Karthamada Navin Bopaiah retains his No. 1 State ranking, winning the individual Gold in the Trap event (NR Masters) at the recently concluded 13th Karnataka State Skeet & Trap Shooting Competition, held at SAI, Bangalore. He also secured the team Gold (Masters NR) along with Kalliyanda Sajan Sajan Aiyappa. Both are shooters representing the Coorg Rifle Association, Madikeri.
The Coorg Rifle Association (CRA) has been thriving with a rich history and is home to talented shooters such as Baduvamanda Dhanu Devaiah and his family. Dhanu and Sajan Aiyappa are both ‘Renowned Shots’, and Kodagu has also produced international-level shooters in the past.
The Coorg Rifle Association continues to flourish with its legacy of skilled shooters and has been instrumental in promoting shooting sports both in the past and in the present. While recent local competitions within the district have boosted interest in conducting shooting events, it also serves as a reminder for organizers to emphasize gun safety regulations, which have seen a decline, in order to prevent any major accidents.
The Coorg Rifle Association is actively working with regulatory bodies to improve its facilities and is hopeful that upgrades will be completed in a couple of years. CRA’s goal is to produce quality shooters who can compete at the national and international levels.
Presently, KALS School has been instrumental in promoting shooting sports and has been actively involved in grooming youngsters in this discipline.
There is a lot of potential for people to excel in shooting in Coorg.
Heartfelt congratulations to Navin on winning the gold medal in trap shooting. Your remarkable skill and dedication also beautifully upholds the proud Kodava legacy, where marksmanship is woven into our very heritage.
For us Kodavas, the Gun is more than a sport – it’s tradition, a symbol of honour, courage and identity. Your victory today is a shining reflection of that enduring spirit.
Many congratulations!
I agree with the trend of comments that have been made. Factually, Shooting as a Sport has made tremendous progress in our country and youngsters have brought much credit to the Nation. Surprisingly we have no Kodavas making their mark in this field.
There are 14 Olympic shooting events; over Mens, Womens and Mixed with 42 potential medals over Pistol, Rifle – Air, Positions, Skeet and Trap. Sounds exciting, but involves a lot of determined and collective hard work:
1. Infrastructure has to be created at the District and State Level
2. Super gifted talent has to be spotted
3. Training is very expensive. KALS has a coach – but not anywhere close to creating National Champions
4. The State alongwith Community Organisations should promote this sport vigorously with proper support from the Army and The National Rifle Association. Like Hockey, Tennis, Badminton, Squash – political clout is required alongwith influence by past senior Sportspersons.
5. Our community organisations have to raise their hand and provide REAL support to select youngsters to train, participate and hopefully win in National and International events.
CRA needs to get active across all fronts in a well coordinated manner.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Navin Bopaiah for this commendable achievement and hearty congratulations to The Coorg Rifle Association who is doing an excellent job in training and grooming such talents. KALS school also has a good riffle range which gives wonderful training to young talents and my daughter who was a part of the shooting team of KALS secured 6 gold medals in Karnataka State level championship held at SAI Bangalore in 2018.
Always encouraging to see Kodavas doing well across many sports. In addition to being Gun Men in security agencies, we should raise the bar and improve our stature by making a mark at the National and International level in this Sport!
Fantastic to see Karthamada Navin Bopaiah retaining his top State ranking and clinching both individual and team golds at the Karnataka State Skeet & Trap Shooting Competition! Along with those of fellow shooters like Kalliyanda Sajan Aiyappa, reflect the strong legacy of sportsmanship amongst the small Kodava community.
Also, this article rightly points out a critical aspect of gun safety which is ingrained amongst the Kodava youth. At Keilpodh festival, young adults were initiated into the rules of the hunt – very hypothetical now. Perhaps it should be undertaken now at Coorg Rifle Association Shooting Range!!As interest in shooting sports rises, strict adherence to safety regulations must also be a priority.
Hope this news motivates and encourages youngsters to enter this field and win laurels for the Community, State and the country.
Fantastic news to see NAVIN doing so well in Trap Shooting. Coorgs have a natural flair with GUNS & SHOOTING. Way to go Navin
If I did not see hard enough, one might have overlooked this post. Well done Navin and the Kodavas are proud of you and your team.
It is well accepted that Kodavas take to most sports with natural ease, especially Net games like Tennis, Badminton; Fielding and Striking games like Cricket and Hockey and Target Shooting where Shooting and Golf fall in this category.
It is befuddling that as a Community we spend so much time with Hockey and to some extent Golf and overlook this most obvious sport that we are genetically and from ancient times good at? In Competitive Sports today, Shooting has so many options in terms of the different categories available for both Men and Women and yet we hardly have any presence.
So here is the point that I wish to make – The Coorg Rifle Association has been around for a very long time – Headquartered in Madikeri. The facilities (to put it mildly) is poor. Information about operations and how it is run is difficult to get. So rather than criticize, we should welcome suggestions from all interested parties. Some that come to mind are:
1. Invite a more proactive membership and Governing Committee. This is a serious problem of permanently sitting committee members in many well established institutions – respectably well meaning, but way past their prime. CWS made an earnest change and hopefully there will be more action.
2. Golf and Shooting have uncanny potential to grow together. Mercara Downs has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis underpinned by effective leadership. Maybe there is an opportunity to link both sports in Madikeri and attract a more relevant participation at the range after a round of golf!
3. KALS provides exemplary opportunities for their students at the in-house Range. Once again – join hands and promote the Sport across Kodagu – especially amongst the youngsters.
4. The number of Generals and senior Officers – Retired and Serving – are enviously large for the Community. There must be a way to motivate them to get the Army involved – it is a known fact that Army Commanders and the Chief is very favorable to the Kodavas as a community.
5. We have many avenues for educational scholarship in CEF, Kodava Samajas and more (not enough and the actual amounts offered is low), but none for Sports. Shooting is an expensive sport and needs Community Sport.
Maybe a more active CRA would consider this as part of their agenda in spotting talent, nurture and mentor with like minded institutions like KALS.