Dr. Vani C Raghavendra (hailing from Chammanamada family in Kodagu and currently residing in Mysuru) has entered the Guinness World Records for her participation and contribution to the “Largest Reading and Listening Competition,” organised by Ebek Language Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, India.
Dr. Vani achieved this milestone and received the official Guinness World Record certificate by actively completing all stages of the competition and accurately answering the quiz questions within the required time limits.
This achievement stands as a testament to her dedication, hard work and profound passion for education.
As an educator at Sadviveka School, Dr. Vani is committed to building self-confidence and essential life skills among her students.
Believing that education brings both knowledge and the power to transform lives, Dr. Vani shared that this record is a dream realised through the support of her mentors, family, friends, colleagues and students.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 24th, 2026
‘Kodava Veera Janangada Antaratma Part-1’, written by Iythichanda Ramesh Uthappa, was released recently at the Kodava Samaja in Ponnampet. The event was organised by Jabbhoomi Charitable Trust.
Virajpet MLA and Chief Minister’s Legal Advisor Ajjikuttira S. Ponnanna released the book and stressed the need for Kodavas to preserve their inherited customs and values without being influenced by external forces.
The book focuses on the uniqueness and nuances of Kodava culture and seeks to highlight the importance of preserving traditional values.
It also attempts to challenge colonial historical narratives through researched accounts, references and documentation of Kodagu’s oral traditions.
The author examines the underlying meanings of various Kodava customs, heritage and regional practices, besides highlighting the spiritual and cultural ties the community has historically maintained with its ‘Guru Karonas’.
Speaking after releasing the book, Ponnanna said Kodavas should never forget their authentic traditions and practices. He appreciated the author’s efforts in preparing the comprehensive volume and said documentation was vital to the community’s ongoing demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list.
Jabbhoomi Trust’s Chottekmada Rajiv Bopaiah said the book was the outcome of more than two years of collecting records and historical material relating to Kodava attire, rituals and traditions.
“This is the first step in recording our culture in a way that allows us to proudly claim it as our own,” he said.
Author Ramesh Uthappa said the book was an effort to pass Kodava practices on to the next generation by documenting what he had learnt from elders. He said the work avoided distorted history and instead presented factual accounts of Kodava life. “Such works will play a crucial role in legally documenting Kodava rights and existence,” he said.
The author also interacted with the audience and explained various aspects of the book, citing examples of the uniqueness and nuances of Kodava culture.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Articles / September 24th, 2026
The forty-year-old is competing at the Asian Games for a remarkable seventh time; the veteran, still chasing gold, is keen to add to her tally of five medals at the quadrennial showpiece.
Joshna is still going strong. | Photo Credit: PTI
For nearly a quarter of a century, Joshna Chinappa has stood like a colossus on the squash court. At 40, Joshna doesn’t seem to have lost her fighting spirit and tenacity.
She knows she is ageing, has tweaked her training module accordingly and has remained one of the finest players in the country a good 24 years after she made her Asian Games debut in Busan in 2002.
Taking part only in the women’s team and mixed doubles (with Velavan Senthilkumar) events at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Games, the veteran from Chennai is more than eager to bag another medal.
Seeded third in mixed doubles, the Velavan-Joshna duo will take on the fellow Indian pair of Suraj Chand and Shameena Riaz in the round of 16 after having received a bye in the first. In the women’s team event (Anahat Singh, Tanvi Khanna and Shameena are her teammates), the No. 3-seeded India has been drawn in Pool C alongside Japan, China and Iran.
On the PSA World Tour, Joshna’s career has overlapped with three generations of elite squash players. Most of her contemporaries — Nicol David (43), Laura Massaro (42), Jenny Duncalf (43), Alison Waters (42) and Annie Au (37) — have long retired, underlining her remarkable longevity.
Placed 73rd in the chart, Joshna is India’s third-highest ranked woman behind the 18-year-old Anahat Singh (World No. 17) and Tanvi Khanna (World No. 71). A winner of 11 PSA titles, she continues to perform at a high level and is determined to make another significant contribution at the Asian Games. Everyone who has followed Joshna’s career knows how meticulous and disciplined she is in her preparation.
Saurav Ghosal, a former men’s top-10 player, perhaps perfectly summed up her longevity. “First and foremost, she really, really loves the game. She’s immensely talented, but she has also worked tirelessly on every aspect of her game to remain at the top for as long as she has. I hope that she comes back from the Asian Games with quite a few gold medals.”
In this interview with The Hindu, the five-time Asian Games medallist reflects on her longevity, debut at the 2002 Asiad, most cherished memories from the continental showpiece, and the motivation that continues to drive her at the highest level. Excerpts:
You are competing at the Asian Games for the seventh time, becoming the first Indian sportsperson to achieve the feat…
I honestly didn’t think I would make a seventh Asian Games appearance. I just focused on my training and tournaments. It definitely feels great to be a part of the Indian team again.
You have won five medals at the Asiad, but a gold remains elusive. What are the chances of clinching the yellow metal?
We have a strong team and yes, it would be great to win another medal. I have always taken my matches one at a time, so I am as prepared as I can be.
Looking back, which was your best Asian Games?
Performance-wise, 2018 would probably be the best I played (singles bronze and silver in women’s team).
How special was it to be on the Asiad stage as a teenager?
As a 15-year-old, it was amazing to see so many superstars of Indian sport in one Village. There is one memory that stands out from my first Games in Busan in 2002. We are usually given our official India clothing and I would obviously wear that to play and train. But in my down time at the Village, I wore a personal T-shirt at the food hall a couple of times, and legendary hockey player Dhanraj Pillay told me that I had to be in my India clothing. It’s something we should always be proud of. It was inspiring for me because it made me aware that I am always representing my country at the Games on and off court… that has stayed with me till now.
You were part of the top 10 in the PSA rankings thrice. When you got there for the first time as a 29-year-old in July 2016, how did you feel?
The top 10 is a special place. It took a lot of effort, especially coming back from my ACL surgery, and years of work with my team.
There were top players like Nour El Sherbini, Raneem El Welily, Nouran Gohar, Camille Serme and Massaro. So how difficult was it to get or stay there?
I definitely played with a bunch of incredibly talented and hardworking women who were greats of the game. Playing with them, beating some of them and making it to the top 10 was one of the best moments of my career.
What did the win over Nicol — an eight-time World champion — in the 2018 Asian Games women’s team semifinals mean to you?
It meant a lot because I have always looked up to her and admired how humble she is as a champion. I really wanted to do it for the team. She is one of the greatest of all-time. Coming in from the disappointment of losing singles and making the team final after beating a strong team like Malaysia was amazing!
You had a on-court rivalry with Dipika Pallikal but shared a bond and went on to bag medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games…
We have had some amazing wins together for India and I will always think of my time competing with her and playing alongside her as inspiring and motivating.
You have won 11 Tour titles. You had to wait 10 years to earn your latest crown, at the Japan Open in 2025. Why did it take so long to end the drought?
I didn’t expect to win in Japan. It felt great to win after ages, especially since I beat girls who were in their early 20s and were ranked way higher than me. The difference now is that I am a lot more relaxed towards competing and I am more performance-oriented than result-focused. Maybe it just helps me enjoy and appreciate these moments more and play better squash.
Every title I have won has come at different times of my life: they all have come after years of training and preparation. Each one has been rewarding.
How have you been able to sustain at this level for nearly quarter of a century? Is it down to mental sharpness, your focus on fitness, outlook towards life or all three?
The main reason I am able to still compete today is my parents. My team, including my coach, strength and conditioning trainer, physios, nutritionist and sports psychologist, has been amazing. The support from my sponsors, the State government, Central government and Squash Rackets Federation of India has been great. It takes a lot to compete at the highest level and it’s only possible because of the amazing people I work with. I do work a lot on the mental and physical side of the game besides recovery. I really appreciate and worship my body, which has been so incredibly supportive.
Joshna took to the sport after playing with her father at MCC. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
How much has the sport evolved since you began playing?
So much! At the international level, the game has become so much more physically demanding, faster and skilful. Domestically, we have many players playing, and the level has improved a lot. Seeing so many PSA (World Tour) events happening in India is wonderful because many of our players benefit tremendously by playing in them and watching the top players competing here in India.
Squash will make its debut at the 2028 LA Olympics…
Such exciting times ahead for squash. India has a great chance to do well.
You had knee injuries/surgeries in 2011 and 2023? How challenging was it physically and mentally to come back from those?
I tore my ACL on the right knee in 2011 and was out of the game for a year. I was encouraged to quit playing and get into coaching. I had no financial support but I moved to Bombay (Mumbai) and worked with a really good Egyptian physio and trainer — Ahmed Youssef. When I got back to playing, coach Ritwik Bhattacharya helped me. Some of my best victories came after that surgery because I believed I had a lot more to offer to the game and I really wanted to play for India again.
And in 2023, during the last Asian Games, I found that there was no cartilage in my right knee and it also needed a surgery. But I did the surgery more for quality of life as it was painful to do basic things like driving, getting out of bed comfortably and jogging. My surgeon, Dr. Jagdeesh, who did my ACL surgery, also did my cartilage surgery and told me that I would be able to compete again. So I moved to Bengaluru and worked with Yash Pandey at Peak Performance. I got back on court after five months of rehab. I decided to train and play for a couple more years to see if I could play the Asian Games.
How big a support has your father been and what are your memories of playing with him at Madras Cricket Club?
My dad is the main reason I am here today. He introduced me to the game as he was a squash player himself. I have the best memories of tagging along with him to the MCC and playing squash with him, other MCC members and my friends. He was my coach and motivator for a very long time, especially when I was a junior.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by K Keerthivasan / September 24th, 2026
Concern has intensified as the Coffee Board is undertaking a detailed land survey of coffee growing regions in India, including Karnataka.
The Board official said Karnataka produces 70 per cent of India’s coffee. File Photo | Express
Bengaluru :
Coffee estate owners in Karnataka are worried. Though the State Government passed a resolution opposing the 7th draft notification for implementation of the Kasturirangan report, it has now announced that it will undertake a detailed survey of forest land, buffer zones and eco-sensitive areas in and around forest patches. This comes as a concern as around 30 per cent of coffee estates sit on encroached forest and revenue department land parcels.
Sources in the Coffee Board said coffee estates in Karnataka abut forest land. “In the past, land parcels used for coffee cultivation were part of forest and revenue lands, but were not a concern. Now with rising man-animal conflict, the declaration of ESA and protected forest patches, the area under coffee plantation is becoming a concern,” a source said.
“Most of the areas of concern are in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Hassan districts. The encroachments have not yet been legalised. If the land parcels are taken away, the coffee plantation area in the state will be reduced, impacting coffee production too. Further, if the Kasturirangan report notification on ESA is implemented, 30-35 per cent of coffee growing region will be lost as it falls under protected areas,” the source said.
Concern has intensified as the Coffee Board is undertaking a detailed land survey of coffee growing regions in India, including Karnataka. Through the survey the Board is also assessing the impact of drought and unprecedented rainfall in parts of the state which would impact coffee production during the next financial year.
According to Coffee Board officials, during FY 2025-26, 3.62 lakh tonnes of coffee was produced. Looking at the blossoming period, the Board had estimated production at 3.80-4 lakh tonnes.
A senior Board member, seeking anonymity, said: “There is limited scope for expansion of coffee-growing region in Karnataka, which is around 2.46 lakh hectares. The Board is looking at utilising areas where arecanut is grown in Shivamogga and Sagar for growing coffee, apart from regions in northeast India and Andhra Pradesh. But Karnataka’s suitable climate for shade grown coffee will be destroyed if land parcels are recovered or declared as protected areas.
The Board official said Karnataka produces 70 per cent of India’s coffee, and the Union government has set a target of increasing coffee production in Karnataka to 7 lakh tonnes by 2047. But with land becoming a constraint, rising man-animal conflict and buffer zone rules, this target seems out of reach, the official said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Bosky Khanna / September 23rd, 2026
Commenting on Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s recent visit to the coastal belt, Wadiyar described the region as a stronghold of the BJP and criticised the government’s track record.
Mysuru:
Mysore-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar urged the Karnataka State government to extend official language status to Kodava and Arebhashe in Kodagu district, similar to the recognition granted to Tulu as a second additional official language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
Addressing a press conference, in Mysuru, on Saturday, Wadiyar welcomed the decision to grant recognition to the Tulu language, but demanded equal efforts from the government towards preservation and promotion of Kodagu’s native languages.
Responding to plans to hold Kambala, traditional buffalo race of the coastal region, during Mysuru Dasara festivities, the MP said, “Knowing fully well that we would object to organising Kambala as part of Mysuru Dasara, they are still pushing it forward, attempting to create division among us. We are neither anti-coastal nor anti-Kambala. Instead of bringing it here, the government should support and enrich the sport in the coastal region itself, by allocating necessary funds”.
Commenting on Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s recent visit to the coastal belt, Wadiyar described the region as a stronghold of the BJP and criticised the government’s track record.
“Merely announcing schemes and projects is not enough. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made several announcements in the past as well, but none of them saw actual implementation,” he alleged.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> India> Karnataka> Mysuru / by T R Sathish Kumar / September 19th,2026
Centuries-old customs preserved through attire, weapons and ancestral rituals.
The peeche kathi and odikathi are traditional symbols of Kodava identity, worn as part of ceremonial dress (Photo: Yana Kaveramma/Wikkimedia Commons)
Held against the green hills of Coorg in Karnataka, Kodava weddings are distinctive for the Kodava community’s warrior heritage, ancestral traditions and close-knit social customs. From the bride and groom’s traditional attire and ceremonial weapons to rituals honouring ancestors and community participation, these weddings preserve a cultural identity shaped over generations.
Away from the better-known coffee plantations and mist-covered landscapes of Coorg, or Kodagu, in Karnataka, the weddings of the Kodava community offer a glimpse into a distinctive cultural tradition where marriage is closely connected with ancestry, family and martial heritage. Traditional attire, ceremonial weapons, ancestral homes, music and community rituals come together to create a celebration that reflects the history and identity of the Kodavas.
The customs surrounding a Kodava wedding have evolved over generations, shaped by the community’s distinctive social organisation and its long association with military service. While contemporary weddings may incorporate modern venues and practices, several traditional elements continue to connect families with their ancestral past.
A community shaped by warrior heritage
Kodagu has long been associated with the Kodavas, a community whose history includes a strong martial tradition. Kodava men traditionally served as soldiers and were known for their association with weapons, while military service remained an important part of the community’s identity.
This heritage is particularly visible during weddings, where ceremonial weapons form an important part of the groom’s traditional appearance. The peeche kathi, a small ceremonial dagger, and the odikathi, a traditional weapon carried as part of Kodava ceremonial dress, are among the symbols associated with Kodava identity.
Rather than serving a practical purpose during the wedding, these weapons represent values such as courage, honour and the community’s warrior past. Their presence also reflects the importance of family possessions and traditions passed from one generation to another.
Where wedding clothes reflect a community’s past
The clothing worn by the bride and groom are among the most recognisable features of a Kodava wedding. The bride traditionally wears a sari in the distinctive Kodava style, with the pleats tucked at the back. The sari is accompanied by traditional jewellery that forms an important part of the community’s visual identity.
Kodava ainmanes, or ancestral homes, are closely tied to family lineage, ancestral memory and important community gatherings (Photo: Raqesh Thimmaiah/Wikkimedia Commons)
The groom traditionally wears a kupya, a long, knee-length garment, with a chele, a traditional waist sash. The ceremonial dagger is worn with the sash, bringing together the community’s traditions of dress and martial heritage.
The attire is not simply wedding clothing. It carries elements of identity that distinguish Kodava customs from other wedding traditions found across Karnataka and the wider region.
Ancestral homes at the heart of tradition
For Kodava families, the ainmane, or ancestral home, occupies an important place in community life. These traditional family homes are closely associated with lineage and the memory of ancestors and have historically served as gathering places for important family occasions.
Ancestral customs remain an important part of Kodava social traditions. Weddings can therefore become occasions to reconnect with the family’s lineage and acknowledge the generations that came before the couple.
The role of the ainmane also highlights the collective nature of Kodava identity. Marriage is not viewed only as a union between two individuals but as an occasion involving two families and their wider social networks.
Ancestral customs at the heart of the celebration
Kodava wedding customs include ceremonies that reflect the community’s relationship with its ancestors. Karanang Kodpo is one such traditional ceremony associated with honouring and invoking ancestral spirits.
The rituals surrounding marriage have traditionally involved members of the extended family, reinforcing the idea that the wedding is a community occasion rather than a private ceremony involving only the bride and groom.
Unlike weddings where religious priests and elaborate rituals dominate the proceedings, traditional Kodava marriage customs have historically placed considerable emphasis on family participation, ancestral traditions and community practices.
A wedding celebrated by the community
Community participation is one of the defining features of a traditional Kodava wedding. Relatives and members of the wider community come together to assist with preparations, participate in ceremonies and share meals.
Music, traditional songs and dances can form part of the celebrations, helping preserve elements of Kodava oral culture. Such gatherings also provide an opportunity for younger generations to encounter customs that may otherwise be less visible in everyday life.
Food is another important part of the occasion. Traditional Kodava cuisine, known for its distinctive use of local ingredients and meat preparations, forms an important part of wedding feasts and brings families and guests together.
Weapons that carry memory
The ceremonial weapons seen during Kodava weddings are among the most distinctive symbols of the tradition. Their significance extends beyond the wedding itself, as weapons have historically been closely associated with Kodava family identity.
The peeche kathi is generally worn by the groom as part of his traditional attire, while the odikathi has a ceremonial association with Kodava traditions. In some families, such objects may be inherited, giving them an additional connection to family history.
Their presence at weddings therefore serves as a reminder of a time when martial traditions played a much greater role in the social life of the community. Today, they function primarily as cultural symbols, preserving that history within a contemporary celebration.
Kodava weddings adapt to a changing world
Like many traditional ceremonies across India, Kodava weddings have evolved as lifestyles and social circumstances have changed. Families increasingly hold celebrations in marriage halls, hotels and other modern venues, while some incorporate elements of contemporary Indian weddings.
Yet the changes have not necessarily removed the community’s traditional identity. Kodava attire, ceremonial weapons, ancestral customs, traditional cuisine and community participation continue to feature in many celebrations.
For Kodavas living outside Coorg, weddings can also become occasions to return to their ancestral homes and reconnect with relatives and community traditions. This has given the ceremony an additional role as a means of cultural transmission.
A living heritage of Coorg
A Kodava wedding offers more than a glimpse into a community’s marriage customs. As modern lifestyles reshape the way weddings are organised, these customs are also being adapted to new settings. Yet their continued presence ensures that the history of the Kodavas remains visible not only in Coorg’s landscapes and ancestral homes, but also in the ceremonies through which each new generation celebrates family and community.
source: http://www.mediaindia.eu / Media India Group / Home> Tourism / by Ananya Karn / September 20th, 2026
From 2nd to 5th October 2026, Nexus Seawoods in Navi Mumbai will host the regional qualifying rounds for the National Barista Championship, Brewers’ Cup and Latte Art Championship ahead of the Bengaluru finals.
Mumbai Prelims
Navi Mumbai :
The India International Coffee Festival (IICF) 2027 is making its way across the country, and Mumbai is next. Presented by the Speciality Coffee Association of India (SCAI) and the Coffee Board of India, the regional prelims of India’s national coffee championships arrive at Nexus Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, from 2nd to 5th October. These are qualifying rounds, not the main festival. Winners earn a place at the National Finals, held at the flagship IICF event in Bengaluru in February 2027. Mumbai is one of three prelim cities on the national circuit, alongside Delhi and Bengaluru.
Over four days, India’s most accomplished coffee professionals compete across three disciplines. The National Barista Championship prelims, sponsored by Kaapi Solutions, open the stage on 2nd and 3rd October, where technical mastery and consistency separate contenders from champions.
On 4th October, the National Brewers’ Cup celebrates precision and technique across a range of manual brewing methods.
The competition concludes on 5th October with the National Latte Art Championship prelims, sponsored by Kaapi Machines, where espresso, milk and craft converge in a display of skill and artistry.
While these are qualifying rounds rather than the main festival, the experience extends well beyond competition. Leading coffee brands, roasters and equipment makers will be on hand making it a compelling stop for café professionals, home brewers and anyone serious about speciality coffee.
Dates: 2nd – 5th October 2026
Venue: Nexus Seawoods, Navi Mumbai
source: http://www.communicafe.com / International Communicafe / Home> Coffee > News> Trade Shows / September 15th,2026
What can Lake Huron tell us about early life on Earth? Join a live streamed exploration today at 11 a.m. of one of the Great Lakes’ most extraordinary underwater environments and discover a world that resembles the Earth as it was years ago.
The backup dates are Sept. 17-18.
Hidden beneath the waters of Lake Huron lies the Middle Island Sinkhole. Formed over thousands of years as groundwater dissolved the limestone beneath the lakebed, the sinkhole plunges 80 feet below the surface into a colorful ecosystem unlike anything in the Great Lakes. This rare environment attracts researchers from around the world seeking clues about early life on Earth.
Freshwater explorers and filmmakers Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert are teaming up with Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Great Lakes Now for the first-ever livestream from this underwater time capsule, providing an up-close look at an area that, until now, has only been experienced by advanced divers. Using a high-tech remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with high-resolution cameras, the team will descend into the sinkhole, following divers as they collect samples from the remarkable microbial mats that carpet the bottom.
Viewers will get an up-close look at the sinkhole’s colorful bacterial communities, vast carpets splotched with shades of purple, brown, and white. Scientists believe this globally significant ecosystem can provide insights into how life evolved on early Earth and how the planet’s first oxygen-producing organisms transformed the atmosphere. While beautiful to look at, the sinkhole is deadly to most other lake lifeforms due to the water’s lack of oxygen.
Along for the journey will be Dr. Bopaiah Biddanda from Grand Valley State University, an Aquatic Microbial Ecologist who has spent years studying the sinkhole’s unique ecosystem. Sarah Morrison, Media Specialist at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, will share how the sanctuary supports researchers looking to uncover the secrets of the sinkhole.
Biddanda, Morrison, Melnick, and Drebert will answer audience questions in real-time during the dive.
The date and time are subject to last-minute change due to weather conditions. Follow Great Lakes Now and Hidden Below: The Great Lakes on social media to stay updated about the expedition.
Hidden Below: Live is a collaboration between Great Lakes Now and Inspired Planet Productions to bring real-time, interactive explorations of the Great Lakes to audiences around the world. Previous expeditions have included the deepest part of the Great Lakes and the fish-filled warm waters surrounding North America’s largest nuclear power plant
source: http://www.thealpenanews.com / The Alpena News / Home> Lifestyles / by The Alpena News / September 15th, 2026
Under the “Enhancing Indic Oral Culture” initiative on Wikimedia Projects
For the past two years, our team (Mr Santhosh Notagar and Mr Hariprasad Shetty) has been part of the Enhancing Indic Oral Culture on Wikimedia projects initiative, travelling across North Karnataka to record folk traditions before they quietly slip out of living memory. I had already written about our time with the Lambani community for this same project. When it came time to choose a language for Phase 2, our team settled on Kodava — the language of Coorg. And if I’m honest, this one felt personal long before it felt like work.
I’ve lived in Mangalore for four years now, and in that time I’ve crossed paths with more students and colleagues from Madikeri and the wider Coorg region than I can count. There was always something different about them — an energy I couldn’t quite name. Part of it, I think, was how close they lived to nature. Part of it was the quiet pride with which they carried their traditions, their attire, their food, into every room they walked into. When we realized how little of Kodava language and community history existed online, it felt less like spotting a gap and more like being handed a responsibility.
A Sunday in Madikeri
On June 21st, 2026, a Sunday, we drove up to Madikeri to meet Mr. Bopanada Poonacha—a man who earned a Master’s degree in the Kodava language in his late fifties, not for a career, not for a title, but purely because the subject wouldn’t let him go. I haven’t stopped thinking about that. Most of us spend our fifties trying to hold on to what we’ve already built. He spent his time learning something new, just because it mattered to him. He and his family welcomed us the way you’d welcome someone you’d been waiting for, not strangers arriving with a camera. His home stopped me at the doorway—Kodava architecture everywhere, warm and lived-in, nothing performative about it. But it was the small temple space inside that undid me a little. It wasn’t like any traditional temple space we would usually find in other parts of Karnataka. Just a single traditional lamp, kept burning, representing Kaveri Amma. No face, no form — just light, quietly doing the work that a thousand statues elsewhere try to do. Standing in front of it, something in me went still. I understood, in a way I hadn’t before, why the river and the mountain and the forest hold the place they do in Kodava belief. Nature isn’t decoration for their faith. It is the faith, unguarded and unadorned.
The temple consisting of mainly a lamp inside traditional Kodava House
Mr. Bopanada Poonacha in Kodava traditional attire for DDIOC 2026 project interview
Small details kept finding me after that, the way they do when your heart is already open. None of the homes had ceiling fans—they’d simply never needed one, the climate having always taken care of that for them. It was only with the creeping heat of climate change that families were beginning to bring in stand fans, almost reluctantly, like admitting something they didn’t want to admit. And every home had a garden, not manicured for show but genuinely alive—flowering plants, fruit-bearing saplings, and soil that clearly got tended to before breakfast. Nature at home first, in the plainest, most literal sense I’ve ever seen it practiced.
History, Food, and a Marriage That Belongs to No One Else
Mr. Poonacha spoke for hours, and it never once felt like an interview. It felt like being let into a room we hadn’t yet earned entry to. He told us how Talakaveri came to be and why nature is the most celebrated god in Kodava belief and walked us through their food and their history of hunting. He described their attire in loving detail. And then he told us something that quietened the whole room: a Kodava wedding has no priest presiding over it at all. No outsider is called in to make the moment official. It’s the community itself, the family itself, that carries the ceremony from start to end—and it’s the mother who ties the mangalasutra on her daughter, no one else, no exception. I’ve sat through weddings my whole life where the most sacred moment is handed to someone outside the family to perform. Here, it never leaves the people it belongs to. I didn’t expect that detail to move me the way it did, but it did.
One of the things Mr. Poonacha spent the most time on, almost like he wanted to make sure we got it exactly right, was the story behind the Kodava logo. It comes from the region’s martial heritage, he explained, and brings together three objects that have carried Kodava identity for generations: the Peeche Kathi, a traditional dagger; the Odi Kathi, a broad-bladed war sword; and a thok, a gun. Listening to him lay out each piece—what it was used for, what it meant to carry one, and why all three together and not just one—I realized the logo wasn’t a design choice at all. It was a whole history of a warrior community, folded down into a symbol small enough to wear.
By the time we were ready to leave, the family sent us off with homemade wine—brewed from betel leaves, from grapes, or whatever the season had given them that year. It felt less like hospitality and more like being fed by people who had quietly decided, somewhere in those few hours, that we were worth feeding properly.
Why This Stayed With Me
I’ve documented culture before, but this trip sat differently in my chest. Maybe because Kodava is endangered enough that almost none of what we recorded — the lamp, the wedding customs, the mangalasutra tradition, Mr. Poonacha’s own story—existed anywhere online before us. Maybe because somewhere between the doorway and the temple lamp, I stopped thinking of this as fieldwork and started feeling like a guest who’d been let in on purpose.
Kannada Wikipedia Team (DDIOC 2026) along with Mr. Bopanada Poonacha and his daughter
Two years into this project, I’ve learned that the folk songs and oral histories we record are never really the whole story. The whole story is also in the fan that isn’t there yet, the lamp instead of the idol, and a man who decided in his late fifties that a language still deserved his full attention. I came back from Madikeri a little quieter than I left, in the good way—the way you get when something has genuinely rearranged a small part of how you see the world. If our footage means even one more person online meets Kodava culture the way we got to meet it—with warmth and without a screen standing between them and it—then this trip did exactly what it set out to do.
source: http://www.diff.wikimedia.com / Diff / Home / by Reema Jalihal / August 26th, 2026
Kavery Nambisan’s Rising Sons traces generations, identities and a changing India through humour, tenderness and sharp social observation.
“At times, we observe a change in a person when, in actual fact, it is the situation that has changed. At other times, we fail to see the transformation, perceiving instead that the varied situation makes it appear so.” Our narrator in Rising Sons — an omniscient, non-bodied voice which carries the keen intelligence and wry sensibility of the book’s accomplished author Kavery Nambisan — knows the universal complexities of person and situation. There are other eternal truths observed by this narrative voice too, which occasionally address the reader directly and thus bring us into the story as characters produced by similar contexts of a country changing over a century.
Mud is life for the fifty-seven families in the village of Kesarugattu, and the rain-fed rivers are the water which sustain life. “We romanced the outside world through the newspaper. Knowledge burnished our rustic minds,” informs the narrative voice. “One day, we read the scandalous writings of a young wife of a Brahmin from Poona, about the plight of women,” and though the words of Tarabai’s letter resonated with our own book’s protagonist Gowru, who was also the young wife of a Brahmin, we will refrain from further description of her and instead move forward a couple decades to her titular sons. The eldest was Nanju, who dreamed of greatness, and “thought of himself in the guise of Vivekananda, of Aurobindo, of Tilak, but never as Gandhi. Personality and image mattered. His admiration settled on Naoroji, the elegant Parsi gentleman who had performed the unique feat of opposing the British while being friends with them.” The younger was Anna, who went to see owls with the Ai people at night, and spoke at a Congress rally in Mysoor “about growing up, his schoolboy dreams, his college days, the gradual understanding of how we were being ruled by a race of people from a faraway land and about the sure and steady swell of opposition to their rule”.
The father of these sons — and the husband of Gowru — is the twice-born Devaraya. He is a protagonist too. There are other fathers and sons, like Keshava Pujari and Vibhushana. There are also daughters: most notably Chinni, born to Gowru’s childhood friend Bhagya and her Malayali husband Dharma.
Chinni, who understood early that the world is tilted because people hide their real selves, had written a two-page letter to Bhagat Singh in prison expressing both her admiration and displeasure: “Displeasure about the way the shooting had been done, without careful planning. If I had been there, I would have helped, I wrote. I added that I was ready to marry him, in prison, and carry out the unfinished work. It was a serious proposal of marriage.” She had her reservations about Gandhi and the ideals of sacrifice which he advocated. Wearing khadi whilst privileging the language of the colonizer seemed like contradictory swadeshi to Chinni. Could simplicity of clothes genuinely lead to a corresponding transformation as simplicity of spirit? An ascetic is ascetic regardless of what they wear; external image is only one thread of internal coherence. But enough about Chinni — we must get back to the sons now.
These are the main characters we are introduced to in the novel, but there are many other fishes we meet in the pond of Kesarugattu, and in the rivers which bring them there. There are Ai tribals, Brahmins, Chandals, Mussalmans. There is Shantadevi, Muduki, Uzman and Maimoona, Sumana, Hanumantha, Gagana, Vaidehi… and even if we visit these others only briefly, their essential contours reveal themselves to us clearly through the narrative voice, which gives even minor characters the dignity of keen attention. When the scene shifts to Delhi, there is “the old mother of the driver Karthab Singh and the roasted mutton pieces she fed him while crooning love songs about the longing to shield her beloved from all danger by enfolding him in her long hair. Her husband was long dead, and she had short, wispy hair that could not protect an ant. But singing love songs gave her pleasure.”
There is also another protagonist from the village who may be listed here last but in no feasible circumstance could be considered the least, and that is Kuppu the dog: “He is still there, our beautiful all-black Kuppu — at times he is a playful little pup, at times an adolescent, and, at other times, an aged, lumbering, peace-loving fellow. Which is why people say, Kuppu is forever.”
The eternal archetypes which our transient human and non-human characters embody are depicted with such genuine tenderness that even if the book were indeed re-titled Ondu Kaththeya Atma Kathe or ‘Memoirs of a Donkey’ (as one protagonist suggests grimly), it could still trace many of the same waves of supple affection and insightful censure which characterize Rising Sons.
Donkeys do not seem to have pride or prejudice, however, which are among the main themes of this book. Character decides destiny because it shapes our choices, but a bruised ego leads to reaction rather than choice — the spirals which emerge from wanting to be seen in certain ways can extend to dangerous shadows. Nambisan is an observer of individual tendency as much as of the social structures of family and village and politics which shape new citizens of a new country, which have shaped us..
Humans have a deep desire to ease each other’s pain, and a difficulty in balancing that against the restoration of their own selves. Idealism fights the cynicism of reality and sometimes stumbles so frequently that it becomes entirely unsteady. In India, virtues of Brahmin non-covetousness and Gandhian restraint were unable to stem the blood-dimmed tide of greed and vanity which too are fundamental human vices. This slow percolation of a self-serving culture in the outward guise of piety pushes the Ai people – rooted to the earth and all her creatures – into wearing “half-pants” and “proper saris” instead of the simple lengths of cloth which they traditionally used to wrap around their bodies. There is also the implicit bleakness of rural India becoming urban in the strange erosions and sediments which have metamorphosed Bengloor into Bangalore. Much is found, much is lost. Yet despite the fact that this pace of change is almost tragic when viewed as a generational saga, it is delivered through an authorial voice so deft and irreverent that this reader found herself smiling often, and on more than one page even laughing out loud.
Rising Sons is a story on fertile ground and rich soil, with much to recognize in the moments it portrays, as a missive which illumines the heart. It weaves its chapters in leisurely visits to the interior lives of its characters and their contexts in a manner which justifies the Irawati Karve quote with which the book begins: “Human toil, expectations, hates, friendships—all seem puny and without substance, like withered leaves eddying in the summer wind. But the people who toiled and dreamed and loved seem unforgettable…”
source: http://www.indianmasterminds.com / Indian Masterminds / Home> Book Reviews> Features / by Yauvanika Chopra / September 05th, 2026
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