Kodava Federation and Kodava Heritage Centre
[Continued from August 22]
For a good friend, one would make a journey of a thousand miles and my visit to Bengaluru too was such a journey. A 50th wedding anniversary followed, a day later, by a wedding.
For the couple blessed with 50 years of married life, I wrote in the Visitor’s Book: “50 years of togetherness with understanding and the bliss that comes with it. Great. Here is wishing another 50+ years of wedded glory. — From friends of Dr. Sanmathi and Dr. Nitya.”
This was at Tamarind Tree Resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Kanakapura Road. The wedding too was on the same road at a Kalyan Mantap with a mythological name ‘Panchavati Pavilion,’ so far away, roads so bad. A friend asked me at the wedding, ‘Hey, couldn’t they find any other place in such a big Bengaluru?’ I merely grinned, still striving to overcome the tension that gripped us while driving at night to this place. Suffice to say it was a great wedding of the kind only few could afford or organise or spend. Apparently, an exclusive place, far away from the madding crowd, was needed for the wedding to be an extravaganza !
The following day, I found time to meet another friend at the other end of Bengaluru — Vasanthanagar. Mallengada N. Belliappa, Dada to his friends and family. A swashbuckling young Kodava entrepreneur since 1960s in Bengaluru, now a matured senior with commendable record of social service to the people where he lives and to the Kodava community in Bengaluru. A talkative person, he is also a doer bursting at the seams with energy even at this age.
A great philanthropist, every good cause will have him respond instantly and positively. It was under his initiative the first Coorg Public School (1996) at Gonikoppa, Kodagu, was set up, which has become a much sought after residential school. It was again under his initiative that Coorg Institute of Technology (an engineering college), again a first for Kodagu, was established in Ponnampet, South Kodagu (1999).
However, my interest was in the Federation of Kodava Samajas that was set up, again under his initiative, in the year 2000 at Balugodu, off Telllicherry (Thalassery) Road, 3 kms from Virajpet, Kodagu. As one occupied 24X7 as a coffee planter and a builder of many years in Bengaluru and now in Mysuru, Belliappa indeed has a vision for the good of Kodagu and its people. “For Kodagu to be saved from the present exploitation of its land and environment, all the original inhabitants of Kodagu of the days of the Rajas must come together and fight. Specially the prosperous communities — Kodavas and Kodagu Gowdas. The Britishers, known for their divide and rule policy, divided these two communities in 1937 at the time of Amar Sulya rebellion against the British occupation,” says Belliappa. I agree. He smiles and hopes this ‘coming together’ will happen for the greater good of both the communities and Kodagu as a unique geographic area tucked away under the shadow of Western Ghats with rain forests.
I go back to his pet project ‘Federation of Kodava Samajas’ and he goes off at a tangent telling, nay, re-telling the initial trials and tribulations in getting the land, the support extended by the former Minister M.C. Nanaiah etc. The then Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yeddyurappa and the present Chief Minister Siddharamaiah have both generously given substantial amount of money that enabled the Federation to construct the buildings. He regretted that donations from the Member-Samajas and individual donors were not encouraging considering the size and scope of the project.
Belliappa then narrated an incident where a sum of about Rs. 94 lakh that was sanctioned to the Federation by the Union Ministry of Tourism with the help of the then Tourism Secretary, Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (now retired). I am told that she is the sister of the famous Kodava of Codanda family, late C.G. Somiah, Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). Here is how the Federation lost that grant as told to me by Belliappa.
It appears, Rathi Vinay Jha had come to Virajpet, Kodagu, to inspect the land of the Federation at Balugodu before releasing the grant. After the visit, she stayed overnight as a guest in the house of her relative, a retired high-ranking Army Officer. Well, the next news Belliappa heard was that the grant was diverted to a new entity, conceived by the host Army Officer, called ‘Kodava Heritage Centre’ to be set up in the District Head Quarters Madikeri where it will have maximum exposure, including from tourists, unlike at the Federation site away at the border of Kerala State near Virajpet.
Personally, I thought there was some sense in the idea though Belliappa may not agree. In fact, when the idea of a Federation was first mooted I had told Belliappa that it must be at Madikeri. However, I was told there was no land available in Madikeri, hence Balugodu was chosen.
In retrospect, I wonder, how come the District authorities, who could not find land for the Federation near or around Madikeri, could now find 5 acres of land at K. Badaga village near Madikeri for the Kodava Heritage Centre? Now I learn that the Centre will get another 10.68 acres of land as well. Well, where there is a political and bureaucratic will, there is a way. Where Belliappa and his friends failed, the high-ranking Army Officer, all by himself, succeeded.
M.C. Nanaiah, then MLC, Appachu Ranjan, then (now also) MLA and Air Marshal K.C. Cariappa (retd.), who are members of this Kodava Heritage Centre, should do some introspection on the issue of the Federation not being able to get the land for its establishment in and around Madikeri. Great iconic institutions have always born first in the minds of visionary leaders. Did these leaders lack that kind of vision for locating an important institution of Kodavas like the Federation in right place? I do not know.
Here I must salute Air Marshal K.C. Cariappa (son of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa) for speaking out on the issue like shooting straight from the hips, as they say. At the meeting held on 24.6.2010 in the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Madikeri, to discuss about the Kodava Heritage Centre with the DC in the chair, there were members and officials numbering 15 as per the minutes of the meeting. It was only Air Marshal K.C. Cariappa, who had the gumption and honesty to ask, “As I know, a plan is afoot to construct a Kodava Heritage Centre at Balugodu by the Federation of Kodava Samajas and, therefore, what is the purpose of constructing another separate Kodava Heritage Centre in Madikeri? Is it required?”
Surprisingly, M.C. Nanaiah parried the question like a typical politician saying, ‘Since this project is financed by the Central aid, it is not wise to make any change in the project (location).’ I learn, M.C. Nanaiah knew that this Central aid was originally meant for Balugodu project of Kodava Heritage Centre. If so, why did he not support Air Marshal K.C. Cariappa? Of course, Rathi Vinay Jha’s reasoning was sound and sensible when she said that for such a project Madikeri, the District Head Quarters was the ideal location as it would get maximum exposure. It was the very reason why I was asking Belliappa to bide the time to start the project till land is available in or near Madikeri.
How I wish the Federation got this 5+10 acres of land near Medikeri in the year 2000 so that every iconic Kodava-centric project like the Kodava Heritage Centre, Library, Hall of Fame, Kodava War Room, etc., could be located in one place.
Be that as it may, so far the PWD has been given Rs. 153.54 lakh for the construction of this building and Rs. 9.38 lakh is lying without being spent. The total cost has been revised to Rs. 2.68 crore from the original estimate of Rs. 1.45 crore. The Central Tourism Department has released another Rs. 1 crore on 16.2.2015 to the account of the DC. Now, money is no constraint for completing the project, it is the will to complete.
I am left wondering how some good projects lose proper direction because of indifference or ego on the part of the decision-makers as in this case.
Finally, an effort should be made by all concerned to bring this Kodava Heritage Centre, Madikeri, under the umbrella of the Federation of Kodava Samajas. May be, it is possible, if Rathi Vinay Jha co-operates. After all, the ship is greater than the crew! Did you get me Steve?
e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra….Abracadabra / by K.B. Ganapathy /Saturday – September 05th, 2015
