As a journalist based in Bangalore, I have taken active interest in the affairs of Kodagu (Coorg) in the last quarter of a century. In fact, I started my journalistic career as the Coorg Correspondent of The Hindu newspaper at Madikeri in 1981. Though based in Bangalore all my working years, except for my brief sojourn at Madikeri, I had been writing from time to time on Kodagu matters. Through my writings, I was able to make the voice of Kodagu heard in the corridors of power in Bangalore on important issues. I was the first to report on the Union government’s move in 1993 to withdraw the exemption given to Kodavas (Coorgs) and Jamma-holders to possess firearms without licence. The Centre wanted to withdraw the privilege after guns from Kodagu reached the hands of the banned Maoists in Andhra Pradesh. Through my reports in The Times of India newspaper, especially in the Delhi edition of the paper, I was able to put across to the mandarins in the Union Home Ministry in Delhi that people of Kodagu not only worshipped their weapons, but seldom misused their privilege. It was pointed out that the gun-running was the[…] This book was produced with ePustaka - Ink and Weave initiative by Techfiz Inc (hIps://techfiz.com).
The idea for this book took shape by accident. In recent years, Coorg has emerged as a major tourist destination. Tourists from both within the country and abroad, wanting to visit this landlocked hill station, do not find much information either through books or on the Net. Moreover, Coorg has a unique history and culture, different from any of its neighbours in South India. With a view to throw more light on this martial race, renowned for its brave men and beautiful women, I launched a website on Coorg called www.coorgtourisminfo.com. With computer penetration being low in India, I thought the best way to reach out to those who want to know more about Coorg, was to bring out a book. I hope this book will serve as a handbook for those wanting to know more about Coorg as well as those looking for information from a tourist’s perspective. Hailing from Coorg, and having monitored the developments in Coorg from a journalistic point of view in the last two and half decades, I thought it was my professional duty to write on this astonishing land of the bold and the beautiful. This book was produced with ePustaka - Ink and Weave initiative by Techfiz Inc (hIps://techfiz.com).
Journalist P.T. Bopanna’s ninth book ‘Round and About with P.T. Bopanna’ is a compilation of articles written in a lighter vein. Bopanna says that, being a chronicler of Kodagu (Coorg) involving documenting facts, there was hardly any scope for engaging in humour or tongue-in-cheek write-ups in his previous books. Hence, he decided to put together his articles and anecdotes written with a pinch of humour. The title of the book was inspired by the daily column ‘Round And About’ by the late Behram “Busybee” Contractor, one of India’s best known humour writers. When Bopanna was doing his journalism internship with Mid-Day newspaper in Mumbai, Busybee was working there. In a tongue-in-cheek piece, the author recounts how decades ago, one of the main qualifications for a Kodava girl before being considered eligible for marriage, was to know how to prepare otti (flatbread made from rice). The book also features a ‘contrarian’ point of view from a young Kodava girl who is upset with the mindset of a section of the people in Coorg, prejudiced against “overeducated, over-achiever” Kodava girls. The successful girls are being blamed for Kodava boys remaining unmarried because they are not able to find suitable girls for marriage. “They were girls who had made the mistake of paying importance to education, gotten themselves good degrees, great jobs and careers, and overall had comfortable, respectable, independent lives.” The books also mentions the dishes that the Kodavas (Coorgs) prepared to fortify themselves during the harsh monsoon - dishes like mudre kanni (horse gram gravy), kembu kari (a curry made from colocasia leaf) and baimbale (bamboo shoot) curry. Though most of the articles are Coorg-centric, Bopanna has also narrated anecdotes from his long experiences as a professional journalist. They include, barging into a function attended by Prince Charles, lunch with nuclear scientist Dr Raja Ramanna, and meeting the legendary Russian test pilot Viktor Pugachev. Bopanna has also given a humorous spin to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to grow long hair during the Covid-19 lockdown. Since the book is for light reading, Bopanna has profiled Devaiah Bopanna, the Mumbai-based writer, who is well known for writing satire. Devaiah who hails from Coorg, was once a head writer with All India Backchod, an Indian comedy group. The foreword for the book has been written by Prasad Bidapa, the iconic fashion guru of India. The cover has been designed by Bhakti Saraswat-Devaiah. A computer science graduate from the BMS college of Engineering, Bengaluru, Bhakti is a User Experience Designer by profession. This book was produced with ePustaka - Ink and Weave initiative by Techfiz Inc (hIps://techfiz.com).
Since Coorg is the biggest grower of coffee in India, I zeroed in on the subject of coffee. During my youth in Coorg, I was fascinated by the legend of Mr Ivor Bull, a pioneer planter and the founder of the Consolidated Coffee Estates Ltd., Pollibetta. Though Mr Bull had returned to England in 1954, he had become part of the local ‘coffee folklore’ and was remembered with affection by the local planters. Rightly so, because it was Mr Bull who had encouraged the Coorg planters to grow oranges, cardamom and pepper along with coffee. The inter-planting vastly improved the economic condition of the small planters. I did not want to focus my writing on the cultivation of coffee because coffee has been grown in India as a commercial crop for nearly two centuries and planters are familiar with it. In this book, I have tried to give the reader, the coffee grower and the coffee lover in particular, an insight into the romance of coffee – it’s fascinating history, many charming facets of coffee culture, its symbiosis with nature and what makes it such a captivating brew. This book was produced with ePustaka - Ink and Weave initiative by Techfiz Inc (hIps://techfiz.com).
Veerarajendra, the exiled raja of Coorg and his eleven-year-old daughter Gowramma, were the first Indian royals to land in Britain in the summer of 1852. In this book, C.P. Belliappa has reconstructed the extraordinary saga of the earliest Indian royalty to live in Victorian England. By unearthing hitherto unpublished material, he explores the true motives behind Veerarajendra's decision to move to England Queen Victoria's designs to marry his daughter to another exiled royal: Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab and the remarkable affection bestowed on the young princess by the English queen.
Kodavas, a microscopic minority community hailing from Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka, were once known for their leadership qualities. This Kodava trait of being natural leaders was very much in evidence in the Defence services, and Kodagu came to be known as the ‘Land of the Generals’. However, in the last few decades, the community has not produced many truly outstanding men and women, except in the arena of sports. There could be many reasons for the setback. Though Kodavas are one of the most highly educated communities in India, I believe that they have not been able to break the glass ceiling in their chosen areas because of the lack of passion for what they do and a drive to excel. The reservations policy of the government has also probably made it difficult for Kodavas to get representation in the all-India services. As a chronicler of Kodagu, I felt that one of the reasons for their inability to play leadership roles, was the absence of enough ‘role models’ in the community. There was a time when many from Kodagu used to crack the IAS, but in recent years, one hardly comes across such achievements. With a view to reignite the famed leadership qualities in the community, I decided to promote ‘role models’ by instituting the concept of ‘Coorg Person of the Year.’ The concept first took shape in 2005 and Dr Kavery Nambisan, a novelist and medical practitioner, was selected as the first Coorg Person of the Year. The selection was made based on the basis of a poll I conducted through my news portal www.coorgtourisminfo.com. There has been no looking back since then. This book was produced with ePustaka - Ink and Weave initiative by Techfiz Inc (hIps://techfiz.com).
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