The female cast of the upcoming Kannada film found themselves in the midst of a controversy recently, when lead actress Harshika Poonacha took offence to promotional material that prominently featured Aviva Bidapa, who is only doing a cameo in the film. Harshika, in fact, voiced her disappointment when she saw Aviva’s pictures showcased in such fashion. Sources say that Harshika refused to associate herself with the film since then.

However, a clarification note recently issued by the film’s team seems to have put things in the right perspective, as far as Harshika is concerned. “Harshika Poonacha is the only female lead in our film. All the other characters appear either in guest or supporting roles,” states the notice issued by the production house. “Some of the initial posters did feature Aviva, but that led to unnecessary misunderstandings which we have rectified now,” confirms filmmaker Kiran Kumar Reddy.

The actress herself, seems a lot more relaxed after the team issued a public clarification. “A film’s poster should have the heroine, not someone who appears in a cameo. I don’t think it is fair if a film unit does otherwise. I just insisted they do the right thing. The team has apologized and we have now put behind all our differences,” says Harshika. Kiran also tells us, “We will not be using any of Aviva’s photographs or stills from the film anymore. She will only be seen as part of the movie, playing her cameo.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional / by Kavya Christopher, TNN / April 14th, 2013

There are only a handful of Kodava families in Chennai; at any point in time, their numbers were between 150 and 200 families. With a diverse culture and beliefs that bear little resemblance to any other community in India, the Kodavas of Chennai have made their mark in every possible field right from government services to sports.

P M Belliappa IAS (Retd), MBE says, “You could trace the beginning of the shift from Coorg to Madras in the 1930s. Many came here to study at Madras Christian College and since the city was also a centre for administration, they eventually got jobs here and settled down,” he says.

Belliappa, who has lived in many cities across India during his service in the Indian Administration Service, zeroed in on Chennai to settle down post-retirement. “The city has always been hospitable to everyone,” he adds.

Kodavas or Coorgs as they are referred to are Hindu-Kshatriyas (the warrior clan). However, they are known for being non-ritualistic and believe in ancestor worship.

Pravin Aiana, the president of Coorg Association of Madras and an architect by profession, explains, “Every Coorg name consists of a family name followed by the father’s name and the person’s name. The language we speak (Coorgi) is a mix of South Indian languages including Kannada, Malayalam and a little bit of Tamil. Coorgi is a dialect and we use the Kannada script for writing.”

With a dominant presence in government services, armed forces and sports, especially hockey among others, there has been a significant art connect as well. Rani Pooviah, one of the prominent names in the world of art, taught at the Government College of Fine Arts in the 50s.

Pooviah made a huge contribution to the Madras Movement spearheaded by KCS Panicker, who founded the Cholamandal Artists’ Village in the 60s. Noticing the absence of any of her works in Panicker museum, Belliappa and the Coorg Association of Madras donated one of her works to the museum last month.

It is a fact that Coorgs and hockey are inseparable. Aiana says, “Yes, of course. We are in the book of records for producing the largest number of hockey teams. Back in Coorg, every year there is a tournament between families who compete against each other in hockey matches. The winner gets to host the next year’s event.” There has been a Coorg and cricket connect in Chennai, much before Robin Uthappa wrote history in the annals of Coorg, after being selected for the Indian cricket team in 2006. P K Belliappa led the Tamil Nadu cricket team in the 60s.

In the recent times, another name that has made a mark in sports (squash) is city-based Joshna Chinappa. She says that she owes her sport achievements to her family. “I guess it runs in my family and I cannot imagine being anything else but a sports person,” she adds. Ask her if she has had a stint with hockey too, she laughs, “Yes, I have held the hockey stick and tried playing, but it is way too intense a game.”

People like Pratika Appaiah have had the best of the both worlds, as they put it. “I have lived in Chennai all my life and it is very dear to me, but I will always be a Coorg at heart! If it wasn’t for studying in Chennai, I wouldn’t have had the drive to pursue my studies,” she says.

Another highlight of the Coorg culture is their cuisine that is replete with dishes made of pork, bamboo shoots and rice. “The variety in Coorg food even for vegetarians is amazing. There are so many dishes with rice as base and probably this is one of the few Indian cuisines that uses bamboo shoots. Our love for pork is a known fact. But, personally, we here in Chennai love the dosas and idlis so much that we can even have them for lunch,” says Priya Aiana, an architect.

Vilma Appaiah, who has been in the city for the last 30 years, sums up, “When in Rome be a Roman is the belief we follow. Through the association we meet quite often and connect with things related to our culture,” she says. Vilma is all set to attend the Hockey tournament in Coorg this month.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Janani Sampath / ENS – Chennai / April 15th, 2013

When you hear that possessing arms is a privilege that a person in the Kodava community is born with, you cannot help but look at them in wonder. However, for them it is a way of life, something that is a part and parcel of their existence and culture.

It is a special license that was bestowed upon them by the British, who exempted the community from the Arms Act. Today, the Kodavas or the Coorgs are among the few communities in India who can possess weapons without having to go through the formal procedure of obtaining a license. Under Section 3 and Section 4 of the Indian Arms Act, 1959, Kodava people who come under the categories ‘Coorg by race’ enjoy the privilege.

Squash champion Joshna Chinappa explains, “I have held the weapon, but never fired it. Having been raised in a family of army people, I have been aware of the privilege that Kodavas are entitled to. But we also know that the privilege comes with a lot of responsibility.”

Interestingly, the community also has a festival to celebrate the significance of weapons in their life. Kailpold, which is similar to Ayudha puja, involves festivities including shooting competitions.

Chennai-based Vilma Appaiah explains the ubiquitous role of arms in the life of a Kodava. “When a male child is born, the family fires in the air to announce the news. Arms are like heirlooms; every family displays the weapons they own in the hall.”

Zarina Uthappa, who originally hails from Ooty and has settled in Chennai for the last 12 years, acknowledges that she has never fancied firing, adding, “Everybody who comes home wants to know the make and the features of the arms that we have at our place. Invariably, the conversation is about single-barrel, double-barrel, pistol and revolver. However, for any Coorg household it is a legacy that we pass on to the next generation.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Janani Sampath / ENS – Chennai / April 15th, 2013

Chennai :

It’s been years since he chatted about art and life while eating Coorg food with his friend, the late painter Rani Nanjappa, but artist S G Vasudev remembers it as clearly as if it was yesterday. “My late wife Arnawaz and I spent most of our evenings at her house. We were extraordinarily close,” he says.

On Thursday, he will be returning to those years during a function organised by the Coorg Association of Madras to remember one of the few women painters of Madras of the 1960s. Former IAS officer P M Belliappa will donate one of Nanjappa’s paintings to the museum at Cholamandal Artists’ Village.

“Coorg has few artists of repute and I felt it was a glaring omission that Rani’s work was not in the museum, which traces the Madras movement she was part of,” says Belliappa, who knew Nanjappa as a child. Belliappa bought two of her works recently and decided to donate a figurative canvas from 1962 to the museum, while retaining the abstract she did later in her life.

Born Rani Pooviah in the early 1940s, she studied art in Chennai at Stella Maris and College of Arts and Crafts. She was one of principal K C S Paniker’s favourite students and taught at the college later. “She was vivacious and well-read with a wonderful sense of humour and brilliant organisational skills,” says Vasudev.

Her student, sculptor S Nandagopal, remembers her as vivacious and striking personality who made art fun. “I was a physics student and never planned to be an artist,” he says. “But Rani was so passionate about art and could spot talent and inspire people.” Nanjappa moved to the US in the 1970s after she got married and continued to hold shows there. “She wanted to return. Looking back to India can be problematic for an artist,” says Vasudev. In March 1982, she went into a coma following a serious car accident, from which she never recovered.

Nanjappa’s work is described as being balanced and contemplative yet full of energy and colour. She drew inspiration from large kolams and colourful rangolis. Writing for Illinois Art Council in Chicago, she said, “The complex geometric patterns of kolam in white, pure and strong and the colour contrast in the rangoli helped me discover geometric forms in Indian dance and music. For example, in Bharatanatyam, besides the graceful rhythm, there are strong angular movements, giving ideas of geometrical patterns traced in the air. These are my inspiration.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Chennai> Art and Life / by Shalini Umachandran, TNN / March 21st, 2013