National Security Guard (NSG) Force Commander Brigadier B.M. Cariappa (Baleyada Muthanna Cariappa) was conferred the prestigious ‘Rotary Sainik Desh Rathna’ award at a programme jointly organised by Rotary Mysore Midtown and Shrisainik Foundation at Rotary Centre Hall on JLB Road here yesterday.
Speaking after conferring the award, Col. (retd.) Ravi Shirahatti lauded the acts of Brig. B.M. Cariappa during the victorious Kargil War against Pakistan.
Pointing out that Brig. Cariappa’s achievements and works are a model to young servicemen as well as armed service aspirants, Ravi Shirahatti said that though several will be willing to don Army uniform, it is not possible for many.
Noting that donning the Army uniform is a pride for everyone, he said that it is important to understand the past and history of Wars. Maintaining that those serving in the Army should be ready for sacrifice, he said, as such, the honour of Armymen will continue even after their retirement from service. Observing that a tree’s future depends upon the deep-rootedness and sturdiness of its roots, he said that the service profession demands valour, integrity, sacrifice and commitment. In the absence of these, the purpose of serving in the Army cannot be fulfilled, he said adding that he (Ravi) feels proud to have served the Indian Army.
Brig. Cariappa who spoke after being conferred with the award, reminisced on how he led his group during the 1999 Kargil War.
Noting that the first two attempts of the Indian Army in capturing the Khalubar Hills in Kashmir had failed, he said that he was then entrusted with the responsibility of capturing it, following which he came up with an innovative operation and succeeded in doing the job.
Explaining how the Kargil War was won, he said that crucial decisions were taken by the Indian Army during the War which resulted in a crushing defeat for Pakistan’s misadventure.
Earlier, Brig. Cariappa was accorded a grand welcome at the venue with Hootagalli KHB Colony’s Rotary Midtown Academy students playing Musical Instruments and saluting him.
Rotary Midtown President Rtn. M.S. Naveen Chandra, Hon. Secretary Rtn. S. Kumaraswamy, Rtn. K.L. Rakesh Babu, Rtn. S. Abhilash and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 23rd, 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
Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa’s English book “Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables Retold” was launched at Atta Galatta Bookstore auditorium in Bengaluru on April 2.
The event was attended by Maha Vir Chakra awardee Lt. Col. Puttichanda S. Ganapathi, IRS Officer Preeth Ganapathy, retired Superintendent of Police Mookonda K. Ganapathy, Col. Maddanda Uthappa, Ponnakachira Machaiah, retired Assistant Commissioner of Customs Muckatira Suresh and others.
This book, which was earlier released on Amazon on Feb.13, 2023, is already a bestseller in various book categories. Atta Galatta is located in Indiranagar and has a cafeteria with an auditorium attached to its bookstore.
Presenting the slide show to the audience along with his wife Deepthi, Nitin spoke of the 15 stories in his collection, the regions and sources they came from, the illustrations and the rhymes that support the stories.
Lt. Col. P.S. Ganapathi, MVC, spoke of how he came to meet Nitin a few years ago and how they worked together on a previous book, ‘The Major Who Kept His Cool’ (Col. Ganapathi’s biography authored by Nitin).
Sanjeev Rajarao spoke of how he reaches out to Nitin for any information on Kodagu and Kodavas and how Nitin connects the dots.
Mrs. Leo, Nitin’s school teacher, Preeth Ganapathy, IRS, Bayavanda Monnappa, COO of BHive, Mookonda K. Ganapathy and Vishwanath also spoke. Nitin’s mother Mookonda Pushpa Poonacha spoke about the importance of folklore.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 07th, 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
Kundyolanda family to host 24th edition hockey tournament next year
Madikeri:
The grand 23rd edition of Appachettolanda Kodava Hockey Festival came to a close last evening with the Kuppanda team emerging victorious. Earlier champions Kulletira team had to be satisfied with the runner’s up place. The Nellamakkada team stood third and the Palanganda team came fourth.
The Kuppanda family team beat three-time champion Kulletira team by a margin of 4-2 goals in the penalty shoot-out and the Kuppanda family became the champion for the first time. The Kulletira family had won the tournaments in 1998, 1999 and 2002. The penalty shoot-out was necessitated as both Kuppanda and Kulletira teams scored one goal each during the stipulated match timings. While Kuppanda Somaiah scored the first goal for his team in the 16th minute of the game, the crowd erupted in joy. But the Kuppanda team’s jubilation was short-lived as Kulletira Avinash equalised the score for his team in the 22nd minute.
The Kuppanda team scored four goals in the penalty shoot-out while the Kulletira team could score only two goals. The winning team received Rs. 3 lakh cash purse and a trophy while the runner’s up team got Rs. 2 lakh cash purse and a trophy. The winners also got a rolling trophy given by the Kodava Hockey Academy.
The 24th edition of the family hockey tournament is planned in 2024 and the Kundyolanda family will play host.
More than 3,000 hockey talents from the Kodava community participated in the Appachettolanda Kodava Hockey Festival that was held at General Thimayya Stadium at Napoklu from Mar. 18 to Apr. 9 and in all, 336 families took part, a record of sorts.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Sports / April 10th, 2023
Rani’s entire career has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the folk dance form, Ummathat, of the Kodava tradition.
Rani Machaiah (seated) was felicitated at a function in Madikeri on Thursday 26 Jan (supplied)
The news came as mellifluous as the song that accompanies Ummathat, the traditional dance form of Kodagu.
Rani Machaiah — better known as Ummathat Ki Rani — was at her home in Madikeri when she received the news of the nation honouring her with Padma Shri.
Congratulatory calls have been flooding her from relatives, friends, well-wishers, and most importantly, from her large number of students since Wednesday, 25 January.
“A train of thoughts crossed my mind,” the 79-year-old shared her experience with South First. “I have worked for around 50 years, promoting this traditional dance form.”
She has been leading Ummathat since 1984 and she had trained over 10,000 students.
Rani recalled taking her students to different states to showcase the dance form. “Ummathat is performed by a troupe of 20 — two will be singing and the other eighteen will dance to narrate a story,” she explained.
“This dance form is similar to the traditional ones of every other state,” she added.
Creating masters
Rani doesn’t dance anymore. But she still teaches students to master the art form. She had trained several batches of students.
Padma Shri Rani Machaiah. (Supplied)
“Once they get married, they leave and a new batch joins. Girls of any age can join the troupe,” Rani said.
Her students had performed in Lakshadweep, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and several places across Karnataka.
“We get invitations from various places and institutions from all over the country and we perform our traditional Ummathat there,” Rani, who has dedicated herself to preserving and promoting the traditional dance form, said.
Rani was born in 1943 in Siddapura in the Kodagu district. Her husband, the late Machaiah, was an advocate, who passed away when she was 65.
Her son, Sathish Machaiah, 55, is a software engineer in Bengaluru. Rani’s daughter, Saritha Devaiah, is a homemaker in Kodagu. Her husband Devaiah owns a plantation.
When asked about her inspiration to take up Ummathat, Rani said it was personal interest.
Now, a lipi
Rani is the chairperson of Kaveri Kalavrunda Sangha, an organisation she founded. She is the recipient of the Rajyotsava Award and many other honours.
She was a former president of Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy and at present, she is encouraging groups of Kodavas working on designing a lipi — alphabet or script — for the Kodava language to preserve its literature since the language doesn’t have a lipi now (traditionally, Kodavas use the Thirke script, which is an abugida).
“It will look somewhat similar to Kannada and it will have phonetics and extra words that are used in the Kodava language in Kannada lipi,” Rani said.
source: http://www.thesouthfirst.com / South First / Home> Karnataka / by Bellie Thomas / January 27th, 2023
In 1997, Pandanda M Kuttappa, a retired bank employee, wanted to channelise this hockey craze to unite Kodavas and explore the potential of the talent in the region.
Members of different families get ready for Kodava Family Hockey Festival at Napoklu in Kodagu district of Karnataka. | Photo Credit: H S Manjunath
It was a sunny Saturday morning when this reporter reached the General Thimmayya stadium at Napoklu village in Kodagu district. The men, women and children gathered at the stadium were eager to showcase their hockeyplaying talent.
More than 3,000 hockey talents from Kodava community (with a population of around 1.5 lakh) converge in a Kodagu village during the summer months to vie for the coveted family hockey title. This time it was the turn of the Appachettolanda family to host the hockey festival at Napoklu from March 18 to April 9.
Ask a Kodava, he/she proudly says that it is a festival, and does not call it as a tournament. So the organisers have aptly named it as hockey ‘namme’ (festival in Kodava language).
It is better to know a bit about Kodavas. A majority of people from Kodava community live in Kodagu district of Karnataka.
When you interact with Kodavas, they take pride in their representation in the armed forces — which include the personalities such as Field Marshall KM Cariappa and General KS Thimmayya — and in sports, especially in hockey.
There are more than 800 families of Kodavas with each having a unique name. Of them, 336 families are participating in this year’s hockey festival. The size of the families ranges from 100 to 400 people.
Interacting with businessline on the sidelines of the event, Pandanda Bopanna, President of the Kodava Hockey Academy, says “Hockey is in the blood of a Kodava.”
History of Kodava family hockey so far
chart
Festival objectives
In 1997, Pandanda M Kuttappa, a retired bank employee, wanted to channelise this hockey craze to unite Kodavas and explore the potential of the talent in the region. Kuttappa and his brother Pandanda Kashi Ponnappa started a family-led hockey festival in Kodagu keeping four objectives in mind.
According to Pandanda Bopanna (Kuttappa’s son), the first objective was to bring harmony within the Kodava community and families. Though many Kodavas were participating in national and internation hockey matches, they were not seen playing in their homeland.
The second objective of Kuttappa was to give an opportunity for local Kodavas to witness in real-time the game of their national and international players.
Pandanda Bopanna, President of the Kodava Hockey Academy | Photo Credit: H S Manjunath
Thirdly, Kuttappa wanted to provide a platform for youngsters in the community to showcase their talent, and take a step forward in their sporting career. Fourthly, the event also acted as a matrimonial platform and ended up in marriages in many cases.
Invests retirement benefit
Bopanna says that his father had invested his retirement benefits for hosting the first edition of the family hockey festival.
The first edition of the event, hosted by the Pandanda family, was named as Pandanda cup, and it saw the participation of 60 family teams. (The event was not organised in 2019 due to the 2018 Kodagu floods and landslides. Covid forced the organisers to refrain from hosting the event in 2020, 2021 and 2022.)
On the record participation of 336 teams this year, Bopanna says nowhere in the world would any hockey festival or tournament be played with such a large number of teams and players in one location.
Gender, age no bar
Gender and age are not a bar in this event. Men, women, and children can be the members of a team.
The only condition is that they should be from the same family. Women have the option to represent the family they are married to, or their paternal family. This year’s participation includes people in the age group of 6 to 84 years.
Highlighting her experience, Shivachaliyanda Dechakka, a 10th standard student from a sports hostel, says her family team won the first match, and lost the second one. She says it was a good experience for her to play with seniors.
While many teams have at least one woman representation, there are a few without them. In fact, the Kethira family had representation of five women, including the goalkeeper, in their team of 11.
Aman Poonacha from Palanganda family, an 8th standard student from Bengaluru, says he made his first entry as a player in his family team in a match on Saturday. However, he was not happy with his performance.
Confluence of youth and experience Several stars from Indian hockey make it a point to be the representative of their families in the family cup.
KK Poonacha of Koothanda family, a former international player and former coach of Indian women’s team, who had just finished a match earlier on Saturday, says that he has been attending the family hockey cup matches since 1998, and his family team has won the cup in four editions.
KK Poonacha of Koothanda family, a former international player and former coach of Indian women’s team | Photo Credit: H S Manjunath
Showing the five stars on his family hockey jersey, Ajay Ayyappa of Palanganda family, who works in the Department of Central Excise and GST in Bengaluru, says that he makes it a point to attend the hockey festival every year, and adds that his brother Amar Aiyamma, a former Indian player, will be playing in the next matches.
According to Pandanda Bopanna, former Indian team players such as Nithin Thimmaiah of Mekerira family, Pradhan Somaiah of Pudiyokkada family, PL Thimmanna of Puliyanda family, PU Bopanna of Pullangada family, and the former India Junior player KP Somaiah of Kuppand family are participating in the matches this year.
A boy is seen practising hockey at Napoklu. | Photo Credit: H S Manjunath
Terming this hockey festival as a good platform for beginners, KK Poonacha says they will get to play with the experienced players of national and international repute. This will be a good scouting ground for hockey talent also.
Stating that youngsters are motivated to play when they witness players of national and international repute, Ajay Ayyappa says it is like giving life to hockey again through this hockey festival, as people at the grassroots level are playing less these days.
Behind the scene
Appachettolanda Manu Muthappa, coordinator of the Appachettolanda Hockey Festival, says that his family has around 180 members, and they are actively participating in the smooth conduct of this event.
On resource mobilisation for organising the event, he says contribution of the amount from the family members and support from the public and corporates help them generate resources for the event. The State government has also been helping with funds for the event for some years.
A special gallery has been set up at the venue at a cost of around ₹35-40 lakh, and it can accommodate up to 25,000 people.
Appachettolanda Manu Muthappa, coordinator of the Appachettolanda Hockey Festival | Photo Credit: H S Manjunath
Deepak Chengappa of Nayakanda family, who is the Tournament Director, says that 21 matches are being conducted every day. The event has five jury members. Around 200 members, including the technical teams of Hockey Coorg and the whole Appachettolanda family, are helping him in the smooth operation of the event.
The event has four national referees, and 15 state referees. With an intention to encourage youngsters to take up refereeing as a profession, nine degree students are undergoing training here, he adds.
‘Encourage talent’
Kishor Cariappa from the Ammatanda family says that even though a lot of promising players take part in the Kodava Hockey Festival, their talent goes unnoticed once the tournament is over.
“Steps should be taken by Hockey Karnataka and Hockey India to hand-pick potential talent and start grooming them. Even though 336 teams took part this year, Hockey India officials were conspicuous by their absence. Organisers should make efforts to invite hockey think tanks in India to the event,” he adds.
Kishor Cariappa feels that the Karnataka government can help build two hockey venues with stands for Kodagu Hockey Festival in south and north Kodagu so that organising committees don’t have to spend lakhs of rupees on curating pitches every year.
Do you know who hosted the event?
chart 02
Future plans
Pandanda Bopanna says that three families have been finalised to host the next three editions of the hockey festival.
“We are encouraging other families who have not hosted so far to come forward and host. It is an opportunity to gain experience. It is not easy to host such a big event. It gives the family time to bond and also gives their youngsters a chance of hosting an event,” he adds.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> Sports / by A J Vinayak / April 04th, 2023
With urbanisation and changing social structures, nuclear families, which were intrinsic in preserving tradition and rituals, have replaced joint families.
Women and a child don traditional attire at a Keri function
Madikeri:
With urbanisation and changing social structures, nuclear families, which were intrinsic in preserving tradition and rituals, have replaced joint families. To ensure their culture is not lost, various Kodava families in Kodagu district have joined together under one ‘keri’ (colony).
“The concept of ‘keri’ – synonymous with area or colony – started in Bengaluru among the Kodava community. The concept was adopted in the district too, with the first keri being formed 27 years ago,” says Kayapanda Shashi Somaiah, a resident of Madikeri.
As Kodava families started to move to cities from their native villages, the culture of the community was at stake. To prevent this, the keri concept was introduced in towns of Kodagu, including Madikeri, Virajpet and Ponnampet. “There are a total of 12 keris in Madikeri town. Cauvery Keri was among the first to be established in Madikeri. ‘Dechur Keri’ was established in 1998 and is one of the largest compared to other keris,” explains Madeyanda Ravi Kunjiappa, president of Dechur Keri.
He adds that this keri has over 300 members and an annual meeting is held after Puthari festival, which sees the coming together of all members.
Talking about the purpose of a keri, Shashi Somaiah explains, “For instance, if a death takes place in a Kodava family, members may not be acquainted with the rituals that need to be followed. That is when the keri becomes a second family of sorts.
Before relatives arrive from far off places, keri members who stay in the same area come together to help with the rituals.” Keris have a president and directors who are elected by the members once in three years. Emergency funds too are collected. Shashi says, “Death funds are handed over by the keri trust to family members.” The community also bonds over other matters during keri meetings.
“When people from the same community gather under one roof, talks pertaining to marriage also take place. There are instances where two people have been matched during keri functions,” says Ravi Kunjiappa.
Ravi adds, “During annual meetings, children who have achieved in academics or sports are recognised and felicitated. Similarly, elders who have achieved in government services or youngsters who have excelled in various fields will be felicitated and encouraged. Communities get to share their triumphs and trials.” Apart from being a support system, these keris also help in preserving Kodava culture. “The annual meeting becomes a platform for various cultural activities. Youngsters and children are required to take part in this cultural extravaganza. Children get trained by elders in ‘kolata’, ‘umathat’ and various other cultural activities,” says Ravi.
These skills are then put to test in the form of inter-keri competitions organised in each township once in three years. While inter-keri events have been organised in Madikeri six times, Virajpet town saw its first event this year. “Each keri takes turns to organise this function, which aims to unite Kodava families from different keris. The aim is to promote Kodava culture among the younger generation. This is the best way to teach our children about our traditions,” says Madanda Latha Somaiah, a member of Dechur keri.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / March 15th, 2020
The following are the new office-bearers of Kodava Students Association (KSA), Mysuru: Iychettira Bheemaiah – President; Maletira Laksh Dechamma – Vice-President; Ponnappa Bepadiyanda – Secretary; Iychettira Bhumika – Joint Secretary; Karun Karera – Treasurer; Viharika Appaneravanda – Joint Treasurer and Gowthami Kokkalemada – Cultural Leader.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / March 31st, 2023
Indian rally pair of Mangaluru’s Jason Deepak Saldanha and co-driver Thimmu Uddapanda Bopanna from Kodagu made a stunning international debut by winning the national RAAT Thailand Rally Championship in their class at the Kanchanaburi stages here on Sunday.
Driving a Suzuki Swift 1.6L six-speed stock car in the RC2.1 class for Team Rally Insight, the top Indian rallyists made their way to the top of the class while achieving a creditable overall fourth among a strong field of 56 entries in different classes, including the top Rally 1 Super 4w drive class.
Beating rivals with superior and powerful cars, the Bengaluru pair, who recently took part in the South India Rally, performed beyond expectations.
With limited options, and only a few minutes of testing the new car and the new terrain, they excelled with a display of controlled speed and fine rally skills in the final six special stages ton Sunday and improved to fourth overall and first in their class, apart from the second place in the 2WD Cup that are held concurrently.
They clocked 1hr and 17 minutes.
The two Indian coffee planters will return to take part in the six remaining rounds of the Blueband Sports FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) under Dark Don team but will also explore opportunities to extend their international experience.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
source: http://www.devidiscourse.com / Devidiscourse / Home> News> Sports> Article / by PTI , Kanchanapuri / March 26th, 2023
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