The Nicaragua Tourist Board has launched the Coffee Trail, a new tourist route that will give visitors a unique experience of the northern region of the country.
The Coffee Trail covers five regions and aims to show visitors the diverse culture, food, scenery and tourism products of this area. Visitors following the route will travel through several coffee and tobacco plantations and stay in charming rural hotels or guest farmhouses, where they can take part in everyday activities.
The tour will also include hiking through nature reserves, visiting picturesque towns and villages, and seeing how the locals make handicrafts made of marble, clay or tusa (corn skin). The local gastronomy is another main attraction, including several corn-based dishes.
In Matagalpa, travellers can find out more about the history of tobacco and coffee production in the area at the National Coffee Museum. The region of Jinotega is the country’s main producer of coffee and is renowned for its quality. In Estelí, visitors can choose amongst several natural parks – Cerro Tisey-La Estanzuela, Miraflores-Moropolente, Canta-Gallo, and La Patasta – to enjoy stunning scenery. Madriz is famous for its ‘rosquillas’, or typical doughnuts, perfect to accompany a good cup of coffee, while Nueva Segovia is known for its colonial and revolutionary history.
The Coffee Trail will offer visitors a combination of indigenous traditions, history, lush natural landscapes and a rich biodiversity, as well as the chance to interact with the locals.
Further information and details of accommodation and tour companies offering the route will be available shortly on the Nicaragua Tourist Board’s website: www.visit-nicaragua.com.
source: http://www.iwantsun.co.uk / Home> Active Sun / Friday – July 26th, 2013
A brace from Likith BM powered Government High School, Ponnampet past Bishop Cottons Boys High School 2-0 in the Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar GS Randhawa memorial inter-school boys’ hockey tournament at the KSHA stadium on Thursday.
In the girls’ category, for the Bothireddy Cup, a double from Chemvamba R helped GHS Ponnampet crush Bishop Cottons Girls High School 5-0. An own goal in the 45th minute only added to Cotton girls’ woes.
Results: Boys: GHS Ponnampet: 2 (Likith BM 11th, 29th) bt Bishop Cottons BHS: 0.
Girls: GHS Ponnampet: 5 (Charisma AP 2nd, Niveditha N 26th, Chelvamba R 27th, 29th, Own goal 45th) bt Bishop Cotton GHS: 0.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by DHNS / Bangalore – August 09th, 2013
Actress Prajwal Poovaiah hailing from the hilly region of Coorg has cut short her name to ‘Prajju Poovaiah’ and that is mainly because of the existence of young actor Prajwal Devaraj.
First seen in ‘Cotton Pete’ Kannada cinema muhurth of director N Omprakash Rao, Prajju was later picked for ‘Bheema Theeradalli’. With an average film for her debut she went to Tamil cinema and come back to Kannada via ‘Kittodh Love Story’. She is now main lead in ‘Patharagitthi’.
Prajwal Poovaiah is ‘dilkush’ for the new offer. The second film centers on the heroine. It is a love story too says Prajwal Poovaiah.
In her comeback to Kannada cinema Prajju wants to get good name first here and then accept other language films.
In ‘Kittod Love Story’ I have good dialogues while in ‘Patharagitthi’ it is romantic and naughty. I have to perform well in both the film to get a strong stay in audience mind says Prajwal Poovaiah. Even before the release of her debut Kannada film she was consulted for a Tamil film. Prajwal made debut in ‘Anagarikalu’ and glamorous looking heroine Prajwal Poovaiah got offer ‘Veteyadu’ Tamil film.
source: http://www.indiaglitz.com / India Glitz / Home> Watch Movies / Monday – July 15th, 2013
Apart from its arresting natural beauty, the aromatic coffee estates and the delicious pandi (pork) curry, Coorg is also famous for its insatiable love for the national sport — hockey.
The game runs so deep in almost every Kodava’s blood that there has hardly been an instance where a national side has not had a player from the community. From legends BP Govinda, MP Ganesh and MM Sommaiah to current national team vice-captain VR Raghunath, Coorg has always taken immense pride it wielding the stick.
Last Sunday (August 4), however it was not the men but a shy 20-year-old girl who made Coorg proud by creating history. Mallamada Narendra Ponnamma played a key role as the Indian team clinched a bronze medal at the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup in Moenchengladbach, Germany — their best-ever finish in the quadrennial bash that has taken everyone by surprise.
“I’m really happy and thrilled with the bronze medal,” a delighted Ponnamma told Deccan Herald from her home in Ponampet. “It’s been a long time since the women’s team has tasted any sort of success at the international level and this is the tonic that we so desperately needed.
“After we finished last in the (FIH) World League Semifinals (Round 3) (in Rotterdam, the Netherlands), we were very determined to do well in the World Cup. Nobody gave us any chance and I guess that worked in our favour. The expectations were very low and we just wanted to play positive hockey.
“Around eight of us were from the senior side and we knew this was our last shot at the junior level. We had experience on our side as we’ve been playing together for a while now. The overall team spirit was great and it all came together really well,” added Ponnamma as accolades kept pouring in from several quarters since her arrival back home.
As a sport-loving kid, Ponnamma played many games during her childhood before settling into hockey, thanks to her father Mallamada Bopaiah Narendra who represented the Madras Engineers Group as a defender. Learning a few tricks from her dad, she kept honing her skills at her school, securing her first break in 2005 when she was picked up by Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Madikeri.
The call-up changed her life completely as she started devoting more time to hockey, making an instant impression with the coaches there. She then started performing well in district-level tournaments and also the at National championships.
A hard-tackling defender who is sparingly used as a midfielder, Ponnamma realised her cherished dream of wearing the national colours when she was picked for the four-nation tournament in Argentina in December 2011 where India won the bronze.
Although she missed the cut for the all-important FIH Olympic Qualifiers in February last year where India finished runners-up to favourites South Africa, Ponnamma has played in four other international tournaments with the Moenchengladbach World Cup being her maiden appearance at the junior level.
Having improved upon her Hindi-speaking abilities that have helped her communicate better with team-mates, Ponnamma felt the graduation to the senior national side at an early age and Neil Hawgood’s arrival as coach has played a key role in her transformation.
“The gulf in the quality of hockey from State-level to national-level is huge. It’s fare more so at the international level. (Neil) Hawgood has helped us a lot. He has changed the formations, strategies and I feel we have made some improvements technically. There has been huge emphasis on fitness as well. My goal right now is to keep working hard and secure a permanent spot in the national team,” said Ponnamma.
While becoming a permanent member may be the long-term goal, the immediate task ahead of Ponnamma is to do well in the national camp set to kick off in Patiala on August 14. During the near month-long camp, the team for the eighth Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur will be chosen which India need to win to seal their spot for the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands.
“Yes, that’s (making it to the Asia Cup squad) my first target now. The competition is stiff as we have about 5-6 slots for defenders in the team. However, this bronze medal has given me a lot of confidence and I hope to build on it. Fingers crossed!” added Ponnamma.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Sportscene / by
Sidney Kiran / DHNS – August 11th, 2013
Karnataka’s prolific run-getters CM Gautam and Robin Uthappa have been drafted into the India A squads for their home series against New Zealand A side to be held at Port Trust Diamond Jubilee Stadium in Visakhapatnam from Aug 31 to Sep 15.
Gautam, who finished the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season as the third highest run-getter with 943 runs, has been picked to play a three-day (Aug 31) and a four-day game (Sep 5). Uthappa, who was in the Board President’s XI that played against the visiting Australia earlier this year, is selected to play the one-dayers.
An elated Gautam said it was an opportunity to make his presence felt. “It will be great to play against New Zealand in the longer version of the game. A couple of big scores can shape my dreams of making it to the India Test team,” said Gautam, who made his India ‘A’ debut against Australia in January in Chennai.
For Uthappa it will be the platform to work his way back to the Indian One-Day team. “I am looking forward to this assignment as an opportunity to stage a comeback to the Indian team. Playing well in these tournaments helps me get back into the reckoning,” said Uthappa, who scored an unbeaten triple hundred for KSCA XI in the Safi Darashah tournament. “I was expecting this call as I have had a good season in the domestic one-dayers and the last IPL season,” said Uthappa.
Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar will lead the unofficial Test team while Delhi batsman Unmukt Chand will lead the one-day team.
The series will be followed by a tour by the West Indies ‘A’ team, which plays all its matches in four venues in Karnataka – Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli and Shimoga – from September 17 to October 13.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Cricket> New Zealand / by Sunil Subbaiah, TNN / August 07th, 2013
Most coffee lovers, including some south Indians, aren’t familiar with every secret of filter coffee. Two men are about to change that
What happens when a Bihari experiments with filter coffee? He thinks he can make the coffee without a filter.
That’s not funny. That’s blasphemous, if you are a Tam-Bram. (South sensation )
Arvind Srinivas finds it hard to hold back the chuckle when he recounts a conversation he recently had with TP Mishra, a customer from Kandivli (E), who had called him to order half a kilo of Kumbakonam coffee. “When I asked him if he had a filter brewer, he said, ‘I will add the powder to boiling water, let it simmer for a while and filter it’!”
Mehta is just the sort of client Srinivas, a creative director at a media firm, is looking for.
He finds time away from his day job to help Mumbaikars appreciate south Indian filter coffee, especially the famous Kumbakonam degree variety. The two-month-old business he runs with partner Parameshwar K R involves sourcing coffee powder from Kumbakonam, a temple town in Tamil Nadu that has been the hub of filter coffee since pre-Independence, delivering it to Mumbai homes and inculcating the art of appreciating good coffee.
“The locals would trickle into the main coffee centre as early as 5.30 am to get their first cup,” Srinivas says about the town, even as the aroma of a fresh brew wafts from the kitchen of his Kandivli home, where wife Savitri, an advocate at the High Court, is busy.
Degree coffee, he says, is nothing but coffee made mixing fresh, undiluted cow’s milk and the first batch of decoction. Of course, everything about the brew — starting from the beans — needs to be just perfect.
When the couple moved to Mumbai from Pondicherry in 1990, they spent a good part of their time hunting for authentic coffee powder. “I scoured Matunga stores, but my wife insisted it wasn’t good enough. Another brand available in Andheri, was according to her innu mosham (worse),” he says.
A quick call to a friend who owns a coffee shop on Kamakshi Josiyar Street in Kumbakonam, solved the problem. The beans for this powder, like any other, are sourced from the Coffee Board of India, which gathers stock from coffee plantations around Coorg and Ooty. What, however, makes this coffee special is the lack of chicory — powder of roasted tap root — which is usually mixed with the ground beans to add colour to the coffee. But it could end hampering the flavour. “Some coffee drinkers are so used to chicory because it makes the brew strong, they specifically ask for it. One customer from Thane asked me to source coffee powder with 21 per cent chicory; no more, no less,” Srinivas laughs.
“For years, we had been visiting Srinivas and realised that the coffee at his place tasted better than anywhere else, so we thought we should teach the rest of the city how to make a proper cup,” adds Parameshwar.
The other factor that differentiates great coffee from average is the method of roasting the beans. “Roasting them on a skillet isn’t enough. Traditionally, the beans were roasted in a closed cylinder that rotated constantly. A small opening on one side allowed grannies to check if the beans were ready before they were ground,” he says.
But, before you give him a tinkle for the coffee (Rs 550 per kg, delivered anywhere in Mumbai within seven days), figuring how to make the perfect cup is important.
Fill half the percolator in the stainless steel coffee brewer with the powder. “It can be more, but never less,” pitches in Savitri. Pour boiling water into the filter and place the lid to ensure the aroma and flavour don’t escape. The decoction should always be hot. “If by evening, it cools down, don’t heat it directly or after mixing it with milk — that kills the taste. Instead, place the decoction in a small vessel and slip it into a container holding boiling water. It will get warm without losing its essence,” he adds. Then, there is the slight detail of how to drink the coffee. Fancy mugs don’t work. It’s the davara-tumbler utensil combination you need to invest in, and pour the coffee back and forth before taking a sip. “It gives the coffee a good froth while enhancing its taste. It is essential to the coffee-making process,” Srinivas adds.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> Food> Filter Coffee / by Gitanjali Chandrasekharan, Mumbai Mirror / August 04th, 2013
Abbi Falls, near Madikeri town is attracting a large number of tourists. / Photo: K. Murali Kumar / The Hindu Monsoon tourism destinations in State in high demand
Copious rain across the State has brought cheer to the tourism industry. The travel and hospitality sector is expecting big business during the two consecutive long weekends this month.
With popular destinations in Kerala such as Munnar and Thekkady taking a beating following the recent heavy rain, monsoon tourism destinations in Karnataka such as Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Shimoga are among those that are in high demand.
The first long weekend begins on Friday with holiday declared for Id-ul-Fitr while the next one coincides with the Independence Day holiday.
“It is now nearly impossible to get a good accommodation in Kodagu or Chikmagalur. They were booked even before the recent heavy rainfall in Kerala,” an official in a leading travel agency said.
As a number of people were travelling in taxis, getting a car had also become difficult, he added.
However, an hotelier in Madikeri said the season would have been better if the condition of roads was good. “Roads connecting Madikeri to Mangalore and Mysore have been damaged following the recent downpour,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bangalore – August 09th, 2013
Actress Harshika Poonacha
Actress Harshika Poonacha seems to have her hands full with nine films in her kitty this year. She had two releases in a row, Cycle and Ale and her third film, Managana Kaili Maanikya (MKM) opposite Ramesh Aravind is releasing this week.
“People always want to see more and more of Harshika. She is addictive, you see,” Harshika chuckles.
Having bagged so many films in a year, this young actress, who had maintained a clean image for quite some time, has now become controversy’s favourite child.
She has been in the news for not attending press meets or promoting her films. The actress says, “I am a professional when it comes to work, else I wouldn’t have survived in the industry. People unnecessarily use my fame for their promotions and later come back and apologise. That is the reason I have been silent all this while. I am doing good films and the audience as well as my directors and producers are happy with me. That’s all that matters.”
Though this young actress has been an easy target for a few directors and producers, it has also been observed that her to the point attitude is only damaging her image in the industry. “I have always been very straight forward when it comes to my profession. People who have worked with me know how I am. It’s very important to be true to yourself. The rest will follow,” she says.
In MKM, Harshika has been paired opposite a senior actor, Ramesh Aravind and according to her, she was floored by the actor’s abilities. “It was a great experience working with Ramesh. His style of acting, dialogue delivery, comic timing and on the spot dialogues and expressions blew me away. I have started cracking a few PJs after completing the film. I hadn’t attempted the comedy genre until now. So when this offer came by, I was more than excited as the director had made the script keeping me in mind. It is always special to work with a producer like Sandesh Nagraj Sir. He treats me like his own daughter,” she says.
Up next is B3…I Love You, in which she has taken a bold move and will be seen in a love making scene for the first time. “B3 will elevate me as a mature actress. Lot of interesting things are happening in my life presently. I just thank god and would want to go with the flow,” she says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Kannada / by A Sharadhaa – ENS / July 23rd, 2013
CEAT has tied up with music and youth entertainment channel MTV to launch ‘CEAT MTV Chase The Monsoon’ – a social reality show featuring a 21 day biking roadtrip where 8 riders, in teams of 2, set out with a limited budget to explore the sights, scenes & life during Indian monsoons.
The show will premier on the web on 24 July and will show the participants sharing their experiences live online through updates, pictures and videos on the website chase.mtvindia.com and on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The teleivision premier is slated for the last week of August and will be hosted by MTV VJ, Nikhil Chinapa & VJ Bani.
Participants for biking road trip can register as a couple or team of two and submit a video, photographs or blog entry about their adventurous biking experiences. CEAT and MTV will shortlist a total of 12 entries for the final event. Once shortlisted, the teams need to gather votes from friends and families till the 15 of July to get selected for the road trip. The teams finally selected will embark on a journey from Pondicherry to Mumbai over 21 days performing tasks and earning credits/money on the way in the stipulated task checkpoints. The journey will cover cities of Madhurai, Kanyakumari, Kochi, Munnar, Ooty, Mangalore, Hampi, Hubli, Goa and Pune.
Arnab Banerjee, Executive Director, CEAT said, “We at CEAT are constantly seeking to engage with the youth. The show perfectly represents the passions and adventures of riding in the monsoon in India, but also keeping it safe all the while. We hope that the show will capture the attention and imagination of audiences across the country.”
Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India said, “At MTV we are constantly creating content and engagement around the smaller screens. We have a large digital footprint which reaches over 20 MM people. Its this reach combined with our understanding of young people that gives us the advantage in creating successful web content. In CEAT we have a partner who values the power of content in engaging with consumers, and we hope that this is the beginning of a long partnership.”
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by BS Reporter / Mumbai – July 19th, 2013
It is unconventional and a shift from the regular dosas and idli. South Indian food is much meatier than we ever think. Dakshin at Sheraton Hotel brings a quirky menu from the southern belt at its ‘Taste of Coorg Festival’. IKNOOR KAUR checks it out
When you first think of Coorg food, images of pork curry, fishchutney, tamarind rice and bamboo shoot curry pop up. But visiting Dakshin at Sheraton for the ‘Taste of Coorg Festival’ was a different experience. Contrary to the conventional Coorg preparations, they have twisted the menu into an interesting blend.
For coconut admirers, Dakshin seems to be a paradise. And for someone like me, who abhors it, the restaurant has the surprising ability to revise the taste-buds. Served to you as a welcoming drink is a mix of ginger — ale and mint in shot glasses. This is followed by a menu that opens a door to the vast variety of dishes including the ones from the sub–regions of South. So, the place brings here South Indian flavour with its authenticity.
Served on traditional banana leaves, the food majored itself around pork and mutton. Kodava food has pork as an important component and their pork dishes owe their magic to the masalas used in their making.
Plated as starters, traditionally called Prarambham, was one of their unique preparations of pork called Chilkana Pandi where the pork was marinated in local spices, Coorg vinegar and was browned in onion and green chillies. Along with it was the Prawns Rave Fry with sermolina coated prawns which were lightly batter fried. The distinct flavour of pepper highlighted the pork while the tangy taste of the prawns made for a good appetizer. Both of these were served with four kinds of chutneys, coconut, tamarind, tomato and coriander.
Digging into sub–regions of Coorg, known for its exceptional flavours of the Western Ghats, the fine–dining experience brought out a rustic feel. The main course, known as the Saivam called for a nice variety of dishes including pork, mutton and chicken. Their main dish started with Koli Mangyepajji which was boneless chicken cooked in green chilli, raw mango paste and drum stick.
Pandi Curry was festival’s trademark dish with Coorgi boneless pork preparation, enhanced with Coorg vinegar and pepper, eye chilli and Coorg spices. This was accompanied with kadumbuttu (rice dumpling). The subtle flavour of coconut with enhanced tanginess made this chew an exceptional experience. Another dish part of the same course was the Dry Pepper Yerechye which was tender mutton marinated with spices and fried with onions, tomatoes and chillies.
Though Coorg is primarily famous for red preparations, a bit of green was experimented too. Part of their vegetarian menu was Kuroo Curry which was an amalgamation of red beans and vegetables simmered in local masala gravy, flavoured with ginger and green chillies.
As it is said, ‘either you have it with rice or a rice based roti’, Dakshin provided a range of items to choose from as acoompaniments. Some of them were akki ooti, kadumbuttu and paaputtu. They had a non-vegetarian version of this too called yerchi koolu which was mutton cooked with rice and served with mango paji and raita. Even though the menu consisted of limited dishes, it managed to whet the appetite for Coorg food. Dessert Mangai Rasayana was a nice blend of ripe mango puree in sweetened milk with shopped mango. The texture of the pudding reminded us of kheer.
Fondly referred to as the ‘Coffee Cup of India’, this is one epithet that Coorg proudly carries with itself. Living up to that, the meter coffee of the region has a taste in the blend that comes only with precision while mixing the coffee. The chefs at Dakshin boast of this ability and offered some to us as a post meal beverage. With keeping a definite distance during the mixing process, the chef managed to bring out a blend that one would only find in Coorg.
The chefs in the Dakshin kitchen have personally spent months in Coorg, understanding and learning the authentic preparation of the food. That is one of the main factors that provide the authenticity in the food.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> Vivacity / Friday – June 28th, 2013
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