Category Archives: Uncategorized

Big boys don’t want to spend

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorized


Nicole Faria
* Our local hottie has now become one helluva an international one too. Nicole Faria was in Perth to host an exclusive event at Mazzucchelli’s store. This Miss Earth has already been doing so much for the forgotten lakes of Bengaluru and is quite the activist.

Now Faria is travelling the world, as the global brand ambassador for Frederique Constant Geneve and was seen pretty busy rubbing shoulders with Perth’s celebrities and the who’s who of Ozzie land. And she looked beautiful, if we say so ourselves. Kudos to Nicole and should we see a Hollywood venture in the offing too? Let’s hope so.

* This popular coffee and quick snack hangout for youngsters on the busy Church Street, Java City allegedly shut shop a few days ago, owing to bad business. Singer and actor Sunil Raoh was often spotted at Java City most evenings with his gang of friends from the Sandalwood industry. Just next door to Java City is a small but always buzzing wine shop that is thronged by many after work every evening and that is doing brisk business. Just opposite is another eatery, Empire Restaurant that continues to rake in the moolah. Does that say something about our city’s changing preferences?

*February was one lucky month for Sandalwood actress Harshika Poonacha. She took part in two game shows and was crowned the winner in both. The people competing against her were Kavitha Lankesh, actor Suriya’s mother and another actress from their upcoming release Crazy Loka. At the other game show, her competitors were the same as the first, except Suriya’s mother was replaced by Nam Anna Don actress Sana. The tasks were simple but the prizes were extravagant. Harshika won lots of goodies, cash prizes and gift vouchers.

*The three city youngsters who were selected to play lead roles in Malayalam film Cinema Company are on cloud nine. The shooting is done and post-production is underway. But the actors Basil, Shruti and Sanjeev are aggressively promoting their film. They are not going big on promotions. Word of mouth publicity, SMSes and social networking sites are the latest promotion tools for this team of youngsters. The May release will be a first of its kind film in Mollywood where the lead actors were chosen through a reality show format.

Who, what,when, where, why

Who is slowly becoming the personal AD guy of the season? From the “Bold Look of Kohli” to the cartoon of a sad Malinga doing the rounds with a larger than life “Melan-KOHLI”, written across, the Royal Challengers Bangalore lad Virat Kohli is the one everyone relies on for excitement and admiration… on and off the field. These recent ads and cartoons doing the rounds on social networking sites are all about the Kohli quotient!

What can Arundhati Nag’s fans look forward to? Her much-awaited film Chaurahen — Crossroads is finally releasing on March 16. The movie which was shelved for nine years has since travelled to 11 film festivals before releasing in India.

When will we see a new nightclub in the sky? Soon… as the newest mall in the City MG Road One is touted to have one helluva party place on its terrace… but we’ll wait till it opens to decide on that!

Where was Nidhi Subbaiah spotted prancing with her boyfriend, actor Sudhanshu Pandey? In Mumbai, where she is shooting for an upcoming Kannada movie. She was seen spending all her free time with him there.

Why is danseause Madhu Natraj a happy lady? She will be receiving the ‘Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar’ from the Sangeet Natak Akademi? Madhu has been chosen for her contribution to the field of creative dance. The award will be conferred on March 7 in New Delhi.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / TABLOID / Home> Tabloid> Talk of the Town / DC, Bengaluru / March 02nd, 2012

MLA to stay with tribals today

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Uncategorized

Haadi bustling with activities to make arrangements for Ranjan

There is festive mood in Balegundi tribal haadi situated in Somwarpet taluk. MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan will visit the haadi and will stay with the tribals on Monday.

The residents are making all preparations to welcome the MLA. Flex boards, buntings and cut outs of the MLA are seen on either sides of the road leading to the haadi.

The MLA will inaugurate the development work in the haadi. He will also listen to the woes of the tribals.

In fact, a bamboo hut has been created beside the house of haadi resident Bhoja for the MLA to take rest.

The hut is four metre high. Arrangement has been made for the MLAs associates to sit. Bhoja is happy that MLA would be spending entire night in his haadi.

“The MLA will be given traditional dinner with rice, sambhar, chutney and other delicacies. The tribals will also entertain the MLA through traditional tribal dance and ‘Kurubara Bunde’ song, kolata,” said senior member of the haadi Raju. The youth from the haadi Shivanna, Y K Lokesh, Lakshman, Naveen, Mani are joining hands with each other for making arrangement for the MLA’s stay.

Demands
Muthamma said “our huts are on the verge of collapse. It would be good if MLA makes arrangements to get a house for each one of us. At the same time, we did not get title deeds under Forest Rights Act. The title deeds should be distributed at the earliest.”

Raju says that there is lack of toilets in the haadi, which is causing lot of inconvenience.

Taluk Panchayat President V K Lokesh said the MLA will lay foundation for road work, which was sanctioned recently. The road will be developed at the cost of Rs 29 lakh.
The work on aganwadi building will also be started on Monday. Officials from the revenue, forest and health department will also accompany the MLA.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / by Srikanth Kallammanavar, Madikeri / February 26th, 2012, DHNS:

Prajwal Poovaiah another Coorgi Comes!!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorized

Kannada cinema and Coorg are inseparable. Coorg is such a rich place for Kannada film makers and the exotic mist filled shots and hilly region, lush greenery is always available here for film makers.

The land known for warriors, hockey is also famous for giving good talent to Kannada cinema. We have Daisy Boppana, Nidhi Subbaiah, Harshika Poonachcha and new addition is Prajwal Poovaiah.

Although Prajwal Poovaiah was seen at ‘Cotton Pete’ muhurut she was selected

by top director N Omprakash Rao for ‘Bheema Thiradalli’. Prajwal Poovaiah attended 40 days of shoot for her debut film.

Before coming to cinema Prajwal Poovaiah studied in Whistling Woods International Acting School of Subhas Ghai in Mumbai.

Prajwal Poovaiah plays the village belle in ‘Bhima Thiradalli’ while the mod role goes to Pranitha in that film. Vijay is the hero of this film.

Offers came pouring in for Prajwal Poovaiah when she was shooting for her debut film. Producer K Manju, Yogish Hunsur and two Tamil film offers came to her.

After completing ‘Bhima Thiradalli’ a big budget cinema of producer Anaji Nagaraj actress Prajwal Poovaiah picked Tamil films – Otthe Naneyum, Vipareethan and Viludu Maleyudum are the films she has signed as of now.

I want to act under all major director films is the ambition of Prajwal Poovaiah.

source: http://www.m.zimbio.com / from Cinejwala.com / February 22nd, 2012

Looking out for the destitute

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Uncategorized

Mysore:
Unlike other business administration postgraduates, these two graduates have opened a non-government organization to help the needy. They provide food, shelter and rehabilitate mentally-challenged persons and the destitute in Mysore.

Meet 28-year-olds, B Manu and Vinod Kumar, who have rehabilitated around 109 mentally-challenged destitutes since the inception of their NGO two years ago. They aim to rehabilitate the destitute and reunite them with their family members.

They earn by organizing rehabilitation camps for individuals, who are addicted to alcohol and drugs and use the income to help poor orphans, who are suffering from diseases. So far, this NGO has rehabilitated more than 300 people, including destitute, drug and alcohol addicts.

Speaking to TOI Manu said, “I had been to Himalayas three years ago and I found many people who had left their families and were suffering from psychiatric problems. This inspired me to help mentally-challenged orphans. We don’t collect any donations from people but we accept even old clothes, food grains and other necessary things.”

Presently, doctors, psychiatrists, and nurses in this center are treating 11 mentally-challenged orphans for free of cost.

Manu and Vinod, who run the NGO-Wee Care Hospital-have formed a rescue team. Whenever the NGO gets a call from the public regarding mentally-challenged people suffering from diseases from any place of Mysore district, they visit the area and bring them to the NGO on T Narasipura road for treatment.

Two destitutes who were rehabilitated here are now working as security guards at their place. They are getting good salary too.

Manu was residing with his father Bal Gopal, a businessman and mother Shobanna. But for the past year, both Manu and Vinod are residing on the hospital premises to provide better service. Vinod’s parents K A Bojappa, a coffee planter and K B Kamala, are in Kodagu.

“Nowadays people are depressed for various reasons, so we have started working from the grassroots level. We have started organizing training programmes in schools to build self-confidence among children,” says Vinod Kumar.

Self-confidence training programmes have been organized in 33 schools. Soon similar kind of programmes will be organized in rural areas.

source: http://www.Timesofindia.indiatimes.com / City> Mysore / Home> City> Mysore / by Pavan M V / TNN / February 25th, 2012

Model Railroad Layout: New addition to tourist attractions

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

People can buy a platform ticket and view the miniature models
The city railway station here is now home to a ‘Model Railroad Layout’, which is the first of its kind in the country.

MP Adagur H Vishwanath threw the doors of the model railroad layout, which was created by the Mysore Division of the South Western Railway, open to the public here on Friday.

The scale models include six miniature trains – two of which are hauled by vintage steam locomotives – running through tunnels and up the hill with six coaches in each train.

It also has models of Chamundi Hill, K R Circle, KRS Dam, Clock Tower, Philomena’s church and Zoo. The 200 square feet model is housed at the existing Heritage Gallery on Platform One at the Mysore Railway Station.

The layout is lit with 500 LED bulbs and will be in operation with day and night effect.

Beacon of hope

For people of the region, who have been hoping that the Mysore-Bangalore double track and a railway line to Kodagu will come true, the ‘Model Railroad Layout’ could be a beacon of hope. The model has a double track between Mysore and Bangalore and includes the Srirangapatna station. The Madikeri station and railway line passing Kushalanagar has also taken shape on the model.

Speaking on the occasion, senior commercial manager, Mysore division, South Western Railway, Dr Anup Dayanand Sadhu said that the concept was initialised about two years back. Sadhu said that he had come across a similar model at the Science and Technology Museum at Chicago, USA, which had about 160 miniature trains.

Similary, Hamburg in Germany has one of the biggest railroad model layouts, he added. Divisional railway manager, Vinod Kumar, said the Mysore division was aiming to provide better facilities to passengers. He said the division was aiming to bag the most tourist friendly station award this year.

MP Vishwanath urged the railway authorities to convene a meeting with passengers and elected representatives to understand the problems faced by the people.He said, that it would them serve the passengers better.

Promise!

MP Adagur H Vishwanath said that work on the Mysore-Bangalore double track is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. He said a team has already visited to inspect the Tippu’s Armoury at Srirangapatna. Priority is to shift the armoury and complete the work at the earliest, he added.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / DHNS, Mysore / February 17th, 2012

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary – Popular Bird Locations

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary of India is present in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu section in southern Karnataka. It is well-known as one of the essential bird areas of the world and home to unusual and vulnerable bird life. It is propagated across 102 km. The sanctuary is adjacent to Bisle reserve forest to the north and Kukke Subramanya forest range to the west. It is present at a range of 287 km from Bangalore.

The topography is designated by extreme areas with waterfalls along its many hill channels. Numerous swamps are also available in this sanctuary. The altitude of the sanctuary differs from 160 to 1712 m, Pushpagiri peak is the topmost in the northern side. The sanctuary is one of the biggest places of tropical evergreen forests in Karnataka with almost 70% of the sanctuary included with forests. Pushpagiri has dense evergreen and semi-evergreen crops, with shola jungles and grasslands in places of higher level.

Indian Wild Dog, Brown Palm Civet, Indian Large Squirrel, Indian Hare, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Indian Muntjac, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Wild Pig, Large Flying Squirrel, Travancore Flying, Otter species, Stripe-necked mongoose and mouse deer are few of the animal species identified here. Three species of primates identified here are typical langur, bonnet macaque and lion-tailed macaque

Accepted as an Important bird Area the sanctuary has a wealthy variety of untamed birds like the Nilgiri wood-pigeon and Near threatened species like gray-breasted laughing thrush, black and orange flycatcher and Nilgiri flycatcher are discovered in this sanctuary. You can also see wild birds such as the blue-winged parakeet, gray-headed bulbul, Malabar grayish hornbill, white-bellied blue flycatcher and small sunbird. Reptiles generally seen in this sanctuary comprises of typical cobra, Indian mountain python, rat snake, olive keelback, king cobra and bamboo pit viper

How to Reach Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

By Air: Nearest Airport is in Bangalore (260 km) and Mangalore (135 km)
By Rail: Nearest Railway Station is at Mysore (146 km)
By Road: The sanctuary can be reached by road from Mysore via Madikeri (120 km). From Madikeri, the sanctuary is 25 km.

source: http://www.HolidaySeat.com / posted February 15th, 2012

Thimayya home gets due honours

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Uncategorized

It will be turned into a museum; transport dept, current occupant of the Madikeri mansion, has been told to vacate

The state government has finally realised it needs to give a fitting tribute to its war hero, former General of Indian Army, Kodandera Subbayya Thimayya. It has decided to convert his mansion in Madikeri, now housing the transport department, into a museum.

The Kannada and culture department, which has decided to take possession of the house, called ‘Sunny Side’, has given the transport department three months’ time to vacate the premises.

A decision to the effect was taken at a high level meeting of the Kannada and culture department a week ago.

The transport department has been given three months’ time to vacate the mansion
Grant sanctioned
According to sources in the department, the government had decided to declare the mansion as a memorial in 2005 following a letter written by former chief minister Veerappa Moily. The next year, the then finance minister had sanctioned a grant of Rs 1 crore for the purpose.

B Basavaraju, secretary, Kannada and culture department, told Bangalore Mirror, “It’s time we took over the building. Recently, a team of officials from our department visited the house and submitted a report.”

The regional transport office (RTO) will be shifted to a new premises. “Once the RTO shifts out, we will take up restoration work of the house,” he said. The department plans to have a museum displaying articles used by Gen Thimayya and a library comprising war literature aimed at motivating youngsters.

The mansion in Madikeri, spread across 2.6 acres, is the birthplace of the general, who was affectionately called ‘Timmy’ by his Army colleagues.
Sources said the transport department had bought the mansion way back in 1972 for Rs 2 lakh. Though the government housed the Gen Thimayya Memorial Bhavan in the same building a few years ago, it was in poor shape.

Repeated pleas by the people of Kodagu to convert the house into a memorial had gone in vain. “Except for a statue and a road named after him, there’s nothing in Kodagu to remember the great soldier,” said Sachin Bopanna, a resident of Madikeri.

Meanwhile, after a decade, the Army’s Southern Command has chosen Bangalore as the venue for its investiture ceremony, while the armed forces is all geared up for its 64th Army Day celebrations on Sunday.


Driving force
When K S Thimayya was the commander of the 19th infantry division in Jammu & Kashmir, he drew the Pakistani army out of Kashmir valley by personally leading the attack in the forward-most tank.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with then Lt Gen. K S Thimayya, G.O.C-in-C, Southern Command, at the officers’ mess in Pune in 1956.
Thimayya, who was the fourth general of independent India, was born on March 30, 1906 in Madikeri. He studied at Coonoor and Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Boys School before joining the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College in Dehradun. He served the Indian Army between 1957 and 1961.

After his retirement, he was appointed the Commander of UN forces in Cyprus, where he breathed his last.

Teasing the taste buds

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

Bangalore:
Coorg recipes are famous for its variety in flavours. The Kodava way of preparation is different from that of the other South Indian dishes. And if you want to relish some spicy chutneys, then the Coorg ginger chutney is the ultimate dish. It is simple and delicious to taste and can be eaten with rice or chapati. And here is the recipe for you to try out the delicious cuisine.

Ginger chutney:

To prepare ginger chutney, you would require 1 cup coconut , 2-3 green chillies, 1 inch ginger, salt according to your taste, 1 spoon tamarind juice.

Stage 1: Put all the ingredients in the mixer and grind until it becomes a smooth paste.
Stage 2: For seasoning, heat the pan with 1-2 spoon of oil. When the oil heats up, add few mustard seeds and 5-6 curry pattas to it.
Stage 3: Add the seasoning with the paste, and your chutney is ready to be served.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / South> Bangalore / Express News Service / The New Indian Express / Bangalore, February 16th, 2012

CNC seeks Jnanpith for Appacha Kavi posthumously

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Uncategorized


Madikeri, Feb. 10:
The Codava National Council (CNC) has urged the Centre to present the Jnanpith award posthumously to renowned litterateur of Kodagu Haradasa Appacha Kavi, hailing from the Appaneravanda family.

CNC President N.U. Nachappa, who put forth this demand at a press conference held here yesterday, said that at a time when Kodava culture was edging towards digression due to cultural invasion, it was Appacha Kavi who through his unique literature, gave a new lease of life to Kodava dialect. The stories, drama, folk songs and poetry penned by him are gaining credence in the modern day and has been the inspiration for many more Kodava writers.

Nachappa said that he had submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Kodagu district administration, to be forwarded to the Central Government and the Kendra Sahitya Academy.

CNC members Jammada Mohan, Kaliyanda Prakash, Mookonda Dileep, Pullera Kalappa, Shwathi Kalappa and Ajjettira Rani were present at the press conference.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / February 10th, 2012

Nutrition food card to Jenukurubas

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Uncategorized

Madikeri, Feb 4, 2012, DHNS:
The state government has started a programme to distribute nutritious food for Jenukuruba and Koraga community members in the state.

Jenukuruba community members are found in Kodagu, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts and find it difficult to carry out their living during monsoon. Hence, they are given nutritious food for six months in a year.

Every family is given 15 kg ragi, 2 kg tur dal, one kg horse gram, 2 kg jaggery, one litre oil and 30 eggs. There are 3,105 Jenukuruba families in the district. The nutritious food is given to 2,064 families in Virajpet and 1,041 families in Somwarpet. A sum of Rs 28 lakh is spent on Jenukuruba families in the district. The TDP officer Ganti said all the families are given a nutrition food card.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Districts / DHNS / February 04th, 2012