By P.T. Bopanna After the historic march by the Kodavas, the demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the community, is akin to serving old wine in new bottle. While the Kodava organisations behind the...
By P.T. Bopanna A few years ago, when Kodavas (Coorgs) were barred from wearing their traditional dress to the Talacuavery temple in Kodagu district of Karnataka, Kodava political leaders – Appachu Ranjan of BJP...
From: P.T. Bopanna, Author and journalist, Kodagu To: Shri Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister, Govt. of Karnataka Dear Chief Minister, I urge your kind self to intervene immediately to resolve the issue involving a dispute between...
By P.T. Bopanna Rathi Vinay Jha, IAS (Retd) (in picture) has been selected Coorg Person of the Year, 2024, for her proactive role in promoting Kodava culture at a time when the Kodavas (Coorgs)...
By P.T. Bopanna One of the biggest mysteries doing the rounds in the last few days, involves the order banning Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel The Satanic Verses way back in 1988. The Delhi High...
By P.T. Bopanna Kodavas (Coorgs) living in Karnataka have only two main festivals. However, of late, the community has lost enthusiasm in celebrating both these festivals. Instead, due to the influence of Hindutva, the...
By P.T. Bopanna ‘Brand Coorg’ has taken a hit following the revelation made by Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) managing director Dr K.V. Rajendra, IAS, that cases of “poor-quality wine being sold in Kodagu”(Coorg)...
By P.T. Bopanna Keil Poldu, the festival of arms, is a time for merry-making for the Coorgs (Kodavas) in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka. The festival is celebrated in the first week of September...
By P.T. Bopanna Unlike Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah who is on a collision course with Raj Bhavan nowadays, the then governor of Karnataka Hans Raj Bhardwaj (in picture) came to my rescue in November,...
By P.T. Bopanna After I shared a chapter in the run-up to my next book ‘Kodava Religion At Crossroads’, there has been a wide-spread discussion in the Kodava community hailing from Kodagu (Coorg) district...
By P.T. Bopanna In spite of Kodagu (Coorg) facing the threat of landslides anytime in the monsoon, the Congress government headed by chief minister Siddaramaiah in Karnataka, seems to have yielded to the Kerala...
By P.T. Bopanna The chapter I shared as curtain-raiser from my next book ‘Kodava Religion At Crossroads’ has triggered a huge debate in the Kodava community who hail from the Kodagu district in Karnataka....
Moonshot Media co-owned by Devaiah Bopanna (in picture) won three awards at the prestigious IndIAA Awards presented by the India Chapter of International Advertising Association. An annual endeavor to identify, encourage and honor storytelling at...
By P.T. Bopanna In the run-up to the publication of my forthcoming book ‘Kodava Religion At Crossroads’, I wish to highlight about an illuminating chapter penned by Puliyanda Anu Chengappa (in picture) on the...
By P.T. Bopanna The statement of Congress leader Salman Khurshid that there was a possibility of a coup in India has triggered a storm. Former Union minister Khurshid was quoted as saying: “What’s happening...
Two of my books are coming out shortly. The first one is on researcher Nanjamma Chinnappa. The second book is titled ‘Kodava Religion at Crossroads’. The second book is a sequel to my book...
By P.T. Bopanna My biography of the late Kodagu researcher Nanjamma Chinnappa (in picture) which is expected to be published in the next few weeks, will have the distinction of featuring four Kodavathi women...
By P.T. Bopanna In the light of reports of “illegal” sale of Jamma lands/sites in Kodagu (Coorg), both the buyers and sellers need to be aware of the fact that the matter is before...
By P.T. Bopanna Though Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna carries a good image in Kodagu (Coorg), his work at the grassroots level has been uninspiring. From the time he became an MLA, I have been...
LETTER TO KODAGU (COORG) DC ON ILLEGAL CONVERSION OF PADDY LANDS FOR HOUSING LAYOUTS From: P.T. Bopanna Journalist & Author To: Sri Venkat Raja (in picture) Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu During my last visit...
By P.T. Bopanna I had warned last year against giving permission for glass bridges in landslide-prone Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka, without proper safety audit, as it could endanger lives of tourists. Now,...
By P.T. Bopanna I have removed the post on cricketer Robin Uthappa’s relocation to Dubai from my Coorg-Kodagu News Facebook page because of the toxic nature of the debate. The post had garnered over...
By P.T. Bopanna Bangalore boy Robin Uthappa, who has been described as the ‘Walking Assassin’ for his style of batting, shifted to Dubai over a year ago with his family. Robin, son of Aiyudda...
By P.T. Bopanna I was surprised to see the ‘king sized’ Kokkethathi being worn by my Canada-based Facebook friend Nithya Arasu. I have featured Nithya several times in the past. Her Dalgona coffee recipe...
By P.T. Bopanna Trupthi Devaiah (in picture) is a home grown scientist who did her schooling and college in Kodagu. Presently, she is doing postdoctoral research at Uppsala University in Sweden, where she is...
By P.T. Bopanna The recent beheading of a Kodagu girl has exposed fault lines in the Kodava (Coorg) community in Karnataka. Udiyanda Meena, aged 16 years, a student of Surlabbi school in Somwarpet taluk...
By P.T. Bopanna The farewell function to mark the retirement of Justice A.S. Bopanna (in picture), Judge, Supreme Court, showed the love and affection he enjoyed in the legal fraternity. It was a moment...
By P.T. Bopanna Kundyolanda, a little known Kodava clan in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka, created history on April 28, 2024, by securing a Guinness World Record for hosting the largest field hockey tournament...
By P.T. Bopanna On the occasion of the World Book Day, I am happy to announce that I am planning a book on Dr Nanjamma Chinnappa (in picture), noted Kodagu researcher, who passed away...
By P.T. Bopanna Well-known media personality, Deepak Thimaya, hailing from Kodagu (Coorg), has officially joined the Congress party. I personally feel Deepak (Biddatanda), a talented and creative personality, should not have joined the ‘cesspool...
By P.T. Bopanna Writer C.P. Belliappa (in picture) has been associated with my books and website projects from the beginning. Belliappa has been writing a column for my website www.coorgtourisminfo.com ever since it was...
By P.T. Bopanna Despite being a rationalist, it has been a quirky habit with me to read the astrological predictions usually titled ‘This week for you’ published in various magazines. Though I believe the...
By P.T. Bopanna Both General K.S. Thimayya, one of India’s most popular generals and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, were my heroes during my growing up years. General Thimayya, whose birth anniversary the...
By P.T. Bopanna Renowned Kodava researcher Boverianda Nanjamma Chinnappa (in picture) passed away on the morning of March 31 at Mysuru in Karnataka. According to family sources, Nanjamma (89) was briefly hospitalized for...
By P.T. Bopanna This piece is written half in jest. Being a journalist, I have covered most of the elections, including the mother of all, the 1999 Bellary election which was won by Congress...
By P.T. Bopanna I have known Roshan Cariappa (in picture sipping coffee) from his school days. He was the best buddy of my son Devaiah Bopanna. Cariappa hosts podcasts @Bharatvaarta and @OperatorStartup. Cariappa recently...
By P.T. Bopanna Sitting Kodagu-Mysuru MP Pratap Simha (in picture) was mainly denied BJP ticket because he dented the carefully crafted strongman image of prime minister Narendra Modi as a man with a 56-inch...
By P.T. Bopanna There is plenty common between actress Rashmika Mandanna’s sleeveless blouse worn with a Kodava sari, and a vanishing Kodava dish. These are part of the dozens of articles featured in the...
By P.T. Bopanna I have created a separate section for my books in the relaunched website after merging my previous books site coorgbooks.in. Now you can buy my books online in the newly created...
By P.T. Bopanna Though I started the Coorg recipes website way back in 2006, the site got traction only after Biddanda Shalini Nanda Nagappa (in picture), the Canada-based blogger, well-known for her authentic Coorg...
By P.T. Bopanna Among those who have contributed immensely for the popularity of my websites is Chindamada Arati Monappa (in picture), a textile designer. She brings out a line of clothing, sarees and accessories,...
By P.T. Bopanna Coorgtourisminfo.com, Coorg’s first tourism and news portal started in 2005 is being relaunched in a new avatar. With Coorg district in Karnataka emerging as a prime eco-tourism destination in South India,...
By P.T. Bopanna* In my recent articles involving issues relating to matrimonial alliances among Kodavas (Coorgs), I had noted that in recent years there has been a ‘mismatch’ between the boys and girls because...
By P.T. Bopanna Is an app on the lines of a dating app the solution to the problem of the growing inter-caste marriages among Kodava girls? One of the reasons for the growing inter-caste...
By P.T. Bopanna There was a time when Kodava boys ruled the roost in the matrimonial market a few decades ago. Not anymore. Among the Kodavas (Coorgs), a micro minority community in the Kodagu...
By P.T. Bopanna When Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah visited Kodagu (Coorg) in January, he was accorded an unprecedented welcome. Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna went out of his way to extend the legendary hospitality of...
By P.T. Bopanna The latest viral ad featuring Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and American actor Johnny Sins has brought into focus the two men behind the ad who hail from Coorg in Karnataka. Bollywood...
By P.T. Bopanna Ammanda Vasu (in picture), who hailed from my ancestral village of Kadangamurur near Virajpet, was perhaps the first Kodava to represent the Indian hockey team. Vasu, aged 83, passed away on...
By P.T. Bopanna The feedback I have received is that while Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna (in picture) is responsive in attending to the complaints of the public, he has failed to pay the much...
By P.T. Bopanna The late Chonira B. Muthamma (in picture), the first woman Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer in the country, is perhaps the most inspiring Kodava woman ever who will be remembered for...
By P.T. Bopanna This Republic Day will go down as a memorable one for me because two of the persons whom I had selected as ‘Coorg Person of the Year’ have won the Padma...
YEAR 2024: BOPANNA, AGED 43, WILL BECOME THE OLDEST WORLD NO. 1 IN MEN’S TENNIS DOUBLES HISTORY By P.T. Bopanna In a way, Rohan Bopanna becoming the oldest world No. 1 in men’s tennis...
By P.T. Bopanna Has Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna failed to adequately address the low voltage problem being faced by the people of Kodagu (Coorg) in the last few decades? The irrigation of coffee plants...
By P.T. Bopanna The fate of Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah continuing as chief minister will be decided by the voters of Kodagu (Coorg) in the coming Lok Sabha polls because Kodagu-Mysuru Lok Sabha seat...
By P.T. Bopanna Maj Gen Codanda K Karumbaya, SM (Retd), aged 87 years, who had written extensively on Kodagu (Coorg) and Kodavas (Coorgs) passed away at Mysuru on January 4. It is a personal...
By P.T. Bopanna Padma Shri award winner, Rani Machaiah, who is an exponent of the Ummathat folk dance art of Kodagu (Coorg), is Coorg Person of the Year, 2023. Rani Machaiah Iymudiyanda has been...
By P.T. Bopanna The exercise to select the Coorg Person of the Year title, throws up the names of people whose work go unnoticed. One such unsung hero is K.A. Kushalappa (Kelapanda) who belongs...
By P.T. Bopanna The harvest festival of Puthari celebrated by Kodavas (Coorgs) has lost its ‘spirit’ thanks to the deep roots Hindutva has taken in Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka. The festival celebrated by...
By P.T. Bopanna India may have lost the ICC World Cup to Australia, but this tweet by Mumbai-based writer Devaiah Bopanna is winning the hearts of the twitterati. Devaiah tweeted: “We have already taken...
By P.T. Bopanna Sometime during 2020, I was one among the journalists selected for felicitation by chief minister B.S. Yediyurppa as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Press Club of Bangalore. At...
By P.T. Bopanna Will it be correct to state that the Lingayat Rajas who ruled Kodagu (Coorg) from 1600 AD to 1834 have Kodava blood flowing in their veins? I had posted an item...
By P.T. Bopanna At the Indian Science Parks and Business Incubator Association (ISBA) annual conference held recently at Mumbai, Gita Chengappa Chodumada (in picture), General Manager, TREC-STEP, was recognized for her over two decades...
By P.T. Bopanna Is film actress Rashmika Mandanna getting too much coverage on my Facebook pages? Recently my Facebook friend who is also like me 70 plus years old, noted that I was giving...
By P.T. Bopanna Being one of the most highly-educated communities in India, Kodavas (Coorgs) should develop a rational outlook towards their religious faith, instead of believing in unscientific religious dogmas borrowed from Hinduism. ...
By P.T. Bopanna During my few hours of stay in Kodagu (Coorg) recently, there was no power supply. I was informed by residents of Gonikoppal town in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka on the...
By P.T. Bopanna All the Karnataka chief ministers in the last 10 years, including Siddaramaiah (in picture), are responsible for the water crisis in the Cauvery basin for rejecting the Kasturirangan report which sought...
By P.T. Bopanna Karnataka has committed grave injustice to Kodagu in the utilization of the Cauvery river water, though Kodagu is the birthplace of the Cauvery. Prior to complaining against Tamil Nadu, Karnataka...
By P.T. Bopanna Joshna Chinappa, 37, based in Chennai, who is a pioneer in women’s squash in India, is all set to make her sixth appearance at the Asian Games. Hailing from Kodagu (Coorg)...
By P.T. Bopanna As India’s Rohan Bopanna is all set to play his 50th and final Davis Cup tie later this weekend, it is time to recall his greatest match which had Pakistanis cheering...
By P.T. Bopanna* Though the government has categorized Kodavas (Coorgs) as Hindus, Karnataka’s warrior community is a modernized indigenous group which is outside the fold of Hinduism. The debate triggered by Tamil Nadu minister...
By Shrividya Somanna They say, “Dreams are never achieved by staying on the ground.” For Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda (in picture), aged 28 years, adventure awaits on the slopes of life. From being the first...
By P.T. Bopanna Coorg or Kodagu as it is officially known now in Karnataka is well known for its brave soldiers. No doubt Madikeri, the headquarters of Kodagu, is dotted with the statues of...
By P.T. Bopanna Has A.S. Ponnanna (in picture), the newly elected Congress MLA from Virajpet in Kodagu (Coorg) district betrayed the trust of the voters by hobnobbing with the defeated BJP MLA K.G. Bopaiah?...
By P.T. Bopanna They say in politics, there are no permanent enemies, but only permanent interests. This was proved to the hilt when so-called political adversaries from Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka came together on...
By P.T. Bopanna A massive hotel complex with swimming pools, promoted by multinational Marriott, has opened its door at Makkandur village in Coorg, the epicentre of the 2018 landslides. It was exactly five years...
By P.T. Bopanna After watching today’s cartoon of Nala Ponnappa, my mind went back to 1979 when I was a post-graduate student of journalism at Bhavan’s, Mumbai. In my research paper (dissertation) as part...
By P.T. Bopanna Jenica Pasura has qualified to play at the world’s largest junior golf event hosted by US Kids Golf. Eight-year-old Jenica is the daughter of Vincy Ponnappa Pasura and Dimpu Mandepanda, residents...
By P.T. Bopanna Ever since Sudha Murthy, chairperson of Infosys Foundation, made a statement that she carried her own spoon when she went out because she was concerned if the same spoon had been...
By P.T. Bopanna Writer C. P. Belliappa, cartoonist Nala Ponnappa and myself (Bopanna) literally came on the same page in the year 2006. I wish to recall how we three landed on the same...
By P.T. Bopanna After inflicting the tragedy on the people of Kodagu by celebrating Tipu jayanthi during his previous tenure, chief minister Siddarmaiah seems to have plotted a comedy show this time at the...
By P.T. Bopanna My book ‘Rise and Fall of the Coorg State’ which I hold close to my heart, has now been published using ‘print-on-demand’ technology. This format enables the printing of either a...
By P.T. Bopanna Karnataka chief secretary Vandita Sharma (in picture) owes an explanation to the people as to why there is delay in taking action against the former BJP legislators from Kodagu (Coorg) who...
By P.T. Bopanna As India celebrates the National Reading Day, I am happy to announce that I am donating my collection of books on Kodagu (Coorg) to the Cauvery College Library at Gonikoppal in...
By P.T. Bopanna Minor irrigation minister N.S. Boseraju who was handpicked by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to become a cabinet minister because of his role in mobilising crowds for Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, is...
By P.T. Bopanna Mysure-Kodagu BJP MP Pratap Simha is the guru of ‘adjustment politics’ and he should know that he would not have been elected to the Lok Sabha, but for the secret support...
By P.T. Bopanna Though Facebook was conceived by a man (Mark Zuckerberg), it sometimes behaves like a woman. Facebook seems to suffer from severe mood swings. Apologies to women because I sound misogynistic, though...
By P.T. Bopanna Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna, who missed the Cabinet bus, has been appointed by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah as his legal advisor with cabinet rank. Ideally, Ponnanna should reject the offer and...
By P.T. Bopanna Instead of inducting young talent, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka has opted for same old faces to deliver on its promise of freebies. When the focus should have been on...
By P.T. Bopanna I am happy Siddaramaiah, a pro-poor leader is being sworn in as chief minister of Karnataka (I am against him for glorifying Tipu), but disappointed that A.S. Ponnanna (in picture) who...
By Shrividya Somanna Meet Aalia Chondamma Mevada, a 16-year-old bubbly girl with a flair for writing. She waves her pen like a wand to create magic with words. Her recent endeavour being a book...
By P.T. Bopanna There is lesson for Kodagu-Mysuru MP Pratap Simha from the outcome of the Assembly elections, where BJP was routed in seven of the eight Assembly segments in his constituency. The BJP...
By P.T. Bopanna Kodagu’s BJP fortress has crumbled and the sitting BJP MLAs have been dumped by the people of Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka. A.S. Ponnanna (in picture) has won the Virajpet seat by...
By P.T. Bopanna Even before A.S. Ponnanna is elected the next MLA from Virajpet constituency in Kodagu (Coorg) district, his agenda for Kodagu has been set by Ahmedabad-based artist Asha Mandapa (in picture). Asha...
By P.T. Bopanna The Assembly election this time from Kodagu in Karnataka is going to be fought between sitting BJP MLAs who have almost become permanent fixtures in the Virajpet and Madikeri constituencies, and...
By P.T. Bopanna The Election Commission has hurt the religious sentiments of the Kodavas (Coorgs) by banning the serving of liquor at weddings in view of the election to the Karnataka assembly on May...
By P.T. Bopanna While his political opponents may claim that Congress candidate from Madikeri assembly constituency, Dr Mantar Gowda is an ‘outsider’, the fact remains that he is the ‘son-in-law’ of Kodagu (Coorg). Moreover,...
By P.T. Bopanna With the BJP giving its ticket to controversial sitting MLA from Virajpet in Kodagu (Coorg) district, K.G. Bopaiah, the chances of Congress candidate A.S. Ponnanna (in picture), have brightened in the...
By P.T. Bopanna It is heartening to note that a Kodavathi (Coorg woman) is winning accolades for working towards green causes in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. Somayanda Samantha Iyanna (in picture) is part...
By P.T. Bopanna Kodagu MLAs K.G Bopaiah and Appachu Ranjan are unlikely to be considered for ticket by the BJP to contest in the forthcoming election to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the wake...
By P.T. Bopanna Having been a keen observer of Karnataka politics, I can vouch for the fact that whichever party uses the name of the 18th century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan will surely lose...
By Shrividya Somanna After a successful run for about 22 years, Kodagu’s (Coorg) biggest hockey tournament is back with its 23rd edition with even more vigour. It will be hosted by Appachettolanda family. This...
By Shrividya Somanna “I did not expect to be picked up by Punjab Kings. It was not influence nor contacts that got me here. I always believed that one should focus on the present...
By P.T. Bopanna Is Pratap Simha Lok Sabha member for Bengaluru-Mysore expressway? This is the impression one gets by going through the posts on Facebook. It is time the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha member stops...
By P.T. Bopanna Even as D. Roopa, IPS, and Rohini Sindhuri, IAS, are engaged in a catfight on Facebook, I recall with fondness my first day as a journalist which involved interviewing the beautiful...
By P.T. Bopanna Being a journalist, I was shocked to go through the Bengaluru-headquartered Deccan Herald newspaper published on February 6. In the guise of news, the paper had published an advertisement on page...
By P.T. Bopanna When India Today’s Raj Chengappa (in picture) managed to get an exclusive interview with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani in December, Chengappa must have thought it was sort of a journalistic...
P.T. Bopanna Though Karnataka has a ‘double engine’ government, the Kodagu (Coorg) district administration is in the ICU. This despite the fact that Kodagu is a bastion of the saffron party. For those who...
By P.T. Bopanna Zee Kannada television channel has stooped low by resorting to cheap gimmicks to target popular Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna who hails from Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka. In one of their...
By P.T. Bopanna This reporter who used to cover the crime beat for The Times of India in the 1980s, recalls how a Bengaluru court created judicial history in India by accepting DNA fingerprinting...
By P.T. Bopanna Coorg-born Rashmika Mandanna, one of the top actresses from South India, has been unfairly targeted by trolls in her home state of Karnataka for failing to watch the blockbuster Kannada movie...
By P.T. Bopanna Activist and actor Chetan Kumar who has crossed swords with Kantara film director Rishab Shetty, had in 2017 led an agitation of tribals (in picture) in Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka against...
By P.T. Bopanna If Congress leader Siddaramaiah gets elected as chief minister of Karnataka in 2023 Assembly polls, he should be ‘thankful’ to the egg thrown at his car by a miscreant in Kodagu...
By P.T. Bopanna The only way to save Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka from the impending earthquakes and landslides is to declare the entire district as eco sensitive area (ESA) as recommended by Prof Madhav...
By P.T. Bopanna The back-to-back earthquakes reported in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka in the last few days has led to panic in the district because the killer landslides which struck the area in...
By P.T. Bopanna Has Brijesh Kalappa (in picture), former Congress spokesperson, committed political harakiri by resigning from the Congress? The recent surprise resignation of Brijesh who has considerable following in the social media, took...
By P.T. Bopanna Has Congress leader A.S. Ponnanna (in picture) run out of steam in his battle to dislodge the unpopular BJP MLAs in the saffron bastion of Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka? Son of...
By P.T. Bopanna Is the decision of the Congress leader Brijesh Kalappa (in picture) to resign from the party an opportunistic move? Having followed his career path, I would say the move is nothing...
By P.T. Bopanna The power supply situation in Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka is pathetic because the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) has utterly failed to manage power supply in the district which is...
By P.T. Bopanna The needle of suspicion is on a BJP MP from Karnataka for masterminding a new railway project from Shravanabelagola to Madikeri in Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka. Sources said the BJP...
By P.T. Bopanna Bajrang Dal, a Sangh Parivar outfit, has blackened the image of the peace-loving people of Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka by holding an arms training camp at a private school. The Kodavas...
By P.T. Bopanna The plans of the BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai (in picture) in Karnataka to enact a controversial legislation to convert farm lands for non-agriculture purposes, could spell disaster for Kodagu...
