Nitin Kushalappa

Nitin Kushalappa (born Mookonda Poonacha Nitin Kushalappa, also known as Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa, Nitin Kushalappa M P or Mookonda Kushalappa) is an Indian author of books and articles.^[1]

Nitin Kushalappa
Born	Virajpet, Kodagu, Karnataka
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Mookonda Kushalappa
Education	Clarence High School, St. Joseph's Pre-University College, CMR Institute of Technology(BE), Kuvempu University (MA), Alliance University (EPGDM)
Occupation(s)	Author, Engineer
Known for	Thirke (2022), Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables Retold (2023)
Awards	Bal Sahitya Puraskar for English in 2025

Early life

Kushalappa hails from Kodagu (Coorg), a region rich in oral lore.^[2][3][4] He studied in Bangalore in Clarence High School, St. Joseph's Pre-University College, CMR Institute of Technology (BE), Kuvempu University (MA) (correspondence course) and Alliance University (EPGDM) (weekend classes).^[1]

Career

Nitin Kushalappa is a lead engineer in the software development industry.^[5]

Kushalappa has also been working towards preserving the Kodava language and culture.^[6][7] He is the researcher working for the online Kodava Virtual Museum.^{[8][9][10][11]} He has done work on an old temple script, thirke.^[12][13][14] In an interview with Anushree Madhavan of The New Indian Express, Nitin admits that Coorg and the Pattole Palame are constant influences in his works.^[15][16]

He is the author of Puffin Books' Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables Retold.^{[17][18][19][20]} This is a children's book, a collection of 15 South Indian folktales, published in 2023.^[21][22][23] This book won him the Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2025. ^{[24][25][26][27][28][29]}

Kushalappa has books on local history, a translation from Kannada to English on Pandyanda Belliappa, and a biography to his credit.^[18][30] His book 'The Major who kept his Cool' is the biography of an army hero Lt Col (then Major) P S Ganapathi MVC, who protected his men while they were in hostile territory.^[30] Nitin has co-authored a book on the native religious practises of Kodagu.^[31] His various articles have been published by the Deccan Herald, and Star of Mysore. He also writes under the names Mookonda Kushalappa, Mookonda Nitin Kushalappa, and Nitin Kushalappa M P.^[32][2][3]

Books

Local History

• The Early Coorgs, USA: Createspace, 2013. ISBN 9781494430115, India: NotionPress, 2013. ISBN 9789383808274
• Long Ago in Coorg, USA: Createspace, 2013. ISBN 9781494282479, India: Pothi books, 2014. ISBN 9788192914206
• 1785 Coorg, Kodagu: Codava Makkada Coota, 2018.
• Kodagu Principality vs British Empire, Kodagu: Codava Makkada Coota, 2018.

Biography

• The Major who kept his Cool (Lt Col P S Ganapathi, MVC), Kodagu: Codava Makkada Coota, 2019.

Novella

• The House of Awadh, Gurugram: Bigfoot Publication, 2019. ISBN 9788194302445 (modern-day Ramayan)
• A Hoysala Adventure, New Delhi: Puffin, 2025. ISBN 9780143471882 (Historical fiction, Girls of India series)

Translation

• The Gandhi of Kodagu (Pandyanda Belliappa), Kodagu: Codava Makkada Coota, 2020

Children's Folk Tale Collection

• Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables Retold, New Delhi: Puffin, 2023. ISBN 9780143454991^[1]