A well-known short story writer, leading feminist and freedom fighter, who met her tragic end at the young age of 27 By C.P. Belliappa Ramaiah couple in Madikeri, Kodagu, welcomed their youngest girl child Gowramma, on 5th March 1912 (not to be mistaken with Victoria Gowramma of Coorg, who was born in 1841). The little…
Booktalk: ‘Coorg Stories and Essays’ released
May 14, 2023Mysore/Mysuru: C.P. Belliappa’s latest book ‘Coorg Stories and Essays,’ published by Rupa Publications, was released recently. The blurb on the back cover summarises the contents of the book: A 360-degree perspective of history of the enchanting land of Coorg. In this deeply researched and evocative collection, C.P. Belliappa tracks the heartbeat of Coorg (Kodagu), portraying…
Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables Retold
April 18, 2023By C.P. Belliappa Reading the compendium of fifteen South Indian fables retold by Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa will transport the reader to a wonderous world of fairy tales full of angels, demigods, kings, queens, talking animals, birds, insects and the ubiquitous villains. Nitin has carefully selected the stories from popular folklore with their origins in Southern…
A Coorg and His Revolver
March 17, 2023The 107-year-old story of Koothanda M. Somaiah By C.P. Belliappa Koothanda M. Somaiah was born around the 1890s. Right from a young age, he displayed a mind of his own. He was good at his studies and excelled in sports. Somaiah was handsome and a cocky young lad. His father, Mandanna, was well-to-do and wanted…
The Wild Cat’s Compendium: Cats of all Tribes
December 12, 2022By C.P. Belliappa Title : The Wild Cat’s Compendium Author : Dr. Nima Poovaya Smith Year : 2022 Pages : 51 Price : Rs. 449 (Kindle version) Publisher: Caracal Publications, United Kingdom Dr. Nima Poovaya-Smith (parental home Ammanichanda) has just launched a delightful book titled The Wild Cat’s Compendium, which is a collection of 45…
Sandooka: Virtual Museum of Kodava Heritage & Culture
August 1, 2022Call to help preserve memories of a vanishing people While modernisation has opened many opportunities for the well-qualified, it has also distanced the young from their heritage and culture. This is even more accentuated amongst Kodavas living outside Kodagu. There is a need to establish a platform where young Kodavas could learn and keep in…
Remembering Dr. Somayanda A. Subbaiah, IPS on his untimely demise 25 years ago
April 10, 2022By C.P. Belliappa It was in 1961 that I joined Loyola College in Chennai for my PUC. A couple of days after I joined and settled in my hostel room, there was a knock on the door. I gingerly opened the door and there stood a senior. I braced myself for a round of ragging. …
A Flashback to 1965…
February 16, 2022By C.P. Belliappa It was the last week of December in 1965. All of us were at home in Gonikoppal during the term break. My grandmother had taken a parike (vow) to perform Satyanarayana puja at the temple in Peggala. On 31st December we had an early start, since Ganapathi homa preceded the Satyanarayana puja….
Rebecca and Victoria
April 30, 2021By C.P. Belliappa Pocahontas, the beau-tiful daughter of the American Indian chief of the Powhatan Confederacy, was born in 1596 in what is now known as Jamestown, Virginia, in the USA. Her rank was that of a Princess. 16th and 17th century saw rapid colonisation of the Americas by the European nations. History is replete…
India visit of Prince Charles
March 3, 2021By C.P. Belliappa Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne of United Kingdom (UK), has visited India 10 times till date. One of his visits was in 1980, and one of the States where he was a State Guest was Orissa. My father, C.M. Poonacha, was the Governor of Orissa at the time….
Recent Comments