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Sir. M. Vishweshwariah |
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Saturday, 24 May 2008 |
Mokshagundam Vishweshwariah, popularly and afectionately known as Sir M.V., was born on September 15, 1860 in a village known as Muddenahalli in Chikballapur Taluk, Kolar District. His father died in Kurnool when Visvesvaraya was just 15 years old. Visvevaraya completed his lower secondary schooling in Chikballapur. After schooling he joined Central College in Bangalore for his graduation.
He lead a very simple life. He was a strict vegetarian and a teetotaller. He would go to sleep by 10 P.M. and wake up at 6 A.M. His diet included a very light breakfast, two slices of bread or chappatis,vegetables without spcices, rasam, curds, Nanjangud bannanas for lunch. He was known for his honesty and integrity. Before accepting the position of Dewan of Mysore, he invited all his relatives for dinner. He told them very clearly that he would accept the prestigous office on the condition that none of them would approach him for favours. Such things are unheard of these days.
Some of the job positions he held were
- Assistand Engineer, Bombay Government Service [in 1884]
- Chief Engineer, Hyderabad State [he served only for 7 months starting April 15, 1909]
- Chief Engineer in Mysore State [Nov 15, 1909]. He was also Secretary to the Railways.
- President of Education and Industrial Development committees in Mysore State
- Dewan of Mysore. [for six years starting 1912]
- Chairman, Bhadravati Iron Works
- Member of the Governing Council of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
- Member of the Governing Council of Tata Iron and Steel Company [TISCO]
- Member of Back Bay enquiry committee, London
- Member of a committee constituted in 1917 to make recommendations regarding the future of Indian States.
Sir M.V. retired in 1908 and Sri Krishnarajendra Wodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore, was eager to secure the services of Visvesvaraya to serve Mysore. He joined as Chief Engineer in Mysore because he wanted challenging opportunities. Sir M.V. had earned a reputation for his honesty, integrity, ability and intelligence. He had introduced compulsory education in the State which later was embodied as a fundamental right in the Constitution of independent India.
To name few of the many things he was responsible for:
- Architect of the Krishnarajasagara dam - or KRS or Brindavan gardens, One of the biggest dams in India which irrigates a hundred and twenty thousand acres of land.
- Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works - as its Chairman he rescued it from becoming extinct.
- Mysore Sandal Oil Factory and the Mysore soap factory
- Mysore University - Sir M.V.'s question was "If Australia and Canada could have universitites of their own for less than a million population, cannot Mysore with a population of not less that 60 lakhs have a University of its own?"
- State Bank of Mysore (it was first named The Bank of Mysore)
- Public libraries in Mysore and Bangalore
- Encouraging girls to attend school.
- Mysore Chamber of Commerce
- Kannada Sahitya Parishad or the Kannada Literary Academy
- Sri Jayachamarajendra Occupational Institute, Bangalore - funded by the ENTIRE money [Rs 2 lacs] he earned from rescuing Bhadravati Iron Works (Modern Politicians - please learn something from Sir M.V.)
Sir M.V. was never interested in fame or publicity. But they came to him on their own. Every university in India sought him out to confer honoris causa. The univs of Allahabad, Andhra, Bombay, Calcutta, Jadhavpur, Mysore, Patna and Varanasi. |
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Kuvempu |
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Saturday, 24 May 2008 |
Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa (December 29, 1904 - November 11, 1994) is a Kannada writer, poet, widely regarded as the greatest poet of 20th century Kannada literature. He is the first among seven recipients of Jnanpith Award for Kannada. Puttappa wrote all his literary works using the pen name Kuvempu. He is the second among Kannada poets to be revered as Rashtrakavi (after M. Govinda Pai). His work Sri Ramayana Darshanam, the rewriting of the great ancient Indian epic Ramayana in modern Kannada, is regarded as revival of the era of Mahakayva (Epic poetry) in a contemporary form and charm. He is immortalised by some of his phrases, and in particular for his contribution to Universal Humanism or in his own words Vishwa maanavataa Vaada. He was conferred Padma Bhushan by Government of India.
Early life and education
Kuvempu was born in Hirekodige, Koppa taluk, of Chikmagalur district to a native Kannada family. He was brought up in a place in the lush Malenadu region of Tirthahalli, called Kuppali, of Shivamogga district. His education began at his home by an appointed teacher from Dakshina Kannada. He joined Anglo Vernacular school in Tirthahalli to continue his middle school education. He lost his father Venkatappa Gowda at the early age of 12 due to ill health. Kuvempu finished his lower and secondary education in Kannada and English in Tirthahalli. He moved to Mysore for further education and completed his high school from Weslian high school. He pursued his college studies in from Maharaja College of Mysore and graduated in 1929 majoring in Kannada. He married Hemavathi on 30 April 1937.
Later life
He had two sons and two daughters. Poornachendra Tejasvi, Kokilodaya Chaitra, Indukala and Tharini. Tharini is married to K. Chidananda Gowda, the former Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University. He responded poetically to even mundane events. When he got a car, he is quoted to have said, "Chakracharanake swagatha!" - Welcome to wheel footed! He named his house as "Udayaravi", "Rising Sun", called the farmer "uluva Yogi" the "tilling Yogi", and called for egalatarian society in his message "Sarvarige samapaalu, sarvarige samabaalu" "Equal share for all, Equal life for all". His "Raso Vai Saha" is a famous work of "kavya mimamsa", the "Principles of literary criticism", in the Kannada thought of twentieth century. He is credited for giving Kannada hundreds of new words, phrases and terminologies with distinctly precise ideas; literary, social, phylosophical and spiritual. This led to common people asking him to suggest a name for their newborns, for decades, through postal correspondece, which he obliged!
Career
Kuvempu began his academic career as a lecturer of Kannada language at Maharaja College of Mysore in 1929. He served as an assistant professor in central college of Bangalore from 1936. He rejoined Maharaja college of Mysore in 1946 as a professor. He went on to become a principal of Maharaja college in 1955. Soon in 1956 he was elected as the Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University where he served till retirement in 1960. He was the first graduate from Mysore University to rise to that position.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 May 2008 )
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