A.S. Naveen Kushalappa, an IRS (Indian Revenue Services) Grade Officer, who is presently working as the Joint Development Commissioner (JDC) for Cochin Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Bengaluru, under the Department of Commerce, is given an additional charge of the post of Secretary, Coffee Board, Bengaluru.
As per the orders issued by the Government, he will be holding additional charge of Secretary, Coffee Board, for a period of six months with effect from 1.7.2020 to 31.12.2020 or till joining of a regular incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.
Naveen Kushalappa got through IRS in 2007 and joined the Ministry of Commerce & Industries, Government of India. He has been serving as JDC since 2018.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 05th, 2020
The rule means Hockey Karnataka will now be the only team representing the state in the national championships.
Hockey India chief Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad (Photo | Hockey India Twitter)
Bengaluru :
Hockey India’s one-state-one-unit rule, which came into effect from Wednesday, has left the Bengaluru Hockey Association (BHA) and Hockey Coorg worried. The two associations along with Hockey Karnataka used to field a team each in the nationals in the past. The rule means Hockey Karnataka will now be the only team representing the state in the national championships.
The national body in January wrote a letter to ten associate units, including BHA (erstwhile Karnataka Hockey Association) and Hockey Coorg, stating their membership would be withdrawn after July 1. The BHA replied immediately to the national body, asking if the status quo could be maintained and they can feature in the nationals.
They, however, were told that ‘it was the IOA’s decision’. The BHA has not heard anything so far even after writing to the Indian Olympics Association, claimed BHA secretary K Krishnamurthy.
There is a general feeling among both the BHA and Hockey Coorg that the move will make life difficult for players.
“The decision will be detrimental to the players’ interests. When it comes to Hockey Karnataka, most of the players are from DYES (Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports) and Sports Authority of India. BHA gives chances to players at the district level, who could not make it to DYES and SAI. Most of these (district) players come from humble beginnings. If there is only one team, it will be difficult for such players, who might lose interest in hockey,” said Krishnamurthy, who remains hopeful that the IOA will show some empathy and make an exception, whereby they can participate in the nationals.
If the said policy is not overturned, Hockey Coorg will also lose the right to take part in the nationals. Hockey is extremely popular in Coorg and several players including SV Sunil, SK Uthappa, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Nithin Thimmaiah, VR Raghunath among others have represented the country.
The Coorg body is primarily worried about the future of promising kids, who have it in them to make it to the top in the coming years. “When one plays at the national level, they get huge experience. It is an ideal opportunity for players to impress the selectors, which in turn can help them play for the country. With this rule, I fear for kids in the junior and the sub-junior categories. The young kids might not get much chance and they might sink into oblivion,” said B Chengappa, Hockey Coorg’s secretary.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sports> Other / by Ashwin Sunam / Express News Service / July 04th, 2020
Everyone has some or the other ambition or dream to achieve when they are in college but very few of them live their dreams or choose the career they wished. Mysuru-based Coluvanda Punya Nanjappa has achieved her childhood dream or call it passion to be a fighter jet pilot.
She has been selected for the training and once she completes it, she will be a fighter pilot, a rare distinction for a woman who has her roots in Kodagu, a land of defence personnel. Though the district has achieved the fame of producing a Field Marshal, a General and innumerable Lieutenant Generals, Brigadiers and Majors in the Indian Army and their equal ranks in the Navy and the Air Force, it is for the first time a woman fighter pilot is emerging from the tiny district.
In fact, she will be the only second woman from Karnataka to be a fighter jet pilot after Meghana Shanbough from Chikkamagalur and is the lone woman in her ongoing training course where there are 40 future fighter pilots.
Last year, Punya became the only women cadet from Karnataka to be selected for the flying branch training at the Indian Air Force Academy. The training for cadets who are selected for the flying branch is divided into three stages. Punya has already completed the Stage-1 of her training at the Academy in Dundigal in Telangana and has been selected to join the fighter stream where she will undergo Stage-II training at Hakimpet, again in Telangana.
The training stages are vivid and is a combination of adventure, skill and deft manoeuvring. They will be trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialised training in aerial warfare and dogfighting (close range aerial combat).
After Stage-II, Punya will be commissioned as an officer to undergo Stage-III training. She is likely to be commissioned as an officer in the next passing out parade in December. Punya has always wanted to join the fighter pilot stream and her childhood dream has been realised. A resident of Vijayanagar in city, Punya was selected as a Trainee Pilot of IAF Flying Branch last year.
Punya with her batch-mates at the Training Academy in Telangana.
She is the daughter of Anuradha Nanjappa (a teacher at St. Joseph’s Central School) and late Coluvanda P. Bala Nanjappa (he was serving as the Manager of Prabha Theatre), native of Chambebellur in Virajpet taluk of Kodagu district.
Punya completed her schooling at St. Joseph’s Central School in Vijayanagar, pursued her PUC at Vijaya Vittala PU College in Saraswathipuram and Engineering at NIE, Mysuru. Punya then took up Air Force Common Admission Test (AFCAT) — an officer recruitment gateway in three branches of Air Force — Flying Branch (Short Service Commission only), Technical branch (Permanent and Short Service Commission) and Ground Duty Branch (Permanent and Short Service Commission).
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 03rd, 2020
Congress leaders and workers watched the installation ceremony of D K Shivakumar as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, through a live session on zoom application, at Coorg Community Hall in Madikeri and various other places in the district on Thursday.
The programme was aired live at the gram panchayat levels as well.
Congress leaders and workers took oath on the occasion, towards strengthening the party further.
In the leadership of Congress leader Nandakumar, ration kits were distributed to 200 families on the occasion. Senior leader Chandramouli said that everyone should lend a helping hand to the needy.
The programme at the Coorg Community Hall was inaugurated by Kodagu District Congress Committee President K K Manjunath Kumar. MLC Veena Acchaiah, leaders Appu Ravindra, Kolyada Girish and K P Chandrakala were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Top Karnataka Stories / DHNS, July 03rd, 2020
Kshama Mishra, a 2016 batch IPS Officer of Karnataka cadre, who is the new Kodagu SP, hails from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Kshama is among the four children of Anil Mishra, who worked as Manager in a Regional Rural Bank and Krishna Mishra couple.
The family lived in a two-room house at Pratapgarh. Interestingly, all the four children of Anil Mishra have cracked the Civil Services Exam (CSE). The siblings of the family not only cleared the CSE but also went on to become IAS and IPS Officers.
While growing up, the four siblings shared a normal relationship and they were all good in academics too. Later, the decision came together to join the prestigious civil services. Kshama’s elder brother became the first of the four siblings to crack the CSE in 2013 while her sister Madhvi cracked the exam in 2014 and another brother Lokesh cleared the CSE in 2015.
Kshama Mishra herself became an IPS Officer in 2016. Yogesh’s success worked as a catalyst for the other three. He got selected in the CSE 2013 in the reserve list. All inspired by her brother’s success and with his help, Madhvi next cleared the CSE in 2014.
Lokesh found place in reserve list, gave it another shot. He had also found his name in the reserve list in CSE 2014. However, he was confident of himself and decided to give it another shot. Lokesh had earlier completed engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D). He cracked the CSE in 2015.
Success is product of hard work and sacrifice, said Kshama. Her husband, who is in Provincial Civil Service, inspired her to chase her dream and supported her along the way. She’s a post-graduate in Hindi Literature and chose the same as her optional. After the results were out, Kshama had said, “Once my husband came to know that I am interested in civil services he gave me the opportunity to pursue it. Talking about the siblings’ extraordinary success, Kshama had said, “We all care and believe in each other. This success is a product of consistency, hard-work and sacrifice. We have not inherited it.”
After the results were out, Kshama had said, “Once my husband came to know that I am interested in civil services he gave me the opportunity to pursue it. Talking about the siblings’ extraordinary success, Kshama had said, “We all care and believe in each other. This success is a product of consistency, hard-work and sacrifice. We have not inherited it.”
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 27th, 2020
Homestays and resorts in Coorg have started a ‘Work-from-resort’ also called ‘workation’ initiative, where employees can stay at the homestays or resorts and work from there. The resorts have come up with attractive packages that offer rooms at affordable rates.
Few homestays in the hilly district have started to invest in internet connections since most of the places in Coorg have a poor data connection.
Facing a brunt due to Covid-19 lockdown, the tourism industry in Coorg (Kodagu) has come up with an innovative initiative to attract tourists.
Homestays and resorts in Coorg have started a ‘Work-from-resort’ also called ‘workation’ initiative, where employees can stay at the homestays or resorts and work from there. The resorts have come up with attractive packages that offer rooms at affordable rates.
The step has been taken to boost the income and tourism sector in the district, a few homestay owners in the district said, adding that the increase in Covid-19 cases in the area continues to be an obstruction in getting new bookings.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Nikshan Nanaiah from Coorg Evergreen County resorts said, “The work from resort initiative gained good response especially from people in Bengaluru initially after the exit from the lockdown. We had received a good number of booking for the option for at least one week.”
According to Nanaiah, many resorts opted for this service and started to promote the ‘workation’ option. “Under the work from resort option, we are providing good internet connectivity, room, office furniture and food service. All of these are included in the affordable package ranging from two days to one-two weeks.”
The top resorts in Coorg have also started to offer the work from resort options. A manager of a branded resort in South Coorg told that they have started the bookings and many have already come to stay. “We have different packages to offer our customers and also affordable packages to our member customers. People from Bengaluru and Mysuru are coming to the resort to stay at least for one week and they are also working from here only,” he said.
Few homestays in the hilly district have started to invest in internet connections since most of the places in Coorg have a poor data connection.
Internet cable is being set at Coorg Evergreen County resort in Coorg.
“Earlier tourists were not asking for internet connectivity since they come here to relax from their daily work life, but now after COVID-19 everything has changed, they come here to work. We have now taken good internet broadband connection to attract the tourists who want to work from here,” Kumaran, owner of Pavitra homestay in Coorg said.
Apart from the homestays and resorts offering work at their places, the major concern is about the safety of both tourists and the employees. Nanaiah says that they have made a list of precautionary measures to take. “We have thermal screening facilities, with daily temperature checks if they are symptomatic they will be sent back and we are also taking care of the employees and checking their temperature daily to ensure all are safe.”
According to the various resort owners, they are charging approximately Rs 2,000 to 6,000 per day for the workation option.
Coorg which is about 260 km from state capital Bengaluru is a hill station known for its waterfalls, national parks, wildlife, and temples. Earlier in 2018 and also in 2019 the district suffered from the back-to-back floods and landslides which had a major impact on tourist footfall.
Sagar Ganapathy, President, Association for Rural Tourism (ART) Coorg and also the owner of Jungle Mount Adventures said, “Tourism in the district has incurred a huge loss from past three years continuously due to the flood and landslides, now Covid-19 has also impacted the industry.”
“When we opened the homestays and resorts after lockdown the bookings we received were very less and we got bookings from the people who are our regular customers. Hence few resorts tried work from resort options which branded resorts are running this successfully with all the precautionary measures,” he said.
Coorg has nearly 800 registered homestays and more than 2,000 unregistered homestays which are run by families at their residence and 500 hotels and lodges. These homestays and hotels generate employment to around 50,000 people.
“Due to Covid-19 we now have no steady source of income. We opened up the business but after a week there were many cases in Coorg. So many resorts and homestays closed voluntarily. We have paid a 50 per cent salary till last month to the employees. But next month, we don’t know what to do.”
Meanwhile, the state government is planning and bring various initiatives to revive the tourism sector in the state. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Karnataka Tourism Minister C T Ravi said, “ Tourism contributes 14.8% to our gross state domestic product (GSDP), we are planning various ways to revive tourism in the state. New ideas like ‘workation’ are welcome, in the next cabinet meeting we will take up the issues faced by the homestays and resorts.”
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Darshan Devaiah BP / Madikeri / June 30th, 2020
Having overcome suicidal thoughts, Uthappa says it’s important to remove the stigma attached to mental illness and has been using his experiences to spread awareness over the last few years.
Robin Uthappa. (File photo | PTI)
Kochi :
“Before I realised what I was going through, things got really bad and I started considering suicide as an option. For a whole year, the idea of suicide was a very real option for me. I had thoughts of jumping out of the balcony.” Chilling words, of Robin Uthappa.
The 34-year-old batsman is talking about what he went through between 2009-2012 when he experienced severe mental struggle. His disclosure takes added significance in the light of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s alleged suicide which caused nationwide shock.
The T20 World Cup winner cites his own example to explain that mental illness does not distinguish between the rich and poor or other divisions.
“At the point when I was depressed, I was earning the most amount of money in my career. I was the captain of Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy team and playing for RCB. But you can’t notice when this thing secretly climbs up on you,” he adds.
Uthappa chose to confide in a close relative who helped him get the necessary assistance. He also admitted that cricket was a good distraction, but added that there was no support system within the sport when he was grappling these thoughts.
“There wasn’t necessarily a support system within the cricketing set-up. I never spoke about this with my teammates. The sport can make you feel mentally tired because you are travelling and living out of a suitcase for 250-300 days a year. That can get to you mentally, but the trigger could be anything. It is important to recognise it and seek help,” he says.
Pacer Mohammed Shami had also recently opened up on having suicidal thoughts, while Australian cricketer Glen Maxwell took a break from cricket to address mental health issues.
Uthappa believes teams having sports psychologists and mental conditioning coaches will go a long way in helping avoid such dangerous thoughts.
“Having a mental health expert on board will be great for sportspersons because they will know there is somebody to talk to. If they can smoothly integrate that into the team chemistry, it would be wonderful,” he adds.
Sushant’s death has sparked a dialogue on mental health and Uthappa hopes his experience makes people wait before taking their lives.
“I decided to reveal my struggles to raise awareness. When I was considering jumping off the balcony or ending my life, something within me kept telling me to wait. The voice didn’t tell me to stop. The voice just said ‘wait’ and I listened.
“I want people to know that you can actually come back from such a state and live a happy life. That’s why I talk about it because everybody deserves a good and happy life. It is important to break the stigma attached to mental health and depression or going to a psychiatrist. There is no shame in seeking help,” says Uthappa.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Cricket / by Martin Joseph / Express News Service / June 21st, 2020
Actor Gulshan Devaiah says the untimely demise of Sushant Singh Rajput has served as a wake-up call for the Hindi film industry, which otherwise functions on the basis of popular opinion.
The 42-year-old actor, who moved to Mumbai from Bengaluru almost a decade ago to pursue a career in cinema, believes Rajput’s death has pushed many people in the showbiz to assess their ambition and reason for joining the profession.
“There are certain approaches that I need to reassess after this terrible tragedy. I am in the process of figuring it out, I am introspecting, self-reflecting, understanding the work we do, why we do and whether it is okay to fail,” Devaiah told PTI in an interview.
Best known for his performance in films “Shaitan”, “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela”, “A Death in the Gunj” and “Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota”, the actor said now when he looks back at his journey in movies, there is both a “sense of pride and disappointment”.
Devaiah said in this business-driven industry, merit doesn’t count and success is measured on the basis of box office or popularity.
“It is a tough business and everyone comes here with a lot of ambition and aspirations. Some people achieve it, some don’t… All we want is more and more people to like us and want to work with us.
“But the way success is perceived popularly is by films making money (at box office) and having ‘x’ number of followers or likes on social media. It is not based on merit. The entire entertainment business is a game of perception.”
Rajput, 34, was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. His death has reignited discussions around the struggle of survival for outsiders.
Devaiah said while there is a lot of “toxicity” in the showbiz because of the power structure, actors need to safeguard themselves from getting into a position where they can “lose control”.
“People try to wield a certain power from casting companies to producers. There is abuse of power. If we can rein it a little bit and be less judgmental and be more responsible, we all can be nice.
“For actors like me, who have ambition and expectations, it is ok to have it but you have to prepare yourself to fail. If it doesn’t matter to you then no matter what people say and look and snigger at, it won’t affect you.”
He believes Rajput was in a pretty sound position professionally, and rather than putting out theories on the reasons for his decision, the need of the hour is to do some self-analysis.
“Sushant was doing incredibly well for himself, his death is unfathomable. He worked in TV for 10 years, he came into films that made money. In reality, only he knows why he did it or maybe he didn’t…
“I don’t have a popular opinion. I take this tragedy to self-reflect and assess and understand the world we live in,” he said.
Devaiah said going forward he plans to be more accepting of the nature of the film business and manage his expectations.
“A lot of people come here with dreams and aspirations and dreams are shattered everyday one can see that. A lot of this pain can be avoided if we look inwards and set our perceptions.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment / by PTI, Mumbai / June 21st, 2020
Delegation meets Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das One-man Commission
Madikeri:
Members of Codava National Council (CNC) led by its President Nandineravanda U. Nachappa recently met Scheduled Caste Welfare Department and Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das Commission in Bengaluru urging him to include Kodava tribe in the ST list of the Constitution.
The meeting took place at Yavanika, the One-man Commission’s office on Nrupathunga Road in Bengaluru. Nachappa presented a memorandum explaining the need for the inclusion of Kodavas in the ST list of the Constitution and apprised him about the tribal ancestry and indigenous tribal traits.
Justice Nagamohan Das was told about the need and necessity of statutory protection to preserve the Kodava culture, language, folkloric identity, their age-old hereditary piece of untitled lands, besides their historical continuity.
Also the Commission’s attention was drawn regarding ‘sabotaging’ the genealogical studies being carried out to include Kodavas in the list of ST communities. The studies are being carried out by KSTRI (Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute), Mysuru.
“The ongoing ethnography study of Kodava tribalism is in a diabolic ‘Etic’ approach. We have requested the Commission to direct the KSTRI Mysuru to apply ‘Emic’ approach. We further urged that on the basis of the parameters laid down by Justice Lokur Committee Report, the ethnographic study should be carried out. In this regard the title of the schedule should be “Kulashashtra Adhyayana” or “Ethnographic” study but KSTRI has titled it ‘Kodagu Jilleyallina Kodava Samudayada Arthika-Saamaajika Adhyayana’ (a socio-economic study of Kodavas),” Nachappa said.
There is a clear cut order issued by the Government to conduct an exclusive Ethnographic study. KSTRI has carried out a major portion of socio-economic study and created fake economic status. “The KSTRI neither collected authentic documents nor produced proper income and expenditure sources but collected only verbal statements, marginalising the real ethnographic issue,” Nachappa claimed.
“The KSTRI created a fake exaggerated version with prejudiced mindset which is not acceptable to us. We want the real ethnographic study to explore and establish true tribal ethnicity,” Nachappa told Justice Nagamohan Das.
Almanda Jai, Pattamada Kusha, Pattamada Ashok and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 26th, 2020
WELCOME. If you like what you see "SUBSCRIBE via EMAIL" to receive FREE regular UPDATES.
Read More »
