Athlete Arjun Devaiah proud of Kodagu’s unique culture, sports and literature

Mysuru: International athlete Arjun Devaiah said that a country, which does not have culture, family and its traditions would never prosper.

He was speaking at the launch of Kodava Clan’s ‘Valaga’ a music and dance album on YouTube, at the Cresta School of Management, Science and Arts in city yesterday and said though Kodagu is a small district, it has a unique culture, known for its Generals and sportspersons, as also its distinct literature.

The people here are true patriots and one can learn from the history pages about our ancestors’ achievements. The geographical beauty of Kodagu is well-known in the country and abroad. Whatever work the Kodava youth do, they do it very tidily. “The proof of this is the ‘Valaga’ dance that reflects  Kodagu culture, which four or five Kodagu youth are introducing to the world through YouTube on the internet. This has brought me immense joy. Let this team reach greater heights,” he said beaming.

“I studied in Kannada medium from first to seventh standard. Later, I was influenced by my brother and sister who were speaking fluently in English, to join the English medium in eighth standard and I learnt to speak in English, Hindi and Kannada. This helped me when I entered the athletic world. Hence, every youth should learn English and Hindi along with mother tongue,” said Devaiah.

Student Bipin Bopanna’s team has scored music for ‘Valaga.’ “Let all of us who have gathered here dance to the tune of  Valaga, and enjoy the music,” he said.

A few of the Kodavas including D. Ganapathy, Bipin Bopanna, Chetan V. Raj, Darshan Bharadwaj, Yoshada Naveen and Deekshat Subbaiah were present.