Ranjith Kiggal and Kashyap Mekeri from Kodagu have successfully undertaken a bike voyage to the Himalayan region.
The bike ride named ‘The ride of life Part-2’ kick-started in front of General Thimayya statue in Madikeri on April 14. After the completion of the ride, the duo has returned to Madikeri.
Ranjith and Kashyap have visited Nainital, Badrinath in Uttarakhand and the Himayalan regions, on their Royal Enfield bike.
The distance covered by them was approximately 6,200-km and the preparation began three months ago.
Both of them got in touch with bike riders who had already visited these places by bike. They took the Madhurgiri-Anantapuram-Hyderabad-Nagpur-Jhansi-Bareli route to reach Nainital in Uttarakhand on the sixth day of their ride.
In the course of their journey, they visited Jhulaghat on India-Nepal border and also Rishikesh and Haridwar. From Haridwar, they took the route of Mathura-Agra-Shirdi-Satara-Belagavi-Davanagere-Hassan to return to Madikeri.
Rider Ranjith Kiggal said that they had a fresh experience in visiting these places. They encountered a different atmosphere, people and culture on the route.
Appanderanda Yashwant Kalappa guided their tour, he added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Districts / by Adithya K A / DH News Service,Madikeri / May 20th, 2019
Field Marshal KM Cariappa (Photo Credits: indianarmy.nic.in)
Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa breathe his last 26 years ago on May 15, 1993. He was the first Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army. Cariappa took command of the Army from its British Commander in Chief, General Sir Roy Bucher. He was also nicknamed “Kipper”. Cariappa was born on January 28, 1899, in Madikeri, Kodagu which is today part of Karnataka.
Field Marshal Criappa had his formal education in Madikeri and pursued his college education from the prestigious Presidency College in Chennai. Cariappa joined the British Indian Army in 1919 and was commissioned in the 88th Carnatic Infantry at Bombay (now Mumbai) as Temporary Second Lieutenant. He was granted permanent commission on September 9, 1922. In 1927, he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
During the World War–II, Field Marshal Cariappa actively served in Iraq, Iran and Syria in 1941–1942 and then in Burma in 1943–1944. Back in India in March 1942, he was posted as second-in-command of the newly raised 7th Rajput Machine Gun Battalion at Fatehgarh. Cariappa was posted as AQMG of the 26th Indian Division stationed at Buthidaung in Burma. The division played an important role in pushing the Japanese back from Arakan. For his services in the operation, Cariappa was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in June 1945.
In the same year, Cariappa was made the commander of the Bannu Frontier Brigade in Waziristan. During this period, Colonel Ayub Khan – later Field Marshal and President of Pakistan from 1962–1969 – served under him. In 1947, Cariappa was the first of two Indians selected to undergo training at the Imperial Defence College, at Camberly, in the UK, to attend the higher command courses.
After Independence, He was promoted to the rank of Major General and was appointed as deputy chief of the general staff. In November 1947, Cariappa was appointed as the Eastern Army commander after being promoted to a rank of Lieutenant General. As the situation worsened in Kashmir in 1947, Cariappa was moved as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command. He directed operations for the recapture of territories seized by Afghan tribals backed by the Pakistani Army.
On January 15, 1949, Cariappa, took over the reins of the Indian Army. The day is now celebrated in India as the Army Day. He served in the Indian Army for over 30 years. After his retirement in 1953, he served as the Indian high commissioner to Australia and New Zealand until 1956. On April 28, 1986, the Government of India conferred the rank of field marshal on Cariappa. He was the second Field Marshal of the Indian Army after Sam Manekshaw. Cariappa’s health began to deteriorate in 1991. He suffered from arthritis and heart problems. He died in his sleep on May 15, 1993, at the Bangalore Command Hospital.
Cariappa was married in March 1937, in Secunderabad, to Muthu Machia. The couple had a son and a daughter. Their son, K.C. Cariappa also known as “Nanda”, joined the Indian Air Force and rose to the rank of air marshal. During the 1965 war, Nanda was shot down over Pakistan. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war (POW). After realising the identity of the captured IAF officer, General Ayub Khan, the then president of Pakistan himself contacted Cariappa to inform about his son. When Ayyub offered to release Nanda, Carriapa asked him to give his son no better treatment than any other POW. Field Marshal Carriappa was a recipient of Indian Independence medal, Burma Star and General Service Medal.
source: http://www.latestly.com / LatestLY / Home> Lifestyle> Festivals Events / by Team LatestLY / May 15th, 2019
Kits were given to the victims of natural calamity by IRCS Kodagu, in Madikeri, on Wednesday
International Red Cross Society (IRCS) has played a vital role in spreading humanitarian values, opined Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences Principal Dr Vishal Kumar.
He speaking after inaugurating the World Red Cross Day programme, organised by Indian Red Cross Society and Youth Red Cross of Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences here, on Wednesday.
Kumar said the organisation was known for peace and community service and has been inspiring youth for voluntary service.
He meanwhile opined that every responsible citizen should register with the Red Cross Society.
IRCS Kodagu branch Head B K Ravindra Rai said that the Kodagu unit of Red Cross has planned various programmes in future. The unit has already provided assistance to many villagers during the natural calamity last year.
Youth Red Cross units have been initiated in many colleges in Kodagu. The IRCS is also organising blood donation and health check-up camps.
Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences Chief Executive Officer Mary Nanaiah said that the Youth Red Cross units in the colleges will create awareness among youth on social service.
Institute’s Community Medicine department Assistant Professor Dr B M Shivaraj, Indian Red Cross Society – Kodagu Honourary secretary H R Muralidhar, Vice President Anil H T and IRCS District Director K D Dayanand were present during the programme.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / May 08th, 2019
‘Sunny Side’, General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya’s house in Madikeri that is being converted into a museum and a war memorial, had a special moment last week when the celebrated General’s grandson Kongetira Belliappa visited the museum.
‘Sunny Side’ is located on G.T. Road in Madikeri and it is being renovated at an estimated cost of Rs. 6 crore. Belliappa is the son of Thimayya’s daughter Mireille, who married Maj. Gen. Kongetira M. Chengappa.
Visiting the museum that earlier functioned as RTO Office for the first time, Belliappa went around the museum and saw his grandfather’s photos, memorabilia and other artefacts. Stopping in front of some of the photographs, he turned emotional, recollecting the service of General Thimayya who was known as the “Soldier’s General.”
Some of the photographs portrayed the legendary General’s brilliant strategies and daring that have set the standard for professional soldiering and leadership. Belliappa appreciated the collection of photographs, artefacts and other items related to the Indian Army at the museum.
Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa-General K.S. Thimayya Forum Convenor Major Biddanda A. Nanjappa, who is instrumental in setting up the museum and the war memorial, explained the museum and its various sections.
Providing a detailed account of how General Thimayya inspired his soldiers to carry parts of Army Tanks up to a height of 12,000 feet snow-clad mountains of Zojila Pass — one of the highest Passes in the world — when Pakistan planned to annex Kashmir by force during their offensive of 1947-48, Nanjappa told Belliappa that it was a daring move and the Pakistan army ran away after seeing the Tanks staring at them. The parts of Tanks were carried up the mountains overnight and were assembled by early morning of Nov. 1, 1948.
The very appearance of the Tanks utterly dampened the morale of the bewildered Pakistanis who either fled or were vanquished. Once Zojila was taken, the road to Kargil was reopened and Ladakh was safe. Ultimately, on Nov. 24 Kargil was re-taken. Thus the unofficial 1st Indo-Pak War (and perhaps the longest and toughest of them all) ended in success owing to the bold, shrewd and relentless pursuit led by Gen. Thimayya, explained Nanjappa.
Nanjappa then requested Belliappa to hand over certain items that belonged to General Thimayya that is in possession of the family to be kept in the museum.
Art works featuring the valour of Indian soldiers on the battlefield will occupy the centre stage at ‘Sunny Side.’ Other main attractions of the museum will be the articles used by Gen. Thimayya, military uniforms, books and information on Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.
Apart from an Army Tank, weapons that were used by the soldiers of Indian Army in the past during many operations have been donated to the museum.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / April 20th, 2019
President Ram Nath Kovind presents Ati Vishisht Seva Medal to Major General Codanada Poovaiah Cariappa during Defence Investiture Ceremony – II at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, on March 19, 2019.
It’s not what you expect to see in the heart of the Western Ghats around the spot where the river Cauvery originates.
Mottana C. Ravi Kumar
Nestled in the Western Ghats, where the river Cauvery originates, is a little-known memorial. On it are inscribed the names of 49 soldiers from a village nearby, who lost their lives in World Wars 1 and 2. It’s a heroic and elaborate effort by Mottana C. Ravi Kumar, an advocate and the son of an army man. Over the years, officers like Kargil war veteran Major Rakesh Sharma have visited the memorial, much to Kumar’s pride, writes Aksheev Thakur
It’s not what you expect to see in the heart of the Western Ghats around the spot where the river Cauvery originates. But venture deep into the green canopy of the ghats and you come across a war memorial inscribed with the names of 49 soldiers from a village here, who lost their lives in World Wars I and II.
Cherangala village in Kodagu has an advocate, Mottana C Ravi Kumar, the son of an army man, to thank for the memorial that pays tribute to its patriotic sons killed in the two wars.
It’s an elaborate memorial, the statute having come from Mohali. It nearly got a T-55 tank too, but the bridge in the village was not strong enough to carry it, forcing that plan to be abandoned . Next to the statue stands an Ashok Stambh with each side inscribed with Kavi Pradeep’s famous “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon” Iqbal’s “Sare Jahan se Accha,” Rabindranath Tagore’s “Where the Mind is Without Fear” and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s “Vande Mataram. “
The songs and the memorial are meant to inspire the young of the village , the advocate tells you. “Soldiers serve in inhospitable conditions and this is my little ode to them,” he says.
Distinguished officers of the the country’s armed forces like Field Marshal K M Cariappa’s son, Air Marshal (retd) KC Cariappa, Lt. Gen. (retd.), G S Nanda, and Kargil war veteran, Major Rakesh Sharma have visited the memorial over the years, much to the pride of the villagers, who continue to honour the memory of the men they sent off to war.
The army man that he was, Mr Ravi Kumar’s father wanted him to join the armed forces too, but he insisted on becoming a doctor. “Ultimately, I did not become either a doctor or a soldier, but an advocate and moved to Bengaluru to practice,” he smiles.
But he did flirt with the idea of joining the army, spending some time at the Dholpur Military School near Agra as a young man. “Father joined the army in 1941. When I joined the military school, the 1962 Indo-China war erupted. The principal often gave five and six-year-old children news of their fathers achieving martyrdom on the battlefield and I saw them crying. The scene was repeated in the 1965 war and this drew me emotionally close to the armed forces,” he recalls.
But the idea of the memorial in the village was born quite by chance. Being an advocate, he once filed a writ petition in court on the lack of road connectivity to his village and the resulting disadvantage this placed its families in when it came to getting brides for their sons as parents were reluctant to send their daughters away to such a remote spot in the ghats. “ Children had to travel five miles to go to school. So when I became an advocate I filed a writ petition in the high court and it was passed by Justice Gopal Gowda,” he adds .
During one of their meetings, Justice Gowda pointed out to him that he had not invited him to the village after the road was built to connect it to the rest of the state. “It was then that the idea of the war memorial came up as I could not have invited him for just the road,” he says. And he went on to build it at the spot where it still stands in memory of the village’s bravehearts.
A strong believer in the words of Swami Vivekananda that, “They only live who live for others, rest are more dead than alive, “ the advocate has fought several cases of defence personnel too over the years.
But he has not stopped there. Unlike many in Kodagu, who run homestays, Mr Ravi Kumar runs an orphanage as he feels someone has to take care of children with no one to turn to.
“There over 25 million orphans in India according to the United Nations and of them 10 lakh sleep on the streets of Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. We have not even done an independent census of orphans although countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka have. But if we take the statistics of the UN into account, they form 2 per cent of the population and are not receiving any attention. The SCs, STs and OBCs have reservation, what about the orphans, who don’t know what their religion or caste is?” he asks pertinently.
Mr Ravi Kumar takes care of the children not only till they turn 18, but till they make their own way in life. “At least they can then go on to become soldiers in the Indian Army, if not officers,” he concludes.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle, viral and trending / by Aksheev Thakur, Deccan Chronicle / March 02nd, 2019
Most profound of tragedies are made when the valour of a soldier goes unnoticed and unawarded. While we have many heroes whose bravery encounters have gone down in the Indian armed forces’ annals of history, there must be some who remained unsung.
One such hero whose valour could have remained unsung was the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) recipient Squadron Leader Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya who was awarded this honour 23 years after in 1988 for his sacrifice in an epic dog fight on September 7, 1965 war against Pakistan Air Force’s Supersonic F-104 Star-Fighter.
INDIA’S SECOND HIGHEST BATTLE HONOUR MAHA VIR CHAKRA/ SQN LDR AB DEVAYYA, PHOTO COURTESY: WIKIPEDIA
But whether it’s the destiny or the solace from the enemy that his valour and sacrifice was first recognised by Pakistan and then by Indian Air Force after which the second battle honour for him followed.
If it had not been Pakistani Flt Lt Amjad Hussain admission whose plane was destroyed by Sq Ldr Devayya and the book written by British writer John Flicker’s Book-Battle for Pakistan: The Air War of 1965, the valour of Sq Ldr Devayya would have gone unnoticed.
INDIAN ARMY FACEBOOK PAGE
Flt Lt Hussain survived the dog fight as he ejected in due time, but during one sortie in the same F-104 Star-Fighter to destroy Indian assets stationed at Amritsar air base in 1971 war, Flt Lt Hussain’s plane was hit and this time too, he ejected safety, only to be taken as Prisoner Of War (POW) by Indian forces.
A The Tribune report published in 2015 and a PIB documentary available on YouTube titled 1965 Indo-Pak Air War claims that Flt Lt Hussain told the story of a dog fight between his F-104 Star Fighter and Sq Ldr Devayya’s Mystere and how Sq Ldr Devayya despite being hit, destroyed Flt Lt Hussain’s plane before being martyred in the crash.
7th September 1965
The India-Pakistan war was in its thick and going gaga over the initial gains, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was raiding Indian airbases on the western border. IAF was tasked to reply and attack the Pakistan airbases.
“Squadron Leader Ajjimada Bopayya Devayya flew in a Mystere Aircraft as a member of a strike formation that was assigned the task of attacking the heavily defended Sargodha airfield in Pakistan at 0555 hours on 7th September 1965. All members of the mission except Squadron Leader Devayya returned safely to base. As no other details were available at that time, Squadron Leader Devayya was listed as ‘Mission in Action,” reads the IAF Citation about Sq Ldr Devayya.
IAF/BHARAT RAKSHAK
The IAF had carried various strikes on Sargodha, Chota Sargodha and other bases of PAF and despite the difference having less advanced fighter jets- both in terms of speed and manoeuvrability, the IAF pilots gave their Pakistani counterparts befitting and scores of Pakistan highly advanced American F-86 Sabres and F-105 Star Fighter were destroyed.
When Sq Ldr Devayyas grit won over Flt Lt Hussain’s F-104
French Dassault Mystere was no match to F-104 Star Fighter as it was the first plane in the world which touched the Mach 2 Speed. Seeing the Mystere approaching the Sargoda airbase, F-104 intercepted Sq Ldr Devayya’s jet and dog fight which remained elusive and unsung resumed.
“The pilot of F-104 first fired an air-to-air Sidewinder missile, which Squadron Leader Devayya successfully evaded and the missile hit the ground. However, by virtue of its faster acceleration, the F-104 rapidly closed in on the Mystere and fired a burst of its 20 mm multibarrel cannon and succeeded in damaging Squadron Leader Devayya’s Mystere. The F-104 went ahead of the Mystere due to its higer speed,” reads the Citation.
IAF MYSTERES, PHOTO COURTESY: BHARAT RAKSHAK
Flt Lt Devayya despite being hit, didn’t eject and decided to give a far superior plane, a fight for its life. He chased F-104 and rained the bullets on it from his Mystere’s power gun. The F-104 got hit and soon the flames enveloped it and Flt Lt Hussain had to eject.
“Undaunted and with utter disregard for his personal safety, Squadron Leadder Devayya flew his damaged Mystere in pursuit after the F-104. His decision was critical because the Mystere were operating at the extremity of their range and combat with an F-104 meant significantly lowering his chances of return to base.”
“Neither the Pakistani pilots flying skill nor the F-104 superior performance were apparently a match for Squadron Leader Devayya’s determination and single-minded purpose. Manoeuvring a damaged aircraft, he finally shot down the F-104. Thereafter, it is conjectured that Squadron Leader Devayya was unable to maintain control of his aircraft and was either killed in an unsuccessful low-level ejection or in a crash because of the damage that his aircraft had sustained.”
First taken as missing and then presumed dead
The then Wing Commander O.P. Taneja, who had led the first wave of attacks of which Sq Ldr Devayya was a part of, waited for him after returning to the base, but he didn’t come.
“I was told he must have gone to 32nd Squadron to return their aircraft and to change,” Taneja told IndiaToday years later during an interview published in 1988, “but when more than 40 minutes passed, I insisted on seeing him.”
As a customary, Flt Lt Devayya was presumed dead after a year.
The book
The PAF in later years commissioned a British writer, John Flicker to write about air war between two countries in 1965. Since he was commissioner by PAF, Flicker obviously painted PAF as superior air force which had caused harm to IAF in the air battle.
But the truth was a larger version of the dog fight between Sq Ldr Devayya’s Mystere and Flt Lt Hussain’s supersonic F-104 and the IAF had literally annihilated technically superior aircraft like F-84 Sabres with the relatively older and less advanced fleet of Mysteres, hunters and others.
VICTORY IN 1965 WAR. PHOTO COURTESY: INDIAN ARMY FACEBOOK PAGE
But the book had an anecdote about this dog fight where it was admitted that a Mystere had destroyed F-104 before crashing with its pilot.
PAF’s retired Air Commador, Kaeser Tuffail has also written about it on his blog-Mystery of the Downed Mystère where he also talks about how locals gave Sq Ldr Devayya burial.
The struggle
The book left many surprised, especially the then Wing Commander O.P. Taneja who led the attack at Sargodha who said approached higher authorities with this as quoted by IndiaToday. “I moved higher authorities and told them it had to be Devayya.” Wing Commander Taneja was sure because that day only two were lost-one Sq Ldr Devayya in the morning and another Flt Lt Bahul Guha in the evening.
But none paid heed to his appeals.
But in 1987, the War Studies Division of the Ministry of Defence saw Fricker’s book and one of its members, the then Air Commodore Pritam Singh paid attention to an important anecdote. Singh had also seen action in 1965 as a young pilot. He told IndiaToday in 1988. “I knew all the pilots in the Mystere formation and began to trace them,” Singh said when he commanding the airbase in Jodhpur.
SAINIKSAMACHAR.NIC.IN
Singh put all his efforts to connect the dots and talked to all people concerned including Wing Commander Taneja apart from collecting evidence from Pakistani broadcast acknowledging the loss of an F-104 on September 7 morning. In November 1987, Singh presented all his findings to the high command and the pieces of evidence were compelling and convincing.
And finally, the Mahavir Chakra for the great air warrior
Finally, 1988, Sq Ldr AB Devayya was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for an act of unparallel courage and bravery. His 51-year-old wife Sundari Devayya who received the news that husband was missing at the age of 29, had spent 23 long years without the country recognising her husband’s sacrifice.
INDIA
She spent those years in bringing up the couple’s two daughters, Smitha, 24, and Preetha, 23 (then in 1988) her gallant husband had left. Preetha was just eight months old her father sacrificed himself for the country.
(With inputs from IAF website, IndiaToday, The Tribune, blog of Air Commodore Kaiser Tuffail and PIB Documentary)
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / IndiaTimes.com / Home> News> India / by Maninder Dabas / February 14th, 2019
Lieutenant General (Retd.) Biddanda Chengappa Nanda passed away last evening in Madikeri. He was 87. Family sources said that he was suffering from age-related ailments and died en-route to a private hospital in Mysuru. He is survived by his wife and four daughters and one of his daughters Shalini Nanda Nagappa is a well-known Canada-based food blogger.
The last rites were scheduled to be performed after 3 pm today at his residence on Abbey Falls Road, with full military honours. Senior officers of the Army are expected to pay their last respects to the decorated soldier.
One of the most loved military officers from Kodagu district who served in the Indian Defence, Nanda rose to eminence in the Army. He served as the Army Commander, Northern Command and settled down in Kodagu after his retirement and was involved in many social service activities.
He was born to Biddanda S. Chengappa and Bollavva couple on May 12, 1931. Bollavva was the sister of Field Marshal (first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army) Kodandera M. Cariappa. Nanda had served in the Army between 1951 and 1989.
Nanda’s father Chengappa was the Chief Conservator of Forests, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Chengappa also served as a forest officer in Commonwealth Nations and had given priority to forest conservation.
A college in Coimbatore is named after Chengappa. Also, the biggest bridge in Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Austin Bridge) connecting Middle and North Andaman Islands is named as Chengappa Bridge as Chengappa, in the capacity of a forest officer, prepared a working plan for these islands.
After completing his primary schooling in Madikeri, Nanda moved to Madras and later to Dehradun for his higher education. He also did his higher education in Royal College of Defence in London.
Close associates of Nanda said that the Indian Military Academy was situated in front of his house while he was pursuing his post-graduation at Dehradun. He was inspired by military officials at the Academy. Though his family wanted him to be a doctor, Nanda was attracted to the military and subsequently joined the Indian Army.
When Nanda was the Army Commander, Siachen was occupied by Pakistan in June 1987. He ordered his troops to evict them from Siachen and for the first time Siachen, the world’s highest Army post, was occupied by the Indian Army. Subedar Bana Singh captured “Quaid Post” after defeating Pakistan and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. Today, “Quaid Post” is named as “Bana Singh Post”.
For his contribution to India’s military might, Lt. Gen. Nanda was honoured with Param Visishist Seva Medal (PVSM) and Athi Visishist Seva Medal (AVSM). He was an ardent lover of sports and attended hockey, football and cricket tournaments in various parts of Kodagu, post his retirement. Nanda was a voice of ex-servicemen and pressed for various demands for the benefit of ex-servicemen.
General Nanda headed the Kodagu Natural Sciences Society which was set up to trace the origin of Kodavas by ascertaining the ancestry, customs, culture, language and a study of genealogy by the Kodagu Natural Sciences Research Society. He spent his autumn years in his residence at Abbey Falls Road.
General Nanda had participated in the function held last year to unveil the statues of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and Gen K.S. Thimayya at Cauvery College, Gonikoppal. He was seen wearing traditional Kodava dress, greeting Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 13th, 2018
The flood victims who received financial aid from Snehakoota Kshemabhivridhi Sangha in Kodagu.
Snehakoota Kshemabhivridhi Sangha, an association of Chikkamagaluru police and retired police personnel, has donated a total of Rs 3.55 lakh to the flood victims in Kodagu.
Snehakoota President M K Madhu said the members of the association had donated the money.
Snehakoota President M K Madhu, Vice Presidents Mahadevaswamy, K M Yogish, Treasurer A D Suresh and Directors Jayanna and Shashidhar visited various villages in Kodagu to identify genuine victims and to hand over the amount.
They visited Udayagiri, 2nd Monnangeri, Jodupala, Hemmathala, Madenadu and Kalooru villages in the district and collected information about the background of the affected families. After estimating the losses and income sources of the victims, the amount has been distributed among 15 families. Each family was given a sum of Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> District / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / January 02nd, 2019
The winners are Kolera Zaru Ganapathy, chairperson, Sai Shankar Educational Institutions, Ponnampet and Chennai-based industrialist Ashok Kumar Shetty, owner of Sincona Estate in Kodagu.
Bengaluru :
Two individuals who went out of their way to assist people affected during unprecedented floods and landslides which struck Kodagu district this August, have shared the title of ‘Coorg Person of the Year 2018’.
The winners are Kolera Zaru Ganapathy, chairperson, Sai Shankar Educational Institutions, Ponnampet and Chennai-based industrialist Ashok Kumar Shetty, owner of Sincona Estate in Kodagu.
The duo were joint winners in a poll conducted by www.coorgtourisminfo.com. This is the first time that the award is being shared by two people.
When educationist Zaru Ganapathy heard about the tragedy, he initially announced that he would take 25 students in his residential school. Gradually, parents of more children starting approaching him.
Ganapathy said there were 130 students at present from the affected villages who are accommodated in the residential school. “We are giving them free education and are ready to look after them for another three years,” he said.
The second Coorg Person of the Year is Chennai-based Ashok Kumar Shetty, owner of Sincona Estate, on the Madikeri-Somwarpet state highway, near Makkandur. A 450 metre-long stretch of the highway was washed away due to landslides, forcing villagers and students to trek through hills to reach their homes. Taking note of the plight of the villagers, Shetty offered nearly two acres of his land to the Public Works Department for restoring the highway line.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / December 27th, 2018
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