Category Archives: About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka

Made for all communities

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Uncategorized

MalleshwaramBF12mar2013

Modern aspirations: A sketch of the temporary shelters set up in Malleswaram during the outbreak of plague. / Photo: Bangalore Plague Report of 1895  / The Hindu

MalleshwaramTwoBf12mar2013

Modern aspirations: An 1889 map of the layout of Malleswaram. / Photo: Bangalore Plague Report of 1895 / The Hindu

From rehabilitation area to posh neighbourhood, Malleswaram’s come a long way

One of Bangalore’s oldest layouts, Malleswaram celebrates the 125th year of its founding next year. Founded in 1889, Malleswaram was created by the Wadiyars of the Mysore kingdom to provide a modern lifestyle to all communities, in which they could live in hygienic conditions.

Most of the city was under the authorities of the British Cantonment in the 19th century, and had various well-planned layouts such as Richmond Town, Cox Town and Benson Town. The Wadiyar government planned and executed similar planned layouts in 1880s, leading to the formation of Basavanagudi and Malleswaram.

Interestingly, both these new layouts were created on foothills: Basavanagudi lies on the foothills of the Bull Temple, Bugle Rock and Lal Bagh, while Malleswaram is on the foothills of the Kempegowda watchtower and Palace Guttahalli. Malleswaram’s advantage lay in its access to a water source — a big stream (now the Rajakaluve) ran through it — and along with Basavanagudi, it was meant to provide temporary shelter during large epidemics (such as the plague) and during famine.

Named after a temple

No vernacular or English historical records before the 1880s support the existence of a village named ‘Mallapur’ or ‘Malleswaram’. However, the area originally came under the village of Ranganatha Palya, as an 1878 Survey of India map indicates. Just as Basavanagudi layout was named after the Basavanna temple, Malleswaram was named after the Kadu Mallikarjuna (Malleswara) temple.

Both Basavanagudi and Malleswaram were originally planned to accommodate all communities. While previous layouts such as Chamarajpet or Benson Town accommodated particular sections of society according to their original plans, Malleswaram was created to provide accommodation to a range of communities. That an inclusive society was no new concept can be seen in the old inscription found on the outcrop of the Kadu Malleswara temple, which refers to the grant given to Medaralingana village by Maratha Sardar Venkoji or Ekoji in 1669 for the upkeep of the temple.

Multicultural medievals

The inscription cautions that no one should alter the grant given by Venkoji, including Hindus and Muslims. The inscription clearly refers to various communities of the medieval period, including Muslims and Hindus. This historical evidence indicates that there was a significant population of Muslims in Bangalore in the mid-17th century, and this multicultural society continued into the modern period. In the new layout of Malleswaram, there were separate wards for Muslims, native Christians, and various Hindu castes including Brahmins, Lingayats, Vaishyas and Shudras.

According to historical records, Malleswaram was developed on 291 acres. It stretched from the old Raja Mills or Mysore Spinning and Weaving Mills (Mantri Mall stands in its place) to 15th Cross including Sankey Tank in the north, and from the Bangalore-Arasikere railway track in the west to the Kadu Malleswara temple in the east.

Steady ascent

Although the government created the new layout and invited people to purchase sites and settle there, it met with little response. It then formed a committee with members such as V.P. Madhav Rao, Mir Shaukat Ali and Rao Bahadur Arcot Srinivasachar and K. Srinivasa Rao to develop the new area in 1892. By 1895, the committee handed over the layout to the city municipal authorities, and from then onwards, Malleswaram became an integral part of the city urban administration.

It remained an ordinary neighbourhood until after Independence, when those who worked in the government and the upper classes chose to live there. From a site for rehabilitation to a posh neighbourhood, history bears witness to Malleswaram’s growth.

(Dr. Aruni is Deputy Director of the Indian Council for Historical Research, Bangalore)

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by  S. K.  Aruni /  March 06th,  2013

Those were the days

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Travel

Bangalore was once famous for its free spirit and culture. A few loyalists are trying to preserve a slice of the city they knew and love

If you happen to be a newcomer to  Bangalore , and get into conversations with some of its older residents, be careful about showering their city with compliments. If you remark that it is green, they will tell you it used to be greener. Talk about the great weather, and they will tell you it used to be much better. Bangalore, they will tell you (wistfully, angrily or with an air of resignation, depending on who you are talking to), is not the place it used to be. And the nostalgia is not unwarranted. Every so often, there will be an article in a newspaper about an old Bangalore joint going out of business because it can’t afford the escalating rent and of customers rushing to have that last cup of tea or sandwich, or just to shoot the breeze, at their old hangout. Some Bangaloreans, though, are trying to do their bit to preserve a slice of the city they knew, in their own way.

 

“Bangalore used to be the kind of place where people gathered at parks every evening and someone would invariably take out his guitar, where people would dance at clubs till five in the morning, and where the greatest crime was to go around without a cycle lamp!” says Paul Fernandes , artist and former advertising executive, occasionally referred to as the city’s  Mario Miranda . Fernandes has recaptured that era in a series of 60 evocative watercolours, on display at his recently opened gallery, “aPaulogy,” in Richards Town. Each of the watercolours, set in ’70s Bangalore, has a personal memory or association for the artist. But anyone from those days would have an association with the places he has sketched, he adds.

 

One shows a boy on a cycle riding away with hand outstretched from a constable whose hat is in the air, titled “Potential visitor at Cubbon Park police station? “Oh we all used to do that — slap their hats off and then speed away and if you were caught, you had to spend the night in the lock-up,” Fernandes says with a laugh. Another shows two young bucks doffing their hat to a pretty young lady emerging from her house. Look carefully and you will espy an old gent with a rifle taking aim at the young men. “I have a very pretty sister and young men from all over the city used to come from all over to see her… and my uncle used to use his rifle to threaten them,” says Fernandes, which he later corrects to “seven pretty sisters”. The rifle is also there, next to the watercolour.

 

Fernandes thought of doing the sketches when he noticed that whenever he and his friends were talking, the conversations would begin with “Do you remember” and it would invariably turn out to be a happy conversation. The push came when his mother’s house, which his father had bought in 1947 when he returned from England, was sold and demolished. “That’s when I started drawing the old buildings,” he says. Fernandes now plans to bring out a book of the watercolours, titled Bangalore Blue — A 1970s Roundabout.

A different attempt to make sense of the rapid changes that took place in Bangalore and the city’s struggles to come to terms with it, while holding on its familiar aspects, is a film by city-based filmmaker  Sushma Veerappa . TitledWhen Shankar Nag Comes Asking, the film tackles these issues by examining what it would take for two auto drivers, Ramanna and Mahadeva, at Shankar Nag Auto Stand to “belong” in Bangalore today. When asked what she made of the changes in Bangalore, and the loss of old “institutions,” Veerappa says, “Of course there is much nostalgia value to something tangible like buildings. But as a documentary filmmaker, I am more concerned with what replaces those buildings — and I don’t mean just the glass façades. How and where does one carry those memories associated with that demolished old building? How do they translate into the everyday?” The changes that have happened, she says, is less about the “loss” and more about the sense of alienation and how insecurities play out. “The making of the documentary helped me understand the many ways of seeing,” she says.

 

But not all change is unwelcome. “I’m not depressed (about the changes) at all. Life has become better in many ways as well,” says Fernandes. Yet, on being told that Kohinoor Hotel on Brigade Road, a hangout for many Bangaloreans since the late ‘50s, had downed its shutters while he was abroad, Fernandes can’t keep that note of regret out of his voice when he says he will not be able to visit it for one last of glass of its famous suleimani chai with his old friends…

(aPaulogy, located on 15 Clarke Road, near the entrance of Richards Park, is open from 11 am to 7.30 pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 12 to 7.30 pm on Sunday (closed on Mondays); There will be a series of public screenings of When Shankar Nag Comes Asking in February, the details of which will be posted on the director’s Facebook page(sushma.veerappa/facebook))

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source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Life & Leisure / by Indulekha Aravind / Bangalore, January 13th, 2013

128th birth anniversary of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar ‘Morrow

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Mysore, June 3

Pathi Foundation and Ursu Mandali Sangha have organised separate programmes to celebrate the 128th birth anniversary of Rajashree Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar at different places in city tomorrow.

This was announced at a separate press conferences addressed by Ursu Mandali and Pathi Foundation President at Pathra-karthara Bhavan here yesterday.

Addressing media persons, Ursu Mandali President B.G. Choodachandra Raje Urs described Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar as an architect of the Mysore kingdom and announced that the 128th birth centenary of Wadiyar will be celebrated tomorrow on a grand scale.

As part of the celebrations, a grand procession of the portrait of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar will be taken out from Agrahara Circle at 10 am to K.R.Circle and the event will be inaugurated by DCP Basavaraj Malagatti where Gopal Raje Urs of Ursu Mandali, A.V.Vidya Urs, Leader of the Opposition in the MCC and Corporator Jaishankar Swamy will be present as chief guests.

The statue of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar at K.R.Circle will be garlanded, he announced.

Choodachandra Raje Urs also demanded that the government declare the birth anniversary of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar who had taken up construction of many heritage buildings at Mysore, Bangalore and other places as general holiday and also to celebrate the occasion.

Pathi Foundation: Meanwhile, Corporator M.D. Partha-sarathy, President of Pathi Foundation, told media persons that the birthday of Rajashri will be celebrated in a grand manner at Agrahara Circle.

Lauding the services of Nalwadi in implementing various developmental projects during his regime, Parthasarathy said that the celebrations will begin with a Suprabhatha at 5.45 am at N. Madhav Rao Circle in Agrahara, colourful paintings of Nalwadi by Nagarjuna will be unveiled at 6 am, to be followed by a Sudar-shana Homa.

At 10.15 am, a souvenir on the late Maharaja will be released, a grand musical programme by Vishnu Nights will be held at 3 pm, he said and added that at 6.30 pm, a Smarana-Namana programme will be held. A humour play will be staged by Mandya Ramesh team at 8.45 pm.

Mayor Rajeshwari Puttaswamy, Bhashyam Swamiji, RSS leader Venkatram and others will be present, he added.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / June 03rd, 2012

Tale of two cities

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Uncategorized

MULTIPLE CITY

Inscribed on the grains of sand, somewhere in the hour-glass of time, is the story of Bangalore, a story that has intrigued many. There are stories within stories of the multiple city that Bangalore is.

SIGHTS OF BANGALORE in the 1900’s. Clockwise from top left: A typical street with turbaned men and women ( Photo courtesy: Jane Smith, England , Missionary Fred Goodwill’s, grand daughter and Jones Ebinesan,  Western Australia).

A common thread that runs through the City’s centuries-old history is that of the constant pete-Cantonment parallel, and the story of the City’s municipal governance occupies a special place in the existence of two separate geographical entities within the map of Bangalore.

Even 150 years after the first municipal board came into existence on March 27, 1862, one can still tell the difference between the old City area and the Cantonment. Today, the cosmopolitan nature of the City, punctuated by people of many communities, occupations and ethnic origins might have masked the difference between the two areas, but not obliterated it. The dichotomy seems to be a constant through Bangalore’s history.

Although the first municipal board was already established in 1862 for old Bangalore, drawing a line of distinction, another board was formed on August 1 of the same year, to govern the Cantonment area.

State within a state

The Cantonment was a state within the state. Its demography was largely decided by the British. Historians point out that the British had, in order to cater to their various needs, brought ‘rich’ communities like the Mudaliars and Naidoos and some Muslims. They had also brought the ‘Harijan’ community to perform menial jobs.

With higher expendable income, larger budgets, special provisions, the Cantonment was elite. But the old City area could not be left out, not even if it were not the bosom of the City in the eyes of historians. Their charms were different. The Cantonment was English; the City area, notwithstanding some resembling architecture, was local.

But they were both vibrant by virtue of enjoying separate business districts, a provision the City planners post-Independence have given little importance to.

According to H S Doreswamy, the oldest (living) freedom fighter of Bangalore, the City’s business district housed all kinds of businesses, from oil producers to potters and silk weavers to bangle makers.

The Cantonment was different. It had bazaars that sold finished products, grocery and was home to a spectrum of entertainment avenues.

In 1871, a new municipal regulation saw the appointment of J H Orr as the fulltime president for the control and direction of the affairs of both the municipal. This was the first attempt at unified governance.

But the differences were not to be wiped out. The total revenue generation of the Bangalore City Municipality was Rs 43,010 while the revenue of the Bangalore Civil and Military Station Municipality (Cantonment) was Rs 92,617.

After the conclusion of the Commissioner’s administration and the beginning of the Mysore rulers’ administration, the Cantonment area was called British Cantonment.
By 1881, the differences in the administration became very apparent and caused discomfort among the locals in the City area. The administration continued, brushing aside these differences that did not last, for Bangaloreans then, like now, 150 years later, didn’t get ruffled too much by these differences.

Home to the British automatically meant more access to many provisions that the City area did not have. The ever-benevolent (British) government’s hand meant funds for development projects.

One such key priority that came the Cantonment’s way was drinking water supply. As early as 1881, Sampangi and three Millers tanks were the chief sources of water for the Civil and Military Stations. The Millers tank, constructed in 1854, was the first step taken to meet the demand for water. For the City, before the commencement of the scheme of protected (filtered) water supply to the City initiated in 1896 by Dewan K Sheshadri Iyer, unfiltered raw water was supplied from a number of tanks like the Dharmambudhi tank, Sampangi, Ulsoor and the Sankey tank.

The British officers deputed in Bangalore during the 1890s were looking for a new source of water supply. Major Grant worked at four sources––Maligal valley, Hebbal, Rachenahalli and Hessaraghatta––and M C Hutchins, the chief engineer of Mysore preferred Hessaraghatta.

More equal than others?

While people residing in the limits of the Bangalore City Municipality were levied three per cent-four per cent water tax, buildings and land used for military purpose were exempted from tax.

In 1892, for the first time, elections were conducted for these boards.
Voting rights were restricted only to male property owners and even among them, only those who have paid property tax, according to provisions of the Central rule of 1883. Both civil and military areas saw 18 members in all.

The differences between the two though, had to continue. Unlike in the City area, only in the Cantonment, women were allowed to vote. It was not until 1923, when the City board submitted a memorandum that women in the City area were allowed to cast their vote.

The differences continued even after Independence, as historians have described.
On December 8, 1949, post-Independence, both the boards were legally merged as one. But the most immediate challenge for the new administrators was to find the much needed co-operation for common administration. For the lines had to be “undrawn.”
The path taken after that needs little recalling. Bangalore has grown, it has a fresh identity. But the two separate identities that the Cantonment and City areas have given to Bangalore will continue to add to the charm of this City in its own way.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by Chethan Kumar / Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

3000 million years old Lalbagh rock facing human threat?

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All, Uncategorized

Morning walkers fear that it may be damaged by the use of heavy drilling machinery by personnel hired to rejuvenate the lake in the garden

The rock, termed Peninsular Gneiss, is a mixture of granitic rocks

The use of heavy drilling machinery by construction personnel hired to rejuvenate the lake in the renowned Lalbagh botanical gardens has several morning walkers and joggers worried. They fear that work would endanger the 3,000 million years old Peninsular Gneiss, the rock in the centre of the park. The personnel are cutting huge boulders using earth movers, near the Siddapura Gate. Dr Krishna, a morning visitor to the park, told Bangalore Mirror, “I saw these machines near the rock a few days ago. Vigilance officers informed them that they were drilling the earth to cut rocks. None of us had any clue where those rocks were transported.”

But horticulture officials clarified that the rock won’t be damaged. H M Krishnappa, deputy director of Lalbagh, said, “We are not drilling into the rock. 

Special white stone boulders have been brought from Pavagada to construct a bund along the recently rejuvenated Lalbagh lake. They are not only huge but irregular in shape as well. Hence, they have are being cut to fit our requirements. As there was no vast space available within the park to take up the drilling and chiseling work, we chose the empty space near Siddapur Gate, which was sometimes used as a parking lot.”  But when asked whether the drilling work with high level vibrations would damage the texture of the geologically significant rock, Krishnappa clarified, “They have just cleared the soil to keep the boulders intact while drilling and chiseling using heavy machines. We have been vigilant at every step.”

N Chandranna, a retired senior geologist from the mines and geology department, said, “The drilling would not harm the rock as the vibrations would be of negligible level. But using explosives would have a huge impact on the composition of the rock.”
history of the rock
The term Peninsular Gneiss means mixture of granitic rocks, which are largely spread around the southern plateu of India. The term was coined by Dr W F Smeeth of the Mysore Geological Department. It is considered to be one of the oldest rocks of earth. It was declared a national geological monument in 1916.
The antiquity of this rock has attracted geologists from all over the world and has given rise to erudite scientific papers on the evolution of earth by the pioneers of the Mysore Geological Depart-ment, Geological Survey of India and scholars. Stone quarry of this gneiss continues to be source material for research in the various branches of earth science.
source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com / Bangalore> City / by Niranjan Kaggere / Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Bantwal: ‘Drishti-Srishti’ National Level Painting Camp Inaugurated

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bantwal, Dec 25:

“Museums have been the saving grace of our times, when globalization, westernization, and modernization are threatening to endanger our culture. Museums have been attending to the work of conserving our culture, and taking it forward,” said Prof T C Shivashankara Murthy, vice chancellor of Mangalore University.

He was speaking after inaugurating the national level painting camp, ‘Drishti-Srishti’ at Sanchayanagiri in B C Road here on Saturday December 24. The camp, which is based on the life of valiant Tuluva queen, Rani Abbakka, will be on for five days.


He advised the young women of the 21st century to get inspiration out of the life and achievements of Rani Abbakka, who fought against the Portuguese for four decades. “We are in an era of knowledge explosion. Because of fast advances in all fields, culture faces the danger of becoming a casualty. Tukaram Poojary, who has pledged himself to the task of upholding our culture, which is facing risks from several angles, deserves wholehearted appreciation,” he lauded.

Adding further, Murthy hailed the concept of building the blocks of history through scenes taken of one’s life. “I know the painters who are participating in this camp will face several challenges, one of which is taking care not to distort history. I have full faith in their talent, and am sure that an art gallery which will a model for the whole country will come up at this venue,” he said.

Appreciating the functioning of Rani Abbakka Museum and Tulu Study Centre here, he said that the university is prepared to give academic accreditation to the centre, if it has plans to take up academic activities.

Renowned Kannada cine director, T S Nagabharana, who was the chief guest of the function, lamented that the society here is not aware how best the visual medium can be utilized. He expressed his concern about the use of visual medium only in a symbolic manner than exploring its full potentials. Nagabharana said that the people who dream about the future, should have proper knowledge of their past, lack of which robs them of the ability to live in the present. “The foundations of our cultural heritage should remain permanently. In this backdrop, this camp, being organized to present the woman power Rani Abbakka represented in a society –centric fashion, is appreciable,” he said.

Local MLA, B Ramanath Rai, who presided over the function, hailed Abbakka as an ideal leader who symbolizes the self respect of Tuluvas.

Coordinators of the camp, N S Pattar and Kandan G, apart from secretary of Tulu Study Centre, Prof Ashalata Suvarna , were present at the dais. Reception Committee president, A C Bhandary, welcomed. President of the centre, Tukaram Poojary, delivered introductory address. Prof Vrishabhraj Jain extended best wishes to participants. Secretary of the reception committee, Navaneet Hingani, proposed vote of thanks. Dr R Narasimha Murthy compered the programme.

Speaking to press persons later, Nagabharana revealed about his plans to bring before the people a piece of history in the form of a mega television series based on the life and achievements of Keladi Chennamma. He said that he has been studying about Chennamma since the last two years, and that no other achiever in history had been able to rule a province for 26 long years as Chennamma did. He revealed that this series will be brought to the people through Suvarna television channel.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com/ DaijiWorld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)/ Sunday, December 25th, 2011 / PHOTOGRAPHS by: Mounesh Vishwakarma

The ‘ugliest’ church

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With less than a week to go for Christmas day, workers are busy giving finishing touches to the Christmas decorations inside St Mark’s Cathedral. They are tying sprigs of poinsettia to each pew and hanging the last holly garlands (plastic, alas). The tree, a new fibre-optic one donated by a member of the congregation, is up and laden with ornaments, as is the crib in the Nativity scene. “The decoration begins on the first Sunday in Advent [the four weeks leading up to Christmas], and we keep adding to it,” says Anjana Samuel, convener of the music and programme committee.

The decorations are but one part of the Christmas festivities at St Mark’s, one of the oldest churches in Bangalore. Situated in the heart of the city, the cathedral was built in 1808 as a place of worship for the soldiers and officers of the British army stationed in Bangalore Cantonment. At that time, it was a plain structure. A chronology of the cathedral’s history says it was called “one of the ugliest buildings ever erected. With its yellow-washed walls and low roof it resembles nothing so much as a Bryant and May’s Match Box!”

The yellow-washed walls remain but there is nothing remotely ugly about the cathedral now. A dome was added a few years after it opened, and when the interiors were redone after a disastrous fire in 1923, St Mark’s got a pulpit and font made in Genoa, Italy, beautiful stained glass windows, and a cross and candlesticks from Oxford, among other things.

The imposing pipe organ was a gift to the cathedral from the parents of the famous English cricketer Colin Cowdrey in 1928. Bought for Rs 33,000 then, it is now worth Rs 10 crore, says senior organist

E D George, adding that Rs 2-3 lakh is spent annually on its maintenance. The organ, made of Burma teak, has 1,000 pipes made in England and is one of the few of its kind in the country, says George, a former music teacher at Bishop Cotton’s School.

Christmas celebrations at St Mark’s, says its pastor Reverend Daniel Ravikumar, begin from the first Sunday in Advent, with special sermons. On the first Sunday, an ecumenical service is held, to which members of other denominations are invited. At this year’s service, nine choirs from other churches took part. During Advent, church members also visit the poor and distribute food and clothing, a custom started in 1961 by the late Harry Daniels, the first Indian priest at St Mark’s. Special Christmas programmes by Sunday School children and senior citizens are also held.

All this culminates in the Christmas Eve service close to midnight on the 24th and, of course, the service on Christmas Day. These, along with Easter, are the best-attended services every year, with the cathedral putting up shamianas outside for the spillover. There are “festival Christians” who come just for these services, says Ravikumar wryly. The 1,500-family-strong congregation, he adds, has been growing, perhaps because of the influx into the city.

One of the most awaited events on the St Mark’s Christmas calendar is the special carol service, on the fourth Sunday in Advent. The one-hour service is followed by a parish dinner on the church grounds, with a bonfire to fight the winter chill. This year’s dinner saw three Santas arriving in a horse-drawn carriage, says Samuel, the convenor of the programme. “Each year we have a different theme and this time it was Hawaiian Christmas,” she says. Samuel is also a member of the 35-member choir, which begins practice for Christmas three months in advance. Apart from the carol service, the choir also goes on carol rounds to the houses of church members, for at least two nights. Typically, the group starts out at 7.30 pm and returns only by 8.30 the following morning!

All this makes for a packed schedule for active members of the congregation, like Samuel. But Christmas remains her favourite time of the year. “We are able to touch the lives of many people and it holds a lot of meaning for me,” she says. It is, after all, the season for peace on earth and goodwill to mankind.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Life & Leisure / by Indulekha Aravind / December 25th, 2011

Pages from History: The saga of Unification of Karnataka

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

By Prof. A.V. Narasimha Murthy,

Former Head, Department of Ancient History & Archaeology, Mysore University

The saga of unification of Karnataka reads like an epic involving sacrifices, thinking, planning, agitating, coaxing, requesting, threatening etc. by leaders. The seeds for this great event which flowered in 1956 were sown more than a century ago with multi-pron-ged programmes but with a single agenda.

It was Deputy Channabasappa who in 1956 announced his idea of a State of Karnataka for the Kannada speaking people. This was fortified by the establishment of Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha at Dharwad in 1890 with this as its main aim. Benagal Ramrao delivered a lecture in 1903 at Dharwad asking the authorities to form a Karnataka State. However, this got a bigger boost in 1907 when Alur Venkatarao, known as the high priest of Kannada people (Kannada-kula purohita) wrote a brilliant article arguing for the formation of Karnataka State and this proved to be an eye-opener to the people of Karnataka to unite themselves under the banner of Karnataka. Lokamanya Tilak supported the cause of linguistic States before the Royal Commission in 1908.

The inauguration of Kannada Sahitya Parishat in 1915 was a catalyst for the unification movement. In the very first conference, the Parishat passed a resolution for the formation of Karnataka State. To support this stand, an organisation called Karnataka Sabha was formed in 1917 by Mudavida Krishnarao, Kadapa Raghavendra Rao and others. Many submissions were made to the Secretary of State for India, Montegue. Some influential persons of this movement were also the members of Indian National Congress.

Consequently, the annual sessions of National Congress were also used for airing this problem. Even Gandhiji blessed this movement saying that it is close to his heart. Nagpur session of the Congress passed a resolution also.

A political conference was held in 1920 under the Chairmanship of Dewan Madhava Rao which stressed the need for the formation of Karnataka State. Siddappa Kambali passed a resolution in Bombay Legislature in 1920. All India Congress Committee urged the government to start the process of the formation instead of discussing it any more, with regard to Andhra, Karnataka and Sindh. This opinion was placed before the Pandit Nehru Committee in 1928. Nehru approved it and this was placed at the Lucknow Congress session and it was passed.

Another significant step was taken in 1928-29 by placing this subject before the Simon Commission. This Commission appreciated and justified the formation of linguistic States. Not satisfied by this, Benagal Ramarao, Benagal Shiva Rao (both brothers) and Mirza Ismail took this subject in 1931 to the Round Table Conference held at London. This proved a great success because the British authorities were convinced of the necessity and justification for a new State of Karnataka.

In the meantime, it became very clear that unless India became independent, the formation of Karnataka would be a mirage and hence the concerned persons turned towards this goal. Many literary giants like BM Sri, Kuvempu, Anakru, Bendre and others wrote and made Karnataka their mantra and began writing, lecturing and created a mass involvement in this movement. In a highly emotional way, they described the Goddess Karnataka being cut into parts like Mysore State of the Maharaja, Madras Karnataka, Bombay Karnataka, Kerala Karnataka, Kodagu and many petty States ruled by Nawabs, etc and hence she is bleeding and it is the duty of every Kannadiga to redeem her from this atrocity committed on her.

Common people became passionate about their bleeding mother. At this time some influential people felt that the freedom movement should not be diluted in Karnataka for the sake of formation of Karnataka and advised the freedom fighters to wait till the country got freedom. Many were disappointed by this stance but had to be patient in the light of utterances of the leaders of the freedom movement.

In 1946, a huge conference was held at Davanagere in which Mysore Pradesh Congress played a prominent role. At this time, some persons posed the problem of Mysore Maharaja’s State being separate from the formation of Karnataka. However, India became independent in 1947 and the Maharaja’s State was merged into Indian Union after a small struggle.

A Committee headed by Sri Dhar was formed to look into this problem. In the 1952 General elections, Congress won the majority seats and hence it became strong. It threatened to resign enmasse if Karnataka State was not formed forthwith. Then the Central Government opened its eyes and constituted the State Reorganisation Committee in 1953 with Fazal Ali as the Chairman, H.N. Kunjan and K.M. Panikkar as members. It examined 1, 54, 250 records, memoranda, maps, books etc, met 9,000 persons and gave a report on Sept. 30, 1953.

It was placed before the Lok Sabha and was passed on 10th June 1956. The President gave his assent on 31st August 1956. The State of Karnataka came into existence on 1st November 1956. But the State was called Mysore State and majority of the people were not happy with this. The then Chief Minister D. Devaraja Urs managed to rename it as Karnataka State on 1st Nov. 1956 as per the aspirations of the Kannada speaking people.

On this occasion, it is our duty to remember with gratitude all those who put in their efforts so that we can be proud of the name Karnataka.

source: http://starofmysore.com / Feature Articles / November 05th, 2011

 

‘Ekikarana’ movement: A timeline

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Uncategorized

The regions that make up for today’s Karnataka were under as many as 20 different administrative units with the princely state of Mysore, Nizam’s Hyderabad, the Bombay Presidency, the Madras Presidency and the territory of Kodagu being some of them.


* Under such circumstances, a need was felt among Kannadigas living in these various administrative units to form one state, which would unify all Kannada-speaking people in the various regions. This movement called the Ekikarana movement was led by litterateurs and thinkers.

* The Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha was established in Dharwad in 1890. This was an important phase in the history of the unification movement. The Sangha was started by R H Deshpande who strove for the revival of Kannada in a region which was part of the Bombay Presidency where Marathi was the language of administration.

* It was later that the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (Bangalore) was set up (1915), which was another driving force in the unification movement.

* Alur Venkata Rao was the leading light of the unification movement. The publication of his Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava in 1912 gave a huge push in terms of a mass movement. He was known as the Kannada Kula Purohita or the ‘High priest of the Kannada family.’

* The States Reorganisation Commission was constituted by the Central government under the States Reorganisation Act and consisted of Hon. Fazal Ali, Kavalam Madhava Panikkar, and HN Kunzru.

* The recommendations of the Fazal Ali Committee was ratified by the Parliament, which meant that several disparate Kannada-speaking regions would now come under the Mysore State.
n The State was formed on November 1, 1956.

n It was on November 1, 1973, under Devaraj Urs as chief minister that the Mysore State was renamed as Karnataka.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com /by DHNS / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / Tuesday, November 01st, 2011

 

Kempegowda’s Mark on Bangalore

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, , ,

BANGALORE:

“A hundred thousand years ago Bangalore was a village. It has been in existence since 900AD. In the 13th century in the Tamil inscriptions at the Someshwara temple, the city is mentioned as ‘Vengaluru’. After Kempegowda the chieftain of Yelahanka Nadu a feudatory of the Vijayanagara Empire founded this city, he named it as Bengalooru and made it the capital.” said professor Devara Kondaiah Reddy.

He was speaking at the lecture, ‘Future Vision of Kempegowda on Growth of Bangalore city,’ organised by the Institution of Engineers, Karnataka State Centre in association with The Institution of Valuers, Bangalore branch. The lecture covered the story of Bangalore’s development as a trade centre and also threw light on the many invasions the city saw, due to its location and resources.

“From the 15th century Bangalore became a trade centre attracting many people from the surrounding areas. People from Hikari and Mysore came to Bangalore to do their business. Kempegowda then built many tanks in the city some which even exist today, so that these people could live here and use water for everyday purposes. Also he built four towers to mark the boundaries of the city. Further he constructed many roads like the one from Shivagange to connect the city. Vijayanagar dynasty was prosperous because they emphasised on trading,” professor Reddy further added.

 

The city developed each time new invaders conquered it. After Kempegowda there were many invasions. “At the time of Tipu he invited many people for trading purposes as well. He built an army training centre and also dealt with the trading of silk in a big way. He further developed the city. He encouraged people to engage in business and network through different cities,” said Reddy.

Bangalore as a city that we know today still remains a trading hub. One of the primary reasons for that is  the city retains a majority of its historic significance and speaks volumes about the its rulers.

“Bangalore is not like any other city in the country. A look around the city will give you a glimpse of its iconic past. When the British invaded and defeated Tipu, they built the Cantonment area which still exits. The British wanted to further modernise the city and connect it through railways,” Reddy explained. He maintains that Bangalore which is now called Bengaluru attracted the many invaders because Kempegowda found the city’s potential and enhanced it further.

“The primary reason that prompted people to come to  Bangalore was the amenities built and explored by Kempegowda. It was during his time that the city came into existence,” he said.

source:http://www.expressbuzz.com / Express News Service / May 14th, 2011