A museum celebrating the life of General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, housing, a variety of antique weaponry and war relics, was inaugurated in Madikeri on Saturday by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Sunny Side, the ancestral house of the legendary General 'Timmy' Thimayya, who served as chief of the army staff from 1957 to 1961, has been renovated and converted into a museum in Karnataka's Kodagu district.
The President said the museum has preserved special aspects of the extraordinary character and contribution of one of the finest soldiers in the army's history.
"The memorabilia at Sunny Side, once the residence of General Thimayya, highlights the sterling features of our brave forces," Kovind observed.
"District Kodagu has the honour of having enriched our armed forces with stalwarts like General Thimayya and Field Marshal (K M) Cariappa (the first Indian COAS). I am sure that this museum will inspire our youth to carry forward the legacy of General Thimayya," he said.
A statue of General Timmy in uniform greets as one enters the museum, which also showcases a slice of Indian military history.
To guide the visitors, there is a first person narration, explaining the articles and artifacts kept there.
Reflecting on the humility of the great son of the soil of Kodagu, or the erstwhile Coorg, there is a picture showing him riding a Lambretta scooter.
There is also a mural showing Field Marshal Claude John Eyre Auchinleck -- 'The Auk', the celebrated British army commander during the Second World War -- coming down to Sunny Side to meet General Thimayya.
The museum also acknowledges the contribution of General Thimayya's siblings, including two of his brothers, who too were army officers, and his wife Nina, who spoke fluent French and was bestowed with the 'Kaiser-e-Hind' award in recognition of her work in public service.
Key attractions on the premises of this war memorial include a battle tank, one of those used by the army during the war with Pakistan in 1971.
Decades-old arms and ammunition, army guns and rifles and a decommissioned MiG-21 fighter jet, besides a collection of artwork featuring the valour of soldiers on the battlefield, books and articles are among the things on display.
"General Thimayya is the pride of Kodagu and the memorial museum aims to retell the life-story of the General in an inspiring manner," a local official said.
Photographs: Press Information Bureau, Rashtrapati Bhavan/Facebook
You can read more about General Timmy here, here and here (all external links).
