Australian Ethnomusicologist Visits Kodava Sahitya Academy President, Explores Kodava Folk Traditions

Ajjinikanda Mahesh Nachaiah, President of the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, with Dr. John James Napier, Ethnomusicologist at the Poomaale Kodava newspaper office in Virajpet on Wednesday.

VIRAJPET: John James Napier, an ethnomusicologist from UNSW Sydney, visited Ajjinikanda Mahesh Nachaiah, President of the Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, at the Poomaale Kodava newspaper office in Virajpet on Wednesday, 7 May. The two held detailed discussions on Baalo Paat—a traditional Kodava folk song form—and various aspects of Kodava culture.

According to a statement from Mahesh Nachaiah, Napier expressed deep appreciation for the rich heritage of the Kodava community, especially the significance of Baalo Paat in preserving oral traditions. As a gesture of goodwill, the Academy President presented Dr. Napier with a Kodava emblem.

Napier, whose academic work explores Indian and Asian music traditions, said he will also met Sydney MLA Charishma Kaliyanda, who is native of Kodagu. He praised Mahesh Nachaiah’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the unique identity of the Kodava people.

Napier’s research focuses on Indian music, multiculturalism in music, and the diasporic transmission of Asian musical traditions, particularly among Indian communities in Australia.

“The visit of Napier marks a significant cultural exchange and recognises the Kodava community's contribution to global ethnomusicology,” Mahesh Nachaiah told The Kodagu Express.

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