CAR FESTIVAL AT SHANTALLI TAKES OFF;

Madikeri January 17, 2008

The car festival of Kumaralingeshwara at Shantalli took off colourfully yesterday.

Hundreds of villagers gathered in the small town and towed the Kumaralingeshwara ‘Rath’ by shouting slogans in praise of Lord Eshwara. Jatra Trust chairman K.K.Subbaiah, secretary Manohar and others started the ‘yatra’.

The five day festival will end with various cultural programmes to be held today. Variety exhibitions enthralled the audience.

Kumaralingeshwara has a Spiritual background dating back to decades. Legends state that one Banantamma had seven children and five among them were worshipped in different places of Karnataka like Hettur, Kittur, Mattur Gahatta and Bembalur during January on the occasion of Makarasankramana.

SOCIETY TO PURCHASE COFFEE;

The Kodagu coffee grower’s co operative society here intends to buy coffee directly from growers. President of the society, Koluvanda Subramani stated here in a press meet that the purchase decision is taken in the meeting to maintain quality and procure good price for the coffee. The growers would be paid half the price at the time of purchase and remaining after the sale.

The coffee would be processed at their own curing works at Hunsur. Subramani said that they have released a coffee powder to market with a brand name ‘Madikeri Garden Fresh Coffee’ and is receiving good response.

Vice president jolly Thammaiah and others were present.

NANAIAH URGES TO HOLD WORLD KODAVA MELA;

Former minister M.C.Nanaiah has urged the federation of Kodava samajas to hold world kodava conference.

He was addressing the gathering at Balugodu where a building of the federation will come up.

Nanaiah spoke about the world conference since the shutter was pulled down due to controversies clouding Kodava Academy which was to hold it. He said that the Academy cannot conduct a show of such kind and federation can do it.

He assured the federation that he will try to bring government fund for the cultural building of federation which will come up. He also disclosed that a Kodava heritage centre would be started near Madikeri at a cost of rupees eighty six lakh. Five acre land is also ear marked for this purpose. He appealed to people to donate liberally to bring up the centre. Kodav Samajas should take more interest and responsibility in this regard, he urged.

PROTEST AGAINST SAND REMOVING;

A protest was organized in front of the deputy commissioner’s office opposing, removing of sand from Cauvery Rivers at Siddapur area.

The action committee members alleged that the Gram Panchayath and the concerned departments have ignored their appeal to stop illegal lifting . They alleged that sand is being removed by the contractors by using wrong records. Permission issued to lift sand elsewhere was being shown here and the authorities are blindly allowing illegal act.

Copnvenor basher handed over a memorandum to Tahasildar to stop the work with the immediate effect.