Category Archives: Leaders

Budding Kodagu Shooter Dies In Bengaluru Accident

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Bengaluru:

A budding shooter from Kodagu was killed in a car accident in the wee hours of Monday on the Bannerghatta-Dasarahalli Road.

The car, a Honda City (KA-51-P-3475) was being driven by 22-year-old Kuppudira Prakhyath Chinnappa, son of Kuppudira Ponnu Muthappa and Nayana, residents of Badagarakeri Village in Ponnampet taluk of South Kodagu.

CCTV footage from the accident scene revealed that Prakhyath was driving at a high speed when he lost control of the vehicle and collided with two stationary cars and a bike parked alongside the road, resulting in his immediate death.

After colliding against the vehicles, the speeding car hit an electric pole and a roadside wall. The impact of the accident was such that the car’s engine and tyres got separated from the vehicle. Prakhyath’s three friends too sustained grievous injuries and they are recuperating at a hospital.

Prakhyath, a final year BBM student of Acharya College, was travelling on the road at 3 am on Monday, along with his friends Nataraj, Rikhith and Basanagowda. While Nataraj and Basanagowda hail from Mysuru and Bengaluru, Rikhith hails from Tavalageri village near T. Shettigeri in South Kodagu and is the son of Thadiyangada Karumbaiah and Sowmya.

Prakhyath resided in a rented house near his college and according to the Police, Prakhyath was driving recklessly when he lost control and collided with the parked vehicles on the roadside.

The Peenya Traffic Police have filed a case of death due to reckless and negligent driving against the driver. Further investigations are underway.

The Police have collected samples and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis to determine whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

The cremation took place at Prakhyath’s hometown last evening. Family sources said that Prakhyath was actively involved in shooting competitions within India and had garnered significant attention among the Kodava community as a potential representative for the nation in the sport. He had bagged the championship at the recently held State-level shooting competitions at Birunani and                     Nelaji in Kodagu.

Prakhyath’s father Kuppudira Ponnu Muthappa is the President of Marenad Kodava Samaja and is also the President of the Management Committee of Sri Mrithyunjaya Temple, Badagarakeri. He has contributed immensely for the development of the Temple.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 20th, 2023

Monsoon preparedness review meeting held in Kodagu

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Mantar Gowda, MLA, directs the officials to coordinate with different departments to mitigate any extremities in weather.

A flash of lightning illuminating the skies in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

With the monsoon set to keep its tryst with Kodagu in the next few days, the authorities reviewed their preparations to meet any eventuality.

A meeting was convened in Madikeri on Friday, June 9, and Mantar Gowda, MLA, directed the officials to coordinate with different departments to mitigate any extremities in weather.

He said the revenue, forest, PWD, CESC and other departments should coordinate and ensure that they attend to any problems caused in case of a landslide, uprooting of trees or telephone and electricity poles. The teams constituted for the purpose should reach the affected spots immediately and carry out repairs or any other mitigatory exercise to tide over the crisis.

The MLA said relief centres should be stocked with basic necessities and be equipped to deal with flood victims who could be shifted from their villages.

The officials were also instructed to counsel those affected by floods and infuse psychological strength in them and professional counsellors should be roped in with the assistance of Department of Health.

The nodal officers in charge of different relief centres should ensure coordination among different wings and branches of the district administration, said Mr. Gowda.

The authorities were directed to impress upon the people living in the vulnerable areas to be ready to relocate at short notice. The Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) personnel were directed to ensure that electricity poles that are uprooted are immediately replaced and power supply restored at the earliest. Similarly, the forest department staff were asked to be on alert to clear the roads of any uprooted trees to pave way for traffic movement.

The district health officer was directed to monitor for any outbreak of water-borne diseases during monsoon and ramp up the preparations to handle any epidemic. The Education Department officials were instructed to ensure that no classes are conducted in schools identified to be in dilapidated conditions.

The ZP CEO Shekar said that meetings have been conducted at the Gram Panchayat levels and 19 schools have been identified for conversion as relief centres if need be. The principals of the respective schools will also function as nodal officers, he added.

There is a helpline at every Gram Panchayat and volunteers will also be deployed in case of any emergency, said the official.

Shantilal Jatia, heading the NDRF at Kodagu, said that a team of 24 personnel are stationed in the district and they would be ready for deployment at any time in case of emergency.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / June 09th, 2023

A.S. Ponnanna Appointed As Legal Advisor To CM

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Bengaluru:

Virajpet Congress MLA and senior advocate A.S. Ponnanna has been appointed as the Legal Advisor to Chief Minister Siddharamaiah.

Ponnanna, who is also the KPCC Legal Wing President, was an aspirant for a Ministerial berth in the Siddharamaiah Cabinet, after having won from Virajpet Assembly segment defeating BJP stalwart K.G. Bopaiah. But he missed the bus and now he has been appointed as the CM’s Legal Advisor of the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He is the son of firebrand political leader from Kodagu late A.K. Subbaiah.

Ponnanna had also served as Additional Solicitor General when Siddharamaiah was the CM earlier (2013-18).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / June 02nd, 2023

IRS Officer From Kodagu Appointed Dy. Director Of Enforcement

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Mysore/Mysuru: 

Dr. Kottangada Pemmaiah, an Indian Revenue Services (IRS – Income Tax) Officer from Kodagu, has been appointed as Deputy Director of Enforcement in the Directorate of Enforcement.

 The appointment order was issued by the Office of the President of India on May 25. Dr. Pemmaiah from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) cadre is among 17 officers who have been appointed as Deputy Director of Enforcement.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is a multi-disciplinary organisation mandated with the investigation of offences of money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws.

 It functions under the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance. As a premier financial investigation agency of the Government of India, the Enforcement Directorate functions in strict compliance with the Constitution and laws of India.

The Directorate of Enforcement has Delhi as its headquarters and is headed by the Director of Enforcement. There are five Regional Offices in Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Delhi headed by Special Directors of Enforcement. There are 10 Zonal offices each of which is headed by a Deputy Director.

Dr. Pemmaiah has excelled in the roles of Deputy Director (Investigation), Surat, Gujarat and Deputy Director of the Foreign Asset Investigation Unit (FAIU) in Surat.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Dr. Pemmaiah said that basically Indian Police Service or Indian Revenue Services or Customs, and a 5-year experience is the criteria for the appointment of Deputy Director of Enforcement.

“They had verified my previous work done and they had a series of interviews after which the selection has been made. So, with the blessings of ‘Guru Karona’ I was one of the 17 officers. I am happy that I have been given this responsibility and this is a sensitive assignment considering the nature of the job and its national importance,” he said.

Dr. Pemmaiah is the son of Kottangada late Devaiah. His mother Viju Devaiah is a social worker and President of Cauvery Pommakkada Koota at Gonikoppa. Before getting into Civil Services, Dr. Pemmaiah was serving as Resident Medical Officer at Gonikoppa Community Health Centre.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 27th, 2023

Thousands Attend A Grand Kodava Yuva Mela In Madikeri

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Leaders, Records, All, Travel, Tourism & Homestays (wef. Oct 03rd, 2021)

Mysore/Mysuru:

A grand ‘Kodava Yuva Mela’ was hosted by Jabboomi Charitable Trust at Crystal Court Hall in Madikeri yesterday that reflected the unique Kodava culture, attire, traditions and practices.

Such a Mela was held for the first time and thousands of community members, wearing their best traditional attire, had gathered from all parts of Kodagu and the gathering also comprised community members from Mysuru and Bengaluru. Special buses were arranged to ferry them to Madikeri.

The Mela provided a platform for youth to connect with one another to build long-term bonds which will enhance cohesiveness within the community. It enabled the Kodava youth to meet, greet and network with each other and recall, re-live and experience the tradition and culture.

Kodava youths are scattered across the State and country owing to professional, educational, residential and personal reasons. As a result, intra-community relations have weakened over decades. The only occasions when youth are able to interact with each other are limited to social and family get-togethers within Kodagu and beyond its borders.

The Mela began with a puja to Goddess Cauvery and ‘Gejje Thand’ (a sacred wand held by Kodava men during important events. It is usually sacred ownership of every Okka (family)) and the overall message to the youngsters was to unite and not to forget the traditions and culture of the motherland.

Jabboomi Charitable Trust Convener Chottekmada Rajiv Bopaiah said that the youths must not forget the roots of the community. “Kodagu, its uniqueness, culture, traditions and practices are like a ‘mother root’ and cannot be forgotten. “It is our duty to safeguard the Kodava soil (land), ethos, tradition, family values, age-old and time-tested practices, festivals and holy observations,” he noted. 

We must be committed to preserving the tradition and fight for the existence of the Kodava community in the face of any adversities and at the same time unite the community socially, financially and culturally so that we can live in co-existence and facilitate the thriving of Kodavaame in the land of Kodagu,” he added.

Noted youth achievers of the community Vice-President –  Talent Acquisition, State Street Ajjamada Goutham Chengappa, chef Bariyanda Naren Thimmaiah, singer Machchanda Sharan Aiyappa, actors Ulliyada Bhuvan Ponnanna, Uddappanda Harshika Poonacha, Koothanda Tarak Ponnappa, IRS officer Dr. Kottangada Pemmaiah, Bharatanatyam exponent Mukkatira Shilpa Nanjappa, young writer Mevada Aliya Chondamma, make-up artist Baduvanda Madhushree Ganapathy, head of Lopamudra Medical Centre Mukkatira Dr. Amrit Nanaiah, industrialist Machcharanda Deepika Appaiah, planter Kallichanda Chengappa and forest officer Naganda Parvathi were felicitated.

A massive procession was held on the streets of Madikeri as part of the mela from the private bus stand to the Crystal Court Hall where the male community members carried their traditional weapons including guns and ‘Odikathi’ (sword), the female crowd sporting  their traditional Kodava saree and the ‘vasthra’ (head scarf) and accompaniments like  ‘Thalithakki Bolcha’ (traditional lamp). A lot of traditional bands too performed along the procession route attracting the crowd and tourists.

The statues of war heroes and Generals including Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppayya Devayya, Major Mangerira Chinnappa Muthanna and General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya were garlanded along the procession route. Hundreds of youths rode their bikes along the procession route.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 21st, 2023

The Lost Heroes of Kodagu

Amazing Feats, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Women/Girls (wef. Sept 03rd, 2022), World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

A land known for its coffee and renowned for its generals and warriors, the history of Kodagu has never been traced to its origins, the thread of descent becoming a tangled knot of colonial theories and hearsays. But history is important for one to realise the essence of culture and one’s own identity. Without this realisation, much is lost, and more is at risk.

Kodagu has always been placed in the category of the areas that complied silently with the British, when in reality, its contributions were simply underplayed and whitewashed. Many braves from all backgrounds had been leaders and warriors in their own right, following Gandhian ideals and fighting passionately for freedom. 

The PM’s YUVA Mentorship scheme was an opportunity to shrug off this stereotype and uncover the truth. The Lost Heroes of Kodagu talks of those men and women who looked danger in the eye, unflinching even as blows landed on them left and right. It talks of those who rose and made sure their voices were heard despite attempts to muffle them. Those that history let slip through cracks and crevices, silent and dormant.

Recover them as you read. Watch as they come alive through the pages. Be inspired by their grit and determination, be empowered by their stories. But most of all – remember them, keep them in glorious memory.

Please do order the book on Amazon and leave a review: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9354918859/ref=smop_skuctr_view

I’d love to hear from you as well! Reach out at aaliamevada@gmail.com 🙂

source: http://www.bookofachievers.com / BookOfAchievers.com / Home> Snippets> Essay / by Aalia Chondamma / April 13th, 2023

For the first time since 2004, Congress wins in Kodagu district

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Congress candidates AS Ponnanna and Mantar Gowda won from Virajpet and Madikeri constituencies, defeating the sitting BJP MLAs with a considerable margin.

AS Ponnanna
Facebook / AS Ponnanna

For the first time in nearly two decades, Congress managed to win an Assembly election in Kodagu district of Karnataka, breaking the BJP’s run of wins in the hilly district. Congress candidate AS Ponnanna, a former Additional Advocate General in the Karnataka High Court, defeated KG Bopaiah of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Virajpet constituency of Kodagu district. In the same district, another Congress candidate Mantar Gowda, son of former Karnataka minister A Manju, defeated BJP’s Appachu Ranjan in the Madikeri constituency.

In 2004, BA Jeevijaya of the Congress had won from the erstwhile Somwarpet constituency in Kodagu district. However, in the last three elections held in 2008, 2013 and 2018, KG Bopaiah and Appachhu Ranjan had won from the two constituencies in the district — Virajpet and Madikeri. This time, the two Congress leaders defeated the sitting MLAs by a margin of over 4000 votes each.

The incumbent Virajpet MLA KG Bopaiah had triggered a controversy in the run up to the election, when he claimed that a win for the Congress would lead to celebrations of Tipu Jayanti returning in the state. AS Ponnanna maintained a studied silence on the issue and urged the BJP leader to speak about development.

The Congress party has emerged victorious in the recently concluded elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, having won 132 seats and leading in four more constituencies as of 7.30 pm on Saturday, May 13, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

source: http://www.thenewsminute.com / The News Minute / Home> News / by TNM Staff / May 4th, 2023

Kodava over the years: Letters and sounds

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Bacharaniyanda Appanna teaching I M Muthanna’s script at the Kodava Sahitya Academy in Madikeri.

Featuring unique words and vowels not found elsewhere, the Kodava language, spoken in Kodagu, is an independent Dravidian language. According to the most recent data from the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, there were 21 castes living in Kodagu who spoke the Kodava language: the Kodavas, Amma Kodavas, Kodagu Heggades, Kembattis, Airis, Koyuvas, Boonepattas and the Gollas (Eimbokalas), to name a few.

Kodagu was an independent principality in South India between 1633 and 1834. After the British annexed Kodagu in 1834, it was called Coorg and became a province of British India. After Independence, Coorg was retained as a state and placed under a chief commissioner. In 1956, when the states of the Indian Union were reorganised, Coorg became a district of Karnataka state. 

Kannada was the official language in Kodagu for much of its existence. The Kodava language generally uses the Kannada script. 

The earliest inscriptions found in Kodagu date back to the 9th and 10th centuries and are in Kannada. But there were two peculiar 14th-century inscriptions of Kodagu, dated around 1370-1371 AD found in the Bhagandeshwara temple of Bhagamandala and the Mahalingeshwara temple of Palur. Many have dismissed the inscriptions as a mixture of scripts and languages. In 2021, my work involved isolating letters used in both. I labelled the script used ‘thirke’ (meaning ‘temple’).

Several scripts

There have been a number of scripts invented for the Kodava language in the last 150 years or so. Koravanda Appayya, a doctor in the erstwhile Mysore State, had invented one with around 50 letters in 1887. 

Kodagu scholar Iychettira M Muthanna invented another alphabet for the language in 1970. Appaneravanda Kiran Subbaiah, a sculptor in Mysuru, invented one in 1980. In 1983, he introduced a variant of the Kannada script to accommodate the Kodava language. Often, Kannada or Roman characters (the script used for English) were adapted, sometimes with additional changes.

Ponjanda S Appaiah, a professor, used the Roman script with his own transliteration system in 2003 to write in the Kodava language. In his Kodava-English dictionary, Appaiah used combinations of English letters for the Kodava language. He authored the entire book in the Roman script.

On the other hand, the ‘Kodava Arivole’ (Kodava dictionary) by Boverianda Uthaiah is in the Kannada script and makes use of 35 of the 49 Kannada letters.

In 2005, German linguist Gregg Cox introduced the Coorg-Cox script. Three years later, Charles Henry Kumar, a teacher from Mandya brought out another script to write the Kodava language. 

Extra sounds

Boverianda Nanjamma and Chinnappa say that in addition to the five rounded Kannada vowels (with both long and short forms), the Kodava language has four unrounded vowels in their short and long forms and a nasal sound which accompanies some of the consonants. They have used five diacritical marks (symbols added above letters to indicate accent, tone and stress) in their works to accommodate these extra sounds. 

In February 2022, under the presidentship of Ammatanda Parvathi Appaiah, the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy discussed the various scripts used for the Kodava language. Bacharaniyanda Appanna, a former president of the academy, taught those assembled the script invented by I M Muthanna. 

Upon comparison, it was declared that Muthanna’s script was the easiest to learn. The Kodava Sahitya Academy then recommended the Muthanna script to the Central Institute of Indian Languages to be made official.

Muthanna was of the opinion that his script was to be taught to children below the age of 15-16 years, says Appanna. “They will learn with passion and help promote the script when they write in it and inspire others,” he adds.

On why a script is important, Appanna says: “A script adds strength to a language, like how pillars strengthen a house. Yet, there are many prominent languages which do not have their own script. English uses Roman, Hindi uses Devanagari.” Having a native script is also important as it accommodates native sounds otherwise not found in other scripts.

Nerpanda Prathik Ponnanna, a language activist, has been popularising the Muthanna Kodava script by creating awareness about it through social media videos. He has also been getting signboards in the script for various shops, ancestral houses, and hockey tournament family teams.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum / by Mookonda Kushalappa / May 10th, 2023

Film Actress Rashmika Mandanna Is ‘Coorg Person Of The Year-2022’

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Mysore/Mysuru:

Pan-India actress and ‘National Crush of India’ Rashmika Mandanna is ‘Coorg Person of the Year-2022.’

Rashmika, hailing from Virajpet in Kodagu (Coorg) district, was selected ‘Coorg Person of the Year’ in a poll conducted by www.coorgtourisminfo.com, Kodagu’s first news portal promoted by journalist and author P.T. Bopanna.

Rashmika Mandanna, who achieved phenomenal success in the pan-India movie ‘Pushpa-The Rise,’ has brought focus on the tiny hill district of Coorg, a popular tourist destination inhabited by the Kodavas, who have a unique culture.

Rashmika, who has become a household name through her acting and dancing skills, has emerged as an unofficial ‘brand ambassador’ for Kodagu culture. She has thrown the spotlight on the Kodava (Coorg) saree which involves tucking the pleats at the back of the waist, instead of the front. She has also popularised Coorg cuisine through her media interactions.

On the professional front, she is the reigning queen in the Telugu film industry and made her debut in Bollywood through ‘Goodbye’ starring Amitabh Bachchan.  Rashmika-starrer ‘Mission Majnu’ is set for a January 20 release on Netflix.

Rashmika, who made her acting debut in the Kannada film ‘Kirik Party’ in 2016, has been associated with commercially successful films that include ‘Anjani Putra’ (2017), ‘Geetha Govindam’ (2018), ‘Yajamana’ (2019), ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’ (2020), ‘Pogaru’ (2021) and ‘Sita Ramam’ (2022). Rashmika made her Tamil entry with ‘Sulthan’ opposite Karthi.

Born on April 5, 1996, she is the daughter of Mundachadira Madan Mandanna and Suman.

She did her schooling at the Coorg Public School (COPS), Gonikoppal, Kodagu.  She studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Journalism and English Literature at the M.S. Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Bengaluru.

Along with her studies, she took up modelling. Rashmika got a break after she won the ‘Times Fresh Face’ title in 2014. There has been no looking back ever since.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / January 03rd, 2023

First Kodavathi Army Officer To Be Promoted As Colonel

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Mysore/Mysuru: 

Lt. Col. M.A. Smitha of Mysuru has become the first Kodavathi Woman Army Officer to be selected for promotion to the rank of Colonel.

Commissioned to Army Service Corps (ASC) in 2005 from Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, she has had a illustrious career of 18 years in the Army service in challenging appointments and locations across the country.

A few major achievements include a tenure in UN Peace Keeping Mission in Israel and Syria (UNDOF) where she was awarded a Force Commander’s Commendation Card for displaying exemplary courage under challenging situations.

 She displayed her multi-talented skills in 2013 by winning the Raid Himalayan Car Rally along with her Army Team in a Gypsy in women’s category. She also summited Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, in 2014.

A native of V. Nalkeri in Kakotuparambu, Virajpet taluk, Smitha is the daughter of ESM  HSM,  Mevada S. Appanna [37 (Coorg) Medium Regiment and 35 Medium Regiment] and Radha, who are presently residing at Vijayanagar 3rd Stage, Mysuru. She is married to Col. Mandepanda Aiyappa (Maratha Light Infantry) and they are blessed with two daughters.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 14th, 2023