Sandalwood actress Harshika Poonacha is on cloud nine. At the Karnataka State Film Awards announced for the year 2011, she was adjudged the Best Supporting Actress for her work in the Kannada film Thamassu. The film, directed by Agni Sridhar, had Shivarajkumar in the lead. In fact, Shivarajkumar had won a Filmfare Best Actor nod for this film. The actress, who is currently in Hyderabad, took to her social networking page to thank the team of Thamassu. “Thamassu” The film which made me feel special,Thnx to Agni Shridhar sir and The Hatrick hero Shivanna sir My first STATE AWARD is dedicated to you both coz I wudn have made it possible without you both:) Thnq so much for the support and blessings :)) Also I thank all my beloved frens for wishing me on calls,texts and social networking sites :)) Love u all,muaaaaahhhhh,” she wrote. (Harshika Poonacha )
When TOI reached out to the actress, she sounded ecstatic. “I am overjoyed. In fact, I was sleeping when the award was announced and my phone was on mute. I missed a whole bunch of calls and messages. I am replying to everyone now,” she said, adding that the team of her new film was throwing a party for her this evening. “Right now, my award is the only thing on my mind,” she signed off.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Filmfare / Pratibha Joy, TNN / October 25th, 2013
Growing up, I watched my dad following cricket devotedly. I distinctly remember my father pointing Sachin Tendulkar to me, saying he was an upcoming player and would do well.
Cricket could easily pass off as a religion in India and whether you like it or not, the sport grows on you at a very young age when you see it being played by everyone, whether it’s in school, parks, on the road etc., It has been the same in my case too, so much so I still absolutely love playing cricket when I find the time.
Since the age of 13, I really started following cricket and, of course, Sachin who had become a national icon by then. The stuff, which caught my eye, was definitely his straight drive and the manner in which he moved swiftly and the ease that he hit the ball with.
Sachin is an iconic figure according to me. At such a young age he was a revelation not only on the field but also off it with the maturity in which he conducted himself during his interviews.
Playing a professional sport myself, when I read about the amount of hard work and hours of training that Sachin put in practicing to become a professional athlete, I get motivated. I was motivated to see that even a quality player like him would put in so much of time into his sport. It just goes to show that there are no short-cuts.
I remember meeting Sachin in Bangalore for the first time, when he had come to open a sports bar, which I was invited for among few others. I got to spend some time and have dinner with him and it was an honour to see how humble and down to earth he was.
Sachin is a sportsman known worldwide; I remember seeing him at Wimbledon few years ago and even met him once at the stadium as he had come to watch Roger Federer play. To just have him watching our sport was a fabulous feeling.
I would most definitely remember the innings he played in the Sydney Test match in 2004 when he was 241 not out. He was so well composed and delivered a quality innings.
In a regular scenario, time just passes by. But two minutes spent talking to Sachin Tendulkar was such an honour which I will always cherish.
I am certain he will be not forgotten easily and will be spoken about in many years to come for sure. Sachin is an icon in so many ways that no matter what he takes up I am sure he would be supported, respected and loved for it.
— As told to Sudatta Mukherjee
(Rohan Bopanna is a tennis player and currently ranked third in the world in doubles rankings. In 2010, Bopanna along with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, popularly known as the ‘Indo-Pak Express’ finished runners-up in doubles at the US Open.)
source: http://www.cricketcountry.com / CricketCountry.com / Home> News & Features / by Rohan Bopanna / October 28th, 2013
Bombay Gold Cup is a popular tournament and some of India’s top teams participate in it. Some of India’s biggest stars have enthralled crowds at the Mahindra Stadium in Churchgate. (Few members of the Indian…)
What makes the 48th edition of this tournament unique though, is that seven players from the 2001 Junior World Cup winning team are in the city.
On Thursday, the Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd. (MHAL), which is conducting the Bombay Gold Cup, felicitated the heroes of that spectacular triumph 12 years ago.
Mumbai boy Viren Rasquinha, Indian Oil’s Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh and Devesh Chouhan, Air India boys Prabodh Tirkey, Arjun Halappa and Vikram Pillay were all handed mementoes in between matches at the MHA on Thursday.
All the players have fond memories of their triumph, which briefly marked the revival of Indian hockey.
Recalling his experience, Halappa who has now become a national selector, says: “It was a turning point for Indian hockey, a revival of sorts. Players started getting attention and with it came decent money from the government. We also found a sponsor in Sahara who gave us all the support we needed.
“The future of hockey was looking up.”
That entire batch was arguably the best India has seen in a long, long time. Many of the World Cup heroes graduated to become formidable India stars. Rasquinha, in fact, went on to lead the team.
Explaining the reason behind the team’s success, striker Deepak Thakur, who top-scored with ten goals including two hat-tricks in the tournament, says: “Our approach was positive. Even before we could leave for Hobart, we had created a positive atmosphere. We had decided that come what may, we have to win this World Cup. We stayed like a family and every player knew another very well, as a result of which we combined well on the field.”
Rasquinha, who probably was in the best form of his career, couldn’t agree with his teammate more: “The best thing about that team was that coach Rajinder Singh created a super atmosphere. We knew each other very well, because we were playing as a unit since 1998. I guess sharing a good rapport with teammates makes a big difference,” he insists.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Hockey> Air India / by Sudheendra Tripathi, TNN / October 25th, 2013
Nikhil Chinappa (EPS)
One of the biggest festivals of the country, Sunburn will no longer have one of the country’s popular favourite artistes, Nikhil Chinapa. Instead, Chinapa will be seen collaborating with LIVE Viacom18 as the festival director, “I am going to be working with them as an artist. I do not aim to make the festival bigger and better than Sunburn,” he begins. As for the new festival, Chinapa says, “We haven’t decided a name. I want the festival to be amazing. Order a masala dosa but what matters is who you are eating it with, what time of the day it is, what music is running in the background and if the girl at the opposite table looked at you and smiled. I think all these factors make the experience amazing.”
The festival, scheduled from December 26 to 30 will be electronic and may coincide with Sunburn’s dates. “My vision is to have 17 screens at the end of 10 years. I will also include camping in the third year of the festival,” he adds. Chinapa promises a lot of new talent, artistes from abroad and of course his wife and DJ Pearl.
The venue will remain the same, Goa, though Chinapa agrees that down South, the East Coast Road in Chennai could also be a great spot to host the festival. “I think go-MAD is doing pretty good when it comes to Chennai. They should make it the biggest festival in Chennai. I did come for the latest version and it was well done.” He is also organising a festival for 21 year olds. “This fest has no alcohol and will teach youngsters to be music producers. The fest will be conducted by professionals,” he concludes. More information about the new festival will be announced later this month.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Mrinalini Sundar / ENS – Hyderabad / October 25th, 2013
When people embrace dual responsibilities, dealing with the double-edged sword becomes inevitable. Air India’s Arjun Halappa is currently busy negotiating the many predicaments that come along with being a national selector and being an active player.
Being a player, Halappa rubs shoulders with potential candidates who could go and represent the country some day, while being a selector though, he has to ensure bias doesn’t creep in while doing his national duty. And as Halappa puts it: “drawing a line is critical”. (Being a player, Arjun Halappa…)
“I have played a lot of hockey and I know I have a lot more hockey left in me. So on that front I am assured. I have always idol-worshipped Dhanraj Pillay as a player. I try to emulate him as far as possible. Even at the age of 40-41, Dhanraj was a force to reckon with. So I want to follow in his footsteps. But it is a different ball game being a selector,” said Halappa, who turned out for Air India in the opening encounter of the 48th edition of the Bombay Gold Cup against Indian Navy at Churchgate’s Mahindra Stadium. For the record, Air India thrashed Navy 6-1.
“Having played hockey, people expect me to give them a hearing. They take it for granted that I will succumb to their requests just because I have shared the dressing room with them. But that is not the case. As a player, I will always respect the equation I share with my teammates. But when it comes to picking up the right candidate for India camps, I will do my job professionally,” added Halappa, who was part of India’s squad at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
At 32, Halappa is one of the youngest selectors. Dealing with senior selectors such a BP Govinda (Olympian and chairman of selectors) would sure be a tricky proposition. “You have to be respectful for sure. But I’ve been assigned a task and I believe doing my job with total commitment. Thankfully, I’ve never been required to assert myself.”
Results: Air India 6 (DS Darshan, Shivendra Singh, Birendra Lakra, Vikram Pillay, VS Vinaya, Joga Singh) bt Indian Navy 1 (Amit Kumar Goswami).
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Hockey> Air India / by Sudheendra Tripathi, TNN / October 21st, 2013
Former sprinter and Clean Sports India president Ashwini Nachappa was today elected as one of the vice-presidents of Karnataka Amateur Athletics Association in the polls held at its General body Meeting here.
Nachappa was elected as one of the four vice-presidents for a three-year term. The other three vice-presidents are Uday K Prabhu, Sunil Kumar Shety and A Munisanjeevappa.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara was elected unanimously as KAA President, while Chandrashekar Rai was made the Secretary. H R Udaya Kumar will be the treasurer of the association.
Para-athlete H N Girisha, who won a silver in the London Paralympic Games last year, was also named as one of the Executive Committee members.
The GBM, which was attended by 138 members, gave unanimous approval to the Annual Report, Accounts for 2012-13, besides also passing several amendments to the constitution of the Association.
Welcoming Nachappa’s election as KAA vice-president, CSI Convenor B V P Rao said, “I hope other former sportspersons would emulate Nachappa and become administrators to clean up sports bodies in the country.
“Nachappa has worked at the grassroot level as she was the head of Bangalore Urban District Association. I hope she would go ahead further and in near future would take up important positions in Athletics Federation of India,” he said.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / by Press Trust of India / Bangalore – October 26th, 2013
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara is set to continue as the president of the Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) while former star Ashwini Nachappa has entered the fray for the post of vice-president in the elections scheduled for October 26.
Parameshwara’s third term at the helm of KAA is almost certain as the top politician is the only one to file the nomination for the post on the last day on Monday.
There are five candidates in the fray for the four posts for vice-president. Besides Ashiwini, a key campaigner for cleaning Indian sports, the other aspirants are Uday Prabhu, Sunil Kumar Shetty, Munisanjeevappa and Babu Kumar.
There are three contestants for the secretary’s post vacated by long-serving official Satyanarayana, while two are in the mix for the treasurer’s post. The final list of candidates will be announced after the scrutiny of nomination papers on Tuesday.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Kaa / by Biju Babu Cyriac, TNN / October 22nd, 2013
Olympians Shiva Thapa, KT Irfan and MR Poovamma would be running as volunteers with the visually impaired school children at the Coca-Cola Salwan Cross Country Run on November 10 at the Army Equestrian Centre here.
Apart from running alongside visually impaired children, Shiva Thapa, Irfan and Poovamma would also promote and emphasize upon the tenets of Salwan Cross Country Run — to encourage clean and fair sports at the grassroots level.
This year’s edition of Salwan Cross Country Run would witness participation by more than 1700 visually impaired and differently-abled schoolchildren, all of whom would be running with a volunteer to aid them during the race.
All the three Olympians, who would be running as volunteers, are under the aegis of Anglian Medal Hunt Company, a venture that seeks to nurture talent in the arena of Olympic sports and beyond.
From a humble beginning of 300 students running in the year 1995, the race saw participation from 48000 students from 800 schools across India along with 1800 visually impaired, 200 intellectually challenged children running in 2012.
The participants and winners across each category underwent a dope and age verification test at the 18th edition of the Salwan Cross Country Run last year, with an objective to promote principles of fair play and protection of the athlete’s right to compete in a fair and drug free competition — an initiative that would be strictly enforced this year also.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News> by Press Trust of India / New Delhi – October 20th, 2013
The story of Ganesh’s character in Auto Raja — which is based on a collection of tales about several auto drivers in Bangalore — is not the only one that has been inspired by elements of reality. The film’s female characters — who are played by Bhamaa and Deepika Kamaiah — are also based on real-life people. (Bhamaa )
Director Udayprakash says, “Deepika’s character is a strong corporate woman and I’ve met a person like her when I was working at a television channel. Our company started a radio wing and appointed a lady to head the channel. Her way of handling work was very different. She seemed more like a commanding person, and wanted to get work done at the earliest. However, this attitude didn’t go down well with her subordinates. But little did people know that she was a good-hearted person. I gave Deepika shades of her character.”
Bhamaa plays a village belle in the film, and this character has also been inspired by a real-life person. “Bhamaa’s role is loosely based on a girl who used to sell coconut water near a hospital in Rajajinagar. She later become an actress and did pretty well in the industry. I wanted someone who has certain innocence and Bhamaa fit the role perfectly. She comes in as a village girl and transforms herself by the end of the film. She has even lost some weight for the role,” says Uday.
The director also says that all the characters in the film are based on real-life people. “Even the supporting characters are based on real-life people. The film is a take on reality,” he says.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Coconut Water / by Sharanya CR, TNN / June 17th, 2013
Former MLC C.S. Arun Machaiah has been unanimously re-elected as the President of Kodagu Orange Growers’ Co-operative Society for the term 2014-2018.
Kodagu Cooperative Association’s Deputy Registrar R. Sridhar was the election officer.
Rest of the office-bearers too were re-elected unanimously and they vowed to revive orange cultivation in Kodagu, which has seen improvement in the past few years.
K.G. Appaiah of Mekoor village is the Society’s Vice-President. The Directors are: Sunil Madappa of Gonikoppa town, K.U. Arun Poonacha of Devarapura, Arvind Kuttappa of Gonikoppa, S. Vishwanath of Mayamudi, C. Somanna of Balele, A.R. Krishnakumar of Devarapura, Sumi Subbaiah of Aruvathoklu, Shobha Kuttappa of Mekoor, K.K. Dinesh of Hathur and S.S. Suresh of Mayamudi.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 21st, 2013
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