Mysuru: Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd.), has been selected as the ‘Coorg Person of the Year-2024’ for her proactive role in promoting Kodava culture at a time when the Kodavas (Coorgs) have begun embracing mainstream Brahminical practises, in preference to their age-old traditions of ancestor and nature-worship.

Rathi (Codanda), who has her roots in Kodagu and a former Union Tourism Secretary, has initiated several projects to conserve Kodava culture and the martial traditions of the community, known for its contributions to the nation, in the areas of defence and sports.

The selection of ‘Coorg Person of the Year’ was made on the basis of a poll conducted by www.coorgtourisminfo.com, Kodagu’s news and tourism portal promoted by journalist and author P.T. Bopanna.

Rathi was instrumental in setting up virtual museum of Kodava heritage and culture, the project known as Sandooka, a treasure trove of information. The virtual museum is an interactive online space, brought together through material contributed by the Kodava community. Sandooka will be a living museum of Kodava culture and will be useful for future generations of Kodavas.

Even while she was in service in the Union Government, Rathi was instrumental in sanctioning the Kodava Heritage Centre in Madikeri way back in 2004. After more than two decades, the project is yet to be completed due to the lackadaisical attitude of successive Karnataka Governments.

It was at the instance of Rathi, a model of the Kodava Ainmane (ancestral house) was inaugurated in October 2024 at the Dakshinachitra Museum near Chennai.

Dakshinachitra is home to 18 traditional houses that depict the unique culture of South India. The Ainmane project involved dismantling a structure built in 1852 in Kodagu and was transported to Dakshinachitra Museum.

The concept of ‘Coorg Person of the Year’ was conceived by P.T. Bopanna in 2005 with a view to identify ‘role models’ in Kodagu. He brought out a book in 2021, profiling the winners of the ‘Coorg Person of the Year’ title from 2005 to 2020.

Padma Shri awardee Rani Machaiah (Iymudiyanda), an exponent of the Ummathat folk dance of Kodagu, was chosen as the ‘Coorg Person of the Year-2023’ while Pan-India actress and ‘National Crush of India’ Rashmika Mandanna (Mundachadira) was ‘Coorg Person of the Year-2022.’