Category Archives: Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Chikkaveerarajendra’s descendants visit Kodagu

About Kodagu / Coorg, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

Lakshmidevi is the great granddaughter of the king

Chikkaveerarajendra of the Haleri dynasty was last ruler of Kodagu

Akhila Bharata Veerashiava Mahasabha received the members of the ruler’s family

Madikeri:

Descendants of the last ruler of Kodagu, Chikkaveerarajendra of the Haleri dynasty, carrying memories of the glory their ancestors, arrived in the district on Sunday to a rousing reception accorded to them by the members of the Kodagu unit of the Akhila Bharata Veerashiava Mahasabha.

Family

Lakshmidevi, great granddaughter of the last ruler of Kodagu Chikkaveerarajendra, her sons, Praveen Sardesai and his brother Girish, wife of Dr. Sardesai, Anuradha and their two daughters, Deepti and Disha, arrived at the Anechowkur gate on the Kodagu-Mysore border on Sunday afternoon.

The president of the Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Kodagu unit, S.P. Mahadevappa and members of the mahasabha from various parts of the district welcomed the royal descendants.

Mr. Mahadevappa said that the British, after wresting power from Chikkaveerarajendra in 1834 and banning him from Kodagu, had prohibited the royal family members from entering Kodagu.

The members had not thought of venturing into the district till 1947. However, Lakshmidevi, paid a secret visit to Kodagu in 1974, thanks to a Minister, who was in the State Government at that time, he said.

Dr. Sardesai is a ENT specialist serving in Hyderabad and his brother is pursuing a business, he said. Dr. Sardesai had also visited Kodagu in 1986 as part of the bird watching team in 1986.

He is said to be a member of the Andhra Pradesh Bird Watchers’ Society. The royal family members were just here to reminisce the past and not to claim any property in the district, Mr. Mahadevappa clarified.

Felicitations

The members were taken to the Bamboo Club in Polibetta and later they went to a private resort in Kakkabe, near Napoklu.

On Monday, the family members were felicitated by Shantamallikarjuna Swamy of Arameri Kalancheri Math near Virajpet.

The members will be felicitated at the Gaddige located in Madapur on Tuesday, Mr. Mahadevappa said.

Lakshmidevi is the great granddaughter of Chikkaveerarajendra and granddaughter of Gangamma, one of the three daughters of Chikkaveerarajendra. Gangamma was married to a zamindar in Hyderabad. Veeramma, the other daughter was married to a prince in Madhya Pradesh and the other Muddamma was married to a former Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Mahadevappa said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Staff Correspondent / September 29th, 2009

Book Review: Chikaveera Rajendra (A Kannda Novel)

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

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Chikka Veerarajendra was the last king of Kodagu (Coorg) before it fell into British hands.

This book provides a picturesque account of life and time of the ruler, cultural preferences of Kodava community (the locals), gods worshipped by them, and their attitude towards the rulers.

Chikka Veera Rajendra, a spoilt prince has only one confidant in kunta (lame) Basava and when he becomes king, he makes Basava his minister not to support him in administration but to make arrangements for his whims.

The kingdom is mostly run by his other two ministers, Bopanna and Lakshminarayanaiah, while the king is busy fulfilling his bodily needs, leaving no money in treasury and acting cruelly when forced to take decisions. While the public in general dislike their ruler, a balancing act is done by the queen, making correcting efforts wherever possible to protect the interests of her family and the kingdom.

The king has a sister, Devammaji and her husband Chennabasavaiah who is interested in dethroning the king and taking power into his hands by making his wife the ruler. Becoming aware of this plan, the king puts his sister in captivity but releases her later as per requests from the queen, his daughter and a priest, Dikshit who advises the same.

Devammaji delivers a baby boy after her release and her husband devises a plan to run away from the clutches of the king and seek help from the British in dethroning the king. While he puts this plan to work, the couple in a hurry loses their baby on the way and it reaches the hands of the king and the palace. The king receives letters from the British to return the baby to his parents but he refuses to do so and in an act of madness, he kills the baby.

This incident causes a revolt in his administration who could not tolerate evil deeds of the king anymore and the opportunist British too come down with a force to attack. The turnout of events leads to capture of the king by the British and Kodagu being annexed into the British administration.

After losing the kingdom and being deported from Kodagu, life of Veerarajendra continues, he lives on the compensation fund he receives from the British. His wife meets death on the pilgrimage and his daughter marries a British, goes on to live in London.

This historical novel won the author the prestigious literary honor Jnanapith award in 1983. This hardbound book also provides the images of paintings and historical photographs, and descriptions of references to the history and also about the life of the celebrated author Masti Venkatesha Iyengar.

source: http://www.booksmarketsandplaces.blogspot.in / by Anand Maralad / Monday – August 18th, 2014

Coorg connection

About Kodagu / Coorg, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
EXOTIC LINEAGE The Coorg royal descendents | Photo Credit: PHOTO: SATISH H
EXOTIC LINEAGE The Coorg royal descendents | Photo Credit: PHOTO: SATISH H

It’s interesting to note how the descendents of Coorg royal family came to settle down in Bodhan

In a sub-continent that has been in existence for ages, it is no surprise that there is every possibility of us crossing paths with the descendents of some king or sultan who had reigned over some part of the Indian soil. Within the confines of this city, or more so a fairly small place called Bodhan in this State (Nizamabad district to be precise), we’d come across the direct descendents of the Coorg royalty — the Haleri clan that had held sway over the exotic tract of land for nearly 234 years. That they found their way to Bodhan is mind-blowing, for Coorg is nowhere in the horizon of Andhra Pradesh! But as Lakshmi Devi Sardesai and her son Ajay Rajendra Wadiyar point out, there is a third dimension to the riddle —the Benaras factor.

The jigsaw nature of Coorg history started unfolding no sooner than Lakshmi Devi began her crisp narration introducing herself as the great granddaughter of the last king of Coorg Chikka Veera Rajendra. The beautiful lady is grace personified, albeit a little frail. Says she, “to cut a long story short, the last rajah was arrested by the British (East India Company) and put in house arrest at a place of his choice and this happened to be Benaras.” The East India Company provided him with a privy purse which allowed him, his four sons and daughter Gowramma to live in comfort if not luxury. One of the sons was Lakshmi devi’s grandfather on the paternal side. Chikka Veera Rajendra along with his daughter went to Britain to plead for his case to no avail. His daughter was baptized there after the Queen of England who took a liking to the beautiful Gowramma but the Rajah refused to convert, it was reported. Heart-broken, he left his daughter along with the royal jewels in the care of a British royal couple and died quite suddenly in London. The mortal remains of his body buried in that country was later sent to Benaras to be immersed in the Ganga as per Hindu custom.

Now, where is the Bodhan link? Smiling, Lakshmi Devi shares the information for the Veera Shaiva sect, there was a mutt (Jangamvadi) in Kasi (Benaras) headed by a Panchacharya (seer). Congregation of all lingayat priests (Jangam) from across the length and breadth of the country at this mutt at least annually was not uncommon then and even now. It so happened that one Jangam from Bodhan Samsthan met Chikka Rajendra’s son at Benaras during one of his visits to the place. An alliance for the two daughters of the king was proposed to the Deshmukh of Bodhan. Both were without heirs and it was then that one of the sisters decided to call her brother’s son (nephew) to Bodhan to take care of the family and property. That’s how Linga Rajendra (third son of Veera Rajendra) came to settle down at Bodhan. The other three sons of the rajah were Veera Rajendra, Mudhu Rajendra and Chandrashekara Rajendra. Since Linga Rajendra at a young age his and my widowed grandmother called for her youngest brother-in-law to take care of the Samsthan at Bodhan.

It’s interesting to know that Lakshmi Devi’s second son was adopted by her father to take on the family name as there was no male progeny. The silverware, brassware embossed with the royal seal and gazette notifications are the only precious preserves now with the family while the original Madikeri (Markara) palace at Coorg has been housing the Collectorate now.

The erudite Lakhmi Devi, is personification of the three ‘Bs’ (beauty, brains and breed) not to talk of the Coorg secularism.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Ranee Kumar / November 01st, 2008

Ashwini Ponnappa ties the knot

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports, World Opinion
SHEER JOY Badminton ace Ashwini Ponnappa (right) and Karan Medappa tied the nuptial knot in Ammatti on Sunday. DH PHOTO
SHEER JOY Badminton ace Ashwini Ponnappa (right) and Karan Medappa tied the nuptial knot in Ammatti on Sunday. DH PHOTO

Indian badminton star Ashwini Ponnappa entered a new phase of her life after marrying model Ponnachettira Karan Medappa at the Kodava Samaja, Ammatti, on Sunday.

The marriage rituals were held as per the Kodava tradition. Ashwini was draped in a traditional Kodava saree and Karan was dressed in ‘Kuppasa Datti’.

The wedding reception was held in Serenity Hall, Virajpet, on Sunday evening.

Tennis player Rohan Bopanna and squash player Jyotsna Chinnappa were among the sports stars who attended the function.

Ashwini had announced her engagement to Karan in November via an Instagram post.

Ashwini said she would continue her involvement in sports even after marriage.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by DH News Service / Siddapur – December 24th, 2017

Shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa weds model Karan Medappa today

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

International badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa’s marriage with model Karan Medappa, is being held in Kodagu district of Karnataka on Sunday.

The entire event is being held as per Kodava customs.

In the morning, as per custom, ‘Eka Muhurtha’ was held at Kodava Samja, Ammathi, Virajapet taluk on Sunday.

The celebrations will continue from 6 pm as per the ‘Dampathi Muhartha’ custom

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States / by DH News Service / Kodagu – December 24th, 2017

I became so fluent in Malayalam that people now believe I can dub: Harshika

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

HarshikaKF21dec2017

Harshika Poonacha and her gang of giggling friends were coming out of a coffee shop when a man accosted her and wanted to know if she was interested in playing the heroine in his forthcoming movie.

Then a Class 10 student, Harshika was certain that he was a prankster and not a filmmaker, and didn’t bother to reply. But her friends told him that she was a dancer, head of their cultural team and that if he was serious about the offer, he should talk to her dad at her house, not far from where they were.

This was how the schoolgirl got catapulted to the world of movies through the Kannada film PUC — it was no trickster who made the offer but filmmaker Ramesh who was looking for a girl of her age group to do the lead role. In the next two years, however, she concentrated on her studies, and during her engineering course, she balanced studies and films so amazingly well that she not only passed her course with distinction but also established her foothold in the Kannada industry.

“I had offers from software biggies but I had to make a choice between films and a corporate job and I chose the former,” says Harshika, who has been shooting in Kochi for Charminar, her debut film in Malayalam.

After spending a month in Kochi and shooting in the city as well as Thrissur, she is literally gushing about Mollywood and says that she is sure to miss the industry as well as Kochi now that they have wrapped up the shoot. Originally from Coorg, she can speak several languages and she has added Malayalam to the list. “I speak so fluently that they now say that I am ready for dubbing,” she says.

Harshika plays a Malayali girl settled in Bengaluru in the movie directed by Ajith C Lokesh and her co-stars are Ashwin Kkumar, who played the villain in Jacobinte Swargarajyam, and Hemanth Menon.

“Charminar is a love story but there is a suspense that is linked to the title, so I can’t reveal more about the plot,” says the actress, who is looking forward to acting in more Malayalam films.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Malayalam> Movies> News / by Sujit Chandrakumar / TNN / December 17th, 2017

Cricket’s Lost Talents! Robin Uthappa: A vibrant batsman, but too aggressive for his own good

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Sports

RobinKF19dec2017

Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and a game of fine margin and even after 140 years, we are still not sure on what defines a successful player. They say, in any discipline of life, you need to have talent and everything else will take care of itself. But, the irony is that talent plays a very short role and grind, determination, stubbornness plays a big part in shaping up an individual’s career. Indian cricket is filled with examples of too many talented players not meeting their potential and players with a limited skill set achieving most out of their limited talent and becoming successful on the world stage.

After the turn of the century, Indian cricket became aspirational and wanted to dominate on and off the field and many players came from small towns and villages and made a name for themselves. Robin Uthappa from the state of Karnataka was a breath of fresh air and many big things were expected of him. And, on debut against England at Indore in an ODI, he smacked 86 runs and stamped his authority. Uthappa was a lad who was expressive, had big booming drives and technically was a sound player and coaching staff saw something in him. He was chosen for the 2007 ICC World Cup and was expected to be part of the Test team soon. Uthappa, as any player, got limited chances early in his career, but made full use of it and on the 2007 tour of England and Wales played an innings at The Oval which was reminiscent of 2002 NatWest final and pulled a victory out of nowhere.

Here’s blast from the past: Robin Uthappa going berserk vs Chennai Super Kings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e9wHpkvCX4

Match 18, RCB vs CSK: Best of Robin Uthappa

Life is funny and unpredictable and Uthappa learned this the hard way and soon lost his spot in the team after being part of 2007 World T20 and 2008 CB series teams which won the silverware. Uthappa made contributions and would have thought of cementing his place in the side. In 2008, Indian Premier League came to town and Uthappa got decent amount of sum and was part of Mumbai Indians. The form of the Karnataka dasher tapered off and the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina started to jump ahead of Uthappa and soon lost his spot and was not told by selectors what was he doing wrong and to be fair to him, the selectors or management were not sure about his role in the team and his batting position kept on changing.

So, Uthappa took the boot on his chin and started plundering runs in domestic cricket, IPL and was hoping that his comeback would come, but India had moved on and Uthappa had to content being a player who would make sporadic appearances in case of injury or rest. Uthappa is only 32 years old but sadly last represented India in 2015 and many emerging players (Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey) have climbed ahead of him and even deep down he must be knowing that making a comeback looks very tough. The game of Uthappa is solid and his first-class record is pretty decent and the hunger is still there.

Any cricketer would tell you that playing Test cricket or scoring an international century is the ultimate high that you can get, but Robbie has neither one and it will sting him when he looks back on his career. The talented yet somewhat unlucky dasher has represented India in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is and is still slogging it out in Ranji Trophy and would think of another recall to make amends. But, that ship has sailed and despite being talented and confident, Uthappa who made his debut before Kohlis and Sharmas would feel a tinge of sadness about how his career panned out.

source: http://www.freepressjournal.com / The Free Press Journal / Home> Cricket / by Dhaval Mehta / December 17th, 2017

CNC observes Thok Namme

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Codava National Council President N U Nachappa offers prayers to firearms as a part of Thok Namme, at an estate in Kolakere near Napoklu on Monday.
Codava National Council President N U Nachappa offers prayers to firearms as a part of Thok Namme, at an estate in Kolakere near Napoklu on Monday.

Codava National Council observed Thok Namme at an estate in Kolakere near Napoklu on Monday.

Speaking after offering prayers to firearms, CNC President N U Nachappa said that ‘Thok Namme’ (Gun Carnival) is organised to highlight the significance that guns represent in Kodava culture and life. “Possessing firearms is a right of the Kodavas.

It is also a religious and cultural symbol of the Kodavas.

The programme is being conducted in order to create awareness on the constitutional rights of Kodavas to own a gun. The programme also features mass worship of guns and aims to pass the message to the government that the possession of a gun is a birthright of a Kodava,” he said.

Nine resolutions, including urging the government to recognise the importance of guns in Kodava culture were passed on the occasion.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service / Napoklu – December 18th, 2017

Chhetri, Aditi SWAB sportspersons of the year

Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Records, All, Sports

Sunil Chhetri and Aditi Ashok bagged top honours at the ACT Fibernet-SWAB awards in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Before a star-studded gathering that included chief guest Abhinav Bindra and sporting luminaries from the city, former India hockey captain M.P. Ganesh was presented the 'Lifetime Achievement' award. - SUDHAKAR JAIN
Before a star-studded gathering that included chief guest Abhinav Bindra and sporting luminaries from the city, former India hockey captain M.P. Ganesh was presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award. – SUDHAKAR JAIN

Sunil Chhetri and Aditi Ashok bagged top honours at the ACT Fibernet-SWAB awards here on Saturday. The pair claimed the ‘Best Sportsperson of the Year’ awards in the senior category while Anil Kumble was declared the ‘Coach of the Year’.

Before a star-studded gathering that included chief guest Abhinav Bindra and sporting luminaries from the city, former India hockey captain M.P. Ganesh was presented the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.

Bengaluru FC was adjudged the ‘Team of the Year’ while racing driver Arjun Maini and swimmer Damini K. Gowda emerged the ‘Best Sportspersons of the Year’ in the junior section.

“Bangalore holds a very special place in my heart,” said Bindra, in an eloquent address laced with humour. “I spent many days of my youth shooting at the SAI South Centre here. There is something in the air of Bangalore that makes it special for sports, and I am not saying that because I have just flown here from Delhi.”

Chhetri, whose exploits for the Indian National team and BFC saw him edge out the likes of K.L. Rahul, Rohan Bopanna, and Pankaj Advani for the top prize, said: “When I started off, I was scared of journalists. Over time, I recognized the role they played and built a relationship with them.”

Ganesh, who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games, spoke of his playing career and his transition into administration. The 72-year-old felt government officials, journalists and former athletes needed to join hands to nurture sporting talent.

Harendra Singh, coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, presented the ‘Coach of the Year’ award to Kumble, under whom India won five successive Test series between July 2016 and March 2017.

Kumble was modest in his acceptance of the award.

“I think coaches in cricket don’t have too much to say or too much to do. But nonetheless, this is an excellent recognition of all the good work that the team did over the past one year and they have continued with their winning ways,” he said.

“I’m confident that the team which we have will certainly go on to create history in South Africa and then beyond. The team under Virat certainly has the capabilities to achieve that.”

K. Sriram, a member of the KSCA’s media staff, was presented with the ‘Behind the Scenes’ award while the Karnataka Badminton Association was declared the ‘Association of the Year’.

source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / SportStar / Home> More Sports / by Team Sportstar / Bengaluru – December 16th, 2017

Asia’s first woman coffee taster was nearly ‘brewed’ out

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

SunaliniKF10dec2017
Bengaluru :

Asia’s first lady of coffee Sunalini Menon says she never planned on being a coffee-taster. She says that she decided on a course in Dietetics or a Phd. in Foods, when she chanced upon an advertisement calling for Assistant Cup tasters at the Coffee Board of India. “I had tried tea tasting as a child at an uncle’s tea estate in Munnar and the ad brought back happy memories of sipping, slurping, spitting and looking wise. I applied for the post and was called for the interview.”

She had to compete with eight men with more experience and qualifications, and that was her first job interview. Sunalini came first in the written and oral tests.

Sunalini, Asia’s first woman coffee taster, says, that the internal panel of examiners were not too keen to appoint her because she was young, had no knowledge about coffee and was a woman who could get married and give up the assignment. “But the then chairman of the Coffee Board was insistent that gender should not come in the way of a job and that as I had topped the interview, that I should rightfully be given the assignment.” Sunalini then joined the Coffee Board of India in 1972.

It wasn’t easy working at the Coffee Board of India, she says. She was the only woman at the officer’s cadre level in the Board then. “The staff working under me refused to accept my instructions or the schedule I had set for work, they were not used to taking instructions from a woman,” she says. “Fortunately, I had a chief who took me under his wing and advised me to first learn the subject and give them time to accept me. His parting words were ‘Tread slowly, but firmly’.”

The in-house training she was given was intense. Every day, she would taste washed arabicas, unwashed arabicas, washed robustas and unwashed robustas, to understand the various nuances in a cup.
Also, a founder trustee of the Women’s Coffee Alliance – India Chapter, Sunalini was present at the Coffee Santhe held recently at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. She says, “This is our annual fund raiser to help empower women coffee-plantation workers and their girl children.”

Coffee tasting is both a science and an art

While carrying out coffee tasting, there is a protocol that one needs to follow. The attributes that are evaluated in the cup are fragrance, which is the smell of the coffee powder in the dry state, and aroma, which is the smell in the wet state, when water is added to the powder. During the aroma evaluation, the crust (floating particles on the surface of liquor or the brew prepared for tasting and all the aromatic volatiles) is broken. With“Breaking of Crust”, fragrance, aroma and the other attributes are evaluated for flavour, aftertaste, acidity, mouthfeel, uniformity, balance, cleanliness, sweetness and, finally, the overall rating of the cup.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran / Express News Service / December 08th, 2017