By C.P. Belliappa

Educational institutions were first started in Kodagu after the British takeover in 1834.  People took to education most enthusiastically. In 1909, St. Joseph’s Convent was founded by Catholic nuns in Madikeri.  It was primarily for girls, but boys were allowed till 7th standard. I recently came across a remarkable group photograph taken in 1911, of the students at the time, along with the European nuns who ran the school. The school catered to both boarders and day-scholars.

This school offered better quality education to children of those locals who aspired to see their chldren well prepared to take advantage of lucrative jobs and career opportunities under the colonial dispensation. This school saw generations of students, especially women, pursue higher education and excel at a time when women were not much involved outside the traditional family responsibilities. 

One family in this frame, frozen in time, has members who went on to become famous during the 1930s to 1950s.  They are the seven daughters and one son of the first lawyer from Kodagu — Codanda D. Poovaiah.  After school, six of his daughters pursued higher education outside Kodagu. The sisters excelled in various fields and soon came to be known as the ‘Poovaiah Sisters of Coorg.’ One of them, Rohini, was the first lady from Kodagu to acquire a degree.  She later became the Principal of Crosswaithe College, a well-known institution in Allahabad.  She was familiar with the Nehru family and had a brief role in the education of a young Indira Gandhi.  She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1973.  Another sister, Ashlesha, was one of the first lady doctors from Kodagu.  Yet another sister, Swati, did her Nursing degree and later went on a scholarship to Columbia University in 1948 for further studies.

The three younger sisters — Sita, Chitra and Lata — became renowned Kathak dancers and were much sought-after not only for their performances all over India, but also to direct dances in Hindi movies.  All sisters took part in the freedom movement.  Chitra and Lata defied prohibitory orders during the ‘Quit India’ movement.  They were jailed for 2 weeks.  Sita went on to earn a Ph.D in Arts from Bombay University and became the first Kodava lady to get a Doctorate degree. My father, C.M. Poonacha, was a freedom fighter and knew the family well.  I had the privilege of being invited to their home on Malabar Hill in Bombay in 1968.  Except for Ashlesha, all the sisters were spinsters.

On a personal note, my wife’s grandmother is one of the little girls sitting in the front row. She later married Pemmanda K. Monnappa who had the unique distinction of being the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in three Southern States. He was the Police Chief who headed the Government action in quelling the Razakars revolt in Hyderabad.  He was the first IGP (equivalent to DGP now), of the newly formed Karnataka State in 1956.

My sister’s future father-in-law is one of the little boys sitting in the front row. Interestingly, his future mother-in-law is also in the same frame! This iconic, over a century-old photograph, has many stories to tell.

Over the years several girls who had their early education in this school went on the achieve in various fields. Konganda Accamma, who passed out of this school in the 1920s, joined Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi.  She was one of the first Kodava women to earn a MBBS degree. She headed the Vanivilas Women and Children’s Hospital for several years.

One of the most distinguished alumna of this school is C.B. Muthamma, who was the first woman to qualify for the Indian Foreign Service in 1949.  She also has the distinction of being the first lady Ambassador from the IFS cadre.  Muthamma had to face gender discrimination while in service. She fought against the Government and went to the Supreme Court in 1979.  The Apex Court passed a judgement in her favour which paved the way for other women civil servants from being discriminated against.  She authored a book titled ‘Slain by the System’ in 2003. Muthamma’s classmate was Jajie Mandanna, who was an MLC and a well-known consumer activist. I am told they fiercely fought for the top rank in their class!

St. Joseph’s is now a co-ed school and continues to provide quality education.

About the author: C. P. Belliappa, born in 1946, is a Chemical Engineer. He is currently settled in Coorg.  He is known for his writings on issues pertaining to Coorg. Four of his books — Tale of A Tiger’s Tail & other Yarns from Coorg, Nuggets from Coorg History, Victoria Gowramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg, and Tongue of the Slip, have been published by Rupa Publications.  He currently serves as President, Coorg Institute of Technology, Ponnampet, South Kodagu.