Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

A chat with Namma Hudugi Nidhi Subbaiah

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

NidhiKF28sept2013
Mysore :
by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

After having found success in the Kannada film industry, namma hudugi Nidhi Subbaiah has landed in Bollywood in search of success again. After having made her debut through Ajab Gazab Love opposite Jaccky Bhagnani, Nidhi is trying to establish herself in the glamour world by signing more movies.

Nidhi was in Mysore after her latest triumph at South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA), where she was adjudged the Best Actress in a supporting role for the movie ‘Anna Bond.’

Star of Mysore caught up with the actress during her visit to the city to attend a private event.

Star of Mysore (SOM): You have found success in Kannada film industry, then why Bollywood?

Nidhi Subbaiah: I have always wanted to try new things. I want to live my life on the edge. In fact, one of my teachers asked me the same question. But, for me to be a part of the industry where you are treated as a newcomer and get to meet a lot of people is what is important. I believe I have the guts to take up new assignments and start my career from the scratch.

SOM: Now that you are in Mumbai, will you continue to do Kannada movies?

Nidhi: Of course. It depends on the offers and also the team I am working with. In fact, director Yograj Bhat is my favourite and there are also few actors with whom I am in constant touch. Just to say, one of the senior actors whom I met recently at the SIIMA awards in Dubai said that I had to stay in Bangalore instead of shifting to Mumbai. But, if I get good script and good director, I will definitely do a Kannada movie. People think I have left Kannada film industry which is not true. I love to do a lot of Kannada movies. (Tapping on the table) Touchwood, I have been getting offers for Kannada movies. Hope, it continues in the future.

SOM: It’s been almost five years since you entered the movie industry. How has your experience been so far?

Nidhi: There is nothing like show business and cinema. It has been wonderful experience to be a part of the film industry. Compared to others, I am very new to the industry. With no God fathers in the industry, I have been able to reach a level where people have recognised me and my talent. But, my ultimate aim is to reach a level where people should say that’s our girl who is topping in the film industry.

SOM: How did you get into glamour world?

Nidhi: Initially, I had never thought of becoming an actress. I was into sports and very much involved in sailing. But, it so happened that during my college days, I happened to participate in a fashion show. The organisers of the show called me for an audition and from then, I started modelling and ads. In fact, my first ad was for ‘Fair & Lovely.’ Later, got offers in the movies and that’s how I entered movies.

SOM: Who is your favourite co-star in the film industry?

Nidhi: This is a difficult question. Every one so far has been good to me. Diganth has been like a buddy, while I had good time shooting with Puneeth and Priyamani during ‘Anna Bond’. In fact, people say that two actresses do not gel with each other. But in me and Priyamani’s case, we gelled with each other and still are good friends.

SOM: What do you have to say about casting couch in film industry?

Nidhi: It is there everywhere, be it film industry or IT sector. People are not bothered to know about the other sectors, but are more interested to know things happening in film industry. It is up to the person, whether he/she wants to use the wrong way to success. But, people also judge a person’s character by their approach.

SOM: Who has been your inspiration to enter film world?

Nidhi: (Thinks for a while)… As a child I used to watch a lot of movies. Especially, movies with Kajol as the lead actress. Though, at that point of time I barely understood the language, I used to pester my friends and parents to accompany me to theatres which screened Kajol movies. She has been my inspiration.

SOM: What do you have to say to those aspiring to enter the film world?

Nidhi: It is important for a person to set priorities right before entering the films. They should not think about short cuts to success and should be a balanced person. The most important is not to get carried away with the success.

SOM: What do have to say about Mysore?

Nidhi: (Gets a little exited)… What should I say about Mysore? It is the place where I grew up. Unfortunately, I miss Mysore a lot since I have shifted to Mumbai. But, still I make sure to visit Mysore once in three months. Earlier, I used to come to Mysore on weekends when I was in Bangalore. There is no city like Mysore where people are soft-hearted and friendly. Love to be here always. (she signs off and heads for the makeup).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / September 22nd, 2013

Have to improve our standard: Arjun Halappa

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Chennai :

Arjun Halappa did not think twice before taking up the national selector’s job offered by Hockey India secretary Narinder Batra in June.

The former India midfielder thought his association with Air India, who he continues to play for, and his previous experience with the national team will help him judge the players’ performances better . Picking the squad for the Asia Cup was Halappa’s first assignment as part of the nine-member selection panel.

According to Halappa, the Indian players shouldn’t get carried away with the recent success as world-class teams like Germany, Australia, Korea, Holland, New Zealand and England await them in next year’s World Cup.

“I was surprised at the euphoria after India qualified for the London Olympics. It shows that the common people didn’t expect India, who ruled hockey for decades , to make it to the Games. We have to improve our standard. I know we don’t have infrastructure like Holland or Germany but we can do well if we utilize the existing facilities. We need to channelize talent properly,” he said.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Hockey> Air India / by Krishna Kanta Chakraborty, TNN / September 19th, 2013

New-look Robin gives credit to Amre

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Mumbai :

The revised edition of Robin Uthappa is out in the cricket market. In his first outing of the season, against New Zealand ‘A’, he clobbered the bowlers at will and scored a century. Moreover, there was a marked difference between the Uthappa of old and now.

The stance, the head and the feet are in a better position to meet the ball which now goes in intended directions.

How did this change take place? Uthappa says: “Well, I felt the need to work with Pravin Amre sir as I wanted to exploit my full potential as a batsman. I always believed sir is second to none when it comes to technical knowledge and application. Also, I have known him for 10 years and share a very comfortable working relationship with him as he is also my coach in the Air India
setup”.

Pravin Amre, who has made a lot of difference in the approach to batting of Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Sahil Kukreja, among others, was pleasantly surprised when Uthappa asked him to be his professional coach because such a concept doesn’t exist in Indian cricket though players earn in lakhs and crores.

“I have been watching Robin for a long time because he plays for Air India. Perhaps he felt the need to monitor his progress. I applied Achrekar Sir’s formula: Don’t get too much into technicalities, only make fine adjustments and make the batsman comfortable. Never touch the natural instinct of a batsman, as sir used to say. To Robin’s credit, he trusted my methods and worked very hard. I watch him play and from time to time advice him,” Amre says.

As a teenager, Uthappa was an attacking middle-order batsman. The brute strength the boy from Shauntikoppa in Coorg possessed terrified the bowlers in age group tournaments. It was only in May 2003 when coaches at the CCI academy — Nari Contractor, Hanumant Singh and Vasu Paranjape — converted him into an opener that his strike rate began to soar. Later, his game evolved even more to suit T20. It’s a mystery how a performing and talented boy was dropped from ODIs.

How have Amre’s methods helped him? Uthappa says, “It has made a tremendous difference to my game. Technically, today I feel as adept as anyone out there and it has given me a lot of self confidence. I am able to read the swing of the ball much better. It has changed my perspective towards the game too.

“Thanks to Amre sir, I have become a keen student of the game and try to go deeper into its skill. I have developed patience too. Patience for me is a by-product of playing with the right technique and the right shot selection. I focused on these two aspects and the patience developed subconsciously.”

Is Amre happy with his student? “Definitely. What I like about him is he is sincere and hard working. He is totally focused on my methods. He has overcome mind-management issues too. Now on, all that matters is consistency.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Cricket / by Makarand Waingankar, TNN / September 19th, 2013

KBA, PPBA felicitate shuttlers

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Bangalore :

The Karnataka Badminton Association on Monday handed out cash awards to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh to top performers in the sub-junior, junior and senior National championships in the past year. KBA also handed Ashwini Ponnappa honorary membership to the association.

Later, the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy too celebrated the successes of its trainees, including national champion Sayali Gokhale, in a separate function with the legendary Padukone giving the young shuttlers valuable words of advice. Padukone added that the academy planned to rope in Indonesian coach Yusuf Jauhari, the brother of noted coach Atik, for a month-long stint in the beginning of February. “This will be of great benefit for the kids and it will help the coaches here upgrade their skills too,” he said.

Awardees:

Senior Nationals (Srinagar): Varsha V Belawadi Rs 10,000; Nischitha GM Rs 10,000; Guruprasad D Rs 5,000; Vineeth Manuel Rs 5,000; Ashwini Ponnappa Rs 10,000.

Junior Nationals (Imphal): Reshma Karthik Rs 25,000; Poorvisha S Ram Rs 25,000; Sankeerth BR Rs 5,000; Sindhu Bharadwaj Rs 5,000; Devika Ravindra Rs 10,000.

Sub-junior Nationals (Patna): Ashwini Bhat Rs 22,500; Mithula UK Rs 7,500; Mithun M Rs 2,500; Raghu M Rs 2,500; Mahima Aggarwal Rs 2,500; Shikha Gautam Rs 2,500.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Badminton / by Shrivathsa Sridhar, TNN / January 09th, 2013

Gulshan Devaiah to play the antagonist in SLB’s Ramleela

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

Gulshan Devaiah who received praises for his role in Shaitan, will be seen in an all new avatar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Ramleela’. The talented actor plays the antagonist in the movie.

(Gulshan Devaiah )
(Gulshan Devaiah )

Gulshan essays the character of ‘Bhavani’ in the movie. Talking about his character, Gulshan says, “Bhavani is a prominent member of the Jadeja clan who are of Chandrivanshi Rajput descent living in modern day Kutch Gujarat. The exact attributes of the character and his contribution to the plot is something I cannot divulge in but let’s just say he has enough shades of grey and is nothing like I have done this far in my career .” He further adds, “I am very excited to be a part of the film as I have grown up watching Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films and I am overwhelmed by the greatness of the man.”

Gulshan has already shot for the film. The movie is slated to release on 15th Novembe,2013.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood> Film / by Tanvi Trivedi, TNN / Septmeber 16th, 2013

2-day expo of paintings , books of Kodava artist

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

KoothandaKF20sept2013
Mysore :
An exhibition of paintings, writings and song compositions of late Koothanda Parvathy Poovaiah (1913-1994) of Pollibetta, Kodagu, in commemoration of her centennial year, will be held at Suchitra Art Gallery in Kalamandira here on Sept. 21 and 22 from 11 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm on both the days.

Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy will inaugurate the expo at 11 am.

Pattamada Shanti Ganapathy, who has organised the exhibition in memory of her mother, said that Parvathy was the third daughter of Neravanda Nanjappa and Mayamma of Madikeri. The famous Kodava playwright Haridasa Appaneravanda Appacha Kavi was related to her mother. Parvathy would meet him often and hear him sing, thus influencing her artistic interests.

Parvathy had authored three books in Kannada: Kodagina Sannakathe mathu Kavanagalu (1976); Kodagina Kathegalu (Janapada-1977) and Bhugila Gonchalu (1980). Apart from this, she wrote articles and poems to Kodagu periodicals quite often.

Dr. Rekha Vasanth, professor in Kannada at Kavery College, Gonikoppal, has written a brief Biography of Parvathy, published in 2012 by Kannada Pusthaka Pradikara.

While at Queen Mary’s in Chennai to pursue her studies, Parvathy learnt to play veena. Parvathy, who got married to planter K. M. Poovaiah in 1935, was a great follower of Gandhiji’s philosophy, after she met him in Madikeri in early 1930s.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / September 20th, 2013

Rohan Bopanna/Edouard Roger-Vasselin start as favorites in Metz

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Wimbledon 2013 semifinalists Rohan Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vaselin are top seeds for the ATP 250 event in France
Draw 16 Sep 2013 – 13:20 / by Vishal Gajaria
RohanKF19sept2013
Metz :

Indo-French grouping of Rohan Bopnanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin have got the top billing for this week’s ATP 250 tournament – Moselle Open in Metz, France.

Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin will kick-start their campaign against tricky opponents in American’s Sam Querrey and Eric Butorac.

Second seeds Julian Knowle and Marcelo Melo meet French pair of Jeremy Chardy and Marc Giquel in the opening round of the hard-court tournament.

British-Aussie combo of Jamie Murray and John Peers has an easy first round outing, as the third seeded match up fight out with Johan Brunstrom and Raven Klaasen.

The victor of this event takes home € 22,500 as the cash prize, besides accumulating 250 ATP ranking points.

source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org / Tennis World / Home> DS Network

I was intimidated when I first met Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Gulshan Devaiah

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

Gulshan Devaiah, who is best known for his role in Shaitan (2011), will now be seen as the antagonist in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela. The actor has already shot for the film, but admits that he was initially scared to be part of it. In fact, many people from the industry told him not to sign on for it.

Anurag Kashyap claimed Shaitan is something you haven't experienced before.
Anurag Kashyap claimed Shaitan is something you haven’t experienced before.

The actor cites two reasons for being sceptical about signing the film. The first, he says, was that he was not sure if he could live up to Bhansali’s expectations. “Like most people, I only knew of him from what I had heard from everybody else. I was extremely intimidated when I first met him. In fact, I was scared. I have grown up watching his films and I was overwhelmed by the greatness of the man. So, I was not sure if I could live up to his expectations,” says the actor.

While Gulshan was still not convinced if he could pull off the role, several of his friends told him to not sign the film as they believed that he won’t have a great working experience with the director. “That was the second reason. Most of the people I called told me he does not give creative freedom. But, I must say, they don’t really know him. He is a great director and is always open to new ideas. He was supportive and I am glad that I went ahead with my instinct to sign the film,” says Gulshan.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / by Anirban Das, HT / Mumbai – September 14th, 2013

Team Bangalore ‘Banga Beats’ launch logo for upcoming Indian Badminton League

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

Ashwini Ponnappa and Puneeth Rajkumar
Ashwini Ponnappa and Puneeth Rajkumar

Vimal Kumar has had a long innings as player, coach and organiser for over three decades, but even he appeared surprised by the changes heralded by the Indian Badminton League.

The launch function for the Bangalore team’s logo had spruced up the staid venue and offered a glimpse of what the IBL could offer. It was a world of difference from events called to announce state or national ranking tournaments.

“I have been involved with badminton for a long time, but this is a totally different thing,” said Vimal, who shared the dais with Indian doubles star Ashwini Ponnappa, Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, Bangalore team CEO Vijay Lancy, team promoters and officials of the Karnataka Badminton Association.

He continued, “I’m looking forward to it. The IBL will bring put the limelight on badminton. We know the problems badminton face regarding sponsorship, but even then Indian badminton has improved. The gap between Indian and international players has closed… more corporate support is a good sign, and I’m very happy.

“But just the league is not going to improve badminton. A lot of work needs to be done by state and district associations at the grassroots level. Good performances from our players have made the difference.”

The Bangalore team – named Banga Beats – was bought by the BOP Group, which has interests in real estate. Karan Chaudhri, GM Marketing of BOP Group, said it had decided to invest in badminton because the sport was the right fit for its business. “Badminton is very close to the business we do,” he said. “Because every family plays badminton, and it’s our first step into sports. We have engagements planned, such as school tournaments, camps, and so on. We’ll also be looking at setting up infrastructure at our projects.”

The stars of the evening were Bangalore girl and doubles international Ashwini Ponnappa and Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who apparently plays badminton regularly. “It’s very exciting,” said Ashwini. “We’ve seen how well the IPL has been doing. We definitely know it’s going to get badminton more mileage. With matches in six cities, more people will get a chance to see top badminton matches.”

A note from the team owners said they had chosen the name ‘Banga Beats’ as “we wanted to give badminton the fun it deserves… Banga means party hard. And Beats is the beat of music.”

Former India international and team CEO Vijay Lancy said the IBL would usher in hope for Indian badminton. “It is heartening that companies like BOP have used badminton as a branding platform,” Lancy said, adding that he hoped Ashwini would be part of the Bangalore team.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Home> Badminton – Indian Badminton League / by / Dev Sukumar / July 13th, 2013

Mysore Kodava Samaja President passes away

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

Nadikeriyanda P. Kalappa
Nadikeriyanda P. Kalappa

Mysore :

Nadikeriyanda P. Kalappa (68), President of Mysore Kodava Samaja and a resident of Kuvempunagar, passed away at a hospital in Bangalore last night after a brief illness.

A retired Assistant Director of Agriculture Department, he leaves behind his wife Yashoda Kalappa, one son, one daughter and a large number of relatives and friends.

Kalappa, who was the Founder President of Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club, had also served as the Vice-President of Mysore Kodava Samaja and as Vice-Chairman of Sri Cauvery Education Council.

Last rites took place at the foot of Chamundi Hill this afternoon.

Holiday for Cauvery School

The management of Cauvery Education Council has declared a holiday for Sri Cauvery Educational Institutions, run by Mysore Kodava Samaja, in Kuvempunagar, as a mark of respect for the departed soul.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / September 10th, 2013