By P.T. Bopanna
Kodavas are passionate about the game of hockey. Hence, I have used the hockey analogy to highlight the implications of the caste survey and the national census in 2027.
In the practice match being played now in the Siddaramaiah caste survey, Kodavas have to develop the technique and strategy to face the 2027 Census and caste survey by the Union government.
As desired by various Kodava organisations, the community members should mark ‘Kodava’ for language, caste and religion in the ongoing caste survey. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government’s survey is only to assess backwardness in the population, and caste and religion are secondary.
But caste and religion play a major role in the next national census which will be conducted in two phases, on October 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027, respectively.
For the first time since Independence, caste enumeration will also be part of the national census exercise.
The Akhila Kodava Samaja President Paradanda Subramani Kaverappa has urged the Kodava community members to record their religion, caste and language as “Kodava”.
He pointed out that after Independence, unseen hands conspired to change the religion of the Kodava community members to Hindu, which is a blow to the Kodavas. It is high time to rectify this, he noted.
During the reign of the British, the community was enumerated as Kodavas. However, in the 1941 Census, the community got merged under the Hindu category.
Consequently, because of loss of the official Kodava identity, the community is not sure about the population numbers of the Kodavas.
The next national census will provide an opportunity for the community to record their caste and religious status, thereby undoing the loss of their identity since 1941.