Members of the Codava National Council (CNC) demanding an autonomous Kodava homeland comprising 45 erstwhile ‘nads’ (nad is a group of villages) on Thursday, staged a satyagraha at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Madikeri and presented a memorandum to the Kodagu Additional Deputy Commissioner pressing for their demands.

The Indian Republic was “incomplete” without positively addressing the concerns of the Kodava people in Kodagu for creation of an autonomous homeland for the Kodavas, N.U. Nachappa, president of the CNC, who led the satyagraha, said. Granting ethno-linguistic tribal minority status to the Kodavas, ensuring Constitutional special guarantee to their customary laws, including Kodava language in the VIII Schedule of the Constitution, unhindered exemption under the Indian Arms Act to hold weapons, were some of the other demands.

Census

Mr. Nachappa appealed to the members of the Kodava community to ensure that the caste names in the caste census enumeration was entered as Kodava. Kodavas should see that the caste was not entered as ‘Codaga’ or ‘Coorgi’ or ‘Coorgs’ in the column meant for entering the name of the caste. The move would help the Kodavas to maintain their identity in future, Mr. Nachappa said.

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Chief Minister’s Office had acknowledged the memorandums submitted in this regard, Mr. Nachappa said.

The Assistant Registrar General, Government of India, attached to the Union Home Ministry, Pratibha Kumari, too had acknowledged the memorandum of the CNC on entering the caste, Mr. Nachappa added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com/National> Karnataka> Mysore / by Staff Correspondent / January 27th, 2012