The 107-year-old story of Koothanda M. Somaiah By C.P. Belliappa Koothanda M. Somaiah was born around the 1890s. Right from a young age, he displayed a mind of his own. He was good at his studies and excelled in sports. Somaiah was handsome and a cocky young lad. His father, Mandanna, was well-to-do and wanted…
Make a law to protect gun rights of Kodavas
February 17, 2022CNC says vested interests conspiring to include many others in Coorg by race classification Mysore/Mysuru: A gun is an integral part of Kodava culture, used in many rituals including birth, death and festivals and the Karnataka High Court has already upheld the Arms Act exemption granted to every person of Coorg by race Coorg (Kodagu…
The Three Germans in Coorg
February 16, 2019By C.P. Belliappa It was in 1836 that twenty-five-year-old Rev. Hermann Moegling, a German missionary from the Basel Mission, arrived in Mangalore. Christianity was already popular on the west coast of India. He founded the Basel Evangelical Mission Seminary, which became a hub of learning of not only religion but also Indian languages and culture….
Civet Coffee from Coorg: Rich man’s dream coffee !
February 4, 2019I had heard of people taking their pet dogs for walk in the parks, roads or footpaths for exercise. Also to prevent the animal from committing nuisance, easing itself, at the owner’s house with eyeful of its poop. I also see these dog-walkers daily in my area walking back with a wry smile once the…
The Day War was Declared on Coorg
March 19, 2018By C.P. Belliappa Courtesy our friends Pemmanda Jepu and Jemy Ganapathy, we spent four wonderful days at the Ooty Club, a place steeped in colonial history. The trophies, the silverware, the honour lists and the photographs of the ‘Masters of the Fox Hunt’ date back to early 1840s. During our stay, I got an opportunity…
Kodava boys to go on ‘Rain-Ride to Coorg’
August 2, 2017Bengaluru-based Kodava boys Chengappa Chekkera and Kodira Ashish Muthappa will go on a 270 km from cycle ride from Bengaluru to Kodagu ‘Rain-Ride to Coorg’ on Aug. 12 to create awareness on environmental issue and highlight the problems of Cauvery catchment areas. The cyclist will leave Bengaluru at 3 am and reach Mandya early in…
Coorg Calling
July 22, 2017It’s raining in Kodagu and you won’t get a better place to spend your weekends and holidays amidst tranquil, pristine and serene atmosphere. The lush green surroundings and tourist spots have been beckoning tourists who are ready to spend a day or two amidst nature. Kodagu is also home for a number of waterfalls which…
From Here and There… Of Kodagu and the Kodava
June 7, 2017An ocean of nostalgia on Coorg of the Raj, now Kodagu, smallest district in Karnataka, will kindle the memories of Kodavas of the old generation as one reads this highly potent literary capsule, a compendium of Kodagu and Kodava history by Rahul Singh published in Outlook magazine dated June 12, 2017. I found it most…
An Elementary Grammar of the Coorg Language
February 16, 2017By C.P. Belliappa I was pleasantly surprised by an e-mail a few months ago from Mr. Nigel Cole, a great-grandson of Captain Robert Andrews Cole, who had three stints in Coorg as the Superintendent: March 1865 to October 1865, February 1866 to July 1869, and October 1869 to December 1869. Mr. Nigel Cole, who lives…
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