It will be turned into a museum; transport dept, current occupant of the Madikeri mansion, has been told to vacate
The state government has finally realised it needs to give a fitting tribute to its war hero, former General of Indian Army, Kodandera Subbayya Thimayya. It has decided to convert his mansion in Madikeri, now housing the transport department, into a museum.
The Kannada and culture department, which has decided to take possession of the house, called ‘Sunny Side’, has given the transport department three months’ time to vacate the premises.
A decision to the effect was taken at a high level meeting of the Kannada and culture department a week ago.
The transport department has been given three months’ time to vacate the mansion
Grant sanctioned
According to sources in the department, the government had decided to declare the mansion as a memorial in 2005 following a letter written by former chief minister Veerappa Moily. The next year, the then finance minister had sanctioned a grant of Rs 1 crore for the purpose.
B Basavaraju, secretary, Kannada and culture department, told Bangalore Mirror, “It’s time we took over the building. Recently, a team of officials from our department visited the house and submitted a report.”
The regional transport office (RTO) will be shifted to a new premises. “Once the RTO shifts out, we will take up restoration work of the house,” he said. The department plans to have a museum displaying articles used by Gen Thimayya and a library comprising war literature aimed at motivating youngsters.
The mansion in Madikeri, spread across 2.6 acres, is the birthplace of the general, who was affectionately called ‘Timmy’ by his Army colleagues.
Sources said the transport department had bought the mansion way back in 1972 for Rs 2 lakh. Though the government housed the Gen Thimayya Memorial Bhavan in the same building a few years ago, it was in poor shape.
Repeated pleas by the people of Kodagu to convert the house into a memorial had gone in vain. “Except for a statue and a road named after him, there’s nothing in Kodagu to remember the great soldier,” said Sachin Bopanna, a resident of Madikeri.
Meanwhile, after a decade, the Army’s Southern Command has chosen Bangalore as the venue for its investiture ceremony, while the armed forces is all geared up for its 64th Army Day celebrations on Sunday.
Driving force
When K S Thimayya was the commander of the 19th infantry division in Jammu & Kashmir, he drew the Pakistani army out of Kashmir valley by personally leading the attack in the forward-most tank.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru with then Lt Gen. K S Thimayya, G.O.C-in-C, Southern Command, at the officers’ mess in Pune in 1956.
Thimayya, who was the fourth general of independent India, was born on March 30, 1906 in Madikeri. He studied at Coonoor and Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Boys School before joining the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College in Dehradun. He served the Indian Army between 1957 and 1961.
After his retirement, he was appointed the Commander of UN forces in Cyprus, where he breathed his last.
