Kodandera T Ponnappa

Kodandera Ponnappa, also known as Ponappa or Ponnu, was a Kodava from the Kodendera family of Kodagu and the elder brother of General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, one of India’s most distinguished military commanders and the sixth Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army.

Family

Father

Kodendera Thimmmaiah

Mother

Kodendera (Chepudira) Seethavva/Cheetavva

Siblings

• Kodendera Subayya Thimayya
• Somayya(Freddy)
• Ammava(Amy) Crishnan
• Dechu(Machaiah)
• Gangu

Ponnappa is remembered in accounts of the Thimayya family for his association with the Indian National Army (INA) led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. At a time when India’s struggle for independence was taking different forms, Ponnappa chose to join the INA, which sought to overthrow British rule through armed struggle. His decision placed him on a path different from that of his younger brother, Thimayya, who served in the British Indian Army and subsequently rose to become Chief of the Army Staff of independent India.

The contrasting military paths of the two brothers form a remarkable chapter in the history of the Kodendera family. While Thimayya pursued a distinguished career in the regular military establishment, Ponnappa’s association with Bose’s independence movement reflected another dimension of the Indian struggle against colonial rule.

The Indian National Army, reorganised under Subhas Chandra Bose during the Second World War, brought together Indian soldiers and volunteers who sought independence from British rule. Its activities, campaigns, and the subsequent trials of INA personnel became important episodes in the final years of the freedom movement. Ponnappa’s association with the INA connects the history of the Kodav community with this wider national struggle.