By P.T. Bopanna
Ananya Birla may be the new heartthrob of millions of cricket fans. But my support is for Kavya Maran who has her roots in my home town Gonikoppal in Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka.
Ananya Birla and Kavya Maran are two of the most visible female figures in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. While Kavya Maran is a long-standing face of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Ananya Birla has recently entered the scene as a key partner for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Kavya Maran, CEO and co-owner of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), while Ananyashree Birla is a businesswoman and the daughter of industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla.
Kavya’s mother is Kavery Kalanithi, wife of Kalanithi Maran, the powerful businessman behind Sun Group. Kavery is the executive director of Sun TV Network. She is recognized as one of the highest-paid female executives in India,
Born in Kodagu (Coorg), Kavery is the daughter of Jammada A. Belliappa and Neena. The family is from Kaikery village, near the town of Gonikoppal.
I have known the Jammada family for over 60 years. While Kavya’s grand-father Belliappa, was a resident of King Hostel, Vepery, Madras, Belliappa’s brother Gaya Karumbayya was a famous politician of Kodagu.
I had met Kavya’s grand-father Belliappa, at his office in Madras, now known as Chennai. He was an insurance executive. The fact that we both stayed at King Hostel, is a matter of pride. I can say the best part of my life was spent at King Hostel, Vepery, a residential area where mostly Anglo-Indians lived those days. The hostel was a popular meeting place of Kodavas those days.
Among the others who stayed at King Hostel was the late architect H.C. Thimmaiah, who held top posts in hockey and golfing associations in Bengaluru. He had also designed the Bangalore Kodava Samaja building. Thimmaiah and myself were good friends since our King Hostel days.
Another outstanding Kodava who stayed at King Hostel was the late Dr P.M. Ganapathy (Puliyanda), Indian Forest Service officer, who held top posts in Govt. of India. I visited Ganapathy uncle and Sujju aunty, at Andamans. Both were affectionate people, known for their hospitality.
Belliappa’s brother, Gaya Karumbayya was a Congress leader and was the president of Kodagu Zilla Panchayat. Gaya Annaiah, as he was popularly known, was famous as hockey umpire and was a house-hold name in Kodagu those days.
Kavya Maran’s family, headed by her father, Kalanithi Maran, has an estimated net worth of over Rs. 26,000 crore.