Coorg Stories and Essays

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 growingdistrict.Through essays and stories starting with prehistoric relics found in Coorg, the book begins by tracingthe progress of the land and its people during the rule of the Haleri rajas; the British annexationand their administration of the territory and the events that culminated in Coorg becoming a partof Kannada speaking state of Karnataka. The essays and stories then offer the fascinating illustratedstory of Princess Victoria Gowramma, the lost princess of Coorg. With several lucky turn of eventsafter his book on Victoria Gowramma, Belliappa was able to connect with her descendants; meeta great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria; interact with the direct descendants of the lastraja of Coorg and collaborate with a great-great-granddaughter of Lt Col John Campbell (VictoriaGowramma'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.