Category Archives: Education

English dictionary on Soliga language

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The cover page of the Soliga-English dictionary.
The cover page of the Soliga-English dictionary.

A researcher from Myanmar has compiled an English dictionary on the words used by the people of Soliga tribe, living in and around Biligiri Ranga Hill in Chamarajangar district.

Aung Si has compiled the words used only by the six Soligas tribes, living in the tribal hamlets. The 445-page dictionary has more than 1,500 words, used by Soligas. The words have been written in Kannada script and the explanation and meaning is in English. The book has pictures of rare trees, plants and animals found in BR Hills.

Aung Si has printed around 150 copies, priced Rs 1,500 each. He has handed over the responsibility of the book sales to the Soliga leaders, asking them to utilise the money earned for the development of the tribals.

Aung Si has earned a PhD from the Australian National University, conducting a research on the lifestyle of Soligas in 2012. He has been working hard for around 12 years, from 2008. He has interacted with the tribe of Soligas, learning about their languages.

He has sought the help of Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment in BR Hills, to compile the dictionary. He has also taken the help of Soliga leaders and other research persons for his work.

Scientist C Madegowda of Ashoka Trust told DH that there are 148 Soliga tribal hamlets in the district. Only six particular tribes of Soligas in 55 hamlets of BR Hills, still use the words and language, which are on the verge of extinction. Others speak Kannada and have adapted to the new lifestyles. Youngsters are not well versed in Soliga language and culture. This dictionary may be useful for them in future. It will also help those involved in further research on the language, he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by Gayathri G R, Chamrajnagar / July 06th. 2020

Kodava Koota Of North America To Award Scholarship To Meritorious Kodava Students Studying In India

Education, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion

Mysore/Mysuru:

The Kodava Koota of North America has instituted a scholarship for the year 2020 to recognise and reward meritorious Kodava students studying in India.

Kodava Koota is a non-profit organisation founded in 2017 by like-minded Kodavas living in North America under the leadership of Gina Konganda, an entrepreneur based out of Dallas, Texas. She constituted a Board of 8 members (Appachu Ballachanda, Phoenix, AZ – Vice-President, Appanna Chottera, New Jersey – Secretary, Avinash Chottangada, Atlanta, GA – Treasurer, Nithan Monnanda, Philadelphia, PA – Kodagu Initiatives, Nalini Kuliyakanda, Goldsboro, NC – Culture and Traditions, Priya Pattada, San Francisco, CA – Membership and Subbaiah Cherumandanda, Los Angeles, CA – Career and Entrepreneurship), who are undertaking several initiatives both in North America and Kodagu.

In the year 2020, Kodava Koota is institutionalising multiple scholarships amounting to $10,000 (about Rs.7.5 lakh) for Kodava students in India. Kodava Koota has allocated $3,000 (about Rs. 2.2 lakh) from its membership fund and one of its members Jyothi and Pavan Pattada have donated $7,000 (about Rs. 5.3 lakh) for this initiative.

The objective of this initiative is to encourage Kodava students and reward them with scholarships as a token of appreciation towards their accomplishments and encourage other students to follow suit.

CATEGORIES: Medicine Studies (2 students pursuing under-graduate or post-graduate); Ph.D (1 pursuing Ph.D in the area of Science, Engineering or Technology); Engineering (2 under-graduate or post-graduates); Dental Sciences (1 under-graduate or post-graduate); Agricultural Science (1 under-graduate or post-graduate) and 2 students pursuing Master’s in Science and Mathematics.

ELIGIBILITY: Kodava students studying anywhere in India are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Awards will be adjudicated by Kodava Koota Board or a Committee constituted by it. The scholarships will be administered through its partners Coorg Education Fund (coorgeducationfund.com).

LAST DATE TO APPLY: Applications should reach Kodava Koota before July 31, 2020. Signature and seal of the educational institution is mandatory on the supporting documents like marks cards and letter of recommendation.

Students who are going to start 1st year of the course in 2020 are eligible to apply but will have to attach documents that confirm admission in addition to Grade 12 (or 2nd PUC marks sheet); First year students of courses like MBBS, BDS, BE where CET/NEET are applicable, applicants should upload a copy of the CET/NEET allotment order.

Fill the application forms and upload the supporting documents via: https://forms.gle/jcxPQDJMBZiNhJrQA

For more details, reach out to: kodavakoota.na@gmail.com or coorgedufund@gmail.com, according to a press release from the Kodava Koota.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 12th, 2020

Rangayana To Conduct Two New Theatre Education Courses

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Mysore/Mysuru:

In an attempt to keep its vibrant theatre tradition alive following an extended lockdown period and Coronavirus pandemic, city’s theatre repertory Rangayana is launching two new projects called ‘Short-term theatre education’ and ‘Theatre education for children.’

Short-term theatre education’ is a three-month course and has been designed for amateur theatre artistes. This course will be conducted twice a year, first one in the months of August, September and October and then in November, December and January. Youngsters who have passed SSLC and aged 18 to 30 years are eligible to take up this course. Each batch will have maximum 25 participants in which theatre skills will be taught for the first two months and then they would learn and stage a play in the third month. Each candidate will get certificate of participation.

‘Theatre education for children’ is for seventh to ninth standard students. This six-month course will be held on the weekends (every Saturdays from 2 pm to 5 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm). Participants will get trained and finally will be staging a play at the end. They will also be visiting other three theatre repertories in the State at Dharwad, Shivamogga and Kalaburagi. Each batch will have a maximum 30 students and given certificate of participation after successful completion of the course.

Speaking to ‘Star of Mysore,’ Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa said, “We want to introduce theatre to our new generation. Our senior artistes have more than 30 years of rich experience in theatre and we would like to pass it on to these youngsters.”

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 12th, 2020

Rohan Bopanna launches tennis scholarship programme, to sponsor 60 kids

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

Initially, kids in three categories — Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 — can apply for the scholarship through the School website.

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna (Photo | PTI)
Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna (Photo | PTI)

New Delhi :

India’s doubles exponent Rohan Bopanna on Tuesday launched an ambitious scholarship project, aimed at providing tennis and academic education simultaneously to 60 kids at an annual cost of Rs 10 lakh each.

The scholarship programme, described as a “game changer in Indian tennis” will be run through a collaboration between Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) and The Sports School, which will be the base of the training centre in Bengaluru.

Initially, kids in three categories — Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 — can apply for the scholarship through the School website.

They will be assessed after the lockdown and the selected players will then join the residential programme.

“I am looking at giving to kids what I did not have when I was a junior player. It will be a game changer in Indian tennis. Parents are always worried about the education part, so we are proving both,” Bopanna said during the online press conference.

In the first year, only those players who have an AITA ranking, can apply for the scholarship.

“We will take 20 kids in each category. This is giving back to sport. This is probably the biggest scholarship programme in the world. No one gives scholarship with 100 per cent sponsorship to 60 kids at one go. Even in the US college tennis programmes, it’s 70 or 80 per cent sponsorship,” said Bopanna, India’s only fourth player to have won a Grand Slam title.

Balachandran Manikkath, the coach of India’s top singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran, will be the Head coach at the centre with six other coaches.

“We will keep monitoring the selected kids. There will always be someone who will be knocking on the doors. If someone is not up to the mark, his place can go to someone else,” Balachandran said.

The selected kids will have access to seven flood-lit hard courts apart from services of nutritionist, dietician, physio and a sports psychologist.

Bopanna insisted that he is “not competing with anyone” when asked if he is setting an example on how to do things without the help of the government.

The AITA has been trying to set up a Centre of Excellence at DLTA for some years but the efforts have not fructified for several reasons.

“We only want betterment of Indian tennis. The pure objective is to help the kids. We have a vision in place and we want to give opportunities to the players.”

Dr.Sankar UV, Director of The Sports School, said if someone is not selected but still wants to be in the programme, they can join by paying the fee which is Rs 6.25 lakh for beginners, Rs 8 lakh for the intermediate level and Rs 10 lakh for the advance level.

Sankar said they will follow CBSE syllabus up to 10th standard and the Karnataka State Board syllabus for 11th and 12th standard.

He also informed that the School also runs programme in five more sports including badminton, football and basketball.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Tennis / by PTI / May 26th, 2020

When Ian Selley Trains Kodagu’s Budding Footballers

Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion

IanSelley01KF22may2020

Kodagu is synonymous with hockey and the annual Kodava Hockey Festival is quite popular and a huge crowd-puller, providing a platform to budding players. In recent years, young sports enthusiasts from the district have also been showing interest in football too. As a result, many clubs have come up and have been organising tournaments to boost their interest in the game.

The INS (Ichettira Naren Subbaiah) Sports Centre at Kushalnagar that has now taken up the ambitious task of training young talents from the district, had recently organised a one-week coaching session with UK’s Arsenal football team coach and former England player Ian Selley.

Over 50 young football players from all over the district including Kushalnagar, Maragod, Suntikoppa, Murnad and Ammathi participated in the training session held at INS Centre at Guddehosur.

Free training

Even as the training session was conducted by Ian Selley, coaching classes too were provided free of cost to all students. INS Trustee Ponnappa said that Ian Selly’s remuneration and other expenses were incurred by the sponsors. The training, which was conducted up to 5 pm for six days, included special skill training and rules of the game.

IanSelley02KF22may2020

About Ian Selley

British footballer Ian Selley is an ex-player of Arsenal Football Club and has served as the head coach at the Arsenal Soccer School, Dubai. Ian was the youngest player to make it to the Arsenal senior team that won the FA Cup (Football Association Challenge Cup) and UEFA Cup (Union of European Football Associations Cup). He had just turned 18 years when he made it to the senior team.

This was Ian Selley’s first visit to India. The idea of bringing him here opened up opportunities for European clubs and also has given an indication to the European scouts about the potential available here. His visit also opens up avenues of invitation into prestigious youth football tournaments in Europe and football scholarship programmes for talented kids.

The INS Sports Centre is also working on identifying and grooming those players to be sent to UK. Organisers hope that such coaching programmes open up new avenues for young footballers. The entire camp was sponsored by INS Sports Centre, in association with sponsors.

Youngsters, who attended the training, appreciated the coaching style and discipline of Ian Selley. Ian’s eyes welled up before he left after he witnessed his life-size image on the walls of INS Sports Centre displayed as a thanksgiving gesture. He promised to visit Kodagu again and help train footballers of this province as it holds a special place in his heart.

In memory of their late son

Naren, son of Ichettira Subbaiah, was a good footballer and his parents had many dreams about their son’s future. But their dreams were shattered as Naren was killed in an accident a few years ago.

To keep his memory alive, his parents decided to take up some meaningful project in their hometown and thus INS Sports Centre was born. Subbaiah, along with their other son, Ponnappa started shuttle badminton, cricket and football coaching at the INS Centre.

IanSelley03KF22may2020

No difference between players: Ian Selley

Sharing his experience in Kodagu, Ian Selley said that there is no difference between Indian and foreign players. “Except for language barrier as a few students struggled to understand English, the training session was fruitful and all youngsters seemed to have learnt a lot,” he said. For April next year, Ian has invited five talented children to UK to participate in matches along with young European football counterparts.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / October 14th, 2019

Rev. Fr. Joseph Aloysius D’Mello Passes Away In City

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

FrJosephKF20may2020

Mysore/Mysuru:

Rev. Fr. Joseph Aloysius D’Mello (72), a priest of the Diocese of Mysore, passed away in the early hours today ( May 19). He was sick for the last few years and since the last five months was under medical treatment in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Mysuru.

Profile: Fr. Joseph D’Mello was born in Kedamullur village, Virajpet Taluk, Kodagu district, on Feb.20, 1947 to Rozario D’Mello and Mary Menezes, the third child among six children. He is survived by three elder sisters and a younger brother (Advocate Davis D’Mello) and sister.

After completing his school studies in Virajpet, he joined St. Mary’s Minor Seminary later, completed his Priestly studies at St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore. He was ordained Priest for the Diocese of Mysore on April 4, 1973 at St. Anne’s Church, Virajpet, by Rt. Rev. Dr. Mathias Fernandes, the then Bishop of Mysore.

He has served as Assistant Parish Priest at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Parish Priest at Sacred Heart Church, Vontikoppal, St. Joseph’s Church, Mandya, Our Lady of Velangani Church, Hanur, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Mysore, Holy Family Church, Hinkal and Infant Jesus Church, Nanjangud. He was also the Secretary of Mysore Diocesan Educational Society (MDES) between 1989 and 1996.

His contribution to the field of education has been great. He founded St. Joseph’s School at Mandya, improved the educational institutions at Hanur and St. Philomena’s institutions at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. As the Secretary of MDES, he supported many rural educational institutions in the Diocese of Mysore.

Soft spoken and humane, Fr. Joseph D’Mello was an excellent musician and mastered Gregorian Music. He had the honour of being the General Choir Master at St. Peter’s Seminary. Since 2015 he has been residing at Prashantha Nilaya, retired Priests Home in Mysuru.

Funeral mass: Respecting the restrictions laid by the Government during the present lockdown, the funeral mass was held at Prashantha Nilaya by the two Bishops, Curia members, inmates of Priests’ Home and a few close relatives at 11.30 am. His body was interred at the Catholic Cemetery in Gandhinagar at 12.30 pm today.

Condoled: Most Rev. Dr. K.A. William, Bishop of Mysore, Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony Vazhapilly, the priests and religious of the Diocese of Mysore have condoled his death.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 19th, 2020

New Discovery By Kodagu-Born Dr. Jagadeesh Moodera And Team At MIT

Amazing Feats, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

DrJagadeeshKF05may2020

Quantum Physics deals with the behaviour of subatomic particles and is arguably the most complex branch of Theoretical Physics. I do not profess to understand this highly abstract subject but know that classical laws of Physics fail at quantum levels.

It boggles the mind when told that a subatomic particle exists simultaneously at two different spots. One location could be on your table and the other on the surface of Jupiter!

English Physicist Paul Dirac theoretically proved way back in 1930s that fundamental particles known as fermions should have a counterpart somewhere in the universe with an opposite charge – known as anti-particle.

Complicated. Difficult to fathom. I fail to comprehend. Based on this theory it is theoretically possible to have ‘teleportation’ that are portrayed in science fiction movies and books.

Coorg-born Physicist Dr. Jagadeesh S. Moodera has been a scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 1981. He has several path-breaking research papers to his credit. My wife and I had the good fortune of a guided tour of his laboratory at MIT during our visit to Boston to attend the Kodava Convention-2019, in September last year.
DrJagadeesh02KF05may2020

Dr. Jagadeesh explained the intricacies of the experiments that he and his team were involved in. It was fascinating to see a huge setup with myriad tubes, probes, cables and instruments in order to create a 100% vacuum in a space of about 2 cubic centimetres.

Part of the experiment was conducted in this small space which was absolutely contamination free. There was another setup equally complicated where a space was created for the experiment which was free of any kind of vibration – not even that created by the traffic in the streets distance away, or footsteps of students in the nearby corridors. In addition, this space is cooled to -273 degree centigrade (that’s as close as one could get to -273.15 degree centigrade which is absolute zero). The experiments were conducted under these ideal conditions and usually between 10 pm and 6 am when chances of vibration were the least.

The experiment Dr. Jagadeesh and his colleagues have been working on since 2012 was to discover what Italian Theoretical Physicist Eltore Majorana, extending on Paul Dirac’s theory, had postulated in 1937 that there should be some subatomic particles that are indistinguishable from their anti-particle.

Scientists have been looking for these particles named Majorana fermions. Many theories have emerged over the years. Theoretical Physicists at MIT and elsewhere predicted that Majorana fermions may exist on solids such as gold under certain conditions. Dr. Jagadeesh and his team were on a mission to discover the existence of the elusive Majorana fermion.

The experiment, extremely complicated, needed many long hours in the laboratory. Dr. Jagadeesh explained how the delicate research was carried out at nano-particle level and observed through Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). STM is capable of ‘feeling’ the presence of atoms and molecules. 3mm x 3mm was the size of the surface on which the experiment was carried out, consisting of nano-wires of gold, grown on superconducting material: Vanadium.

MIT News dated 10th April 2020 has announced the successful sighting of the mysterious Majorana fermion by Dr. Jagadeesh Moodera and team. This is a major breakthrough. In Dr. Jagadeesh’s words ‘We have shown they are there, and stable, and easily scalable.’ Please visit webpage: http://news.mit.edu/2020/first-majorana-fermion-metal-quantum-computing-0410

The finding that Majorana fermions are scalable and could be made into qubits (individual computational units) is spectacular. These qubits could be used to build the most powerful and error free quantum computers. This will be a step closer to the phenomenon known as Singularity, which predicts that by the year 2042 AD there will be computers that will have computing power of all the human brains put together!

Once Singularity is achieved, humans need not invent anything further. Solutions to the most complex problems will be arrived at within seconds. If we had these computers today, a remedy for the current Covid-19 would have been found in a jiffy!

Dr. Jagadeesh’s wife Dr. Geetha Berera is a senior lecturer in MIT and we had an opportunity to visit her laboratory as well. The couple are totally dedicated to academics and research. Every year they visit Coorg and conduct a Quiz programme for school students. They are in the process of starting a school in Coorg under their organisation – CREATE Gurukula Trust – focusing on encouraging young minds in research activities. Meritorious students at Coorg Institute of Technology (CIT) are recipients of annual scholarships and awards instituted by Dr. Jagadeesh and Dr. Geetha. Dr. Jagadeesh and Dr. Geetha are eminent role models for young Kodavas to emulate.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / May 04th, 2020

Mysuru-Based Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith Appointed As Deputy Lieutenant Of West Yorkshire County In UK

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion

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Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith, who hails from Mysuru, was conferred the prestigious Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for her contribution in the field of Arts and Museums.

Recently, Nima was bestowed with another unique honour. She has been appointed as one of the Deputy Lieutenants (DL) of West Yorkshire County in the United Kingdom (UK).

Deputy Lieutenants assist the Lord-Lieutenant in carrying out his role as the Queen’s representative. Historically, the duty of the Lord-Lieutenant used to be in organising the county’s militia! In 1871, the Lieutenant’s responsibility over the local militia was removed.

Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith with the insignia of Office of Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.
Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith with the insignia of Office of Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

The current Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire is Sir Ed Anderson. The responsibilities of the Lieutenancy includes making arrangements for Royal visits to the county and for hosting those visits; representing the Monarch at a wide range of events across West Yorkshire; presenting British Empire Medals and other awards; advising on submissions for honours nominations; submitting nominations for Royal Garden Parties; and maintaining close links with regional armed forces. He is assisted by the Vice-Lord-Lieutenant, the Clerk to the Lieutenancy and a team of Deputy Lieutenants.

Nima’s father Ammanichanda Poovaya and mother Biddanda Muthie Poovaya (my mother’s sister) were in Belgaum for many years and that’s where she and her siblings had their early education. The family settled in Mysuru and Nima earned her Ph.D in English literature from the University of Mysore under the mentorship of well-known academician Prof. C.D. Narasimhaiah (late). She was also a student of Prof U.R. Ananthamurthy (late).

In 1981 Nima went to the University of Leeds, UK, on a scholarship for post-doctoral studies. Nima is married to Paul Smith, who besides being a Sociologist specialising in the Sociology of Knowledge, is an authority on the Theosophical Society founded by Colonel Olcott and Madame Blavatsky.

Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith with her nephew Dr. Kodimanianda Ajit Belliappa in front of Yinka Shonibare’s acclaimed piece The Wanderer that she was instrumental in purchasing for Bradford Museums and Galleries in 2007.
Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith with her nephew Dr. Kodimanianda Ajit Belliappa in front of Yinka Shonibare’s acclaimed piece The Wanderer that she was instrumental in purchasing for Bradford Museums and Galleries in 2007.

Nima has been actively involved in collecting art and in curating museums. One of her assignments was collecting rare textiles for Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford. Various noteworthy collections are currently being celebrated at the ‘2 Temple Place’ Gallery in London (till 19th April 2020). Seven top women collectors of textiles for public collections are being showcased and Nima’s contemporary South Asian collection is one of them.

For more details visit website: https://twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/unbound/

Nima is the Founder-Director of Alchemy Anew, an organisation involved in confluence of cultures. Currently, she is the Senior Visiting Research Fellow, School of Fine Arts, History of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / April 04th, 2020

New bldg of govt school inaugurated in Jodupala

Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All
MLA K G Bopaiah inaugurated the new building of Government Higher Primary School in Jodupala in Madikeri taluk on Saturday.(Below) Students take partin the programme. DH Photos
MLA K G Bopaiah inaugurated the new building of Government Higher Primary School in Jodupala in Madikeri taluk on Saturday.(Below) Students take partin the programme. DH Photos

The new building of Government Higher Primary School was inaugurated by MLA K G Bopaiah at Jodupala in Madikeri taluk on Saturday.

Jodupala was badly affected by the previous floods. The old school building was damaged in the natural calamity. The new building, comprising three classrooms, was constructed at a cost of Rs 24 lakh.

Inaugurating the programme, Bopaiah said that the teachers should pay special attention to rebuild the future of the students, who lost their houses during the floods.

The students too, should put special efforts and dedication to acquire education and make their teachers and parents proud, he added.

“Parents should pay special attention to the education of girls, especially in rural areas. Girls should be encouraged to acquire higher education by utilising government schemes. It is important to provide moral education to all students,’’ he said.

The MLA said that he would make sincere efforts to open a high school in the government primary school in Jodupala.

Bopaiah added that additional grants would be sought from the government to repair all government schools that were damaged in the floods.

Zilla Panchayat member Yaladalu Padmavathi, Taluk Panchayt President Tekkade Shobha Mohan, Vice President Kodapalu Gappu Ganapathy, School Development and Monitoring Committee President Madhava and school Headteacher Damayanti were present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / March 07th, 2020

‘Introduce Arebhashe culture among schoolchildren’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg
Women offer coconut oil to the earth as a part of 'Keddasa' ritual.
Women offer coconut oil to the earth as a part of ‘Keddasa’ ritual.

The culture and tradition of Arebhashe should be introduced among children during their schooling, Kodagu Zilla Panchayat President B A Harish said.

He was speaking after inaugurating ‘Arebhashe Siri Samskrithi and Keddasa Gauji Samskrithika Jambara’ organised by Karnataka Arebhashe Samskrithi and Sahitya Academy, in association with Bhagawan Sangha-Urubailu and Swami Vivekananda Yuvaka Mandala, at Government Primary School in Koodadka near Chembu village on Sunday.

Harish said that the land was considered to be divine and the custom of offering coconut oil to land is observed as a part of Keddasa ritual. “Such customs signify the importance of nature and therefore, it should be passed on to future generations,” he added.

Karnataka Arebhashe Samskrithi and Sahitya Academy President Lakshminarayana Kajegadde expressed his concern over the poor use of Arebhashe language.

Folklore scholar Sundar Kenaje said that on the day of Keddasa, the eldest daughter of the house offers coconut oil to the earth and performs pooja. Similar customs are practiced across coastal districts, he said.

Intellects Hosur Chandrashekhar and Sheelavathi spoke on various rituals practiced as part of Arebhashe culture.

Cultural programmes were held on the occasion.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Ashwani Kumar NKR / DHNS, Madikeri / February 16th, 2020