Key Takeaways:

• Prof B.K. Thelma, a Kodagu-born geneticist, has been voted Coorg Person of the Year 2025 following her team’s landmark Kodavas genetic study.
• The research, based on systematic sampling across Kodagu, offers new scientific insight into the origins of the Kodava community.
• Prof Thelma’s long career in human genetics and multiple national awards underline the study’s credibility and significance.
• The selection was made via an online poll on Kodagu’s news and tourism portal, recognising both local pride and scientific contribution.

Prof B.K. Thelma named Coorg Person of the Year 2025 after Kodavas genetic study

Prof Buttiyanda Kuttapa Thelma, a distinguished geneticist born in Kodagu, has been chosen as Coorg Person of the Year 2025 following publication of the first comprehensive genetic study of the Kodava community. The recognition came through a poll on Kodagu’s news and tourism portal, which celebrated her scientific contribution to understanding the origins of the Kodavas.

Kodavas genetic study

Prof Thelma and her team carried out systematic sampling of Kodava families across Kodagu and applied modern genetic analysis to map the community’s genetic makeup. While she notes the research is not yet complete, the study delivers the first rigorous genetic data that helps clarify long-standing questions about the community’s ancestry within Karnataka and beyond.

The study combined field sampling with laboratory analysis and peer-reviewed publication, marking a milestone for both local history and Indian human genetics. For residents of Kodagu, the research offers scientifically grounded insights into cultural origin myths and migratory links, while for geneticists it provides valuable population data often lacking for smaller Indian communities.

Born in Madikeri to late Buttiyanda Ganapathy Kuttapa and Manavattira Muthamma Machia, Prof Thelma grew up in a close-knit, progressive family and completed her schooling at St. Joseph’s Convent, Madikeri. She went on to study in Bengaluru at Mount Carmel College and Central College, then took a research fellowship at the University of Delhi, earning her PhD in 1982.

After a post-doctoral stint at the children’s hospital in Basel, Switzerland, where she worked with human samples, Prof Thelma returned to India and joined Delhi University. She served on the faculty of the Department of Genetics from 1987 until her superannuation and continues to contribute as a Professor and National Science Chair.

Her decision to examine the genetic history of the Kodavas has mixed personal and scholarly roots. As a member of the Kodava community, Prof Thelma brought both local knowledge and scientific rigour to a question long debated by ethnologists and historians.

Prof Thelma’s career spans decades of work in biomedical genetics and genomics. Her honours include the CNR Rao Lifetime Achievement Award from the Karnataka Science & Technology Academy, the National Science Chair (2021–2026), the JC Bose Fellowship, and several national awards and lectureships recognising service and research excellence.

The Coorg Person of the Year selection was organised through www.coorgtourisminfo.com, a portal founded by journalist and author P.T. Bopanna. The online poll highlighted local engagement with scientific achievement and public recognition of a scholar who has linked rigorous research with community identity.

Beyond the immediate findings, the Kodavas genetic study establishes a framework for broader research into understudied Indian populations. It demonstrates how targeted genetic sampling and modern analytical tools can shed light on migration patterns, population structure, and the complex histories behind India’s diverse communities.

At around 70 years of age, Prof Thelma remains active in research and mentoring. Her work on the Kodavas is likely to inspire further studies and continued dialogue between scientists, historians and the Kodava community about cultural heritage and genetic evidence.