Robin Uthappa, picked up by Rajasthan Royals for ₹3 crore in the IPL Auction, says he is excited at reuniting with Steve Smith. The Aussie and Uthappa have been together at Pune Supergiants.
The former India batsmen said he was also looking forward to sharing the dugout with Kerala teammate Sanju Samson.
“I wasn’t aware of what was happening at the auction as I was batting. I was told about this after the match and I am excited at playing for Rajasthan Royals, especially with Steve Smith.
“I had played with him before and I am looking forward to sharing the dugout with Sanju. I played six seasons for Kolkata. It has been an exciting journey for me. The people in Kolkata loved me and I am thankful to them,” he said.
Uthappa said Rajasthan Royals was a good team with world class players.
“I know quite a lot of players personally, so it won’t be a problem for me to play for a new team. I am keen to play alongside Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Cricket / by M.R. Praveen Chandran / Thiruvananthapuram – December 19th, 2019
– Bidding open under UDAN 4.0 by Civil Aviation Ministry
– Airport first proposed by Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan
Kushalnagar:
In a significant development, Kushalnagar in Kodagu has been selected among the four airports in Karnataka for which bids have been announced under the fourth round of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) or the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN) 4.0 recently. The other three airports are Ballari, Karwar and Kolar. It will be a mini airport in Kushalnagar.
The four airports are under the unserved airport category. Unserved airport means any airport at which there have been no scheduled commercial flights during the last two flight schedules published by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on its website.
The Airports Authority India is the implementing agency of the Regional Connectivity Scheme and it has invited the bids. Bids have been called to operate 20-seater planes (category 1) of the RCS.
For a 20-seater aircraft to land and take off, a one-kilometre runway is needed and the land in Kushalnagar has this facility.
Boost to tourism
If the mini airport in Kushalnagar becomes a reality, it will boost extended tourism from Mysuru to Kodagu. At present, flyers from Kushalnagar either come to Mysuru or Bengaluru to take flights to different destinations.
Flyers to Gulf countries either travel to Kannur or Mangaluru from Kushalnagar by road. A flight from Kushalnagar connecting Mysuru, Kannur, Bengaluru and Mangaluru will boost air travel in the region.
Appachu Ranjan’s proposal
An airport to Kodagu was first proposed by Madikeri MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan when he was the Minister for Youth Services and Sports in 2012.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Appachu Ranjan said that he was happy that Kushalnagar Airport has been selected under RCS (UDAN) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government.
The land for the airport had been identified near Byadagutta, Madapura and Koodige and of this, land behind the Kodagu Sainik School at Koodige was finally selected. “There is 45 to 50 acre land owned by the Agricultural Department at Doddathoor Village till the border of Basavanathoor village that has been mentioned in the surveys conducted by the Public Works Department. In June this year, a team of officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had visited the site and had accepted the land proposal. If more land is required, it can be acquired,” he said.
Aviation Training Academy
The MLA said that along with the airport, an Aviation Training Academy will come up next to Kushalnagar Mini-Airport and this Academy will train flight aspirants from Kodagu, Mysuru and surrounding regions. “I am following up the establishment of the Airport and the Academy,” he added.
300-acre Government land
Nagendra Prasad, President of Kodagu District Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association told SOM that when P.I. Sreevidya was the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner, a 300-acre Government land was identified near Aanekaadu on the National Highway 275 for the Airport. This land falls behind the 6-acre KSRTC Depot at Basavanahalli. The land had come up for discussion before the present DC Annies Kankani Joy too four months back.
“This proposal was, however, dropped due to opposition from environmental groups. Now that the AAI has approved the land behind the Koodige Sainik School, we can hope for a small airport in the near future. As per the RCS, an operator has to fly three flights per week. Even if it is a 20-seater aircraft, flight services from Kushalnagar will be a big boost for Kodagu tourism,” Nagendra Prasad added.
Water-logging problem
The Airport is in the backdrop of Doddathoor, Chikkathoor and Koodige hill ranges (though there is no official name for the hill ranges) and there are over 50 families residing in the vicinity. If the Airport has to come up, the families have to be evacuated and relocated.
The only hitch here is that the land behind Koodige Sainik School was submerged last year when more than one lakh cusecs of Cauvery water was released from Harangi reservoir. Villagers said that at present, the Agricultural Department grows paddy in this land and the location is near Harangi Dam. If Kushalnagar Airport has to become a reality, then the Government must take steps to prevent water-logging, say villagers.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 19th, 2019
Title : An Autobiography of a Kodava Forester
Author : Dr. Kodira Achappa Kushalapa, IFS (Retd.)
Pages : 228
Price : Rs. 200
Year : 2019
Publisher : Dr. K.A. Kushalapa, Mysuru.
In the film of 90 minutes duration, titled “Beautiful people: Some call them animals,” a comic allegory produced in 1974, focussing on various animals that live in arid desert environment of Africa by Jamie Uys, humorously draws parallels between animal and human behaviour. Dr. K.A. Kushalapa can vouch for the message in the film that the denizens of the forest are indeed beautiful people in a wide sense of the term, having shouldered the arduous duties of conserving India’s forests, steadily shrinking as a percentage of the total geographical area of the country. His empathy for the denizens and concern for enduring the flora have not witnessed even an iota of diminishing to this day despite retiring from an illustrious service for long years as a professional forester. Circle for Mysuru’s intelligentsia and senior citizens who have known him can testify to the vast knowledge of the author about A to Z of forest and its importance of vital role in sustaining the balance between human beings and other species on earth.
The narrative divided into 16 chapters, each with a caption indicative of specific aspects of the author’s early life and landmark events relating to his professional career culminating in his elevation to the highest post in the Department of Forest in the State Government.
Writing about Dr. Kushal-apa, in his foreword, Man-depanda K. Appayya, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Government of Karnataka, has expressed his admiration of the author’s noble qualities of head and heart, that earned him respect, recognition and rewards by his achievements both academic and professional.
The events of the author’s childhood and in later stages presented in all humility and graphic details trigger in the minds of readers what a person can achieve by being stoic and steadfast along with the support of family members, as revealed by the author himself in his preface. The trials and tribulations that he has encountered at different periods of life but overcome with courage and hope sound poignant. His life’s saga belies the myth of Kodavas as a community of only planters and warriors, by emerging as a star among them in the world of academics also. The 128 published papers listed in the book’s Chapter 14, 10 abstracts of technical papers and 10 titles of social articles listed in Chapter 15 give the readers an insight into Dr. Kushalapa’s deep interest in enlightening the lay people dispelling their utter lack of knowledge about forests.
Dr. Kushalapa has thought-fully included 69 photographs, many in colour, with images of his family members as well as people who were his colleagues, showing him as an impeccable handsome person. If his dream of generating in Kodava youth the desire to spread out into various areas of challenge by pursuing professions outside the ambit of restricted areas for which Kodavas are known, is fulfilled, the author’s autobiography gets full worth of the work of writing and publishing. The proceeds of the sale of the publication is meant to be utilised for philanthropic cause. —BRS
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 22nd, 2019
The International Squash player Joshna Chinappa from Kodagu has been nominated for the Sportstar ACES Awards – 2020.
Joshna is nominated for the ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ award in the Racquet Sports category along with P.V. Sindhu (Badminton) and Archana Kamath (Table Tennis).
Nominees for ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award in the Racquet Sports category are G. Sathiyan (Table Tennis), G. Prajnesh (Tennis) and Saurav Ghosal (Squash).
The top two contenders from each category, based on popular vote, will be sent to a jury panel, which will then decide the winner.
To vote, log on: sportstar.the hindu.com/aces-awards or give a missed call to 044-71055000.
Joshna Chinappa, who reached a career-high world ranking of World No.10 in July 2016, was the first Indian to win the British Squash Championship title in 2003 in the U-19 category and was also the youngest Indian women’s national champion.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Joshna, along with Dipika Pallikal Karthik, won the Squash Women’s Doubles Gold Medal, making it India’s first ever Commonwealth Games medal in the sport.
Currently training at the Indian Squash Academy, Chennai, Joshna is the daughter of Kuttanda Anjan Chinappa and Sunitha of Pollibetta, Kodagu.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / December 21st, 2019
Have you heard of a Temple where figurines of dogs are offered as a vow (harake) to appease Gods? There is a unique Temple at the remote village of Bethu near Napoklu in Kodagu District where visitors are greeted with thousands of dog idols that look like they are howling.
The historical Makki Shasthavu Temple at Bethu draws thousands of devotees to its Jathra Mahotsava where the figurines of dogs are offered. It has been a practice for devotees to offer clay dogs to the deity in fulfilment of the vow they made. Devotees visit the Temple in large numbers and offer such clay dogs, during the annual fair of the Temple. This year, the fair is being held from Dec. 16 (today) to Dec. 19.
Centre for Truth: The Makki Shasthavu Temple is otherwise known as the “Centre for Truth” and every year, two fairs are held. While the first main fair is held during December, the second main fair is held during May. The Temple fair is marked by pomp in the region. The Temple is surrounded by thick forest and as the number of devotes is usually large, the entire campus of the Temple is filled with clay dogs.
On Dec. 16, clay dogs are offered as it is the day of ‘Dhanu Sankramana.’ Devotees climb the steps to have a glimpse of the stone idol of the presiding deity, ‘Shasthavu Devaru’, placed on a pedestal under a jackfruit tree and characterised by the trident (trishula). The circular pedestal is five feet in height.
The clay dogs are offered to the deity during the festival in December, on the day of ‘Dhanu Sankramana.’ The clay dogs, however, are prepared in the ‘Vruschika Masa’, a month before the festival. The order can be placed by paying Rs. 350 for a pair of dogs. The fairs are celebrated with rituals like Deeparadhane, Ajjappa Kola and Vishnumoorthy Kola.
Secret transportation: Once the clay dog idols are prepared, the idols are transported to the Temple during wee hours and they are carried in such a way that no one sees the transportation process. First, the idols are taken to the ‘Karpathachan Nade’ near the ‘Bethu Mandh.’ Here, the idols are worshipped with flowers, kumkum and sandalwood paste. Later, they are carried and deposited inside the Makki Shasthavu Temple around the pedestal that has the tridents (trishulas).
Interestingly, so secretive is the movement of the clay dogs that villagers do not venture on that road before the idols are shifted. There is a strictly followed belief that no one must cross the way of the idols. As such, people desist from walking on that road during the festival season.
Rotis for dogs: There is a tradition of preparing rice rotis to be given as offerings to the clay dogs as Naivedya. Men from the families that take the vow of offering clay dogs prepare a fireplace near the Temple with stones and they collect firewood and deposit them near the fireplace. The women from the family stay overnight at a designated place near Temple and bathe in cold water early in the morning.
They later powder the rice to prepare rotis and bake them on the fireplace that their men had prepared. Once the rotis are baked they place them on plantain leaves all along the route through which the men transport the clay idols of dogs.
Why the vow?: The vow of offering a clay dog is taken to protect the dogs of households from external attacks. If the dogs in the house are safe, the properties owned by the families like land, crops and wealth too will be safe from thieves and other threats. This is the firm belief the villagers of surrounding areas have.
Of late, there is a scarcity of fine clay. Realising this, the Temple Management Committee said that the clay dogs meant for the offerings were brought to the Temple from Dharmasthala at a cost of Rs. 1.20 lakh two years ago. Clay idols submitted by devotees in the previous years are replaced during the Temple fair.
The legend of the Temple
There are several legends associated with the Makki Shasthavu Temple. Many years ago, at the Temple, there was a ‘Thirula’ (a man who is possessed with a divine spirit). This Thirula was once imprisoned for some reason. During one of the festivals, there was a loud sound of drum beats at the Temple and this Thirula, under divine possession, broke the shackles of the prison and came before the Temple pedestal. Under divine influence, the Thirula was able to break the prison shackles and also free himself from the handcuffs by vigorously shaking his hands before the Makki Shasthavu deity. Due to sheer force, a broken piece of the handcuff flew and got etched to the bark of the jackfruit tree (see pic.). This metal piece can be seen even now. The clay used to prepare the idols is sourced from Balamuri village nearby. This has been the practice for the past 30 years. After preparing the idols, they have to be dried in shade. As per tradition, members belonging to 12 families of the village compulsorily bring 12 pairs of clay dogs and submit it at the Temple.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 16th, 2019
The book constantly reminds you why we need coffee in our lives
Harish Bhat’s new book takes readers on an adventurous journey from the coffee plantations of Coorg to graveyards in Japan—to remind them of the joy a hot cuppa brings.
An Extreme Love Of Coffee is an adventure story running on a caffeine kick. It’s simple, fast paced and constantly reminds you why we need coffee in our lives, every day, maybe even every hour.
It’s also a tribute to Indian coffee blends.
After writing two books on business, marketing and consumer behaviour—The Curious Marketer: Expeditions In Branding And Consumer Behaviour and Tatalog: Eight Modern Stories From A Timeless Institution—Harish Bhat, the brand custodian of Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd and a Mint columnist, has published his first novel that blends coffee and magic, with enough servings of adventure and travel.
It follows a young couple, Rahul and Neha, who, after drinking a cup of “magic” coffee, are entrusted with a quest that promises to end in treasure. As they race from the lush green coffee plantations of Coorg to strange graveyards in coffee-loving Japan in search of the prize, they find Japanese assailants trailing them with swords, a friendly ghost and their passion for warm frothy concoctions and each other. A part of a poem by Neha sums up the spirit of the book: “Coffee love, do you rise like steam. Warm aromas that make my dream? With delicious magic by your side. On what carpet am I astride?”
The book reminds coffee-drinkers why they love the drink and gives non-drinkers enough reason to give it a try.
Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.compooja singh
source: http://www.livemint.com / LiveMint / Home> Explore / by Pooja Singh / December 17th, 2019
Kodava men perform ‘Huthari Kolata’ on the premises of the Old Fort in Madikeri on Thursday.
Celebrations of Huthari continued with ‘Kolata’ and various sports events on the very next day of Huthari festival in the district on Thursday.
The Pandira family and the management committee of the Omkareshwara Temple organised the ‘Huthari Kolata’ on the premises of the Old Fort in Madikeri.
‘Ummattat’, ‘Bolakkat’, ‘Kolat’, ‘Pariya Kali’, ‘Chowli Aat’ and ‘Kattiyat’ were performed by teams from the Kodava Samaja, the Pandira family and the Pommakkada Koota.
Children added sheen to the Kolata by tapping their feet to the music of the traditional Kodava Valaga, which came as the icing on the cake.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA K G Bopaiah said that Kolata is celebrated soon after Huthari festival in Kodagu. Kolata was performed on the premises of Old Fort since generations, he said.
Stating that a week-long Huthari Kolata will be celebrated in ‘Uru Mand’ and ‘Naad Mand’, the MLA stressed on the need to cherish and preserve the tradition.
Since 2008, Kodagu has been enjoying holiday for Huthari and Kaveri Sankramana, after the government recognised the festivals, he added.
History
The Pandira family members of Hebbettageri village have been performing ‘Huthari Kolata’ or Puttari Kolata, on the premises of Old Fort, since the time of the reign of royal kingdoms in Kodagu.
The paddy is harvested during the festival and brought to homes.
The Puttari Aramane Kolu was held in high regard in the palace in older days and the same is continued today.
‘Will accept minister’s post if offered’
Speaking to reporters, Bopaiah said that he is not in the race for a minister’s position. However, if offered, he will accept the same with humility and work with conviction and handle with responsibility.
He meanwhile stated that he is an honest member of the party and does not believe in lobbying. He denied pressuring any leader to give him the minister’s post. “I have fetched a lot of grants to Kodagu and will continue to strive to solve people’s problems,” Bopaiah added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DH News Service, Madikeri / December 12th, 2019
The upcoming Indian Premier League 2020 is going to be a massive event for obvious reasons. A lot of star cricketers, who skipped IPL 2019 are going to involve in the IPL 2020 auction, which certainly draws the attention of the franchise owners and the fans. In the latest development, the officials revealed the list of players with their base price for the IPL 2020 Auction. The right-handed Robin Uthappa is the only Indian with INR 1.5 Crores Base price alongside nine overseas players.
The Karnataka Batsman Robin Uthappa is one of the few players who have featured consistently across all the years of the Indian Premier League. And also, he is one of the highest run-scorers in IPL with 4411 runs in 170 games. Despite having enormous experience in this format, Robin Uthappa failed to gain the trust of Kolkata Knight Riders, who released him from the team.
Jaydev Unadkat, Yusuf Pathan placed in INR 1 Crore Bracket:
He was retained for INR 6.4 crores before going into the IPL 2019 edition, but unfortunately, couldn’t deliver the required goods. Robin scored 282 runs off his 12 games for KKR, which came at a strike rate of 115. Alongside Robin Uthappa, nine other overseas players are placed in the same amount.
Other Indian stars, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan and Jaydev Unadkat, have set their base price at INR 1 crore. In total 23 players are listed under that category. Leaving out three Indians, a total of 20 overseas players named in the chart. Surprisingly, none of the Indian players listed in the INR 2 Crores category.
With INR 2 crore as the highest reserve price, seven overseas players – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Dale Steyn & Angelo Mathews have opted to be slotted in the highest bracket. A total of 186 Indian players, 143 overseas players & 3 players from Associate Nations will be up for grabs in the VIVO IPL 2020 Player Auction in Kolkata.
List of Capped Players as per their base price:
A survey conducted in 2019 revealed women in India are paid 19% less than men. While the participation of women in the workforce is only 26%, with merely 9% being in any kind of leadership position, the practices of sex-based bias and stereotypes at formal and informal workplaces gravitate from structural violence over their bodies to seeking organisation’s permission to be under wedlock as in the case of the first Indian woman Ambassador: C B Muthamma.
Image source : Twitter
Early life
Chonira Belliappa Muthamma, the first woman to clear the Indian Civil Services examinations, the first woman Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, the first Indian woman diplomat, later the first Indian woman Ambassador (or High Commissioner), was born in Virajpet in Karnataka’s Kodagu (then Coorg), a coffee-growing district in southern India on January 24, 1924. Muthamma’s father, who was a forest officer, passed away when C B Muthamma was nine years old. Being a single parent raising four children, her mother made it a priority to give them the best possible education. She did her schooling in St Joseph`s Girl School in Madikeri. Later, she moved to Chennai to pursue her undergrad from the Women’s Christian College and her Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Presidency College, Chennai.
IN THE END, SHE WAS GIVEN ABYSMALLY LOW MARKS, IN SPITE OF WHICH SHE TOPPED THE FOREIGN SERVICE LIST AND BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN IFS OFFICER IN 1949. WHEN SHE ENTERED THE SERVICE, MUTHAMMA WAS MADE TO SIGN AN UNDERTAKING THAT SHE MAY BE REQUIRED TO RESIGN FROM HER JOB ONCE SHE GOT MARRIED.
In 1948, a year after independence, C B Muthamma cleared the UPSC examination, becoming the first woman to join the Indian Civil Services. Her struggles started with the UPSC Board interview where the Board members tried to persuade her to change her first option for the IFS. In the end, she was given abysmally low marks, in spite of which she topped the Foreign Service list and became the first woman IFS officer in 1949. When she entered the service, Muthamma was made to sign an undertaking that she may be required to resign from her job once she got married. “This was clearly against the Constitution, but in those early days, it did not occur to me to challenge that rule…there was an attitude of vengefulness on the part of the men—a feeling that should be kept in their places, and that they should be encouraged to leave,” she cited this incident in her collection of essays, aptly entitled, Slain by the System.
Muthamma Vs Union of India
With this bizarre rule intact at the Ministry of External Affairs, Mira Sinha Bhattacharjea and Rama Mehta were among those who had to leave the service, points out Kishen Rana in the Indian Foreign Affairs Journal. In addition to facing everyday prejudices against women in Indian society, which got reflected in the ministry, Muthamma was not accepted by several Ambassadors citing various reasons as to why it was inappropriate to send a woman to the station. Finally, she was first posted to the Indian Embassy in Paris. It was there she understood that it is not only Indian diplomats who had problems with a female colleague, but also her peers in other Embassies who were equally not at ease in dealing with a woman in workplace. She then served in Rangoon, London, and on the Pakistan and America Desks in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
SHE WAS FIRST POSTED TO THE INDIAN EMBASSY IN PARIS. IT WAS THERE SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT IT IS NOT ONLY INDIAN DIPLOMATS WHO HAD PROBLEMS WITH A FEMALE COLLEAGUE, BUT ALSO HER PEERS IN OTHER EMBASSIES WHO WERE EQUALLY NOT AT EASE IN DEALING WITH A WOMAN IN WORKPLACE.
The tipping point for her was when she was overlooked for promotion to Grade I, the highest level of Secretary to Government of India, of the IFS. In 1979, she brought the petition against the government, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) and Ministry of External Affairs, on the grounds of professional gender bias and discrimination contradicting Article 14 (equality before the law) and Article 16 (equality of opportunity in matters of public employment) of the Constitution.
She further challenged Rule 8(2) of IFS (Conduct & Discipline) Rules, 1961 which stated that, “a woman member of the service shall obtain the permission of the Government in writing before her marriage is solemnised. At any time after the marriage, a woman member of the Service may be required to resign from service, if the government is satisfied that her family and domestic commitments are likely to come in the way of the due and efficient discharge of her duties as a member of the service,” and Rule 18(4) of IFS (RCSP) Rules, 1961 which noted that, “no married woman shall be entitled as of right to be appointed to the service.”
The Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer commented that this, “…bespeaks a story which makes one wonder whether Articles 14 and 16 belong to myth or reality.” Solicitor General, Soli Sorabjee opposed the petition saying that the rule overlooking women for ambassadorship was justified. He argued that the chances of leakage of confidential information of strategic significance were a dangerous risk, and so Muthamma’s case to be made an ambassador was rightly rejected.
Though C B Muthamma was promoted to Grade I and posted as India’s Ambassador to Hungary while the trail was ongoing, the Court struck down the blatant prejudice against women’s rights in India by the iconic judgement of the Bench headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer.
Expert Judgements
“That on numerous occasions the petitioner had to face the consequences of being a woman and thus suffered discrimination though the Constitution specifically under Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race caste, sex or place of birth and Article 14 of the Constitution provides the principles of equality before law….”
“If a fragment of these assertions were true, unconstitutionality is writ large in the administrative psyche and masculine hubris. If there be such gender injustice in action, it deserves scrupulous attention from the summit…“
“If a woman member shall obtain the permission of the government before she marries, the same risk is run by the government if a male member contracts a marriage. If the family and domestic commitments of a woman member of the Service is likely to come in the way of efficient discharge of duties, a similar situation may well arise in the case of a male member. In these days of nuclear families, inter-continental marriages and unconventional behaviour, one fails to understand the naked bias against the gentler of the species.”
“If a married man has a right, a married woman, other things being equal, stands on no worse footing. This misogynous posture is a hangover of the masculine culture of manacling the weaker sex forgetting how our struggle for national freedom was also a battle against woman’s thraldom.”
“Freedom is indivisible, so is Justice. That our founding faith enshrined in Articles 14 and 16 should have been tragically ignored vis-a-vis half of India’s humanity, viz., our women, is a sad reflection on the distance between Constitution in the book and Law in Action.”
“In the rat race of Indian official life, seniority appears to be acquiring a religious reverence. We have had the advantage of the presence of the learned Solicitor-General, appearing for the Union of India. With characteristic fair-ness he has persuaded his client to agree to what we regard as a just gesture, viz., that the Respondent-Union of India will shortly review the seniority of the petitioner, her merit having been discovered and her seniority to Grade II being recognised.”
The Court dismissed the petition but directed the Government to review the petitioner’s case in light of the only remaining element of her complaint—that relating to the promotion of people junior to her. The Court emphasised the need to overhaul all service rules to remove discrimination.
This ruling served as an aid at many women’s meeting in support of their struggle for equality. She thus became the first woman from within the service to be appointed Ambassador. Later, she served as ambassador in Accra in Ghana, and afterwards, she was made the Indian Ambassador to The Hague in the Netherlands. She retired as one in 1982 after 32 years of service.
A Trailblazer For Working Women
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao recalls C. B. Muthamma as someone who’d waive away references to being the ‘first woman diplomat’ by saying, “Someone’s got to be first—I was old enough to have been there first.” Arundhuti Ghosh, the fiery diplomat who fought for India’s concerns on nuclear issues in Geneva, remembers her as a formidable personality and feminist who always showed consideration for people who worked below her. “For example, once she pointed out that Joint Secretaries have two air conditioners in their office rooms while non officer-grade staff had none and she gladly gave up her own A/C to share with other staff. That was Muthu for you,” Gosh said.
After retiring, she continued to be an activist. C B Muthamma was nominated as the Indian member of the independent Palme Commission, a non-governmental Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues, which reported directly to the United Nations. The spinster remained active in social movements, helping riot victims and citizen groups, her philanthropy knew no bounds. In her book the Slain by the System (2003), a collection of essays criticising of the Indian political system and its political class, she writes, “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 also co-authored The Essential Kodava Cookbook (2000), compiling forgotten recipes from Coorg for the culinary enthusiast inside her. She passed away on October 14, 2009 in Bangalore at the age of 85.
C B Muthamma proved that as long as social justice is an integral part of our constitutional fundamentals, gender justice will remain a non-negotiable article of faith. She not just managed to get the Supreme Court agree that gender discrimination did exist in the foreign office but also broke many visible and invisible barriers to set a level playing field for women in IFS, women in civil service and women in all workforce.
References
1) The Better India
2) Ministry of External Affairs
3) Indian Kanoon
4) The SOP
source: http://www.feminisminindia.com / Feminism in India / Home> History / by Nivedita Jayakumar / December 16th, 2019
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