Category Archives: Records, All

Robin Uthappa to lead Kerala in shorter formats for upcoming season

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports
BCCI
BCCI

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) have confirmed that veteran batsman Robin Uthappa will lead Kerala in the shorter formats for the upcoming season.

An official decision is yet to be taken on who will lead the side for the longer formats, but incumbent Sachin Baby remains the favourite.

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) have put to bed the speculations and growing rumours surrounding a potential leadership role for Robin Uthappa after confirming that the 33-year-old will be leading the state in both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20. When Uthappa captained a KCA XI side in the Captain K Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament in Bengaluru last month, it was suspected whether the veteran would do the same in the regular season. But the KCA have now confirmed it, putting an end to all chatter surrounding the matter.

“Uthappa is an India international and we will like to utilise his experience in the best possible way. We have communicated our decision to coach Dav Whatmore and he has expressed no reservation,” KCA secretary Sreejith V Nair was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“We have faith in Robin’s leadership skills and that’s why we have decided to name him captain for the shorter formats,” he added.

However, Nair confirmed that a decision was yet to be taken on who will lead the side in the longer formats. While incumbent Sachin Baby remains favourite, Nair also kept the possibility of Uthappa potentially leading the side in the Ranji Trophy, stating that a decision will be taken after evaluating the Karnataka man’s performance in the shorter formats.

“We will evaluate Robin’s captaincy once both Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournaments end. Ranji Trophy is beginning only in December. So we still have time to take a decision on Kerala’s Ranji Trophy captain,” Nair said.

After 14 years with Karnataka, Uthappa moved to Saurashtra in the 2016/17, but unfortunately missed the entirety of the previous season due to injury. Last month, it was confirmed that the Kolkata Knight Riders man will represent Kerala in the upcoming domestic season.

source: http://www.sportscafe.in / Sports Cafe / Home> Cricket> National> News / by Sports Cafe Desk / August 28th, 2019

Destination Tokyo: Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

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Maneyapanda Muthanna Somaya is a former Indian field hockey player from Coorg, Karnataka. He was a member of Indian squad in many international games, including the team that won the Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games.

Somaya went on to play two more Olympic Games, viz., 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games, and 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games. He was the captain of the 1988 Olympics team.

A member of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Games, he is happy to see more and more youngsters coming forward to take up hockey seriously, and India’s young players impressed him with their determination at the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.

“These days, the opportunities are more in the country. A structure has been formed in most of the sporting disciplines where young talent is encouraged.

They should grab this with both hands. They should focus on sports,” said Somaya, while talking to The Free Press Journal on the eve of the National Sports Day.

Looking ahead for sports in the country in the coming years

Things are looking very bright indeed. We have established our prominence at the Asian and Commonwealth level. The next step is to make a mark at the Olympics.

There have been many new ideas and suggestions. Do you feel they have been implemented if not why?

I feel that there have been many new ideas that have been implemented successfully. The Khelo India scheme has shown great promise in identifying young talent to prepare a wide base of sportspersons for international competitions.

The central and state governments have announced many incentives for successful and aspiring sportspersons that have been well received. Private companies are setting up academies and offering financial aid for sports stars.

Do you feel there is a lack of sports culture in our country? What is the remedy

A sports culture is gradually being propagated among people. There is an increasing awareness of the contribution of sports to overall fitness of an individual.

Infrastructure is being made easily accessible in cities and smaller centres also. An effort is on to integrate sports as part of the curriculum in schools.

India has reduced sports to merely an extra-curricular activity. Your comments

There is an air of positivity in regard with sports in India today. Sports like badminton, kabaddi, table tennis are jostling for space with cricket, hockey and football for viewership.

With the IPL style format competitions in all sports there are lucrative careers on offer. Incentives by the Government and sponsorship by Private companies have given sport great impetus.

Funds have been the main crunch which has been the complaints of many. Your take.

Funds for sports are more easily available today. At the highest level the TOPS scheme provides elite athletes with substantial financial support.

Private organisations like TATAs, Reliance, Jindal and a host of NGOs like Olympic Gold Quest are ensuring that there is a steady stream of funds for sportspersons at different stages of their career.

Your take on lack of Infrastructure, recognition of sports other than cricket, lack of ambition or national plan? I am sure you have a bag full of remedies. Please share

There is already a lot of improvement in infrastructure for other sports in India. These need to be taken to rural areas soon since a lot of the talent is emerging from smaller centres, 2-3 tier cities and villages.

Public-Private Partnership is critical to ensuring that the Infrastructure in the country reaches people even in the remotest areas.

Your comments on our athletes who would board the flight to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, and hockey in special

I’m certain that India will put up a good showing this time at Tokyo 2020. Shooting, Wrestling and Badminton are good medal prospects. In other events too India can push hard for medals.

Our hockey team has done well in the recent Pre- Olympic test event at Tokyo and this augurs well. We have a sound blend of effervescent youngsters and battle hardened players. We have consistently maintained our fifth position in the FIH rankings for the past year.

source: http://www.in.news.yahoo.com / Yahoo News / by Free Press Journal / August 29th, 2019

State’s first BJP chief, A.K. Subbaiah, became one of its fiercest critics

Leaders, Records, All

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Senior politician and the first State president of the BJP A.K. Subbaiah, 85, who passed away in Bengaluru on Tuesday, was responsible for the party taking roots in the State in the 1980s. Later in life, this plain-speaking politician, was also one of the saffron party’s most bitter critics.

Mr. Subbaiah (called AKS) was an enigma for many. He was born on August, 9, 1936, in Belluru village of Virajpet taluk. He began his career as an advocate but then moved to politics. He was imprisoned during the Emergency, later drifted towards Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was elected the first State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980. Known for his fiery speeches, he played a major role in the BJP’s expansion during its infancy in Karnataka along with others like V.S. Acharya and B.S. Yediyurappa. So much so, that by 1983, the BJP had emerged as a significant political force in Karnataka. AKS had rocked the Congress government of Gundu Rao exposing some of its scandals, and the BJP contested in the Assembly elections on its own and won 18 seats.

In view of a hung Assembly and at the instance of the party’s national leadership, BJP ended up extending outside support to the Janata Party which had won 95 seats and formed the government with Ramakrishna Hegde as Chief Minister.

Though influenced by the RSS and the Jana Sangh, he subsequently began speaking out against them and often landed in controversy. Mr. Subbaiah’s views used to be at variance with the BJP’s official stance on various issues, but he was known to speak his mind.

Falling out
As he fell out with the party’s leadership that began to ignore him, Mr. Subbaiah was marginalised within the BJP and began leaning towards the Congress. He served as Congress MLC from 1988 to 1994. Later, he launched his own party — Kannada Nadu — without success. Though he was not a force to reckon with politically in later years, he remained active in public life.

More recently, he had questioned the BJP for its stance against the Tipu Jayanti celebrations, even though it had drawn the wrath of a large number of Kodavas. In the run up to the Assembly elections in 2018, he called for a coalition of like-minded forces to keep communal forces at bay. He had written a book titled RSS Antharanga, critiquing the organisation. He was also part of a three-member committee, along with freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy and the late editor-activist Gauri Lankesh, formed by former CM Siddaramaiah, to rehabilitate and bring to the mainstream left-wing extremists. The committee mediated the mainstreaming of nine of them.

Leaders across party lines condoled his death. CM Yediyurappa said that Mr. Subbaiah built the party from the grassroots and always fought against injustice.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – August 28th, 2019

Entries Invited For Kodava Samaja Scholarship And Honour

Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All

Mysuru:

The Annual Kail-Poldh Festival get-together will be held on Sept. 8 (Sunday) at Kodava Samaja premises in Vijayanagar 1st Stage here.

The day-long programme comprises Ayudha Puja, Sports and Games, Lucky Dip, Honouring eminent Kodavas and distribution of Scholarship to meritorious children. In all, 42 scholarships will be awarded to Kodava students who have studied in Mysuru and passed the respective exams.

Details of Scholarship:

Highest scorers in final exam of 7th Std., SSLC (English), SSLC (CBSE), SSLC (Economically Weaker Section), PUC, BA, B.Com., B.Sc. (Computer Science/Maths), BBM, MBA, Law, MA, M.Com., M.Sc., (PCM/CBZ); BE, BE(Mech), BE (Arch), BE (Computer Science), BDS, MBBS, B.Sc./M.Sc. (Ag.), Diploma in Commercial (Secretarial) Practice, Best sports students in PUC; CBSE XI & XII and ICSE I & II; SSLC (CBSE) Highest marks in Science; PG in Medicine MD or MS; Achievers in Sports at State-level, Graduation in Home Science or Hotel Management; Highest marks in SSLC for Kodava Police Family, Mysore members, Sports Person in Kodava Police Family representing University of Mysore, Kodava Samaja Members.

Applications for the award of Scholarship and Honouring of eminent Kodava Members of Samaja for their achievements in various fields should be sent to Hon. Secretary, Kodava Samaja, Mysuru, to reach before Sept. 3 by 5 pm along with Xerox copies of relevant Marks Card, Certificates, family name and Phone number.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / August 24th, 2019

Karnataka rains: Brahmagiri Hill in Kodagu develops deep cracks

About Kodagu / Coorg, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

Bramhagiri Hill, a place of mythological importance and the birth place of river Cauvery, is one of the most sacrosanct places in Kodagu.

A visual from flood-hit Kodagu district in Karnataka. | Express Photo Services
A visual from flood-hit Kodagu district in Karnataka. | Express Photo Services

Madikeri :

Bramhagiri Hill, a place of mythological importance and the birthplace of river Cauvery, is one of the most sacrosanct places in Kodagu. The historical place has developed cracks following incessant rain. The cracks have extended from the Talacauvery ‘kundike’ (place of holy water) to the top of the Bramhagiri Hill, sending fear among the residents of Bhagamandala and Talacauvery.

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies K Joy requested scientists from the Geological Survey of India to study the landscape and submit a report.

“GSI scientists’ team has visited various spots. A detailed study and precautionary measures that need to be at these places will be submitted in a report on August 22,” he said.

Meanwhile, the residents of Bhagamandala said that the once-untouched hill has now witnessed human interference. One resident said, “During 2016, the forest department had taken earthmovers atop the hill to set up a rainwater harvesting unit. The hill was dug up for this.”

When asked, a former RFO of Bhagamandala, requesting anonymity said that this could not have been the reason for the crack.

“Recently, there had been landslides and earthmovers were used to clear it. This too might have affected the landform,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Pragna G R / Express News Service / August 20th, 2019

After Cracks At Ayyappa Swamy Betta In Virajpet… Cracks In Brahmagiri Hill Worries People Of Kodagu

About Kodagu / Coorg, Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All

CracksKF22aug2019

Madikeri:

A day after inspecting cracks developed at Ayyappa Swamy Hill in Virajpet, a two-member GSI (Geological Survey of India) team visited Brahmagiri Hill range in Talacauvery on Sunday, following reports that huge cracks had developed at several locations in the Hill range.

The GSI team comprising Sunandan Basu and Kapil Sharma inspected Brahmagiri Hill range and studied the hill’s ecology, geology and geographical characteristics.

The team also got to know that the Forest Department had dug pits and planted saplings using heavy machinery, which may have caused loosening of the soil layer on the Hill range, leading to wide cracks.

Basu and Sharma also visited Korangala, where massive landslides were reported and studied about the reasons for such huge landslips.

The cracks on Brahmagiri Hill in Talacauvery, the birthplace of River Cauvery, the lifeline of crores of people along the river basin, has been a cause of worry for local people.

The residents have appealed the Government and the District Administration to take immediate measures to save Brahmagiri Hill range, which they consider as holy and also ecologically sensitive for its lush green cover.

The GSI team, after conducting a thorough study on all factors that have caused cracks in hillocks, is likely to submit a report to the Government on the measures to be taken.

Many Hills under threat of collapse

Meanwhile, many other hillocks elsewhere in Kodagu district are facing the threat of collapse, as cracks have reportedly surfaced in some of them.

After Brahmagiri Hill range in Bhagamandala, Ayyappa Swamy and Malethirike in Virajpet and Manipare Hillock at Thora village along the Kerala border, several other Hills too are said to have developed cracks, giving rise to serious concerns among local people.

Although the district has got a break from rains for the past couple of days, the people living near the hillocks still feel that their troubles are not far from over.

Many residents of Kodagu feel that this year’s rainfall is the highest in decades and has similarities with the 1972 deluge, when rain caused havoc and untold misery. But then, there were not much causalities as the population was less and urbanisation was yet to pick up pace.

But this year, the damage has been extensive with many homes collapsing and hundreds of people taking shelter in relief camps set up by the District Administration.

The district is facing the deluge for the second successive year. Last year, the deluge had devastated the district to such an extent that it will take many years for reconstruction.

Following last year’s rain ravage, a GSI team had extensively toured the district to undertake a detailed study of landslides and landslips. The GSI then had classified dangerous zones under four categories and had warned that villages coming under these zones could face nature’s fury once again. As such, the District Administration had taken many measures on a war-footing to prevent casualties and damages to properties as much as possible.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / August 21st, 2019

The happiness of a long-distance biker

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

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Yoga teacher Sangeetha Jairam rides off into the yonder in her spare time

“I’m no biker chick,” Sangeetha Jairam says firmly. “I am more of an adventure-traveller; my motorcycle is something of a companion-teacher, who has taught, and continues to teach me, a lot about life.”

Biker chick or no, Jairam, who is within eye-balling distance of 50 but doesn’t look it, is definitely one more name added to the growing number of women who make long-distance rides on their motorcycles. Her most recent ride was from Finland to Norway in June 2019. She was part of a group of eight motorcyclists, all riding Japanese bikes, who rode from Helsinki to Nordkapp and back, covering a distance of around 3,600 kilometres in 12 riding days.

Jairam rode a Kawasaki ER6n, a 600cc motorcycle. The itinerary was Helsinki-Kuopio-Kuusamo-Ivalo-Skarsvag-Rovaniemi-Vaasa, and back to Helsinki.
“That was indeed one great experience,” she says, enthusiastically. “Our daily distance bar was set at 500-plus kilometres, and since it was summer in Finland, the sun shone all day and all night, and we couldn’t tell the difference!”

Everything pointed North on that trip. The European Highway E69, has its northern terminus at the North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe accessible by road. The Cape has a 307-metre-high-cliff with a large plateau on top, where visitors, weather permitting, can watch the midnight sun and view the Barents Sea to the North.

“The best part of the ride was reaching Nordkapp, Land’s End of the European continent, 2,093 kilometres from the North Pole,” says Jairam. “To get there, we had to ride around the Arctic Sea, which was a stunningly scenic road. I had my first-ever experience of the Arctic gale there. At times, it took real effort to keep the motorcycle from rising up in the air! Since it’s the Arctic region, there was hardly any vegetation except rolling grasslands and lots of reindeer skipping across the road. It was truly an amazing ride.”

Jairam inherited a passion for bikes from her father. “After he graduated, my father returned to India from Germany in 1964 on a motorcycle! All my childhood, I saw him on a motorcycle, so it was only normal for me to ride one.”

Currently, she alternates between riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan and a Hero MotoCorp Impulse, but her all-time favourites continue to be the BMW, Triumph and Honda motorcycles.

It’s not all been smooth riding, of course. While riding in Bhutan, some years ago, she got over the Pele La pass and the bike had a flat tyre. “It was 4pm, not a good time to be stuck in the mountains,” she recalls. “It was late, the light was fading and the skies opened up! Then, a lone vehicle came over the pass, a pick-up truck, onto which my bike was loaded; the next repair shop was 70 kilometres ahead, and on that track, it meant a travel time of four hours. But this experience taught me that bikers are blessed; my initial dismay turned to pure exhilaration!”

Discussing her enthusiasm for riding bikes, Jairam, who often takes solo trips, says riding motorcycles is a hobby and travelling to experience new places and people is a passion. “I would not call it an expensive hobby because this is what I love doing most. There is little else I spend on, I save to moto-travel.”

Jairam grew up in Coorg and did her schooling at The Lawrence School, Lovedale in the Nilgiris, where she says she had the best time of her life. “I always wanted to ‘give back’ to the school, and three years ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to introduce yoga into the school curriculum.”

Interacting with children has to be the best job on earth, she avers. “Children are awesome, they keep me fully engaged. Just like riding motorcycles, my day job, too, has taught me so much and given me immeasurable happiness.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Motoring / by Sheila Kumar / August 21st, 2019

Hopes brighten for veteran’s efforts to include wife’s name in Army records

Records, All
A file photo of war veteran Belliappa Motaiah (left), his wife M.C. Jancy, and VKET president M.N. Subramani. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A file photo of war veteran Belliappa Motaiah (left), his wife M.C. Jancy, and VKET president M.N. Subramani. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The MEG, in April this year turned down 66-year-old Belliappa Motaiah’s plea to include his wife C.M. Jancy’s name in the records,
An Indo-Pak war veteran’s struggle to include his wife’s name in Indian Army records appears to have crossed a major roadblock with the Integrated Headquarters (IHQ) of the Ministry of Defence (Army) taking note of his plight and communicating the matter to the Madras Engineer Group (MEG).

The MEG, which in April this year turned down 66-year-old Belliappa Motaiah’s plea to include his wife C.M. Jancy’s name in the records, has now sent a letter to the Kodagu-based ex-serviceman, asking for an application to be sent again through the district office of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement.

The MEG’s apparent turnaround comes after The Hindu carried a report on Vekare Ex-Servicemen Trust (VKET), an NGO assisting ex-servicemen and their dependants, questioning the Army’s propriety in rejecting the veteran’s plea on the grounds that his service documents were destroyed 25 years after his retirement.

After the IHQ sent a “signal”, considered to be the fastest mode of communication in the Army, the MEG wrote to Mr. Motaiah asking for a fresh application along with the relevant documents.

Mr. Motaiah joined the Indian Army in the “boys company” of the MEG and Centre on April 20, 1968. He married Ms. Jancy in May 1986, about five years after he was discharged on his request on October 21, 1981.

While Mr. Motaiah is planning to send the application and documents after the rain fury in Kodagu abates, VKET president M.N. Subramani wondered why the MEG requires an application to be sent afresh. “They have asked for a fresh application and documents only to cover up their mistake,” he said.

Referring to the MEG seeking Ms. Jancy’s school certificate, along with the other documents, Mr. Subramani said such a certificate was “irrelevant”. “It amounts to harassing the applicant,” he said.

In his original application, Mr. Motaiah had included copies of marriage certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriage, an affidavit sworn before the notary, his service ID card, his army discharge book, and Aadhaar card details.

Mr. Subramani also asked why the Indian Army does not standardise the functioning, policies, and formats concerning the issues and welfare of veterans and their widows, as the Navy and Air Force have done.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – August 19th, 2019

Kodagu: Battling nature’s fury for two years in a row

About Kodagu / Coorg, Business & Economy, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All
In action: For the people of flood-hit region, the presence of rescue personnel has infused a strong sense of security. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In action: For the people of flood-hit region, the presence of rescue personnel has infused a strong sense of security. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Rescue prersonnel tread treacherous terrain in flood-affected Kodagu

Wading through slush, climbing slippery slopes, and battling inclement weather from dawn to night without respite is a matter of routine for the rescue teams stationed in the flood-affected Kodagu.

Rain may have abated but the search for missing persons continued at Thora village late on Wednesday as well, when the rescue teams recovered a body of a person buried in the mud.

The teams include three units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a column of the Indian Army, and Garuda — the State Commando team under the Centre for Counter Terrorism, apart from personnel of the Fire and Emergency Services, Civil Defence Quick Response Team, KSRP, and the local police, and hundreds of volunteers. For them it is the second consecutive year of battling a natural calamity in the district.

Thora, the toughest

A senior member of the Garuda team who was part of the mission said Thora was the worst affected this year and was comparable to Jodupala in 2018 in terms of the treacherous nature of the terrain. “There were other places too in Kodagu where people were affected by the overflowing river. But in terms of landslips and mud, Thora reminded one of Jodupala,” said the official. He said it was an impossible situation with a river of mud flowing down the hills and one was not sure if the ground beneath the feet was stable.

The team camped at a place nearly a kilometre away from the main road on sighting a few shreds of clothes and other signs of human habitation, which was otherwise obliterated. “Based on the assessment of the ground situation, we zeroed in on a specific point to dig out the mud and found the buried body,” said the Garuda force member.

The trek back was equally dangerous as they had to carry the body on a stretcher for nearly a kilometre in a terrain where their legs would sink knee deep in mud. They made it back to the base camp late in the night. This was just one of the many missions undertaken during the week when Kodagu was inundated.

For the people of the region, the presence of rescue personnel in their orange outfit — as in the case of the NDRF — has infused a strong sense of security. The Kodagu district administration had ensured the deployment of rescue teams and conducted a few rescue drills before the advent of the southwest monsoon in June. As the first signs of the unfolding crisis emerged, with water rising owing to heavy rain, the rescue teams swung into action to evacuate people to safety.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – August 15th, 2019

Hyderabad Open: Silver for Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Top-seeded Indian women’s double champions Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy won the silver at the Hyderabad Open badminton championship, losing to Korean players Baek Ha Na and Jung Kyung Eun in the final clash. The pair lost to the Korean champions 17-21, 17-21 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

Reddy took to social media to announce the silver in an emotional post: “It’s silver medal for me and my partner @p9ashwini in Hyderabad open Grand Prix.

We had played pretty good matches from the first round but unfortunately we couldn’t pull the finals match which will make us learn and get better. I would like to thank each and everyone who came and supported us especially to my family, friends, fans and well wishers. I have nothing but gratitude. Also it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my coaches, support staff and to my sponsors…. Thank you everyone #nevergiveup #toughsituationsbuildstrongpeople #keepfighting #bepositive”

Meanwhile, reighning national champion Sourabh Verma defeated Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 21-13, 14-21, 21-16 in the 52-minute final to win the men’s single title.

source: http://www.femina.in / Femina / Home> Trending> Achievers / by femina / August 12th, 2019