Tag Archives: Kodagu

Coorg – The Scotland of India

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Coorg located on the Western Ghats around 180 miles from the hi-tech city of India Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka is admired for its enduring beauty. The recorded history of the area says that it was ruled by the Lingayat Rajhas who established their capital at Madikeri where they built a mud fort. The inhabitants of Coorg, Kodavas agitated the Mysore ruler Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the course of random rebellions.

Eventually Tipu marched into Coorg with a large army in 1785 AD and overcome to their little kingdom. But just after four years, with the British assistance, Coorg take back their Kingdom and Raja Veerarajendra set about the task of reconstruction. Yet in 1834 AD, the British captured the Coorg and prosecuted the last Raja Chikkaveera Rajendra and expelled him. With its foggy mountains and opaque jungles, Coorg give the impression like a little corner of to the British and adopted a name as the Scotland of India.

The British left a legacy behind that is still an imperative source of national capital. The well laid coffee plantations by them in Coorg account for almost half of Karnataka’s coffee production and the state goes on with to be the major producer of coffee. Talakaveri, the origin of the River Kaveri is situated in the Brahmagiri hills of Coorg and this area is about 4,500 ft above the sea level. Hence, it is one of the scenic spot in Coorg. A temple and a big tank have been built near the kundike at Talakaveri; the pilgrims’ take bath in the tank prior to praying at the origin of the river.

There are two famous Hindu Temples dedicated to lord Shiva and lord Ganesha and both the temples are open to visitors. Coorg has many verdant hiking routes in the midst of forests and hills, and it’s better to visit in the months from October to February. Misty hills, lush forest, acres and acres of tea and coffee plantations, orange groves, undulating streets and breathtaking views are what make Coorg an unforgettable holiday destination. You can accompany cheap flights to India for exploring this marvelous destination that is definitely going to manage your travel budget in a way you will be able visit much more places of interest.

A breathtaking attraction of waterfalls known as abbey Falls is located at a distance of around four miles from Madikeri town, approaching this attraction is itself an excellent ride experience as the path that you drive on is very narrow with countless turns and twists, ups and downs with a ebullient mother nature greets you at each turn. This famous falls, situated on a private property, attracts a large number of tourists around the globe. There are other famous waterfalls to be explored such as Iruppu Waterfalls, Mallalli Waterfalls and the Chelavara Waterfalls. A nature lovers paradise Nisargadama, an ecological park, this romantic 64-acre island is reachable through a hanging bridge offering immense pleasure to all the Nature and Fun loving tourists to wander around the park. You can also visit various stunning attractions like Nagarahole, Dubare Forest, Harangi Dam, Chiklihole Reservoir, Omkareshwara Temple, Coffee Plantation Farm, Raja’s Seat and Madikeri Fort.

source: http://www.CheapFlightHouse.co.uk / admin> News> / August 28th, 2011

 

BAI website gives Jwala-Ponnappa WC bronze a miss

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Badminton fans in the country cannot stop raving about the exploits of doubles stars Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who created history last Sunday by winning a medal in the World Badminton championship after a gap of 28 years. While the two girls made news across the country, it seems the Badminton Association of India (BAI), or more precisely their official website, is completely unaware of their heroics.

Even after a week, the official website is completely oblivious to the performance of the Indian contingent in London and is more bothered about publishing the internal circulars and other mundane stuff like appointment of technical officials and other committees.

The attitude of those maintaining the website is no different from the overall approach of the sports administrators, who are happy holding on to their chairs rather than looking to be proactive to popularise the game.

Shuttlers Jwala Gutta (foreground) and Ashwini Ponnappa created history last Sunday by winning a medal in the World Championship after a gap of 28 years. Reuters

 

The last few years have been the best period for Indian badminton since the Prakash Padukone era. In fact, I would say the situation is even better than the 70s and 80s when Padukone was the lone flag-bearer of the country on the international stage. Today, there are many players who have been performing consistently at the highest level and there are at least three disciplines in which India can aim to win medals in major international tournaments.

Such a situation should be an open invitation for any sports administrator to try and popularise the sport and what can be a better way than to build the marketing strategy around the players, whom the fans and even the corporate world can relate to.

And the officials need not look beyond their very own Saina Nehwal, who has become a household name once she signed up with a sports management firm and the company began building her image around the “I will do anything to succeed” attitude.

Thankfully, almost all the top players in the country are very articulate and can connect to the masses very easily. But somehow, the ‘shuttler’ seems to be the least important entity in the badminton set-up in India and the badminton activities that are organised during a season are more out of compulsion than with a long-term plan for the benefit of the players.

The last concrete step for the development of sport was taken back in 2000, under the leadership of Padukone, when the prize money structure was introduced in the domestic circuit and a national ranking system put in place.

The BAI honchos made us believe that their endeavour to host major international events in the country since 2009 was an attempt to provide the players an opportunity to grow. But instead, in the first two years, they put restrictions on Indians participating in these tournaments under the pretext that “the image of the country” will be tarnished if players lost in the initial rounds.

Even after the Commonwealth Games, where India won two gold medals and a team silver, the association members indulged in the capital instead of arranging an event or a sponsorship deal as a token of appreciation for the players.

But what can one expect from an association which has still not bothered to put in place a basic mechanism of providing the media with the results of domestic and international tournaments, which is very important to keep the sport and sportsperson in public memory.

In these circumstances, expecting the association to promote the cause of players by building an interface between fans and sportspersons seems to be a distant dream. But the very least a player can expect is a mention of his/her achievement on the website and a word of appreciation from those running the sport.

source: http://www.FirstPost.com / blog > shuttle talk> / Aug 22nd, 2011

‘Kakkada Padinett’ in Kodagu Yesterday

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‘Kakkada koli’ and ‘madd payasa’ are the delicacies prepared on this day

BRISK BUSINESS: People purchasing ‘madd toppu' in Madikeri on the eve of the ‘Kakkada Padinett' festival in Kodagu. 

BRISK BUSINESS: People purchasing ‘madd toppu’ in Madikeri on the eve of the ‘Kakkada Padinett’ festival in Kodagu.

“Kakkada Padinett” , the 18th day of “ Kakkada”month in Kodava calendar in Kodagu, which falls on Wednesday (August 3), is eagerly looked forward to by the people.

They consume porridge made of the essence of “madd toppu” or “ aati soppu” , a wild aromatic herb, to perpetuate one of the traditions of the district. People will throng the places where the herbal plants are sold in markets. It is also called as “ Kurunji toppu” in some places in the district. The leaves come along with the slender stems of the plants.

Sellers of “ aati soppu” dot the main streets of Madikeri on the eve of the celebrations. On the 18th day of the “ Kakkada” month, these leaves are said to be replete with 18 types of herbal medicines. They are plucked and soaked (some boil it) in water to extract the aromatic juice, which is thick and dark violet in colour. Women make cakes or sweet porridge out of the mix. Surprisingly, on the 18th day of “Kakkada” , the plants start emitting a sweet and unique aroma that is not found on the plants prior to or after the 18th day. The traditional beliefs and social mores are very strong in Kodagu. “ Kakkada” is a month in the Kodava calendar beginning in mid-July and ending in mid-August. It is said to be inauspicious. Marriages and other celebrations are a taboo in Kodagu, especially for Kodavas, during this month. Many do not even get haircuts.

Monsoon is associated with several rare occurrences in Kodagu. It is the time when fresh natural mushrooms emerge on the termite hills, banks of paddy fields and in forests. “ Baimbale” (bamboo shoot) or “ Kanile” is the other delicacy enjoyed by the people of Kodagu in rains. Though the Forest Department has imposed a ban on its collection from forests, it is available aplenty in the market and sold in the open. The drying up of the bamboo clumps in forests has made “baimbale” a scarce commodity in Kodagu this year. Consumption of both mushroom and bamboo shoots are said to balance the body temperatures during heavy rainy and windy days, elders say.

“Kakkada koli” (country fowl curry) is also a special delicacy in the district on this day.

This occasion used to be observed as a feast in Kodagu in the past.

Currently, people in almost the entire district involve themselves to eat “ madd payasa

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / National > Karnataka / by Staff  Correspondent /  Mysore, Aug 03rd, 2011

 

Hard Work Pays

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Go green: Amidst nature
Special Arrangement/   Go green: Amidst nature

A comprehensive report on all their activities conducted helped them win this accreditation.

It’s another feather in the cap for the prestigious Coorg Public School (COPS) in Gonicoppa in Kodagu as it has won the International School Award (ISA) instituted by the British Council for its all round achievement this year.

Various activities

The school had organised a plethora of activities with a range of subject areas and collaborative work with partner schools overseas. Annual results have remained outstanding since its inception.

Visitors from the U.S.A, UK, and Thailand had come to the school and several interesting interactive sessions with resource persons from India and abroad were held. Return visits by the COPS students to those countries have made them bolder and instilled tremendous amount of confidence in them, Senior Principal of the COPS, M.D. Nanjunda says

Field trips and nature camps were organised and they had helped students gain experience. Exchanging information on the minute details of even plants in the gardens showed the keenness of the learners. Fashion show, quiz, skits, debates and awareness campaigns were also a part of those activities.

Reporting work

A dossier compiled by the students involving 11 projects such as Fruit World, Famous Monuments, Freedom Fighters, Costumes, Flowers, Snakes, Birds, Dances of the world, Celebrations of National Festivals, Organic Farming across the world and Coffee, reflected the concept of international education that formed the base on which COPS made the grade.

The British Council had adjudged the dossier as the most comprehensive and well structured documentation of the elaborate work. COPS now had the privilege of using the British Council logo on school literature, website and promotional materials.

Aiming globally

Moreover, it will enable it to create an international environment for students to further strengthen their contacts with schools abroad. This prestigious award will be presented to the school in October. Prof. Nanjunda says the efforts of the staff and students had fetched the award and it was a great accomplishment in pursuit of excellence. “The objective of the school is to empower students with global education,” Prof. Nanjunda adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / Life & Style > Kids / by Jeevan Chinappa / Jun 15th, 2010

A Land far far away :” Storm Festival” in Coorg

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The locus where fantasies are woven from everyday lives. There is a land far far away, where happiness is not only prerequisite but also the only mode of survival. The place where the Storm Festival is brewing. Just a sneeze away from Bangalore and you are amidst the lush green natural settings. About 250 kilometres from Bangalore lies a hamlet, near the town of Madikeri, Coorg. This is the place where Storm Festival is shaping up to give you the ultimate music experience. Coorg is a geography rich in flora and fauna, as well as a brave and long culture, among a breed of warriors. This is where Liquid Space decided to stage the first Storm Festival, India’s first camp-out music festival.

Spread across 28 acres of luxuriant greenery and thick bamboo groves lies the Storm fields, a peninsular region surrounded by river Cauvery on all 3 facets. The entrance of the ground leads you to a vast opening which leads you to the camping area. You can have the ultimate music experience for 48 hours, where you will be treated to the music of various DJ’s and multiple bands. After which you can chill out at the deck overlooking the river, wherein you can have unplugged jamming sessions, to enrich the music experience or retire to your tents in the camping area.

Life is and will always be incomplete without music. Music is change and change is vital. Begin your getaway with Storm festival and taste the sweet joy of free rein; a freedom engineered by music, nature and warm fellowship. It is a sonnet to Dance, Music and Nature, making it the cleanest and greenest festival this side of the universe. The dance floor being at the height of 5000 ft above sea level is going to be the most beautiful one you have ever seen.

We would be coming up soon with more details on the venue about the festival. Browse www.stormfestivalindia.com  for more surprises and gifts.

source: http://www.blogs.siliconindia.com / by Hari Mohan / Friday Jun 17th, 2011

 

Kodagu Witnessing Rich Literature

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”Kodagu district is known across the country for peace and harmony. There is no discrimination on basis of language here in Kodagu,” said Litterateur and critic K P Balasubramanya.
Delivering the presidential address at the 8th Kannada Sahithya Sammelan at Murnadu on Thursday on the topic ‘Literature over the decade in Kodagu district,’ he said that though people from different castes and communities have been living in Kodagu, it has not had any adverse impact on the communal harmony here. 

“Kodavas are peace lovers and they are soft spoken,” he said opining that communal disturbances have always occurred in various parts of the country due to political instigation. “Since people of Kodagu are untouched by religious differences, Kodagu has been witnessing superior literature,” he said.

He pointed that over the last 10 years good analytical piece of writings and poems have been produced. “Scope of literature is vast and never ending. One can never complete reading and analysing literature,” he said.

Virajpet First Grade College Assistant Principal Dr Korana Saraswathi said that research is nothing but search for knowledge or thirst for knowing more. “Research should be based on truth and should take place within scientific frame work,” she said.

“Research can be done with various objectives but the main aim of any research is to find the truth and expand intellectual horizon,” she said adding that sincerity is the most important aspect in research.

Tribal literature

Dr J Somanna from Vijayalakshmi Pre University College said that tribals are those set of vagabonds who have developed their own culture and literature out of their distinct way of living.

“The tribals have been living a life of exile literally, saving themselves from the invasion of modern culture. Living in isolation from the outside world, these tribals have their own language, culture, rituals, belief system, way of worshipping, attire, literature, cope up mechanisms etc. They with such a way of living look unusual and peculiar to the urban population,” Somanna said adding that 60 years of independence had not changed anything for the tribals of the country.

“Sincere efforts to convince the tribals to adopt the natural, inevitable changes happening in the society has not taken place so far. The result is that majority of tribals still live like animals. There is a need to understand the tribal lifestyle, respect their culture and then bring in necessary measures to bring them into the mainstream,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / DHNS / Madikeri / Apr 01st, 2011