Category Archives: World Opinion

War Hero, Son Of Kodagu Lt. General B.C. Nanda Passes Away

Amazing Feats, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

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Madikeri:

Lieutenant General (Retd.) Biddanda Chengappa Nanda passed away last evening in Madikeri. He was 87. Family sources said that he was suffering from age-related ailments and died en-route to a private hospital in Mysuru. He is survived by his wife and four daughters and one of his daughters Shalini Nanda Nagappa is a well-known Canada-based food blogger.

The last rites were scheduled to be performed after 3 pm today at his residence on Abbey Falls Road, with full military honours. Senior officers of the Army are expected to pay their last respects to the decorated soldier.

One of the most loved military officers from Kodagu district who served in the Indian Defence, Nanda rose to eminence in the Army. He served as the Army Commander, Northern Command and settled down in Kodagu after his retirement and was involved in many social service activities.

He was born to Biddanda S. Chengappa and Bollavva couple on May 12, 1931. Bollavva was the sister of Field Marshal (first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army) Kodandera M. Cariappa. Nanda had served in the Army between 1951 and 1989.

Nanda’s father Chengappa was the Chief Conservator of Forests, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Chengappa also served as a forest officer in Commonwealth Nations and had given priority to forest conservation.

A college in Coimbatore is named after Chengappa. Also, the biggest bridge in Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Austin Bridge) connecting Middle and North Andaman Islands is named as Chengappa Bridge as Chengappa, in the capacity of a forest officer, prepared a working plan for these islands.

After completing his primary schooling in Madikeri, Nanda moved to Madras and later to Dehradun for his higher education. He also did his higher education in Royal College of Defence in London.

Close associates of Nanda said that the Indian Military Academy was situated in front of his house while he was pursuing his post-graduation at Dehradun. He was inspired by military officials at the Academy. Though his family wanted him to be a doctor, Nanda was attracted to the military and subsequently joined the Indian Army.

When Nanda was the Army Commander, Siachen was occupied by Pakistan in June 1987. He ordered his troops to evict them from Siachen and for the first time Siachen, the world’s highest Army post, was occupied by the Indian Army. Subedar Bana Singh captured “Quaid Post” after defeating Pakistan and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. Today, “Quaid Post” is named as “Bana Singh Post”.

For his contribution to India’s military might, Lt. Gen. Nanda was honoured with Param Visishist Seva Medal (PVSM) and Athi Visishist Seva Medal (AVSM). He was an ardent lover of sports and attended hockey, football and cricket tournaments in various parts of Kodagu, post his retirement. Nanda was a voice of ex-servicemen and pressed for various demands for the benefit of ex-servicemen.

General Nanda headed the Kodagu Natural Sciences Society which was set up to trace the origin of Kodavas by ascertaining the ancestry, customs, culture, language and a study of genealogy by the Kodagu Natural Sciences Research Society. He spent his autumn years in his residence at Abbey Falls Road.

General Nanda had participated in the function held last year to unveil the statues of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and Gen K.S. Thimayya at Cauvery College, Gonikoppal. He was seen wearing traditional Kodava dress, greeting Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 13th, 2018

Flood relief: America Kannada Koota gives Rs 5 lakh

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion

America Kannada Koota and Havyaka Sangha donated a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the Madikeri Rotary Club to be handed over to the Kodagu flood victims.

At a programme organised, doctor couple settled in Atlanta – Dr Subrahmanya Bhat and Dr Annapoorna Bhat – handed over the cheque to Rotary Club President O S Chingappa.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Subrahmanya Bhat said that Kannadigas were saddened at the devastation caused following flood and landslides in Kodagu in August.

Dr Annapoorna Bhat said also spoke.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Naina J A / DH News Service / Madikeri – December 23rd, 2018

The backstory: When I was moved by the kindness of strangers in flood-hit Kodagu

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, World Opinion

It was only the next morning that I saw the damage that the floods had inflicted on the family.

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It was dark and still drizzling when Thenira Kishore Ganesh pulled into his parents’ house in Mekeri in Kodagu. It was a modest but spacious building in the traditional style within a large compound, with an outhouse, a well and flowering plants of various kinds. When Kishore told his parents that I would be staying in the house for the night, they immediately showed me where to freshen up and asked me how hungry I was.

I had been on the road since the crack of dawn having set out from Bengaluru to cover the impact of the floods and landslides that had hit Kodagu a few days earlier. Heavy rains had lashed the district through July and the first half of August making planters worry about their coffee and pepper crops. But the consistent heavy rain took a far bigger toll when on August 16, it brought entire hillsides and villages down in a series of landslides.

Since the condition of the roads and public transport services was uncertain, I had hitched a ride from Bengaluru with Kishore and his brother-in-law Darshan Thimmaiah. They were travelling back home to check on their families and help with relief work. I met Darshan just the previous day at the relief collection centre in Bengaluru. He works at the Ministry of Human Resources Development while Kishore works with the computer manufacturing company Lenovo in Bengaluru. His parents look after the family’s agricultural lands in Mekeri.

The 250-kilometer drive from Bengaluru to Kodagu took longer than it usually did. The Kushalnagar-Madikeri road bore signs of damage from the landslides. There was heavy traffic as relief from across the state poured into the district. We stopped in Suntikoppa where Kishore and Darshan made their own enquiries of the people displaced and living in shelters, while I gathered information for the reports I had set out to write. We stopped again at a petrol bunk in Madikeri where we met two ambulance drivers who had run out of fuel and cash. Kishore and Darshan paid for the two vehicles to be fuelled up.

While Kishore and Darshan dropped off their bags at the family house in Mekeri, Kishore’s mother offered me – an unexpected and ravenous guest – lunch. I happily wolfed down the otti (rice chapati), mutton curry, dal, rice and pickle.

That afternoon, Kishore and Darshan drove me to a relief centre 20 km away. It was already beginning to get dark when we left and they advised me not to try to get to my hotel in Madikeri since it was still raining, the roads were bad and landslides were still being reported across the area.

With no other place to stay, I went back to Kishore’s parents house. And so, having already shared their lunch, the family shared their dinner with me and readjusted their sleeping arrangements to make room for me.

Journalists often rely on the kindness of strangers and, reporting from the location of a natural disaster, I found myself profoundly thankful for the hospitality of Kishore’s elderly parents that evening.

It was only the next morning that I saw the damage that the floods had inflicted on the family.

Across the narrow road in front of their house, Kishore’s family has five acres of land on which they grow paddy. Kishore’s father, who manages the fields for his relatives living outside Kodagu, had supervised sowing in early July. Now, in mid-August, the rice saplings were lying on their sides, flattened by the water that had come rushing down from the hills in the previous day. A 200-metre long field that belongs to Kishore’s uncle had a large chasm in the middle. A stream that used to run around the field and into an irrigation canal now ran through that chasm, the water muddy with silt washed down from fields upstream.

“We don’t know what kind of losses we will have from this,” said Kishore. He estimated that his family will need to spend at least Rs 1 lakh just to restore the field by filling it in with mud.

And yet, when I offered to split the fuel bill with the brothers-in-law who drove me around for a day and a half, they only asked that I donate that amount to flood relief.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> BackStory 2018 / by Nayantara Narayanan / December 25th, 2018

Rohan Bopanna: It was scary travelling solo for the first time

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

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Rohan Bopanna has travelled the world now due to his tennis and the Indian recently spoke about cities he loves and also the place he wants to go to! Speaking about the place he loves going back to, he said, “New York City.

There is something in the air which keeps taking me back. The city is always buzzing. In fact, even the heat wave at the US Open did not bother me too much, maybe because at the Asian Games, it was equally humid. In a way, that helped me get used to the heat there.” Thoughts about travelling solo, Bopanna assessed, “It would be wrong to say it wasn’t scary travelling solo for the first time, but there was a sense of freedom.

Travelling to South Korea was my first solo trip. I was curious to know about a new country and most importantly, being fully responsible for everything.” A trip he felt was out of his comfort zone, “I had gone to Uzbekistan for a tournament.

My flight landed at 2 am and there was no one from the organisers to pick me up. I saw a co-passenger waiting for his friend. I went up to him and asked if he knew a place where I could stay for the night and he offered to take me to a hotel.

Trusting someone randomly and hoping for the best takes one out of their comfort zone. Luckily for me, it all ended well.” A place on his mind to travel, “Mauritius for the wonderful beaches and reefs.

source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org / Tennis World / Home> Tennis News> Tennis Interviews / by Philip Anderson / December 22nd, 2018

Tata Coffee Ltd appoints Mr. Chacko Purackal Thomas as MD & CEO

Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), World Opinion

Based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Board of Directors of Tata Coffee Limited at their meeting held today, the 24th December 2018, has appointed Mr. Chacko Purackal Thomas (who is currently the Executive Director & Deputy CEO) as ‘Managing Director & CEO designate’ with effect from 24th December 2018.

Mr. Chacko Thomas will assume charge as Managing Director & CEO of Tata Coffee Limited, effective 1st April 2019 after the retirement of Mr. Sanjiv Sarin, the current Managing Director and CEO, whose term of office would expire by 31st March 2019.

Mr. Chacko Purackal Thomas is a Bachelor of Science with specialization in Computer Science from the University of Jodhpur. He has over 26 years of rich experience and expertise in the field of Plantations, Business strategy, Sales and Marketing and overall leadership.

He has been associated with Tata Coffee Limited as the Executive Director & Deputy CEO since 4th August, 2015. Before joining Tata Coffee, he was the Managing Director of Kannan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited, Munnar.

Shares of TATA COFFEE LTD. was last trading in BSE at Rs.95.45 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 94.45. The total number of shares traded during the day was 19718 in over 263 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 95.7 and intraday low of 94.45. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 1877889.

source: http://www.equitybulls.com / Equity Bulls / Home> Stock Report / December 25th, 2018

Kodagu set to gain from proximity to Kannur airport

Business & Economy, World Opinion

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The newly opened Kannur International Airport has brought smiles to Karnataka’s bordering district of Kodagu.

The closest airport from Madikeri, Gonikoppal, and Kushalnagar is Kannur, and tourism stakeholders are hoping that the new airport may prove a big advantage for tourist footfall in the coffee land.

Kushalnagar, a commercial town surrounded by tourism hotspots, is around 100 km from Kannur, while Madikeri and Gonikoppal are about 95 km and 55 km, respectively, from the Kerala city.

“Certainly, the airport will benefit Kodagu, both in terms of business and tourism. Whether the benefit will be felt immediately has to be seen. But, tourists travelling by road from Bengaluru airport may prefer Kannur airport to reach Kodagu,” said Kodagu Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants’ Association president Nagendra Prasad.

He, however, said the road linking Kannur and Madikeri should be developed within the State limits since the route till Kerala–Karnataka border from Kannur is a four-lane road. The Karnataka government should take immediate steps to develop the single-lane road till the border to facilitate tourist arrivals, Mr. Prasad urged. While the journey by road from Bengaluru to Madikeri takes about five hours, the route from Kannur to Kodagu is less than two hours.

Mysuru Travel Mart president B.S. Prashanth said the airport would open a new gateway for tourism developmentand eventually improve connectivity between the two States, thereby boosting tourism.

People flying to Kannur need not have to bother about traffic to reach their destination — Madikeri — unlike from Bengaluru, according to Mr. Prashanth as during weekends and holidays, the Mysuru–Bengaluru highway witnesses bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The new airport may also open a new route for tourists visiting Wayanad and Ooty — the other two popular destinations in south India.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shankar Bennur / Mysuru – December 15th, 2018

Cultural canvas at airport

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

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Local art and culture and that of Kodagu find place in airport interiors

The luxurious interiors of the terminal building of the Kannur International airport could not have asked for better arts works to adorn its walls than the elegant paintings and murals featuring the local art and culture of north Malabar. The paintings also depicted the cultural legacy of neighbouring parts of Karnataka.

The paintings and murals on display at the terminal building represent the cultural legacy of north Malabar, especially Theyyam forms and feats of Kalaripayattu as also paintings depicting life and culture of the State.

Among the latest additions to the art works that adorn the walls of the airport terminal, to give a visual experience to passengers and provide a vista of the land’s culture and history, are two works that illustrate the heritage of neighbouring parts of Karnataka.

One art work represents the culture of Kodagu in Karnataka. Madikeri, the district headquarters of Kodagu, is around 90 km away. The metal art work on Kodagu was prepared by artists of the Charu Art Gallery, an art consultancy based in Mysuru.

In the picture, a woman clad in traditional Kodagu attire holds a cup of coffee while a man, also clad in traditional Kodagu attire, holds a gun and wears a dagger. The background of the picture features coffee beans and the frame also includes birds and elephants.

Airport officials were told by Bheemesh A.N., managing partner of Charu Art Gallery, that the coffee mug in the hands of the woman, dagger and gun in the hands of the man, and coffee beans in the background symbolise the Kodava culture, while the birds and elephants represent the wildlife of the region. The second art work is a big picture of Yakshagana, the traditional theatre art form of Karnataka. The picture, in a 9-metre high and 6-metre wide frame, is a creation of a team of mural artists led by painter K.R. Babu.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – December 08th, 2018

Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan, India’s Asiad gold-winning pair, to partner on ATP Tour from 2019

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

The all-Indian doubles pair will start their season at home in the Maharashtra Open.

PTI
PTI

India’s 2018 Asian Games gold medal winning pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan has decided to form a permanent partnership and will play together on the ATP Tour from the 2019 season.

Bopanna and Sharan – ranked 37 and 39 in the ATP year-end doubles ranking respectively – will start their season at the Maharashtra Open in Pune and will play one more tournament before taking part in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

“We have played with each other before and we gel well. Plus we have similar rankings so we can enter the bigger tournaments together,” Sharan told Scroll.in. “Both of us are from India and it is always nice to play with someone from your country,” he added.

The idea to pair came up organically and was something both of them were keen on, especially after their title-winning run in Indonesia in August this year. “We have been in touch and were thinking about this, especially after the Asian Games. I enjoy playing with Rohan and we form a good pair,” he said.

But the partnership can also go on to be a lot more meaningful for Indian tennis with an eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. An all-Indian doubles pair with the experience of playing together on the circuit will be a welcome addition the squad.

On his part, Sharan did say that playing together now will give them the opportunity to play more tournaments together for India in the future. The duo displayed good chemistry when they played together in Indonesia and more tournaments together will give them a chance to get better. Much like the pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi in the early part of this millennium.

After the Maharashtra Open, the pair plans to play in either Sydney or Auckland depending on the entry list and then the Australian Open. There is a strong possibility that they will team up in the Davis Cup as well, when India take on Italy in February in the qualifiers for the Finals.

The 32-year-old Sharan is a late bloomer and has had a great season in 2018, reaching a career-best 36 and was briefly the highest-ranked Indian in doubles ahead of Bopanna as well. Sharan had a host of partners in the last year, after ending his long-standing partnership with fellow Indian Purav Raja. Last year at the Maharashtra Open, Sharan had played with Yuki Bhambri while 2016 Chennai Open champions Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan had played together.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Indian Tennis / by Zenia D’Cruz / December 07th, 2018

Hockey World Cup Memories: AB Subbaiah remembers 1994 edition, where India’s chances were undone by South Africa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Sports, World Opinion

Playing as a goalkeeper for the Indian team, AB Subbaiah was part of the 1998 Asian Games gold medal winning side. He has been feted with the Arjuna Award. He spoke to Amit Kamath.

I was India’s goalkeeper in the 1994 World Cup, which was held in Sydney. What a memorable tournament it was!

We had a great team consisting of players like Dhanraj Pillay, Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Riaz.

Our preparation for the World Cup was also excellent. The 1994 World Cup was one of the first coaching assignments of Cedric D’Souza and he had prepared the team really well. I remember that a lot of players came from either Mumbai or Karnataka at that time.

While most of our other coaches used to train us by working on our strengths, Cedric was the one who made us prepare by focusing on our rivals’ strengths and tactics. Cedric had a technical style of coaching which involved studying other teams. It was a modern style of training which helped us prepare for each and every situation.

We played some great hockey against the best teams in the world. That tournament saw us register wins over South Korea and Belgium in the group stage. We also had close matches against Germany and the Netherlands.

It was a great team and we had done very well but one unfortunate thing was the 2-2 draw against South Africa in the league stage. That proved to be the difference between us and Germany in qualifying for the semi-finals. At that time, just two teams from the group were to qualify for the semis.

I remember that after our last group match, we had to wait for the match between the Netherlands and Germany to end to see if we could qualify. They played out a draw, which led some of us to feel like they had an understanding.

But there were a few things which proved to be our undoing in that tournament. Against the good teams in our group we performed really well, but against an under-rated team like South Africa, we were a little slack in our approach. That was probably because we were focusing on the bigger teams in the tournament. When you play at an event as big as the World Cup, you have to prepare equally for each opponent however big or small it is.

What also hurt us was a misplaced pass by Shakeel Ahmed when we were up 1-0 against Germany. The Germans capitalised on the error, stormed into out D and equalised!

Another memory that sticks out from that tournament is the goal the Netherlands’ Taco van den Honert scored against me in our group match. At that time, players would whack or slap-hit the ball towards goal in penalty corners. But when the Netherlands played us, Taco drag-flicked the ball into the top right corner. It surprised all of us! It was the onset of the era of drag-flicks.

What also went against us was that one of our most prominent forwards, Sabu Varkey, was not available during the tournament. If he had played, he would have been a livewire at the front and the results would have been different.

Eventually, we could not qualify for the semis and had to play Argentina in the playoffs for the 5th to 8th position spots. We won that match in an exhilarating tiebreaker. We beat them comprehensively! At that time, finishing 5th and 6th was commendable because it also meant that the team would qualify for the Champions Trophy. So, on one hand, we were happy, but on the other hand, we felt that since a lot of young players had come from the junior team, so we could have done really well in this tournament.

And then we beat England for the fifth-sixth position match which made it a memorable tournament for us. Finishing fifth at that tournament was not that bad because it was just one step away from the semi-finals. We were unfortunate to miss the chance in that way. But what was more unfortunate was that at the Atlanta Olympics two years later, we again missed the semi-final cut narrowly like that.

That was what teams need to realise! We were good enough to make it to the semis at the 1994 World Cup. But it was just because of one underrated team beating us in one match that we missed out.

For the full Hockey World Cup 2018 schedule, click here

source: http://www.firstpost.com / FirstPost. / Home> Latest News> Sports News / by A B Subbaiah / December 02nd, 2018

Kodagu district and Kannur airport to be catalysts for mutual growth

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Mangaluru :

Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) and Kodagu district are betting big on the proximity factor and the tourism potential for mutual growth. Kodagu, the hill district of Karnataka, will be one of the major beneficiaries of the Kannur International Airport that will begin operation on December 9.

V Thulasidas, Managing Director of KIAL, recently told BusinessLine in Kannur that Kodagu passengers would find this airport convenient because of its proximity to major towns in the district.

Proximity
Virajpet in southern Kodagu is just 58 km away from the airport (which is located at Mattannur), and Madikeri in northern Kodagu is around 90 km from the airport.

G Chidvilas, former president of the Kodagu District Chamber of Commerce, said though Bengaluru is located around 260 km from Madikeri, it requires around seven hours of travel. “From there you need at least one hour to reach the Bengaluru airport,” he said.

The Mangaluru International Airport is around 140 km from Madikeri, and around 170 km from Virajpet. The Kannur airport is much closer to Kodagu towns than these two airports, he said.

Tourism potential
Stating that coffee crop and tourism are the two major contributors to the economy of the district, Chidvilas said the district is a major tourism destination in Karnataka. Many corporates in the hospitality sector have opened resorts in the district. Apart from this, the district has many home-stay accommodations.

“Since Kannur is an international airport, we are expecting an influx of foreign tourists into Kodagu,” he said.

Cargo to Gulf
Thulasidas said KIAL has had several interactions with the chambers of commerce from its catchment areas, including the Kodagu chamber. “I went to Madikeri and had meetings with the chamber. We will work together as a team to promote tourism in this catchment area,” he said.

On the potential for cargo handling from the Kodagu region, the KIAL MD said the presence of an airport nearby offers scope for exporting flowers and spices from the district to the Gulf destinations. From there, these cargoes can go to Europe. The construction of the cargo complex at the airport is expected to be completed in one-and-a-half years.

Road connectivity
Chidvilas said Kodagu, which is known for floriculture activities, is now dependent on the Bengaluru airport for export. The Kannur airport will provide another alternative to the floriculturists to tap the export market.

Asked about the condition of roads between the Kodagu centres and the airport, he said the problem is with the stretch of roads in Kodagu and not Kerala. A stretch from the Kerala border to Virajpet, which needs to be widened, passes through a reserve forest, he said.

Thulasidas said the road from Kannur town to Mattannur (where the airport is located) and from there to the Karnataka border will be a National Highway. The road from Mattannur to the Karnataka border, which is already being developed by the Kerala government into two lanes under another scheme, is almost completed.

The development of the roads will help people from both Kannur and Kodagu areas, he added.

source:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home / by A J Vinayak / December 03rd, 2018