Kodavas seek Bharat Ratna award for Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa
Mysuru :
“It is not just a spur of the moment to seek benefits, but the culture and tradition practiced by Kodavas are akin to tribals in the State, hence Kodavas need to be accorded the status of tribals”, urged Chief Minister Siddharamaiah’s Legal Advisor Palachanda Brijesh Kalappa, who is also the spokesman of All India Congress Committee (AICC), here yesterday.
Addressing a huge gathering at the two-day Kodava Literary and Cultural Festival at the Scouts and Guides Grounds organised by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Akademy, he said “Earlier, especially post-independence, Kodava IPS officers were in large numbers. Now, the number of such officers in civil services has dwindled, as Kodavas are not eligible to get their due share in top service-oriented jobs owing to lack of reservations”.
Claiming that Kodava language has a rich history of over 1,000 years and is older than Malayalam, he added that there is a need to preserve the language for posterity, besides carving a niche in defence services, the community members should also achieve in other fields, thus spreading the innate Kodava culture among all.
Regional Commissioner A.M. Kunjappa, speaking on the occasion said that there are many possibilities of Kodava culture and tradition facing threat as the people of the land are migrating to other places and added that instead, Kodavas should spread the essence of their land among their off-springs.
Earlier, inaugurating the grand cultural procession at the North Gate of Mysore Palace, Kunjappa said ‘One or two-day cultural programmes is not enough to spread the Kodava culture. It should be taught to the younger generations on a daily basis’.
Kodavas seek Bharat Ratna to K.M. Cariappa: Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Akademy Chairman Biddatanda S. Thammaiah yesterday urged the Central Government to confer the Country’s highest Civilian Award “Bharat Ratna” posthumously on Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa during the on-going two-day State-level Kodava Sahitya Samskruthika Mela in city.
Stating that Kodava Culture, tradition and practices have been widely appreciated, he rued ”Unfortunately successive governments have failed to make serious attempts to bring Kodavas into the mainstream.”
He added that there are no able leaders to raise the problems and issues of Kodavas in the Parliament or in the Legislative Assembly.
Book Release:
Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Kaveri Prakash, whose book titled ‘Kodavara Samskaragalu’ in Kannada highlighting traditions of Kodava Culture was released on the occasion, pointed out that all cultures and traditions are fast vanishing due to modernisation and stressed the need to protect them
Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Akademy Chairman Biddatanda S. Thammaiah, State Handicrafts Development Corporation Chairperson Shantheyanda Veena Achhaiah, Mysuru Kodava Samaja President Moovera Kuttappa, Balyamanda M. Nanaiah and others were among those present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / March 13th, 2016
