Seldom have we seen Kodava luminaries being showered with paeans of praise, respect and affection in the manner bestowed upon veteran journalist and Founder-Editor of Star of Mysore and Mysore Mithra which he started in 1978. Every major newspaper, for that matter all media have acknowledged and remembered him for shaping journalism in Mysore and beyond. The Hindu, Deccan Herald, Prajavani, New Indian Express, The Week, Press Trust of India, Magzter and many more were lavish in their praise of K B Ganapathy’s contribution to Culture, Art, Literature Communal Harmony and of course, journalism.
The Prime Minister expressed deep condolences and appreciated his lasting contribution not just as a journalist, but also as a writer and institution builder. CM Siddaramaiah similarly recalled his friendship, praised his objective and professional writings, which spanned over five decades. The Rotary Club, Trade Union Leaders, Academic Circles and people from every walk of life, across party lines acknowledged and recalled the czar’s generosity, humility, philanthropy and the perfect gentleman that he was.
Ganapathy’s approach to journalism was down to earth and espoused the principle that “it is not who is right but what is right, that is important”. He encouraged his wards to express themselves with original thought, abhorred plagiarism and instructed that the source should always be acknowledged or credited. He wrote numerous books and novels in English and Kannada since 1992. He published a compilation of his selected legendary column Abracadabra which was a runaway success. K P Uthappa recalls having honoured K B Ganapathy by The Coorg Education Fund as early as 2007 in their Annual General Meeting.
There were scores of Kodavas that we spoke to and perhaps Jammada Ganesh Aiyanna’s words echo the loudest. “Gandhi” Uncle, as he was fondly called in his inner circle, widely supported everything related to his community. He played a key custodial role in maintaining the formidable Kalyatanda AineMane to which he was deeply attached. He was a Kodava first and supported every meaningful issue that affected Kodavaame. He was staunchly against the Railways entering South Kodagu, exposed the controversial Tiger Project at Nagarhole Sanctuary being managed by a private organisation, the creation and subsequent lack of intent by Federation of Kodava Samajas and more recently the urgent need to restore the rightful governance structure through The Akhila Kodava Samaja. He echoed the deep conviction of The Jabhoomi Trust that there should be zero tolerance for politicisation of Community Centres like the Kodava Samajas as the very essence of “serving” the community would get vitiated. He was of the firm conviction that Kodagu needed the strong revival of our culture at the grassroots level.
Ganapathy covered the soul stirring Kodavaame Balo Nadp and was proud of the quiet dignity, discipline and outcome of the march. He was equally forthright in stating that Kodavas were amazing in getting together and acting with tremendous purpose when confronted by a calamity, but during normal times he wished the community would draw up a common agenda and platform with the same passion and setting aside individual differences, to restore the greatness and inclusive leadership of Kodavas to secure the identity and preserve our Pommale Kodagu as we inherited it from our ancestors. He recalled that Higher Education, Care for Elders, respect/restoration for/of the Environment, conserving Water Resources, the need for Responsible Tourism, Improvement in Infrastructure – Healthcare, Roads/Bridges, value addition to primary crops, honing of entrepreneurial skills with dignity of labour should get urgent attention from within the community and the District Administration. He lamented the general decline of Kodagu’s relative prosperity post the merger with then Mysore State.
Ganapathy was the Vice Chairman of the Kodava Samaja run Cauvery School in Mysore, wholeheartedly supported the Kodagu Model School run by Cauvery Association, Mysore East and raised Rs 50 Lakhs in donation for the school , built a room in the first floor of the Mysore Kodava Samaja Building in memory of his late brother Dr Subbaiah. He used his extensive network to secure scholarship for deserving students and provided spontaneous help whenever Kodagu was struck by a calamity.
In this context, it was heartening to see reports of organisations like The District Kannada Sahitya Parishat and Kannada Chaluvali Kendra Samiti who urged the Mysore City Corporation to name a circle in Bannimantap after K B Ganapathy as the offices and printing press of Star of Mysore and Mysore Mithra are located in the area.
All of the above should galvanize the Community to celebrate the achievements of K B Ganapathy for his exemplary contribution in the field of Journalism, as a Writer and a staunch supporter of everything that the Kodava Community stands for. It is reliably learnt that there will be a ceremony on 10th August as a condolence and TRIBUTE to K B Ganapathy by the Mysore Kodava Samaja.
Adding on to his contributions to Society, Sri KBG was an ardent supporter, guide and a regular donor to Kodava Deenabandhu Charitable Trust, which has assisted more than 2000 needy children of the community to go beyond school level and complete their education. Thank you KBG sir.-Hon secretary and Trustee.
The University of Mysore (UoM) had recently bestowed a Honorary Doctorate to K B Ganapathy in recognition of his yeomen service to Journalism, which perhaps has been done for the first time that a Doctorate degree has been given to a journalist. It is only appropriate that the Mysore Kodava Samaja alongwith The Mysuru District Journalists Association (MDJA) make a request to the Chancellor to introduce a Degree/Diploma in Journalism. If a separate block is created for this, it could be in the name of K B Ganapathy.
A similar proposal should be made to the Mangalore University to name The Department of Journalism at Field Marshal K M Cariappa College in Madikeri in K B Ganapathy’s name. Again, something that could be taken up by The Kodava Samaja, Madikeri and The Kodagu Press Club
This Poem from Appanna Ajja’s outstanding book of his selected Kodava Thakk poems – A Place Apart, is a befitting description of The Kodava that K B Ganapathy was – let’s gather to celebrate and pay a tribute to this exceptional human being!
Reading Shantharam Anna’s post made me add a few more lines to point out that Mr Ganapathy was a true entrepreneur – he embarked upon an Evening Newspaper based on his experience in Mumbai and subsequently added Mysore Mithra to include all the Kannadigas residing in Mysore, in his readership. No other media house could dislodge him as is evidenced by the phenomenal readership that exceeded 4 Lakhs! Now that’s a true entrepreneur for you, in addition to being inclusive in his leadership.
This brings me to the real point I want to make. My association with Kodavas is deep and they are born leaders. Their exceptional presence in the Armed Forces is a testament to their bravery and leadership skills. With these traits, why are there so few entrepreneurs amongst Kodavas? This is not a criticism but an encouragement – follow Mr. K B Ganapathy’s footsteps. Look at the neighbouring Bunt community or for that matter the people of Tulunad/South Canara. We were also largely farmers, displaced from our land by a long reign for many centuries by aggressive Jain rulers and then the infamous Land Ceiling Act/Tenancy Rights deprived us of whatever little we had. We plunged fully into equipping ourselves with small and large businesses in Education, Banking, Healthcare, Tourism, Transport, Fisheries, Restaurants – anything to keep us going. A large number of our community went abroad and are doing exceptionally well – but make it a point to keep their roots to the community strong. We have many Bunts Sanghas, similar to Kodavas, but are very practical in provided facilities for Working Women, in addition to very strong emphasis on Education. Our scholarship programmes are very well funded, especially for higher education.
Kodavas need to be more enterprising and follow the footsteps of Mr K B Ganapathy. You have a great base in Kodagu – you must not hesitate to engage in creating businesses, however small, to supplement volatility of commodity prices.
CLN has written a very impressive account of KBG. The subsequent responses have been equally endearing and heart warming. But my relationship with him is a little different with a different kind impact on my life.
I was introduced to KBG by his brother, the gentle soft spoken KB Subbaiah. We were fellow Rotarians. Both the brothers were so different from each other, I wondered if they were born to the same set of parents ! KBG was a talkative full of life person with a great sense of humor. To me as a young man in my thirties and in a rather conservative environment, KBG was like a adrenaline rush. His brand of humor and give a damn approach was God sent to me. The evenings we met were certainly more spirited !
Behind the façade of happy go lucky individually, he was a shrewd business man and extremely street smart. I being a businessman noticed this. For a rank outsider from Pune and Bombay, to start a news paper is unimaginable. Not that he had a big bank balance to take risks. But his smartness was in his ability to sense what his readers wanted. Remember, he was the author, printer, distributor all in one and constantly taking a feed back. He was giving what his readers were lacking, Excitement ! That explains how his readership grew so rapidly. Once it reached a critical stage, there was no looking back. Such lessons are not taught in the best of business schools. KBG was a maverick businessman. Truly one of a kind !!
A doyen in his field – fearless, bold, always sought the truth, backed a good idea, hospitable, humble and a “foodie”! It is not possible to capture all the positive attributes of this perfect gentleman who could mix with Royalty and the Masses with equal grace. AN EBODIMENT OF A TRUE KODAVA!
The Star of Mysore had more readers than any other large media house in Mysore – a phenomenal testament to Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful” !
This is a deserving recognition of the towering figure in Indian journalism. Honouring such stalwarts reinforces and reminds us of the role of responsible journalism – the Fourth Estate, in shaping and providing guidance in the making of a progressive society.
May his legacy continue to inspire and guide aspiring journalists to uphold the values he championed. May the eternal ⭐️ STAR⭐️ OF MYSORE 💫 continue to light the path for those who espouse Kodavaame and make Kodavas and Kodagu the Model State that it once was!
The demise of KBG leaves a huge void. It may not be an overstatement to say that an era has ended. It takes courage, plenty of it, to do what he did – to start an eveninger in a tier two city like Mysuru. Mysuru and SOM cannot be the same again, though it can be different. He was proud of his Kodava heritage and, as has been pointed out by others, has done yeoman service in highlighting the Kodava culture through his publications. He has displayed his wealth of talent not only as a journalist, but as an author as well. All the while he played the role of a true gentleman with perfection. I wish and pray that we have more like him, with that rare combination of wit, charm, grace, courage and raw talent. Wherever you are, we are sure that you will make more than an impact there..farewell..
Very well worded. He deserves every bit
This is a rich and befitting tribute to Sri KBG, not only for his contributions in the field of journalism but also for the community at large. I knew him personally and admired him hugely. He was a friendly and modest person who wore his admirable achievements lightly. I am sure The Star of Mysore will continue to shine brightly in the cosmic Galaxy.
An editor like KBG, as we always referred to him, is a rarity and a man who would never mince his words who ever it may be. And as Jammada Ganesh Aiyanna rightly points out he was a torch bearer for the Kodava community and always appreciated the young and talented personalities through his writing. He will be remembered for a long time to come.
Well said
A very comprehensive assessment of K B Ganapathy as a journalist. He was the Conscience keeper of Mysore. He provided a platform to every talented person in Mysore through his two Newspapers. He was a friend of all, a true Ajatashatru. Deeply committed to societal problems. Raised huge funds for Latur Earthquake victims, Tsunami sufferers and for Kodagu against Railways. He was truly the brightest Star of Mysore. Mysore will never be the same again without K B Ganapathy.
Excellent writeup
Very very true words. Mysore shall never be the same again
Very true Mysore shall never be the same again
KBG’s self-made success from scratch, in the field of journalism, is something to emulate by all in general and Kodavas in particular! His grit, determination & self-conviction is something which our Kodava youngsters need to inculcate in themselves.
True
I truly like the concept of celebration that has been expressed in honouring K B Ganapathy – extraordinary journey as a journalist, entrepreneur and gentleman.
Yes, we do have the most iconic Generals in Cariappa and Thimayya, whose statues and names appear in every conceivable arena. It is indeed time to create more such ICONS of outstanding Kodavas in every walk of life and professional field.
In the field of Journalism, Ganapathy indisputably occupies this podium. Let us celebrate his achievements, boldness, integrity, humility, professionalism, sense of purpose, leadership qualities – after all that is what a true KODAVA is all about!
Very well said indeed
KB Ganapathy Sir is a role model for all of us . I have always admired his work & he was a true inspiration. The void is going to be felt for a long long time . Whenever we met the words of encouragement was so genuine. Your presence shall be truly missed Ganapathy uncle .
Ganapathy’s contribution to journalism was profound, but what stood out even more was his unwavering commitment to the Kodava community and its culture – Kodavaame. He showed us what it means to lead with conviction, clarity, and inclusive compassion.