One of the most significant projects in this context is by researcher-writer Kaveri Ponnapa. This is her bid to save the Kodava takke, classified as a definitely endangered language by Unesco and spoken by just 166,187 people according to the 2001 census. Appanna contributed about four hundred old Kodava takke words to a dictionary published a few years ago, and …
Manakanjite tane prana kodepavu Kodavu Janatanatele janala jayisuvavu Kodavu Dana darmake tane minalippavu Kodavu Ane ponnede beda bekkatavu Kodavu These lines from a poem by the eminent writer Bacharanianda P. Appanna of Kodagu, Karnataka, define the characteristics of a true Kodava. The verse stands out for more than its lyricality, though: It’s written in Kodava takke, classified as a definitely …
