The Codava National Council (CNC), spearheading the movement for creation of an autonomous Kodava homeland for Kodagu, on Sunday, welcomed the proposed move of the State Government to write to the Centre recommending establishment of a Central University to Kodagu.
CNC president N.U. Nachappa said in a statement on Sunday that the credit of the decision should go to the CNC, which had been submitting memorandums to the Centre and the State Government through the Kodagu district administration over the issue for many years now.
Mr. Nachappa quoted a report appearing in a section of the press in Bangalore on November 17 which said that following the proposal made by the CNC for a separate Central University dedicated to the study of Kodava ethnic culture, the Karnataka State Higher Education Council had resolved on November 16 to write to the Centre recommending the establishment of a Kodagu Central University, similar to the one in Gulbarga. However, Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya had said it would not deal with Kodava studies only. “We do not want to restrict it to just one subject. We will write to the Centre for a Central University in Kodagu region,” Mr. Nachappa said quoting the report.
He said the CNC was happy to know that the State Government was taking the lead in forwarding the recommendations made by the Deputy Commissioner, Kodagu, based on the several memorandums submitted by CNC, seeking the establishment of Central Kodava University and World Kodavology Study Centre. ‘The CNC is grateful to Mr. Acharya for having considered our legitimate claim with judicious perspective’, he said.
Census
Mr. Nachappa appealed to the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner to direct the caste census enumerators to enlist the Kodava people separately under the columns of the ‘Kodava’ caste, and not as ‘Kodagaru’ or ‘Kodaga’ or ‘Coorgi’ in the census sheets. The census was set to begin in the last week of this month.
Kodava Day
The CNC would be observing the annual ‘Codava National Day’ on November 24 at the Gandhi grounds in Madikeri, Mr. Nachappa said. It would mark the 20th year of the struggle of the CNC. The CNC would reiterate its stand on the creation of an autonomous Kodava homeland.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / National> Karnataka> Mysore, November, 22nd, 2011 / by Staff Correspondent
