FLOOD FLASH FRISKS A PERSON; SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED

Madikeri July 31, 2008

A person is suspected to have died in the flood flash as rains batter Kodagu. It was reported that one Thammaiah, 35 was swept away by the flood water in Tantipala river at makkandur near here yesterday as he was washing his feet after ploughing the field.

His parents have said that they found his slippers and a spare shirt near the river and his body is not found. Police and villagers looked for his body in vain and failed to trace it. The search is on.

The flood situation in Kodagu is worsening with cauvery in North kodagu and Laxmana Teerta in South Kodagu inundating roads and plain lands. Life is crippled with roads remaining blocked. Power and telephone service is badly hit and many villages remain with these services for days. Trees have fallen on roads and poles are uprooted due to heavy winds and rainfall.

Schools will remain closed till Sunday to avoid risk. Colleges will also remain closed for a day today and the principals are given power to declare holiday with their discretion.

KODAGU CONSIDERED AS ‘EXPORT ZONE’

Kodagu is considered as Export Zone by the government, according to the president of Flooriculture association president A.R.Shiva Prasad.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, shivaprasad said that Anthuriam being exported from kodagu is of Internatioanal quality and is a profit earning adventure. He said that the state government is providing fifty percent subsidy to build shade house and another fifty five thousand per Flooriculturist. Also, the NHB organization from the centre is providing subsidy upto twenty five lakhs.

Shivaprasad stated that Kodagu, which began growing Anthuriam in half an acre today grows it in forty acres. He called upon people to take to floriculture and make use of the subsidies.

He regretted that cauvery sene has produced wrong statistics before the press about Flooriculturists and mislead the people . He said that people can view about the subsidy details in website www.nhp.gov.in.

KODAVA CONVENTION HELD AT NORTH AMERICA

The 2008 North American Kodava Convention was held on July 4th & 5th, 2008 at San Francisco bayarea, California. The main location of the event was the fabulous San Mateo Mariott hotel where accommodations were made for all the Kodava convention guests. Local Kodava families were the gracious hosts of the convention which was attended by 260+ Kodavas from all over the United States, Canada, Australia and India.

The 2 day event began with the pre convention, which was an informal dinner party on July 4th at beautiful Lucie Stern center in Palo Alto, California. The evening at Lucie Stern began with an hour of Meet and Greet on the lawn/patio of the Lucie Stern center. It was a pleasant California evening, a perfect setting for the guests to mingle with their fellow Kodavas. The guests were entertained by a Mexican Mariachi band while enjoyed drinks and appetizers and socialized.

The outdoor reception was followed by entertainment in the lovely ballroom which was beautifully decorated with delightful flower arrangements. The MC for the evening was Puliyanda Vivin Bopaiah and the children of the hosts from Kandanda, Pattada, Thelapanda, Kelapanda, Uddapanda and Thithira families showcased their talent. The little Kodavas and Kodavathis captivated the guests with enthralling performances which included singing, a piano recital, bhangra dance, saxophone recital, and bollywood dances. The entertainment was followed by dinner and then atte to Kodava Valaga and the latest dance numbers. The pre convention party wrapped up around 11.30pm but the party for the youth continued to party at the “Youth Event” organized by Puliyanda Gautham at a night club called the Buddha Lounge in Mountain View.

The main convention dinner was at the Ballroom in the San Mateo Mariott on July 5th evening. The ballroom was beautifully decorated by the hosts to reflect our Kodava culture. All the tables were adorned with brightly colored vastras topped by beautiful hurricane lamps covered rose petals, cardamon, pepper and kadhe. The stage was decorated exotic flower arrangements with a banner (designed by Ulliyada Bopanna) of the 2008 Kodava Convention as a back drop. On the stage on a pedestal draped with a beautiful Muske was a picture of our Kula Devathe Kavemamme and our traditional thuku and kuthi bolchas.

All the hosts dressed in their best kodavathi podiyas and kupiyas welcomed the guests. The guests also dressed in the traditional kodava attire started flowing in at 6pm. The guests enjoyed appetizers and drinks while they socialized with their family and friends. The appetizers included typical Kodagu Thindi like Kajaya, Chikle Oonde and Muruke.

The party moved into the ballroom at 7.30pm. The MCs for the evening were Bachamada Chethan Somaiah and Pattada Priya Biddappa, who welcomed the guests by their states//countries and entertained the guests all evening. The function was inaugurated by the lighting of the lamp by Biddanda Poovaiah and Asha, followed by the singing of the traditional Kaveramme Paate by the little Kodavathis (Pattada, Kodira and Biddanda) of the San Francisco bayarea. The guests were then treated to a wonderful Ummatte Atte performance by nine little Kodavathis from Southern California dressed in kodavathi podiyas, long jackets and vastras accompanied by Kokkalera Prathibha and Cherumandanda Sonia on vocals. This was followed by a very entertaining ‘Kodava Trivia’ game hosted by Bachamada Sahana and Chonira Vincy, which really amused the guests as they tried to reflect back on their Kodava knowledge. Then, the secret judges revealed the winners of the best dressed Kodava and Kodavathi in the house. The criterion was to choose the person who wore the most number of Kodava jewellery/items. Machimada Jeevan and Kullanchanda Deepa were the best dressed Kodava and Kodavathi of the evening. This was followed by a speech by Kalyatanda Ganapathy (Star of Mysore Editor), who was on a holiday in the US with his wife Rally. The last thing on the agenda before dinner was passing of the Baton to the 2009 Kodava Convention hosts. Puliyanda Kalaiah(Charlie) accepted the Baton, on behalf of the Southern California Kodavas, who will host the 2009 convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The extensive dinner menu included Pandi curry prepared by the hosts, Baimbale paara and Kaipuli pajji. The desert table not only included the mouth watering deserts like Jelebi and Carrot Halwa but also included the traditional Kodiyale, Adike, Chunna and Baale.

No Kodava get together is complete without atte, so after dinner all the kodavas hit the dance floor. The DJ played all the latest dance numbers and kodava valaga music to which everybody from young to old boogied till mid night.

How could we end a party at midnight? Kodavas love to drink, dance and party all through the night. So the “After Party” started at midnight and went on till 5:30AM the next morning!

The 2008 Kodava convention was a very pleasant and enjoyable event for all the organizers and guests. The event was at a fabulous location, the food was superb, drinks were flowing non-stop, the entertainment was excellent and the presence of all the charming Kodavas of North America made this a memorable event for all who attended!!

You can visit the official website of the 2008 Kodava convention for pictures and other details: http://www.sfbayareakodavas.net/ .

(Reported by Pattada Priya Biddappa from San Francisco, California)

Photo: The Participants of Kodava Mela