Nithan Thimmaiah Monnanda was raised in a traditional Kodava environment in Kukloor near Virajpet. Living near Poomale Mandh and coming from the Devathakka family in Moola Bhadrakali Devastana in Kukloor, he has been fascinated by the rich Kodava Culture and Traditions from his childhood. Moving out of Kodagu and eventually away from India hasn’t diminished his interest in Kodava culture (songs, dances, rituals, attire etc.) and he has always wanted to do his bit to learn it himself and pass on to the next generation. Nithan intends to leverage Kodava Koota to achieve this goal of his and requests contribution and participation from like-minded Kodavas. He associates all Kodavas he knows with their manepeda and believes firmly that manepedas are among our strongest and most unique identifiers and we should always preserve its relevance. He is very attached to his village temple (oor devasthana) and visits Kodagu during the namme of Kundat Moola Bhadrakali devasthana and plays a leading role in the conduct of the namme that happens over 4 days during the third weekend of May each year.

Nithan is an IT Services professional and works for Infosys Ltd. Married to Sweta Ganesh Chovanda (Medical Devices professional working for Johnson and Johnson) they live in Chester Springs in the Greater Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania. They are parents to Anwita and Praneel Monnanda.

Sweta and Nithan are passionate about Kodava festivals and celebrate all the 3 main festivals in the most traditional manner possible. They are always enthusiastic to connect with Kodavas and try to maintain connect and friendship besides establishing new acquaintances.

Feel free to drop a note or leave a message if you happen to be in the Philadelphia area and build a new connect with the Monnanda family (Pandi Curry may be one of the many incentives ?).