A.V. Road by Prerana B – SKCH

A. V. Road

Road Name: A.V. Road, initially called Albert Victor Road -in the memory of the former Prince is found at the Lalbagh entrance even today) - it was renamed Aluru Venkata Rao Road (after the leader of the Karnataka Ekikarana movement) post-Independence, ensuring that the abbreviation A V remained.

Road Location: Chamrajapet 1st main road

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Detailed Description:

The birth of Chamarajpet is a watershed moment in the history of Bengaluru for more reasons than one. It all started way back in 1880 when Bengaluru was a prosperous trade and commerce hub with a population of 80,000. Overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions in the old city prompted the Mysore rulers to create new extensions. Chamarajpet was the first such extension formed in 1892.

But it gained prominence as a residential locality only gradually as people were initially hesitant to move away from the city. Five years after Chamarajpet was created, the plague struck the old city and this led to the population of the extension.

The nomenclature of Chamarajpet 1st Main Road is a story in itself.  Initially called Albert Victor Road -in the memory of the former Prince of Wales, who laid the foundation stone for the Lalbagh Glass House in 1888 (the plaque indicating this is found at the Lalbagh entrance even today) -it was renamed Aluru Venkata Rao Road (after the leader of the Karnataka Ekikarana movement) post-Independence, ensuring that the abbreviation A V remained.

Chamarajpet retains its historical charm with landmarks like Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat that was established in 1915 and religious structures like the Kote Venkataramana Temple.

Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward,known to his friends as ‘Eddie’, was born in 1864 to Prince Albert Edward, who was then known as the Prince of Wales and who later became King Edward VII, and Princess Alexandra. Albert Edward was the son of Queen Victoria. Albert married Princess Mary in February 1892. But the young life was cut off in its early prime. The successor to the throne became a victim of the 1889-92 Great Influenza and met a premature death at the age of 28 on January 14, 1892.

Prior to his death, the lamented Prince undertook in October 1889 a seven-month tour of India as his father, the Prince of Wales, had done in 1875. Albert arrived in Bombay then visited Hyderabad and Madras. On 23rd, the royal train passed Bangalore on its way to Mysore and halted at Srirangapatnam for a while.   

Here, he visited the corner where the breach was made in the fort walls and through which the British troops entered into Srirangapatna. Then he visited Tippu’s Summer Palace, Daria Doulat and Mausoleum. After luncheon, the royal party boarded the special train at Paschimavahini.

On November 25 morning, the Maharaja drove Prince Albert to Khedda camp in Chamarajanagar taluk. The Prince had to go on horseback under hot sun the last five miles to the camp where elaborate arrangements had been made.

The royal party left for Bangalore after a few days. Before they proceeded to Travancore, the Prince laid foundation-stone of a permanent building for horticultural shows in Lal Bagh gardens on November 30. The Glass House at the Lal Bagh was built to commemorate Prince Albert's visit to Bangalore. He was given a reception in the garden by Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar. In Bangalore, a road in Chamarajapet was christiened in his name.

Alur Venkata Rao who was born at Bijapur in 1880. Alur went to Poona for his college education and obtained his B.A. and Law degree. He started the Karnataka Ithihasa Samshodhana Mandali for doing research on Karnataka history. The result was his monumental work about Karnataka’s glorious history, Karnataka Gathavaibhava published in 1917. We should first develop love towards Kannada and Karnataka and only then we can love India, was his view.

Alur also started the Karnataka unit of Home Rule League and organized a tour for Tilak in various places of north Karnataka. He was arrested during the Civil Disobedience Movement during 1931 and barred from political activities.

He worked as an editor for several magazines. In November 1922, he started Jayakarnataka, a monthly magazine where articles on a variety of subjects and topics were published.

Alur’s joy knew no bounds when Karnataka was unified on 1st November 1956. He personally went to Hampi and performed pooja to goddess Bhuvaneshwari in the Virupaksha temple and was aptly called Karnatakada Kulapurohita (highest priest of Kanada family). He felt sad that the name of Karnataka did not find a place in the list of states mentioned in the national anthem and wrote about its inclusion to the Prime Minister and President of India. Fully devoted to the Karnataka and Kannada, Alur breathed his last on 24th February 1964.

Although locals and several establishments in the area have adopted the new name, official BBMP records still refer to the road as Albert Victor Road. "Irrespective of what the name means, people just call it AV Road," said Suresh Moona,a well know historian, adding that re-renaming the road at this juncture would only lead to unwarranted confusion for the administration and disappointment for the people. A proposal submitted by the city corporation council to rename AV Roads as Tipu Sultan Palace Road was recently met with opposition by a BJP-led delegation. A greater controversy threatened to break out when the corporation claimed that AV Road was officially registered as Albert Victor Road, and nowhere in government or postal records is Alur Venkat Rao Road mentioned. 

Contributed by: B.Prerana, 9-D, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

References:

http://karnatakahistory.blogspot.in/2012/03/alur-venkata-rao-high-priest-of.html

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-02/news/60756299_1_chamarajpet-old-city-bengaluru

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluru_Venkata_Rao

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/It-is-Albert-Victor-Rd-not-Alur-or-Tipu-says-BBMP-administrator/articleshow/47506084.cms

 

Mahakavi Pampa Road by Shreya Shankar – SKCH

Mahakavi Pampa Road

Road Name: Mahakavi Pampa Road named after Adikavi Pampa (902 CE - 10th Century)

Road Location: The Mahakavi Pampa Road is located in Bangalore, Karnataka. It forms a major link connecting KR market, Shankarapuram, and Basavangudi. Its PIN code is 560018. It is just 2.2km away from the Town Hall.

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Summary:

Remarkable poet, precise strategist, evocative translator and pugnacious warrior are some of the words that describe the Great Adikavi Pampa. Despite the existence of a few Kannada poets before Pampa, he is widely regarded as the first Kannada poet as his work overshadows that of his predecessors. He is also considered to be one among the three jewels emblazoning the scenery of Kannada literature, the other two being Ponna and Ranna. Even today, a road in Bangalore is named after this illustrious personality. The strong blend of Margam (Sanskrit) and Desi (Kannada) is projected in his every line. Modern Kannada poets still pay homage to this great soul, who showed them the path and took the first steps towards establishing Kannada as a language of sophistication and emotion.

Detailed Description:

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words” ~ Robert Frost

A market is built through intellect and logic, infrastructure and justice. But it is art, culture, traditions, music and poetry, which makes a mere place of exchange of goods and service, a city or a state. Karnataka captures its on unique niche in the mosaic of a vast country like India by virtue of its breathtaking culture. The mellifluous language Kannada, lends honeyed semi tones to the literature presented in it. But it is not often that an average resident of Karnataka contemplates the achievements of the remarkable individual responsible for elevating Kannada to the status it now enjoys.

Mahakavi Pampa is one of the greatest poets who have walked the earth. Many historians and connoisseurs believe that Pampa was the first Kannada poet, hence he also known as Adikavi. He is one of the three jems of Kannada literature, the other two being Ponna and Ranna. He is believed to have been born in Annigeri in Karnataka. His prowess in prose and verse led him to become the court poet of the Chalukya king Arikesari. Another little known fact about Pampa, was that he also served as an army commander and hence his interest in the Mahabharata is but natural. He also commanded great dexterity in medicine, music and art.

Pampa was initially brought up as an orthodox Hindu. However he embraced Jainism along with his entire family. His father Abhiramadevaraya played an important role in shaping Pampa’s ideas on politics and materialism. In spite of the great riches that followed his every epic, he did not hoard wealth and gave away most of it to the needy. This quality of the educated and artistically inclined intelligentsia seems to carry to this day.

Pampa was considered to be the disciple of Devendramuni. His prodigious talent and unparalleled skill was polished by his Guru. Many of his writings reflect his devotion and gratitude towards his teacher.

True to his religion, his first masterpiece was a translation of a Sanskrit poem written by Jinasena, a Digambar monk. The book was called Adi Purana. This literary marvel was based on the story of the first Tirthankara, Rishabha deva. This was a momentous achievement because translation wasn’t a very well developed skill in that period. Pampa recognized the need for such translations, in order to bring the truth of a religion to the people.

Another of his immensely popular books is Vikramarjuna Vijaya also known as Pampa Bharata. This book is an adaptation of the Sanskrit Mahabharata and has been written in a style known as Champa. His blend of classical Sanskrit and Kannada has made the epic accessible to all. Pampa has also taken the freedom to change of few aspects of the original. He associated Arjun with his patron King Arikesari and hence in Pampa Bharata, Draupadi is married only to Arjun and he ascends the throne after the battle. He also supplies Arjun with many of King Arikesari’s own titles.

Pampa helped bring in Classicism, Jain and Hindu mythology to Kannada. Adikavi Pampa laid the foundation of Kannada literature on which exquisite castles are being built today.

Contributed by: Shreya Shankar, 11-E, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

References:

1.      http://www.in.com/adikavi-pampa/profile-6177.html

2.      http://www.britannica.com/biography/Pampa-Indian-poet

3.      https://books.google.co.in/books?id=BC3l1AbPM8sC&pg=PA141&dq=pampa+bharata&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjr3621vb3KAhXOkY4KHf64BdIQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=pampa%20bharata&f=false

Kengal Hanumantaiah Road by Raghav C. Madhukar – SKCH

Kengal Hanumantaiah Road

Road Name: Kengal Hanumantaiah Road (Commonly called KH Road or Double Road) named after Kengal Hanumantaiah (14 February, 1908 - 1 December, 1980)

Road Location: The Kengal Hanumantaiah Road (KH Road)/ Double Road is located near the Lalbagh area (Pin-code is 560027).

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Summary:

Kengal Hanumantaiah is mostly recognized as the second Chief Minister of Karnataka, and the man responsible for the construction of the Vidhana Soudha.

During his youth, inspired by the freedom struggle in India, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC). Consequently, he was imprisoned more than nine times. He rapidly progressed in popularity, and soon reached the status of a leader.

He also occupied several key posts such as, member of the Constituent Assembly of India, and Chief Minister of Karnataka in the year 1952. Later, he moved on to national politics, where he was very successful too. He was elected as Member of Parliament of Bangalore continuously from 1962 to 1977.

Detailed Description:

Kengal Hanumantaiah was born to a family hailing from Lakkappanahalli near Ramanagara, in Karnataka. As part of his higher education, he earned a degree in Arts, from the Maharaja College in Mysore, and another in Law, from the Poona Law College. In his college days, he was elected as the Secretary of the Students Union and the Karnataka Sangha.[1]

Soon after graduating, he joined the Bar Council. Later, under the influence of Dr. P Tandon who was the President of the Indian National Congress (INC), he joined the INC with the intention of serving the freedom struggle. He was imprisoned more than 9 times during the freedom movement. He was also elected leader of the Parliamentary Party wing of the Congress Party in Mysore Assembly in the year 1948. Also, he was a member of the historic Constituent Assembly of India.

With time, he grew more popular, and gradually carved himself out as a leader. And, with the necessary support, he entered electoral politics. His political career was one of great success. He was elected Chief Minister of Karnataka.[2] It is claimed that his chief ministership involved several clashes with Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru because the state leaders had to compromise by matching their agenda with that of the five year plans, which were introduced then.[3] [4]

Later, after completing his tenure as Chief Minister, Kengal Hanumantaiah moved on to national politics, where he achieved exemplary success too. He was elected as Member of Parliament of Bangalore continuously for the entire duration starting from 1962 to 1977. As part of the central government, he held very highly coveted portfolios such as Minister of Railways, Industries etc.

Apart from all of this, and most importantly, he was the man responsible for the construction of the magnificent Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore. The Vidhan Soudha is claimed to be the largest state legislative structure in all of India. The story behind the construction of this building goes like this.

Once, a Cultural and Russian Delegation was visiting Bangalore, and Kengal Hanumantaiah was taking them around the city. The Russians commented harshly on the buildings and criticised them all as restricted to the European style of architecture. Hurt by these statements, Kengal Hanumantaiah set out to build a structure which would include all the unique styles of architecture prevalent in Karnataka. Hence, came into being the regal, royal, majestic and grand legislative building – The Vidhana Soudha[5].

In his memory, his statue was unveiled by President Giani Zail Singh in 1985 in front of Vidhana Soudha.

Kengal Hanumantaiah truly lived an illustrious life, which is remembered very well today by many. For all his significant contributions, and other work he has done, a road close to the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens has been named in honour of him as the Kengal Hanumantaiah Road (KH Road/ commonly called Double Road).

Contributed by: Raghav C. Madhukar, 9-C, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

References:

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[1] http://www.vokkaligarasangha.com/kengalhanumanthaiah.html

[2] http://www.megamedianews.in/index.php/59538/kengal-hanumanthaiahs-104th-birth-anniversary-celebrated-in-bangalore/

[3] Authors - Gopal K. Kadekodi, S. M. Ravi Kanbur, Vijayendra Rao, Development in Karnataka: Challenges of Governance, Equity, and Empowerment, p.71

[4] http://www.karnataka.com/personalities/kengel-hanumanthaiah/

[5] http://www.vokkaligarasangha.com/kengalhanumanthaiah.html

Mehkri Circle by Raghav C. Madhukar – SKCH

Mehkri Circle

Circle Name: Mehkri Circle named after Enayathullah Mehkri (1897 / 98 -1990)

Circle Location: Bellary Road, Ashwath Nagar, Armane Nagar

Full name of Person: 

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Summary:

Mehkri Circle is named after Mr. Enayathullah Mehkri. Mr. Mehkri personally financed the proper levelling of the intersection of the Bellary Road and the Hebbal Tank area, so that bullocks would not need to struggle to pull heavy loads on a hilly upward slope.

He held several important posts during his lifetime. He was a municipal councillor and Vice President of the Civil Station Municipal Commission for many years. He was part of several Muslim organisations and educational institutions too.

Mr. Mehkri was also a member of the Indian National Congress during his youth, and was imprisoned as part of the freedom struggle. Later, he served as President of the Karnataka Freedom Fighters’ Association.

Detailed Description:

Mr. Enayathullah Mehkri has immensely contributed to society. He is most commonly known and respected for his absolutely selfless deed of fully financing the levelling of the steep slope in the Hebbal Tank area.

His intentions for doing this, lay in his sympathy for the cows and bulls which experienced great pain while dragging heavy cartloads and travelling up the steep slope of this area. Later, when the news of these proceedings reached the Maharaja of Mysore through the Dewan Sir Mirza, the Maharaja offered to refund Mr. Mehkri for financing the levelling. Mr. Mehkri refused the money. The king named the intersection of the Bellary Road and the Hebbal Tank area as “Enayathullah Mehkri Square” in his honour[i].

Later, Sri R.M. Patil who was then the Minister for Home and Municipal Administration revised the name to “Enayathullah Mehkri Circle” through a state gazette notification in 1965[ii].

Mr. Mehkri is also known to have served society in several other ways.

He was an active member of the Indian National Congress (INC), and is said to have become a member of the INC at the tender age of 17. Consequently, he was imprisoned for more than six months in the Madras Central Jail as part of the freedom struggle. He was in prison along with C. Rajagopalachari and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker. He was also the only member from Karnataka, on the Advisory Council of the freedom fighters cell in the All India Congress. And, he served as President of the Karnataka Freedom Fighters Association[iii].

Apart from this, he closely worked with several Muslim organisations and institutions. One such instance of this, was that of a Muslim orphanage, of which he was Honorary General Secretary.

He served as Municipal Councillor for several years, and was later elected Vice President of the Civil Station Municipal Commission in 1948. With this job he had the privilege to address the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel on behalf of the citizens. He also was a Councillor and Municipal Commissioner at the Civil and Military Station Municipal Commission.

Mr. Mehkri lived in Benson Town[iv] along with his wife, two sons and three daughters. An interesting, yet less known fact about him was that he was conferred knighthood and is hence referred in several instances as Sir Enayathullah Mehkri[v].

Photo 1: Sir Enayathullah Mehkri (Sitting left) and Justice Mir Iqbal – courtesy: Mr. Abid Mehkri

Photo 2:(Left to Right) Mr M.R. Mehkri, Mr. Enayathullah Mehkri, Mr. K. Subba Rao, Lord John Hope, Mr. Humayun Mirza, Dewan of Banganapalle – courtesy: Mr. Abid Mehkri

 

 

Contributed by: Raghav C. Madhukar, 9-C, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

References:

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[i] Mehkri, Abid, grandson of Mr. Enayathullah Mehkri, Oral History Research, 16^th January, 2016

[ii]Kandath, Roja, Times Of India City Edition, July 25, 2001 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Lets-not-forget-the-man-behind-Mekhri-Circle/articleshow/559840021.cms

[iii] Freedom Fighters Association Souvenir, 1975, p. 41

[iv] Editor – Sir Stanley Reed , The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who, p. 982

[v] The Order of the Crest: Tracing the Alumni of Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, Edited by Aditya Sondhi, 2014

 

Lavelle Road by Shreya Shankar – SKCH

Lavelle Road

Road Name: Lavelle Road named after Michael Fitzgerald Lavelle (Unknown - 1 August, 1917)

Road Location: Lavelle road is an important road found in Bangalore, Karnataka. It connects Richmond circle and Mahatma Gandhi square. Its PIN code 560001. It is close to the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Summary:

Michael Fitzgerald Lavelle was the pioneer of modern gold mining in India. His fastidious attitude towards overcoming bureaucratic hurdles and his tenacity of spirit is an adage to many modern day entrepreneurs. Even today one of the most popular roads in Bangalore is named after him. Lavelle road is well known for its restaurants and is frequented by food critics and experts. The Lavelle road also has the Oorgaum mansion, which was Lavelle’s house. This is named after the place where the first shaft was sunk to mine gold.  However it is not known to many that this road carries in its name and intangible sense of colonial history.

Detailed Description:

Today, India is one of the world’s largest exporters of gold jewellery, holding around 40% of the international gold trade. The export of gold yields India a large quantity of foreign exchange that helps to maintain a favorable Balance of Payments and ensure a strong foreign reserve ratio. The role of gold trade in shaping India’s economy is well known, but the individual responsible for this has slowly faded into the pages of history.

Michael Fitzgerald Lavelle was an Irish soldier, who served in His Majesty’s regiment during the Maori war in New Zealand. He had also fought against Tipu Sultan in Seringapatnam near Mysore and had been a part of the Bangalore cantonment army. It is known that he was the son of John Lavelle and Bridget O'Neill.

During his stint at New Zealand, he gained exposure to techniques involved in gold mining. Upon his retirement, he heard about the presence of gold in the Kolar.

Previously Lieutenant John Warren had confirmed the presence of gold shafts to carry out small-scale mining. He was undertaking a survey for the British government in 1802 and saw a copious number of pits, indicating the mining of gold. The inhabitants of Urigaum also informed him that Tipu Sultan carried out mining them with the help of an agency headed by Raja Ramchandra. He found that small-scale mining was prelevant in Mrikuppam. Lt. John Warren subsequently undertook the task of surveying and mapping the area. His report was published in the Asiatic journal 1804. Despite Lt. Warren’s Herculean efforts, the government did not initiate formal mining activities.

Lavelle had to travel to Urigaum by a buffalo cart and it took him no less than a fortnight to reach it, showing the lack of development. Research conducted by him showed that the area had gold presents in auriferous strata and the quantity of gold could not be ascertained until the process of construction of shafts began. In order to obtain a Mining license, he applied to the Mysore government. While submitting the report Lavelle indicated that he was primarily interested in mining coal, while receiving the reply he was deeply anguished to find only his proposal to mine coal had been complied with, however with tenacity he acquired the right to mine gold.

After the final agreement was signed Lavelle was allowed to begin gold mining. On 22 February 1875, after assuaging the Maharaja’s fear of abandoned shafts in case of failure and the company official’s doubt on the actual availability of gold, Lavelle began the process of mining gold.

In spite of being given the exclusive right to mine for gold for 3 years in 10 different locations, Lavelle did not have the capital to start large-scale mining.  After approaching a number of affluent persons in Bangalore, Lavelle finally received the funding necessary for the project on 9 March 1877. A small syndicate was formed briefly, however Lavelle began to look for opportunities to sell the rights to another party. After multiple negotiations Major George Beresford and William Arbuthnot acquired the rights and papers.

Subsequently the mine changed many hands, but the legacy of Michael Lavelle lives on through the Lavelle road and the Oorgaum mansion on Lavelle road.

Contributed by: Shreya Shankar, 11-E, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE
 

References:

·        https://books.google.co.in/books?id=QrWEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA141&dq=michael+f+lavelle&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi34qCBx7jKAhXDr6YKHYuLDrcQ6AEIODAF#v=onepage&q=michael%20f%20lavelle&f=false

·        https://books.google.co.in/books?id=QrWEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA141&dq=michael+f+lavelle&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi34qCBx7jKAhXDr6YKHYuLDrcQ6AEIODAF#v=onepage&q=michael%20f%20lavelle&f=false

·        http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lavelle-81

Kasturba Road by Shreyas and Shreesh – SKCH

Kasturba Road

Road Name: Kasturba Road named after Kasturba Mohandas Gandhi (11^th April 1869 - 22^nd February 1944)

Road Location: One of the busiest and most crowded streets in the city, it is connected to M G Road to the north and J C Road to the south. Some important landmarks situated along Kasturba Road are Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Cubbon Park, Government Museum and UB City. A 600-year-old Ganesha temple is also situated on Kasturba Road. Other important landmarks close to the road are Karnataka High Court, Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Summary:

When Bangalore passed into the hands of the Wodeyars of Mysore, the renaming exercise of roads began. The regulations came into force on July 2, 1892, when Sir K. Seshadri Iyer was Dewan of Mysore and Sir T.R.A. Thumboochetty (later officiating Dewan) was Chief Judge.

The regulations were, however, not specific to Kasturba Road which, till Independence and a little later, was known as Sidney Road. It was an Anglo-Indian councillor of the City Municipality, Newbold, who moved the resolution to rename South Parade as Mahatma Gandhi Road and Sidney Road as Kasturba Road after Kasturba Gandhi. As there was no separate law on town planning those days, the regulations were written into the Mysore Revenue Manual, the bible for officials.

Detailed Description:

Kasturba Gandhi was born to a prosperous businessman Gokuladas Makharji of Porbandar on April 11, 1869. Kasturba Gandhi, known affectionately as Ba, was married to Mohandas Gandhi in 1882 when she was thirteen years old. She was not given formal education, as was the custom in conservative families of the period, Bapuji taught Kasturba to read and write in their mother tongue, Gujarati and she picked up enough language to go through the daily newspapers.

She was a deeply religious woman and following the ideologies of her husband she renounced all caste distinctions. A delicate, small but elegant lady, she was simple, straightforward and methodical. Gandhi, the apostle of ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha (non-violent resistance) has admitted more than once that he learned the art and science of Satyagraha from Kasturba. Hers was a life of love, devotion, sacrifice and silence. Gandhi said in his autobiography that she had worked with him voluntarily or otherwise, in all the great transformations of his life. He felt that her life was an extremely sacred one. In discharging her duty as a wife she had even sacrificed her conscience. She never stood in between him and his sacrifices. Everyone called her Ba in great respect.

Working closely with her husband, Kasturba Gandhi became a political activist fighting for civil rights and Indian independence from the British. After Gandhi moved to South Africa to practice law, she travelled to South Africa in 1897 to be with her husband. From 1904 to 1914, she was active in the Phoenix Settlement near Durban. During the 1913 protest against working conditions for Indians in South Africa, Kasturba was arrested and sentenced to three months in a hard labour prison. Later, in India, she sometimes took her husband's place when he was under arrest. In 1915, when Gandhi returned to India to support indigo planters, Kasturba accompanied him. She taught hygiene, discipline, health, reading, and writing.

She never behaved like Mrs. Gandhi, and never sought the privileges nor the power of being Gandhiji's wife. It was Ba who made the Ashrams a home for those who sojourned there.

Gandhi set up the Satyagraha ashram in Sabarmati; Ba was his chief assistant in running the ashram. When Gandhi started the khadi (hand spun cloth) movement, Ba organized its propaganda. Whenever Gandhi went into a fast against what he thought was unjust, Ba was with him. The husband's goal was the wife's motto. The wife was the husband's shadow, especially when the husband had been sacrificing his life for the country. She gave leadership to the women in the Satyagraha movement and had been jailed many times.

The frequent fastings that Gandhi undertook ate into her health also and her own internment in prisons added fuel to this malady. Medical attention was there but to no avail; and on 22 February 1944, this great lady who was the shadow of her husband who became the Father of the Nation and one of the greatest men of all times, breathed her last, lying on the lap of her husband.

Gandhi mourned – "I can't imagine a life without Ba. She went away to freedom, imprinting on the heart to work or to die."

Contributed by: Shreyas Shrinivas and Shreesh Shrinivas, 8-F, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

References:

http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/kasturba/kasturba_lifesketch.htm

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/16/stories/2002091601440200.htm

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/16/stories/2002091601440200.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasturba_Gandhi

http://www.indiavideo.org/text/kasturba-gandhi-1209.php

Shankar Nag Road by Meena Iyer – SKCH

Shankar Nag Road

Road Location: Have you been to Shankar Nag road in Bommanahalli? Have you ever wondered who roads are named after? Or, wondered what led to the naming of roads after famous people? Most often, we wonder about why roads are named the way they are, but don’t give enough thought about it, or we don’t have the urge to dig deeper into the history of the road. This presentation has been made to help you find about one such road, Shankar Nag road in Bangalore.

The road is about 2kms away from the Electronic City flyover .The road is slightly inconspicuous and you most probably will take the road parallel to Shankar Nag road to get to the interior of Bommanahalli.

Road Name: Shankar Nag Road named after Shankar Nagarkatte (9^th November 1954 - 30^th September 1990)

Full name of Person: 

Famous for/ Contributions to society:

Shankar Nag was born on 9^th November 1954 in Uttara Kannada. As a child, Shankar loved theatre and acting. After initial stints in Marathi drama, he turned his attention towards Kannada Films. His first role was as a mercenary in the movie ‘Onanodu Kaladi’ .The national award that he won for the film catapulted him into getting major roles in movies. Shankar also directed movies with his brother, Anant, and is remembered for the T.V serial, Malgudi Days directed by him.

Shankar passed away in a car accident on 30^th September 1990 aged just 35.

Detailed Description:

While doing my research, I realized that not many people even knew that there was a road called Shankar Nag Road in Bangalore!! Many people, though, knew the theatre,”Ranga Shankara” which was built to fulfill Shankar’s dream of allowing people to experience theatre alive.

Shankar’s last name, despite the road being called Shankar Nag road, is Nagarkatte. Shankar was born on 9 November 1954 in Uttara Kannada, Mysore State. His parents were Anandi and Sadanand Nagarkatte .His brother is the Kannada film actor Anant Nag.

Shankar was interested in theatre and acting even when he was young .He loved watching movies and enjoyed theatre. After his schooling he moved to Mumbai where he acted in Marathi dramas. His brother Anant Nag, urged Shankar to act in a Kannada movie ‘Onanodu Kaladalli’ directed by Girish Karnad. The epic movie was a big hit. It was just his debut movie yet it earned Shankar an award at the National film festival. His acting career spanning just 12 years saw him act in almost 80 Kannada movies.

Along with his brother Anant, Shankar began to direct movies as well. The duo produced movies like Geetha and Janma Janmada Anubanda   with beautiful songs composed by Ilayaraja and wonderful screen play.

Apart from his movies, Shankar is remembered for one more thing, his television series Malgudi Days. Doordarshan, then the only major T.V channel in India approached Shankar to direct the T.V series Malgdui days, based on R.K Nayarayan’s novel of the same name. The T.V serial was appreciated widely and is still regarded as one of the best television serials produced in the country. Encouraged by the support and viewers that Malgudi Days garnered, Shankar went on to produce his next T.V serial ‘Swami’ also based on one of R.K Narayan’s books.

His movie Autoraja has gained immense popularity amongst auto drivers so much so that even today many auto drivers have a sticker of him on the back of their autos.                                                                       

A fan of Shankar Nag adorning his auto:

An accident that occurred which involved Shankar’s car (and another lorry) while he was behind the wheel, while Shankar was shooting for the film Jokumaraswamy, was fatal for Shankar.  The whole Kannada film industry, along with Shankar’s fans mourned the death of the legendary actor.

The accident nearly killed his wife, Arundati too. Despite the accident, she showed immense courage in going back to the film industry to act, and to turn many of Shankar’s ambitious ideas into reality.

Shankar produced, acted and directed numerous movies in his short, but illustrious career. Shankar will always be remembered for his roles in the movies, Auto Raja, Minchina Ota and of course ‘Onanodu Kaladalli’, amongst others, and for his typical ‘bad boy’ style of acting. For the citizens of Bangalore, Shankar Nag road will be a reminder of a man who brought the Kannada film industry to the forefront of Indian Cinema.

Contributed by: Meena Iyer, 9-D, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE

 

References:

·        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankar_Nag#Malgudi_Days

·        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankar_Nag#Filmography

·        http://www.in.com/shankar-nag/profile-252631.html