"In the spirit of worship" Deccan Herald

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Photo courtesy :  Ashoka Biddappa Muckatira (Newspaper edition), John Napier

In the spirit of worship, 

MOOKONDA KUSHALAPPA,
NOV 27 2017, 21:50 IST, Deccan Herald,

The worship of spirit deities is prevalent in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu districts of Karnataka. The spirit worship ceremony, performed annually in the village temples and ancestral households, is called theray in the Kodava language. A traditional dancer dons face paint or mask and the costume, often red coloured, of a deity, and prances around. Later, he behaves as a medium of the spirit of the deity and advises the devotees as they come to him with their problems.

The Vishnu Murthy shrine

The Vishnu Murthy shrine, located near the Choli Povvadiamme Bhagawathy Temple in Arapattu village, has one such ceremony where spirit deities are worshipped. It is generally called Choundi theray, although Choundi (also Chamundi or Chavundi) is not the only deity propitiated here. The Choundi theray takes place after the Bhagwathy temple festival.

The deity in this temple is said to be in the form of Narasimha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Upon the gable of this red-tiled shrine is the face of a moustached deity, its face painted in yellow colour. Near the base and on either side of the entrance is the face of a lion.

The deity of this shrine is offered non-vegetarian food. The Brahmin priest of the nearby Bhagawathy Temple and his family visit the temple to seek blessings. The local Muslims, called mappilla, also pay obeisance here. The priest of this shrine traditionally belongs to the Maleya community. The Maleyas travel to nearby villages during the theray season to perform and help in the arrangements.They wear a saffron panche during the preparations. The Banna and the Panika are other communities who perform such ceremonies in parts of Kodagu. Bhadrakali worship is conducted by the Panikas.

The Maleyas come from the villages of Kirundad, Marandod and Parane for the Arapattu ceremony. The theray begins with the opening performance of a spirit deity called Thota, at night, and it is followed by performances of the Anji Koot Murthy, the five spirits. They are Kutti Chatta, Kari Baala, Kala Bhairava, Kuliya and Nuchchute. The Choudi and Vishnu Murthy performances happen the next morning.

Anji Koot Murthy theray

I visited Arapattu in the theray season. The village stalls were set up, they sold food items and other goods. The preparation for the theray began in the evening, in the adjacent threshing ground. A shelter for the performers to rest was placed beside the ground. The performance started after dinner. The preparation for the performance began with the nooth kuripo (face paint) and alankara (dressing the performer) began. The performers were dressed in red. A thoodu (bamboo torch) was carried along by one of the people accompanying the performers.

The first performer arrived from the threshing ground in the guise of a Thota. As part of the act, he kept turning his head to look behind him every now and then. Then, he pranced around for a while in front of the shrine and then went to the shrine and seated himself on a stool before the inner sanctum. Devotees came to him with their prayers. He listened to them and answered. Later, the Thota was carried out of the shrine by another performer.

Similarly, the other performers came to the temple. Kutti Chatta held a stick and a bell, and had decorative eyes. His eyes were covered with large shells with holes in the middle. Bhairava, on the other hand, didn't have such eye coverings. Kari Baala, a fierce avatar, held two swords. In the middle of his performance, he took the musicians to task for not playing vigorously enough and demanded that the devotees also dance along with him. Nuchchute, the last of the five, walked comically and made the people laugh. Supposedly a female deity, the performer wore grass upon his head. He went from person to person and whispered into their ears as they gave him money.

A different enactment called the Thirale was performed after the five performances. The performer was subjected to mystic experiences. He performed a frantic trembling dance dressed in white kuppya chele(a traditional costume) as he held a staff and an oide-katti, a billhook shaped war knife. He took turns performing as Bhagawathy and Vishnu Murthy throughout the night.

Choundi theray

Next morning, the Choundi and Vishnu Murthy performances were enacted. There were six chenda drummers. There was another drummer and one gong player as well, both belonging to the Meda community and the elderly drummer was dressed in white kuppya chele. The Choundi performer wore a hay skirt and walked around what remained of the bonfire, that was lit by the villagers at night. He was held by both hands as he was thrown on the smouldering bonfire and then dragged away from it a number of times.

The Thota performer gave the Vishnu Murthy performance as well. He wore a steel mask, which depicted a moustached face, and a hay skirt. His legs were plastered with mud. He performed first at the Vishnu Murthy shrine and then at the Bhagawathy shrine. In the evening a non-vegetarian feast called bharani was served to the families of the village.

caption - the Thirale (a whirling dance) performer in white and the Choundi (Chamundi) theray (a dance-worship) performer in grass over-wear; Photo by John Napier (Online version)

Online Edition:

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/645061/in-spirit-worship.html

Text by yours truly, M P Nitin Kushalappa (Mookonda Kushalappa);  

Religion among the Kodavas

- by Mookonda Kushalappa

Baalo, baalo nangada

Deva baalo Madeva

“Rule, our deity, Great God.”

This verse, which most Kodava folk songs begin with, summarises the Kodava religion. God, or the all-powerful superhuman who is pursued with devotion, is named Madeva (or Mahadeva), the great Deva. The Devas are a class of eternal beings who include gods, demigods, angels, spirits and other deities. Every sect or faith on this earth has its own beliefs. But, sadly, they are dismissed as superstitions by those who don't belong to that religion.

The Kodava way of living is based on the following of certain rituals and ethics. The laws and beliefs of the Kodava community are from oral tradition. Every Kodava reveres Kodagu, the holy land of their forefathers. In Kodagu, each family and village has a protector deity. The families are guarded by ancestral spirits. The villages are guarded by temple deities and land spirits.

God worship

God, to the Kodavas, is popularly manifested as the local trinity Kaveramme, Igguthappa, and Guru Karana. Kaveramme, the river deity of Kodagu, is the Kula Devathe (a community's patron god) of the Kodavas. Igguthappa is the Mahaguru (chief preceptor) of the community. Guru Karana, roughly meaning the supreme ancestor, is a common word by which an okka (extended family) addresses the single ancestor who gave rise to them.

Every okka (family) has a karana (literally meaning cause, but, here, the ancestor) every keri (hamlet) or oni (lane) has a nata (snake), every oor (village) has a Bhagwathy (mother goddess) temple, every deva kaad (sacred forest) has an Ayyappa shrine and every naad (shire) has a Mahadeva (Lord) temple. Ayyappa is the god of the forests and of ancestors. Kaimada shrines are also built for the ancestors.

Daily and festive practices

Every day, in each Kodava household, at dawn and at dusk, the house floor is swept clean and the prayer lamp is filled with oil and lit. The prayer lamp is usually a thookbolcha, a hanging ornate lamp, as often seen in South India's temples. This is hung in the nellaki nadubade or as in the present day, in the pooje kombare (prayer room). The nellaki nadubade is the northwestern corner of the central hall in a traditional house. Also, when a Kodava wakes up in bed, he or she says a prayer. When they go to sleep in the night, again they utter a prayer.

Kaveri Changrandi, the festival of the goddess Kaveri, is a festival when Kodavas refrain from meat and alcohol. Puttari the harvest festival and Kail Polud the festival of arms are the important feasts of celebration in Kodagu. Karana Kodupo is an important annual observance when offerings are made to a clan's ancestors. The food and drink habits of deceased members of the family are remembered. Accordingly, offerings are made to the dead. The Karana, or the dead Patriarch, is prayed to. Offerings of food and drink made to gods and ancestors are called Medi beppo. Offerings are made to kuliya, or Gulika, the main spirit of the land, as well.

Beliefs

Kodavas hold a reverence for life. Hunting animals was done only for the purpose of providing meat (that of rabbits, bats, deer, boars, and others) to the family or to protect the people, livestock and the land from predators (like tigers and elephants). During days that lead to the village temple festival, certain religious restrictions called the deva kattu are observed. Eating meat, consuming alcohol, physically or verbally hurting animals or humans, pulling out plants and cutting trees are forbidden in the period.

The reverence of cattle is said to be the chief practice the Kodavas have in common with the Hindus. Cattle, with the exception of buffaloes, are not worked on Mondays. Beef is prohibited among Kodavas. Pork and meats of certain birds and animals are generally allowed for consumption. The consumption of insects, reptiles, and amphibians is not allowed. Drinking alcohol and wine is not prohibited.

The dead are either cremated or buried in the family graveyard. The Kodavas believe that the spirits of the dead will linger on after death on earth. The spirits are also believed to be invoked by shamans who are called the thiralekara in theray ceremonies. The possessed dance in a frenzied manner and prophesize to believers who come before them. Botekara Ayyappa, the hunter god who rules the forests, leads the male spirits on hunts in the deva kaad (sacred groves).

Kodavas also believe in helping out others. During marriages and funerals, they come together to help organize the arrangements and to pool in their individual contributions in order to help the family carry the expenses.

(Update: This article was also published in the Kodagu English weekly "Coffeeland News" on 30th March 2018)

Karnataka's legislature and the Vidhana Soudha (a chronology)

Vidhana Soudha, the largest state legislature and secretariat building in India, is spread over 60 acres. Known as the ‘people’s palace’, it is built of Bangalore granite and porphyry. 

Princely Mysore

Bangalore first became the capital of Mysore State in 1831. The Bangalore Fort Palace was made the administrative building. But, later, the palace partly fell in, was deemed unsuitable and thereafter demolished. Hence, in 1868, the administration was moved into the Public Offices building inside Cubbon Park. This two-storied, Grecian building, surrounded by verandahs, was later to be called the Attara Kacheri, meaning 18 offices in Hindi. The name came because Mysore had 18 administrative departments. The British transferred powers in the Mysore State to the Maharaja in 1881. The State headquarters was moved back to the city of Mysore. That year, C V Rungacharlu, the then Dewan of Mysore, founded the first Representative Assembly of British India in Mysore. Thereafter, Bangalore’s Attara Kacheri came to the High Court of Mysore. 

The Assembly had 144 members, to begin with, and comprised landowners and merchants. It would meet twice in session every year at Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore. In 1891, the first Assembly elections were held for citizens above the age of 18. The Legislative Council was founded in 1907 with the view that it would assist the Government of Mysore in making laws and regulations. In 1923 the Legislative Council's strength was fixed at 50.  The term of each assembly member was fixed at three years.  While the semi-annual Assembly sessions continued to be held in Mysore, the budget session came to be held in Bangalore’s (K P Puttanna Chetty) Town Hall.

On August 15, 1947, Mysore was made part of the Indian Union. Bangalore became the capital of Mysore State, once again. K Changalaraya Reddy was the first chief minister of Mysore State. The Assembly was held in the Library Hall of Attara Kacheri. This was continued until a separate hall was built on the third floor of the same building. The Council was also held on the third floor. The joint session of the two houses would be held in the Town Hall by the Rajpramukh, the Maharaja of Mysore. 

The need was felt for a separate and more spacious building. In 1948, the government wanted the chief engineer to construct a suitable office building. In 1950, the Constitution of India came into effect. Under the new constitution, the first Mysore Legislative Assembly was formed. It had 99 elected members and one nominated member. Mysore came to have a bicameral legislature, with two houses: the Vidhana Sabha lower house (Legislative Assembly) and the Vidhana Parishad upper house (Legislative Council).

Symbol of democracy

The 'House of Legislature' was first planned and decided by the KC Reddy cabinet. B R Manickam, a government architect and chief engineer, prepared the design. It was to have an Assembly hall for 200 members and a gallery for 500 visitors. It was also meant to accommodate a joint session of 261 members. In April 1951, plans for constructing the House of Legislature were ready. Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone on July 13, 1951. 

A stone plaque,  now near the main staircase, was installed to mark PM Nehru's visit. A huge procession went out until Town Hall to welcome the then President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad.  In February 1952, the plans and estimates for the roof of the auditorium were conveyed by the legislature secretary to the government. In April 1952, Kengal Hanumanthaiah succeeded KC Reddy as the chief minister.

Hanumanthaiah dismissed the first design citing that the design was like that of a plain, American building. Meanwhile, members of a Russian delegation who were taken around the city stated that all the notable buildings in Bangalore were by Europeans. They further enquired whether there were no buildings that were designed and built indigenously. Subsequently, Hanumanthaiah travelled across the country to gain ideas on how to build an administrative structure. He started preparations for a building which combined the two legislative houses, the offices of ministers and government secretaries, a library, archive rooms, party rooms, etc. Funds were allotted in the 1952 budget and the work began in the same year.

Manickam led a team of engineers and architects from the state public works department. As many as 5,000 people were employed as unskilled labourers and almost all of them were convicts. Over 1,500 chisellers, masons and wood-carvers were also employed. The result was the neo-Dravidian Vidhana Soudha legislative building, completed in 1956. Later, President  Dr  S. Radhakrishnan came to inspect the place.  

On November 1, 1956, Coorg (Kodagu), as well as the Kannada-speaking parts of Bombay, Hyderabad and Madras were integrated with the old kingdom of Mysore to form the new Mysore State. This resulted in the elected assembly seats increasing from 99 to 208. The first sitting of the Legislative Assembly in the Vidhana Soudha happened on December 19, 1956. In 1973, the then chief minister D Devaraj Urs renamed Mysore State as Karnataka.

Elaborate patterns

Vidhana Soudha has 172 rooms, the largest among them is the chief minister’s office. The front portion has a 20-metre central dome with the four-headed lion capital of Maurya Emperor Ashoka above it. The main foyer has eight columns. Enclosed balconies, each called a jharokha, a traditional Rajasthani feature, are seen jutting forward from the walls. The top of the building has the motto ‘Government work is God’s work’ engraved upon it in Kannada and English. 

According to the Karnataka Shilpa Kala Academy, the Vidhana Soudha domes were designed by the Mysore royal family’s sculptor Sri Siddalinga Swamy and his son, Nagendra Stapathi. The pillars and the arches were chiselled by Nagendra Stapathi and his disciples. 

Floral designs, ornamental motifs and geometric designs decorate the walls and ceilings. Inspired by Dravidian temple art, the lotus and other floral patterns are distinct and have not been repeated. The inner passages also have floral designs. The wooden doors have fine details. Some of the pillars are of different colours. Most of the chisellers employed were highly skilled and were from Soraba and Sagara regions. Porphyry has also been used along with granite. Different coloured granite stones such as the Magadi pink and the Turuvekere black have been used.

The Building

The northern wing has a ground and three upper floors. The southern wing has a cellar floor, a ground floor and three upper floors. The central wing has a banquet hall on the ground floor and the Legislative Assembly Hall above it.

The Legislative Assembly Hall can seat 254 members and with some adjustments, it can accommodate 100 more members. Its visitors’ gallery has 500 seats. Teakwood panels enclose the hall. The ceiling is curved and is made up of acoustic material. Uniform illumination lighting is provided in order to avoid shadows. Ventilation is provided by an evaporative cooling system. The Cabinet room has a door made of sandalwood. The Speaker’s chair is made of Mysore rosewood. Every member has separate microphones and earphones whose master control is with the Speaker.  The Legislative Council Hall can accommodate 88 members. Its gallery can have 250 visitors. The Banquet Hall has an 800-seat capacity. The Secretariat accommodates ministers, secretaries and general staff.

With all these unique features, Vidhana Soudha is not just an epitome of democracy, but also an architectural wonder. The building is illuminated during the evenings on Sundays and public holidays. Entry is prohibited to the general public.  

In 2005 Chief Minister S. M. Krishna built the Vikasa Soudha as an annexe to the Vidhana Soudha. On 30th April 2016, an underground metro station was opened near Vidhana Soudha. This is named after Dr B. R. Ambedkar. It was constructed by means of carefully blasting the underlying rocks without disturbing the Vidhana Soudha and  Attara Kacheri premises. Karnataka has got 225 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and 75 Members of the Legislative Council () today.

Celebrations

On October 25 and 26, this year, a two-day state celebration is being held to commemorate the diamond jubilee of the Vidhana Soudha. President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint session of the Karnataka Legislature on October 25th. His 90-minute speech is on the Vidhana Soudha and Karnataka's contribution to the nation.  

Families of the first three Chief Ministers of Mysore - K. C. Reddy, Kengal Hanumanthaiah and Kadidal Manjappa will be honoured. Several people will receive the ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’ for their contributions towards the development of the State.

Girish Kasaravalli’s documentary on the Vidhana Soudha and T. N. Seetharam’s documentary on the Karnataka Legislature will be screened. Master Kishan, former child artiste and director, will produce a 3D mapping and virtual reality show on the Vidhana Soudha. This will give viewers a 360-degree view of the structure. Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej and his team will present a musical symphony. The PWD will wash and renovate the Vidhana Soudha and also spend Rs.3.5 crore on the lighting alone.

The people's palace

Mookonda Kushalappa, Oct 24, 2017, 0:00 IST

(Tomorrow is the two day Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Vidhana Soudha.)

Online version : 

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/639023/peoples-palace.html

Mobile web version : 

http://m.deccanherald.com/section.php?url=/content/639023/peoples-palace.html&secid=56&p=1

HAL articles in DH

by Mookonda Kushalappa
Deccan Herald, Spectrum

I. July 24, 2017

Flying back in Time 

https://www.deccanherald.com/content/624489/flying-back-time.html

II. September 25, 2017

Unravelling HAL's heritage

https://www.deccanherald.com/content/634901/unravelling-hals-heritage.html

Kail Podh

KAIL PODH: THE UNIQUE FESTIVAL OF ARMS CELEBRATED BY THE PEOPLE OF COORG

By Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa

(Photos by Joyappa Palandira)

To a Kodava living outside Kodagu, Kail Podh is one of those days when one gets to encounter unique cultural traditions. While in Kodagu the festival is celebrated on different days, elsewhere Kail Podh is observed at homes on the third of September. After the Putthari harvest festival, Kail Podh is the next important festival for the people of Kodagu. On this day the community usually gathers in their public spaces and celebrates the event.

The Kail Podh day begins with the youngsters touching the feet of their parents. Traditional and household weapons, such as guns, war knives, swords, spears, bows, and arrows, are cleaned and placed near the house's thookbolcha (hanging prayer lamp). Thokk Poo (Glorioso Superba flowers) are placed upon the nozzles of guns placed upright against the wall. Prayers are made facing the thookbolcha. The Kodava deities, the river deity Kaveramma, the chief preceptor Mahaguru Igguthappa and the supreme ancestor Guru Karana are invoked.

The women get together in the kitchen and prepare Kodava cuisine. Traditional rice dishes such as steamed dough balls called kadambuttu, voti bread, paaputt plain cakes, and nooputt noodles, along with meat dishes such as Pandi (pork) curry, Koli (chicken) curry, and Yerchi (mutton) curry as well as desserts like akki payasa (rice kheer) are cooked and served. The family members then partake in these meals with relish.

Outside Kodagu, the Kodava Samajas organise folk dances, and sports, such as shot put, rifle shooting, and other cultural events. In Kodagu, these events happen at the various village greens, or Mands, of Kodagu. The Kodavas usually wear traditional costumes on this day. Kodava cuisines are prepared and served at these events, especially pork and rice dishes.

The Kodavas maintain the weapons of their ancestors as far as possible. They are handed down from generation to generation. During weddings, male representatives of families related to the bride and the groom cut banana stalks each with a single stroke of the Odi katti (large Kodava war knife). A gun is fired in the air during the birth of a son and at the death of an individual. This is meant to announce the news to the neighbours. Upon hearing the gunshot the villagers will gather at the house.

The Kodavas worshipped weapons in keeping with their martial traditions. Their ancestors owned arms of various kinds. They had different native war knives, among them billhook-shaped odi katti, ornate, sheathed, small piche katti, and straight-bladed baal katti. They also had spears and straight-bladed long knives known as Barchi.

 Wishing all the Kodavas and other people from Kodagu a very happy Kail Podh.

http://www.coorgnews.in/kodagu-culture/kail-podh-unique-festival-arms-celebrated-people-coorg/ (dead link now)

Save Kodagu, Save Kaveri

Save Kodagu, Save Kaveri

A double-event at Kutta, Kodagu and Town Hall Bangalore raises eye brows in environmental and political circles. The event was held to protest against the eco-destructive railway & highway projects set to enter Kodagu.

WHAT TRIGGERED THE PROTESTS?

A new railway line from Mysore to Kushalnagar has been proposed since long by the government. This is being considered for extension through Kodagu to Madikeri and further south into Kerala. The existing roads in Kodagu are also being considered for widening into highways. Ensuring more connectivity between Kerala and Karnataka via Kodagu would result in rampant cutting down of trees.

WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS?

Urbanisation is causing forests and coffee estates to be cleared and new residential layouts are coming up in Kodagu. Deforestation will cause the Kaveri, the lifeline of the people of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to eventually dry up. It already dries up for two months in a year. The government policy on development projects will lead to drinking water problems in Bangalore. Local communities will be displaced. Illegal sand mining is one more serious issue in Kodagu, which is killing the rivers here. The Lakshmanateertha, which is just a few puddles in summer, is a sad example of this trend.

Environmentalists claim that Kodagu is the water tank of Bangalore, Mysore, Mandya and Tamil Nadu, and that every tree cut here robs some citizens of their fundamental right to water.

THE DOUBLE-PROTEST AT TWO LOCATIONS

On 26th August the “Save Kodagu, Save Kaveri” campaign took place. Many people gathered at Ponnampet and marched towards Kutta. They were led by Col. C. P. Muthanna the President of the Coorg Wildlife Society. Environmentalist Pattamada Sundar Muthanna had started an online petition to gather support for the cause. Until the day before the proposed meeting, some of the people were undecided about whether to attend it or not. However, a large crowd gathered in the morning at 10.00 on D-day.

A parallel protest was organised at the entrance of the Town Hall in Bangalore at 10.00 am on the same day. But not more than 50 people attended the Bangalore event. They were Kodavas and people from different environmental organisations. Arun Prasad was responsible for organizing the Bangalore event. The protesters held placards and passionately shouted slogans to save trees, Kodagu, the Western Ghats and the Kaveri.

Green activist Sundar Muthanna, golf coach Nikki Ponnappa, Kandrathanda Robin founder of Coorg Economic Council, Gummatira Kishoo Uthappa of Kodavaclan, Entrepreneur Codanda Devika Devaiah, Western Ghats activist Sahadev from Chikkamagaluru, youth leader Prathik Ponnanna and others were part of the event.

UNITED BY A DYING RIVER, BUT DIVIDED BY POLITICS

The small community of Kodagu is divided by politics. Its individuals are aligned according to their loyalty to the national parties, the BJP and the Congress, and likewise to the local organisations, the Codava National Council and the United Kodava Organisation. During the protest in Kodagu, a few people were upset when Manju Kokkalemada, the UKO head, spoke in favour of the Kasturirangan report. A road block was setup at T. Shettigeri village to stop the procession so that locals could air their opinions and fears.

The Kasturirangan report was intended to create a balance between economic activities and environmental conservation in the Western Ghats. It was meant to stop industrial and other commercial activities, such as sand mining, in the forest zones and not small farmers from pursuing their profession. According to the report, some buffer areas of 1 km width around forest areas in the Western Ghats have been tagged as Ecologically-Sensitive Zone. Unverified claims are being made that the people living in such buffer zones will be moved to other locations. Going by the stipulations of the Report, this is completely untrue. Since locals value their firearms as part and parcel of their martial culture, they are being told by vested interests that weapon ownership will not be permitted. It is the responsibility of the Govt to clarify such issues.

Some farmers, from remote villages such as Birunani, have only agriculture to depend upon and have never lived outside Kodagu. They want ‘development’ because this means better road access to them which would make their lives more bearable. To them, the implementation of the Kasturirangan Report means losing their farmlands and the sole profession they know. So they find the creation of a highway more favourable than the implementation of the report.

Because environmental protests held in 2014-15 to stop the high-tension power line to Kerala, could not stop the cutting of 50,000 plus trees, some people argue that protests will not stop the government or large companies from clearing forests. They believe that local politicians are involved in the timber business and in looting the forest wealth. It is the small landowners, several farmers who own a few acres of land each, who actually suffer eventually.

- Mookonda Poonacha 'Nitin' Kushalappa 

Lifes of the Generals - Part 2

(Anecdotes about Field Marshal Cariappa)

by Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa

Field Marshal Cariappa was commissioned into the army in 1919. This was just after the first world war and he was sent to Mesopotamia (Iraq). During World War II Cariappa served in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Burma (Myanmar). For his service during the Second World War, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was the first Indian to command a battalion. In 1944 he became the first Indian Brigadier. In 1947, as a Major General, Cariappa was one of two Indian army officers sent to the Imperial Defence College in Camberley, U. K., to receive training. He also helped re-organise the Indian army and worked on the partition of the Army between India and Pakistan that year.

Photos of Cariappa's parents and the statue of the Jawan, on a mantel.

Cariappa had begun to urge India to prepare against China. As C-in-C, Cariappa first informed Nehru about a possible threat from China around a decade in advance. But Nehru dismissed the statement harshly, believing that China would indeed defend India's North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) rather than attack it!

Cariappa was religious and a devotee of Sai Baba. While Cariappa was fluent in Kodava, Kannada and English, people used to make fun of his Hindi. According to his son, K. C. Nanda Cariappa in his 2007 book Field Marshal K M Cariappa on his father, “he made gaffes and dropped bricks” when he addressed the troops in the language. But despite that drawback the Field Marshal made an effort to verbally reach out to the families of the Indian soldiers.

Cariappa at his regiment's temple, 1960.

According to Major General Arjun Muthanna, Cariappa and Thimayya belonged to a generation of Indian officers who set the tone for making the Indian army apolitical and ensured that the army served the nation and not the other way around. Their belief in democracy contrasted the state in Pakistan where military dictatorships became the norm. Cariappa was a pioneer, the earliest among Indians to rise up the British Indian army ranks. It was a time when the British army were leaving India. Hence the early Indian officers had to rise to the challenge and shoulder additional roles in a very short time.

1992 Bangalore photo.
Ailing Cariappa taken care of by Havildar Vijayan who was by his side upon his death.

G. G. Rajendra Kumar, grandson of freedom fighter Gundugutti Manjunathayya, recalls being accompanied by his grandmother as a kid on a visit to Cariappa’s house. Upon the grandmother’s insistence Cariappa had tea served to her exceptionally in a native lota (small steel cup) instead of the regular European ceramic teacup.

Roshanara, Cariappa's house.

Boverianda Nanjamma and Chinnappa narrates an anecdote about the Field Marshal, on their www.ainmane.com website. “During the 1965 war, Cariappa’s son K. C. Nanda Cariappa, an Indian Air Force pilot then, was shot down over Pakistan and was taken as a POW. Ayub Khan, the President of Pakistan who knew Cariappa well, having worked with him before Independence, informed him that his son would not be kept in a POW Camp like other Indian POWs and would be moved to better accommodation. Cariappa politely declined the offer, saying every soldier in the Indian Army was his son, so he could not request special privileges for only one son.”

Field Marshal Cariappa's statue, Madikeri.
Photo by the Author (Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa).

Other Photo Sources :

From the book 'Field Marshal K M Cariappa' (Niyogi books, 2007) by his son Air Marshal K C Cariappa.

Captions :

1. Cariappa, fifth from right, back row, 1920, Mesopotamia.

2. Cariappa (in white, in the middle) during his wedding, 1937, Bangalore.

3. Cariappa with his son, in Quetta, 1940.

4. Cariappa seated at the right end, at a Commanders' conference, Delhi, 1948.

Lives of the Generals - Part 1

(Anecdotes about Thimayya)

by Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa

In 1948 Pakistani raiders invaded Kashmir and war with India was imminent. The then Lt. Gen. Kodandera Madappa Cariappa became head of the Western Command and led Lt. Gen. S. M. Shrinagesh and Maj. Gen. Kodandera Subayya Thimayya. It was during this war that Thimayya helped India secure Ladakh.

Without oxygen cylinders, the famed fighter pilot Mehr Singh, who later became Air Commodore, flew Major General Thimayya 23,000 feet above sea level over uncharted mountainous territory. After Thimayya landed safely in Leh, Ladakh, he commanded tanks in the 11,500 feet high Zojila pass and destroyed 25 enemy army bunkers, despite heavy snowfall. This showed that Thimayya was not afraid to take risks and that he was able to lead dangerous operations because of his dynamic personality.

Thimayya was commissioned into the army in 1926. During WWII, he successfully commanded active operations in Burma and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his services. He represented India during the surrender of the Japanese and was awarded the 'Keys to Manila' in the Philippines.

Thimayya became the chairman of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee after the Korean War (1950-1953). It was a delicate task since he had to manage troops from different nationalities. It was his team's responsibility to ensure that the large number of North Korean and South Korean PoWs were safely sent to their respective homes. For this role Thimayya won accolades internationally.

The two generals from Kodagu, Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa and General K. S. Thimayya, eventually rose to become chiefs of the Indian army. Officers such as Cariappa and Thimayya were able to create awe in their seniors as well, which was no easy task. Even Nehru, the first PM of India, who felt this way, had to do something about it.

Khushwant Singh, the novelist and journalist, states that during government ceremonies V K K Menon, the then defence minister, would take General Thimayya around in his car. Menon would sit next to the driver and hence make Thimayya to sit in the back seat. Thimayya found this awkward; he was being treated as more important than his boss, the Union minister in-charge of the armed forces. But Thimayya found a way to get out of this. He would take up the driving wheel himself and make the driver sit behind. Then he would chat with Menon as he drove the car.

Wing Commander (retd) R V Parasnis writes in the Rediff Special : “The differences between Menon, the defence minister, and General Thimayya, chief of army staff, grew over the former's interference in military matters and promotions and postings of officers, as Thimayya refused to be browbeaten. There came a time when he resigned in protest (possibly on the matter of promoting Gen. Kaul out of turn). Nehru worked his charm and managed to get Thimayya to withdraw his resignation, but eventually spoke in Parliament criticising the general, contrary to what he had promised.”

Cariappa had already demanded that India must face China. But Nehru didn't heed. While Thimayya informed the PM and the defence minister about the possibility of war breaking between India and China he was not taken seriously. In 1961 Thimayya retired as the army chief and China had already started attacking India.

General Pran Nath Thapar succeeded Thimayya as the Army Chief. China invaded India and then the 1962 Sino-India war broke out. Lt. Gen. Brij Mohan Kaul was put in-charge of the war efforts in the north-east. The war ended with China voluntarily withdrawing its offensive while it was still winning. Gen. Kaul then resigned from his post.

Major General Kodandera Arjun Muthanna is related to both Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya. He was commissioned into the 10th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, then served in the 18th Battalion which was posted in Sri Lanka and later commanded the 12th Battalion. He had the following anecdote to narrate.

“Timmy was known to the family as Dubbu, a loving diminutive for his real name of Subayya. My uncle (father's younger brother) told us how he was sent to live with Timmy's family at Sunnyside in late 1920s (their residence in Madikeri, which after being the office of the District Transport Office is now being converted into Gen Thimayya Museum). My uncle used to peep into the ballroom, from the the stair case, watching, in wonder, guests of Timmy's parents dancing to the music of the band which was brought in from Bangalore. My uncle resented having to dress up and wear shoes and a couple of days later my uncle kicked off his shoes and fled back to his mother.”

“Both the Generals were known to be charismatic leaders. Cariappa's insistence on form and rules was apparent in all aspects of his life, professional and personal. He was always dressed formally as respect to the person who was visiting him. While Cariappa was a stickler for rules and form, Thimayya was more informal and jovial.”

The photographs are from the books 'Field Marshal K M Cariappa' (Niyogi books, 2007) by his son Air Marshal K C 'Nanda' Cariappa, 'Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw', by Brigadier Panthaki and Mrs. Panthaki (Niyogi books, 2014) and the article's author.

Captions : 1. A 1962 cartoon in The Pioneer newspaper, Lucknow, showing Cariappa waking up the politicians as China attacks.
2. Cariappa awarding Dhyan Chand a trophy in 1951.
3. Field Marshals Manekshaw and Cariappa, 1986
4. General Thimayya's statue in Madikeri.
5. General Thimayya with the then Major General Manekshaw in the Gorkha regiment barracks.