The city of the Mysore is usually identified for its tradition, culture and aesthetics. Thousands of tourists from across the globe visit Mysore every day to view various tourist spots across the city. While the Government has been chalking out plans to improve city’s tourism, little is done to promote the city’s role in the freedom struggle and freedom fighters who laid their lives. Tyagis such as Thagadur Ramachandra Rao, M.N. Jois, Yashodamma Dasappa, Ramaswamy and many more fought for the freedom. Mysore, which was a Princely State then, witnessed ‘Mysore Chalo’ agitation against the rulers, for disagreeing to join the Union of India. Prior to Mysore Chalo, freedom fighters took active part in the ‘Quit India Movement.’
This Weekend’s Star Supplement tries to give an insight into the freedom struggle in Mysore.
Freedom Struggle and Mysore
Mysore :
As India celebrates its 67th Independence Day on August 15, 2013, people in Mysore also remember the contributions of freedom fighters from Mysore, who braved their hearts to fight for Independence and also during ‘Mysore Chalo,’ the post-independence struggle to bring the Princely State of Mysore under the Union of India.
At a time when the struggle for independence had begun, Mysore was also influenced by the national awakening which was being evidenced by newspapers such as The Hindu, The New India, Maratha and some of the local newspapers such as Karnataka Prakashika, Suryodaya Prakashika and Vrittanta Chittamani.
There was definite activity in the direction of national awakening as was evidenced during the I World War when Thagadur Ramachandra Rao started his movement against the foul criticism of the Hindu Society by the Christian Missionaries and also started selling pictures of Jalianwallah Bagh tragedy at his shop in Mysore in 1919.
When Bal Gangadhar Tilak passed away on August 1, 1920, there was a huge procession of mourners and shops in Mysore were closed. Even the district court was forced to shut. The procession was led by the students of Maharaja’s College followed by the boys of Marimallappa High School and other schools and among the leaders were Devudu Narasimha Shastry, a college student then, M. Venkatakrishnaiah, who was the Principal of Marimallappa High School, who were responsible for bringing in leaders such as Thagadur Ramachandra Rao, M.N. Jois, Palahalli Sitaramaiayya and Agaram Rangayya to the national cause.
When KPCC was formed in the Nagpur Congress convention, its branches were opened all over Karnataka in 1921 and M. Venkatakrishnaiah was the first President of Mysore District Congress Committee. In the mofussil areas, Visveswara Gowda of Nanjangud, T. S. Subbanna of Thagadur, T. Rama Rao, Siddhoji Rao and T.P. Boraiah at T.Narasipur, advocate M.A. Srinivas Iyengar and G. Krishna Murthy of Hunsur and Ganapathi Shastry of Saligrama were some of the early leaders of Congress during 1920s and early 1930s who spearheaded the freedom movement.
The Congress in this part of the region was funded by philanthropists like Sahukar D. Banumaiah, P.N. Sangappa and hotelier Badri Prasad.
By 1938, the struggle for independence intensified after the Shivapura Congress was held. Many leaders were imprisoned after the Shivapura Satyagraha and Dwaja Satyagraha in Mysore region. Freedom fighters from Chamarajanagar and K.R. Nagar actively participated in the freedom struggle which resulted in about 6000 people being sent to jails across Karnataka.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Mysore District Freedom Fighters Association President D.S. Jagadish said that at the time of Quit India Movement people involved in freedom struggle laid a siege on the post offices, damaged the railway tracks and cut off the telephone lines in protest. The protest intensified after news about Mahatma Gandhi’s arrest was announced.
Majority of the planning regarding the freedom struggle was being done at Subbarayana Kere, which is located opposite Anathalaya on Narayana Shastri Road in city.
Mysore also witnessed the visit of Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle on August 19, 1927 to propagate the cause of khadi following which a khadi production unit was started at Badanawal in Nanjangud Taluk.
Later, at the time of the Simon Commission visit to India, Thagadur Ramachandra Rao published a booklet ‘Simon Commissionnige Dhikkara’ (Down, Down Simon Commission) and addressed a public meeting in Mysore. He was sent to 15 days imprisonment and thus became the first political prisoner in Mysore State (1928).
The Tricolour was hoisted by M.N. Jois and L.V. Rajagopal on January 26, 1930 at Mysore as per the call of the All India Congress Committee. When the Civil Disobedience movement was launched in the British territories, two batches of volunteers — one led by Siddhanath Pant and another led by G.R. Swamy — went to Bombay-Karnataka area and returned after the signing of Gandhi-Irvine Pact in 1931.
Mysore also witnessed the commencement of Diamonds’ League, a nationalist youth organisation started by B. Srinivas Murthy and Krishnamurthy Padaki with the help of A.N. Suryanarayan Rao at Chamundipuram. The organisation was started to mobilise youths for the national movement. It also organised an exhibition of Swadeshi goods in 1932 at Chamundipuram.
Again, a large number of youths went to Bombay in 1932 and underwent imprisonment. Among them were M.N. Jois, his wife Subbamma Jois, Suryanarayan Pandit, N.D. Srirangachar and T.S. Subbanna. Many faced social boycott on return and M.N. Jois and his wife were even refused entry into their house.
Thagadur Ramachandra Rao organised temple entry programme for untouchables at Nanjangud and also founded a Harijan hostel in Thagadur in 1934. Gandhiji visited Mysore to advocate the eradication of untouchability and raised contributions for Harijan fund. After this, Thagadur Ramachandra Rao and his colleagues like M.N. Jois had to face lot of humiliation and insults when they went to work among the villagers. They were denied food and shelter even by the hostels and were greeted by pelting of stones, footwear and cowdung.
In later years, student leaders like Ramachandra Jois, H.S. Sadashivaiah and T.S. Subbanna conducted nationalist programmes at Maharaja’s College including flag hoisting in 1937, 1938 and 1939. To curb the nationalist activities among students, an order was passed in June 1938 that students failing in annual examination of the high school classes should not be allowed to attend classes for a second year. This resulted in Congress leaders like M.N. Jois taking initiative to start the Mahajan High School for victimised students in 1938.
Student strike continued even after the students spread themselves in groups to mofussil areas. Eight student leaders including H.Y. Sharada Prasad and Abdul Gafoor were arrested and 26 elder detainees from Mysore Jail were shifted to Bangalore Central Jail with a view to keep the students in ‘isolation’ in Mysore Jail. Despite all efforts by the Government to stop the students from striking, it continued. But, the death of a student, Shankarappa, in Mysore jail due to lathi charge on October 29, 1942, created panic among both the jail inmates and their parents. A student meeting at the Town Hall on November 23, 1942 which was chaired by Bhupalan Vasudeva Murthy, was attended by more than 1000 students who passed a resolution to withdraw the strike and return to classes and engage themselves in national and constructive work.
This was followed by the release of H.Y. Sharada Prasad and other convicted leaders on December 3, 1942. Even after the schools and colleges reopened, incidents of explosions were reported from Maharaja College Library on December 9, 1942. M.V. Krishnappa, one of the leaders, who was underground, offered satyagraha and courted arrested in January, 1943. The 11- week student struggle in Mysore went on to become one of the unique factors in Karnataka’s history of Quit India Movement.
Even today, freedom fighters in Mysore observe Quit India Movement Day. The District Freedom Fighters Association organises special function on August 9 every year and remembers those who sacrificed their lives during independence struggle.
Mysore Chalo
Even after India achieved independence from the British Rule on August 15, 1947, the celebrations in Mysore were subdued due to the resistance from the administrators of the Princely State. The then ruler Jayachamaraja Wadiyar refused to establish Responsible Government. Even the Indian Tricolour was not allowed to be hoisted. This prompted for yet another struggle called as ‘Mysore Chalo’, the last phase of freedom struggle. Even when the nationalists hoisted the flag at Subbarayana Kere, the Police intervened and removed the flag on September 3.
The Congress gave a call to volunteers from all parts of the then Mysore State to organise jathas to officially announce the commencement of ‘Mysore Chalo’ on September 4, 1947. Everyone including the students, workers, railway employees from all parts of the State rushed towards Mysore to take out rallies against the rulers of Mysore. Several liquor shops were attacked, taluk offices gheraoed, telegraphic wires delinked and railway lines removed.
At the time of intense protest, one high school student, Ramaswamy, died in Mysore when the Police opened fire at a procession at the Circle in the junction of JLB Road and Chamaraja Double Road, which has been appropriately named after him. A boy called Chandrashekar managed to hoist the National Flag on the Palace. As the jails were full, the arrested were taken in vehicles to be let off in far off places.
Later, Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar climbed down by accepting the demands on September 24, 1947 which was announced by K.C. Reddy at Subbarayana Kere. Following this, a responsible K.C. Reddy was sworn-in as CM on September 27.
The city also observes the ‘Mysore Chalo’ anniversary every year at the Freedom Fighters Park. People who participated in the ‘Mysore Chalo’ movement assemble at the park and pay respects to those who lost their lives in the struggle. It is said that around 69 people died and about 229 were injured during the struggle. [Source: Karnataka State Gazetteer]
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / August 10th, 2013