Dewan Bahadur Ketolira Chengappa

 

Dewan Bahadur Ketolira Chengappa, C.I.E., was born on 3rd March 1878 to KetoliraMuddaiah (worked as a village official) & Bolliavva (“Kondira” Family) from Yavakapadi Village, Kabinakad, Napoklu. 

He became the first Indian to be appointed as a District Magistrate by the British in 1921. After his tenure as Commissioner of Coorg in 1935, he was appointed by the British as the Chief of National War Front in Coorg in 1942. Subsequently, he was elevated to the position of Chief Commissioner of Coorg Province from 26 April 1943 – March 1949 and then titled Diwan Bahadur. 

In 1947 when India obtained freedom, he hosted the Indian tri colour flag in Mercara fort and brought down the Union jack flag during the ceremony in the then Coorg province. He was the last Chief Commissioner of Coorg and the only one of Indian origin during the British Raj, as Englishmen held this position before him.

For his outstanding service, Chengappa was awarded a series of titles by the British, including one as Dewan Bahadur and the title of C.I.E (Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire) in 1946.  He was also made an honorary Lieutenant; this might be considered as a prized post offered in Kodagu by the British in the official corps of the territorial force.

Family

Father

Ketolira Muddaiah

Mother

Ketolira Bolliavva ( Thamne Kondira )

Spouse 

Ketolira Ponnamma ( Thamne Codanda ).

Ketolira Not Known ( Thaman Palekanda )

Son

Ketolira Medappa.

Family Tree

https://kodavaclan.com/familytree/10640

Life

Born ;

3rd March 1878

Died :

1963

Education

• He completed his matriculation in the year 1893. Thereafter, he went on graduate from University of Madras.  Later on he cleared the “Indian Civil Service” (ICS), officially known as the “Imperial Civil Service”, is the elite higher civil service of the British Empire in British India during British rule. 

Career

• Ketolira Chengappa joined the services as a parpathigar in 1909 and rose to become the Assistant Commissioner in 1916.
• Ketolira Chengappa was the first Indian and first Kodava person to be appointed as the “Chief Commissioner”.
• Chengappa ruled Kodagu as Chief Commissioner for 5 years i.e. from 1946 to 1951.
• After independence in 1947, Ketolira Chengappa was the first Kodava person to hoist Indian flag on Madikeri fort.

Title

• During the Raj he was made a Commissioner of Coorg first and titled Rao Bahadur.
• He was honoured with the title “Dewan Bahadur” in 1947.

Chengappa helped set up the Indian Coffee Cess Committee in 1920’s and enabled all British-run estates to form a private consortium called “Consolidated Coffee”. In 1936, the Indian Cess Committee aided the creation of the Indian Coffee Board and sparked the birth of the celebrated India Coffee House chain, later run by worker co-operatives. With its liveried staff and old world charm, it spawned a coffee revolution across the subcontinent that has lasted for decades.

Page Authored by : 

K G Devaiah