Monthly Archives: September 2014

Dist. Minister to inaugrate Open Air Auditorium at Ganabharathi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Intro: Mysore District In-charge Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad will inaugurate the “Smt. Ramabai Govinda Rao Open Air Auditorium” at Ganabharathi premises in Kuvempunagar on Sunday, 7th September at 10 am. The foundation stone for this Auditorium, built in memory of Smt. Ramabai Govinda Rao, the mother of Industrialist M. Jagannath Shenoy of Mangalore Ganesh Beedi Works, was laid on August 11, 2013, by Shenoy himself. On the occasion, donor Jagannath Shenoy and danseuse Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy will be felicitated. MP Pratap Simha, MLA M.K. Somashekar, MLC G. Madhusudhan and Corporator K.V. Mallesh will be the guests of honour. Ganabharathi President Dr. C.G. Narasimhan will preside. To mark the event, a souvenir titled Rangabharathi will also be released. Here we publish an article to trace the 35-year-long journey of Ganabharathi…

It was thirty-five years ago that Ganabharathi was founded in Mysore, the Cultural Capital of Karnataka, for the promotion of Performing Arts. In these long years, many connoisseurs of art and culture from different walks of life have given their wholehearted support both in cash and in kind towards this end.

For an institution to establish its identity and carry on its objectives without hindrance it needs a permanent place of its own. With this in mind, a suitable site was acquired by Ganabharathi in 1980. In due course the now familiar landmark of Kuvempunagar, Veene Seshanna Bhavana, named after the legendary veena maestro of Mysore, Veene Seshanna (1852-1926) rose in that location and was inaugurated on Oct. 26, 1991. The Bhavana has an acoustically treated auditorium with a seating capacity of 250. Soon sound system, emergency power generator and such other facilities were added. Ganabharathi also started a School of Music and Dance in 1992.

Every year Ganabharathi conducts nearly 50 programmes of music, dance, drama, yakshagana etc., at Veene Seshanna Bhavana in addition to a number of cultural events by different cultural organisations and scores of schools of Mysore.

In recent times a need for an additional auditorium was felt in view of increasing demand and it was resolved to put to use the space adjacent to the Bhavana by constructing an Open Air Auditorium. Thanks to M. Jagannath Shenoy, the philanthropist, connoisseur of art and renowned industrialist of Mysore, who provided financial support for the construction of the Auditorium. The tender for the same was awarded to K.C. Nanda Kumar, the renowned building contractor of Mysore. M.S. Vijayashankar, the Architect of the entire project, provided his services without accepting any fee.

In addition to the contribution from Jagannath Shenoy, several other philanthropists of Mysore too have contributed generously towards various works connected with the project such as paving the foreground with interlocking tiles, building a bridge to establish connection with the existing road, providing sound and lighting arrangements, stage props, electrification etc. Among others, MLC G. Madhusudan, Dr. M.S. Bhaskar, Dr. Pundalik Herle, Dr. K. Subrahmanya, Kaveribai, H.V. Rajeev, Nagesh Rao, D.T. Prakash and art patron K.V. Murthy deserve special mention in this connection. H. Janardhan (Janni), Director of Rangayana, gave useful suggestions for design of the stage and stage props.

Ganabharathi has expressed its gratitude to all those who have provided invaluable support both in cash and kind for the implementation of this project

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / September 03rd,  2014

CM to inaugrate Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Sarada Vilas Law College on Sept. 5

Education, Records, All

Intro: Chief Minister Siddharamaiah will inaugurate the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Sarada Vilas Law College, Krishnamurthypuram, at a function organised at the Sarada Vilas Centenary Hall at 3 pm on Sept. 5. District In-charge Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad will preside. PWD Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Mysore-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Thoothukudi MP Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee will be the chief guests on the occasion.

A brief history of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions

A little more than 150 years ago, in 1861 to be precise, a new star took its birth in the educational realm of the then State of Mysore. It was founded by Rao Bahadur Bhakshi Narasappa, who enjoyed the confidence of the then King Sri Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. It was named Sarada Vilas Anglo-Sanskrit Pathashala and was housed inside the premises of a Palace temple. Sri Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Bhakshi Narasappa, both visionaries in their own right, worked in perfect tandem and sowed the seed of education. The Pathashala had the credit of being the first private school in Mysore State. Though just twenty students joined the school in its first year, it grew from strength to strength as a result of which the number of students increased very quickly. Naturally space available for the school inside the temple was not enough. Bhakshi Narasappa, the selfless citizen that he was, volunteered to shift the school to his own building which was popularly called Bhakshi Narasappa Choultry at Makkaji Chowk. Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the then Dewan of Mysore, was very generous in providing financial assistance to the school. In spite of the Dewan’s munificence, the school found itself in a tight spot owing to the demise of Bhakshi Narasappa and the resignation of Head Master Mandikal Ramasastri.

With a view to overcome all administrative and financial problems, the Government of Mysore set up a Committee of men of high eminence in the year 1899. The Honorary Secretary of this Committee was M. Venkatakrishnaiah, affectionately called as ‘Tataiah’ by young and old alike. He was committed to the cause of education and took upon himself the responsibility of strengthening the school. The year 1899 thus became a major turning point in the evolution of the Institution. Tataiah saw to it that the school turned itself into a model school. More and more students joined the school and once again the constraint of space became an acute problem. Fortunately, the King of Mysore rushed to the rescue and permitted the school to use the first floor of the Lansdowne Building. Tataiah recognised the need for a high school, strived hard in that direction and founded the Boys High School in 1919. He had a strong desire to house the school in its own building and succeeded in getting a sprawling campus in Krishnamurthypuram. Soon the High School was shifted to a new building in this area. Tataiah worked with utmost honesty and conviction and rendered yeomen service to the school as the Hon. Secretary of the Committee till his demise in1933.

The legacy of Tataiah was carried forward by another equally distinguished Mysorean, M.S. Ramaswamy. He took over Tataiah’s mantle and transformed his vision into reality. S. Ramarao, who took charge as the Hon. Secretary following Tataiah’s demise, put his best efforts to take the Institutions to greater heights.

M.S. Ramaswamy, like his mentor Tataiah, had very big dreams. He took initiative, obtained the approval of the Government and founded the Intermediate College in 1945. He continued his hard work and was responsible for starting the Degree College in 1952. He served the College as Principal for 20 years – 1945 to 1965 – and laid solid foundation for College Education.

The Management of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions was desirous of serving the society in many other ways in the field of education. In 1954, Sarada Vilas Law College, only the second Law College in the State at that time, came into existence. Likewise, Sarada Vilas Teachers College was started in 1963 and Sarada Vilas College of Pharmacy in1992.

Another milestone in the annals of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions (SVEI) is the establishment of Sarada Vilas Girls High School in 1961. The Management of SVEI started Pre-Primary and Higher Primary School in 1992.

The objective of SVEI has always been to give quality education at an affordable cost to all sections of society. The Management hopes to offer PG courses in pure sciences like Applied Sciences and Law.

—B .S. Parthasarathy, President, SVEI.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / September 03rd,  2014

Varsity centenary logo unveiled by Pramoda Devi

Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

 

Princess Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, who designed the Varsity Centenary Logo, is seen explaining the significance of the logo design at a programme held at the Crawford Hall this morning as (from left) Higher Education Minister R.V. Deshpande, University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa, District Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad and Registrar Prof. C. Basavaraju look on.
Princess Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, who designed the Varsity Centenary Logo, is seen explaining the significance of the logo design at a programme held at the Crawford Hall this morning as (from left) Higher Education Minister R.V. Deshpande, University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa, District Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad and Registrar Prof. C. Basavaraju look on.

Mysore :

The Centenary Logo and Website, along with Outreach and Online programmes of the University of Mysore were launched at a function held at Crawford Hall in city today.

Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysore royal family, has designed the Centenary Logo incorporating every intrinsic feature of the University right from its inception till date.

Speaking after unveiling the logo, Pramoda Devi said that the logo basically highlights the contribution of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the Founder of Mysore University. She expressed her happiness that the Varsity is celebrating its centenary, spreading its aura across the world.

The Centenary website incorporating all the features of the Varsity, its achievements and future plans in audio-visual form was launched by District In-Charge Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad.

The Outreach and Online programmes of the Varsity was launched by Pro-Chancellor and Minister for Higher Education R.V. Deshpande.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa presided over the programme. Registrar Prof. C. Basavaraju and others were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News  / September 03rd,  2014

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UOM logo, a tribute to Nalwadi, Kannada and University 

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Mysore :

The new logo of the centenary year of the University of Mysore (UoM), designed by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of late scion of Mysore Royal Family, who is a designer and an alumnus of Mysore University is a tribute to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the Kannada language and to the University of Mysore.

The logo, which was unveiled yesterday by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar at the Crawford Hall, has ‘Naa’ in Kannada, KR in bold (an abbreviation of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the erstwhile ruler and the founder of the University of Mysore) and a pattern outlining the letters UoM.

Only three colours maroon, blue and yellow are used in the design as maroon denotes the colour of the University gown, blue denotes blazer and number 100 in yellow colour denotes the colour of Kannada flag.

The cap which is worn during the graduation ceremony also finds a place in the middle order. Sanskrit words ‘Nahi Jnanena Sadrusham’ which means ‘Nothing is purer or equal to knowledge,’ which adorns the top of the logo, while ‘Mysooru Vishwavidyanilaya’ in Kannada has been etched at the bottom of the logo.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News  / September 04th,  2014

Fashion treat in city

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Designer Rocky S with actress Evelyn Sharma
Designer Rocky S with actress Evelyn Sharma

Mysore Fashion Week-2014 to feature 14 of country’s top designers starting with Rocky S. Actors Mugdha Godse, Gauhar Khan, Nidhi Subbaiah, Priyamani and model Muzammil will be the show stoppers.

C. Krishniah Chetty & Sons, the famed Jewelleres along with Mysore’s Sound and Light specialists Rock Salad, will be presenting the first ever edition of Mysore Fashion Week (MFW) from Sept. 5 to 7 at Country Inn & Suites, Mysore.

Directed by Jayanthi Ballal of Needle Works and Snehal Igoor of Creative Studio in Mysore, MFW 2014 moves beyond just Fashion Show and more into design aspect of fashion by featuring for the first time in Mysore 14 of the fashion industry’s biggest designers. The clothes will be modelled by 24 of the top female models in the country along with celebrity show-stoppers from Bollywood and South Indian film industries.

The fashion designers who will be showcasing their collections are:

Rocky S, who has designed for celebrities like Katrina Kaif and Priyanka. Then there is Aslam Khan, the popular Designer from Delhi whose designes represent the fine art of tailoring, fascinating pin tucks, piping, cuts and frills.

The show will also have Ashok Maanay, a designer known for his drawing strengths and inspiration from India’s rich traditions. Ashok Maanay’s designs are a breathtaking amalgamation of intricate hand embroidery and karigari. There is Ramesh Dembla, who is also a celebrity designer for actors such as Sudeep and Raagini.

The Mysore Fashion Week will also feature Reshma Kunhi, a designer who was quoted in Femina magazine as “Generation Next Designer.” Since then she too has become a favourite for celebrities.

The other young design talent is Sagar Tenali, who has been termed as one of the brightest stars in the Southern Fashion Industry.

Also presenting will be Bangalore’s foremost fashion designer Anil Hosmani, who has his own label ‘IHITA.’ Then there is Roohafza, who studied finance, but transformed into a designer by passion. She specialises in ethnic and bridal wear. She has also established her own brands called Mysore Silk Udyog, as she wanted to bring Mysore silk on the Indian map.

While the show may be in Mysore, Roshan, who won the Bangalore’s Young Stylish Designer award, is all set to introduce Mysore to his fashion. He designs for both men and women, everything from bridal wear to casual smart. Finally, there is Sumit Dasgupta — a designer who came into fashion because it was his passion. He studied fashion designing at National Institute Kolkata and has Master’s in Fine Arts from Chandigarh. He launched his first collection at the Kolkata Fashion Week in 2008.

It may be a Fashion Week but it’s incomplete without the glorious sprinkle of make-up and to do that Robert, one of the most sought after make-up artist and stylist across the country, will be part of the event. Robert has been the official styling director of Bangalore Fashion Week and has worked with many renowned choreographers.

Of course, no Fashion Week is complete without a show-stopper and Mysore Fashion Week will have a few — some of them being Gauhar Khan, Nidhi Subbaiah, Bhavana Rao, Mugdha Godse, Muzammil, Priyamani and Raagini Dwivedi.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / September 02nd,  2014

Dharwad consultant only Indian doctor on anti-doping team

Science & Technology, Sports

Hubli :

Here’s another feather in the cap of the twin cities. A consultant in sports medicine from Dharwad will be the only medical officer from India to represent the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederations making up FIFA, at its under-16 championship to be held in Thailand from September 6-21.

Dr Kiran Kulkarni, 42, who has won the pride of place, says he will be only the sports doctor from the country in the contingent of AFC, which has its headquarters in Malaysia. “I will oversee medical matters and MRIs for age determination as well as implement the anti-doping programme in the tournament.”

He said 16 Asian countries will participate in the tournament. “I will have to monitor the medical staff and doctors from these countries to ensure that there are no doping cases during the course of the tournament.”

Kulkarni, however, is hopeful that allegations of doping will not tarnish the game. Compared to other games, there are very few incidents of doping among players, he claims. “Over the last two to three decades, few complaints of doping have come to light.” He recalls Argentinean midfielder Diego Maradona testing positive for doping as one of the few cases in football’s history.

During AFC’s tournament, doping tests will be conducted at random on about two players from different countries during matches. If players whose urine samples test positive for the presence of a substance used for doping claim innocence, then B-sample tests will be conducted. These samples will be sent to the International Olympic Committee’s laboratory.

If these test positive as well, then the players face jail time. Such players face punishment from six months to two years in jail.

Kulkarni says the team of %medical doctors at the tournament will work to ensure that all things go as planned with regard to medical amenities. “There is a possibility that in the under-16 tournament, the ages of some players vary. To ascertain that players are under the age of 16, an MRI age verification test will be conducted on each player.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubli / Basavaraj Kattimani, TNN / August 23rd, 2014

Ganappa not the only star of the show

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Travel

Hubli :

Who says Ganesha Chaturthi festivities are only about Bappa? The stars of the show during this year’s celebrations in the city will be theme-based tableaux.

Several mandals in Hubli have taken to the idea giving a touch of history, mythology, culture, social awareness and spirituality to their processions. Tableaux on the Mysore Dasara celebrations, the birth of Draupadi as depicted in the Mahabharata, the Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and the life of the Siddharudh swami, a mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream widely regarded as one of the greatest saints of Hinduism, are expected to draw a large number of visitors.

Organizers of the Sri Varasiddhi Vinayak Mandali at Sheelavantar Oni have become more resourceful. They plan to have a tableau on the Mysore Dasara Jumboo Savari carrying Ganesha and Chamundi idols inaugurated by a statue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It’s not banking on the Dasara tableau alone to grab eyeballs. During a 5-minute-long show, tableaux on the bravery of freedom fighter Kittur Rani Chennamma and Onake Obavva, who had fought the forces of Hyder Ali single-handedly with a pestle (onake) in Chitradurga, on lifestyles and cultures of villages, and on national leaders led by a depiction of Bharat Mata will enthral audiences, says mandal designer Bahubali Umachagi.

Sri Ganeshotsav Mandali in Durgadbail is giving final touches to a replica of the Chennakesava temple in Belur. While its facade bears resemblance to the temple, its interiors give the feel of being inside a palace. A three-minute-long show on the birth of Draupadi, the daughter of king Drupada will be performed here, says Kishor Hanumasagar, vice president of the mandal.

The Ganesha idol installing committee of Boospeth will present a performance on the life of Siddharudha Swami. Sri Maruti Yuvaka Seva Sangha is hoping that those who wish to visit the famous Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur can tick it off their bucket list by seeing a replica of the temple at Simpli Galli. Raghavendra Bhat, president of the Sangha, says devotees can get darshans of a 7.5-ft tall idol %of goddess Mahalaxmi. %Later, silver idol of %Ganesha weighing 55kg will be presented before the audience, he adds.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubli / TNN / August 29th, 2014

City Professor for Intl. meet at Johannesburg

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

ProfKantappaBF06sept2014

Mysore :

Prof. C. Srikantappa, UGC-Emeritus Scientist at DoS in Earth Science, University of Mysore, will be attending the International conference on “IMA-1024 – Delving Deeper – Minerals as Mines of information” to be held from Sept. 1 to 6 at Johannesburg, South Africa.

This conference will be held once in four years in different parts of the world and nearly 1800 Geologist from across the world will be attending this meeting.

Prof. Srikantappa will be presenting two of his research papers — One on the presence of CO2-rich and alkaline fluids in Precambrian high-grade metamorphic rocks from Satnur-Halagur area in Karnataka and another paper is on the role of alkaline fluids (NaC1 and KCL) which are responsible for U-mineralisation in Gogi, northern Karnataka which is going to be one of the biggest U-mining area in India as per AMD-DAE.

Prof. Srikantappa is the Secretary of Mineralogical Society of India with its headquarters at DoS in Earth Science, University of Mysore. He is also working as the Council Member of International Mineralogical Association (IMA) representing Asia. He is representing India at IMA General Body meeting at Johannesburg.

Prof. Srikantappa is one of the well-known Geoscientist in the country, working on the origin and evolution of oldest rocks belong to Precambrian period in south India. He is the only teacher from University of Mysore who had been awarded the prestigious Alexander-von-Humboldt Fellowship from Germany and UNESCO Fellowship at UK. He has guided 15 Ph.D students and has published nearly 120 research papers. He has presented several research papers at International conferences held at France, Germany, UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Prof. C. Srikantappa was instrumental in establishing a permanent K-SET center for lectureship and UGC-NET center at University of Mysore in the 2010.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Septmeber 01st,  2014

Star this week : Talented cricketer : K.B. PAWAN

Sports

PawanBF05sept2014

Cricket is a very popular game in our country and Mysore has been from time to time producing talented players who have gone to represent State and Country. City’s talented cricketer K.B. Pawan hogged the limelight in the ongoing Karbonn Smart KPL by scoring the first fifty of the tournament and earned Man of the Match for his excellent batting performance for Mysore Warriors against Hubli Tigers in the match played on Friday. He is our ‘Star This Week.’

Pawan has represented Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and has played 43 first-class matches for Karnataka, scoring 2622 runs at an average of 38, but in 2012-13, he got only four games for Karnataka and shifted to Tripura and played for them for a season. Pawan had moved to Tripura before the 2013-14 season after Karnataka preferred other openers ahead of him.

He is back in Karnataka and will be available for selection for the Karnataka team for this season. Recently, taking part in the All India Tournament conducted by KSCA, Pawan continued his good form with the willow by bagging Man of the Match for his stroke-filled 50 for Mysore Warriors against Hubli Tigers in the opening game for their team.

Opening the batting with South-paw Shishir Bhavane 31 (41m, 23b, 2x4s, 2x6s), Pawan batted freely and took heavy toll of Hubli Tigers bowlers and scored a well compiled 50 (58m, 39b, 6x4s, 1x6s). Pawan and Bhawane gave their team the required start and added 74-runs for the opening wicket in 8.4 overs. Later on his team went on to post a total of 164 for four in 20 overs and in reply, Hubli Tigers were restricted to 133 for nine in 20 overs.

Hope this talented youngster from our city continues his good form with the willow and play well in the remaining matches for his team — Mysore warriors and in the days to come makes a come-back into the Karnataka team based on his performance.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / August 31st,  2014

South Zone Junior Golf : City’s Pranavi Urs triumphs

Sports
Pranavi Urs, who won the title in the Category-C Girls Section of Eagleton South Zone Sub-Junior and Junior Golf Tournament, is seen receiving the prize from leading amateur golfer Udhyan Mane at the prize distribution ceremony recently.
Pranavi Urs, who won the title in the Category-C Girls Section of Eagleton South Zone Sub-Junior and Junior Golf Tournament, is seen receiving the prize from leading amateur golfer Udhyan Mane at the prize distribution ceremony recently.

Mysore:

Mysore’s upcoming golfer Pranavi S. Urs, a product of the JWG Club, Mysore, taking part in the Eagleton South Zone Sub-Junior and Junior Golf Tournament played at at Eagleton Golf Course from Aug. 25 to 27, won the title in the Category-C Girls section with a two day score of 164 (84+80).

Pranavi, a VI std. student of National Public School, Mysore and daughter of Sharath Urs, finished second in the Category-C Combined Section (boys & girls). Sargun Singh finished first with a two day aggregate score of 163 (84+79).

Mysore’s Dyuthi K. Urs, daughter of Kantharaj Urs, also a product of JWG Club, secured third place in Category-C Girls Section with a two-day aggregate score of 182 (89 +93).

Vidhatri Urs triumphed in the Category-E Section with a two day score of 71 (37 +34).

Results

Category A&B: 1. Siddarth M. Krishna 152 (80+72); 2. Aryan Chordia 154 (78 +76); 3. B.C. Ganapathy 158 (83 +75); 4. N.V. Pratheek 158 (81 +77); 5. Sharad Arora 159 (83 +76).

Category B: 1. Rahul Ajay 160 (84+76); 2. Yuvaraj Joshi 161 (81 +80); 3. Ishaan Rao 161 (77+84); 4. Aryan Roopa Anand 163 (81+82); 5. Gagan Vinod 169 (86 +83).

Category C: (Boys & Girls) – 1. Sargun Singh 163 (84 +79); 2. Pranavi S. Urs 164 (84 +80); 3. Neeraj Shetty 165 (85 +80); 4. N.S. Anish 168 (89 +79); 5. Arjun Prasanna 168 (85 +83).

Category C: Girls – 1. Pranavi S. Urs 164 (84 +80); 2. N.S. Prakruthi 175 (86 +89); 3. Dyuthi K. Urs 182 (89 +93).

Catgegory D: 1. K. Anunjan 170 (85 +85); 2. Sneha Singh (93+81); 3.Varun Muthappa 175 (89+86); 4. Milind Soni 178 (86+92); 5. Anushka Borkar 183 (96+87).

Category E: 1. Vidhatri Urs 71 (37+34); 2. S. Manoj 79 (37+42); 3. P. Siddarth 80 (40 +40); 4. Kaushal K 81 (37 +41); 5. P. Avani 84 (44+40).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / August 31st,  2014

Just Heat and Eat

Business & Economy, Records, All

For the first time in the country, city based food industry manufactures Heat and Eat food products.

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by S. Kenneth Shishir

In the current fast changing and fast moving lifestyle we have all failed to realise the importance of nutrition in our food intake. With no time to cook a good healthy meal, most of the working class couples and families are moving towards heat and eat food products.

Although the Ready to Eat (RTE) food category was first introduced in India in 1987, it was not well received by Indian consumers due to the dependence on traditional cooking and in the early 2000s, with the advent of new technology that improved the shelf life of products and the growth of storage and distribution centres, RTE products began to gain popularity.

The heat and eat food industry in India, has been growing for the last three years and is expected to grow in the next five years due to rapid urbanisation.

Food has always been an important part of every Indian no matter which country he/she lives in.

This has prompted lots of food manufacturing companies to come up with new innovative ideas to woo its customers and one such popular city based company is KAVERI FOODS which was established in the year 2013.

Noticing the growth potential in this particular sector, Mysore based Kaveri Foods has launched their Heat and Eat products brand called RefriFresh.

They manufacture Ready-To- Eat products made out of 100% natural ingredients without any Preservatives, Artificial Colours or Flavours. Their USP lies in their ability to deliver home-cooked freshness and taste in the refrigerated format through minimal processing.

SOM met Ashwin Rajagopal, CEO of the company which is marketing its Heat and Eat products under the brand name ‘RefriFresh’ at his industry at Hebbal Industrial Area in city and had a brief chat about his products.

Ashwin, a MBA graduate in International Marketing from Australia speaking to SOM said that the company Kaveri Foods, sister concern of Kaveri Enterprises, a company which holds a strong market presence in edible oil industry sector was established in the year 1945 with the brand name R.G. manufactures of R.G brand Vanaspati and is popularly known as R.G Ghee among old Mysoreans.

Speaking about the new venture, he said that the company was looking at diversification into new areas in the food industry and thought of Ready to Eat industry which is growing at a tremendous rate with bright growth prospects.

He further said that as they decided to venture into Ready to Eat segment, they thought of coming out with a product that is unique with regards to technology and consumer requirement and decided to come out with South Indian delicacies, as they wanted to be known as a company that introduced south Indian delicacies on Heat and Eat format.

The company is currently concentrating in South Indian Breakfast and Dinner category.

They manufacture combo packs like Idli Sambar, Masala Paddu with Tomato Chutney, Mini/Button Idli with Sambar, Set Dosa with Coconut Chutney and Rava Idli with Coconut chutney apart from Sambar and Tomato Chutney which are all on ready to eat format and all that the consumer has to do is just open the pouch heat them in microwave or on a stove for a minute or two and it’s ready to be consumed.

All their products are manufactured only after consultations with CFTRI.

RefriFresh currently has nine Stock/Store Keeping Units (SKUs) and are planning to introduce more products like Pongal, Kesari bath, Onion Dosa which at present are available in Mysore and Bangalore and by the end of 2015 they would expand the market in Tamil Nadu and other States in South India, by targeting working families and senior citizens as their products have the traditional aroma and taste, said Ashwin and added that their products are minimally processed to keep up with the quality, taste, texture and quality of the products and added that the lifespan of the products are 35 days which would be increased to 60 days.

As the pioneers and one-of-its-kind in the industry ‘Refrifresh’ brand is being recognised as a synonym for tasty, fresh South Indian delicacies.

Asked if he was looking at other segments like spices or ready mixes he said there are ideas for the same and are still in the pipeline.

He ended by saying that his company is proud to have implemented successfully a unique technology that was pioneered by them for the first time in India.

The products are available at More Mega Stores, Easy Day and Loyal World in city.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 31st,  2014