Karnataka forest department: One family’s contribution over 70 years

CC Staff

Contributed By: Gayatri hiremath, Gurgaon.

While documenting the History of the Department, it would be worthwhile considering the contribution of a single family of the ‘Maneypanda’- a Coorg family and their 70 years service to the Forest Department. All three i.e. a father and two sons headed the service and each in his own way made valuable contributions to the Department.

The first of them, was Rao Bahadur M. Muthanna, Incidently, Rao Bahadur Muthanna was also the first Indian Imperial Forest Service Officer in the country and initially joined the C.P. and Berar Forest Service, a British Province. He served with great distinction and revolutionised the growth and logging procedures in the famous Teak Forest of C.P. and Berar. This novel work earned him the Decoration and Title of Rao Bahadur from the British Government. Rao Bahadur Muthanna was a fiercely independent officer and took exception to his neighbouring British District D.F.O. getting a higher basic salary for doing the same work with similar merit and service. He thus wrote to the then Viceroy of Indian and prayed in his petition that while the extra pay  of overseas allowance to the British Officers was acceptable, the difference in basic salary was not fair and smelt of discrimination to an Indian.

The Deputy Auditor General from Delhi was dispatched to Nagpur to explain the Government of India’s point of view. Unconvinced, Rao Bahadur Muthanna put in his papers and retired to Coog to attempt life as a coffee planter. Meanwhile, the then Maharaja of Mysore hearing of this, sent a special emissary to Coog to convince Rao Bahadur Muthanna to take up service in Mysore. When Rao Bahadur Muthanna learnt he was to take over from a British Officer as the Head of Department and more so from someone who had not worked to the satisfaction of the Mysore Government, he readily agreed to this. He was initially appointed Ex-officio Secretary to the Government on 1st November 1900 and shortly thereafter took over also as the Head of the Mysore Forest Department from the Britisher L.C. Pigot in early 1901.

Rao Bahadur Muthanna held charge of the Department for nearly 12 years and during his service introduced.

1) “The River Drive Khedda, a spectacular event, which was even attended by the then Viceroy of India and thus really put Mysore on the World Map.

2) He set up Forest Lodges every 20 kms, those days an elephant walk distance in selected areas in the thick Malnad Forests. This greatly helped officers to camp in strategic areas and attend to important forestry work in more detail.

3) He also set up a C.R. System which was open and debatable, whereby; even at a junior officer could appeal to the highest level if he felt his C.R. Report was unfair. This move was later adopted by other Departments in the State. Rao Bahadur Muthanna was decorated twice by the Maharaja for his excellence in work and his contribution in particular to the Forest Department and the State.

The next senior family members was M. Machaya the eldest son of Rao Bahadur Muthanna who joined the Forest Service in 1911. He had done his Forestry at the well known Oxford University, where he performed brilliantly, having stood first in his batch. M. Machaya worked his way up to the top by his diligence and hard work. He was very intelligent and also academic in approach. When he took over as the Head of the Forest Department in the year 1935 he.

1) Updated several forest and survey maps and records.

2) Redefined the Range and District areas, depending entirely on the work load of each area-Range and District.

Many years later he was succeeded by M.A. Muthanna, the second youngest son of Rao Bahadur Muthanna and younger brother of M. Machaya, Muthanna completed his Imperial Forest Course in 1928 from Dehra Dun. He was awarded the first prize for Botany and Zoology at the Forest College. He had earlier taken his Degree at the famous St. Xavier’s College in Bombay, where he excelled in both studies and sports. M.A. Muthanna took over charge as the Head of the Department in 1948 and continued in this post till 1958.

His major achievements were:

1) He grew and encouraged the growth of fast growing trees for the fuel requirements of the Army during the Second World War. Thus saving valuable timber trees which would have otherwise been used.

2) He also introduced the concept of Social Forestry as it is known today, in Karnataka.

3) He held a very successful Khedda for Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1949, which showed the States uniqueness for Forestry operations. All elephants captured in those days, of many and surplus elephants were sold chiefly to the Forest Department and other states, where they were used for forest/timber work.

4) M.A. Muthanna was the head of the Department at the very important stage of the integration of the States in 1956. One of M.A. Muthanna’s major achievements thus was the successful implementation and integration of the Department, after the States’ reorganisation in 1956. he strategically utilized the best of the methods and systems of the Forest Department of then, Bombay, Madras, Coorg and Hyderabad states as also importantly, posting these new officers from other states to where they could best contributes to the integrated State of Karnataka. He also changed the organisational structure of the Department to fit in with the new and fresh challenges facing the State

This note is written as a tribute to the fine and dedicated family of the ‘Maneypandas’, a father and two sons who together worked with great dedication of over 70 years in the service of the Karnataka Forest Department upholding always its finest traditions and values. Contributed by

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