MADIKERI: The 107th birth anniversary of Padma Bhushan awardee General K S Thimayya, who was DSO, ADC, Chief of Indian Army and Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, will be observed on Saturday at his house ‘Sunny Side’, where the RTO office functions now in Kodagu.
Earlier, the celebrations were restricted only to General Thimayya School in Madikeri and garlanding of his statue, who hailed from Kodagu and was the cousin of Field Marshal K M Cariappa, at the toll-gate by a few organisations.
However, for the first time, with the efforts of Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimayya Forum, the birth anniversary celebrations have been arranged at Sunny Side. A museum dedicated to General Thimayya will also come up within the next four months.
Earlier, when the birth centenary was held in Madikeri in the presence of the then president APJ Abdul Kalam, governor TN Chaturvedi and chief minister Kumaraswamy announced that the General’s house would be turned into a monument and released Rs 1 crore for it. However, the assurances remained only on paper.
Convenor of the forum Major (Rtd) BA Nanjappa told Express that the ‘Sunny Side’ might be taken back from the RTO in four months. General Thimayya was still a role model for Army recruits and soldiers. A book on him by Humphrey Evans, ‘Thimayya of India,’ which is prescribed as a textbook for promotion for Captains, showed his importance, Major Nanjappa said.
After retirement, the General served as a commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, where he died in 1965. Cyprus had named a road after him and had issued a stamp on him.