First ever ‘Oman Billawas Premier League-2019’ marks 10 years of unity, progress

coastaldigest.com news network
March 21, 2019

Muscat: Oman Billawas, an association of Billawa community members residing in the Sultanate of Oman, organized its first ever Oman Billawas Premier League (OBPL 2019) cricket tournament on Friday, March 15th on the lush green lawns of Al Hail School of Cricket at Mabella in Oman.

The event marking the 10th year of unity and progression of Oman Billawas is a refinement of its annual cricket day. This innovative concept of cricketing was showcased for the first time within the community matches. The day began with amazing weather, along with an extremely well organized set-up, good pitch and a well sequenced plan for the day ahead.

There were 9 teams, 13 matches, 133 players and 2 ladies teams who participated in this league. Oman Billawas President Suchethana Anchan, Vice President Suhan H and committee members were the back bone to the success of the event. The planning was mapped on the lines of the league matches, whereby there were nine sponsors, who selected their team through the process of lucky pick of lots. This brought about having well balanced teams, divided equally with the best batsmen, bowlers, keepers and all-rounders. The ladies teams had T-shirt sponsors as well.

Each team was branded and had a unique team name with color coded t-shirts. The concept of the game was scheduled as group A, B, C and the top 4 teams’ qualified for the semifinals after the league rounds.

The teams were (1) Mumbai Billawas captained by Manohar Salian and sponsored by Chandrakant Kotian; (2) Meunukuna Bollilu captained by Sathish Barkur and sponsored by Kiran Anchan; (3) Biruva Strikers captained by Rohidas Manjeshwar and sponsored by Krishnaprasad, Vittal Poojary and Harish Suvarna; (4) Koti Chennaya X1 captained by Somanath Poojary and sponsored by Mahesh Salian; (5) Biruver Challengers captained by Ratheesh Salian and sponsored by Rathan Kumar; (6) Biruva Javaners captained by Prakash Bellore and sponsored by Rajaneesh Sanil; (7) Geleyara Balaga captained by Nikhil Kumar and sponsored by Guruprasad Amin; (8) Mangalore Tigers captained by Shailesh Poojary and sponsored by Dinesh Poojary and (9) Namma Biruver captained by Sukumar Anchan and sponsored by Jayaprakash Poojary. The Ladies’ Teams were (1) Bolli Bolpu captained by Akshatha Rishikesh Amin and sponsored by Rishikesh Amin and (2) Rani Abbakka captained by Anusha Arun and sponsored by a well wisher.

Over 250 people witnessed the tournament and enjoyed it to the fullest. The team owners mingled with the players and this brought about a lot of unity with the groups. The play ground was sponsored by S. K. Poojary, Managing Director of Red Rose Furnishing Company LLC.

The committee had made elaborate arrangements for the spectators and guests to make this a great experience for them. Taking precaution against the weather they had also installed tents on the ground with proper seating arrangements. The logistics team arranged for breakfast, tea and lunch with traditional dishes like Rice, Rasam, Kadle Suran, Chicken Sukka and to top it off there was Boondi Ladoo too.

The matches were tough and each team played two matches against each other. Biruva Javaners were declared the winners of the tournament under the captaincy of Prakash Bellore and the Runner-Up were Menukuna Bollilu, captained by Sathish Barkur. Finally there was a lucky dip draw and concluding the event showcased the motto ‘Team Work to make the Dream Work’.

Manohar Salian, Gangadhar Poojary, Sujith Anchan, Madhuri Rathan Kumar, Chethana Kotian, Preetham Kotian, Vishwanath Bangera, Nita Salian, Pradeep Palan, Hitesh Kumar, Vijay Poojary, Vittal Poojary, Purushottam, Arun Bangera, Harish Sanil and Dr. Shodan Kumar supported the event with various sponsorships.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
November 27,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 27: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp is reportedly on alert as the Congress leadership tussle in the state intensifies, particularly amid speculation over the potential promotion of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah is said to be in a “wait-and-watch” mode after admitting to “confusion” earlier this week and urging the party to “put a full stop” to it.

Sources say his supporters are ready to act if senior leaders — including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi — give any indication of backing Shivakumar. If the party insists on a leadership change, Siddaramaiah’s camp has a list of alternatives, underscoring the deep rift between the two leaders. One possible candidate is Home Minister G. Parameshwara, a Siddaramaiah loyalist and influential Dalit leader.

The strategy was reportedly finalized at a meeting led by PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, another Siddaramaiah supporter, who stressed that Delhi leaders need to resolve the issue. Kharge and the Gandhis are expected to meet soon, after which Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar may be summoned to Delhi.

Shivakumar has largely stayed non-confrontational, publicly endorsing Siddaramaiah and downplaying speculation about his own ambitions. However, he has made pointed comments emphasizing the importance of honoring promises, directed at Siddaramaiah.

The feud traces back to the 2023 state election, when Siddaramaiah was chosen as Chief Minister while Shivakumar, who led the party’s campaign, was made Deputy CM and state party chief — a departure from the Congress’ usual “one post per person” rule.

There were also hints of a prior understanding that Siddaramaiah would step down midway through the term. As the halfway mark passed last week, Shivakumar-aligned lawmakers have ramped up pressure on the party for a leadership change, with Shivakumar himself hinting at stepping down as state party chief to pursue the top job.

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News Network
November 21,2025

Bantwal: A domestic dispute appears to have led to a violent confrontation in BC Road area, where the owner of a textile shop was allegedly attacked with a knife by his wife on Wednesday evening.

Krishna Kumar Somayaji, the owner of Somayaji Textiles, sustained serious injuries in the incident and was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. He is currently receiving care in the intensive care unit and is reported to have survived the assault, according to police.

The Bantwal Town police have registered a case against Somayaji's wife, Jyothi KT, who has since been taken into custody.

Police stated that the complainant, Namita, an employee at the shop, reported the sequence of events. She stated that around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the suspect entered the shop, wearing a burqa and disguised as a customer, before attacking Somayaji with a knife. The employee then transported the injured owner to a local hospital via an autorickshaw.

Superintendent of Police Arun K confirmed that an ongoing domestic dispute between Somayaji and his wife reportedly preceded the attack. Police noted that Jyothi KT had previously visited the shop and issued threats.

Based on the complaint, Bantwal Town police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Indian Arms Act-1959. An investigation into the incident is currently underway.

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