There’s more trouble brewing for Indian coffee exporters, who are not just facing a slump in overall demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also staring at a loss of share in Italy, their largest export market, to exporters from Uganda.
Indian coffees are facing stiff competition from low-cost producer Uganda in the Italian market, which they have been dominating for over past three decades now. Italy accounts for about a fifth of India’s coffee exports.
Indian coffees in Italy are largely sold in the premium segment, such as in cafes and coffee bars. Brazil, the largest coffee producer, dominates the Italian market with half the market share, followed by India, which has a share of around 20 per cent, and other major producers such as Vietnam and Uganda.
“The Ugandans are trying to get as much as possible in the Italian market in the current scenario and that’s a big worry for us,” said Ramesh Rajah, President of the Coffee Exporters Association.
The Ugandan robustas, which are comparable to the Indian variety in terms or quality, are priced cheaper by at least $200 per tonne or about 20 per cent, which is attracting buyers’ interest in Italy, he said.
“During normal circumstances, consumers want quality and are willing to pay more. As the Italian economy is facing a tough times due to the pandemic, consumers are starting to look for better-value coffee. They now see Uganda, which is 20 per cent cheaper than India, as a good value proposition. Vietnam is even cheaper but because of taste and other factors, it is mainly sold commercial packaged coffee segment and not in the premium segment of Italy. The premium segment got more affected during the pandemic than the commercial coffees and is hitting us the most,” Rajah said.
Shipments drop 27%
Coffee shipments to Italy in the first half of calendar 2020 have dropped 27 per cent at 36,547 tonnes, compared to 50,513 tonnes in the same period last year. The arabica shipment to Italy was 14 per cent lower at 4,774 tonnes (5,577 tonnes), while robusta exports took a major beating as shipments were lower by 27 per cent at 31,134 tonnes (42,658 tonnes). During the same period, total coffee exports from India were down 16 per cent in volume terms and value at 1.78 lakh tonnes (2.11 l t) and $404 million ($482 m) respectively.
“For the unwashed robustas, India is facing competition from lower-priced origins like Uganda. Although the Indian quality is sought after, importers do consider more price-efficient coffees. This is more evident under the current Covid-19 circumstances, where more competitively priced coffees are likely to find favour with buyers,” said Anil Ravindran, Partner at RV Commodities, an exporter in Bengaluru.
In fact, the Ugandans are trying to regain their market share in Italy from the India exporters, to whom they had lost market share about three decades earlier. “We took the market 30 years ago, and they are trying to come back now,” Rajah said.
Logistical challenges
Indian exporters had displaced the Ugandans in Italy as the land-locked African producer had faced logistical challenges in shipping out its coffees then. “We never tried to undercut others when we gained the market in Italy. Our selling proposition was reasonable price and reliable supplies throughout the year and our coffees are better prepared and have less imperfections. We gave better products and started getting premiums. As the customers started getting used to our coffees, the premiums started going up,” Rajah said.
So, it is these premiums that are proving to be a challenge for the exporters in retaining their markets. Though the quantum of premium has come down, the Indian robustas still attract a higher price over the London terminal (LIFFE). At present, the Indian robusta cherry is attracting a premium of $500-$600 per tonne over the LIFFE, while a buyer in Italy can get Ugandan coffee at $250-300 above the terminal price. “We are seen as unreliable now as our premiums are too high. Losing the market to Ugandans will have a long-term impact,” Rajah said.
Further, Indian exporters are finding it difficult to match Ugandan prices as that would mean having to source cheap and reduce the prices, which would hurt the growers’ realisations at the back-end. This, when growers are already reeling under the impact of multi-year low prices.
Rajah said the Government should step in and immediately support the exporters to defend their markets, either by increasing the incentive under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) to 5 per cent, or implementing the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme at the earliest, while ensuring credit facility at reduced interest rates.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Agri-Business / by Vishwanath Kulkarni / July 09th, 2020
If rains do not play spoilsport, India’s coffee production this year will be in the range of 3,20,000 tonnes to 340,000 tonnes, according to planters.
This is far better than the last two flood-hit years, when production was way below 3,00,000 tonnes.
As of now, coffee plantations have received only 30% of the rain, including the blossom showers in March and the showers in the following months. Rainfall during August and September will be the deciding factor as excessive rains can lead to floods, landslides, wet-footing (coffee plants standing in water and decaying) and berry-shedding.
“This year’s crop is expected to be much better than last two years,” said Bose Mandanna, a major planter in Kodagu and a former Coffee Board member.
“We have received some rain at the time of spike formation and flowering. Another 50-60% of well-distributed rains are needed for best berry development, spring cultivation and recharging of water tables. If all goes well we will have a bigger crop this year.’’
Ramesh Rajah, President, Coffee Exporters Association said, “The next two to three months will decide the future. We can’t afford to face another year of huge losses.’’
Due to excessive rains, flooding and water logging, the country’s coffee production was below the annual average of 300,000 tonnes in 2018 and 2019. In the current crop year, the planters expect a 40% increase in coffee production, with Robusta at 2,40,000 tonnes and Arabica at around 100,000 tonnes. The Coffee Board’s crop estimate will come out in September/post-monsoon.
Meanwhile, the labour shortage has become even more acute as a large population of workers returned home in the wake of the pandemic.
“We need to have more workers returning by harvest time in December. Labour situation has always been bad and Covid-19 has made it worse. Due to shortage of labour a lot of our operations are on hold,’’ said KPA chairman Shirish Vijayendra.
Harvesting of Arabica will commence in December, while Robusta harvest will be spread across January and February.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business / by Mini Tejaswi / August 01st, 2020
Karnataka teems with different versions of Kannada. There are more than 30 dialects of the language, which contribute to the linguistic richness of present-day Karnataka.
Kavirajamarga, the earliest available work on rhetoric, grammar and poetics in Kannada, from the 9th century CE, speaks of the two major dialectic divisions of Kannada: Dakshina and Uttara. Sri Vijaya, the author of Kavirajamarga alludes to many varieties of Kannada, hinted at by the use of the phrase “Kannadangal”.
Today, traditional linguists broadly classify Kannada into four geographical regions: Mysuru, Mangaluru, Dharwad and Kalaburagi Kannada. In these regions, various communities use a specific dialect as their mother tongue, whether it is Halakki Kannada, Havyaka Kannada, Kota Kannada, Rama Kshatriya Kannada, Badaga Kannada (spoken by the Badaga community in the Nilgiri region in Tamil Nadu) or even Arebase.
Arebase is a dialect of Kannada spoken by the Gowda community in the Kodagu and Sullia regions of Dakshina Kannada, and also in the eastern parts of Kerala’s Kasaragod district.
Arebase is also known as ‘‘Gowda Kannada”, a term first coined by the late Prof Mariappa Bhat, a renowned Kannada scholar.
In 15th century CE, the Gowdas from the ‘Aiguru Seeme’ of Hassan district migrated and settled down in different regions of Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu. However, over the centuries, those who settled amidst the Tulu-speaking communities in Puttur, Belthangady, Karkala, Vitla of Dakshina Kannada adopted the culture of Tulu Nadu, picking up the local language and worshipping deities in the tradition of ‘Daivaradhana’ of coastal Karnataka. In Kodagu, they picked up aspects of Kodava culture.
Purusha bhootha, the Kannada speaking deity of Arebase communities. Photos by Lokesha Kunchadka
However, the community also developed its own distinct identity, preserved through its language. For instance, the community worships the daivas (spirits) in Arebase.
Arebase shows differences in phonetics, syntax and morphology when compared with standard Kannada. Some of the vowels not present in the Kannada alphabet are considered phonetic in Arebase. The meaning of a word also changes with a change in pronunciation, an aspect of Arebase that is difficult to capture using standard Kannada font.
There are three major variations within Arebase: Subrahmanya, Peraje/Sampaje and Madikeri/Bhagamandala Arebase.
In literature and theatre
Today, there are earnest efforts to ensure the representation of this dialect in literature and theatre. Prof Kodi Kushalappa Gowda, who was a Kannada professor in Madras University, has written Ramayana in Arebase called Manasa Ramayana. Academician K R Gangadhar had prepared a lexicon for Arebase. Then there are Dr Purushothama Bilimale — who has studied the Gowda community, Dr Vishvanatha Badikana — who studied the folk tales of the language, Dr Poovappa Kaniyuru, A K Himakara, Sanjeeva Kudpaje, Kaveramma and Vidyadhara Baddadka who are prominent writers, poets and scholars in Arebase.
Lokesh Urubailu is a young theatre artist who directs Arebase dramas like Mayaka. ‘Mudupu’ is a popular monthly magazine in Arebase run by Vinod Mudugadde.
“Most of the minor languages like Arebase have been restricted to specific communities or caste. These languages should come out of that frame. All the minor languages in India which have been listed in 2011 census should be empowered. India should develop a proper language policy for that,” says Dr Purushothama Bilimale, Professor of Kannada and Kannada Language Chair at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
However, it would be a mistake to limit this dialect to a particular caste; in Sullia, for instance, almost all the merchants communicate in Arebase.
The best example of this exchange of cultures, perhaps comes from a Yakshagana Prasanga written in Arebase by Kepu Ajala, who is a non-Gowda.
The World Arebase Literary Meet (virtual) scheduled on August 3 is expected to give a push to language enhancement and cultural exchange.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Top Stories / by DHNS / August 01st, 2020
In Nov 1948, Thimayya moved Stuart tanks in utmost secrecy by dismantling their turrets and used them in direct firing role that led to the capture of Zoji-la which had evaded capture on previous instances. It was because Zoji-la was in our hands that liberation of Kargil was possible in 1999.
General KS Thimayya
There were three elements to India’s largely unknown role in the Korean War 1950-1953. This is the second in a continuing series on that conflict. For the earlier story on the 60th Para, click here (https://bit.ly/2DW0PHS)
India became a member of the United Nations when the organization was founded on October 24th, 1945. Established to ensure world peace—among other goals— after a ruinous World War, the UN has had a mixed track record. One of its successes, however, was the bringing of the Korean War to a close. India played a unique role in bringing the conflict to a speedy conclusion by advocating against a policy being debated at the UN which could have led to the war’s prolongation or escalation. That war was also the first commitment to a UN assignment by an independent India and the Indian Army. This contribution and the men who made it a success are still celebrated as heroes for their commitment and courage.
The Korean War began on 25th June 1950 and would rage for three long years between the Western alliance—led by the USA under a UN resolution called the UN Command—and a Socialist alliance of North Korea and China (known as the Korean People’s Army (KPA) and the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV)) supported by the Soviet Union. The two sides reached a military stalemate by the middle of 1953 and had agreed on the terms of a ceasefire. In truth, the war would have come to an end in 1952 if the peace talks held at Panmunjom on October 25, 1951 could have reached a decision on the question of prisoner swaps. This was a contentious topic, and one where India finally found the solution—a solution accepted nearly unanimously by the UN, allowing for the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. India’s efforts to find a compromise failed more often than not, increasing tensions between India and the United States, and even South Korea. The US had reasons to suspect Indian neutrality as we were among the first countries to recognize China diplomatically, even advocating for their seat at the UN in 1950.
A major issue that defied agreement was how to deal with a large number of Korean and Chinese prisoners—about two hundred thousand of them—held by the UN Command. Many prisoners refused to return to their original countries. There were also a few similar UN prisoners, mostly Americans, held by the Korean People’s Army (KPA) and the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV))
The Armistice agreement stipulated that a Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (the NNRC) would be established with two countries from each bloc, and headed by India—underscoring our nation’s reputation as a neutral country. Thus the NNRC had Czechoslovakia and Poland from the Eastern Bloc, and Sweden and Switzerland from the West. India was also tasked with providing a brigade of soldiers to provide security for the prisoner exchange.
The NNRC decided the fate of the remaining 20,000 POWs —and their repatriation—also called the Big Switch. It followed Operation Little Switch in April-May of 1952, which saw the exchange of wounded and sick soldiers held by both sides. The solution included handing over these prisoners to the NNRC headed by India. A full Indian contingent of nearly 6000 called Custodian Force of India (CFI) were to take over physical custody of these prisoners; this was our nation’s initiation into peacemaking and conflict resolution.
Led by General Thimayya as Chairman, and Ambassador B.N. Chakravarty, IFS, as the Alternate Chairman, the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC) was a task that many did not think Indians would be able to handle or deliver, because of its layered complexities and intrigue.
The Indian government had made sure to send their best medical unit 6oth Para Field Ambulance earlier ( https://bit.ly/2CrHWfn) and now, in sending General KS Thimayya—later to be the COAS— they displayed the same intent.
The force behind the NNRC
Kodandera Subayya Thimayya was one of three brothers born to a rich coffee planter of Cheppudira clan in Madikeri in the district of Kodagu. He joined Bishop Cotton School in Bangalore before enrolling at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College (RIMC) in Dehradun; he was one of six Indian cadets later chosen to attend the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst along with Gen PN Thapar who would later succeed him as the Chief in 1961 and be made a scapegoat for failures in 1962. Gen Thimayya’s brothers too joined the Army and his elder brother Ponnappa later joined the INA inspired by Subhas Chandra Bose and his younger brother died in the first war in Kashmir.
Thimayya graduated from Sandhurst in 1926 and received a commission into the British Indian Army, going on to become the first Indian to command an Infantry brigade: the 268th Indian Infantry Brigade—part of the post-World War II British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. He received the British Distinguished Service Order for his service for the British military during World War II.
General Thimayya was also chosen to lead the counter offensive in Kashmir and headed the Jammu Kashmir force from April 1948 . The J&K force was split as Srinagar and Jammu Division, Gen Thimayya headed the Srinagar Div in May 1948 . Immediately he set about recapturing territories lost to the marauders with his daring and dynamic brigade commanders – Brig LP Sen of 161 brigade in Uri Sector, Brig Atal of Para Brigade tasked to recapture Zojila and Harbaksh Singh in command of 163 in Handwara – Kupwara . They were on a recapturing spree when Nehru decided to unilaterally declare suspension of operations as the case was referred to the UN much to the protestations of the army brass. Fortunately Pakistan didn’t comply with the UN resolution allowing the re – commencement of operations. This window of opportunity saw the consolidation of Ladakh with the capture of Zojila Dras and Kargil. Leh a weakly held garrison was saved by the sheer audacity and courage of Thimayya and Air Cmde Mehar Singh who landed in a Dakota together for the first time in Leh paving the way for beefing up troops that saved Leh from enemy hands . In another audacious move for capture of Zojila tanks of 7 Cavalry was used in a direct firing role which completely destroyed the enemy morale leading to its capture . Thus Ladakh was saved in the nick of time by November 1948 before winter set in . Seeing the change in pace and tempo of operations Pakistan quickly agreed to the terms of the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire before it lost all other territories held by them. The rest is history but what stood out is the sheer character and audacity which made him a national hero for saving Kashmir .
Another anecdote that revolves around him is the detention of a senior politician’s son after he and some goons passed lewd remarks and even tried to molest the wife of an Army officer of 5 JAT in Amritsar in 1959 . With the personal involvement of none less than that of the CM Of Punjab the ripples of this action went up to Parliament. General Thimayya was summoned for an explanation and his response that silenced the opposition was “If we cannot defend the honour of our women, how can you expect us to defend the honour of our country?”
His ability to project India’s honor was on full display during his handling of the NNRC in Korea.
The NNRC through CFI was responsible for gathering non-repatriated prisoners into camps; that included nearly 170,000 prisoners held by UN forces who didn’t want to return to either China or North Korea.
In the face of Chinese demands for the forceful repatriation of their soldiers, the UN and the CFI worked hard to explain to each prisoner their rights and privileges; they could then choose to go home or remain with the side that captured them.
This called for compassion, fairness, and neutrality on the part of the Indian Custodian Force, who rendered yeoman service during the entire span of their mission from September 1953 to March 1954. On several occasions, intricate situations were resolved only because of the patience and tact of General KS Thimayya and Major General SPP Thorat. They proved their mettle, earning well-deserved praise for their command and for India.
It was an unenviable task; in the end only less than 100 who wished not be repatriated to either country came back to India once the NNRC and CFO concluded their operations. A few Koreans chose to resettle in India, while others were repatriated to Brazil.
General Thimayya is not only an Indian military hero he is also a hero of the Korean War . It has been 66 years since the end of the Korean war but even till day he is remembered by Koreans with gratitude and affection. He was awarded a Padma Bhushan in 1954 for his service in Korea.
General Thimayya went on to become the COAS from 1957-1961. After his retirement the UN again requested for his service in 1964 to command UN troops operating on Cyprus in keeping with his reputation of impartiality displayed in Korea . He would however die of a massive heart attack on December 18, 1965 at the age of 59.
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Col ( Dr) Divakaran Padma Kumar Pillay, Shaurya Chakra, PhD is a Research Fellow, with the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. His twitter id is @dpkpillay12.
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source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> National> Business News> News> Defence / by ET Contributor – Col.(Dr)Divakaran Padma Kumar Pillay / July 21st, 2020
India’s ace squash player Joshna Chinappa (left) recently broke into the top-10 of the women’s world ranking. FILE PHOTO
Joshna Chinappa has experienced a hankering to return to the squash court once before. It was when she tore her ACL (anterior crucial ligament) in 2012. She was out of action for 10 months then.
This time, by admission, the 18-time national champion is at her fittest – reflective in her jump to No.10 in the latest issue of world rankings – and yet, all she can do is attach therapeutic significance to household chores while hoping for the Covid-19 pandemic to subside.
“Initially, it was fine because as an athlete you console yourself, saying it’s the break you deserve, and that it’s all going to return to normal soon,” Joshna tells DH. “…but after the first few weeks, it became very hard because of all the uncertainity.Trying to stay fit in a small space isn’t easy. More importantly, you don’t even know what you’re training for. Usually, you have a tournament, a goal you’re working towards. This time, there isn’t one, but you do it because you don’t want to start from scratch when the sport returns.”
Going by Professional Squash Association’s announcement from a few of weeks ago, the tour should restart mid-August. By that, Joshna, who last played in Egypt in March before hurrying back to India upon news of the virus outbreak, will have not have played in five months. She, however, reckoned it’s going to be a lot longer before resumption.
“It will take some time to get back, especially a sport like squash because there is quite a bit of contact with the opponent. There are so many guidelines which need to be followed if we’re back to competing again,” says the 33-year-old.
“I don’t see us returning to the court till October or November, and even then it will be vastly different from what it used to be.” she adds.
While the PSA has remained tight-lipped about its SOPs, Joshna offered glimpses, saying the tour is likely to enforce stringent testing measures and play without crowds.
“I also think they will host several tournaments in one location. What that does is keep all the players and support staff in one area. This way we can be monitored better,” she says. “Even then there will be a fear among athletes to compete. It’s going to be difficult to break away from that but I think we should just get on with it.
“I don’t think we’re properly safe until they come up with a vaccine, but we can’t endlessly wait for that to start living once again,” she opined.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by Roshan Thyagarajan, DHNS-Bengaluru / July 13th, 2020
Theatre personality Prakash Belawadi to direct the play based on acclaimed author’s popular novel
Mysore/Mysuru:
Saraswathi Samman recipient and acclaimed Kannada novelist Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa will soon catch the imagination of theatre lovers as his novels will be adapted into plays at theatre repertoire Rangayana.
Though the novelist’s works have been translated into English and many regional languages, Rangayana had not so far experimented on them as there was a prejudice that Bhyrappa is a right-wing writer. Though art and literature transcends the boundaries of caste, creed, sex, personal prejudices and religion and one cannot brand a writer as right wing, left wing or neutral, Dr. Bhyrappa was an anathema to many theatre activists, artistes and people who were in the forefront of theatre in Mysuru.
Dr. Bhyrappa hails from Mysuru and despite this, Mysuru’s Rangayana never thought of adapting his novels as plays to reach the mass audience. Now with Addanda C. Cariappa as the Rangayana Director, things are moving in the right direction without any bias, vested interests or prejudice. Bhyrappa’s novel ‘Parva’ will be adapted into a play and work has begun in this regard.
Rangayana has the distinction of bringing Kuvempu’s ‘Sri Ramayana Darshanam’ and ‘Malegalalli Madumagalu’ into theatre and both the plays received tremendous response. Rangayana artistes said that this ‘Parva’ adaptation is an ambitious project and the nitty-gritty of the project has begun with the artistes examining the finer details in the novel.
After the first show at Rangayana, ‘Parva’ will be staged across the State including places like Shivamogga, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Chikkamagalur, Hubballi, Udupi, Chitradurga, Davanagere and other places.
Considering Dr. Bhyrappa’s popularity and a wide reach – thanks to the universal appeal of his novels – artistes are sure that the ‘Parva’ play will be well-received.
Actor Prakash Belawadi, a multi-faceted personality who has created a niche in theatre, will direct the play. If COVID pandemic eases, the play will be ready to be staged during Navaratri. “It is an ambitious project and as promised to the audience during last Bahuroopi, we will adapt Bhyrappa’s novel into a play. We will meet Bhyrappa and Prakash Belawadi soon and discuss the plans, chapters to be adapted, theme, overarching message and finer details,” Rangayana Director Cariappa told Star of Mysore.
Dr. Bhyrappa’s ‘Parva’ was written in 1979 and has entered 41st year. It has seen many reprints and is among the popular works of the acclaimed novelist. Recently, Kannada and Culture Minister C.T. Ravi had discussed about adapting ‘Parva’ into a play at a meeting of Ranga Samajas.
Booker Prize Winner Aravind Adiga on ‘Parva’ plot
Aravind Adiga, an Indo-Australian writer and journalist whose debut novel, ‘The White Tiger’, won the 2008 Man Booker Prize, describes ‘Parva’ in the following words:
“By the mid-1970s, the novelist’s genius for detail — the smell of sandalwood soap on a lover’s body, the toothache that distracts the hero, the tiger’s skin against which the scholar rests to study the Vedas — and his ability to create memorable voices, especially for his women, were strengthened by a new interest in formal experimentation. In 1979, after having won the Sahitya Akademi award for ‘Daatu’, his novel about caste, Bhyrappa published the work that defines him for many readers: Parva.”
“On the surface, it is an anthropological retelling of the Mahabharata, in which the Kurukshetra war is freed from mythology and magic and presented as an actual historical event, the novel is really a study of human character under extreme stress. Innovative in structure, ‘Parva’ is built around long interior monologues that are like arias; one by one, Bhyrappa enters into the minds of the major players, Pandava and Kaurava alike, to create complex, almost Cubist, character portraits,” Adiga says.
“First we see Karna being stupid and lustful, goading the Kauravas on to rape Draupadi; then, we see him about to bathe in the Ganga, thoughtful and insecure, having just discovered that he is the illegitimate son of Kunti; now we see him in battle, a cold-blooded killer; and finally, as a man torn between his loyalties, who lets himself be killed rather than betray either side. Melancholic in tone — the world of the Mahabharata is coming to an end in every page — ‘Parva’ reads like a Hindu Gotterdammerung. Though Bhyrappa’s characteristic failings are present here — repetitiousness and occasional verbosity — it is one of the most breathtaking of 20th-century Indian novels,” Adiga adds.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 10th, 2020
A researcher from Myanmar has compiled an English dictionary on the words used by the people of Soliga tribe, living in and around Biligiri Ranga Hill in Chamarajangar district.
Aung Si has compiled the words used only by the six Soligas tribes, living in the tribal hamlets. The 445-page dictionary has more than 1,500 words, used by Soligas. The words have been written in Kannada script and the explanation and meaning is in English. The book has pictures of rare trees, plants and animals found in BR Hills.
Aung Si has printed around 150 copies, priced Rs 1,500 each. He has handed over the responsibility of the book sales to the Soliga leaders, asking them to utilise the money earned for the development of the tribals.
Aung Si has earned a PhD from the Australian National University, conducting a research on the lifestyle of Soligas in 2012. He has been working hard for around 12 years, from 2008. He has interacted with the tribe of Soligas, learning about their languages.
He has sought the help of Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment in BR Hills, to compile the dictionary. He has also taken the help of Soliga leaders and other research persons for his work.
Scientist C Madegowda of Ashoka Trust told DH that there are 148 Soliga tribal hamlets in the district. Only six particular tribes of Soligas in 55 hamlets of BR Hills, still use the words and language, which are on the verge of extinction. Others speak Kannada and have adapted to the new lifestyles. Youngsters are not well versed in Soliga language and culture. This dictionary may be useful for them in future. It will also help those involved in further research on the language, he said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by Gayathri G R, Chamrajnagar / July 06th. 2020
Joshna Chinappa, who has not played since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, moved up a spot to be in 10th position.
Indian squash star Joshna Chinappa (Photo | Joshna Chinappa Instagram)
New Delhi :
India’s squash star Joshna Chinappa has broken back into the top-10 of the PSA world rankings following the shock retirement of Egyptian world number one Raneem El Welily.
Joshna, who has not played since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, moved up a spot to be in 10th position.
The 33-year-old had entered the top-10 for the first time in 2016.
Dipika Pallikal is the other Indian female player who has achieved the feat.
Egypt’s Nouran Gohar is the new world number one following Raneem’s retirement.
Raneem had held the top spot for 19 months before announcing a sudden retirement last month.
India’s top male player Saurav Ghosal remains 13th in the latest rankings.
The PSA tour is suspended until at least mid-August due to the coronavirus outbreak.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Other / by PTI / July 08th, 2020
On a pre-scout exploring Coorg’s dramatic landscape
It all started with an email out of the blue. A world-class chef was shooting a food/adventure show in India in 2020 and was looking for ideas.
Only later, we learnt it was none other than ‘GR’ — the crew’s codename. ‘Gordon Ramsay’ was as unmentionable in public as the expletives he spews. The horror stories of chefs facing him in Hell’s Kitchen outdid the B-grade Bollywood horror flicks made by the Ramsay brothers back home whom we were more familiar with.
This was the second season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted. Ramsay gets out of the studio and into the wild outdoors to explore remote places and learn local food secrets with a dose of heart-pumping adventure. The emphasis lay in foraging and going back to the source. He would meet rising star chefs and embark on a culinary adventure that ended in a big cook-off. Locals would critique his take on the region’s cuisine, albeit with none of GR’s trademark vitriol with which he roasts amateur chefs on Twitter. He has likened someone’s poached egg in noodle soup to ‘toxic scum on a stagnant pool’, another’s Scottish breakfast as ‘heart attack on a plate’, a poor bloke’s rice as ‘older than me’, an attempt at empanadas as ‘camel hoofs’ and somebody’s overdone steak as ‘Gandy’s flip flops’.
Gordon with Priya and Anurag
What could we suggest to an ill-tempered firebrand Michelin-starred chef who seemed to have done it all?
Season 1 saw Gordon rappel down a waterfall in Morocco to hunt for the perfect mushroom and go spearfishing in Hawaii. In New Zealand, he waded in a stream to catch an eel with his bare hands, tasted grubs from a rotten tree trunk, and dived for paua shells and sea urchins, braving strong currents and sharks. He jumped into the Mekong River in Laos to catch snails and learnt how to cook a giant water bug called ‘toe biter’. In Peru, he dangled perilously from a cliff edge to harvest a plant for insect larvae while in Alaska, he scaled the 60-ft Chimney Rock to make tea from ‘old man’s beard’.
Season 2 upped the ante with bigger, bolder and better stuff, injected with a healthy dose of jeopardy to the food.
From snuba diving (a mix of snorkeling/scuba) in Tasmania for rock lobster, jumping off a helicopter into Durban’s shark-infested waters and using rhino poop to catch tilapia in South Africa, trying swamp rat and Cajun cuisine in Louisiana’s Bayou, hunting Arowana fish with bow and arrow and roasting the Goliath birdeater (one of the largest spiders in the world) in Guyana’s remote rainforests, fishing for freshwater prawns in a flood-prone cave in West Sumatra, to scuba diving for scallops in the frigid fjords of Norway and making reindeer blood pancakes. So what challenges could India offer?
Hunting crabs in Malabar
Gordon was no stranger to India. His 2010 series for Channel 4’s Gordon’s Great Escape, took a deep dive into our culinary traditions and his quest for curry. He rode in a dodgy pantry car of the rattling Mangla Express, slicing onions and cooking veg curry for 400 diners, before playing apprentice to biryani masterchef and ‘King Qorma’ Imtiaz Qureishi for a wedding feast in Lucknow. He described Qureishi as the “Dog’s bollocks in the region” (No 1). Gordon’s glossary is colourful — ‘Bloody Hell’ could mean ‘Absolutely Delicious’ and **** could be anything. He rode a Royal Enfield, jumped onto a running train, cooked khud gosht in a desert pit he dug, sampled mahua and chapda chutney in Bastar, hunted with the Konyak tribe in Nagaland, tasted blood sausages and the world’s hottest chili bhoot jolokia in the North East, and cooked with ‘Sambar’ Mani in Dharavi, while trying everything from bullock cart racing and climbing a coconut tree to vegetarianism at Sadhguru’s ashram, besides grabbing karimeen (pearl spot) out of Kumarakom’s backwaters.
This was his second trip to Kerala and South India, but to a different part — the historic northern nook of Malabar. From Greek and Roman times to the European Age of Discovery, Kerala’s Spice Coast lured traders and travelers alike. For centuries, Arab seafarers controlled the lucrative global spice trade and often anchored in Kerala to tide the monsoon. Intermingling with the local populace resulted in a Malayalam-speaking community of Muslims called Mapila — derived from ‘Maha-pillai’, an honorific term for the new groom or son-in-law. As Kerala’s second-largest community, Mapilas are known for their distinct cuisine. In 1498, ambitious Portuguese explorers found a direct trade route to India to bypass Arab middlemen. Propelled by monsoon winds, they sailed across the Indian Ocean to reach Malabar, paving way for the Dutch, French and British. The English established a fort at Thalassery to protect their trade in ‘Tellicherry’ Pepper, prized as ‘Black Gold.’ It was befitting that a British chef was seeking culinary inspiration here. We were keen to get GR to try local fare like ari kaduka (rice stuffed fried mussels), kakka erachi (clam fry) and tackle audacious challenges.
Seafood in Kannur
Gordon is no pushover — a 6’2” tough-as-nails Scotsman, footballer, swimmer, karate black belt and Kona Ironman finisher. Yet, for all the potentially dangerous activities, we had to keep the host unharmed. We didn’t want to go down in history as the couple that got the world’s most renowned celebrity chef maimed! We vetoed the arduous boat ride on the high seas to dive for kallumakai (green mussels) around rocky islets due to the time crunch. On our recce in October, our old friends Nasir and Rosie of Kannur Beach House put us onto local fishermen. The late monsoon washed in surplus freshwater into the sea, thereby reducing its salinity, which resulted in lesser vitt (eggs) spawning on the rocks. So the spectacular beaches around Kannur had to suffice. The big question was where next?
The pristine backwater of Valiyaparamba for clam diving was too north. The Empress of Mapila cuisine Abida Rashid was far south in Kozhikode. An extension to Wayanad would make the show too Kerala-centric, a destination that features extensively in international shows.
So we suggested Kodagu (Coorg) — a region GR hadn’t visited before. After the unending stretches of human habitation in Kerala (India’s third most densely populated state), Coorg would be the perfect antidote. As Karnataka’s most forested district, its rolling hills and wild vistas were ideal for a show like Uncharted. It lay in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s eight hottest biodiversity hotspots, the fountainhead of South India’s most important river Cauvery, a record producer of honey, cardamom and coffee (80 per cent of India’s coffee comes from the area) with the highest concentration of sacred groves in the world.
Ari kaduka (green mussels)
Though Coorg and Wayanad are adjacent districts with similar topography — hills, coffee and spices common to both — the difference lay in the cultural/culinary uniqueness. Coorg is home to the Kodavas, a fascinating martial community who lived off the land while preserving their unique culture, cuisine and traditional attire. Unlike Wayanad, Coorg has a well-defined cuisine with charming homestays run by hospitable Kodavas. The new Kannur International Airport at Mattanur was strategically located at an hour’s drive from Kannur and two hours from Virajpet. It was no surprise that the production team was bowled over by Coorg’s beauty on the pre-shoot scout and unanimously chose it as the locale for the ‘Big Cook’. For us, the great clincher was getting a Scottish chef to a region dubbed ‘The Scotland of India’.
The shoot was scheduled for late January this year. So monsoon-centric activities like foraging for termay (fiddlehead fern), kemb (colocasia), bemble (bamboo shoot) and kumme (wild mushrooms) was out. Nor could one collect ripe garcinia fruits to make kachampuli, the dark vinegar that’s integral to Kodava cuisine. We were too early to harvest honey with the Jenu Kuruba tribe. Seasonality dictated our choices. Trekking to hills and waterfalls for vistas that were dramatic yet accessible, we scouted streams for crab hunting spots. Catching crabs traditionally involved baiting them with a gutted rotting toad wedged in split bamboo. The smell was enough to entice crabs from their rocky lairs, though we weren’t sure if a TV audience could stomach Kodagu’s wild old ways. We kayaked in hidden rivers for fishing options and hunted out two old wizened men of the Meda tribe, experts in mat and basket weaving to make fish baskets for us — a dying tradition. Signature dishes, rare treats, interesting locals and adrenalin-tinged tasks for GR — our job was to supply the ingredients — the world’s best chef and his team had to make a delectable episode out of it.
Coorg oranges
Production was shouldered by Adarsh NC of Felis Creations, with over a dozen blue-chip documentaries for Nat Geo, BBC and Animal Planet. Their recent three-part home-production Wild Cats of India was filmed by Sandesh Kadur and the third part India’s Wild Leopards is currently on Disney Hotstar. Adarsh says, “Primarily, we are into nature/wildlife and are happy filming tigers, leopards and counting scat on the field. We have covered the Western Ghats extensively and there was an adventure quotient to the program. But handling an international show with a star chef like Gordon was a dream come true. They were several challenges — two locations, multi-cam set up, high profile celeb, large crew, time crunch, permissions, travel, logistics… We were on the threshold of Corona with India’s first COVID cases reported in Kerala, so sending them back safely without harm or any adventure was nerve-wracking!” “It’s location, not a vacation”, was the oft-repeated mantra of Director Neil DeGroot. Executive Producer Jon Kroll admits, “The weakest episode this season is stronger than the strongest episode from last season!”
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Season 2 premiered on National Geographic in the USA at 10 pm on June 7, and Disney Hotstar, with the India episode slated for release in July.
source: http://www.indulgexpress.com / The New Indian Express – Indulge Express / Home / by Anurag Mallick an Priya Ganapathy /June 26th, 2020
Kodagu-born Mathanda Reema Ramesh has completed her Fellowship in Paediatric Haematology and Oncology from Cleveland Clinic, USA.
The Fellowship programme provides an outstanding opportunity for the future Paediatric Haematologist-Oncologists to learn to diagnose and treat a broad range of common and rare blood disorders and cancer.
Located at Cleveland Clinic main campus, the Paediatric Haematology-Oncology & BMT Department plays a significant role in promoting the outstanding recognition of this world-renowned tertiary referral centre.
Reema Ramesh is the daughter of Mathanda A. Ramesh and Beena, residents of Virajpet, Kodagu. She is the sister of Dr. M.R. Aiyappa who works as a General Physician and Diabetologist at Brindavan Hospital, Mysuru. Mathanda Ramesh has been the President of Kodagu District Central Cooperative Bank.
Reema studied in Vijaya School, Kadanga, Cauvery School, Virajpet and Coorg Public School, Gonikoppal. She completed her MBBS at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and MD in Paediatrics from University of Southern Illinois, USA.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 26th, 2020
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