to make chocolate.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by C S Suresh / August 04th, 2015
Joshna Chinappa today upstaged second seed Line Hansen in straight games to win the USD 15,000 Victorian Open squash competition for her 10th WSA title.
Third seed Joshna beat the Dane 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 in the final of the WSA event. It was only last week that Joshanalost to Line in Kooyong.
The Indian’s last triumph had come in the Richmond Open in April last year.
Known for mixing strokes and accuracy in the placements, the Joshna held the upper-hand right through, though she admitted, it was a “hard game” particularly after Line fought and brought the score to nine-all in the third game.
Coming as it did soon after her recent success in the National Championship, she was happy with her current form.
With the Australian Open to start in a few days and the venue being the same, the Joshna is looking forward to more success.
“I am so happy it will be at the same centre,” she said.
The title in the men’s section went to Australian Ryan Cuskelly who beat Greg Lobban of Scotland 12-10, 13-11, 11-9.
Meanwhile, India went down 0-2 to top ranked and title-favourite Egypt in the quarterfinals of the girls’ event of the WSF-world junior squash championship in Eindhoven.
Debutant Nikita Joshi, who played first, tried her best but Salma Hany Ibrahim was far superior. The Egyptian won 11-5 11-6 11-2 to give Egypt the lead.
Adya Advani was pitted against the top player Habiba Mohamed and it proved a tough task for the Indian. Habiba won easily 11-3 11-5 11-3 to give Egypt the win and a place in the semi-final.
India now will play for the 5th to 8th place matches
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport / by PTI / August 02nd, 2015
The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include India’s women’s badminton doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the ambitious Target Olympics Podium (TOP) scheme under the National Sports Development Fund for providing necessary support to the potential medal winners for the Rio Olympics to be held in August 2016 in Brazil.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Siddaramaiah said, “Badminton is one of the disciplines identified under TOP Scheme.
The Indian shuttlers, including the doubles specialists, are among the top–ranked potential medal winners at the 2016 Olympics.
However, it is unfortunate that the top-ranked doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the Canada Open Women’s Doubles title recently, is not part of the TOP Scheme.
“It’s unfortunate that the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the Canada Open title recently, is not part of the TOP Scheme,” the CM wrote.
“On the basis of their recent form and their Badminton World Federation (BWF) Rankings, the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa has the potential to earn medals at the Rio Olympics. Hence, I request you to direct the concerned to include Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa under the TOP scheme”.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao has also written a similar letter to the Prime Minister Modi requesting him to include both Gutta and Ponnappa in TOP scheme.
TRS MP from Nizamabad and KCR’s daughter K Kavitha has initiated the demand for inclusion of the doubles pair. Speaking to media, she said, “Jwala and Ashwini are capable of earning a medal for India at the Rio Olympics and I want the PM to personally intervene in this matter.”
Karnataka chief minister’s staff member KV Prabhakara said that Siddaramaiah is personally following it up with the Prime Minister.
Here’s the letter sent by the Karnataka CM to the Prime Minister’s Office:
source: http://www.ibnlive.com /IBN Live / Home> Sports / by IBN Live Sports / July 17th, 2015
Kind Coffee’s staff includes, from left, Lily Tomasula-Martin, Lea Rodderick, owner Amy Hamerick, Megan Davis and Margery Dunkle. (Debbie Holmes / Estes Park Trail-Gazette)
by Debbie Holmes / Trail-Gazette
One of Estes Park’s best kept secrets is Kind Coffee, which is independently owned by Amy Hamrick. She started her coffee house journey 17 years ago.
“I like to think that many of the worlds problems are being solved right here in Kind Coffee,” said Amy. “It’s so wonderful to see friends, and even high school kids, here supporting my business. I’m proud to have established a place where locals want to come.”
Amy’s journey started in 1998 as the Estes Park Coffee Company, which was located in Ed’s Cantina. Amy was instrumental in starting, running and building the roasting business in that location before Ed’s went through ownership and remodeling changes, which opened up the opportunity for Amy to move into the current location where Kind Coffee has stood since 2004.
Even though Kind Coffee doesn’t roast its own coffee beans anymore, the recipes are the shop’s own, and it continues to use only organic, fair trade coffee beans.
“We continue to live up to our name. It’s important to me that my business is environmentally and socially responsible,” Amy said.
Kind Coffee’s philosophies also have morphed into being community-oriented and supportive. Amy enjoys developing various flavors of coffee for organizations and community needs. Following the 2013 flood, Kind coffee produced “Flood Mud” coffee which continues to raise money for flood recovery.
“Being able to do things for the community is so important to me,” Amy added.
She says that building her business hasn’t been as hard as she had thought, “when it’s from the heart, decisions are easy. It’s been fantastic to have opportunities. All opportunities, good and bad.”
Amy mentioned that she has always had the most amazing staff to help her along this journey.
“I was so thankful for the support of her staff, friends and community members during those tough months after the 2013 flood. There were probably 100 people here helping us during the flood and for months after,” Amy said. “It really touched me when I saw people out in the community and they’d ask me when we were going to open, because they missed us so much.”
Being an independent coffee shop has its draw backs at times.
“It’s important that all independent coffee shops continue to provide and be the best so that our industry stays strong and visitors don’t walk past us to visit one of the big-chain coffee shops,” explained Amy. “It makes us have to step up, work hard and always do the best that we can.”
Amy is proud of what Kind Coffee has become and enjoys going to work every day. Kind Coffee, 470 Elkhorn E. Ave., is open every day at 6:30 a.m. During the summer it closes around 8 p.m. The shop will close at 6 p.m. in the winter and spring.
Along with their delicious coffee and full menu of drinks and food items, Kind also has other fair trade items for sale. Check out the shop’s website at www.kindcoffee.com for more information.
source: http://www.eptrail.com / Estee Park Trail Gazette / Home> Story / by Debbie Homes, Trial-Gazette / July 29th, 2015
Infosys co-founder and former CEO SD Shibulal is joining the board of The Tamara, the hospitality venture set up by his daughter Shruti, as its chairman at a time when the company is planning at least one fresh acquisition in the German speaking region of Western Europe
Since he retired from Infosys last year, Shibulal has been making investments through his family office Innovations Investment Management.
Since he retired from Infosys last year, Shibulal has been making investments through his family office Innovations Investment Management, most notably in real estate and hospitality sectors.
“He (Shibulal) plans to use his years of experience on a professionally run board to bring the foremost standards of corporate governance to The Tamara,” said Senthil Kumar N, director and chief executive of The Tamara.
The Tamara, which operates under the umbrella of Shibulal’s family office, also helps manage properties owned by the Shibulal family across the world.
Real estate makes up over half the portfolio of Shibulal’s family office, which has several resorts and projects in India.
The company’s flagship property and brand is the Tamara Coorg – a pet project of Shruti Shibulal, who is currently spearheading the venture’s Thiruvananthapuram project as well as the acquisition being pursued in Europe.
Shruti, who holds an MBA degree from Columbia Business School and started her career with Merrill Lynch, has also been actively building the family’s real estate portfolio. She also runs several finedining restaurants, including Caperberry and Fava in Bengaluru’s upmarket UB City mall.
“Each one of our platforms (such as The Tamara) has a professional management and governance structure in place from the beginning. They develop their own medium and long-term plans based on various factors. For example, our decision to consider acquiring a hotel property in the German speaking part of Western Europe is part of our long-term strategy,” said Kumar, an IIM-Bangalore and BITS-Pilani graduate who joined the Shibulal family office in 2005.
The company has started construction for its upcoming projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kodai projects. It has also begun operating two new properties – Lilac in Bengaluru and Palma Laguna on the Kerala backwaters, Kumar said.
Shibulal’s family office currently manages the entire wealth of the family including any new funds added through dividends and share sales, and also helps build the philanthropic and business platforms which the family is interested in, Kumar said.
Since his retirement, Shibulal has also become an active investor in the startup ecosystem and even set up a venture capital and accelerator program called Axilor under the purview of his family office, roping in fellow Infosys co-founder S Gopalakrishnan as an investor.
ET had reported last year that Shibulal and his family own several hundreds of apartments and properties across the world. Shibulal and his family currently have about 1.97% of shareholding in Infosys, worth nearly $1 billion (about Rs 6,400 crore).
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> Tech> ITes / by Anirban Sen, ET Bureau / July 29th, 2015
With rains drenching the hilly, wooded landscape of the Kodavas, it is time to visit the Kodagu district in Karnataka, the birthplace of the mighty Cauvery.
Originating at Talacauvery, the Cauvery gently flows from the Western Ghats and in the process, traces a long journey of 800 kilometers in the South-Eastern direction and empties in the Bay of Bengal. With monsoon gaining vigour once again, the coffee land especially during the months of July and August, is at its best. It is a sublime experience to visit Madikeri and surrounding areas that are home to many a waterfall.
As these are located in dense jungles, one has to trek and walk a few kilometers to take a peek at silver cascades in both the Brahmagiri and Pushpagiri hill ranges. Both these hill ranges are home to many waterfalls but the Mallali Falls near Somwarpete and Irupu near Virajpete, attract many tourists before, during and after the monsoons.
A fresh water cascade, the Irupu comes to life during the heavy downpour that is so common in these hilly ranges. This (also called the Lakshman Tirtha Falls) is situated on the highway to Nagarhole and just 20 kilometers away from the National Park. One has to walk at least half a mile to reach this place which is in the midst of a forest and far away from the cacophony of urban life.
Enjoying the sounds of the serene hill ranges and the gushing foamy waters, one can relax and forget all about urban stress. The roaring sound of the falls can be heard from a distance as one walks on the rocky twisting pathway with the chirping birds and the lush forests for company.
The pristine scenery resonates with the chirping of birds one has never heard before. The falls criss-crossing the hills and the forests tumble down from a height of just 150-200 feet while the spray of the gushing waters during monsoons is so intense that one can get easily wet. However, it is not safe to venture into the waters as the currents are strong. If you planned a visit before the monsoons, you can stand literally below the falls and get a soothing shower.
But do not miss visiting during the monsoons as Irupa falls from a cliff in all its mesmerising glory. If you are interested in visiting the nearby temple, you can take a peek as legends associate it with the visit of Ram and Lakshman when they were searching for Sita.
There are good spots to relax and enjoy, clean, wholesome vegetarian food but make it a point to place your orders in advance if you are visiting this place in a group. If you are carrying food and drinks, do not litter the place with plastic debris as it is a fragile ecology and home to many birds and animals.
Just two to three hours drive from Madikeri, one has to take the Virajpete route to reach this breathtaking place where the waterfall plunges from the Brahmagiri peaks in all its beauty and finally joins the Lakshman Teertha River. Since it is a very popular tourist spot, the place is easily accessible via tarred roads, concrete steps, viewing seats and affordable lodging and boarding facilities in and around the densely wooded ranges.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Meera Bharadwaj / July 30th, 2015
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