Category Archives: Records, All

Chikkarangappa wins in playoff

Records, All, Sports

Defending champion Shiva Ram shares fifth position‚ Sanjay finishes ninth

THT Minister for Communication and Information Minendra Rijal and Managing Director of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Abhimanyu Poddar (right) handing over the Surya Nepal Masters trophy to India’s Chikkarangappa S at the Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu on Saturday.
THT
Minister for Communication and Information Minendra Rijal and Managing Director of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Abhimanyu Poddar (right) handing over the Surya Nepal Masters trophy to India’s Chikkarangappa S at the Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Kathmandu :

Chikkarangappa S defeated fellow Indian pro Shankar Das in the second playoff hole to win the Surya Nepal Masters at the Gokarna Golf Club today.

The match went to extra holes after the duo returned with matching scores of 15-under 273. While overnight leader Chikkarangappa – who began the day with three stroke advantage — played an even-par 72 in the final round, Das carded a four-under 68 to force the playoff.

Both the players saved pars on the first extra hole before Chikkarangappa carded a birdie on the second hole after Das failed to make it from 15 feet. Last year’s runner-up Abhijit Singh Chadha (68) and Abhinav Lohan (70) shared the third position at 14-under.

Defending champion and Nepal No 1 pro Shiva Ram Shrestha fired five-under 67 — his second in the tournament — to share the fifth spot with first-round leader Angad Cheema at 13-under 275. Former winner Shamim Khan was next at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Feroz Ali Mollah.

Out of the total cash purse of Rs 4.8 Million, Chikkarangappa pocketed Rs 775,920, while Das received Rs 535,920. Chadha and Lohan earned Rs 271,920 each, while Shiva Ram and Cheema got Rs 183,120 apiece. Minister for Communication and Information Minendra Rijal and Managing Director of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Abhimanyu Poddar handed over the prizes to the winners.

Shiva Ram made a desired start with birdies on the second and third holes before dropping a shot on the next. He then eagled the par-5 seventh to take the turn at three-under 33. Shiva Ram, who won the last year’s title beating Chadha in playoff, carded two straight birdies on the 11th and 12th and faced his second bogey of the day on the next hole. He then carded a birdie on the 16th to finish the back nine at two-under 34.

“The second round score of even-par made all the difference,” said Shiva Ram. “I was concentrating in my own game today but when I saw the scores on the 12th hole, I felt that I can catch them. But I fell behind after I missed birdie chances on the 15th and 18th holes,” said Shiva Ram.

Nepal’s Sanjay Lama (70) was tied on ninth position along with Asbeer Saini, Gulfam and Sanjay Kumar at eight-under 280. Among other Nepali golfers, home club pro Umesh Nagarkoti (70) shared the 15th position at six-under 282, while Surya Prasad Sharma (72) was tied on 31st at one-over. Purna Sharma (71) and Suman Rai (72) shared the 37th position at three-over, while Toran Bikram Shahi (74) and Rabi Khadka (76) were tied on 40th at four-over 292.

Veteran Deepak Thapa Magar (74) — the first Nepali pro to win the Masters in 2007 — finished 43rd at eight-over, while Pashupati Sharma (82) shared the 49th position at 18-over. Bikash Bogati (77) won the amateur section title with the total score of 11-over 299, while Sanjeev CK (77) came second at 16-over in the two-man field after the duo survived the cut.

source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com / The Himalayan Times / Home> Full News / Himalayan News Service / Kathmandu – April 26th, 2014

On William Bentinck’s trail

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

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Governor-General William Bentinck’s trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty in 1834 when he coordinated the attack on the ‘problematic’ raja of Coorg, Chikka Veerarajendra is well-documented in the book titled ‘Ootacamund-A History’, written by Sir Frederick Price in 1908.

Chikka Veerarajendra and the East India Company were at loggerheads since 1830.

Governor General William Bentinck who was more interested in reforming India than in annexing new territories, had to deal with the Raja of Coorg who had dared the British by keeping in custody one of their emissaries, Kullapalli Karunakaran Menon.

A long sojourn

Lord William Bentinck set out from Calcutta on 3 February 1834, on board the Curacoa to Madras.

He wanted a first-hand assessment of the situation in Coorg and for this purpose, the commander-in-chief Sir Robert O’Callaghan was in attendance.

The Governor General also had to deal with administrative issues concerning Mysore. The reason for him to visit Ooty for an extended stay was to improve his rather poor health.

Bentinck reached Madras on 15 February 1834 and set out for Bangalore via Vellore.

In Bangalore ,strategies on Coorg were finalised in consultations with Sir Robert O’Callaghan.

Lord Bentinck halted in Mysore and was put up at the precursor to Rajendra Vilas Palace atop Chamundi Hill, which was originally built by Robert H Cole, the earlier British resident at Mysore.

Bentinck set out for Ooty via Gundlepet, and it was while they were travelling on 15 March 1834, that war was declared on Coorg.

Lord Bentinck’s entourage reached Ooty on 22 March. At Ooty, the only suitable accommodation for the staff of the Governor-General and that of the Commander-in-Chief was “Sir William Rambold’s Large House”, which was a grand hotel built in 1832 by an influential British entrepreneur named William Rambold.

However, Rambold soon ran into financial difficulties. The hotel was rented frequently by senior officers of the East India Company.

It was in 1842 that Rambold’s Large House became the Ootacamund Club, or the Ooty Club.

During Lord Bentinck’s sojourn in Ooty, Lord Babington Macaulay arrived at the hill station on 25 June, 1834.

The Governor-General and Macaulay met each other for the first time at Rambold’s Large House.

Macaulay chose a small cottage nearby where he lived for several months to write the Indian Penal Code.

Governor-General Bentinck stayed in Ooty till end of September 1834.

On his return journey, he again passed through Mysore and reached Bangalore on 9 October.

He sailed aboard the Curacao on 26 October from Madras and reached Calcutta on 14 November 1834.

Wild rumours

There are also records of Lord Dalhousie’s sojourn in Ooty from 7 March 1855 to 29 October 1855.

Dalhousie’s visit was primarily for health reasons. However, he was not too comfortable in Ooty and soon shifted to Kotagiri.

During Dalhousie’s stay in Nilgiris, one of his ADCs took permission to visit Coorg, where his brother was a coffee planter.

It was in 1852, that Dalhousie reluctantly gave permission to the Raja of Coorg to travel to England along with his daughter Gowramma.

The Aide-de-camp (ADC), on his return, narrated an amusing incident to his boss. Coorg being a rather remote province, news from the outside world took time to percolate.

Very often, wild rumours floated amongst the small but growing community of British planters. One such rumour was that the British and their allies had lost the Crimean War and that Queen Victoria and her family had fled to India!

However, Dalhousie who had a temporary telegraph line installed at Nilgiris had already received the news that the British and their allies had taken Sevastopol from the Russians.

On his journey back to Calcutta, Dalhousie stopped in Bangalore during early November 1855, and was the guest of Sir Mark Cubbon. Dalhousie narrated the Coorg rumour to the British officers and after inspecting the troops, he formally announced the fall of Sevastopol.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by CP Belliappa / April 2014 (28th)

Joshna Chinappa stuns former World No. 1 to win Richmond Open

Records, All, Sports

Chinappa dominated the second game before Grinham fought back in the third. (TOI Photo)
Chinappa dominated the second game before Grinham fought back in the third. (TOI Photo)

Richmond :

Joshna Chinappa of India ended a career-long losing run to Australia’s former world champion Rachael Grinham when she upset the top seed in straight games to win the inaugural $10,000 Richmond Open.

World No.21 Chinappa beat her 16th-ranked opponent 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 for the first time in six meetings to bag her ninth Women’s Squash Association (WSA) tour title at the Country Club of Virginia on Saturday.

With the victory, Chinappa also avenged her defeat of the Texas Open last week when she lost to the 37-year-old Australian in just 24 minutes.

For Grinham, it was the 65th final appearance since making her first tour final back in March 1998 while it was the 16th final for the Indian.

Tournament spokesman Kristen Lange narrated the final. “Starting the first game, Grinham came out swinging, firing her way to a 6-2 lead – however Chinappa surged back through consistent play to level the game off at 6-6,” Lange said.

“From here it was a battle to 11, with the lead oscillating between the two players until a couple unfortunate mistakes gave Chinappa the first game,” he said.

Chinappa dominated the second game before Grinham fought back in the third.

“The start of the third game was once again all Chinappa as she quickly sailed to an 8-2 lead. Never one to be counted out Grinham fought her way back to 8-8, however it was a case of too little too late as Grinham made three critical errors to give Joshana her first win over the courageous Australian,” Lange added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports / PTI / April 20th, 2014

Kodagu fighting to maintain its existence

About Kodagu / Coorg, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

The glorious credentials of Kodagu, one of the smallest districts in the State, appears to be on the wane, and the land of Kodavas is literally fighting to maintain its existence in many ways.

Kodagu was a Part ‘C’ State, one of the 10 such regions carved out after the country got Independence, before its merger with the then Mysore in 1956. The others were Ajmer, Cooch Behar, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kutch, Manipur and Tripura.

Different scenario
As a State, Kodagu had proved that smaller States could ensure all-round development. The current scenario is different. People cry foul over the “imperviousness” of the elected representatives and the powers that be in terms of attention to the district’s development.

Rapid urbanisation, cash crops being affected by diseases, fluctuating prices of the crops, poor road and power infrastructure, lack of clarity on land tenures, and destruction of forests on the pretext of development haunt the people. Drinking water and regular power supply, telecommunication network and transportation facilities, educational institutions, anganwadi centres and hospitals in villages are still a far cry. Monsoon brings its own misery to the district. None is sure whether or not the next Member of Parliament representing Kodagu (which is part of the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency) would be available to sort out the district’s problems. “Look at the state of roads from Hunsur to Gonicoppa,” said P.T. Bopanna, veteran journalist who has focussed on the issue of lack of development in the district on his web portals.

Politicians cannot remain oblivious to the problems Kodagu is facing, K.G. Ajith, a resident of Madikeri, said. They ought to pay attention and be held accountable, he said.

In 1952, elections were held for the 24 seats of the Coorg legislative body amid stiff opposition to the merger plans. The Congress won 15 seats and Independents (opposing merger) won nine seats. C.M. Poonacha of the Congress became the Chief Minister and K. Mallappa was the Home Minister. Under various circumstances Coorg was merged with the then Mysore in 1956.

Merger
The merger followed the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission led by Fazal Ali. All through the Poonacha regime, the relationship between the government and the people was exemplary and cordial, according to C.M. Ramachandra, the former Chief of Bureau of The Hindu in Bangalore.

In 2008, the Delimitation Commission merged parts of the Somwarpet Assembly constituency with Madikeri and Virajpet constituencies, reducing the number of Assembly segments in the district to two. The reason attributed was low population figures.

After being with the Mangalore Lok Sabha constituency, Kodagu was included in the Mysore Lok Sabha constituency.

The Codava National Council led by N.U. Nachappa, which launched a struggle some 22 years ago, has diluted its demand for a statehood to Kodagu. The council now seeks an autonomous status for Kodagu within Karnataka. “The CNC will restore the glory of Kodagu,” Mr. Nachappa said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by J. Jeevan Chinnappa / Bangalore – April 20th, 2014

71.94 voter turnout in Kodagu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All

The voting was peaceful in Madikeri and Virajpet Assembly constituencies which come under Mysore Lok Sabha constituency. While Madikeri recorded 73.84 per cent voter turn out, Virajpet recorded 70.04 per cent thus registering a total voting percentage of 71.94.
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The voting was peaceful without any untoward incidents. The voters have decided the fate of the 15 candidates including H Vishwanath of Congress, Prathap Simha of BJP and Chandrashekaraiah of JDS. The counting is scheduled for May 16, at Mysore District Centre.

The voting was brisk in almost all polling booths at morning and in some booths voters turned out afternoon. Madikeri observed drizzling at 2 pm, but it stopped soon after 20 minutes without disturbing the polling process.

Voters stood in long queue to excersice their franchise at Madikeri, Onachalu, Moornadu, Virajpet, Arji, Ammatti-Kaarmaadu, Siddapur, Nelmahudikeri, Vaalnuru, Nanjarayapattana, Kushalanagar, Somwarpet, Guddehosur, Suntikoppa, Kambibaane, Chettalli and other areas. Senior citizens took help from others to cast their vote.

First time voters were happy after exercising their franchise. They showed their fingers marked with ink to media persons.

In Dabbadka polling booth, the voting was delayed by one and half hours because of some problem in Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). The staff had to change the EVM to start the polling.

In Madikeri, the stores and complexes were closed and the city wore a deserted look. One of the resident of city said that because of awareness programmes, the turnout was good.

As it was government holiday and some private companies also declared holiday, the voters’ turnout was good. People came from far away places to exercise their franchise, he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Madikeri – DHNS, April 17th, 2014

Mysorean’s film nominated for Dada Saheb Phalke film fest

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All
Devieka at work
Devieka at work

Here is another pride of Mysore — Devieka Bopiah, a specialist in Film and Video Design. Her graduation film ‘The Transition’ has been nominated for the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2014 and has also won an award in the Pune Design Festival 2014.

Devieka’s love for design began early whilst in School which was encouraged when she joined the MIT Institute of Design, Pune. Previously, in 2012 she made a music video called ‘African Tadka’ and was given ‘The Best Music Video’ award in the Mumbai Short International Film Festival.

“Though I am from Kodagu, having done my schooling from various cities around the country has made me cosmopolitan,” she says. “My love for design began when I was about 16 years old. Studying in Rajasthan, I was intrigued by the art, culture around me and got my first digital camera around the same time with which, began my hobby of photography. There was no stopping after that; my parents encouraged me to do whatever I wanted as long as it was safe and promising,” says Devieka.

Devieka has completed four-and-a-half years specialisation in Film and Video Design.

“I love what I am doing and am confident to face the future in Film Making. I fix schedules and deadlines when I work. It gives me satisfaction to complete before time and review my work before submission. With encouragement from my faculty, I have been able to complete my diploma film three months ahead of time and concentrate on my career,” she said.

“I enjoy travelling and experiencing different cultures while exploring photography along the way. The best experience I have had was in The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. If you enjoy wildlife and you like photography, Serengeti and the other National Parks in Tanzania is the place to be,” she said.

Devieka Bopiah is the daughter of Moodera Raajeev and Kaveryh Bopiah, residents of Siddharthanagar in Mysore. She intends to pursue a career in Production or Editing.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by K. M. Chengappa / April 10th, 2014

Nidhi Subbaiah to feature in a college documentary

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

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Actress Nidhi Subbaiah, who did her engineering in Mysore’s Sri Jayachamarajendra Engineering College, will be seen in a documentary film which is being made by the students of SJCE to commemorate the golden jubilee celebration of the college.

The actress took to her micro-blogging website page to share the information, “In Mysore, students from my coll SJCE dropped in to interview me for a documentary they’re making! 50 years of Jayciana..Where it all began!” Nidhi, who got nostalgic, further posted, “Such free spirited wonderful people! Miss the time when I used to be organising the college festival!.. Student life in Mysore City.”

Before foraying into Bollywood, the actress had acted in Kannada movies like Pancharangi and Krishnan Marriage Story. There are reports that the actress, who is looking for quality scripts, may soon sign couple of Kannada projects.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies / TNN / April 07th, 2014

The Tamara Coorg wins ‘Best Luxury Resort In South India’ award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All

The Tamara Coorg won the ‘Best Luxury Resort in South India’ award at the South India Travel Awards held in Hyderabad on March 27, 2014. DDP Publications gave away the award at Radisson Blu Hotel at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad.

This exclusive event is presented in four regional editions, with South India as the first event. The award recognises the ‘best of the best’ in travel and tourism in the country. The winners from each zone will now participate in Pan-India awards to be held later in the year.

Senthil Kumar N, Director and CEO, The Tamara Coorg said, “We are really pleased to win this prestigious award. This is a wonderful confirmation of our exclusive service in the luxury segment & our offering to discerning travellers seeking elevated experiences.”

source: http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com / HospitalityBizIndia.com / Home> NewsTrack / by HBI Staff – Mumbai / Monday – April 07th, 2014

Forum to raise funds to convert Sunny Side into a memorial

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

The Tipu Sultan Nagarika Vedike Kodagu district unit has said that the unit was ready to raise funds from the public to pay Rs 7,80,541 to the Transport department to get the custody of Sunny Side, ancestral house of General K S Thimmaiah.

It was a long pending demand to convert Sunny Side into a memorial.
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Addressing a press meet, district unit President K M Kunhi Abdulla said, that the government had announced that Sunny Side would be converted into a memorial eight years ago. However, it has not seen any progress. After the death of General Thimmaiah, his wife had sold the building to the Transport department.

However, owing to lack of maintenance the building was in a deplorable condition. The government should respond to the demands of the people.”

Kannada and Culture department has already written to the government to pay Rs 7,80,541 to take over the building. “If the government fails to initiate measures to convert the building into a memorial, a protest rally will be held in Bangalore. We will extend our support to the Field Marshal K M Cariappa and General Thimmaiah Forum.”

Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy said that the State government had earmarked Rs 1 crore in the budget in 2006. “The respective BJP and Congress governments failed to convert the building into a memorial,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS – Madikeri, April 04th, 2014

‘Rajara Gadduge’ gets ` 20 lakh for renovation

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Funds will be utilised for renovation and electrification
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The State government has released Rs 20 lakh for the renovation of Rajara Gadduge, one of the historical tourist spot near Banni Mantapa in Madikeri.

The State government has earmarked the funds for the renovation work in the last budget and has handed it over to archeological department.

The responsibility of the conservation of the Gadduge has been handed over to the archeological department. The department is getting ready to renovate three mausoleums. The funds have been deposited to the account of the department last month.

Tender was invited for the renovation work. However, no bidder had come forward to take up the work. Now, the department is thinking of taking up the work on its own or call for a re-tender. The decision on the same will be taken up after the Lok Sabha polls, said Archeological department Assistant Officer Sathish.

In the released amount, the work on electrification, painting and renovation of mausoleum of Raja Purohith Rudrappa situated on the left hand side of mausoleums of Chikkarajendra and his wife will be taken up, he said.

The Madikeri Urban Development Authority had laid a park at the Gadduge two years ago. However, owing to lack of maintenance, the park is crying for attention.

Visitors said “the park should be maintained well. Information boards should be installed at strategic locations in and around Madikeri city to furnish details on the Gadduge.”

On Gadduge

Rajara Gadduge is the mausoleum of the former kings of Kodagu namely Doddaveerarajendra, Lingarajendra and Rajaguru Rudrappa. Gadduge has two identical square structures, which are the tombs of the king Doddaveerarajendra and his queen.

They are close to each other, built in Indo-Sarcanic style, flaunting domes and pillars. There is tomb of Lingarajendra which was built by his son Chikkaveerarajendra in 1820. There is a tomb of Purohith Rudrappa which was built in 1834.

There are tombs of commander-in-chief Biddanda Bopu and his son Biddanda Somaiah, who were killed in their fight against Mysore Emeperor Tippu Sulthan.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS / Madikeri – March 23rd, 2014