Bollera Jajie Mandanna (94), one of the outstanding Kodava women of the 20thcentuary, passed away in Mysore on Wednesday.
In her long public service, she held many important positions, including as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council (MLC) and president of the Bangalore Kodava Samaja.
She was a pioneer in the consumer protection movement and held many important posts in the area.
Jajie Mandanna would go down in history for her yeoman service to the Kodava community as the president of the Bangalore Kodava Samaja. She had taken a Kodava cultural troupe to Delhi which performed in the national capital before a VIP audience.
Before moving to Mysuru, Jajie lived in Bengaluru with her famous son and theatre personality Ashok Mandanna. When this writer visited her home in Bengaluru, he had the opportunity of meeting Jajie’s daughter Sukanya and her husband Pattamada K. Bellippa, famous Ranji cricket player who had captained the Tamil Nadu team. Jajie told this writer that her other son Bharath was helping her in putting together a book on Kodagu. She readily accepted to write a chapter on Kodava wedding for the book ‘Discover Coorg’.
According to a report quoting family sources, her body would be donated to Mysore Medical College and Reseach Institute.
Knew Aunty well, may her soul rest in peace
Jajie Mandanna was a very important pioneer in consumer protection in India. Beyond that, she was internationally admired for leadership that was respectful, calm and cheerful – yet firm and highly persuasive. She was remarkably unselfish in carrying out her public missions and those who were blessed to work with her take great pleasure in knowing she made the world a better place. Dr. Robert Kerton, Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and Former President of the American Council on Consumer Interests.