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PREETH GANAPATHY (IRS) PENS THE FOREWORD FOR ‘COORG ROLE MODELS’

Coorg is a small district tucked in the hills of South-Western Karnataka, India. Luscious green forests, open glades, mint-coloured downs of paddy fields and undulating emerald coffee estates make for a refreshing montage of her breath-taking natural beauty.

A pre-eminent author that he is, P.T. Bopanna’s love for Coorg, his native, is self-evident in his writings. After excelling in the field of journalism for nearly four decades, he stepped into the world of writing books, penning a rich oeuvre centring on Coorg and her culture, her history and people.

He is deeply conscious of the past, watchful of the present and anxious for the future wellbeing of Coorg. A strong sense of courage of conviction streaks brilliantly through his uncommonly unconventional, fiercely independent writings.

Coorg has produced stalwarts in many fields who have earned a name and carved a niche for themselves. With an aim to honour illustrious icons who hail from Coorg and also to inspire nascent talent teeming in this tiny district, Bopanna, in 2005, launched the initiative of selecting a ‘Coorg Person of the Year’.  

Each year, the selection is made after due deliberation based on the results of an online poll. So far, seventeen people who have left their indelible mark in the arenas of governance, sports, writing, social service, environment, medicine, education, journalism, entrepreneurship, defence services etc. have been inducted into this Hall-of-fame.

 A book about this galaxy of seminal change-makers cannot but be a joy to read. It is said that no amount of honour conferred anywhere else in the world can match the sweetness of that bestowed at one’s birthplace.  Bopanna deserves to be commended for this great initiative.

This book, I am sure, will fire the imagination of many a young mind and spur them to foray into the field of challenges, hitherto unventured.

I feel that it is a matter of honour for me, to have been given the opportunity to write the foreword for this book. I wish Bopanna many more glorious years of success in the writing world.

Preeth Ganapathy (in picture), IRS (Indian Revenue Service) is

Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Bengaluru

Copies of Coorg Role Models available at Daily Needs, Gonikoppal, and Nilgiris, Gonikoppal in Kodagu (Coorg), besides on Amazon.