Dr. Kannanda P. Aiyappa, Assistant Director, Animal Husbandry and Vet. Service, Veterinary Hospital, Virajpet, Kodagu, was recently promoted as Dy. Director of the Polyclinic in Madikeri.
Dr. Aiyappa, who passed out in 1976 from Veterinary College, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bangalore, joined government service on 8.4.1976.
He had been serving as Asst. Director since 1.6.1998.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief / October 21st, 2013
The Madikeri- Bhaghamandla- Talacauvery Road was jampacked from early Thursday as lakhs of devotees arrived for the ‘theerthodbhava’ near Brahmakundike.
It is believed that every year on this day at a specified time water from the Cauvery springs up in the form of a small fountain from ‘Brahmakundike’ at Talacauvery. And this water from this temporary fountain is considered to be holy.
A team of archakas, led by Ananthesh Kedilaya, announced the arrival of theerthodbhava at 12.01 pm, following which they sprinkled the holy water on the devotees near the Bramhakundike.
Kodagu police had enforced strict monitoring around the region to ensure that people do not enter Bramhakundike until after the theerthodbhava to prevent any untoward incidents such as a stampede.
SP M N Anucheth was seen standing near the pond and personally supervising arrangements with his subordinates.
Cultural programmes were performed by various artistes throughout the day. Ninada from Ponampet sang Kodava devotional songs while B A Ganesh from Shanthalli rendered Kannada devotional songs. Padmanabha and team from Melkote played the Nagaswara and Ramanajneya Bhajana team from Madikeri sung bhajans.
For the second consecutive year, the temple committee provided lunch for the devotees. MLA K G Bopaiah and Kodagu ZP vice-president B Usha Devamma supervised the catering arrangements.
The theerthodbhava was witnessed by the temple Thakka’s Kodi Madappa, Kodi Motaaiah, Balladka Appaji, MP A H Vishwanath, Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tiwari and others.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Madikeri / October 18th, 2013
Kodagu :
Former MLC C.S. Arun Machaiah has been unanimously re-elected as the President of Kodagu Orange Growers’ Co-operative Society for the term 2014-2018.
Kodagu Cooperative Association’s Deputy Registrar R. Sridhar was the election officer.
Rest of the office-bearers too were re-elected unanimously and they vowed to revive orange cultivation in Kodagu, which has seen improvement in the past few years.
K.G. Appaiah of Mekoor village is the Society’s Vice-President. The Directors are: Sunil Madappa of Gonikoppa town, K.U. Arun Poonacha of Devarapura, Arvind Kuttappa of Gonikoppa, S. Vishwanath of Mayamudi, C. Somanna of Balele, A.R. Krishnakumar of Devarapura, Sumi Subbaiah of Aruvathoklu, Shobha Kuttappa of Mekoor, K.K. Dinesh of Hathur and S.S. Suresh of Mayamudi.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 21st, 2013
Karnataka’s athletes and sports writers came together at the Sports Writers Association of Bangalore Awards ceremony here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday to celebrate their long-standing relationship.
The achievers of 2012-13 were felicitated by former world professional and amateur billiards champion Geet Sethi, who was also the chief guest.
HN Girisha, who won a high jump silver medal at last year’s London Paralympics, was awarded the Best Male Sportsperson while athlete MR Poovamma received the female Best Sportsperson award for her exploits in the 400M.
“To come from a small village in Hassan and go on to be a legend is not something I had ever expected,” said Girisha.
Arvind Savur, the flag-bearer of cue sports in Karnataka for close to four decades, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award.
List of awardees: Best sportsperson (male): H N Girisha (paralympian); Best sportsperson (female): MR Poovamma (athletics); Best junior sporstperson (male): Girish A Koushik (chess); Best junior sportsperson: Prema Huchannavar (wrestling); Coach of the year: Raman Vijayan (football); Team of the year: Karnataka State Senior Tenpin bowling team (both men and women); Behind the scenes: KS Rajshekar (volleyball) and Mohan Kumar (basketball); Lifetime achievement: Arvind Savur (cue sports).
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / DHNS / Bangalore – October 06th, 2013
Madikeri :
17- The Inter-Kodava Samaja Hockey tournament organised by the Kodava Samaja Federation will be held from Oct. 22 at the Balugodu Hockey Grounds here.
Disclosing this at a press meet here yesterday, the Sports Committee Chairman Kambiranda Kittu Kalappa said that 16 teams will be participating in the tourney.
He further said that the final would be played on Oct. 26 which also features tug-of-war competitions for men and women.
He added that a few important rules have been incorporated in the tourney.
Kalappa further said that only students of Sports Authority of India Hostel would be allowed to play for Bangalore Kodava Samaja. He added that the winner of the tourney would get a cash prize of Rs. 30,000 and the runner-up Rs. 20,000; the semi-finalists would get Rs.10,000 each and winner of tug-of-war would get Rs.10,000 and the runner-up Rs. 7,500.
Tourney Secretary Kotera Raghu Karyappa, members Neravanda Bharath, Iynanda Jappu Achappa, Tambu Kuttera Madhu Mandanna and Bolliyangada Dadu Poovaiah were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / October 17th, 2013
Shanghai :
Leander Paes, playing with Canada’s Daniel Nestor, and Rohan Bopanna, combining with Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin, are in the 32-team draw of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
While Paes has already made the season-ending event the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month with Czech Radek Stepanek, Bopanna, who won the Japan Open last week, has his work cut out, placed as they are in the 13th position of the team rankings. Bopanna and Vasselin, seeded sixth here, are in the same quarter of the draw as the top-seeded American twins Bob and Mike Bryan.
India no.1 Somdev Devvarman, ranked 95 in the word, fell in the final round of the men’s singles qualifying competition of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, falling in straight sets to Japan’s Tatsuma Ito 6-7 (6-8), 0-6.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Tennis> Rohan Bopanna / TNN / October 07th, 2013
Concerted efforts are needed for coffee consumption to increase in northern India, said Hameed Haq, Managing Director, Tata Coffee, principal sponsor of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF).
“Thrust should be there to take coffee consumption from the South to North of India,” he said.
“We have taken new direction under India Coffee Trust to bring focus to the domestic consumption in India, which is low by any standards and, therefore, are trying to focus on North India which is a huge market to explore,” he said.
The fifth edition of the India International Coffee Festival (IICF) will be held in Bangalore at Lalit Ashok during January 21-25.
The Coffee Board and India Coffee Trust held its fourth edition of the IICF at New Delhi in 2012.
It was the first event outside Bangalore to give a wider exposure among the coffee drinkers in non-traditional areas such as Delhi to boost coffee consumption. “The event was taken to Delhi at the risk of adventuring in unknown waters but the resultsurprised us as we were greatly satisfied with the event.
It was a grand success by any standards,” said Jawaid Akthar, Coffee Board Chairman.
Now the steering committee of the IICF has decided that ideally the event should be alternated between Bangalore, the headquarters of coffee, and another destination preferably a consuming destination in the south.
FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENT
In addition to domestic consumption, the IICF is also to focus on environment.
“We as coffee growers have to keep in mind the changing demand on the environment. Globally, there is a lot more consciousness on coffee and the environment and during this festival, we will try and cover it all,” said Haq.
Haq further said the IICF started in 2002 and has evolved into a very mature international event and is being held at a right opportune time. Especially at a time when global coffee majors are eyeing Indian market.
NEW DIMENSIONS
“The coffee festivals are the right place to showcase Indian coffee globally; this festival has evolved over a period of time and taken certain new dimensions,” he explained.
IICF is also laying emphasis on quality.
“Of course, quality remains the benchmark and will be the differentiator to get us the premium in the world coffee market.
SMALL GROWERS
It is important to note that 95 per cent of coffee produced in the country is by small growers.
Corporates are very small, Tata Coffee being one of them,” said Haq.
FOCUS ON COORG
“We are hoping to extend our learning initially to the growers in Kodagu (Coorg) which forms a large part of the production base through the coffee trail, conference and workshops,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / by The Hindu Bureau anil.u@thehindu.co.in / Bangalore – October 16th, 2013
Seeks Andhra govt’s help to market coffee grown in Araku Valley
In a bid to fetch higher prices in international markets, the Coffee Board of India has kicked off a branding initiative for Indian coffee. The Board intends to create a common brand to market Indian coffee, especially those grown in the Western Ghats and Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh.
“Almost 98 per cent of coffee produced in India is grown in the Western Ghats region and some new areas in Araku Valley. Indian coffee, grown under tree shade, is very popular in the international markets. It contributes to intrinsic quality and internationally it is known as eco-friendly coffee. So, we are trying to make use of the Western Ghats tag to market our coffees in the overseas markets,” Jawaid Akhtar, chairman of Coffee Board, told Business Standard.
The Board will sell Indian coffee as “good coffee” and “organic coffee” to fetch higher prices in the overseas markets.
Akhtar said Indian exporters are able to command 40-50 per cent higher margins on the benchmark International Coffee Organization (ICO) prices for washed Robusta and 25 per cent for Robusta Cherry. “We are contemplating to come out with a common brand for Indian coffee. We are also planning to promote our coffee through international trade fairs, exhibitions and release advertisements,” Akhtar added.
For the first time, coffee grown in Araku Valley in parts of the eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh is coming to market this year, Akhtar said, adding the Board plans to market this coffee as “organic coffee”. In Araku Valley, the coffee is largely grown by tribals.
Popularly known as non-traditional areas in the coffee circles, this region includes the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and to a small extent Madhya Pradesh. The region is predominantly inhabited by a wide variety of tribal groups, who are known for their traditional agriculture practices and ‘podu’ (shifting cultivation) over centuries.
The trees are planted at an elevation of 3,200 ft above the sea level.
“We have requested the government of Andhra Pradesh to help tribals market their coffee, so that we can reduce the role of middlemen. There are some non-government organisations like Naandi Foundation that are assisting tribals in cultivating coffee,” said Akhtar.
Araku Valley is expected to produce about 6,500 tonnes of coffee this year. Over 100,000 tribals have brought 55,000 hectares area under coffee plantations in the Valley and the average holding is one acre per person. The tribals have used mainly organic practices to grow the coffee.
Arabica coffee is the main variety and the arabica station breed selections such as S.934, Sln.4 (agaro) and Sln.5 occupy major areas in Andhra Pradesh. In Odisha, Cauvery is the main variety under cultivation. Pepper is the main inter crop adding substantially to the net returns of coffee farms. The coffees of this region are classified as medium body, medium to sharp acidity and intense aroma with a spicy tinge.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Markets> Commodities> Food & Edible Oils / by Mahesh Kulkarni / Bangalore – October 14th, 2013
SUMMARY
TripAdvisor has recognised 33 hotels in 18 countries worldwide that opened within the last year.
TripAdvisor has announced its inaugural list of hot new hotels, recognising 33 hotels in 18 countries worldwide that opened within the last year. These properties have provided guests with memorable experiences, according to the survey done by the travel site.
“TripAdvisor has identified the new hotels that have made lasting impressions on our community since opening their doors,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer at TripAdvisor. “Whether traveling internationally or close to home, we encourage travellers to check out, or ‘check-in’ to these new hotels on the scene that are getting high reviews from other travelers.”
Hot New Hotels – Asia
1. Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, China
2. Four Seasons Hotel Baku, Baku, Azerbaijan
3. Vivanta by Taj Madikeri, Madikeri, India
4. Raffles Makati, Makati, Philippines
5. Fairmont Makati, Makati, Philippines
6. Vana Belle, A Luxury Collection Resort, Koh Samui, Chaweng Beach, Thailand
7. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Da Nang,Vietnam
8. The Westin Chennai Velachery, Chennai (Madras), India
9. Four Seasons Beijing, Beijing, China
10. Four Seasons Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai, China
Hot New Hotels – World
1. Hotel Casa San Agustin, Cartagena, Colombia
2. Kura Design Villas Uvita, Uvita, Costa Rica
3. Taj Palace Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco
4. 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville, Bentonville, Arkansas
5. Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square, Vilnius, Lithuania
6. Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
7. Refinery Hotel, New York City, New York
8. The Ampersand Hotel, London, United Kingdom
9. Four Seasons Hotel Baku, Baku, Azerbaijan
10. Zero George Street, Charleston, South Carolina
source: http://www.financialexpress.com / The Financial Express / Home> Travel & Tourism / by FE Online / New Delhi / October 17th, 2013
As many as 20 tableaux depicting various themes were taken out at Gonicoppa, marking the culmination of the cultural show of the Gonicoppa Dasara festivities in Virajpet taluk of Kodagu on Monday.
The tableaux procession was inaugurated by the president of the Gonicoppa APMC Achapanda Mahesh around 3 p.m. today. Of the 20 tableaux, as many as 12 depicted various social themes while the rest derived their themes from the Mahabharata, Keshav Kamath, a prominent citizen of Gonicoppa town told The Hindu. The procession went through the two-km route on the Gonicoppa main road ending at the Sri Uma Maheshwara Temple in the evening.
Social themes harped on issues such as the vicious shadows of terrorism, ill effects of drunkenness, pernicious effects of plastics and garbage, elephant menace that was rampant in Kodagu, dangers of sagging electric wires resulting in the electrocution of people and so on. Vehicular traffic was affected in the town till 5.30 p.m. following the tableaux procession. A large number of people watched the proceedings in the afternoon, Mr. Kamath said.
Madikeri spruced up
A cloudy atmosphere prevailed in Madikeri in the evening where Dasara festivities were slated to begin on Monday night. As many as 10 decorated mantaps (Dasha Mantaps) would emerge from as many temples late in the night in a car procession in the city towards Bannimantapa for the rituals in the morning on Tuesday.
The mantaps that would come out are from the temples of Sri Kote Maha Ganapathi, Chowtti Mariyamma, Kote Mariyamma, Dandina Mariyamma, Kanchi Kamakshi, Pete Sri Rama Mandira, Dechur Balaka Balarama Sri Rama Mandira, Chowdeshwari, Karawale Bhagavathi and Kodandarama. A large number of visitors were streaming into the city toward evening to witness the annual spectacle, Mahantesh, a resident of the city, told The Hindu.
The police have made elaborate security arrangements to prevent untoward incidents by setting up check-posts at vantage points. Parking arrangements have been made at several locations.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Madikeri – October 15th, 2013
