Indian expats of ‘Hemmeya UAE Kannadigaru Dubai Family’ organized a cultural, heritage and sporting event in the heart of Dubai with Dasara doll competition, rangoli, Dasara cup cricket tournament, along with the final showdown event of athletics, badminton, throwball, volleyball, kabaddi, and football at the prestigious Etisalat Sports Academy on October 11.
Over 3,000 participants including children, women and men joyfully took part in the various age categories starting from 4 up to 35 plus years. The competitors were cheered by their family, friends and the loved ones. A mammoth crowd motivated the participants to give their best to secure gold, silver, bronze medals and team trophies.
Indian Olympic athlete Ashwini Nachappa inaugurated the event and honoured the medal winners. Mohammed Mustafa, MD of M Square, Sheik Bu Abdulla Bib Abdellah, M S Khan CEO of Caprice, Mohan Uppin, Zafarullah Khan, former minister Karnataka and Praveen Shetty, MD, Fortune Group, Mohan Uppin, CEO, Evolve Interior, Dr Guru Madhava Rao, president, RAK Medicals, Chethan, MD, Virgin Tours, Shekar Reddy, Dr Rashmi, CEO, Riva Laser Hospital, and other honourable UAE dignitaries graced the occasion and appreciated the spirit of the events.
Ashwini Nachappa was honoured by prestigious Dubai Kreeda Rathna Award. The organizing committee honoured former Indian Volleyball player Dr Kavitha Paiyadi Rao who currently works in Dubai. Former Indian Kabaddi captain Pooja Hassana who also works in dubai banking sector, was also honoured.
Hemmeya UAE Kannadigaru organizers RafiqAli Kodagu, Sudeep Davanagere, Senthil Bengaluru, Madhu Dvg, Vishnu Mysore, Mamatha.Ragavendra, Pallavi Davanagere, Mamatha.Sharja, Dr Savitha Mysore, Anitha Bnegaluru, Hadiya Mandya, Shashidhar and game organizers heartily thanked the father of UAE nation, respected rulers of UAE for the opportunity the great nation has created to celebrate culture, sports spreading tolerance and humanity.
They thanked the participants for their overwhelming response making the event successful.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Middle East / by Media Release / October 23rd, 2019
The name PT Usha is sure to ring a bell for us. Of course, why not, she pretty much put us on the map in athletics once again after Milkha Singh had quit. But now take the name of Ashwini Nachappa, most people shall draw a blank.
This is the lady who outran Usha not once but twice and yet very few of us actually know who she is. Though that is the case with many athletes who have been forgotten by the country and lost in the sands of time. So let’s find out a little more about Ashwini.
DNA / THE BRIDGE
Her name shot to prominence in the 1980s when she outran Usha on two separate occasions. That certainly made the world sit up and take notice of her. The lady was quick and had a lot of speed under her.
In 1984 she won 2 silver medals at the South Asian Federation Games. Ashwini followed it up with 2 silvers and 3 gold medals in the 1986 and 1988 editions respectively. Another highlight was the 1990 silver medal at the Asian Games.
But sadly, due to lack of support and infrastructure and seeing no positive future in the sport, Ashwini quit athletics and turned to acting. She acted in her own biopic but her movie career did not last long in regional cinema.
She is currently the president of the Bangalore Urban District Athletics Association, but living a life away from the public eye. She is just another name in the list of forgotten Indian athletes who are hardly known to us. Ashwini certainly deserved better. They all did.
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / India Times / Home> Sports / by Somak Adhikari / October 22nd, 2019
Rwanda’s Ngamba Coffee Washing Station, represented by Ms. Celine Niwemugeni, awarded “Coffee Lover’s Choice” for second consecutive year
The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award celebrates excellence in growing coffee beans of the highest quality through sustainable means to offer the best coffee to the world
New York :
illycaffè, the global leader in high-quality, sustainably grown coffee, announced ‘Spirit of Peace Ex-Combatants’ – Asacafè (represented by Carlos Arturo López Guarnizo and Oscar Rodrigo Campo Hurtado) is the “Best of the Best” at the fourth annual Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award, held yesterday night in New York City. An independent jury of 9 top culinary and coffee connoisseurs from around the world gathered on October 15 for a series of blind coffee tastings, brewed individually from the harvests of nine different countries, to thoughtfully determine the best bean of the 2018-2019 season.
(PRNewsfoto/illycaffè)
Twenty-seven top grower representatives from the nine countries, including this year Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nicaragua and Rwanda, were recognized and celebrated in New York City for their sustainable quality. Each lot, before being examined by the independent jury in New York, was selected through intensive analysis at illy’s Quality Lab and then judged on aromatic richness/complexity, balance/elegance and aroma intensity/strength. Carlos Arturo Lopez, Oscar Campo, Gerardo Montenegro, Andrea Illy, Anna Illy
“It is an honor and a pleasure to recognize Colombia, ‘Spirit of Peace’ and Asacafè for their achievement, as well as applaud all of our finalists who are focused on producing the highest-quality coffee through sustainable methods,” said Andrea Illy, Chairman of illycaffè. “This award celebrates and honors the Spirit of Peace project, that we supported since the very beginning, with the aim to give a chance to the rural Colombian community of coffee to become the engine of a bigger transformation through the economic reintegration of the ex-combatants and their victims in the Cauca region.”
A separate “Coffee Lover’s Choice” honor was awarded to Rwanda’s Ngamba Coffee Washing Station, represented by Ms. Celine Niwemugeni, for the second consecutive year.
The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award, named after illycaffè’s visionary, second-generation leader, celebrates the company’s hand-in-hand work with farmers for nearly 30 years to offer the best sustainably grown coffee to the world, as well as its commitment to improving the wellbeing of the world’s coffee growers. The top growers in attendance also participated in a coffee-specific seminar hosted at the United Nations in New York by Chairman Andrea Illy and representatives from the ICO – International Coffee Organization, covering topics including best agronomical practices, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and long-term sustainability of the coffee sector.
The jury – a panel of tasting, culinary and coffee experts from around the world who took on the task of choosing this year’s “Best of the Best” bean – was comprised of:
Matthew Accarrino: Accarrino is the nationally recognized chef known for his unique culinary style drawn from his Italian heritage, personal experience and classical training. He was named a Star Chefs “2010 Rising Star,” a James Beard Foundation semi-finalist for “Best Chef: West” for four consecutive years, and Food & Wine’s “People’s Best Chef California” in 2013 and “Best New Chef” in 2014.
Jaquelin Adriana Mednilla de Águila: Aguila is QGrader and Barista from Anacafe Coffee School.
Victor Cadenas: Cadenas is a QGrader and professional coffee roaster in Costa Rica, roasting for Cup of Excellence for five years. He evaluates genetic materials and varieties for ICafe, Catie, World Coffee Research and others.
Berhanu Gezahegn: Gezahegn is Director of the Coffee Quality Inspection and Certification Center (CQICC) at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoANR) in Ethiopia. Previously, he served as its director for training and advisory service.
Anthony Giglio: Giglio is a writer, educator and storyteller focused on wine, spirits and other beverages. He writes a weekly “Wine Wise Guy” column for Food & Wine, is the wine reporter for CBS News Radio, and is a contributor for Departures, Esquire and other major media outlets. Additionally, he serves as Wine Director for The Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia airport.
Maria Loi: Loi is a Greek food ambassador, author and healthy lifestyle expert. She is a popular TV chef in Greece, and the author of more than 36 cookbooks and 150 magazine editions. She has been recognized as the Global Ambassador of Greek Gastronomy by The Chef’s Club of Greece and has since earned a reputation as the U.S. leader in authentic Greek cuisine.
Sunalini Menon: Menon is Asia’s first female professional in the field of coffee tasting, also known as coffee cupping. She has been called “Asia’s first lady of coffee.” Formerly, Menon was director of quality control for the Coffee Board of India, and founder of her own company, Coffee Labs, in Bangalore.
Spencer Turer: Turer is the Director of Coffee Operations at Coffee Enterprises. He has dedicated his career to creating coffee quality and has become a pioneer for roaster certification. He is also a writer and technical editor for ROAST Magazine and Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
Francesco Apreda: Apreda is a renowned Italian chef and recipient of a Michelin star, securing his status as a world-class chef. His talent lies in the ability to recreate a modern Italian cuisine full of flavors and turn them into incredible dishes for a sensory eating experience like no other.
The “Coffee Lover’s Choice” award, presented by illycaffè CEO Massimiliano Pogliani, was determined by a demanding jury of its own: more than 1,000 discerning visitors to flagship illy cafès locations in London, Milan, Paris, Shanghai and San Francisco.
“The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award starts with the unique illy blend, developed consistently year after year, which gives us a deep knowledge of the coffee origins. We then combine this expertise with our direct sourcing model, working hand-in-hand with coffee growers to produce the highest quality Arabica beans sustainably,” said Massimiliano Pogliani, illycaffè CEO. “Coffee lovers and connoisseurs around the world are becoming more and more interested in learning and understanding not only about aromatic and taste profile typical of a specific terroir – very similarly to what happens int the wine world – but also how their coffee is produced and who produces it. This is the deep meaning of this Award, which wants to shorten the distance and bring together growers & consumers.”
Direct Sourcing Pioneering
The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award is rooted in a program that illy established 28 years ago in Brazil, called Premio de Qualidade do Cafè para Espresso, that drove illy’s transformation to a company that today purchases nearly 100 percent of its coffee beans directly from producers able to meet its exacting quality standards, at a guaranteed premium over market prices averaging 30 percent. Today, illy stands as one of the world’s major purchasers of top-quality Arabica coffee directly from producers, whereby many coffees continue to be purchased on commodity markets, which can guarantee neither consistent quality nor a living wage to the coffee chain’s most important stakeholders: its 25 million families of growers.
source: illycaffè
source: http://www.prnewswire.com / CISTON PR Newswire / by illycaffe / October 17th, 2019
The winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics in the screen grab — Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer (AP file)
– Michael Kremer, a Harvard University professor, was the co-Founder of ‘Precision Agriculture Development’ or PAD
– It advised the Coffee Board to pilot a missed-call enabled service to help coffee farmers in Karnataka
___________________________________
Bengaluru:
India’s Coffee Board, a state-run body that promotes coffee production and drinking, shares a slice of history with Michael Kremer, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics along with Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee.
Kremer, a Harvard University professor, was the co-Founder of ‘Precision Agriculture Development’ or PAD, which advised the Coffee Board to pilot a missed-call enabled service to help coffee farmers in Karnataka. The IVR call service can give precise advise to the grower from scientists at Central Coffee Research Institute.
“Under his guidance and leadership, Team PAD have been working with Coffee Board of India and the coffee ecosystem for more than one year now. Thanks to the stellar efforts of Michael, Shawn, Madhur, Niriksha and Team Coffee Board, we have been able to have a positive impact on the lives of 15000 coffee farmers using a simple missed call service, free of cost to coffee farmers,” said Srivatsa Krishna, Chief Executive Officer of Coffee Board, in a statement to the media.
The service, Coffee Krishi Taranga, gives registered growers a weekly advisory on critical farm operations and daily market statistics through an automated push call when a farmer places a missed call on the helpline (080-37685000) run by the Board. It has helped growers improve productivity, profitability and environmental outlook, and will be expanded to cover 50000 growers shortly, according to the Coffee Board.
The PAD’s journey in India begun as an academic experiment in Gujarat with cotton farmers in 2011, when Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, encouraged testing a similar service in his state called Krishi Tarang, said Srivatsa. “On behalf of the entire Indian coffee ecosystem, the finest shade-grown, hand-picked rainforest Coffees in the world, we congratulate Dr.Kremer and thank Team PAD for their contributions,” said Srivatsa Krishna.
source: http://www.livemint.com /Live Mint / Home> Explore / by Nidheesh M.K. / October 15th, 2019
The second selection round will be held in Paris in May and training will be held for this in Patiala.
Chenanda A Kuttappa (centre) with boxers Amit Panghal (right) and Manish Kaushik (left) | Express
Madikeri :
“India will surely win many medals in the boxing category in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Chenanda A Kuttappa, the coach of the Indian boxing team. A native of Kodagu, Kutappa is the recipient of the Dronacharya Award.
Boxer Amit Panghal, who won silver medal and Manish Kaushik, who won bronze medal, in the recent boxing championship in Russia were trained by Kuttappa. He also holds pride in training famed boxer Vijendra Singh.
“For the very first time, India has won two medals in an international boxing event like Russian Boxing Championship. A total of 78 countries took part and India was ranked 6th,” Kuttappa, a former boxing champion, told The New Indian Express over phone.“India will definitely win many medals and carve a niche for itself in the Olympics.
Meanwhile, an international boxing championship will be held in India in 2021 and I am confident that we will excel in this championship. Rigorous training is going on to achieve this goal,” Kuttappa said.
The training for Olympic is going on and first round of selection will be held in China in February. “Training is being held for the first round in Ballari’s Jindal Centre,” he said.
The second selection round will be held in Paris in May and training will be held for this in Patiala.“The boxing scene in India is improving. Many championships are being held at national and international levels, which is a boon to the players. Also, boxing techniques have changed recently and this has resulted in brisk training,”opined Kutappa.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna G R / Express News Service / October 11th, 2019
Hemmeya UAE Kannadigaru, Dubai’ team will be celebrating Dubai Dasara Kreedotsava – 2019 on October 11, at the Etisalat Sports Academy here.
Several Kannada kids, women, men, athletes, sportspersons will be participating in this mega sports event this year.
The second Dubai Dasara Koota is being organized by ‘Hemmeya UAE Kannadigaru Dubai’ family, which will begin at 8 am on the said date. It will be inaugurated and presided over by an international sports star, Arjuna award winner, Ashwini Nachappa.
The programme will be officially initiated by the lighting of sports lamps by the chief guest and the rendering of the state anthem. This will be followed by several sports activities including athletics, throwball, volleyball, football, kabaddi, kho kho, musical chair, lemon and spoon race and frog race for kids, rangoli and Gombe competition for ladies and many other games.
This year, ‘Hemmeya UAE Kannadigaru Dubai’ decided to identify people of Karnataka with stellar contributions to sports by honouring them with ‘Kreeda Ratna’ award. The award will be presented by Ashwini Nachappa.
Well-known anchor and voice-over artist from Karnataka Shruti will be anchoring the programmes of the day.
‘Hemmeya UAE Kannadigaru Dubai,’ has requested all the non-resident Kannadigas currently living in Dubai to attend this sport meet in large numbers and contribute to the success of this mega sports event.
The press conference organized to announce the programme was attended by members of the team, Shashidar, Rafiq Ali, Sudeep, Senthil, Madhu Gowda, Anitha Ram, Mamatha Raghavendra, Mamatha Senthil, Pallavi, Hadiya, Dr Savita, Vishnu Murthy, Venkatesh and Satish.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Middle East / by Media Release / October 10th, 2019
The North American Kodava Convention was hosted by Kodavas of Greater Boston area from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.
Kodavas from across Continental US, Hawaii, Canada, India and UAE joined the convention that was one of the largest gathering of Kodavas in North America. Over 400 people attended the event.
The community came together as ‘Okka’ at the convention which was aimed at bringing the community closer, renew old relations and forge new ones, facilitate connections for youngsters who are growing up in a foreign land to their Kodagu roots and to help preserve and nurture the rich Kodava heritage, culture and language.
The event was organised at Marriott Copley Hotel in the heart of Boston. The weekend festivities kicked off with an informal meet of the gathering on the evening of Aug. 30 at the hotel lounge, followed by ‘Oorkuduva’ evening on Aug. 31 at the world-renowned MIT Media Lab, to showcase the intellectual side of Boston.
The ‘Oorkuduva’ evening had presentations regarding the origin of culture and biodiversity in Kodagu related to genealogy, including preliminary data from the ‘Kodava Genome Initiative’, which was presented by Prof. Maanasa Raghavan and her Ph.D. student Arjun Biddanda.
The evening also included a talent show of Kodava children in the art of public speaking, piano recitals, jazz-saxophone performance and singing. It was an idyllic setting for an ‘Oorkuduva’ gathering at the MIT Media, overlooking the Charles River and spectacular views of Boston skyline.
There was Kodava Vaalaga after dinner which got most of the guests onto the dance floor. The party then shifted to the Marriott Copley Hotel where Deep Chinappa entertained guests with his rock band, the ‘Deep C Divers’.
There were several daytime activities including tours of various historical and cultural Boston landmarks, walks along the popular Freedom Trail, kayaking on the Charles River and tours of MIT and Harvard campuses. The highlight of the Convention was the gala reception on Sept. 1 at the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel.
It was a Kodava wedding muhurtha-like atmosphere where guests sported their traditional attire. The programme included Kodava folk dances like ‘puthari kolaat’ by Kodava men, an up-tempo exhilarating ‘bode namme’ style carnival dance.
The programme also had panel discussions that covered topics like, “Our enchanting Kodagu: Change is inevitable! The resources are at their limits. How do we advance our beloved Kodagu on a global scale in a sustainable way, while preserving our unique culture, family values, and one-of-its-kind natural bounty? What role each person can play towards achieving these goals? How do we inspire youngsters and serve as role models to excel in whatever field they choose?”
The panellists included Belliappa Cheppudira, an educationist, coffee planter, an entrepreneur, an accomplished novelist and author of several books including ‘Tale of a Tiger’s Tail’, ‘Yarns from Coorg’, ‘Nuggets from Coorg History’, and ‘Victoria Gowramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg’.
Others were Dr. Zarin Machanda, Assistant Professor at Tufts University and Director of Kibale Chimpanzee Project in Uganda and Dr. Naren Anjaparavanda, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Cincinnati.
After the discussion, the guests were treated to delicious authentic Kodagu food including ‘kadambuttu,’ ‘nooputtu,’ ‘Onakyerchi’ ‘nucchi kum’ curry, ‘kadale payasa’ and of course the traditional ‘pandi’ curry.
The evening’s programme also included an annual update from Kodava Koota and presentation of high school achievement awards sponsored by Bachranianda Muthappa and Rani Education Fund.
The convention ended with a resolve to organise the next convention at San Francisco Bay Area in 2020.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 22nd, 2019
India’s first environment school — World Environment School — is all set to be opened in Coorg, Karnataka. It will also be the first school in entire South Asia to take a leading role in promoting and delivering environmental education with sustainability at its core. Spread over a hundred acres across the beautiful hills of Coorg, the school’s focus will be to build strong environmental and moral values among its students.
Mobius Foundation, a non-profit organization working towards environmental sustainability, in partnership with the UK-based Whitgift School announced the launch of this initiative at International Conference on Sustainable Education.
“WESc will be operational from 2021 for Grade 6 to 12 students from India and around the world. The school will cater to the parents who want the next generation to be actively involved in the protection and sustainability of the environment apart from a world-class education,” said Pradip Burman, Chairman, Mobius Foundation.
WESc will offer an international curriculum with affiliation from Cambridge Assessments and International Baccalaureate.
“The need for environmental education is growing rapidly as the degradation of the environment is taking place at a fast pace and we have taken a lead role in this direction by launching India’s first environment school,” said Chris Ramsay, Head Master, Whitgift.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> India / by PNS, New Delhi / September 12th, 2019
Unexpected wonders abound when immersed in the Coorg culture of southern India.
A thunderclap heralds the first, early rains of the monsoon season minutes after my arrival in the misty highlands of Coorg in southern India. From the deck of the Taj Madikeri Resort and Spa, cantilevered over a seemingly infinite valley, I have a dress-circle view of the approaching stormfront and rolling peaks silhouetted to the horizon. Swallows pirouette as front office manager Anant Marwah describes the coming wet season, when clouds billow into the open foyer and pass through the body like shivers. “You should see the monsoon — it’s amazing,” he says. “Mother Nature does most of the work here.”
Despite its name the resort is not, in fact, in Madikeri, the hill-station capital of Coorg district in Karnataka state. This is frustrating because I’d hoped to be staying in the heart of the land eulogised by Irish writer Dervla Murphy for its sacred forests and coffee-scented hills. But my disappointment is short-lived. The property, 1200m above sea level and 9km from Madikeri down a broken road flanked by rice paddies and the odd azure kingfisher, turns out to be a microcosm of Coorg culture.
A guestroom at the Taj Madikeri
Its 63 cottages and villas, carefully built over seven years to minimise disruption to the landscape, sit cloistered in 12ha of rainforest and coffee plantations. Constructed from recycled timbers and bricks made on-site from marsh soils (the quarry is now a pretty lake between the herb garden and main pool), the cottages’ external walls are coated in natural mud paint so as not to disturb wildlife. Pitched-roof interiors feature vast, screened windows over the semi-wilderness, fireplace snugs and fish-trap decorations woven by local tribal people. Barking deer stalk the grounds at night.
But it is the indigenous Kodava staff who give the hotel its strongest character and meaning. Colonel Pattamada Muthana, retired, commutes daily from Madikeri to the hotel’s onsite “conservatory”, a compact museum where he shares his people’s story with guests. Displays depict Coorgi dress, marriage rituals, faith and other traditions.
Dressed in camel corduroys, braces and impeccably polished boots, his kind face framed by specs and a faintly regimental moustache, Colonel Muthana explains how the Kodava view themselves as a distinct tribe, despite not being recognised as such by the Indian government.
“For some reason we were not scheduled, maybe because nobody knows our origin,” he suggests. But many Kodava suspect their ancestors were followers of Alexander the Great, who fled here after the Macedonian king’s failed bid to conquer India.
Guide Amaanda Pradhan Poovanna, known as Pradhan, picks up the Kodava creation story during a dawn hike to the top of Nishani Peak.
“It’s still believed we don’t belong to India, that we are descendants of Persians,” he explains as we pass by tiger pug marks, perhaps a week old, on the track.
The Kodava language, a hybrid of southern tongues and about 200 Persian words, and their distinctive features set them apart from other Indian peoples. “The ladies are fairer and they have blue eyes. The men have broader noses and curly hair, and most of them are from the warrior race.”
Coconut refreshment station at the end of a nature walk.
Kodava men often seek army careers. “If there are two sons, one will definitely be in the army,” Pradhan explains. “The other will be in sports. I am the only son, so my parents didn’t let me join the army. But I play hockey, for 15 years now.”
The cries of jungle fowl and yellow-throated bulbuls greet us as we emerge from a shola grove on to a grassy summit with a mesmerising sweep of highland scenery.
“What you are breathing is the purest oxygen, totally unpolluted,” he grins. I learn so much from Pradhan about life in Coorg (also known as Kodagu in post-colonial India), from the timing of the harvest calendar — cardamom in October, arabica coffee berries and rice in November-December, robusta berries in January, pepper in March — to the local diet of smoked boar meat and booze.
The Kodava are keen and resourceful drinkers, making wine out of everything from coffee to bird’s-eye chillies. “Without liquor and meat nothing happens in Coorg,” Pradhan assures me.
Privileged access and insights into local traditions are hallmarks of my 10-day, tailor-made swing through South India with Adventure World Travel. Even if I had been staying in the heart of Madikeri, I can’t imagine understanding the region as well as I do within the confines of the Taj resort.
Every aspect of the hotel is steeped in Coorgi culture, from ritual gudda baths of wood-heated local water rich in minerals and fragrant with lime leaves, to the seasonal and regional menus of executive chef Jose Thachil. Hel hails from neighbouring Kerala so is well versed in South India’s spice bounty of pepper, cloves, cardamom and kokum that has lured Roman, Greek and Arab traders to the Malabar Coast since ancient times. He prepares fish steamed in cardamom leaves and pork slow-braised in a cocktail of spices and laced with syrupy black kokum vinegar, a staple Kodava condiment so tart it makes the cheeks flinch.
On a nature walk through some of the resort’s 70ha green belt, Pradhan shares his ancestral knowledge of forest medicines.
Wild tobacco is used on the skin as a leech repellent during the monsoon. Peppercorns and basil are blended into a paste to “keep the throat clear”; Brahmi leaves are considered very good for children’s hair and memory. “If you eat one Brahmi leaf, one basil leaf and one neem leaf every morning, you will stay away from all the diseases,” he says.
There are thousands of wild elephants in these hills, though we see none. Leopards also prowl the highlands, and king cobras, the world’s largest venomous snake, come in XL sizes here. The biggest one discovered to date was 8m long.
A Malabar flying frog. Picture: Alamy
Above us, flying lizards, frogs and squirrels have adapted to life in the treetops. Frogs thrive in the annual six-month monsoon, from May to October. The Malabar gliding frog is just one of more than 40 species, which include dancing frogs and purple frogs. Mushrooms are abundant too, including a fluorescent green fungus that switches on and off like a light. Only four of the 400 types are edible and Kodava children are taught to tell them apart from an early age.
We trace the boundary of a sacred grove where a temple dedicated to the fearsome Kali, goddess of destruction, protects the wilderness from trespassers.
These devara kadu, or “forests of the gods”, were once common across India but succumbed gradually to agriculture and development. They persist in the south, particularly in Kerala and Coorg, where, says Pradhan, “we value the importance of the wildlife and forests because they give us food, oxygen and rainfall”. He opens my eyes to Coorg’s charmed surroundings. After dinners I sit outside my jungle house in the blackness as fireflies blink brightly all around me.
Insect orchestras with frog percussion sections serenade me to sleep each night. The sweet song of the Nilgiri coucal and the dirge of the tone-deaf Malabar whistling thrush wake me at sunrise.
On the last morning, bags packed and waiting for a jeep to collect me, I’m taking one last, deep draught of my surroundings when something crashes into the tangle of branches outside my windows. I step closer to see what it is and stand eye-to-eye with a Malabar pied hornbill. It looks as shocked as I do to find itself so close to such an exotic creature, and stays frozen in a bid to blend into its surroundings. This is not easy when you are a large black bird with an enormous yellow bill and casque, so we just stand there, staring at each other, in a fitting farewell to an adventure defined by unexpected wonders.
Kendall Hill was a guest of Adventure World Travel and Taj Madikeri Resort & Spa.
In the Know
Adventure World Travel tailors holidays, from flights to accommodation and experiences. Its 11-night South India itinerary from Chennai to Bangalore via Tanjore, Hyderabad, Bekal and Coorg includes stays at members of the luxury Taj Hotels group, breakfasts, internal flights, tours and activities, all transfers and sightseeing by minibus. From $7295 a person twin-share.
Singapore Airlines has excellent connections between eight Australian cities and South India, flying to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi via Singapore.
UAE Kannadigas and Tuluvas bid an emotional farewell to creative art director B K Ganesh Rai, who had come from the land of warriors and natural beauty Kodagu district of Karnataka, 25 years ago and is going back to his native after retirement.
The farewell function took place on Friday, August 2 at 11 am at the Fortune Plaza auditorium at Al Ghusais in Dubai.
The convener of UAE Kannadigaru and Tuluvara Sanghatane, which consists of 40 pro-Karnataka organizations, Sarvotham Shetty welcomed the gathering.
B K Ganesh Rai was serving as the creative art director and manager at the Gulf Public Relations and Advertising section, which is one of the B R Ventures group of companies that is owned by senior entrepreneur of UAE Dr B R Shetty.
Sarvotham Shetty lauded the social service done by Ganesh Rai by getting involved in various pro-Karnataka organizations that are active in UAE.
He also congratulated Majula Ganesh Rai, wife of Ganesh Rai and their children Monish Rai and Aishwarya Rai.
Ganesh Rai is sculptor by profession. In addition, he is an expert artist and computer graphic designing. He himself is a blood donor. He has played a stellar role in organizing the blood camps by pro-Karnataka associations. He has designed more or less all the emblems of Kannada associations. In addition, he has depicted the rich cultural heritage of Karnataka through various digital displays and canvas. He has also designed the invitation cards of meetings, functions, Sneha Milana, sports meets, leisure outings and literature conventions. Ganesh Rai, who is a writer also, has published articles about great personalities before and after the programmes of various organization in web media. He has also compered many Kannada events and participated as the chief guest.
Honorary accreditation certificate from Dubai government health authority
Ganesh Rai started blood donations camps from the time he was the president of Sharjah Karnataka Sangha and continued to organize blood donation camps through all pro-Karnataka associations from 2007 to 2019. Recognizing Ganesh Rai’s efforts in organizing blood donation camps, the Dubai government health authority conferred the honorary accreditation certificate on him. This letter was handed over to Ganesh Rai by Balakrishna Salian, organizer of blood camps and Sarvotham Shetty.
Felicitation to Ganesh Rai and family
Ganesh Rai and his family were felicitated in the presence of presidents and office bearers of pro-Karnataka organizations in UAE. Sarvotham Shetty, Premnath Shetty, Balakrishna Salian and Satish Poojary conducted the felicitation. Sampath Shetty read the letter of honour.
Ganesh Rai acknowledged the felicitation offered and thanked the office bearers and members of various associations. He also recalled the encouragement, support, honour and opportunity given to him during his journey of achievement in art.
Organizations served by Ganesh Rai
During his stay of 25 years in UAE, Ganesh Rai has served in Abu Dhabi Karnataka Sangha, Karnataka Sangha Dubai, Karnataka Sangha Sharjah, Karnataka NRI committee UAE, Al Ain Kannada Sangha, India Social and Cultural Center Abu Dhabi, UAE Tulukoota, Namma Tuluver, Tulu Siri Dubai, Dhwani Pratistana UAE, Kannadigaru Dubai, UAE Bunts, Billava Family Dubai, Byaris Cultural Forum Dubai, Mangloor Konkans Dubai, Gammat Kalavider Dubai, Yaksha Mitraru Dubai and Padmashali Samudaya UAE. Mogaveers UAE, Amchigele (GSB) Samaja UAE, Basava Samiti UAE, Ganiga Samaja UAE, Kulala Vrinda UAE, Vokkaliga Samaja UAE, Vishwakarma Seva Samiti UAE, Kodagu-Dakshina Kannad Gowda Samaja, Kodava Samaja, Devadiga Sangha Dubai, Kundapur Devdiga Mitraru (KADAM), Ramakshatriya Sangha UAE, Magadeepa cultural committee, Rajaka Samaja UAE, Tulu Pateruga Tulu Oripaga UAE, Varamahalaxmi Pooja Samiti, Samoohika Sri Satyanarayana Samiti, Brahmana Samaja UAE, Theeya Samaja, Karnataka journalists’ association UAE and Karnataka association Blood Donors’ Group.
Satish Poojary, one of the organizers of UAE Kannadigaru and Tuluvaru compered the event in a grand manner.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Middle East / Media Release / August 05th, 2019
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