Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Hope juniors can make the transition: Arjun Halappa

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

Arjun Halappa backed the junior members of the 33-man squad to step up to the big-time in world hockey.

Arjun Halappa
Arjun Halappa

Bengaluru:

With a bustling hockey schedule starting with the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup around the corner for Team India, former national team captain and local favourite Arjun Halappa backed the junior members of the 33-man squad to step up to the big-time in world hockey. Speaking to media personnel at the ongoing training camp at the Sports Authority of India’s Southern Centre in the city on Friday, Halappa, who joined head coach Roelant Oltman’s support staff last week, recognised the challenges that lay ahead regardless of the depth of talent available in the Indian ranks.

“We’ve done really well at the junior level. The most important thing is for things to fall in to place at the senior level. Major tournaments like the World Cup, the Olympics and the Champions Trophy are a different ball game. To get the feeling of being a part of big matches and tournaments and to win these games is very important,” he quipped.

At a time of transition for the men’s side, Halappa believes the combination of experienced heads, former players behind the scenes and youthful exuberance can be a force in the future. “It’s very nice to get 11 juniors into one bunch for the senior group. I just hope that they can transition the result of winning the junior World Cup to the senior group. I can’t expect this to happen overnight. We’re hosting the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Olympics will also serve as good exposure,” the 36-year-old noted.

‘Thrilled with new role’

Halappa was evidently thrilled about his new role. “We’re building a new team and I had to take a call on the job as Roelant has (been) behind me to coach for a while. I really want to give back something to hockey. The learning aspect is crucial for Indian coaches, especially from experienced figures like Oltmans. I am very grateful to him and Hockey India for giving me this opportunity.”

The former attacking midfielder was optimistic about the dressing room chemistry and was quick to point out its effectiveness. “A lot of guys in the support staff started together. We hope that helps to contribute towards the success of this team. “At the end of the day, the players matter. The staff can lend feedback but execution holds key. The seniors have been pushing hard, and juniors are in turn pushing them for positions,” he surmised.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> In Other News / by Utkarsh Krishnan, Deccan Chronicle / March 25th, 2017

Oltmans ‘happy’ to have Halappa, Jugraj in coaching set-up

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Sports

Oltmans believes Arjun Halappa has the personality to become a good coach.

Roelant Oltmans has welcomed the addition of former stars Arjun Halappa and Jugraj Singh to India’s coaching set-up. Halappa has begun working with the players at the national camp, which commenced here this week, while Jugraj is expected to arrive soon. The pair will be joined by a goal-keeping coach, with the three Indian coaches to work under Oltmans. “I had asked Arjun a number of times before to join us. So far he had said no because he wanted to play. But this time, he didn’t need more than five minutes to take his decision. I really believe he has the know-how and the personality to become a good coach. I’m really happy,” Oltmans said.

Jugraj’s expertise as a drag-flicker was important, he felt. “Arjun is more attacking while Jugraj has been a good defender and drag-flicker. We can use his experience in the area. Two very good Indian guys.”

Tushar Khandker, however, has left the coaching staff. “Tushar did a wonderful job for the period he was involved with us,” Oltmans said. “I can imagine that after such a stressful and tough year you need to spend some time with your family especially when you have young children. Because we are never at home, we are away all the time. Tushar got his deserved break. But I am sure he will come back somewhere in the system.”

source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar Live / Home / by Shreedutta Chidananda / Benglauru – March 16th, 2017

Gulshan Devaiah makes a ‘thrilling’ Marathi debut

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

GulshanKF17mar2017

After winning accolades for his portrayal in ‘Shaitan’ and ‘Hunterrr’, actor Gulshan Devaiah has turned his eyes towards the Marathi industry.

With the upcoming film ‘Daav’, Gulshan will make a foray into Marathi films, adding to the ever-growing list of Bollywood actors associating with the industry. Gulshan will be seen playing an investigative officer in this bilingual crime thriller (renamed ‘Haadsa’ in Hindi) directed by Kanishk Varma. And to get the portrayal right, he went the extra mile. “Although I played a Maharashtrian character in ‘Hunterrr’ and even had a couple of Marathi dialogues, I wasn’t fluent at the language,” says Gulshan.

For ‘Daav’, the actor underwent a month-long Marathi training programme. He adds, “The story of the film is so gripping that I didn’t want to let this role go to anyone else just because I didn’t know the language. So the month-long training was a great option for me.

Having stayed in Mumbai, I didn’t find it hard to pick up the language and I can converse in Marathi now.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Marathi> Movies> News / by Mihir Bhanage / TNN / March 14th, 2017

Harshika Poonacha’s college-student act in her Tamil debut

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

HarshikaKF17mar2017

Sandalwood actress Harshika Poonacha was originally supposed to be making her Tamil debut in the 4K (Kanavil Kanda Kadhal Kavithai) that had Jai in the lead.

But director Hashim Marikar has pushed the filming of Jai’s project to later this year and has begun working on his next, which is said to be a thriller, in which she’s a part of.

Talking about the film, she says, “I play a college girl in this film. She’s both bold and bubbly. She stands up for the issues in her college and help it solve. She rides a sports motorbike and dresses up in a rather rugged style. She’s more of a charmer, I should say. While so many guys try to woo her, I have my eyes on only one.”

Malayalam actor Maqbool Salmaan plays her love interest in the film. “We shot most of our portions in a college in Kochi. We will be shooting some city portions in Chennai soon,” she adds.

The film also stars Sampath Kumar, Paoli Dam and Lena in the lead. “We all have different stories to tell, but all of them are somehow connected. It has been a fun shoot so far,” she reveals.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Tamil> Movies> News / by Sharanya CR / TNN / March 17th, 2017

Andhra Pradesh student wins Pemanda scholarship

Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, World Opinion

The scholarship is open only to meritorious students from South India.

Susmita Gunda
Susmita Gunda

Susmita Gunda, an engineering student from Andhra Pradesh has been selected for this year Pemanda Monappa Commonwealth Scholarship. A meritorious student from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, she completed her B.Tech in Electronics and Communication there.

Susmita has secured admission at Cambridge University. “Am happy that I have been selected for this scholarship. I came to know of this scholarship in the Cambridge University website. It is a prestigious one and the aid I receive will cover 60 per cent of my educational expenses,” Ms. Gunda says. She will pursue her MPhil in Industrial Systems, manufacturing and management Department of Engineering at the Newnham College, Cambridge University. “It is a project intensive course and I will be working in four live projects as part of my course,” she says.

This scholarship is open only for South Indian students with outstanding academic achievements and, who have secured admission for post graduation study at the Cambridge Univeristy.

For details, contact phone: 044 – 28253241. Weblink: www.cambridge trusts.org and search for Pemanda Monappa Scholarship.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Education Plus / by Chitradeepa A / September 12th, 2012

The Untold Story of C. B. Muthamma, India’s First Woman IFS Officer and Ambassador

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

Over the years, India has had several woman diplomats, ambassadors and high commissioners who have done stints in countries like the USA, China, Spain, Sri Lanka, Australia, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Qatar, Switzerland, Serbia, Russia, Slovakia and Ghana. We’ve also had two women Foreign Secretaries – Chokila Iyer and Nirupama Rao – who were highly respected for their tough stance and unflappable poise during their years of distinguished service.

It’s a far cry from what India’s first IFS woman officer, Chonira Belliappa Muthamma, had to face when she joined service in 1949.

In an age when most Indian women didn’t even try getting into foreign service, this gutsy Kodava woman didn’t just choose IFS when she qualified UPSC, she fought gender bias, stood her ground and went on to become India’s first female ambassador.

photo source: mea.gov
photo source: mea.gov

Born in Virajpet in Karnataka’s Kodagu (then Coorg) district in 1924, Muthamma lost her father, who was a forest officer, when she was nine. Raised singlehandedly by her mother, Muthamma completed her schooling in St Joseph’s Girls School in Madikeri before graduating from the Women’s Christian College in Chennai (then Madras) with a triple gold medal.

Muthamma completed her post-graduation in English Literature from Presidency College in Chennai before deciding to appear for the UPSC examinations. She performed brilliantly, becoming the first Indian woman to clear the UPSC examinations in 1948. She wanted to join the Indian Foreign Service but the board that interviewed her discouraged her from joining this ‘not suitable for women’ service.

However, Muthamma was determined to get her choice of service. She convincingly argued her case, stood her ground and joined the foreign services in 1949, becoming India’s first IFS woman officer. Incredibly, she had to sign an undertaking which stated that she would resign if she got married. However, after a couple of years, the rules were changed.

For the next few decades, Muthamma served with distinction in many capacities in Europe, Asia and Africa. However, she had to fight against gender bias all through her diplomatic career. Despite serving in the foreign service for long, her case was overlooked when it came to posting her as an ambassador.

photo source: inmemoryglobal.com
photo source: inmemoryglobal.com

Not the one to accept any injustice lying down, Muthamma filed a petition against the Indian government in the Supreme Court on the ground that she had been unjustly overlooked for promotion. The determined and stubbornly honest officer argued that the rules governing the employment of women in the service were discriminatory.

The government of India, represented by Solicitor General Soli Sorabjee, argued that that the chances of leakage of confidential information of strategic significance was a dangerous risk, should women ambassadors marry. Realising that this was flagrant prejudice against women, the court asked the Solicitor General how leakage of information was not a possibility if a male ambassador married.

Finally, in 1979, a three-member Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer quashed the government’s argument, struck down the discriminatory provisions governing foreign service personnel and upheld Muthamma’s case.

The nation’s apex court also impressed upon the government of India “the need to overhaul all service rules to remove the stains of sex discrimination, without waiting for ad-hoc inspiration from writ petitions or gender charity.” A landmark judgement for women’s rights in India, it was distributed at many a women’s meeting in support of their struggle for equality.

Consequent to this ruling, Muthamma was posted as India’s Ambassador to Hungary, the first woman from within the service to be appointed to this prestigious post. Later, she served in Ghana and her last posting was as Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands.

After 32 years of exemplary service, she retired from the IFS in 1982 but only after breaking the South Block’s glass ceiling for the women who joined the IFS after her.

photo source: alchetron.com
photo source: alchetron.com

Even after retirement, Muthamma remained active in various fields. She was nominated as the Indian member of the Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues set up by the then Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme. She was also a prolific writer, and during her retirement authored several works on a range of interests, from a cookbook on Kodava cuisine to a collection of scholarly articles titled “Slain by the System: India’s Real Crisis.”

People like Chonira Belliappa Muthamma come along very rarely. Civil servants like her are rarer. The courageous lady lived a life only a handful of other women of her time lived, fighting a lonely battle against the sexist principles – a few written, many more unwritten – that governed the Indian civil services of her time. A woman who broke barriers and set examples, she inspired many other Indian women to take up the challenge of civil service in the coming years.

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Civil Services / by Sanchari Pal / March 01st, 2017

Rotary Club of Bangalore to celebrate Education through Art – Kala for Vidya

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Annual art show at Taj West End from February 24 to 26

Bengaluru, Karnataka :

Rotary Club of Bangalore (RCB) will be showcasing its annual art exhibition Kala for Vidya on Friday, February 24, at The Taj West End – Art Corridor.

The event is to be inaugurated by Ms. Shefali Vaidya, the eminent columnist and Mr. Prasad Bidappa, the fashion guru, guests of honour.

26 prominent Indian artists have joined hands with RCB along with The Taj West End for the cause, the education of economically weaker section children. The Art Show will be on display February 25th and 26th, 2017, from 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. for art lovers to enjoy and contribute.

‘Rotary club of Bangalore has a long history of service projects. We have constructed 40 government primary schools, run our own high school, build toilet blocks, and similar projects. A successful Kala for Vidya show will mean one more step in the direction of making India free of illiteracy.

This initiative by Rotary Club is part of the larger effort to bring in underprivileged children into the mainstream through education’, said Rtn. President Ranga Rao, RCB. He further added “What is special about this show are the fine artists coming to partner with us for the cause. Well-known artists such as Gurudas Shenoy, Milind Nayak have been our source of inspiration for us to sustain the cause for over 9 years generating smiles on the faces of the children of rural India.”

Mr Somnath Mukherjee, the General Manager of Taj West End,’ The Taj West End has always aimed to showcase the finer things in life and the Art Corridor is a perfect example of it. We have partnered with RCB for Kala for Vidya in the past as well and is an extension for the support we provide for artists’.

Rotary club of Bangalore is 82 years young and has an enviable spectrum of service projects. We have partnered in running the Rotary TTK blood bank, significant dialysis presence, inculcate solar and green values in rural areas, and many other socially relevant projects.

source: http://www.indiaprwire.com / IndiaPRWire.com / Home> Healtcare-Hospital, Childrens related News / February 20th, 2017

A Simple Shubra SEENasation

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

The lissome Coorg beauty took a breather after Vajrakaya, and is now back as the love interest in this new Kannada film.

Shubra Aiyappa
Shubra Aiyappa

Two years ago, at almost six feet, a svelte and beautiful Coorg beauty towered into Sandalwood and created waves, and “simply” wowed audiences in a song. She then went off the radar for a bit.

Now, back as the love interest of John Seena, Shubra Aiyappa hopes for some more tall claims. Her ‘John Seena’ however has nothing to do with the WWE popular wrestler John Cena. It’s just the title of the upcoming directorial venture of Simple Suni of the Simple Aag Ondh Love Story and Bahuparak fame.

The model-turned-actress Shubra makes a comeback after two years and speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about her love for John Seena, and what made her wait for a while despite the huge popularity she attained after her short and sweet special appearance in Vajrakaya’s famous song No Problem alongside Shivanna.

“My second film in Kannada is very different from my earlier one, as an actress. I had never expected that first-ever song in Kannada featuring me along with the great Shivarajkumar Sir would become so popular, and would go onto be the number one song of that year. That is so so wonderful.”

Though, I play the love interest in my John Seena, the character I am portraying is very interesting, though revealing any more about her would spoil the whole fun of the movie,” says Shubra, adding that it will be a complete transformation for her.

On why she chose to wait for some time despite her huge popularity, the actress feels that she is not a person who will do something just because she has to, but only when she wants to. “I love my craft so much that I will be a part of something if I have a connect with it. When the first film came to me, it was very exciting. I knew that there would not be too much of a screen presence but sharing the screen space with Shivarajkumar Sir, playing his love interest, and also the song was a great debut,” Shubra says.

She admits that she did get a lot of offers, but did not accept them out of choice. “After doing a film of that level, it only made sense to either do something on par with it or to wait for something higher,” she says. In a first for her, she will be lending her own voice in John Seena.

“I got many calls and enquiries but nothing got caught my attention. The numbers are irrelevant, and also, if I choose the wrong film, it would be difficult to bounce back as history has seen such actresses typecast.

Hence, I have been a little more careful with the choice of movies, and decided to take a break for something after Vajrakaya. I got an offer that involved Suni Sir for his next directorial. He has such a great reputation since Simple Aag Ondh Love Story, and the kind of films he has been making are different. Once I heard the fantastic script, I had to accept it,” she adds.

With the shoot in progress, the actress is doing her home work for John Seena — there are strict instructions at home to speak only in Kannada, amongst a huge to-do list.

“Featuring in the No Problem song, as a beautiful girl was easier for me, as I was a model. Now working for Suni has been very great. He is quirky at work, and there is never a dull moment,” she says.

The actress thanks her modelling days for helping her to a great extent when she took up films. “I started modelling at 15, and have worked for almost all the designers in India, and walked on the international catwalk as well. I am certainly not over-confident, but modelling helped me face my fears (in front of the camera). When I started doing ads, I was identified, and I was also interested in doing films as it allows me to explore different characters and evolve,” Shubra explains.

Before signing off, the actress who loves dancing says that her parents have been the greatest support for her, and post No Problem, they have changed their caller tunes to the song that saw her catapult to fame. “Even now, they help me with rehearsals at home as they know Kannada very well,” she ends.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Entertainment> Sandalwood / by Shashiprasad SM – Deccan Chronicle / March 01st, 2017

Prasad Bidapa does his bit for art for a cause in Bengaluru

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

BidappaKF28feb2017

The city’s art connoisseurs were in for a treat early this week, when US-based Sri Lankan artist Geramin Sebastian La Brie held a charity exhibition of her work.

The proceeds of the show were in aid of underprivileged children suffering from cleft lip and palate, and art lovers wasted no time in picking up the paintings.

The show was curated by Rubi Chakravarti and supported by Deutsche Cleft’s Regional Director, South Asia, Dushyant Prasad, and Lalit Sanghvi.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / January 05th, 2017

India needs practical national security doctrine: Marshal K C Cariappa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders

Cariappa said the need for such a doctrine is necessary in the face of having a nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan.

Former Air Marshal K C Cariappa on Sunday emphasised on the need to have a “practical” national security doctrine and a “robust” nuclear policy to “reassure citizens that appropriate measures are in place to protect them.” Speaking at the second Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon memorial lecture at Ahmedabad, he said a strategic defence doctrine should be put in place and endorsed by all political parties.

“We do not have a national security doctrine. The existence of such a document will dissuade adventurism and will reassure our citizens that appropriate measures are in place to protect us,” Cariappa said.
“A credible message must be conveyed to our people. A practical national security strategy and robust nuclear policy must be endorsed by all political parties,” the former Air Marshal said.

Cariappa said the need for such a doctrine is necessary in the face of having a nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan.

“They have created forces that destabilise our society by encouraging traditional antagonism… we need to tailor our strategic defence doctrine to create long-term measures towards a deterrent based on severe retribution as there can be no scope for indecisiveness,” he said.

Speaking on the need for a robust nuclear policy, Cariappa suggested that India’s nuclear forces must be placed under a strategic forces commander, who will be answerable to the Prime Minister, and will be the ultimate authority to launch the first strike in foreign territory.

“A command control and communication centre must be built. Our targeting philosophy must be involved and redirected to two notices, but yet the message must be loud and clear that this has been done, and that in fact our targeting policy exists,” he said.

Speaking on ‘Civil Military Relations’, former Commodore C Uday Bhaskar pointed out that there exists very little contact between India’s political establishment and military, and said the Indian Parliament exhibits “almost zero interest” in matters related to defence.

“The political establishment of India does not really have interest in military or the institution. There is a reason. Much of politics is now caught up in electoral cycle and military as an institution till recently did not represent a vote bank,” he said.

The fear of “coup” led to an understanding that the military should be kept outside the structures of formal governance, he said. “The defence ministry has ensured that military is caught in a maze of rules and regulations. And my reading is that bureaucracy does ‘Yes Minister’, keeps the fear of coup alive,” Bhaskar said at the event organised by the Air Force Association’s Gujarat chapter.
“Institutionally, Indian military has been treated as an untouchable, and unfortunately, they have not found an Ambedkar till now,” he said.

Bhaskar, however, said things have changed with OROP, and with retired military personnel becoming a force to reckon with in the Punjab Assembly elections.

“There seems to be a greater degree of politicisation of military’s retired community,” he said.

Bhaskar further said the Centre is cognisant of this and is taking into consideration various recommendations including those pointed out in the Kargil Committee Report.

Meanwhile, an expert on defence procurement, Laxman Behera, who delivered a lecture on ‘Make In India and Defence Production’, said despite government making positive efforts to involve private players to engage in defence production, a lot of concerns remains which need to be addressed.

He said government sector still wins major contracts for defence manufacturing, leaving out private players who have invested in infrastructure for the same.

“From private sector perspective, although government has undertaken a lot of reforms, no major contract has come to private sector so far. The private sector is desperately waiting for major contracts. The government will have to walk the talk and award some contracts to them,” he said.

He also said the component of capital expenditure in budgetary allocation to defence should go up, as a majority of money is spent on manpower.

“Over the last several years our budget is skewed towards our manpower. More than 42 per cent is for salary and manpower, and money for modernisation is sinking day by day,” he said.

“It is either stagnant for the last four years or is declining. So hopefully when the budget is presented in February, we will see some hike in capital expenditure, or it will be very difficult to sustain ‘Make in India’,” Behera said.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by PTI / Ahmedabad – January 29th, 2017