In this deeply researched and evocative collection, C.P. Belliappa tracks the heartbeat of Coorg (Kodagu), portraying the present with the past, offering a timeless portrait of a quiet coffee growing district.
Through essays and stories starting with prehistoric relics found in Coorg, the book begins by tracing the progress of the land and its people during the rule of the Haleri rajas; the British annexation and their administration of the territory and the events that culminated in Coorg becoming a part of Kannada speaking state of Karnataka. The essays and stories then offer the fascinating illustrated story of Princess Victoria Gowramma, the lost princess of Coorg. With several lucky turn of events after his book on Victoria Gowramma, Belliappa was able to connect with her descendants; meet a great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria; interact with the direct descendants of the last raja of Coorg and collaborate with a great-great-granddaughter of Lt Col John Campbell (Victoria Gowramma’s husband).
Merging public with the private, Coorg Stories and Essays covers the freedom movement in Coorg and the significant role played by the author’s father C.M. Poonacha, with essays on the events that transpired before and after Independence.