The scientist behind first genetic study of Kodavas

Mysore/Mysuru: Prof. B.K. Thelma, the scientist behind first genetic study of Kodavas (Coorgs), is Coorg Person of the Year-2025. The origin of Kodavas in the State of Karnataka has been a standing riddle for ethnologists all these years.

The credit for solving the mystery behind the origin of Kodavas should go to Kodagu-born Prof. Buttiyanda Kuttapa Thelma and her team.

Carrying out a systematic sampling of the Kodavas from across Kodagu, using the available genetic analytical tools, Prof. Thelma and her team have been successful in publishing a scientific paper on the genetic makeup of the Kodavas.

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

Prof. Thelma stands tall in the landscape of Indian genetics and genomics research. When she decided to take up research on human genetics, it was nearly an uncharted territory in India. But today, she is one of the country’s leading experts in human genetics and related fields and has made notable contributions.

Aged around 70, Prof. Thelma, who belongs to the Kodava community known for their uniqueness in many ways, including their dress code and cuisine, must have motivated her to study the roots of her own community.

Born in Madikeri to late Buttiyanda Ganapathy Kuttapa and Manavattira Muthamma Machia, Prof. Thelma was raised in a very loving, caring and progressive family. They lived in a house in Madikeri town with a large backyard, which provided a warm and nurturing environment.

Prof. Thelma completed her schooling in Madikeri at St. Joseph’s Convent. She recalled, “In Class X, I was the only one in my school to get first class in all four parts. The next big decision was which subject I should take in college. My father wanted me either to do Master’s in Maths or join the IAS, but my heart was elsewhere. It was my dream to become a doctor. To this day, the sight of a doctor treating his patients fascinates me.”

She then moved to Bengaluru to join the Mount Carmel College and later the Central College, Bengaluru, for higher studies. After her post-graduation, she chose to avail a research fellowship at the University of Delhi to do a Ph.D. She received her doctorate in 1982.

Thereafter, Prof. Thelma had a brief stint as a post-doctoral fellow at the children’s hospital in Basel, Switzerland, where she had an opportunity to work with human samples — almost a dream starting to be realised, in her words.

She travelled extensively and learnt as much as possible during those couple of years. With the unwavering decision to return to the country, she headed back to Delhi University where she worked as a CSIR Pool Officer and Research Associate.

In 1987, she got a faculty position in the Department of Genetics at the University of Delhi where she continued till her superannuation. Currently she continues to serve as a Professor and National Science Chair at the same place.

All through these years of Prof. Thelma’s research interest in biomedical genetics, the genetic history of the Kodavas has been her enduring interest. The study, though she says is not complete yet, provides some insights into the intriguing origin of Kodavas.

She is a recipient of several awards — to name a few, CNR Rao Lifetime Achievement Award from Karnataka S&T Academy (2021); Meritorious Service Award from University of Delhi (2021); National Science Chair (2021-2026); JC Bose Fellowship (2011-2021); SP Raychaudhuri Endowment Lecture Award, Indian Society of Cell Biology (2018); Sanghvi Oration Award, Indian Society of Human Genetics (2015); Sunder Lal Hora Medal, Indian National Science Academy (2014).