Vismaya Cricketers of Hebbettegeri will organise K Nidugane Premier League (KPL) cricket tournament at Field Marshal K M Cariappa College ground in Madikeri on February 7.
K Nidugane Gram Panchayat member Kokkalera K Ayyappa will inaugurate the tournament, while Field Marshal K M Cariappa College lecturer Dr Major Raghav will preside. The valedictory of the tournament will be held at 5 pm.
A total of five teams will take part in the tournament. During the valedictory, the newly-elected members of K Nidugane Gram Panchayat will be felicitated.
In addition, Covid warriors like Asha worker Nalini, staff nurse Usha and lab technician Nanditha Gonsalves will be felicitated.
The top scorer in SSLC, M G Dhanush, will also be felicitated on the occasion.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / February 07th, 2021
With the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) and Taluk Panchayat (TP) polls scheduled to take place this year, the State Election Commission (SEC) has set in motion the process of delimitation of ZP and TP Constituencies in all districts of the State. The SEC, which has fixed the number of ZP and TP Constituencies in all districts, has directed the Deputy Commissioners to depute election Tahsildars and other concerned staff in their respective district to appear before the Commission on specified dates, along with maps of Constituencies and other corresponding details.
Accordingly, the election Tahsildars of Mysuru, Kodagu, Hassan, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Chitradurga, Ramanagara and Bengaluru Rural districts are required to appear before the SEC at Bengaluru on Feb. 22.
After delimitation, Mysuru ZP will have 53 Constituencies from eight taluks and the district will have 144 TP Constituencies collectively. Of the 53 ZP seats, Mysuru, T. Narasipur, Hunsur, K.R. Nagar and Periyapatna taluks will have seven seats each, while Nanjangud taluk will have 10, H.D. Kote 5 and Saragur 3 seats.
As far as the Taluk Panchayat is concerned, Mysuru, T. Narasipur and Hunsur Taluks will have 19 seats each, K.R. Nagar and Periyapatna 18 seats each, Nanjangud 27, H.D. Kote 13 and Saragur 11.
Kodagu District with 5 taluks, will have 29 ZP seats and 52 TP seats collectively.
Regarding ZP seats, Madikeri taluk will have 7 seats, Kushalnagar and Virajpet five seats each and Somwarpet and Ponnampet six seats each.
In respect of Taluk Panchayat, Somwarpet, Kushalnagar and Virajpet taluks will have 11 seats each, while Madikeri taluk will have 10 and Ponnampet 9 seats.
Mandya ZP will have 46 ZP Constituencies from seven taluks and 124 TP Constituencies collectively.
Regarding ZP seats, Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli taluks will have 8 seats each, while Pandavapura, Srirangapatna and Nagamangala will have 5 seats each and K.R. Pet taluk 7 seats.
In respect of Taluk Panchayat, Mandya Taluk will have 23 seats, Maddur 22, Malavalli 20, Pandavapura 14, Srirangapatna and Nagamangala 13 seats each and K.R. Pet 19 seats.
Chamarajanagar ZP will have 27 seats from five taluks and 75 TP Constituencies collectively .
Regarding ZP seats, Chamarajanagar taluk will have 9 seats, while Kollegal will have 4, Hanur 5, Gundlupet 6 and Yelandur 3.
In respect of Taluk Panchayat, Chamarajanagar taluk will have 24 seats, Kollegal 10, Hanur 14, Gundlupet 16 and Yelandur 11.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 14th, 2021
The beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer.
Nagesh, an apiarist in Bittangala village in South Coorg. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah)
Be sweet with Coorg Honey. Those were the words of Sri Shambhavananda Swamiji from Sri Ramakrishna Mission who developed a unique method of bee-keeping known as ‘Coorg Standard Hive’ in the hilly district of south Karnataka-Coorg (Kodagu). Now, the beekeepers want the state government to not only make the practice sustainable but also go big on promoting brand ‘Coorg Honey’.
Citing a recent investigation by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which found that honey sold by major brands in India was laced with modified sugar syrup, the beekeepers and producers of ‘Coorg Honey’ said they want the authorities concerned to take their brand across the country and beyond and bring back the halcyon days when the hill district used to be the country’s top honey producer.
After becoming the first president of Sri Ramakrishna Saradashrama in Coorg way back in 1928, Swami Shambhavananda initiated a bee-keeping project in the district knowing that the lush, hilly terrain presented an ideal setting for the practice which could also contribute to the local economy. In 1936, Swamiji set up the ‘Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd’, which, in time, became the first honey producers’ co-operative in the country.
Coorg Honey society building in Virajpet. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah BP)
Over the last few years, the practice of bee-keeping and honey collection in the district has declined, to the extent that the Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd is now forced to procure honey from North Indian states just to keep their brand alive.
Speaking to indianexpress.com , Kodira Praveen Chengappa, former president of Coorg Honey and Wax Producers Co-operative Society Ltd, said, “Everyone who comes to Coorg, which is one of the country’s top tourist destinations, wants to take home a pot of ‘Coorg Honey’. However, the beekeepers in the district are not producing honey now like they used to. Since the production has reduced, our society has little option but to buy honey from beekeepers in Chikamagaluru, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab and other places, who collect pure and original honey. We do a strict quality check then if the honey meets our standards, we sell it under the ‘Coorg Honey’ brand name.”
Kodira Praveen Chengappa taking honey from his honey bee box. (Express Photo Darshan Devaiah BP)
Apis Cerana bees, known as the honey bees of Coorg, still flock around the colourful indigenous flowers, lining the Western Ghats, drawing nectar. However, the practice of beekeeping has been severely hit.
“Earlier, many trees were planted and wildflowers, including coffee blossoms, paddy, ragi, were cultivated, drawing bees by the droves. However, honey collection has been severely dented as the use of pesticides these days is killing the bees,” Chengappa said.
Apiculture or beekeeping used to be one of the important farming activities in Coorg and contributed substantially to the income of local farmers. “In 1936, Shambhavananda Swamiji started the first honey producers’ co-operative in India at Virajpet in Coorg district. Later, in 1938, he founded the Ramakrishna Ashram and started to impart beekeeping lessons to local youth, who took an interest in the practice, at his office and a honey processing unit. He also sent local enthusiasts to beekeeping training centres in Pune and Coimbatore. He also marketed ‘Coorg Honey’ in Mumbai and other cities,” Chengappa said.
Though the production of ‘Coorg Honey’ has declined drastically, the former boss of the co-operative said the demand for the brand remains undiminished and with a bit of hand-holding from the government and other authorities concerned, the district could return to its glory days of honey making.
Bee hive boxes kept inside a coffee estate in Coorg. (Express Photo by Darshan Devaiah BP)
Traditional beekeepers, who have been harvesting honey since ages, are struggling these days as the honey bees of Coorg are declining in number, largely because of the use of pesticides. They said that radiations from mobile towers in the district are proving fatal for the bees.
Nagesh, an apiarist at Bittangala village in South Coorg who has been into beekeeping for three decades, told indianexpress.com, “I request our farmers not to use pesticides as it is because of these chemicals that the honey bees are dying. I have also seen the bees dying because of radiation from mobile towers. As much as 30 to 50 per cent of bees are dying due to mobile tower radiation and another 80 per cent because of the use of pesticides.”
Nestled in the midst of rolling hills and dense forests, Coorg experiences periodic shifts in climate and temperature, making it a favourable haunt for four major species of honey bees. According to Nagesh, a Coorgi, the honey tastes different as seasons roll and also at time of crop cultivation. “During the harvesting of coffee beans, the honey tastes very different compared to the season when paddy is cultivated,” Nagesh said, adding that the main four species of honey bees found in Coorg are Ponn thene (Apis dorsate) in forest areas, Potti thene (Apis cerena), Kaddi thene (Apis floria) and M ooli thene(Apis trigona), which are domesticated.
Beekeepers in Coorg keep around 30 to 50 bee boxes within an area of one to one-and-a-half kilometres, depending on the source of bee forage, in their coffee estate or areca nut farms. Nagesh said bee colonies, these days, is very hard to find as they are facing the risk of a colony collapse disorder where the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear.
Coorg honey. (Express Photo Darshan Devaiah BP)
A beekeeper in Coorg can harvest 2-3 kgs of honey from one box. “Earlier we used to harvest 10 to 20 kgs of honey from one box. During the peak time, honey can be extracted once in 15 days from one box if there are strengthened colonies. However, that is not possible now,” Nagesh said.
The horticulture department has started providing Bee Hive Boxes and training to interested people at the beekeeping training centre in Bhagamandala, North Coorg. Founded in 1953, the centre provides three months of training, where students are taken through the basics of bee collecting, bee hiving and honey collecting or extraction, among other practices.
Prakash Mandanna, a beekeeper who took his lessons in the practice at Bhagamandala training centre, said, “After enrolling for a training course 10 years ago, I started beekeeping. However, six years later, the bees were afflicted with diseases such as Thai sac brood. Planting of exotic trees such as Silver Oak, Eucalyptus and Acacia Auriculiformis in the coffee estates affected pollinators and altered the native flora of Coorg.”
“The loss of forest cover and native trees is also an important reason for less honey bee production in Coorg. The government should focus on revival of bee production through the expansion of forest cover and forage plants in the district,” Mandanna told indianexpress.com.
He said the need of the hour is for the state horticulture department to promote beekeeping among the youth in the district. “Our government has undertaken various initiatives to promote beekeeping but the problem is that people are losing interest in the practice as the bees are not available in plantations and forests now. The horticulture department should come forward and support beekeeping in Coorg,” he said.
Officials in the horticulture department said various initiatives have been taken up in recent years to increase production of honey and provide subsidy to farmers interested in Apiculture.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Dr Hemalatha, senior assistant director, Horticulture (Apiculture), said, “We have three different schemes at central, state and district levels to help farmers who are interested in apiculture. As part of the state sector, we are giving a budget for beekeeping development and under the central sector scheme, we are providing pollination support. We are also giving residential beekeeping training at the Bhagamandala centre in Coorg where approximately 15 to 20 interested farmers can take a training in beekeeping every year and earn a stipend.”
She said the horticulture department is also reaching out to farmers across the state, who are interested in beekeeping. “Our schemes are aimed at helping farmers interested in Apiculture and we are spreading the word through local newspapers and grama sabha meetings. Honey Mela is also organised every year in Bengaluru to promote Apiculture,” Hemalatha said.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Darshan Devaiah BP, Coorg, Madikeri / February 15th, 2021
Chefs at city hotels are whipping up dishes sprinkled with nostalgia as they serve recipes that have been passed down to them from their mothers and grandmothers.
Naren Thimmaiah with his mother Parvathy Uthappa from whom he learnt the recipe of Koli Barthad
Bengaluru :
While a regular chicken curry was always a staple on his menu at the hotel, two months ago, executive chef Rohan Malwankar introduced a new dish at Courtyard by Marriott Bengaluru Hebbal. The Malvani Chicken Curry is spicy and eaten with brown rice. But there’s another ingredient here – a whole lot of love, especially since the dish has been a part of Malwankar’s family since ’82, when his grandmother first started cooking it. Now, the chef, whose hometown is Malvan in Maharashtra, recreates the same recipe for his guests in Bengaluru, sans any change from the original recipe.
Like him, other chefs in star hotels too are relying on recipes from their family archives. This, they believe, is them doing their small part in preserving the Indian food culture. “Inventing new dishes or crafting fresh recipes is important for a chef,” says Naren Thimmaiah, executive chef, Vivanta Bengaluru, Residency Road.
“The actual feather in the cap lies in mastering one’s traditional dishes,” he adds. Which is why, while setting up Karavalli 30 years ago, Thimmaiah spent weeks in Goa, Mangaluru and Kerala, learning heirloom dishes.
The one closest to his heart is the Koli Barthad, a chicken preparation that has been a staple in his own house in Kodagu. “Cooking this dish reminds me of my childhood. I used to fetch curry leaves from our backyard and peel ginger to help my mother during this preparation. Only if I knew that years later, I would be making the same dish for my guests and they would enjoy it just as much as me,” says Thimmaiah.
The key to nailing such dishes lies in no trial, no error. Dirham Haque, executive sous chef, Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru, explains that his Awadhi Biryani – a “family treasure” that has been a part of many Eid celebrations – tastes “just the same as it would if it came from a grandmother’s kitchen”. “Traditional dishes are best not tampered with. Using quality ingredients and letting those shine is the best way to pay homage to tradition,” he adds.
While there’s love, there’s also equal amounts of labour that goes in. Malwankar explains how the star of the Malvani Chicken Curry is a paste of dry and wet coconut. “This needs to be freshly prepared. It takes 35 minutes and is done with a grinding stone,” he says, adding that the other ingredients, like the Malvani masala, are locally sourced.
It is this quality of being made from scratch that makes home-style cooking popular with guests, believes Sandeep Kalra, the executive chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore. “For restaurant-style cooking, half our preparation is done beforehand. But for home-style cooking, it’s done from scratch, there’s less butter and oil, and a lot of love,” says Kalra, who whips up recipes from his childhood for guests upon request. These include dishes like Kurkure Bhindi, Amritsari Pulao and Wadi, Baingan Bharta or Murgh Tariwala. “I make these dishes the way it has been consumed in my house for years,” he says, adding that these are served with a side of nostalgia. “Sometimes, you get emotional and end up calling mum in the middle of cooking,” he says with a laugh.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Simran Ahuja , Express News Service / February 16th, 2021
Meanwhile, before taking part in the inaugural ceremony, the President alongside First Lady Savita Kovind and daughter Swati Kovind visited Talacauvery and offered puja to Goddess Cauvery
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates the General Thimayya Museum in Madikeri (Photo | Special arrangement)
Madikeri :
It was an ode to the pride of Kodagu as the President of India inaugurated the General Thimayya Museum in Madikeri on Saturday. The museum has been built at Sunnyside, the former residence of General KS Thimayya.
The President unveiled the inaugural stone at the General Thimayya Museum and took a tour inside the museum, which retold the story of the General. The war diary preserved inside the museum narrated the stories of various wars fought by the Indian military. The words of the first elected Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Abdulla appreciating General KS Thimayya, the narration of the Battle of Kangaw in the war diary and the release of the ‘General Thimayya March’ battalion tune were among the numerous artefacts that retold the greatness of the erstwhile General.
“General Thimayya Museum preserves special aspects of the extraordinary character and contribution of one of the finest soldiers in the history of our army. The memorial at ‘Sunny Side’, once the residence of General Thimayya, highlights the sterling features of our brave forces. District Kodagu has the honour of having enriched our Armed forces with stalwarts like General Thimayya and Field Marshal Cariappa. I am sure that this museum will inspire our youth to carry forward the legacy of General Thimayya,” were the words inscribed by the President in the logbook at the museum.
The inaugural ceremony also witnessed participation from Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat, General Officer Commanding (GOC) and Colonel of the Kumaon and Naga Regiment Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita alongside other dignitaries from the military. District in-charge minister V Somanna, Kannada Culture Department minister Aravind Limbavali alongside Kodagu MLAs took part in the inaugural ceremony. Only about 40 dignitaries were allowed to witness the inaugural ceremony.
Kovind offers puja to Goddess Cauvery at Talacauvery
Meanwhile, before taking part in the inaugural ceremony, the President alongside First Lady Savita Kovind and daughter Swati Kovind visited Talacauvery and offered puja to Goddess Cauvery. The Temple Committee and archaks offered the President a shawl and a saree each to Savitha and Swati Kovind as a token of respect.
“This is the first time that the President of our country has visited Talacauvery. We are proud that he visited the centre and this has been possible because of the greatness of General Thimayya,” shared Rajesh Achari, one of the archaks at the temple. Meanwhile, a stringent combing operation by the forest department, police and anti-naxal squad had been ordered to ensure safe visit of the president to Talacauvery.
The security was tight across Talacauvery and Madikeri. While nearly 500 police were guarding Bhagamandala-Talacauvery area, the President’s convoy route in Madikeri was guarded by nearly a hundred police. Zero traffic was ordered on the convoy route in Madikeri from 2.30 pm to 5 pm.
MLC submits memorandum seeking Bharat Ratna
MLC Veena Achaiah, who was present during the inaugural ceremony of the General Thimayya Museum, handed over a memorandum to the President. The MLC has requested the President to award Bharat Ratna posthumously to Field Marshal KM Cariappa and General KS Thimayya.
Stray cattle and dogs shifted
To ensure smooth travel of the President’s convoy, Madikeri city municipal workers along with support from police were seen herding stray cattle and street dogs on Friday at midnight. All the stray cattle were shifted to the Madikeri Market Complex without fodder or water, evoking anger among many residents.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / February 06th, 2021
Completes 80-metre hurdles (U-16) in 11.50 seconds at National Junior Athletics Championships
Bollanda Unnathi Aiyappa from Kodagu has created a new national record in the 80-metre hurdles held on Feb. 8 and 300-metre hurdles held on Feb. 9 at the 36th National Junior Athletics Championships at the Sarusajai Stadium in Assam.
Representing Karnataka in the Under-16 category, Unnathi Aiyappa clocked 11.50 seconds in the 80-metre hurdle and bagged the gold medal. It is a new national record. In the 300-metre hurdles too, she clocked 40.11 seconds, creating a record. She defeated Soumita Paul (West Bengal) 40.15 and Roshani Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 40.94.
She is the daughter of former Indian heptathlete Pramila Aiyappa (from Guddanda family) and quartermiler B.P. Aiyappa. Notably, it was her father, presently a national athletic coach, trained her to achieve the feat.
In 1979, the legend P.T. Usha had created a record in Under-16 category by completing the 80-metre hurdles in 12.2 seconds and in 1985, Karnataka’s A.N. Rekha matched Usha’s record. Now Unnathi has broken this record to wind up the race in 11.50 seconds.
In the 300-metre hurdles, Unnathi clocked 40.11 seconds, thereby breaking a national record that was held by an athlete from West Bengal.
Unnathi was a constant presence at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru from a very young age, accompanying Pramila during contests and later on, as a trainee under her parents.
She watched on television her mother winning the Asian Games bronze in the heptathlon at Guangzhou in 2010 but at five, was too young to understand its significance. Soon though, she too was winning medals on her own at the school level and now she has risen to national level, breaking records.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / February 11th, 2021
Micro ATMs were distributed to Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies at DCC Bank hall in Madikeri.
Micro ATMs are being distributed to all the Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies (PACCS) in the district in a phased manner. The farmers should make use of the facilities, said Kodagu District Cooperative Central Bank president Kodandera P Ganapathi.
He was speaking after distributing micro ATMs in the DCC Bank hall on Tuesday.
The government has directed to implement digitalisation in cooperative banks on the lines of nationalised banks. In this regard, micro ATMs are being distributed to 21 Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies in the district, he added.
For the benefit of the customers of the bank and cooperative societies, micro ATMs are being given. The micro ATMs are being implemented in association with Nabard. All the branches of DCC Bank will be installed with micro ATMs, he said.
“Farmers find it difficult to reach the DCC Banks, situated far away from villages. Instead, using the micro ATMs at primary credit cooperative societies, they can complete their financial activities,” he said.
The district has 73 Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies. The micro ATMs are helpful in carrying out financial transactions. The micro ATMs are installed with 90% funds from Nabard and 10% from the DCC Bank, said Kodandera Ganapathi.
The micro ATMs will be installed at Bhagamandala, Karike, Maragodu, Made, Payaswini, Hathoor, Hudikeri, Rudraguppe, Thithimathi, Srimangala, Kanooru, Devanageri, Birunani, Bairambada, Mayamudi, Rameshwara Koodumangaluru, Nanjarayapattana, Chettalli, Handli, Aluru Siddapura and Torenoor societies, he added.
DCC Bank CEO Salim said that measures will be initiated to extend all the facilities from the cooperative banks to the farmers.
RuPay card is being distributed to all the farmers, he added.
Sampaje Payaswini Agriculture Credit Cooperative Society president Anantha said micro ATMs will benefit farmers from rural areas.
DCC Bank vice president Ketolira Harish Poovaiah and others were present.
www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home / DHNS, Madikeri / February 10th, 2021
‘Girijanotsava – Namma Jana Namma Samskruti,’ a programme to showcase the folk art of tribal community has been organised by Rangayana, Mysuru, at Karmadu village in Kodagu on Feb. 23 from 10 am to 6 pm.
MLC Shantaram Budna Siddi will be the chief guest. MLA K.G. Bopaiah will be present.
Vanavasi Kalyana Kendra- South Zone President Krishnamurthy will be conducting a seminar on the occasion.
‘Girijanotsava’ is one among the two projects taken up by Rangayana, Mysuru, in association with the Department of Kannada and Culture, under its Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), to create social awareness among tribal communities.
The other event titled ‘Giri Rangapayana – Arivinedege Adivasi’ featured 10-day theatre training camp to 12 tribal youth from Bommadu tribal village located near Nagarahole forest area in Kodagu district, starting from Jan. 27.
The participants of the training camp will be staging street play at 15 haadis (tribal hamlets) in Kodagu. The inaugural street play was staged at Bommadu on Feb. 3. The play is directed by theatre artist N. Srinivas.
Nataka Academy Member Radha, who also belongs to ST community, is the convenor of this camp.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 07th, 2021
Ex-banker Soomanna Mandepanda and his wife, Puja Soomanna set up their startup Humblebean in 2017 to ensure better prices and reach for small coffee farmers and improve every part of the value chain.
For former banker Soomanna Mandepanda, the motivation for setting up Humblebean was not just to sell the best coffees, but more importantly, uplift the small and medium Indian farmers who grow them.
In the process, he is trying to bring about changes at almost each stage of the business — from cultivation and supply chain to research and education.
Founded in 2017 by Soomanna and his wife and former Yahoo executive Puja Soomanna, Bengaluru-based Humblebean works on an omnichannel model: It ties up with small coffee farmers in south India, roasts and grounds supply, provides the beans to roasters, exports its products, operates brew bars, and has an online presence.
A responsible way to grow coffee
The coffee drinking experience has been gaining traction in India, with the market for the brew expected to record a compound annual growth rate of 7.2 percent during 2021-25, according to a January 2021 Statista report.
Startups including Sleepy Owl, The Flying Squirrel, and Coffeeza, as well as shops such as Third Wave Coffee Roasters are making their presence felt in the market.
India is the world’s sixth-largest producer of coffee and fifth in terms of exports; in fact, 70 percent of its production is exported, says a January 2021 report by the India Brand Equity Foundation. Yet, Soomanna says, “a lot of small and medium farmers and farms aren’t getting the kind of business and reach they should” .
Soomanna would know: he spent most of his childhood on the coffee estates of Coorg and was a small farmer before moving to the world of finance and banking for 13 years. One way to correct the imbalance, he says, is by “making great biodiverse coffee that farms in India are already poised to do”.
According to him, 80-90 percent of coffee farms in India are held by small and medium farmers, whose secondary income comes from crops such as jackfruit, avocado, pepper, and orange that are part of the same farms.
Cultivating other crops alongside coffee “ensures automatic carbon sequestration, top soil replenishment, and lesser need to feed chemicals unlike commercial crops grown in other countries”, says Soomanna. “The mining of the minerals is automatic and you become carbon neutral.”
Puja Soomanna
Advocating farmer-friendly norms
Increasingly popular among young consumers are organic, speciality, and Rainforest Alliance coffees that respectively employ natural methods of cultivation dispensing with harmful chemicals, are of the highest grade being derived from a single origin or single estate and protect the environment as well as worker rights.
However, in India these certified varieties are grown largely on rich estates; most small and medium farmers cannot afford the costly certifications and grades.
Coffee cultivation and the business are still quite unorganised in India, the certifications cost a lot of money, and need constant follow-ups, says Soomanna. “The norms are difficult to adhere to for most small farmers. It is a replication of an American model.”
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He says most large corporations in India export to Europe. “The small companies in Hassan, Chikmagalur, etc. certify about 150 estates and add the tags. But the farmer doesn’t get the price because the better prices are still being fetched with the local trader. The local traders are important, but the real traceability is lost.”
As farmers don’t get better prices, there is little driving them to improve their produce, he says. “Speciality coffee is something few farmers can afford to grow.”
Hence, the need to bring in farmer-friendly rules, he says.
The Humblebean coffee
Promoting social value investing
Given the largely unorganised state of affairs, Humblebean focused on getting farmers on board. The team collected random samples, tasted them, and guided farmers on growing the beans in a better way.
By 2018, the team had got 50-60 farmers on board and given them assessment reports free of cost. Until then, the startup was in its pre-revenue stages, bootstrapped with funds from family and friends.
The team then focused on getting roasters to directly buy from farmers. For this, it adopted the idea of social value investing, in which everyone who is part of the value chain comes together to solve a problem and there is money in it for all.
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“Once we got the farmers on board, we decided to tie up with brands and introduce them to the new portfolios of coffees,” says Soomanna. “We incubated close to four different brands in India from scratch to start a unique brand with a different blend. The idea was to bring in multiple partnerships and inclusiveness in the farming community on one platform.”
Most of the speciality coffee firms have restricted names and types of beans grown on particular estates. “The idea is to bring in more brands that can access different estates, work with them, and encourage the farmers,” says Soomanna.
Humblebean also fulfils the complete roast and ground process for such brands and even gives them a credit facility, he says.
Quality comes with education
Towards the end of 2018 and early 2019, the Humblebean team found that coffees served at most star hotels weren’t up to the mark.
One of the reasons for this, Soomanna says, is that coffee as education is lacking in hotel management schools: one has to go to Italy to learn more about its nuances. The Coffee Board of India mostly takes care of the functionality, he says.
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“We met a few management schools and after some discussions it was decided that the colleges would look at it as part of the curriculum,” says Soomanna.
Brewing innovative Indian blends
Even as Humblebean works to improve every part of the value chain, it is trying to offer consumers a very Indian coffee drinking experience.
To that end, the startup opened its first Brew Bar in the food experience section of a workspace on Bengaluru’s Residency Road in 2019. Humblebean was one of the early members of that workspace set up by a Singapore-based company.
Puja, who conceptualised Brew Bar, spent time innovating the blends with the use of Indian robustas.
“We don’t serve a single cup of speciality coffee; we wanted to make sure through the brewing methods can small and medium farmers come into mainstream brewing?” says Soomanna.
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He says these Indian blends “aren’t being used by a single new-age speciality coffee company” as they are considered “harsh and used as a filler across the world. But they are unique and you need great expertise and experience to make a robusta out of them”.
Following research and development, the startup has also come up with its own set of products. Together with B2B partners, it has launched these products online and will soon sell them at other marketplaces. The range is priced at Rs 220-350 for 250 gm for limited editions and depending on the roast.
“Indian coffees can have a global impact,” says Soomanna. “The idea is to be farmer-friendly and also not cause too much environmental damage. We want to bring an amazing cup of coffee from the farms the way it should be drunk.”
Edited by Lena Saha
source: http://www.yourstory.com / YourStory / Home> Start Up / by Sindhu Kashyap / February 07th, 2021
Last Sunday, 31st January 2021, I went to Madikeri on a bore-breaking trip with my wife and two friends. It was a two-and-a-half-hour journey by car via Kushalnagar. The road being good travelling was comfortable.
Kushalnagar is the Gateway to Kodagu, with River Cauvery flowing quietly as a boundary between Mysuru and Kodagu districts. The two districts were connected with a bridge. It was a surprise for me to find the town growing enormously. It has become a huge tourist hub. There is Harangi Dam and a Garden a few kilometres away and in the city outskirts you have the famous and very popular Nisargadhama — riverside forest safari and boating with huge shopping arcades spread over a very large area on Madikeri road.
Another tourist attraction is the Buddhist Golden Temple on the other side of the river at Bylakuppe, a Tibetan Colony. There is a Sainik School, Engineering College and many more. It is going to be a boom city of Kodagu beforelong.
We reached Madikeri rather late at 3.30 pm keeping our schedule to just three places — Gen. K.S. Thimayya Museum, Medical College and Kodava Heritage Centre. Our President Ram Nath Kovind would inaugurate the Museum tomorrow (6.2.2021) and it was as it should be. Our President, under the Constitution, is the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces.
Our first visit was to the Gen. Thimayya Museum and those in charge of arranging the artefacts, photographs, videos, audios etc., have indeed taken much time, trouble and care. Special compliments and commendation should go for this great effort to Air Marshal Kodandera C. Nanda Cariappa (retd.), Maj. Biddanda A. Nanda Nanjappa (retd.) and Col. (retd.) Kandrathanda C. Subbaiah. All residents of Kodagu.
As we were sauntering around the place, with a few Army personnel and local labourers working to get the Museum ready to receive the President, there came the most talkative man I have ever met in my life, Maj. Nanda Nanjappa. Indeed a live-wire man bursting at the seams with a zeal and enthusiasm for the work on his hand — getting the Museum ready in all aspects for the big day. I listened to him about how the Museum happened and the herculean efforts he and his friends-in-arms have made to get the place ready for the VVIP arrival.
I am familiar with this house called “Sunnyside” where Gen. K.S. Thimayya’s mother lived. She was a very famous lady known for her riches and celebrity status. The house is on the main road, as you enter Mercara from Mysuru, on a slope. I remember, as a student in Madikeri in the 1950s, going for evening walk with fellow students and friends on this road and occasionally talk about the lady of the house with awe. There was a fountain visible from the gate with an angel perched on top. The house being at the bottom of the slope was not visible to the road.
According to my information this house was sold by Gen. Thimayya’s wife to the Government of Karnataka in the year 1972 and the RTO Office took over this house, with about 2.5 acres of land, for its use. Wonder it took over 50 years to reclaim the house for the Museum under the Kannada and Culture Department of the State Government. Thanks to the efforts of Field Marshal Cariappa – General Thimayya Forum comprising about 22 members to get the State Government to vacate the RTO and set up this Museum. However, the theme, concept and the vision of the Museum came mainly from two Army and one Air Force Veterans who are also members of the Forum — Air Marshal K.C. Nanda Cariappa, Col. K.C. Subbaiah and Maj. B.A. Nanjappa — that I mentioned earlier. A good job well done. Sure, the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, Ram Nath Kovind, will have many good words to say about the Museum and give a big Shabash for the Forum.
I do not want to be presumptuous but I guess there is a need for a small library with books on Gen. K.S. Thimayya and other top brass in the Army, which is also a reading room for reference-seekers and book-worms.
Our next visit was to the Medical College, about five kilometres from downtown or 11 kilometres via Abbey Falls. It is located atop a hill in a village known as Karnageri. A number of high-rise buildings, washed in light pink, are visible from a distance as we manoeuvred the never-ending, serpentine, well-laid out concrete road. The construction of the road itself must have cost a fortune. A clear case of penny wise, pound foolish.
Access to city for students and staff must be a very time-consuming and tiring exercise. Specially during monsoon. In Kodagu, specially Madikeri, climate is of two kinds — monsoon and winter veiled in mist. Summer is, no doubt, severe but short.
I left the place wondering if the Government officials or the politicians could not find another place, plain land in Virajpet, Gonikoppal or Kushalnagar considering the importance of the logistics and environment for locating such an important institution. Let it be.
My next visit was to my mad obsession, the Kodava Heritage Centre at Vidyanagar in Madikeri. About this Centre I have written enough and more and our reporters of Star of Mysore and Mysooru Mithra too have published many pictorial reports. All in vain.
The idea of a Kodava Heritage Centre may be well-meaning and also much-needed for a Vanishing Tribe, Kodavas. But, the way it was held to ransom in the past 15 years is tragic and an insult to “Kodavame”. As I saw it, I do not think it will be completed at all and seems to be in danger of being abandoned as unviable. Is it jinxed? If it is so, so be it. What cannot be cured must be endured till the end comes. There is no medicine for fate !
That way the fruition of Gen. Thimayya Museum is a miracle. Unless such miracles happen, this Heritage Centre will not come to fruition.
Pictorial journey of Madikeri By K.B. Ganapathy
A photo of Gen. K.S. ThimayyaSunnyside: Gen. K.S. Thimayya Museum building with a portico.The RTO had ruined the building without maintenance and it was restored. The picture shows the cast-iron ornate dwarf pillars on an open veranda which were fully buried in a protective wall by the RTO. Only when the wall was demolished, these pillars emerged.Gen. K.S. Thimayya with the VIPs — Jawaharlal Nehru and V.K. Krishna Menon.A cement sculpture in the open yard of the Museum.… and the well as old as the building.Medical College at Karnageri village in Madikeri.A view of Kodava Heritage Centre in Vidyanagar, Madikeri, from the main road.
e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra> Columns / by K.B. Ganapathy / February 05th, 2021
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