. Picture shows the students’ mother Jayanthi Poovaiah (daughter of Bottolanda Ponnanna of Hinkal, Mysuru) receiving the cheque from BVB Hon. Secretary P.S. Ganapathy as BVB School Principal Vijaya Narasimham and Class teacher Shashikala look on
Twin brothers K.P. Subbaiah and K.P. Somaiah of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) School in Vijayanagar, Mysuru, who have secured 624/625 and 615/625 marks respectively in the recently held SSLC examinations, were given Rs. 50,000 by the BVB Mysore Kendra to help them pursue further education.
Picture shows the students’ mother Jayanthi Poovaiah (daughter of Bottolanda Ponnanna of Hinkal, Mysuru) receiving the cheque from BVB Hon. Secretary P.S. Ganapathy as BVB School Principal Vijaya Narasimham and Class teacher Shashikala look on.
BVB School has been achieving 100% results in SSLC every year and this year also, out of 148 students, 120 cleared the exam in distinction and 28 in first class.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / June 01st, 2022
It was a proud moment for Colonel Bommanda Dhiraj Chengappa from Kodagu as he led a contingent of 46 horse-mounted Bodyguards and presented the National Salute to President Ram Nath Kovind.
The President’s Bodyguards also escorted Kovind to the Parliament House for the swearing-in.
Later, both President Kovind and ex-President Pranab Mukherjee were given an Inter Services Guard of Honour separately.
On conclusion of the Guard of Honour, The President’s Bodyguards escorted Mukherjee from the forecourt to the Iron Gate of the Rastrapathi Bhavan.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 25th, 2017
The ace shuttler opens up on her career, India’s position in badminton and Red Bull Shuttle Up
Ashwini Ponnappa has regularly been one of India’s highest-ranked women’s doubles players over the last decade Red Bull Shuttle Up
For more than a decade, Ashwini Ponnappa has been the gold standard when it comes to women’s doubles in Indian badminton. Whether as one half of a record-breaking pair with Jwala Gutta or later on with N. Sikki Reddy, Ashwini has endured as a beacon of consistency in a format that often gets overshadowed by the superstar culture around singles players.
In the midst of the fourth edition of Red Bull Shuttle Up, India’s first-ever exclusive women’s doubles badminton competition, Ashwini, who is also the face of the tournament, spoke to My Kolkata about her career, the disparity between men’s and women’s badminton in India, how Red Bull’s initiative is making a difference in women’s doubles and more. Edited excerpts from the conversation follow.
My Kolkata: When did you realise that you wanted to take up badminton professionally and what made you opt for doubles?
Ashwini Ponnappa: I got into badminton because of my parents. I was too young to make a decision myself, so my parents were the ones who helped me get into the sport. Ever since I started playing badminton as a kid, I haven’t played any other sport seriously. Growing up, I had a coach who was very strict and firm about the basics of the game. When I won my first national title in the sub-junior girls’ doubles category, I realised that I really want to take up badminton professionally. Once again, my parents’ support was crucial in making that decision. As for why doubles over singles, I’ve always done better in doubles and won more titles there. So, it was quite a simple choice for me.
Doubles is much faster and requires more smashing and forearm strength as well as better reflexes
Ashwini initially trained as a singles player for several years before switching to doubles Red Bull Shuttle Up
What are the most challenging aspects of playing doubles and how should one prepare separately for those challenges?
When I started playing doubles, most of us, especially the women, were singles players. We hardly had a specialised focus on doubles in India. Even when I trained at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, all the kids wanted to be singles players. Apart from Jwala (Gutta) and Shruti (Kurien), there were no other established female doubles players to look up to either. It was only in the junior category competitions that I was first part of doubles camps. Switching from singles training to doubles was quite difficult, as doubles is much faster and requires a lot more smashing and forearm strength as well as better reflexes. When you have two people on court on the same side, it’s not just about yourself. There’s a lot of coordination that goes into it, which is the most challenging aspect. You could be a great player by yourself, but if you can’t coordinate, you won’t succeed in doubles.
Jwala and I had a natural understanding of what the other person would do on court
Ashwini and Jwala Gutta are widely regarded as the best women’s doubles pair in Indian badminton history / BAI
What did you enjoy most about teaming up with Jwala Gutta for so many tournaments? What do you think set the two of you apart?
When I started playing with Jwala, I was a junior with little to no experience and she was already an established senior. She took a chance by deciding to play with me and I managed to rise to the occasion. Being able to match up to her standards was important and I’m glad I could do that. What made our partnership special and successful was the fact that our styles matched a lot, so we had a natural understanding of what the other person would do on court. We didn’t communicate a lot when we were playing, but managed to sync quite easily. At that point, we were also quite close off the court and she was extremely supportive, which made our team even more formidable.
Ashwini and Jwala with their gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games BAI
Was winning the gold medal at home in the 2010 Commonwealth Games (with Jwala) the proudest moment of your career or would you prefer your bronze medal at the BWF World Championships (also with Jwala) in 2011? Or something else altogether?
I’ll have to go with both, the Commonwealth medal as well as the World Championships one. Nobody had achieved either feat before. But more than anything else, what makes these two achievements among my favourites is that I had a great time while I played those tournaments. Often people go through a lot and sacrifice a lot to win, but don’t enjoy the process. I was lucky in that I had a blast while having my proudest moments on court.
The system at the 2012 Olympics was flawed
Do you have any regrets from your career so far, especially in relation to the Olympic Games?
The 2012 Olympics would definitely remain a regret. Given what happened (Japan had shockingly lost to Chinese Taipei in what was seen by many to be a deliberate defeat or an instance of “throwing a match” to secure an easier opponent in the next round, which, incidentally, also led to India’s elimination), it was disheartening, because we had played very well. Looking back, I think the system was flawed, they shouldn’t have let players know who was going to play whom in the next rounds. A month before the next Olympics in 2016, I had had a horrible bout of dengue. As a result, I wasn’t able to smash as hard and that had an impact on the result, which was also quite disappointing.
Red Bull Shuttle Up is trying to make badminton more inclusive
Ashwini has been pushing for greater focus on women’s doubles as the face of Red Bull Shuttle Up /Reb Bull Shuttle Up
Coming to Red Bull Shuttle Up, Simran Sanghi (a previous winner of the tournament) said that it’s “the perfect example of empowered brands empowering women… proving that women are the real matadors of society”. What do you make of Red Bull Shuttle Up and how it has been making a difference to women’s doubles?
The most important thing about Red Bull Shuttle Up is that it gives women’s doubles players an opportunity and a platform that belongs solely to them. This is really important because in India we have leagues that don’t even have the women’s doubles format, which seems unbelievable to me. That’s where Red Bull Shuttle Up is trying to make badminton more inclusive. The second aspect is about having fun. I’ve always believed that you play sport because you want to have fun and that’s something that Red Bull Shuttle Up manages to provide in ample doses.
We don’t see the sheer number of quality players in women’s badminton as we do in the men’s game
Ashwini believes that there is a big gap between Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu and the rest of the field in women’s badminton /BAI
Looking at the larger picture, where does India stand as a force in badminton today? Are we a global power or are we still in the process of getting there?
The fact that we won the Thomas Cup in May speaks volumes about the strength in depth when it comes to men’s badminton. Beating powerhouses in international badminton like we did in the Thomas Cup is no joke. In that sense, we’re definitely a global power among the men. On the other hand, the women’s game still has a long way to go. We don’t see the sheer number of quality players in women’s badminton as we do in the men’s game, especially when it comes to doubles. Even if you take singles, there’s quite a bit of a gap between P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal at the top and the rest of the field. There are a fair few young singles players who are doing well, but it’ll take them years to get to the levels of Sindhu or Saina. Coming back to the doubles, it’s the same problem I stated earlier. How can you expect doubles players to give you points in big tournaments when you don’t include women’s doubles as part of your domestic leagues? When it comes to women’s badminton, it’s not that we don’t have talent, but the talent that’s there isn’t being nurtured the right way.
Switching tracks, how do you relax and zone out? What are your hobbies and interests outside badminton?
Of late, I’ve enjoyed just chilling and watching dramas. I watch any and every kind, including Anime. I also watch a lot of YouTube content, especially motivational talks and conversations that pique my interest in general.
My most important goal is working on myself
Ashwini feels that she still has a lot of goals and dreams left to realise Red Bull Shuttle Up
What are the dreams and goals you are still chasing as an athlete?
I’ve still got a lot of dreams and goals, which is why I’m still playing! I feel like I’ve spoken a lot about them in the past and at the moment, I’d rather talk about my most important goal, which is working on myself. I’m trying to take a different approach with my holistic development on and off the court, and if that goes fine, the rest of the goals should fall into place.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / TelegraphIndia Online / Home> My Kolkata> People> Badminton / by Priyam Marik / October 17th, 2022
Thousands of devotees from Kodagu, across the State and Tamil Nadu congregated at Talacauvery in Kodagu last night to witness Cauvery Theerthodbhava amid chanting of mantras and other religious rituals.
The holy event took place exactly at the predetermined Muhurtha of 7.22 pm in Mesha Lagna at the foothills of Brahmagiri inside the Holy Brahmakundike, considered to be the source of River Cauvery.
It is believed that Goddess Cauvery comes in the form of a fountain-head where water gushes from the Brahmakundike. A team of priests, led by Prashanth Achar, Raviraj Achar and Gururaja Achar chanted Vedic hymns before sprinkling holy water on the devotees. Later, devotees collected the Theertha (holy water) to be distributed among community members and to be kept at homes as holy signs.
The rituals associated with the holy occurrence began at 5 pm and as the predetermined time neared, devotees chanted mantras and welcomed the Goddess. The Theerthodbhava took place after the Sankalpa Puja and Mahamangalarathi. As the water bubbles appeared in the Brahmakundike that was filled with flowers, Kumkum and vermillion, the cries of devotees reached a crescendo.
Devotees took a holy dip in the main pond (Kalyani) in front of the Brahmakundike and offered their prayers. They jostled to collect holy water in pots from the Kundike and the priests sprinkled the holy water on them.
The area around the pond was barricaded to enable crowd management and only small groups of devotees were let inside by the Police to prevent crowding and stampede. Despite barricades, devotees swarmed around the Brahmakundike and the Kalyani.
Devotees also thronged Triveni Sangama at Bhagamandala and many took a dip in the river and many offered the ritualistic Pinda Pradhana as a mark of respect to their elders.
The Kodagu Ekikarana Ranga distributed free breakfast and lunch to the devotees as part of its 27th year food distribution. Free food will be supplied till the end of Tula month on Nov. 17. Kodagu District Minister B.C. Nagesh, MLAs Appachu Ranjan and K.G. Bopaiah and others were present.
Devotees in traditional attire walk from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery
Unlike the last two years, thousands of devotees turned up to watch the spectacle and notably, many Kodava community members walked from Bhagamandala to Talacauvery along with musical bands and sang songs in praise of Goddess Cauvery. The holy place was teeming with devotees since early in the morning and the place was overcrowded by evening.
Various Kodava organisations like Akhila Kodava Samaja Youth Wing, Connecting Kodavas, Kodava Riders Club, Jabbhoomi Trust, Thingakoru Mottu Sanghatane, Ammathi Kodava Samaja, Ponnampet Kodava Samaja, Madikeri Kodava Samaja, Balele Kodava Samaja, Kodava Kootaaliyada Koota, Kodava Samajas of Napoklu, Virajpet, Hudikeri, Mysuru, Amma Kodava Samaja, Youth Council, Kodavaamera Kondata, United Kodava Organisation and Codava National Council walked along the route, singing paeans to the Goddess.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Top Stories / October 18th, 2022
A teacher, who was running a Kindergarten in the town and declared ‘brain dead,’ has given new lease of life to eight persons through organ donation after her death.
Asha (53), wife of Pandyanda Gappu Ganapathy and a resident of Sudarshan Layout in the town is the teacher, whose organs were donated at Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru by her family members.
On Oct. 8, Asha had gone to her daughter’s house in Bengaluru. She fell sick on Oct. 9 and was admitted to Narayana Hrudayalaya. The doctors who examined her found bleeding in her brain and despite treatment, she was declared brain dead. After counselling, the family members of Asha donated her eyes, kidneys, heart, liver and other organs, thus giving a new lease of life to eight persons.
She leaves behind her husband, one son, two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites were held at Kodava Samaja Burial Grounds at Madikeri on Tuesday.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 13th, 2022
Rea Achaiah participated in the All India Inter-University Roller Skating Championship 2021-22 held at Visakhapatnam between June 30 and July 3 and has won three Gold Medals.
She has also been awarded the ‘Best Sports Women of the Year 2019-20’ by Vishvesvaraya Technological University for her achievements in Roller Skating at a function held at SJCIT, Chikkaballapur, on June 27.
A student of 6th semester at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru.
She is the daughter of K.N. Achaiah and Priya Achaiah, residents of Vijayanagar 1st Stage in city.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / June 20th, 2022
Formal inauguration done; tourists to be allowed only in January 2023
The third Elephant Camp in Kodagu at Harangi, which is the ninth elephant camp in Karnataka was inaugurated last Saturday. Along with the Harangi Elephant Camp, a Tree Park was also inaugurated.
The State Government had released Rs. 80 lakh for the project that will ease the burden of the existing elephant camps. Already, Kodagu has two elephant camps, one at Dubare and another at Mathigodu near Anechowkur Gate that borders Mysuru. There are eight elephant camps in Karnataka including the two in Kodagu and the Harangi Camp will be the ninth in the State.
Madikeri MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan inaugurated the two new tourist attractions. From the Dubare Elephant Camp, six elephants have been shifted to Harangi Elephant Camp. They are Rama (68), Ekadanta (52), Maruti (21), Subramani (35), Vikrama (58) and Vijaya (48).
The eight jumbo camps house more than 100 tamed elephants that are used to rescue wild animals and for logging purposes at Government timber depots. These elephants have been shifted to Harangi in the first phase and more elephants will be moved gradually and this move will ease the pressure on Dubare Camp that has over 31 elephants (the highest in Karnataka).
As per an order by the Karnataka High Court, elephant camps cannot be congested and not more than 15 elephants can be housed in one camp. At present, six elephants have found a new home and more will be moved as and when the funds are released.
Hundreds of tourists who had come to Kodagu on account of Dasara holidays came to the newly-inaugurated Camp and were mesmerised by the beauty of the place located in the backwaters of Harangi Reservoir.
The Tree Park and the Elephant Camp have been set up in a 40-acre land and of that, 10 acres have been reserved for the elephant camp. Staff quarters have been constructed for Mahouts, Kavadis and their families along with a kitchen and a store room. Facilities of boating in the backwaters have been made and basic facilities like drinking water and toilets have been provided for the tourists.
As a precaution, the electrical wiring has been done underground to prevent any accidents either to the elephants or the lush green forests. Final touches are being given to the underground electrification project and works are on to provide drainage facilities. Though the formal inauguration of the Harangi Elephant Camp has been done, tourists will be allowed only from January 2023, said Forest Department officials.
The land on which the Elephant Camp and the Tree Park have been established is located at Athur Reserve Forest. The place, located near the Harangi Dam backwaters, is ideal to set up the elephant camp. The Athur Range Forest extends up to 2,000 acres and it is an ideal elephant habitat with plenty of water and green swathes.
The funds for the camp have been released from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). Apart from setting up a new elephant camp, there are plans to initiate other related development programmes including developing the camp as a tourist centre and at the same time provide shelter to the elephants.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles /October 10th, 2022
Kodagu district tableau won the first prize while the tableau of Mysuru district bagged the second prize among the tableaux that took part in Dasara procession held on Wednesday.
A total of 48 tableaux, including one from each of the 31 districts of the State, four of Dasara Sub-Committees and 13 of various Government Departments, institutions and bodies had taken part in the Jumboo Savari procession.
A panel appointed by Dasara Tableaux Sub-Committee for the purpose announced the prizes on Thursday, according to which Kodagu district won the first prize, followed by Mysuru district with second prize and Chitradurga district third prize.
The Kodagu district tableau portrayed Brahmagiri Hill Range, the famed Bhagandeshwara temple, Cauvery Theerthodbhava at Talacauvery and rich flora and fauna of the district. Mysuru district tableau displayed a total of 18 models including the famed Mysore Peta (Turban), Mysore Silk, Mysore Mallige, Betel leaves, Nanjangud Rasabale that have GI tag, Chamundeshwari temple, Mahishasura and Nandi Statues atop Chamundi Hill and the Howdah carrying Dasara elephant, among others.
Chitradurga district tableau that won the third prize displayed Vanivilas Sagar Dam, the Statues of Madakari Nayaka and Onake Obavva and a replica of the famed Deepa Stambha.
The tableau of Chikmagalur, which portrayed the seven rivers that flow in the district, Tumakuru’s tableau that displayed HAL’s Helicopter manufacturing unit and Vijayapura district’s tableau that displayed the famed Siddarameshwara temple and the tableau of Dasara Sub-Committee portraying the Somanathapura temple in T. Narasipur taluk, bagged the consolation prizes.
In the Government Departments, Institutions and Bodies category, the tableau of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Department bagged the first prize, followed by KMF (Karnataka Milk Federation) tableau that displayed the whole range of Nandini Milk products, with second prize and the tableau of Dr. Babu Jagjivan Ram Development Corporation that showcased Lidkar products won the third prize.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 07th, 2022
The 42-year-old Indian now breaks back into the top 20 rankings for the first time since August.
Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop with thier first title together | Jack Guez / AFP
Rohan Bopanna partnered Matwe Middelkoop to win his third tour title of the year, when the pair beat third seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-2, 6-4, in the ATP 250 Tel Aviv Open on Sunday.
With the doubles crown, the 42-year-old now breaks back into the top 20 rankings for the first time since August, currently placed 19. Earlier this year, he had partnered Ramkumar Ramanathan to win titles in Adelaide and Pune.
But this was the first title he won with his Dutch partner. The duo had reached the final at the Hamburg Open and semifinals at the French Open earlier this year. They also hold a 16-10 record this season.
The top seeds in Israel however, had to work their way back into each of the three matches they played before getting to the final.
They beat Hamad Medjedovic and Yshai Oliel 4-6, 7-6(4), 10-6 in the first round. In the quarterfinal they beat Denys Molchanov and Franko Skugor 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-5 before beating the all-French team of Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-8.
In the final though, they played their best tennis.
“I think those close matches, pulling through those you’re obviously having more court time, you’re trying to come through and fight some close battles,” Bopanna said to the ATP website.
“We were a couple of points or one point away from losing those matches, so sometimes those weeks make a huge difference for your confidence.”
This was Bopanna’s first event since the US Open. He was scheduled to compete for India in the Davis Cup World Group 1 tie against Norway, but pulled out because of a knee injury.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Indian Tennis / by Scroll Staff / October 03rd, 2022
Kodagu is situated around 150 km from Mangaluru and is geographically and culturally a different territory. The Mangalore University has colleges in Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Udupi under its purview.
Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor prof P S Yadapadithaya said no official communication has been received so far on the formation of the Kodagu University. (Representative image. Express photo)
The Mangalore University is likely to lose 24 undergraduate colleges with the setting up of a new university in Kodagu.
Decks have been cleared for the Kodagu University with the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passing a Bill last week, amending the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000 to pave way for the constitution of eight new universities, including Kodagu University, which would be bifurcated from the jurisdiction of Mangalore University.
Kodagu is situated around 150 km from Mangaluru and is geographically and culturally a different territory. The Mangalore University has colleges in Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Udupi under its purview.
The new Kodagu University would also have about 10 colleges that presently come under the University of Mysore. The largest and oldest college in Kodagu district is the Field Marshal K M Cariappa College at Madikeri.
The Mangalore University postgraduate college and research centre on the Jnana Kaveri campus in Chikka Aluvara is proposed to be the headquarters of the Kodagu university.
K S Chandrasekharaiah, director of the centre, confirmed that Kodagu University administrative office is likely to be on the Chikka Aluvara campus.
He said students in Kodagu now have to move to Mysuru or Mangaluru for post-graduate studies, which can be avoided if more job-oriented courses are provided on the Jnana Kaveri campus.
Madikeri MLA M P Appachu Ranjan has requested the government to provide 200 more acres of land to the Chikka Aluvara campus, which presently has 70 acres.
The other universities proposed by the government in the Bill are to be set up at Koppal, Mandya, Bagalkot, Chamarajanagar, Bidar, Haveri and Hassan.
Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor prof P S Yadapadithaya said no official communication has been received so far on the formation of the Kodagu University.
As per the new National Educational Policy (NEP), priority is being given to local universities which can provide good education and environment to students, he said.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Education / by PTI, Mangaluru / September 30th, 2022
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