KARNATAKA MYSURU 01/05/2023: I Vote was created using mobile flashlights at General Thimmaiah Stadium in Madikeri on Sunday to create voter awareness by the SVEEP committee. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
With only a few days left for the elections, novel campaigns are being launched to make an impact on the voters to turn up to the polling booths and cast their votes on May 10.
One such campaign was held in Madikeri by the Kodagu SVEEP Committee where hundreds of people, using mobile phone flashlights, created words ‘I Vote’, on Sunday evening at General Thimmaiah Stadium.
Despite the threat of rain, people gathered at the stadium to spread the message the importance of voting using their mobile phones. Switching on their mobile flashlights, they created ‘I Vote’ words and later waved the phones with the flashlights on with a pledge to ensure they vote and others also vote in the coming elections.
This is a joint initiative of Kodagu SVEEP Committee, Madikeri Rotary Club, Rotary Misty Hills, and Rotary Woods, along with other organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer B.C. Satish gave a call for voting without fail on May 10. “Everyone must vote,” he said.
The district administration has identified polling booths that reported low voter turnout on Kodagu and those booths were getting the focus with drives being carried out for increasing voting percentage.
Kodagu SVEEP Icon Basavaraj Badiger and team presented a musical programme where his daughters, including the winner of a music reality show, Pragathi Badiger, and her sisters Pratiksha Badiger and Triveni Badiger presented a programme. Songs by the members of Madikeri taluk Janapada Parishat also drew the attention of the participants.
SVEEP Icons K. Ravi Muthappa and S.K. Eshwari also spoke on the importance of voting. On behalf of Rotary Club, Anil H.T. and Madikeri Chamber of Commerce and Industry M. Dhananjay oversaw the drive.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Elections / by The Hindu Bureau / May 01st, 2023
Honorary Secretary of Environment and Health Foundation Colonel C.P. Muttanna has proposed a novel solution to ward off tiger attacks that has claimed as many as five lives in Kodagu district so far.
Locals in southern Kodagu are in scare over the increasing instances of man-tiger conflicts. In this scenario, Muttanna at a press conference highlighted the technique followed by the residents of the Sunderban region in West Bengal.
Pointing out that tigers usually attack their prey from behind, Muttana said that people can wear face masks on the back of their heads to avoid a conflict situation. He said that the number of deaths due to tiger attacks has reduced considerably in the Sunderban region due to this ploy.
Muttanna said that he has put forth the proposal to the government and the forest department and urged them to take action in this regard.
Speaking further, he said that in most cases the tiger attacks have taken place during early morning hours especially when a person is out to answer nature’s call. Though the district claims to be open defecation-free (ODF), several houses lack toilet facilities. Thus, the government should make suitable plans to construct toilets for such houses.
Stressing on the predator’s eating habit, Muttanna said that the tiger usually eats a portion of its kill after preying on them. The big cats tend to return to the spot to eat at a later time when they are hungry. In this context, he said, that if a cattle has been killed by a tiger, people should not dispose of the carcass immediately as the tiger would then try to make another kill. Rather people should inform forest department officials of any killing who can take necessary action to capture and relocate the tiger.
He also urged the district administration to make suitable transport arrangements for school-going kids in areas facing tiger menace. Tigers are likely to come to hunt wild boars in the fields. Hence, Colonel Muttanna advised not to allow the growth of wild bushes in fields and coffee plantations.
source: http://www.udayavani.com / Udayavani.com / Home> State / by Team Udayavani / January 12th, 2023
Kodava traditions and celebrations are centred around a rich oral folk tradition. Mookonda Kushalappa tells the stories of those that kept it alive.
During the times of the Rajas, writing was not popular among the Kodavas of Kodagu, who were paddy farmers and cattle herdsmen.
In the absence of literature, the region was rich in oral folklore. A song was sung for every occasion — songs were sung during the annual village festival and during the harvest festival Puththari. Songs were sung for weddings and funerals. Four singers would carry small hourglass drums called dudi and beat them with small, curved sticks. These rustic songs often had the same rhythm.
The compiler
A key force in chronicling these oral traditions was Nadikerianda Chinnappa. Chinappa was born in 1875 in Karada village.
In 1899, he joined the revenue department and wrote an English poem “My position as Shanbhog”. In 1900, he became a Revenue Inspector. In 1902, he joined the Indian Army’s Coorg Regiment and became a Subedar Major. Two years later, the regiment was disbanded and he joined the police department.
Subedars Codanda Ayyanna, Bolachanda Nanjappa and Nadikerianda Chinnappa of the Coorg Regiment, Fraserpet (Kushalnagar), 1902. Photo courtesy Boverianda Nanjamma Chinnappa
After his training from Vellore, he became an SI in Kushalnagar. Thereafter, he was transferred to Napok, Srimangala and Virajpet until he was made prosecuting inspector in Madikeri.
In 1917, he created a Kodava prayer called ‘Sri Moola Kanniye’, addressed to ‘the first maiden’ or Parvathi who was incarnated as Kaveri. This came to be known as the Kodava anthem. He also composed a Kannada poem in honour of the deity of Chomamale hill, Somagiri Deva.
During his free time, he would ride through the countryside on horseback. He would visit folk singers and every time he heard an interesting song, he would bring the singer home. His wife would cook food for the singer, while Chinnappa would offer him toddy. The singer would beat the dudi and sing the song while Chinnappa wrote it down.
By 1922, he had extensively collected several folk songs which were sung during various ceremonies and festivals such as the Kaveri Song, the Wedding Song, the Funeral Song and the Puththari Harvest Song, along with 750 proverbs and idioms.
The folk songs were divided into categories based on when they were sung or in praise of whom they were sung — customs and ceremonies, festivals, heroes and deities. He published a compilation, titled ‘Pattole Palame’ in 1924. The Pattole Palame is one of the earliest compilations of folklore in India.
The name Pattole Palame was originally used for old palm-leaf records kept by astrologers in Kodagu. It comes from the words ‘patt-ole’ (silk leaves) ‘palame’ (lore), meaning oral traditions recorded on palm leaves, which were like silk.
Between 1894 and 1928, G A Grierson, a civil servant, conducted the Linguistic Survey of India. A knowledgeable speaker was invited from every known Indian language. The person had to narrate a translated biblical parable and either sing a song or narrate a story in the language.
In 1922, Chinnappa was recorded narrating the ‘Prodigal Son’ in Kodava language. He also sang his own composition, ‘Sri Moola Kanniye’. These gramophone recordings were sent to the British Library’s Sound Archives and the Madras Museum.
The language was recorded as ‘Kodaga’ and wrongly identified as being from Madras. The narrator was uncredited and the song was called ‘Coorg national anthem: Swadesi priya kirtane’. It was in the 1970s that Chinnappa’s voice was identified by his son Subbayya when he listened to the Madras Museum recording.
In 1929, Chinnappa translated the Bhagwat Gita into Kodava and called it ‘Bhagvathanda paat’. Krishna was called by his Kodava name Kuttappa in this book.
The translators
Chinappa’s legacy has been kept alive by his descendants, including his grandson Boverianda Muthanna Chinnappa, fondly nicknamed Bobjee. After working as an engineer in India and various countries abroad, Boverianda Chinnappa became an entrepreneur in Canada. He married his cousin Nadikerianda Nanjamma, another grandchild of Nadikerianda Chinnappa.
Nanjamma worked as a statistician and taught statistics in India and Canada. She co-authored a book on Business Survey Methods. In 1993, she was elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association.
After their retirement, Boverianda Chinnappa and Nanjamma returned to India. Their translation of Pattole Palame into English was published in 2003. Nanjamma’s brother renowned cartoonist N Ponnappa illustrated the cover of the book.
The Pattole Palame book cover
The couple visited nearly 1,720 clans in Kodagu over the years to research ainmanes. Their work was compiled into a book called ‘Ainmanes of Kodagu’ and an online website.
The author (extreme left) with Boverianda Chinnappa and Nanjamma in 2018. Photo courtesy: Iynanda Dinesh Monnappa, Cauvery Studio, Ammathi
In 2006, Nanjamma received a Mangalore University honorary doctorate from the Governor of Karnataka. That same year, she won the ‘Coorg Person of the Year’ award.
Boverianda Chinnappa passed away on March 10 this year. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and their families.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Spectrum / by Mookonda Kushalappa / April 05th, 2023
Devanira K. Appaiah, a teacher, received the prestigious President’s Award for teaching from the then President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in 1962.
He may have been the first Kodava to wear a kupiya-chale (traditional Kodava men’s attire) for the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Appaiah is the father of Raghu and Sanju from Ammathi, Kodagu. (Pic. courtesy: WhatsApp)
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles (above part of the article ) by Prof. G. L. Shekhar / Top Stories / April 10th, 2023
Air Marshal (Retd.) K.C. Cariappa (Nanda) released Dr. Lata Muthanna’s novel “War – The Ugly Mistress” at a programme organised by Mysuru Book Clubs-2015 at Sri Kanteerava Narasimharaja Sports Club (Mysore Sports Club) on Lalitha Mahal Road here last evening.
Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal Nanda Cariappa said that his profession is related to the book. Pointing out that the book has focussed on Indian Navy, he said that it reminds one of the turbulent times of the war period over 50 years ago.
Noting that the author has vividly explained war scenarios, he said that the book has also highlighted the post-war scenarios.
Recalling his younger days when he dreamt of becoming a pilot, which he realised by joining the Air Force, he said that he was fortunate to get an opportunity to serve the Nation. He further said that everyone should read this book for a better understanding of the serious consequences of war.
Prof. K.C. Belliappa, former Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, who was the chief guest, said one can get a real war experience by reading the book and lauded the author’s contribution to literature though she is a doctor by profession.
Dr. Lata Muthanna, a well-known Consulting Physician, said the book owes a lot to serendipity. She stated that when she started to draw the outlines of the narrative, the civil war in Sri Lanka was still on. After the civil war ended, she went to Sri Lanka and spent time with the main character of her book, Angeline, a Singaporean, who as a child, had survived the Second World War. The book literally carries her (Dr. Lata) to different places and various periods of time. It was as though she lived through the wars and felt the fear, anger and desperation of all those who were involved in it, she said. Maintaining that no Government has the right to throw its people into the jaws of death, she said that the world citizenry should never allow that to happen.
The book release was followed by a panel discussion, in which retired Statistician Boverianda Nanjamma and retired engineer Boverianda Chinnappa took part. Both are translators and scholars of Kodava studies
Sharada Chengappa, a multifaceted personality, received the first copy of the book. Her husband Chengappa was a well-known freedom fighter, who had the good fortune of caring for Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Kodagu.
Mysuru Book Clubs-2015 Founder-President Shubha Sanjay Urs, Chinimamba Desraj Urs, Sita Bhaskar, Nalini, Kavita Bopaiah and others were present at the event.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 12th, 2020
Brigadier (Retd.) Mukkatira M. Ashok Cariappa (Para/Bihar), passed away at his residence, No. 1006, Brigade Horizon Apartments on T. Narasipur Road, Siddarthanagar here at 5.30 am today. He was 82.
A native of Devanageri in Kodagu, he leaves behind his wife Chitra Cariappa, sons M.C. Ponnappa and M.C. Muthanna and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites will be held at the foot of Chamundi Hill tomorrow (Mar. 10) at 2.30 pm.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / March 09th, 2023
In 1930, the tiranga was hoisted at a number of villages in Kodagu district.
The Madikeri fort, where freedom fighters replaced the Union Jack with the Tricolour. Credit: Special Arrangement
In 1928, Paruvangada Kushalappa attended the annual Congress session in the then Calcutta (now Kolkata) and was returning to Kodagu when he fell ill and passed away.
He was 38 years old and the president of the Coorg Agricultural Society.
The following year, an area in Ponnampet was named after him as Kushalapura and the tiranga (the Indian tricolour flag) was regularly hoisted there.
This flag was the old design which had three colours as well. In 1930, the tiranga was hoisted at a number of villages in Kodagu district.
That year, Mallengada Chengappa and two others removed the Union Jack at the Mercara (Madikeri) fort and replaced it with the tiranga.
For this act, they were arrested. Two years later, Satyagrahis again replaced the Union Jack with the tiranga at the fort.
After that, there were permanent guards to protect the Union Jack at the fort.
In August 1942, the Quit India movement had been declared all over India.
Several local leaders such as Pandyanda Belliappa, Chekkera Monnaiah, Kollimada Karumbaiah and C M Poonacha were arrested and deported to Vellore.
The British thought that there was now nobody to lead the movement.But they were wrong.
Gundukutti Narasimhamurthy organised a Seva Dal camp for volunteers in Madikeri. On August 18, Malachira Muthanna and two other students were arrested for hoisting the tiranga in front of the ‘Kodagu’ newspaper office at Madikeri.
On August 19, when students took out processions at various places, at least 12 of them were arrested and released that same evening.
Some of the high school students in Madikeri and Virajpet who had participated in the movement were expelled from their hostels.
They were driven out along with their belongings, suitcases and mattresses placed on their heads. Meanwhile, the British authorities arrested B D Ganapathi, a sub-editor of ‘Kodagu’ weekly, locked the newspaper office and sealed it.
The erstwhile peaceful movement turned violent and went out of control.
In November that year, dynamite parcels addressed to A S Machaiah, Mallengada Chengappa and Mukkatira Belliappa arrived in Kodagu.
The British authorities became alert, confiscated these parcels and arrested the three persons. Yet, this action didn’t stop the subversion that was planned.
Telegraph wires were cut in various places across Kodagu. Dynamite was found placed inside the post office and the police station in Virajpet.
The munsif court building in Virajpet was set on fire. Dynamite was thrown inside the Gonikoppa police station.
Koniyanda Thimmaiah, Mallengada Chengappa and C Chengappa were found guilty of cutting the wires. Chengappa was again arrested, along with, along with the other two.
On August 15, 1947, chief commissioner Diwan Bahadur Ketolira Chengappa replaced the Union Jack with the tiranga at the Madikeri fort, one last time.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by Mookonda Kushalappa / August 09th, 2022
Coorg: Stories and Essays by CP Belliappa. Rupa. Pages 264. Rs 395
‘Coorg: Stories and Essays’ draws from and builds on CP Belliappa’s earlier works on Coorg (officially known as Kodagu).
The book begins by tracing the progress of the land and its people during the rule of the Haleri rajas; the British annexation and their administration of the territory and the events that culminated in Coorg becoming a part of the Kannada-speaking state of Karnataka.
The essays and stories also offer the fascinating illustrated story of Princess Victoria Gowramma, the lost princess of Coorg.
Belliappa delves deep into antiquity, covering a wide range of topics relevant to understanding the ethos of Coorg.
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Backflap> Book Reviews / April 23rd, 2023
S.N. Rajarao (68), former Kodagu Zilla Panchayat President and a resident of Heggadahalli village in Koodige Gram Panchayat limits, passed away following a heart attack at a private hospital in Mysuru on Monday night.
He leaves behind his wife, three sons, two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.
Rajarao had also served as Koodige Gram Panchayat President, President of Social Justice Standing Committee and Kodagu Zilla Panchayat President, where he had served for more than three decades.
He had also served as the President of Basavanahalli Multipurpose Tribal Co-operative Society, Director of Koodige Agriculture Co-operative Society and was the Member of Virajpet taluk’s Akrama Sakrama Committee.
Last rites were held at the family’s farm land in Seegehosur yesterday, according to family sources.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 19th, 2023
Ajjikuttira S Ponnanna said he seeks a change in Virajpet constituency in Kodagu this time. He spoke to STOI after his name was finalized by Congress as its candidate to contest from Virajpet constituency.
Though the BJP candidate’s name has not been announced, it is presumed that sitting MLA and former speaker KG Bopaiah will again be given ticket to contest in Virajpet.
Ponnanna is an high court advocate and has served as the principal government advocate. He said: “I have formed a trust in the name of my late father and mother that is supporting needy students and poor financially”.
He said that he had contacted most of the voters in the constituency and had support of local Congress leaders.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Mysuru News / by G Gajendra / TNN / March 26th, 2023
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