India's first woman ambassador CB Muthamma passes away

BANGALORE: C.B. Muthamma (85), the first woman Ambassador of Independent India and the first woman Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, died in a private hospital here yesterday following a brief illness. Last rites were performed at Wilson Garden crematorium yesterday.

Chonira Belliappa Muthamma, a spinster, was born on Jan. 24, 1924, in Haisodlur village, Virajpet, Kodagu. Her father was a DFO in the district.

She had her primary and high school education in Gonikoppal. After completing her collegiate education in Bangalore, Muthamma passed the IFS, thus earning the distinction of becoming the first woman to pass IFS.

After serving in various countries from 1949 to 1982, Muthamma led a retired life in her brother C.B. Kariappa's residence in Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Muthamma had served as Ambassador and High Commissioner to a number of countries during her career that started in 1949. She had fought against gender bias in the foreign service and had taken the Indian government to court in 1979 for bypassing her for the coveted Foreign Secretary's post.

Though the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, it noted that there was truth in Muthamma's contention that there was gender discrimination in the foreign office.

Muthamma brought out the essays she had written over the years in the form of a book titled 'Slain by the System - India's Real Crisis.' It was published in 2003. She wrote in the book: "Looking back, I cannot help but conclude that my tenure with the External Affairs Ministry was one long tussle with the anti-women bias." She had also co-authored a book on Kodava cuisine.

(Image and text: Star of Mysore)

Rs. 15 crore for Madikeri: Old wine in new bottle?

MADIKERI: An action plan involving Rs. 15 crore from the Chief Minister’s Small and Medium Towns Development Project (CMSMTDP) for 2009-10 for developing infrastructure and slums in Madikeri in the first phase has been sent to the State Government through the Department of Municipal Administration (DMA).

The district in-charge Minister has approved the action plan in consultation with the MLAs and MLCs from the district. The action plan for the second phase of development, involving another instalment of Rs. 15 crore for 2010-11 is ready. It will be sent to the Deputy Commissioner in a few days and later to the district in-charge Minister, Madikeri City Municipal Council Commissioner Srikanth Rao told The Hindu on Sunday.

In the first phase, Rs. 9.88 crore had been earmarked by the CMC for building roads, drains, repairing roads, construction of footpaths, retaining walls, etc. A sum of Rs. 3 crore had been earmarked for the development of slums in Madikeri. A sum of Rs. 1 crore had been kept aside for construction of a private bus stand in the city. For installation of high mast streetlights, Rs. 62 lakh had been earmarked and Rs. 50 lakh for the Kundamestri drinking water project, Mr. Rao said. (more)

Rs. 15 crore for Madikeri: Old wine in new bottle?

MADIKERI: An action plan involving Rs. 15 crore from the Chief Minister’s Small and Medium Towns Development Project (CMSMTDP) for 2009-10 for developing infrastructure and slums in Madikeri in the first phase has been sent to the State Government through the Department of Municipal Administration (DMA).

The district in-charge Minister has approved the action plan in consultation with the MLAs and MLCs from the district. The action plan for the second phase of development, involving another instalment of Rs. 15 crore for 2010-11 is ready. It will be sent to the Deputy Commissioner in a few days and later to the district in-charge Minister, Madikeri City Municipal Council Commissioner Srikanth Rao told The Hindu on Sunday.

In the first phase, Rs. 9.88 crore had been earmarked by the CMC for building roads, drains, repairing roads, construction of footpaths, retaining walls, etc. A sum of Rs. 3 crore had been earmarked for the development of slums in Madikeri. A sum of Rs. 1 crore had been kept aside for construction of a private bus stand in the city. For installation of high mast streetlights, Rs. 62 lakh had been earmarked and Rs. 50 lakh for the Kundamestri drinking water project, Mr. Rao said. (more)

Tata Coffee not planning to re-enter café retail business

Even as the café retail business is seeing a growth of 30 per cent per annum in India, Tata Coffee has no plans of re-entering the café retail business. Tata Coffee had tried its hands in this business when it acquired 34.31 per cent stake in Barista in 2001. Having sold the entire stake in 2004, Tata Coffee feels that it won’t be easy to enter the café retail market again.

Speaking on the sidelines of the India International Coffee Festival here, MH Ashraff, MD of Tata Coffee told FC, “Breaking into the café retail business now will be tough with existing players. We feel the timing of our entry was correct.” The café retail business is expected to see 5,000 outlets in five years, up from the existing 1,200 branded outlets across India.

Ashraff added, “Now the scope in the café retail market is limited. We keep hearing about international players planning to enter this segment as well. Therefore, for the domestic market, we intend to focus on growing the distribution of our Mr Bean and Coorg Pure brands. These two brands have negligible presence in southern markets currently.” (more)

The Essential Kodava Cook Book

We’ve grown up thinking of the Kodavas — earlier anglicised to Coorgs — as a small group in the upper reaches of Karnataka, who live off the land, are tall and handsome, huntin’, shootin’ types. Romantic lore is corrobor ated by fact: they are allowed to carry arms without a licence. So when a few weeks back I received a request to review a book on their cuisine, I was delighted to. First, because I’m curious. Second, because those who go after game and wild fruit and vegetables are bound to have interesting food. Apart from shikaris, I can’t think of anyone who speaks of wild boar as a special dish representative of their cuisine.

The two authors are impressive. C.B. Muthamma was the first woman career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service and P. Gangamma Bopanna the first woman lawyer from Coorg state. The book is proof of not only their love for their culinary traditions, but of meticulous planning and vision. It’s easy to love the food one’s grown up with; but to present it to outsiders in a simple, direct way is difficult.

The most interesting part of the book is the introduction. It gives a brief history of the people, the geographical boundaries, regional contiguity, and describes the plenitude of wild game in the forests, fish in the streams and rivers, and vegetables and wild berries and creepers in the fields and open country around the villages. There is an affectionate, almost nostalgically, written section on Kodava ceremonies. (more)

First it was Talacauvery…and now Irpu

Irpu Falls. (Photo source: Zach Studio)

The residents of Srimangala and Irpu have urged the police to protect the sanctity of Irpu temple, says a report in Shakthi newspaper.

Participating in the police–people contact meeting, the residents claimed tourists who visit the water falls are spoiling the sanctity by consuming liquor and non-vegetarian food in the vicinity of the temple. This should be totally banned and their belongings are checked at the entry point, they urged.

Taluk panchayath member Bottangada Raju requested the police officials to open a police outpost at Irpu to control the menace. A villager stated people won’t hesitate to teach the culprits a lesson if police fail to initiate action.

Madikeri Dasara leaves bitter memories

Plastic waste strewn around at the Gandhi Maidan in Madikeri. (Pic source: Hindu)

MADIKERI: The Dasara celebrations in Madikeri has caused consternation among a section of the local people. The Gandhi Maidan area where stage and cultural functions were organised on Tuesday, the last day of the Madikeri Dasara, is littered with plastic and other wastes.

The Mahatma Gandhi Road (Raja Seat road) has a trail of plastic bottles, sachets, cups and other items, all non-biodegradable. Places that attracted a large number of people during the celebrations have become an eyesore.

Will it serve the cause of the Madikeri City Municipal Council (CMC), which is advocating a plastic-free Madikeri, Roopa, who had come from Murnad to witness the Dasara celebrations asked.

Some of the mantaps that took the bedecked chariots had blocked the roads passing through the temples two days before the Vijayadashami day. The police remained mute spectators.

This had proved irksome to many who had to take circuitous routes to reach various locations in the city. “Who gave them permission to block roads two days in advance,” asked a local merchant. His business had suffered. Roads leading to a few temples had remained blocked even a day after the celebrations concluded.

Although the traffic police had imposed restrictions on vehicles entering the city after 4 p.m. on Monday, private buses and KSRTC buses could not enter their respective stands as decorated chariots had blocked the way even till Tuesday noon. (more)