MX Player recently launched the first look of its upcoming original series, Shiksha Mandal. The show is a hard-hitting narrative inspired by true events that revolve around incidents in the educational system of India. The lead actor, Gulshan Devaiah, shares, “They say teaching is the most noble of all professions and having been a teacher myself, for a brief period in my life, I truly believe in that.”
He adds, “The story of Shiksha Mandal is about an education scam that brings to light the motives of certain unscrupulous people and their network of scoundrels, who conjure up scams for their personal profits and ruin the life of many talented, honest and hardworking students of this nation. It’s no exaggeration to say that many such scams have been happening around us and we may have even heard of one in the news recently.”
Mincing no words in encouraging people to take responsibility to avoid such incidents that destroy the fabric of society, Gulshan says, “If the young students are the future of India, then we are its present and must take the responsibility of creating an education system that operates on merit and is free of any corruption. Education can be a business, but it cannot be a corrupt business.”
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Lifestyle / August 08th, 2022
Call to help preserve memories of a vanishing people
While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in touch with the community’s heritage, cultural practices, folklore, music, dance, festivals and history, says Mrs. Codanda Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.) and Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), who has initiated establishing a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture named ‘Sandooka,’ a treasure trove of information. —Ed
Kodavas are a micro-minority community in India, who live in Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka State. It is estimated that there are about 1,50,000 ethnic Kodavas within and outside Kodagu.
Kodavas, by virtue of living quite isolated in a densely wooded hilly terrain on the Western Ghats of India since time immemorial, have developed their own unique culture, physical attributes, cuisine, language, attire, religious rituals and practices.
Over the centuries, Kodavas adapted themselves to the harsh weather conditions, dangers from wild animals and the inhospitable terrain of Kodagu and transformed the land to an idyllic haven it is today. With the passage of time, they toiled literally with bare hands to cultivate paddy in the valleys.
With the forests providing bountiful supply of wild game, they became expert hunters initially with bows and arrows, and later with firearms which enabled them to emerge as a warrior race. They transformed the fertile land and were able to grow enough paddy that they could export to neighbouring areas.
The interactions with immediate neighbours in present day Kerala, Mysuru and Mangaluru, influenced the Kodava language, places of worship, construction of their dwellings and some of the religious practices as well. However, Kodavas still retain their fundamental philosophy of ancestor and nature worship. They come under the broad umbrella of Hinduism.
Kodagu was ruled by Kodava Nayakas or Palegars who were basically warlords. The Haleri dynasty established their rule in Kodagu after cleverly replacing the hopelessly divided Nayakas during the early part of the 17th century. The Haleri Rajas ruled for over two centuries until the British takeover of the administration in 1834 after deposing the last Raja. During the rule of the Haleri Rajas and later the British, Kodavas remained the prominent community very much involved in the administration.
During the British rule, education was introduced and this brought about quantum changes in the lifestyle of the Kodavas. Kodavas found several employment opportunities. Introduction and scientific cultivation of coffee and spices vastly improved the economy of the region. Kodava culture and ethos found expression in the writings by the British, European and Kodava authors.
By the time India got her independence, many Kodavas held important and high-level offices in sectors such as the Defence Forces, Administration, Revenue Department, Forest Department, Police, in the field of Education, Engineering and Medicine.
Kodavas have several distinctive elements in their social, cultural and religious practices. One of them is the deferential status given to women. There is no dowry system in the community. Centuries ago, widow remarriage was permitted. This enlightened attitude is now reflected in well-educated Kodava women shining in a variety of fields.
After India’s independence many Kodavas ventured out of Kodagu seeking better opportunities in education, employment, business and sports. Kodavas are now spread all over the globe. The last three decades has seen a large number of Kodavas migrating outside the country. There is now a sizable number of Kodava diaspora in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. In many cases, there are a couple of generation of Kodavas born and brought up outside Kodagu and outside India as well.
While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in touch with the community’s heritage, cultural practices, folklore, music, dance, festivals and history.
It is with this aim in mind that Mrs. Codanda Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.), as Chair, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), initiated establishing a Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture (VMKHC). This project is evocatively named — Sandooka — a treasure trove of information. IFA has successfully supported several path-breaking projects in the field of art and culture.
Sandooka will be a living museum that will be interactive and open to receiving relevant new materials from the public. People, especially the future generations of Kodavas, will have an easily accessible platform to gather details of their heritage. Weblinks will also be given to some of the websites dealing with Kodava culture. It is hoped that this treasure trove of information will be of immense help to those who wish to carry out further research on Kodavas. VMKHC will cover the following aspects of Kodagu and Kodavas:
1. Customs and Rituals
2. Cuisine
3. Architecture
4. Clothes and Jewellery
5. Art & Craft
6. Landscape
7. Literature and Folklore
8. Community Histories
9. Festivals
The project is generously funded with a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) grant from Recaero India Pvt. Ltd., which is a pioneer in the field of aerospace engineering and is headed by Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd). A highly professional team has been forged to deal with every aspect of the project. The team comprises:
Lina Vincent – Project Head; Upasana Nattoji Roy – Designer (Switch Studio); Saurav Roy – Designer (Switch Studio) and Mookanda Nitin Kushalappa – Researcher.
IFA office-bearers are: Arundhati Ghosh (Executive Director) and Darshana Davé (Project Co-ordinator); Advisory Group: Rathi Vinay Jha, C.P. Belliappa and Hemanth Sathyanarayana.
Sandooka invites submission of Kodava artefacts, rare photographs, antiques including jewellery (photos) and anecdotes of yore. All accepted materials will be given due recognition and credits. Sharing your valuable knowledge and collections will enrich the contents of Sandooka.
For details of submission of materials, please visit: www.sandookamuseum.org
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / August 01st, 2022
Kodava Education Society Joint Secretary Chiriyapanda Raja Nanjappa inaugurates ‘Kodavame Padipu’ programme at CIT PU College in Ponnampet on Wednesday. Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy Chairperson Dr Parvathi Appaiah, Academy member Dr Mullengada Revathi
People are busy in agricultural activities during the month of Kakkada and also it keeps raining during the month. Hence, our ancestors imposed restrictions on holding auspicious programmes during Kakkada month, opined Kodava Sahitya Academy member Dr Mullengada Revathi Poovaiah.
Speaking during ‘Kodavame Padipu’ programme, organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, at Coorg Institute of Technology (CIT) in Ponnampet on Wednesday, she said that the youth should understand the reasons behind the religious rituals. “Our elders gave a lot of importance to indigenous food and used them during the rainy season. They planned their food according to the seasons,” Revathi added.
Inaugurating the programme, Kodava Education Society Joint Secretary Chiriyapanda Raja Nanjappa said it is believed that the Kodava tribe was present during the origination of River Cauvery and called upon the present generation to get acquainted with the local tradition and culture.
He further said, “The Jamma land is not government land. It is inherited by Kodavas from generations. Also, the gun is used for religious rituals in Kodava culture. However, our ancestors did not use a gun for fighting. Gun rights of Kodavas should be preserved, he added.
During the programme, the resource persons spoke on the importance of ‘Kakkada Padinett’, ‘Kakkada Tingalra Pudume’, ‘Kodava Namme’ and ‘Kodava Takk’.
Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy Chairperson Dr Ammatanda Parvathi Appaiah, member Padinjaranda Prabhukumar, CIT PU College Principal Dr Sannuvanda Rohini Thimmaiah, Thookbolak Kala Sahitya Vedike convener Madhosh Poovaiah and others were present.
Students of CIT PU College watched the programme online.
A group photo of the new office-bearers of Sri Igguthappa Kodava Association, Vivekananda Nagar, Mysuru. President: Moodera P. Belliappa, Vice-President: Nellamakkada Kaverappa, Joint Secretary: Porangada Somaiah, Hon. Secretary / Treasurer: Anjanda Kumari; Committee Members: Saddumudira Kalappa, Chottangada Belliappa, Kuttetira Suresh, Appachettolanda Beena Erappa, Chottekalapanda Prema Uthaiah and Kademada Harish Poovaiah.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / March 16th, 2017
Kodava Samaja, Napoklu, president Appachettolanda Manu Muttappa inaugurates the 153rd birth anniversary celebrations of Appacha Kavi, organised at Appacha Kavi auditorium in Kodava Samaja, Napoklu.
The Ainmane, traditional house of Haradasa Appacha Kavi, the first poet of Kodagu, should be developed into a memorial, said Appachettolanda Manu Muttappa, president of Napoklu Kodava Samaja.
He was speaking during the 153rd birth anniversary celebrations of Appacha Kavi, organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and Napoklu Kodava Samaja, at Appacha Kavi auditorium, on Tuesday.
Manu Muttappa said that along with the residences of great poets and writers, their native places should also be developed.
“There is a need to introduce Appacha Kavi’s works to the present generation. Appacha Kavi had great knowledge of Kannada and Sanskrit. An education officer called Raghunatha Raya inspired Appacha Kavi to create literary works in the Kodava language, he said.
Speaking on Appacha Kavi, Rangayana, Mysuru, director Addanda Cariappa said that Appacha Kavi should be awarded the ‘Karnataka Ratna’ award.
Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy chairperson Dr Ammatanda Parvathi Appaiah, Academy registrar Ajjikuttira Girish, Appaneravanda Ainmane Development Committee president Appaneravanda Chummi Devaiah, Appaneravanda Ramu and Dr Manoj were present.
‘Ummattat’ and other cultural programmes were held on the occasion.
Folklore scholar Bottolanda Kashi Achaiah sang songs composed by Appacha Kavi.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Napoklu / September 21st, 2022
Kodagu Champ Ankitha Suresh has been selected as Assistant Coach for the Indian Women’s Hockey Team which will take part in the 22nd Common Wealth Games (CWG) to be held at Birmingham in England between July 28 and Aug. 8.
Ankitha, apart from being Assistant Coach, will also be the Manager of the team. Team India, which has already reached England and is practicing, will take on Ghana in the first match.
It may be recalled that the Indian Women’s Team which had trained under Aniktha Suresh had given a good show at Olympic 2021 held in Tokyo.
Daughter of B.A. Suresh and B.S. Dharmavathi, residents of Madikeri, Ankitha is married to Honnampadi Suresh Kushalappa of Suntikoppa.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / July 26th, 2022
Members of Brahmagiri Kodava Association (BKA), Mysuru, conducted its AGM and get-together function at Kodava Samaja premises in city on Sunday.
Association President Nayakanda Prakash, while addressing the gathering, appealed to them to put across their suggestions to the Association office-bearers to bring bonhomie belongingness among members and serve the society.
He also called upon the members to take part in various activities of the Association.
After discussions during AGM on utilisation of available corpus of the Association, it was decided that the final decision would be taken in due course by the office-bearers and Committee Members, keeping in view the best interest of members and their School and College going children.
Children of members of BKA were felicitated with cash awards for securing distinction/ highest marks in SSLC and PUC during the academic year 2021-2022.
Games were organised separately for ladies and children and prizes were distributed by elderly members.
Mallamada Devaiah, Secretary, read out the activities of the previous year. Mandetira Shakunthala read out the Accounts.
Pandiyanda Pradeep welcomed. Thirodira Dev proposed a vote of thanks. Chananda Jyothi compered the programme.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 26th, 2022
Yesterday morning as I sat at my working desk, there sat a brown cover addressed to me on the table.
It came from Palanganda T. Bopanna, a journalist author from Bengaluru. Inside was a thin book with a thick hard cover embellished with the photograph of the author in his ethnic Kodava headgear of a peta adorned with a pattern of golden strap crossing each other as if hugging the peta.
The title of the book is quite revealing and says what it contains:
Round And About With P.T. Bopanna’ with a bottom line: Bopanna looks at the lighter side of Coorg. Himself being a Kodava (Coorg), his writings here are of Kodagu related subjects or about himself with VIPs. I finished reading it in one hour and here I am writing about it. This was possible because each of the 25 pieces inside, including the Foreword by the Kodava iconic Fashion Guru of India Prasad Bidapa and the Epilogue, are no longer than two or three pages in fairly larger font and pictures. Good reading for those familiar with Kodagu (Coorg) and the people written about in the book.
There is a Preface also by the author and I was delighted to find the names of Mr. Boverianda Chinnappa and Mrs. Nanjamma Chinnappa, now residents of Mysuru, being mentioned for their “valuable suggestions” in bringing out this thin book of 68 pages. “The couple has been a source of strength to me in my book and web ventures,” he writes in gratitude.
As a Kodava myself, I know there are any number of Kodavas all over the world engaged in different activities and pursing professions who have become great achievers. Kodava people belong to a microscopic minority as a population who lived in a land of their own known as Kodagu ruled by Nayaks and then Kings and then the British, now a district in Karnataka.
The land area cannot increase but population increases. As a result when the family grew, its land-holding was not sufficient for running the family. Perforce they got themselves educated and some members had to leave Kodagu and then Kodava (Coorg) diaspora became a reality. Fortunately those who went out of Kodagu, a great majority of them, are doing well and very well. Some of them became celebrities and some are recognised by the governments. But there are other achievers who remain without public recognition but doing very well in their given profession, business or industry.
One example for anonymous achievers and distinguished persons among Kodavas is given in the book itself in the person for whom the book is dedicated (page 3). He is Pemanda Monappa Belliappa, a retired IAS Officer of Tamil Nadu.
Acknowledged as an outstanding administrator, Belliappa was decorated with MBE (Member of the British Empire) by the Queen of England. More than this, he established ‘Pemanda Monappa Scholarship’ in Cambridge University in perpetuity, in the name of his father, Pemanda Monappa, former Karnataka Inspector General of Police. Nearer home, he has also made handsome donation to the Coorg Education Fund, Madikeri. People like Belliappa are indeed the pride of Kodagu. There are many such Stars of Kodagu!
Bopanna, who claims to be a chronicler of Kodagu or Kodavas, may also venture to trace all those achievers among them, after independence of our country (1947) and publish a book with their biodata. This would be a great contribution from him to the Kodava people.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns > Abracadabra / by K.B. Ganapathy / July 20th, 2022
The government has started post and pre matric hostels and residential schools to impart free education to the students.
MLA K G Bopaiah hands over a laptop to a student at the Government First Grade College in Madikeri. Credit: DH Photo
MLA K G Bopaiah said that students should make use of the facilities from the government for their bright future.
He was speaking after distributing free laptops to the SC/ST students who had secured highest marks in the II PUC exam during 2020-21 at the Government First Grade College.
The government has started post and pre matric hostels and residential schools to impart free education to the students, he added. Deputy Director PU department Puttaraju said that laptops have been distributed to 24 students.
“I am happy for receiving the laptop. One of my lecturers has helped me financially to continue with my education,” Aloor Siddapura PU College student K Vijaya said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Karnataka Districts / by DHNS, Madikeri / July 16th, 2022
Through her institute Karaumbiah’s Academy for Learning and Sports, Olympian Ashwini Nachappa is aiming to bring potential athletes from Kodagu on the right track.
After a foray into films in the 90s, Nachappa in 2004 established her own institution, Karaumbiah’s Academy for Learning and Sports or KALS (named after her husband Datha Karumbiah) in Gonikoppal, Kodagu.
While sports enthusiasts around the globe are hooked on to the World Athletics Championships that kicked off in the USA, in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s very own former track and field athlete Ashwini Nachappa is single-mindedly focused on reviving activities at her sports academy in Kodagu after a “difficult two years”.
A Kodava by birth, Nachappa’s drive for athletics picked up when she was just eight years’ old. While her father worked in Kolkata, Nachappa lived with her mother and sister Pushpa, who is also an athlete, near Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Little did Nachappa know that the stadium would be a turning point leading to her accomplishments in the track and field discipline.
“My sister and I used to love running on the tracks of the stadium every morning. The late Mohinder Singh (triple jumper) saw us and bribed us with sweets and wanted to see us more on the field. For every round, he would offer sweets and I ended up taking more sweets. Since then, there was no looking back,” said the Olympian, who bagged her first gold at All Indian Open Nationals in Bengaluru in 1980.
Nachappa began her career in track and field as a hurdler and long jumper, before making the switch to sprints. She participated in two Asian Games, one held in 1986 at South Korea, and the other in 1990 at Beijing, China where she bagged a silver medal in 4 × 100 m relay. She also represented India in two World Championships, one in 1987 in Rome, and the other in 1991 in Tokyo, as a member of the 4 × 400 m relay. She also won the 200 m gold at the 1990 National Open Meet in New Delhi ahead of P T Usha, clocking 24.07 seconds.
After a foray into films in the 90s, Nachappa in 2004 established her own institution, Karaumbiah’s Academy for Learning and Sports or KALS (named after her husband Datha Karumbiah) in Gonikoppal, Kodagu. Later in 2010, Ashwini’s Sports Foundation, a non-profit organisation, was built in the same academy to nurture potential athletes from Kodagu.
“We realised that Kodagu produced some excellent sporting talent but the children either had to travel to Mangalore or Bangalore to pursue their dreams. That is when we decided to blend academics and sports through the foundation and the school to embolden the sporting culture from the grassroots level in Kodagu,” said Nachappa, who is also associated with Parikrma Humanity Foundation, an NGO providing English language education to the poorest from the slums of Bengaluru. In fact, she was also associated with the Special Olympics programme for 12 years, offering year-long sports training to specially abled children.
A venture that started with 25 students has now grown with 850 students who are into athletics, hockey, and air rifle shooting. Some of them have made it to the Indian hockey team in the junior category and have represented the state at National Athletic Championships and National Shooting Championships. The sports academy consists of a synthetic athletic track and an astro turf for hockey.
“It has been a difficult two years for all, financially and emotionally. At our academy, we have re-started sporting activities this year with a new set of athletes across three core sports. Keeping in mind the impact of the pandemic over students, we have also started addressing physical and emotional challenges of children through small initiatives,” said Nachappa, adding that raising funds for the academy remains a challenge.
“Raising funds has been quite a challenge over the years for the sporting academies. However, we are using the revenue generated from the KALS to develop the amenities at our academy. We have also received grants from the national and state’s sports funds,” said Nachappa who believes that the participation of women in sports has increased over the years.
“During my early days as a sportsperson, I never thought gender would be a barrier to achieve your dreams. It’s all about talent and it is important to keep doing what you do. For me, life has been a learning experience, even now. With the pandemic putting a full stop to sports for the last two years, we are going to restart training processes at our academies and go on to produce more young athletes for the country,” said the Arjuna awardee.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Sanath Prasad, Bengaluru / July 16th, 2022
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