DATELINE COORG

P. T. Bopanna

Apr 2022 · Rolling Stone Publications

About this ebook

As a journalist based in Bangalore, I have taken active interest in the affairs of Kodagu (Coorg) in the last quarter of a century. In fact, I started my journalistic career as the Coorg Correspondent of The Hindu newspaper at Madikeri in 1981. Though based in Bangalore all my working years, except for my brief sojourn at Madikeri, I had been writing from time to time on Kodagu matters. Through my writings, I was able to make the voice of Kodagu heard in the corridors of power in Bangalore on important issues. I was the first to report on the Union government’s move in 1993 to withdraw the exemption given to Kodavas (Coorgs) and Jamma-holders to possess firearms without licence. The Centre wanted to withdraw the privilege after guns from Kodagu reached the hands of the banned Maoists in Andhra Pradesh. Through my reports in The Times of India newspaper, especially in the Delhi edition of the paper, I was able to put across to the mandarins in the Union Home Ministry in Delhi that people of Kodagu not only worshipped their weapons, but seldom misused their privilege. It was pointed out that the gun-running was the[…]

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About the author

P. T. BOPANNA, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST

 

In his nearly four-decade-long journalistic career, P.T. Bopanna has worked for various Indian national dailies. Bopanna, born in Kodagu district on June 30, 1950, started his journalistic career as the Coorg Correspondent of The Hindu in 1981.

 

He worked for 12 years with the Times of India, Bengaluru from 1984, and 13 years as Special Correspondent of The Pioneer from 1996 based at Bengaluru. 

 

An economics graduate of the Madras University, Bopanna has a Master’s degree in Political Science from Karnatak University and a post-graduate diploma in Journalism from Bhavan’s, Mumbai.

 

Bopanna is the author of nine books. His first book ‘Discover Coorg’ was published in 2006 and has run into three editions. The book has been translated into Kannada.

 

His second book ‘Rise and Fall of the Coorg State’ created a record of sorts for a book on Coorg in English. The book was reprinted within two months of its release. The book has been translated into Kannada and Kodava languages.

 

In 2010, Bopanna came out with two more books – ‘Dateline Coorg’ and ‘Coorg: Land of Beauty and Valour’, a coffee table book.

 

‘The Romance of Indian Coffee’, a book which takes a 360 degree view of Indian coffee, was published in 2011.

 

In 2015, Bopanna's book 'The Romance of Indian Coffee' won the international Gourmand award and was chosen as the ‘best book on coffee in the world’.

His other books include, Are Kodavas (Coorgs) Hindus?, My Coorg Chronicles and Coorg Role Models.

Bopanna has also won two awards given by the Bangalore Reporters’ Guild.

 

He runs the highly successful website www.coorgtourisminfo.com, the first news and tourism portal started by him in 2005. Besides, he hosts six other websites, including www.coorgnews.in.

Bopanna brought out a 35 minute long DVD on Coorg called 'Discover Coorg Video' which features tourist spots, homestays, jewellery, and golf ranges in Coorg, the Kodava family hockey festival, the Kodava culture, including the traditional Kodava folk dances, and the Kodava wedding.

 

He is a social media activist with more than 25,000 members and followers in his various Facebook groups and pages. Bopanna successfully ran a social media campaign in 2012 to rebuild the state highway between Hunsur and Gonikoppal towns in Karnataka.