Coorg Wire

Njende Curry

Kaveri Ponnapa — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:17:58 +0000

A Gourmet’s Table In Coorg presents a traditional Njende Curry ( Crab Curry) full of sour -spicy flavours. Eaten with Akki Ottis,(rice rotis), this curry is so good, it is usually polished off at one sitting.

Crab Curry

Click here for information on set of Ingredients for Coorg Cuisine

Njende Curry: Crab Curry
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Crabs from the clear streams, and the mud embankments of paddy fields were always popular, in addition to the supply of fresh sea crabs from the coasts of Malabar and Mangalore that made their way to the markets in Kodagu. This curry,full of extraordinary flavour, is best eaten with akki ottis or steamed white rice.

Ingredients:

1kg crabs (about 4 -5)
Salt, turmeric
Oil for frying
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp kachampuli
Limejuice

Fried Masala:

2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp whole peppercorns
8 dry, whole red chillies
½ tsp jeera
½ tsp mustard seeds
few grains of methi seeds
1 whole garlic, split into pods
1-inch fresh ginger

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil, reduce the flame, and fry all the above ingredients for 1 -2 mins.
Then add: 6 medium onions, sliced, & fry till onions become light brown & limp.
Add ¼ coconut, grated & fry the whole mixture until dark brown, & it releases its aroma.
Remove from fire, & when cool, add 4 large, ripe tomatoes, grind the whole mixture to a smooth paste, & add to the crabs.
Wash out the spice mixture from the mixer, & reserve 2 cups of this spice water.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a vessel &add all the crabs with masala paste & stir well. Fry for about 5 mins.
Add 2 cups of masala water, & cook uncovered, on a slow fire, for about 15 mins or less.
Add 1 tbsp kachampuli, simmer for a few minutes until the oil rises.

Add 1 tsp sugar, test for salt & sourness. Serve with a dash of fresh limejuice

This first set of recipes for classic Coorg curries and fries, and a few steamed rice puttus are from my aunt, Sabitha Chengappa, who in addition to her enviable academic record – a Fulbright Scholar and a PhD.- manages her own coffee estate, is a superb cook and gardener, and one of the most generous hostesses I know.

Palanganda win Iychettira Cup

Staff Reporter — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:57:59 +0000

The Palanganda team has won the Iychettira Cup. They defeated the Kaliyanda team by 2-1. Prajwal Muthanna was the star of the Palanganda team, he scored the first goal in 39th minute and the match winning second goal in the 45th minute.

Though the Kaliyanda team were awarded 11 penalty corners, they were able to convert only 1.

Deccan Herald further reports;

The best goal keeper award was won by Kandanda Bose Acchaiah, best defender by Machamada Gautham Ganapathy, best striker by Palanganda Prajwal, Palanganda Kalappa, best centre of player by Mandepanda Kripa and Kaliyanda Kiran.

Thithimada Prajwal Bopaiah won best youth player, Mandeda Girish Kaverappa won best senior player, Kokanda Krithika won best woman player and Ainanda Akash Poovanna won the best student player award on the occasion.

The next edition will be hosted by Madanda clan in 2013.

Fact file

* Total number of teams—217
* Total matches—216
* Total goals—556
* Penalty corners—1586
* Of 26 penalty strokes, 21 were converted into goals

Rich,Dark Pork Curry – Pandi Curry Recipe

Kaveri Ponnapa — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:32:29 +0000

Pandi Curry © Food Lovers

Click here for information on set of Ingredients for Coorg Cuisine

Pandi Curry: Rich, Dark Pork Curry
________________________

Pork is a great delicacy in Kodagu,and this classic curry is the star of the table.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork with skin and fat, cut into small pieces.
Salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper powder
1 tsp turmeric
6 medium onions, sliced
1 whole pod garlic, coarsely crushed
gingelly oil
2 inch piece ginger, crushed
3 level tbsp coriander powder
2 level tbsp chili powder
kachampuli or malt vinegar

In addition:

1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
½ tsp mustard seeds, both slow roasted separately on a tava, until medium brown, cooled & powdered fine.

Method:

Wash the pork, (retain ½ cup water) drain, and add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper powder, turmeric and set aside.
Mix the sliced onions & crushed garlic with the pork.
Heat about 3 tbsp gingelly oil (more, if the pork contains less fat), add the crushed ginger, & fry until brown. Remove browned ginger, & add to the pork.
On very low flame, add 3 level tbsp coriander powder & keep stirring for about 1minute. Then add 2 level tbsp chili powder, & stir until it turns coffee brown.
Add the pork, & its washed water (about ½ cup). Cover the vessel with a lid, & cook on medium flame until all the water evaporates. Keep stirring occasionally.
When all the water has evaporated, add warm water to just cover the meat, and cook uncovered on a medium flame until done.
You can also pressure cook the pork in the following way. Once the water evaporates, add 2 cups of water, and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
Once the pork is done, whether slow cooked, or pressure-cooked, add 1 ½ tbsp kachampuli, stir, & cook for a further 10 mins on a slow fire. Taste, & add more salt or kachampuli, as required. The oil should rise to the surface.
Add the roasted, ground jeera & mustard seeds to the curry.

Cook’s Tip:

This is a slightly different, and entirely delicious pandi curry. This recipe is from my aunt’s mother, & as a cook’s tip, she shares this with us – she never hurries pork by pressure- cooking it, preferring to allow it to cook slowly, to release fat and natural flavours. The result is, deep flavours, and succulent pork, cooked to perfection. She also uses gingelly oil, which was the traditional cooking medium in Coorg, which adds its own memorable flavour to this curry. I can vouch that slow cooking the pork is worth every bit of the effort !

Classic Pandi Curry Made Easy
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Pork is a great delicacy in Kodagu,and this classic curry is the star of the table.

Ingredients:

1kg Pork, with a proportion of fat, and a small quantity of bones,cut into cubes (fat and bones combined should not exceed 250 grams)
2 large onions, chopped fine.
4 inch piece of ginger
4 cloves of garlic.
2 tablespoons whole cumin (jeera) seeds.
1 ½ tablespoons mustard (rye) seeds.
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns.
1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds.
2 teaspoons turmeric powder.
1 tablespoon coriander powder.
1 tablespoon, or to taste, red chili powder.
3 green chillies, slit vertically.
1 ½ tablespoon kachampuli, or Coorg vinegar ( see note on ingredients for substitutes)
salt to taste.
2 cups hot water.
A little oil for frying

Method :

Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste.
Dry roast each of the dry spices on a hot tava, separately. Start with the spices that take longer to roast. Mustard seeds should turn white and begin to crackle; the cumin and fenugreek should turn dark brown and begin to release their aromas. Allow them to cool, then grind each one separately to a fine powder.
Wash and drain the pork, sprinkle with the turmeric and set aside.
Fry the chopped onions in a little oil ( 3-4 tablespoons) until lightly browned.
Add the garlic ginger paste and fry for a few minutes.
Add the pork and turmeric, and fry until the pork releases water, and begins to change colour.
Sprinkle and mix in the coriander powder, chilli powder, and finally all the dry roasted spices. Stir thoroughly. Add salt to taste.
Add about 2 cups of hot water, or according to the gravy required.
Pressure cook on medium heat for about 20 mins. Remove from gas and allow the pressure to drop.
Add about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of kachampuli, and simmer for a few minutes. If you are using a substitute for kachampuli, like a dark brown vinegar, you will have to double the quantities, and the curry may not be so dark in colour. Finally, add the green chillies.

Pandi curry can be eaten with akki ottis, or kadambuttus.

Chayaa Nanjappa’s Ode to Coorg

Staff Reporter — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:56:12 +0000

By Chayaa Nanjappa

COORG,THE LAND I HAVE BEEN BORN,
NEVER LETS ONE FEEL FORLORN.

THE LAND OF RIVER KAVERI,
IS TOO FABULOUS TO BE TRUE.

BLESSED WITH SCENIC BEAUTY IN ABUNDANCE,
AND KNOWN FOR PEOPLE WITH AN AURA & CONFIDENCE.

FOR THE SMALL COMMUNITY THAT WE
ARE,
FAME & NAME WE HAVE ACHIEVED TOO FAR.

BE IT FOR OUR DISTINCT PRESENCE IN THE ARMED FORCES,
OR MAKING A NAME FOR OURSELVES AMIDST THE MASSES,

WE’VE ALWAYS STOOD OUT IN A CROWD,
AND MADE OUR HILLY DISTRICT PROUD.

COFFEE,ORANGES & HONEY WE ARE KNOWN
FOR,
OUR HOMESTAYS & HOSPITALITY – HOARDS OF THEM WE HAVE WON SO FAR.

WITH A DISTINCT CULTURE OF OUR OWN,
THAT MAKES US PROUD THAT WE ARE UNIQUE & COMPARABLE TO NONE.

OUR CULINARY DELIGHTS ARE MUCH TALKED ABOUT,
VISITORS SWEAR, THAT ITS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD’NT BE MISSED OUT.

FOR MANY OF US, WHO ARENT IN OUR HOMETOWN,
WE ARE TRULLY PROUD THAT A COORG, WE WERE BORN.

WE OWE OUR DETERMINATION, SELF BELIEF & SUCESS,
TO THE INBORN TRAIT, OF COURAGE & INNER STRENGTH THAT WE COORG’S POSESS.

WHEREVER WE COULD BE, WE TEND TO GET NOSTALGIC OF OUR OWN SCOTLAND,
TRULLY BLESSED ARE WE, TO BE BORN IN THIS PICTURESQUE & GREAT LAND .

Staple ingredients in Coorg Cuisine

Kaveri Ponnapa — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:40:27 +0000

Kachampuli, is an ingredient you will encounter frequently in many Coorg dishes. It is a dark, tart vinegar, which has been made in the region for centuries, and is indispensable in many preparations. Every Coorg kitchen has a couple of bottles, or more, of the vinegar stored away, and at one time most families- including my mother-in-law’s, from whom I have this recipe – made their own. The ripe fruits from the garcinia gummi gatta tree are gathered and heaped up in winnowing fans or new baskets, and left outdoors to ferment and release their juices, which are collected in earthenware pots placed underneath. This juice is then gently boiled down, until it thickens, into a dark brown vinegar, which can be stored indefinitely. With long storage, all its properties intensify – the vinegar just becomes denser, darker, more sour and sticky. The young vinegar is lighter in colour, pours easily, and you will need to use more of it for the required sourness.

During ancient times, the rajahs of Coorg issued orders to the local headmen to mark the panapuli trees, as they are known, that were ready to fruit. Tribals were directed to collect the fruit, carry it to the nearest village, where the vinegar was prepared. Some of the fruit was sun,–dried, and packed into baskets made of reed and delivered to the Palace. My friend and fellow food writer, Marryam Reshi, summed it up beautifully when she likened kachampuli to the precious balsamic vinegar of Modena!

Kachampuli – which draws its name from the boiling process the fruit undergoes – is the signature flavour in all the classic Kodagu dishes from pandi curry to chicken fry, and several in between. It is a souring and thickening agent, which can be used as a marinade. It is often added last to a curry that is already cooked, and simmered gently to thicken it, while adding a dash of that special flavour. It was also widely used in vegetarian dishes, although less so now, with the easy availability of other souring agents. A reasonable substitute is a dark brown malt vinegar, although it will never give you the rich, dark colour of kachampuli. My preferred dark vinegar in the kitchen is E.F. Kolah’s brand established in 1885, the sugarcane juice matured without any additives, in wooden barrels in Navsari,Gujarat.

Kokum, used extensively in Konkan cooking, and Kodampuli or fish tamarind from Kerala are fruits of the same botanical family. They are dried and used directly in cooking.

Tari, which is used to make all the Coorg puttus is really broken rice, each grain roughly pounded into approximately three to four. Idly rava, easily available in all south Indian stores is a good substitute. You can make your own tari at home by washing and drying the required quantity of rice, and then pulsing it in a mixer, taking care not to grind it to a powder.

Akki podi is finely powdered rice, used to make rice rotis, and a batter for some fried sweets.

Coorg Modern

Kaveri Ponnapa — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:21:31 +0000

Living and working in London in the late ‘80’s and ‘90’s, between my husband’s friends and mine, we entertained a heady mix of successful corporate types and highbrow academics. Cosmopolitan, polyglot, with a sometimes formidable knowledge of the cultures and cuisines of the countries they had lived in, French, British, Brazilian, Nigerian, Chilean, they all found their way to our table. Palates were sophisticated, tastes refined. Indian cuisine was already the rage. Madhur Jaffrey, Camellia Panjabi and Ismail Merchant rode the airwaves and bookshelves, carrying Indian food to a new level of discrimination.

Expectations were high, and with a recklessness born not a little out of desperation, I plunged into the rain drenched memories of my Coorg background to trawl the flavours and secrets of a cuisine of a rugged mountain people, shaped over the centuries by wild forests, fields and clear mountain streams.

The Coorg Hills abound in Flora & Fauna © Kaveri Ponappa

My imagination roamed the hills of Coorg, running over the mouth watering seasonal delicacies, which appeared in such abundance year after year. Was it possible to capture the nuances of an astonishingly vast and varied cuisine by selecting just a few dishes? And which ones? Venison, wild boar, quail, imperial pigeon, crab, tender bamboo shoots and wild mushrooms all found their way onto the Coorg table.

The challenge was to present not just fabulous, unforgettable food, but to distill onto a plate the spirit of place, so to speak: the thrill of hunting wild boar through dense forests in the glittering September air; the secret lives of mushrooms; the mists, the sheets of rain and melancholy of the monsoon which brought tender shoots and leaves surging through sodden earth. Surprisingly for a cuisine so steeped in the particular landscape of Coorg, a number of modern classics emerged, which required little or no reinterpretation. Although the ingredients and flavours were unexpected after the more familiar curries, kebabs and rotis, every dish savoured at our table was a runaway success, paired with the early, seductive offerings of wine from Chile’s MaipoValley.

Wild Mushrooms © Food Lovers

For a rustic people, Coorg cuisine is astonishingly rich and extensive. But I would gladly sacrifice much of my culinary heritage for those special trophies of what Antonio Carluccio evocatively called “the quiet hunt” – wild mushrooms. The fields and forests of Coorg are scattered, in season, with a range of fungi that are a mushroom hunters dream. Nethalle kumme, extravagantly large, divine roasted or curried; aale kumme; umbrella shaped kode kumme; tiny, peach tinted nucche kumme, their dainty caps clustered close together, waiting to melt in your mouth; mara kumme, sprouting on the barks of trees -mushrooms are a prized addition to the table.

Rice has been staple crop in Coorg since time immemorial © Kaveri Ponnapa

Early morning hunts yield rich rewards, dotted across expanses of grassy meadow and field; beside leaf covered, silent paths inside coffee plantations; on rich red anthills and the bark of trees. There is something entirely magical about mushrooms. Perhaps it is the way they spring up, with scarcely any warning, and disappear, fading and disintegrating almost before you can spot them. Hunting mushrooms is an art, and since they tend to flourish in the same place year after year, everyone keeps their secrets of the search.

The warm, steamy fragrance that rises up from heaps of mushrooms in baskets, waiting to be cleaned, is wildly intoxicating and it’s understandable why epicures the world over pay shocking sums of money for the earthy flavours that are very much a part of our traditional fare. In Coorg, we curry, pickle, roast, and fry mushrooms.

Roasted Wild Mushrooms © Food Lovers

Roasted wild mushrooms, sprinkled with a tiny pinch of salt and chili and a dash of limejuice make an excellent entrée -silky, elegant, and, well, very sexy.

The dramatic thunderstorms and rains of the monsoons bring some of the most coveted delicacies that every Coorg craves. In lush green clumps, conical shoots of bamboo, sharp as pikes, emerge suddenly, shrugging aside wet earth. The green cones gathered from the riverside clumps, and the pale golden ones from deeper in the forest have a long journey to the table. The shoots are scaled and sliced, and soaked in several changes of water over 48 hours.

Akki Ottis and Bimbale(Bamboo Shoots) Curry © Food Lovers

The final result is tender chips of bamboo, tangy from the fermenting, which release their juices with a delicious crunch. Pickled, curried, preserved in brine, it is an all time classic. The golden yellow curry is eaten with akki ottis and a splash of melted ghee. Buttery kadambuttus, soft strands of noolputtu, creamy paputtu – each one unique in texture and flavour are all made from rice, sacred to life. Of all the many rice preparations, the akki otti, a rice roti, is the most versatile – it lends itself to a host of curries – bimbale, crab, pumpkin, and fresh double beans.

Crab Curry © Food Lovers

The landscape has more hidden delights. Wading knee deep in clear highland streams leading to rice paddies yields another great treat – freshwater crabs. Curried or fried, spiced with roasted jeera, green chilies, ground coconut and kachampuli, tender, sweet – fleshed crabs can be quite addictive, piles of excavated shells rising to indecent heights beside each plate.

Pandi Curry © Food Lovers

Hunting and eating wild game is now a part of folklore, but succulent cubes of pork, the meat most relished, is cooked into a dark, luxurious, sultry curry. The spices are dry roasted, and fat and bone add depth to the flavours. Tart and viscous, kachampuli, the local vinegar adds the final touch as the pork simmers, soaking in the spices. The cubes of pork in their dark sauce are served with buttery white kadambuttus and a squeeze of lime. The contrast of colour, texture and taste is perfect, and the curry one to linger over, unabashedly licking your fingers.

Pepper Fried Quail © Food Lovers

The Coorgs are an ancient people, and somehow, myths, forest-lore and old stories weave themselves into any conversation about their food. I still recall the excitement of pre- dawn forays to shoot duck, partridge and quail. Clouds of green pigeons would rise in the dewy freshness of a coffee estate, alert to the first shot fired into treetops at dawn. Heirloom recipes were very much a tradition in clan bound Coorg society, passed down the generations carefully, and these, from my mother-in –law and grandmother, are to be treasured. Cooking for friends over the years, I discovered that these dishes lend themselves easily to a modern presentation. Menus, for instance, can include a starter of roasted mushrooms, followed by pepper- fried quail, with a side dish of stir – fried greens, and finally, pork curry. The classic Coorg puttu – curry combinations look wonderful plated, on contemporary white china.

Noolputtu and Koli Curry with Stir Fried Greens © Food Lovers

The recipes here have been served up on generously sized white plates, which have a dramatic border of the Sinhalese script in black, – a sharp accent to the colours of the food. The flatware is Robbe and Berking, and the Oswald Haerdtl stemware, made by the 184 – year old Viennese glass house, Lobmeyr. The coffee cups are French, and the coffee, decidedly Coorg.

Of all the many jaggery sweetened confections that do very well as dessert, over the years I have stuck to my own personal favourite –bale muruku, fritters of a local variety of banana, spiked with sesame seeds, coconut and jaggery. Crunchy on the outside, yielding and buttery on the inside, served with strong black Coorg coffee, it’s the perfect ending to a meal.

My ancestors understood perfectly Alice Waters’ beautiful phrase – “the edible landscape”. Wild ferns, with softly curling tips, growing beside streams in moist clusters are gathered by the armful and cooked with just onion and green chilies into a simple, velvety textured dish that has a flavour redolent of unfamiliar herbs. Tender colocasia leaves, curried and sprinkled with lime- juice, stir fries of wild greens that grow on the hillsides all add zest to the table.

Wild mango trees grow to spectacular heights, and by late April are laden with delicately rounded miniature fruit. Sweet, juicy and deliciously piquant, these are collected carefully, some curried with jaggery, and eaten with rice, and the surplus preserved in brine.

Salting, pickling, preserving, brining, smoking and drying of meats are all a part of the culinary year. Large baranis and earthen pots line the attics and storerooms of every home. Wild hog plum, taut green limes bursting with juice, tender jackfruit, and wild gooseberries all find their way into preserving jars. Everyone has a kitchen garden. Creepers trail, pumpkins burgeon, beans, gourds and fresh leafy greens abound. The hillsides are dotted with wild, sweet, berries.

Every time I cook a traditional meal, the entire landscape of my ancestors murmurs in the background. It’s a cuisine all about the freshness of seasonal ingredients, and a deep understanding of the environment, the seasons, and the best they have to offer. Hospitality and generosity are traditional, and legendary, so every meal becomes a celebration. And they have hit on a winning formula, because friends come back to our table again and again, each with requests for a special favourite – ancient, and thoroughly modern.

Christmas Gifts

Coorg Modern first appeared in Food Lover’s Magazine, in the issue April/May 2009. Many thanks to Kripal Amanna for allowing me to reproduce the article here. All photographs are by Sudeep Gurtu, courtesy Food Lover’s Bangalore. Landscape photographs by Sudeep Gurtu.

AC ORDERS FOR RECLAIMING OF GOVT. LAND IN COORG

Star of Mysore — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:47:55 +0000

The Madikeri Assistant Commissioner’s Court has ordered reclamation of government land worth crores of rupees in Kushalnagar Town, which was illegally transferred to private parties by revenue officials.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Dr. M.R. Ravi in his order while annulling the land’s RTC registered in the name of private parties, has directed that the said land stand in the name of the government as before. He has also directed for initiating disciplinary action against Revenue Department officials who faked documents to register the RTC in the name of private parties.

The case: The said government land located in the heart of Kushalnagar Town was registered in the name of one Vijaykumar of Bangalore, who in turn had reportedly sold a portion of the land to one K.B. Gopalakrishna on Nov. 5, 2011.

But Kushalnagar residents D.C. Arun Kumar and D.C. Jagadish, questioning this transaction, petitioned the Assistant Commissioner’s court. The court which heard the petition, directed that the land be reclaimed by the government.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the documents pertaining to 0.5 acres of land and 1.90 acres of land coming under Survey No. 165/3 P2 of Mullasoge village in Kushalnagar Town was faked, mentioning the date as 21.06.1925.

Dr. Ravi who thoroughly scrutinised the documents discovered that the Somwarpet Tahasildar and Revenue Inspector had illegally transferred government land worth crores of rupees to a private party, and has now ordered that the said government land be reclaimed.

ALTERNATIVE FOR ROAD PASSING THROUGH NAGARAHOLE

Star of Mysore — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:45:57 +0000

An alternative road away from the forests, in place of the 10-km stretch of road passing through the Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarahole) will be constructed by the PWD shortly, said PWD Southern Zone Chief Engineer Sadashiva Reddy Patil.

Speaking to Star of Mysore here yesterday, Patil said that since the plying of vehicles during the nights on the 10-km stretch of the Mysore-Manan-davadi road passing through Nagarahole is restricted, an alternative road is being constructed for smooth vehicular traffic. As such, a road is being constructed from Dammanakatte to Udbur Gate at an estimated cost of Rs. 18 crore, he said.

The estimate for the project has been approved by the Finance Department and is under consideration by the State Cabinet, he said.

Hunsur-Kodagu road

The Finance Department has given its approval for the development of Hunsur-Gonikoppal-Kodagu road at a cost of Rs. 28 crore, of which Rs. 17.58 cr. has been released under the Hunsur Division and Rs. 11 crore under the Madikeri Division, he said.

No potholes

“All the potholes on State Highways have been filled and they are now 100 per cent potholes-free, said Patil and added that 95 per cent potholes in district highways have been filled.” he said.

Zonal Superintendent Venkatesh and Biligiriranga Swamy of Hunsur Division were present.

CEC ASKS SUPREME COURT FOR STERN ACTION AGAINST BOPAIAH, APPACHU, MEDAPPA & OTHERS

Tony Chengappa — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:36:59 +0000

The CEC(Central Empowered Committee) constituted by the Supreme Court for looking into the 2008 case pertaining to a illegal road formed in the Pushpagiri Reserve Forest, has asked the Supreme Court to take action against Virajpet MLA & current Speaker of Karantaka Assembly, Mr. K.G Bopaiah, the Madikeri MLA, Mr. M.P. Appachu Ranjan; the ex-MLC, Mr. S.G. Medappa, and the then Kodagu Deputy Commissioner, Mr. M.K. Baladevakrishna, and Conservator of Forests, Mr. G.A. Sudarshan for willfully violating provisions of the forest and wildlife acts and its orders pertaining to these laws within wildlife sanctuaries in the state.

The story so far;

On December 28,2008, the accused ignoring legal warnings and a stay order from supreme court, swoop down at Pushpagiri Reserve Forest with a posse of policemen and villagers and start construction of the road. The then DCF(Deputy Conservator of Forests) of Madikeri, Anil Kumar Rathan rushes to the spot with forest officials to stop the construction and gets into an argument with the accused. The DCF and his officials are warned by the accused not to interfere.
Air Marshal(Retd) Cariappa takes the matter to the court. The Supreme Court constitutes the CEC to look into the matter. CEC issues notice to all the accused asking them to appear before the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, disciplinary action is taken against the then Conservator of Forests G.A. Sudharshan in another case of tree felling in a reserve forest during his tenure and he is suspended by the Govt, later re-instated.
The DCF Mr. Anil Kumar Rathan is suddenly transferred out of Coorg. Allegedly at the behest of the accused.
CEC visit Coorg to inspect the location. The accused tell the CEC that the disputed land belongs to one “Saroja”. CEC officials are offered royal treatment by district administration.
Circa 2012. CEC submits the report, indicting the accused and asks the Supreme Court for stern intervention against them.

15 Clans from Chickpet(Virajpet) to clash in Rink Hockey Tournament at Bangalore

Staff Reporter — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:50:13 +0000

15 Clans from Chicket, Virajpet have come together to organise 5-a-side (Rink Hockey) Tournament in Bangalore. The matches will be played from Jan 24 to 26 at the KSHA Stadium in Richmond Town. Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, K D Ganapathy said;

We are a team of 30 members from 15 different families of Chickpet in Virajpet. We call ourselves the Coorg Challengers Chickpet Association (CCCA). The families’ motive is to revive interest in hockey among Bangaloreans and donate the profit from these tournaments to orphanages and blind schools. Today, we are what we are because of hockey and we want to give back to the sport by instilling that spirit in as many youngsters as we can.

Further adding that;

Last year, 24 teams participated and the profits were handed over to Thejaswi Seva Trust in Kumaraswamy Layout and Field Marshal Cariappa Hockey Trust in Virajpet to nurture potential hockey-players.