Kodava Students Association (KSA), Mysuru, for the year 2019 was inaugurated recently at a function held at Kodagu Sahakara Sangha in Jayalakshmipuram by Dr. Puliyanda Sujatha Bopanna (KSA President) and Puliyanda Nandita Mudappa (Vice-President) in the presence of Ajjamada Muddappa (Student President), Bachira Vaibhavi (Student Vice-President) and the new Committee Members.
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
In Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family, he stitches together an almost dreamlike journal that navigates a return to his origins in Sri Lanka, evocatively confronting the gnawing incompleteness in his cultural identity, along with the layer of dust settled over his ancestral line in Ceylon. Ondaatje’s imagery shimmers with tropical heat and the haze of memory, and the exciting semi-autobiographical account he’d crafted stuck with me. Reading about his hollow connection with home felt uncomfortably familiar, and although I’m in far greater proximity to my own native land of Kodagu, a cultural enigma still persists somewhere.
Kodagu (anglicised as Coorg), despite its indistinguishable and seamless borders, has always been recognised as an independent region in the country. The district hums a wild rhythm of lime groves and red squirrels and sweet cardamom, and has had an electric pull on tourists in recent years. However, we’ve been tucked away for decades, earning a certain cultural obscurity in our isolation and lack of political voice.
As Kodava writer Kaveri Ponnapa observes in her exhaustive book The Vanishing Kodavas, “These rustic mountain people, their extraordinary way of life, and the exhilarating beauty and mystery of their land have intrigued generations of writers, travelers, soldiers, and administrators. Where did they come from, these people acknowledged by everyone who encountered them, as puzzlingly different from all the people in the lands surrounding them, even from those with whom they had lived in close proximity for centuries?” I still think of Kodagu with a childlike wonder, each time I visit contains the magic of a first visit, but also with a little guilt – detachment is a symptom of living in the city, as well as ignoring how inextricably linked we are to our cultural identities and ancestors in every sense.
The Kodava community is a recognised microcosm of distinct social observances, but how my people actually came into being within the pitted hills of the Western Ghats remains an anthropological question mark. It’s a discussion that is bursting with rather muddled speculation, but little concrete information to rest on. In the vast universe of Hindu mythology, Kodagu was gifted its name from Lord Brahma, who created the river Kaveri that runs through the land. According to another legend from the Puranas (ancient texts), Kodagu was once called “Krodadesa”, a name which symbolised the land (“desa”) blessed by the Mother Goddess.
THE KODAVA COMMUNITY IS A RECOGNISED MICROCOSM OF DISTINCT SOCIAL OBSERVANCES, BUT HOW MY PEOPLE ACTUALLY CAME INTO BEING WITHIN THE PITTED HILLS OF THE WESTERN GHATS REMAINS AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL QUESTION-MARK.
Among many historical conclusions is that after Alexander the Great had invaded North India, many of his soldiers remained, married the native women, and settled down in the valleys of the Western Ghats, particularly the Kodagu region. Another theory by Abdul Gaffar Khan in his book Kodavaru Arabiyaru draws a connection between Kodavas and Arabs, based on the similarities of the patterns and styles of traditional clothing in both communities. Perhaps the strangest explanation floating around is that Kodavas descended from Mt. Caucasus, which belonged to the former USSR territory.
A foolproof historical point from which we can actually begin tracing Kodagu’s roots is its first recorded appearance in second century Tamil literature, where the district is dubbed “Kudakam” in reference to its western geographical location. Furthermore, Ponnapa rationalises the etymology of Kodagu: “Given the simplicity of the Kodava language, and the practical nature of the people, the name Kodagu is most likely rooted in the word ‘kodimalenad’, meaning the ‘hill country’, or ‘forested highland country’.”
Ponnapa also cautions her readers about the dangers of experiencing Kodagu’s rich and complex past through the many ‘problematic’ colonial accounts that exist as the few contemporary narrations of Kodagu and her people. According to Ponnapa, the British records of the rajahs that ruled over Kodagu paint a flawed and antagonising image of “tyrannical, bloodthirsty monarchs ruling over a dispirited, craven people.” It’s a reminder to consume information about people and places responsibly, since history is always written by the victors. Unfortunately, the physical sources that could potentially have captured the life and times of a bygone Kodagu are stained by the East India Company’s manipulative censorship and efforts of proselytisation.
I THINK THIS IS MOST ESSENTIAL IN UNDERSTANDING HOW THE KODAGU SOCIETY TREATED ITS WOMEN, AS THEY WERE PRESENTED WITH THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE, AND MANAGED TO PRESERVE A SENSE OF AUTONOMY FOR THEMSELVES.
Recognising the Kodavas’ singularity as a community is impossible without also recognising its strong matriarchal undertones. Kodagu women were and still are extraordinary in their commanding wisdom and hardiness. One would think they had steel stitched into their spines, as they balanced burdensome farm and menial work. Their ability to have carved out an individual role for themselves in a male-dominated society is striking, and some believe that Kodava society may have, at one point in time, been matrilineal in nature.
The physical and social environment of Kodagu generated certain selection pressures that pushed its people to embody a sense of bravery and strength, and as Ponnapa phrases it, “society endorsed a cult of heroism”. Men weren’t the only ones lionised for their fearlessness, as women were also held in high esteem.
In regard to matrimonial matters, women were considered marriageable at any age, and those who decided to remain bachelorettes could do so without any social disapproval. Most importantly, the tradition of dowry was non-existent during marriage. I think this is most essential in understanding how the Kodagu society treated its women, as they were presented with the right to choose, and managed to preserve a sense of autonomy for themselves. Moreover, Kodavas liberated themselves from the oppression of the caste system, and isolated themselves from the archaic Aryan varnsashram, or the Vedic system that divides society into natural groups. Instead of castes, Kodavas arranged themselves into family-based communities with units called okkas.
The rapid pace of globalisation has triggered the inevitable dwindling of Kodagu culture as people migrate into the cities in search of job and opportunity, but Ponnapa reminds us of the vulnerability of small ethnic groups and the urgency to safeguard cultural identities. Her painstaking research and commitment to telling our stories is a comforting reminder that even if Kodagu traditions and values are endangered, they can still be protected through little and big measures.
All photography credits: Sudeep Gurtu
source: http://www.feminisminindia.com / Feminism In India / Home> Magazine> Culture / by Anoushka Narendra / February 15th, 2019
Awaiting distribution: A view of the Madikeri Junior College building where the relief materials have been stored
The Kodagu district administration has decided to supply the relief materials meant for the natural calamity victims that were stored in Junior College building for the last six months, to various orphanages and old-age homes in the district.
There were allegations from the public that the stored relief materials are getting spoiled over a period of time. Even the Zilla Panchayat meeting had discussed the issue at length and had decided to distribute the relief materials among the needy.
‘Priority for victims’
Officials said, “Priority will be given for the natural calamity victims. The remaining relief materials will be supplied as per the directions of the deputy commissioner.”
Representatives from Swasthya Kendra, Suntikoppa, Sthree Shakti old age home, Madikeri, Vikasa Janaseva Trust, Hiriya Nagarikara Vedike and Amritavani arrived on Monday to collect the food grants.
Swasthya Kendra representative Sathish said, “I have come here on the direction of the officials. The officials have promised to give 25 kg rice, which will be beneficial for us to serve the children at the kendra.”
Vikasa Janaseva Trust president Ramesh said, “Officials should ensure that food grains at the godown are not wasted.”
A large quantity of relief materials are stored in the godowns of Madikeri and Kushalnagar.
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said that food grains will be distributed among the victims. The remaining food materials will be distributed among old-age homes.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / by DH News Service, Madikeri / February 11th, 2019
Coorg Public School (COPS), Gonikoppal, South Kodagu, was awarded with ‘Top Schools of India Ranking-2018’ by Dr. Ravi Gupta, Editor-in-Chief, Digital Learning and CEO, Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd., at the School Leadership Summit held in Bengaluru recently.
Benny Kuriakose (left), Principal of Coorg Public School, who was selected as the Brainfeed Edu Leader of the Year 2018-19, received the award from the dignitary.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / February 07th, 2019
Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has announced ₹100 crore in his budget for the construction of a 450-bed teaching hospital in Madikeri for Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS).
The college was lacking the hospital since its establishment and the district hospital was supporting it.
Other budget announcements for Kodagu include – ₹2 crore for the newly-formed Kodagu Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority; ₹5 crore for Kodava Samaj Hockey Stadium in Virajpet taluk; a grant of ₹10 crore for the overall development of Kodava community; resurvey of Mysuru and Kodagu using drones. A new sports hostel has been announced for Madikeri with a few other cities at a cost of ₹12.5 crore.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – February 09th, 2019
The Jamiat Ulema-e, a Muslim organization, on Thursday distributed Rs 50 lakh among nearly 350 . The funds were distributed at function organized by the organization at Kaveri Kalakshetra in .
“Humanism is above religion and each one should cultivate humanity,” said Maulana Mufthi Ifthkar, president, Karnataka Jamiat Ulema-e.
Hajarath Maulana Mufthi Shamsuddin, secretary of the organization, said, “We have come forward to help the people in need and no religion will come in the way of this godly act.”
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source: http://www.milbankmonitor.com / MilBankMonitor.com / Home> World News / by Milbank News Writer / February 06th, 2019
Akkamahadevi Study Chair chairperson Leeladevi R Prasad inaugurates Kodagu district’s first women’s literary meet at Kanive in Kushalnagar on Sunday.
Kannada Book Authority Chairperson Dr Vasundhara Bhoopathi said there is a need to set up a trust in the name of well known Kodagu writer — Kodagina Gauramma.
Speaking at the first Kodagu district women’s Kannada literary meet organised by Kannada Sahitya Parishat at Kanive on Sunday, she said, “Kodagina Gauramma was a well known women writer of Kodagu. One cannot discuss women’s literature without the literary works of Gauramma. Hence, a trust should be set up. The house where she lived should be developed as a memorial.”
“Several women are engaged in posting their story and poems on social media. The review of women’s literature has been sidelined,” she lamented.
She said, “From the inception of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, efforts are being made to conserve the Kannada language. The literary meets organised by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat not only discusses literature but also the burning issues of the land. Kodagu was a symbol of prosperity. The natural calamity that hit Kodagu on August 16 has saddened the people of the state. The rehabilitation works are pending in the district. It is nice to see people in Kodagu district engaged in literary activities amid the pain encountered by them after the natural calamity.”
Akkamahadevi Study Chair chairperson Leeladevi R Prasad said, “Only 16% of the people in the state capital converse in Kannada. There is a fear that Kannadigas will be sidelined in the state capital.”
“Literature and culture are two eyes of our life. Literature helps in improving knowledge. However, the fight for tradition, culture, and protecting the land is restricted to only speech,” she lamented.
MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan said, “English is a necessity in today’s world. However, we cannot forget Kannada.”
In her presidential address, Sammelana president Vijaya Vishnu Bhat said, “We need to develop love for our mother tongue. Kannada language has a rich history. How can we get attracted to another language by keeping aside this rich language.”
“When masterpieces were written in Kannada, English was in a nascent stage. I do not want people to hate other languages. Learning of languages help in expanding the horizon of knowledge. In the name of English, we should not sideline our mother tongue Kannada,” she added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DH News Service, Kushalnagar / February 03rd, 2019
District in-charge minister Sa Ra Mahesh chairs a meeting at the DC’s office in Madikeri on Friday, on rehabilitation activities in Kodagu. Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, MLAs M P Appacchu Ranjan and K G Bopaiah, MLCs Sunil Subramani and Veena Acchaiah, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy and ZP CEO K Lakshmipriya look on.
Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty said that the foundation will construct 200 houses for flood and landslide victims in Kodagu.
Speaking after inspecting the site earmarked for rehabilitation of victims on Friday, she said that during the inauguration of Dasara celebrations in Mysuru, Infosys Foundation had promised to contribute Rs 25 crore for the victims.
“It has now been decided that Infosys foundation will itself construct houses with the fund. Nearly 100 houses will be built in two different phases. The government has agreed to fund Rs 9.85 lakh for each house,” she added.
“The foundation will contribute an equal amount. The remainder will be used to repair damaged houses. Contractors hired by Infosys Foundation will build the houses in a government approved model. The representatives of the foundation will monitor the constructions,” she said.
Other than building houses, 100 cowsheds and 100 poultry farming centres would also be built by Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murty said, adding that there was a plan to construct a poly house for farmers, at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.
Sponsors
District in-charge minister Sa Ra Mahesh said that people ready to sponsor houses for flood victims were welcome.
“The government will undertake river desilting and funds will be set aside in the state budget for it. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will chair the meeting of the Kodagu Reconstruction Authority on February 10. A final decision on the disposal of timber washed away during the flash floods will be made at the same meet. A discussion on ‘C’ and ‘D’ land in the district, will also be held,” said the Minister.
The minister directed officials to complete the rehabilitation projects before the monsoon.
Members of Legislative Assembly M P Appacchu Ranjan and K G Bopaiah, Members of Legislative Council Sunil Subramani and Veena Acchaiah, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy and ZP CEO K Lakshmipriya were present in the meeting.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / February 02nd, 2019
