40

CHAPTER – II

LIFE OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a well-recognized statesman, freedom fighter

and dynamic administrator and led an honourable and disciplined life. Being a true

Gandhian, he adopted and followed the great qualities of Gandhi. It is remarkable

to know that he pledged his life for the well being of the society. His great vision

and the implementation of thoughts into actions made him stand apart from the

rest of the crowd and exposed him as an eminent politician. As stalwart for the

cause of the nation, his life style and several episodes that happened in his life

remain as a true witness for his greatness.

This chapter is an attempt to understand and analyze Kengal

Hanumanthaiah’s life. The chapter discusses the family, education, political career

and important milestones of his life to draw inspiration and carry on the

prodigious work.

2.2 FAMILY BACKGROUND

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s grandfather Muniyappa was a priest in the temple

at Lakkappanahalli. His father too followed his footsteps along with farming.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah did not rise from an affluent, but from the lower middle

class. He belonged to the Gangadkara Vokkaligas.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was born in a small village as the eldest son to his

parents. He had three younger brothers, named Nanjappa, Puttaswamy and

Giriyappa. He was first named as Dasappa. Believing that he was a gift from their

41

clan god, Sri Hanumantharaya Swamy, his parents later changed his name to

Kengal Hanumanthaiah.

Even at a young age, Kengal Hanumanthaiah always strived hard to lead a

life of discipline. His lifestyle was very simple. He was highly religious believing

in religious ethics and values and followed them throughout his life. Though there

are many examples to recount, one of the best examples is the construction of

temples.

2.3 PROFILE OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was born on 10th February 1908 in

Lakkappanahalli village of Ramanagar Taluk of Bangalore district. His parents

were religious1 which is evident from the way he was named. Kengal

Hanumanthaiah’s parents did not have children for a long time. This prompted

them to believe that their desire would be fulfilled by offering prayers to God.

Their wishes were granted and a son was soon born to them, whom they called

“Hanuma”. The name Hanuma was derived from God’s name, Hanumantha

Swamy.2 Later when he was enrolled in the school, he was referred by the name

Kengal Hanumanthaiah.

The name “Kengal” which was given later also has an interesting origin.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah once fell ill and continued to be ill for quite a long time.

His mother again offered prayers to God for speedy recovery. Incidentally, his

speedy recovery prompted his mother to name him “Kengal” after the village

1 Being religious especially in the Indian context has its own implication in relation to personality

formation. It has been shown in the case of many prominent leaders that religious influences in early part of socialization makes oneself internally strong and courageous which helps in the later part of life enabling leaders in their endeavor to attain certain social goals.

2 Their religious belief was further reinforced by the fact that parents had three sons subsequent to the birth of Kengal Hanumanthaiah. Religion is a matter of faith and is attributed to any positive happenings.

42

from where the prayers were offered. Thus, he was soon fondly called as Kengal

Hanumanthaiah.

Both these incidents manifest in themselves, the religious convictions of

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s parents. His parent’s deep-rooted religious belief had a

great impact on Kengal Hanumanthaiah, especially during his early years. He was

closely attached to his mother, who reinforced in him the importance of religion.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah belonged to the dominant caste, “Vokkaliga.” In Kannada,

the word Vokkaliga means “one who tills the land,” hence is a “peasant caste” or a

“farming community.” Being from the dominant caste, Kengal Hanumanthaiah

had certain social advantages as Vokkaligas were predominantly spread out in the

then old Mysore region. They were numerically as well as socially dominant in

that region.3

Despite having the social advantage in terms of community status, Kengal

Hanumanthaiah still had to undergo considerable economic hardship during his

early life. He did not wilt in the face of difficulties but overcame them with

courage. His brave nature became one of the contributing factors for making him

mentally strong, straightforward and bold which developed into a notable

personality feature.

2.4 EDUCATION OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s primary education started at his grandparent’s

home under the supervision and support of Thayappa, who belonged to a lower

3 In fact, it would be unfair to characterize Kengal Hanumanthaiah as belonging to a particular caste or

community since he strongly protested against his identification in terms of caste. However since Indian rural social life especially during his time was still influenced by the caste ideology, there is need to mention the social factor which had a bearing on early socialization. Kengal Hanumanthaiah strongly protested against his caste identification. This was noted by Bjorn Hettne, The Political Economy of Indirect rule, Mysore 1881-1947, Ambika Publications, New Delhi, 1977, p. 357.

43

middle class agricultural family. Kengal Hanumanthaiah spent his holidays by

leading cattle for grazing besides working in the agricultural fields. His economic

hardship did not deter his strong desire to study. Knowing that he may have to

discontinue his studies, he used to be engrossed in his books whenever he could.4

He successfully got through the lower secondary examination. In order to

continue his studies, he had to go to the district headquarters. The nearest district

headquarters was Bangalore. However, his father had no financial resources to

support his stay in Bangalore. His father’s close friends came forward to support

Kengal Hanumanthaiah in Bangalore. They rendered support to him to continue

his further education. Initially, he stayed with Muniswamappa. Later, he shifted to

Narayana Swamy’s residence.5 He received considerable love and affection in

both these places. However, he always had a feeling of being dependent on them

and this was something not easy for him to reconcile. Therefore, he conducted

tuitions to school children of neighboring locality to earn some money.

Whenever Kengal Hanumanthaiah had difficulty in studying at home, he

used to study under street lights. Once social reformer K.H. Ramayya saw him

studying under the streetlights and he was taken aback by his strong interest in

education. He decided to help him.6 Because of the active interest and the

influence exercised by Ramayya, Kengal Hanumanthaiah could later secure

government scholarship and he obtained admission in the student hostel.

4 Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, (Kannada),

Karnataka Vidhana Sabha Secretariat, Bangalore, 1998, p. 1. 5 Ibid,p.1,Muniswamappa and Narayana Swamy were closely associated with Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s

family. Kengal Hanumanthaiah sought their help for his further education as they were settled in Bangalore.

6 It is a matter of coincidence, when the social reformer K.H. Ramayya saw Kengal Hanumanthaiah studying under the street lights. He understood his financial hardships in pursuing education. This was noted in Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 2.

44

Kengal Hanumanthaiah exhibited leadership qualities even during the early

part of his life. He became the Secretary of the Students Association in 1925.

More importantly, he represented the Students Association in the Indian National

Congress Session, which was held at Madras. In the ensuing year, on behalf

of the students’ association Kengal Hanumanthaiah protested against the Simon

Commission proposals.7

Despite these active and continuous engagements, Kengal Hanumanthaiah

successfully completed graduation from the Maharaja College, Mysore, in 1930.

The difficult economic conditions of his family remained an obstacle for further

pursuing his studies. His parents had to work hard to sustain their large family.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah too sought to contribute to the family by getting a job.

However, knowing that he could have better future prospects by studying further,

he decided to go to Pune to obtain a degree in law. Chennayya, a rich and

well-known person in Mysore, supported him in pursuing law degree.

Once when Kengal Hanumanthaiah visited his native village, the men of

the village enquired about his future plans, for which he instantly replied that he

would like to become the Diwan of Mysore.8 Though this was said in a lighter

vein, it projected his inner urge and self-confidence, which is essential to become

an able leader. In 1932, he successfully graduated in Law from Pune. In later

years, Sri S.C. Mallayya, an influential political leader, presented Kengal

Hanumanthaiah before the Diwan of Mysore, Mirza Ismail, and recommended him

7 There was an overall protest against the Simon Commission in India with the slogan “Simon Go

Back”. This was much prominent in a city like Bangalore. This aspect is elaborated by Venkappa Gowda Konandur, Nava Mysore Shilpi, (Kannada), Yashasvi Prakashana, Bangalore, 1985, p. 86.

8 His native village men asked him “What you would like to become?” This was the kind of news they got. For details see Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 3.

45

to be appointed as the Amaldar. Since Kengal Hanumanthaiah had strong dislike

for government jobs, the matter was not further pursued.9

Kengal Hanumanthaiah commenced his practice as a lawyer in the year

1933. Very soon he acquired good reputation in the profession and was

appreciated for his competence in handling complicated legal cases. More

importantly, he empathized with the problems of the poor and took active interest

in dealing with their legal cases. Kengal Hanumanthaiah had all the potential to

earn money in the legal profession, but the political environment surrounding him

drew him into the freedom struggle. He used to severely criticise princely

authorities. Once Mirza Ismil, the then Diwan of Mysore, called him and told him:

“Congress men are coward and timid and thus you should not support them in

their endeavor for freedom struggle”. He even offered him a Munsiff’s job. Kengal

Hanumanthaiah was not tempted by the offer and replied, “I will not become a

munsiff, but I would rather appoint munsiffs”.10

Kengal Hanumanthaiah married a daughter of wealthy and prestigious

family in Bangalore. His father-in-law supported his legal profession and set up an

office to practice law and purchased law books worth thousands of rupees.

2.5 POLITICAL CAREER OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH

The 1930’s was manifested by a new transformation in the socio-political

life of India. Kengal Hanumanthaiah was significantly inspired by the political

developments that was happening at that time. In 1934, Mahatma Gandhi visited 9 During that time serving in government job indirectly meant serving the imperial masters, which was

not acceptable to Kengal Hanumanthaiah. This was mainly because he was strongly influenced by the Indian freedom movement at an early age. Details are available in Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 4.

10 These quotations are translated from Kannada into English Parliamentarian Series, n-13, p. 4. Unlike some of the Mysore Congress leaders of his time, who were rather diplomatic especially while dealing with the princely authorities. Kengal Hanumanthaiah was very firm and outspoken in his interactions with the princely authorities.

46

Bangalore and delivered a public speech before a marathon gathering at the

National College grounds. Kengal Hanumanthaiah was then the secretary of

Harijan Sevak and thus had a chance to see Mahatma Gandhi from close quarters.

He could also meet Mahatma Gandhi at that time, which made him immeasurably

joyful. In 1934, Kengal Hanumanthaiah became the President of Hindi Prachar

Sabha of Bangalore. Through these offices and activities, Kengal Hanumanthaiah

became politically more sensitized and decided to engage in active political life,

especially in the state arena in old princely Mysore.

In 1930’s two major political parties were popular in the old Mysore

region. They were Mysore Congress party and Praja Party. The leaders like

S. Nijalingappa, K.T. Bhashyam, Sitaram Shastry and others belonged to Mysore

Congress party, while K.C. Reddy, H.C. Dasappa, D.S. Dasappa, and others were

in Praja Party. Kengal Hanumanthaiah gave up his lawyer’s profession in the year

1936 and joined the Mysore Congress. In the same year he was elected as the

President of Bangalore District Congress Committee. The year 1939 was

important from the political development point of view. This was year when Praja

Party merged with the Mysore Congress party in Mysore.11 It was during this time

that Kengal Hanumanthaiah extensively traveled throughout the state for

propagating the principles to highlight the ideology of Congress.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was an active participant in Shivapura Sathyagraha,

which was held in Mandya district. A cross-section of people like students,

lawyers and workers organized demonstrations on the eve of this Satyagraha

11 Kengal Hanumanthaiah played a very positive role in the merger move. He was very close to some

of the leaders belonging to Praja party and he convinced them about the advantages of the merger proposal. In fact, the merger strengthened the Mysore congress in its goal to fight against the British.

47

declaring that neither foreign clothes will be used nor taxes will be paid

henceforth. This agitation drew countrywide support.12

Kengal Hanumanthaiah became a member of the Congress Working

Committee. His powerful and thought provoking speeches had a powerful

influence on the masses. K.T. Bhashyam once told Kengal Hanumanthaiah

“though we were involved in conducting continuous political struggle against the

British, we have scarcity of mass-leaders, but your impressive speeches reflecting

unquestioned boldness has made you a mass leader within the shortest time”.13

When some of the important Congress leaders were arrested in 1939.

K.C. Reddy wrote a letter to Kengal Hanumanthaiah from jail: “You are the only

leader left outside. You have to take lead during such an hour in conducting the

political struggle”.14 This indicated the sense of confidence that K.C. Reddy had in

the leadership qualities of Kengal Hanumanthaiah. It was then that Kengal

Hanumanthaiah completely gave up law practice, which was his only source of

income. With courage and conviction, he used to strongly criticize the Diwans of

Mysore. The ruling establishment once filed a writ petition and charged Kengal

Hanumanthaiah as a traitor. He was fined and jailed. However, he was not a man

to surrender. He reacted in strong words by saying that “till now, we were giving

wise advice only to the government, but the time has come to render the same to

the Maharaja of Mysore”.15 This surprised everybody.

12 Shivapura Sathyagraha was the first of its kind to be truly characterized as mass movement. Kengal

Hanumanthaiah’s role in it can be understood from the conversation he had with Prof. D. Lingaiah (Kannada), Sathyagrahigala Sandharshana, (Kannada), Swathanthra Publications, Bangalore, 1998, p. 8.

13 Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p.5. 14 Ibid, p. 6. 15 The incident amply brings into focus Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s pro-poor attitude.

48

In fact, such expression of courage and patriotic spirit increased Kengal

Hanumanthaiah’s popularity among the masses. He was jailed seven times. He

always used to plead in favor of the masses against the oppression resorted to by

either the government or the police authorities. There was an interesting incident

in which he once advised the women of the village, Azampur, of Magadi Taluk to

teach a lesson to the revenue collector who was troubling local people, by giving

the Tahsildar some thrashings. Kengal Hanumanthaiah advised the men to leave

the village for some time. The police arrested the women but Kengal

Hanumanthaiah fought the cases in favor of them and later they were proved

innocent and released from jail.16

The year 1941 is significant from the political life perspective of

Kengal Hanumanthaiah, as he was elected to the Representative Assembly from

Bangalore constituency. In fact, since then, till 1962 (for almost 22 years) he was a

member of the State legislature, which speaks in itself for the legislative

experience he had during his active political life. He represented the Congress

party throughout. The way he used to debate over a number of issues was enough

testimony to his objectivity, boldness and integrity. He argued against foreigners

being appointed in major departments and in one instance, he courageously

opposed Arcott Ramaswamy whose name was considered for being appointed as

Dewan of Mysore.

During the time of Indian independence, Kengal Hanumanthaiah became a

member of the Constituent Assembly. He put forward a number of proposals with

regard to the nature of the Constitution to be framed for the country. In the

16 Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 6.

49

aftermath of the formation of the democratic government, Mysore was under the

Chief Ministership of K.C. Reddy, Kengal Hanumanthaiah never hesitated to

criticize the style of functioning of the K.C. Reddy government. In fact he gave

the impression of being a dissident in the ruling establishment, which of course

was not true.17 He attended parliamentary conference in 1949 that was held in

Stockholm. In the same year he became a member of the Indian Parliamentary

Working Committee and participated in a conference which was held in Dublin.

He extensively toured some of the advanced nations of Europe during that time.

The Congress session was held in Chithradurga in 1950. Kengal

Hanumanthaiah was elected as the president of the State Congress. He traveled

throughout the state in order to strengthen the party machinery and used this

opportunity to enquire about the kind of difficulties the people faced in their

area. He never lost sight of issues of public importance like the public

distribution system, and raised those issues in the assembly which embarrassed the

K.C. Reddy ruling government.18

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was often critical of the government headed by

K.C. Reddy saying its policies promoted the rich people. This opinion remained

about the government always. He was pivotal in bringing about a non-confidence

motion against the K.C. Reddy government, which however was defeated by a

thin majority.19

17 A reading of James Manor’s assessment of Kengal Hanumanthaiah gives this impression. However,

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was truly interested in revitalizing the Mysore Congress party which was not forthcoming during K.C. Reddy’s regime.

18 James Manor, Political change in an Indian state Mysore 1914-1955, Manohar Book Service, New Delhi, 1977, p. 175.

19 Ibid, p. 174.

50

Around this time there arouse a political crisis within the Mysore Congress

between two factions, one led by K.C. Reddy and another by Kengal

Hanumanthaiah. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sent Lal Bahadhur Shastri to

the State to resolve the crisis. Lal Bahadur Shastri sought opinions of various

legislators of Mysore Congress and submitted a report to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

in which he recommended the change of the party leadership in the State.20 This

shows the profound impact Kengal Hanumanthaiah had over the State Mysore

Congress at that time.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah always represented the interests of the poor and the

oppressed. He remonstrated against the political and bureaucratic corruption.

When the first parliamentary elections were to be held, Kengal Hanumanthaiah

put forward his second non-confidence resolution against the K.C. Reddy

government. This time, the government had to face defeat as it lost its majority in

the legislature.

In 1952, the first (General) parliamentary election was held, and Kengal

Hanumanthaiah was elected as the President of the State Congress party. He

played an active role in the election campaign. He was largely responsible for the

victory of most of the congress candidates who contested to the Parliament from

the state.

While paying tribute to Kengal Hanumanthaiah, senior leader

Siddalingayya once said that he used to perform his assigned tasks with the firm

belief that God had entrusted such tasks to him. He said, “I can confidently say

20 Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 8.

51

that he would carry his assigned work efficiently in the task of nation and state

building process”.21

Kengal Hanumanthaiah had the distinction of becoming the youngest

Chief Minister of Karnataka at the age of 44 years. Courage, discipline,

punctuality and commitment were his main characters, which enabled him to

become an able Chief Minister of Karnataka (then called the Mysore state).

Kengal Hanumanthaiah played a crucial role in the construction of

monumental Vidhana Soudha, which is considered even today as the best

architectural marvel. His active involvement in the construction of Vidhana

Soudha brings to everyone’s memory of Kengal Hanumanthaiah whenever one

looks at Vidhana Soudha.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah actively participated in the Karnataka Unification

Movement. The cultural individuality, which was lost as the result of

disintegration of Kannada speaking areas, was restored back. Kengal

Hanumanthaiah withstood all pressures exerted by those who were against the

unification movement and consistently propagated the need for the integration of

Kannada speaking areas into the state.

Apart from these, Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s role is considered to be

significant in bringing about far-reaching educational reforms. Being a Chairman

of the Educational Reforms Committee, he tabled the report in the Assembly. The

reforms mainly addressed the problems of rural youth and unemployment and

many of its recommendations were then accepted.

21 Ibid, p. 9.

52

Kengal Hanumanthaiah had clear premonition over the issues of economic

development and national prosperity. He was pragmatic enough to acknowledge

the need of other states or even other countries entering into the state’s economic

development. But at the same time, he never tolerated foreign exploitation. For

instance, he took the bold decision to nationalize Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) when

he found foreign companies were exploiting the indigenous laborers in the Gold

Fields for over 100 years.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah took a bold and principled stand against prohibition

of liquor. Even after realizing the loss of revenue that would be incurred to the

state, and with severe resistance from the liquor lobby, Kengal Hanumanthaiah

advocated prohibition strongly. Being a son of the soil, he had greater sensitivity

in preserving the rural culture and thus encouraged dramas, Bhajans and

Harikathas, etc. to be played and staged in the rural areas.

These were some of the initiatives Kengal Hanumanthaiah had taken

during his chief ministership.22 He was the chief minister of Karnataka for a

period of four and a half years.

Due to compelling political situation, he had to step down from chief

ministership in August 1956. In the state assembly elections, which was held in

1957, he was re-elected despite some political resistance from his own party men.

The presentation of state annual budgets always produced internal enemies for

him. Kengal Hanumanthaiah used to offer objective comments. Later, the issue of

change of chief ministership rocked the Congress when B.D. Jathi was the

chief minister. Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s name was proposed as replacement of

22 The achievements of Kengal Hanumanthaiah as a chief minister are of extra ordinary importance,

taking into account the main theme of the present work.

53

B.D. Jathi. However, the Congress high command decided in favour of B.D. Jathi

and he continued to be the chief minister.

After some time, Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s name was proposed to the

parliamentary elections to be held in 1962. He gracefully accepted the offer and

was given the parliamentary seat. Since then till 1977, Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s

focus of political activity shifted from the state arena to the Centre. Even in the

parliament, he was able to make his mark as a successful parliamentarian. When

congress was split in 1969, Kengal Hanumanthaiah supported Smt. Indira Gandhi

faction and proved tactically correct. He was taken to the Union cabinet and

offered Ministry of Law and Social Welfare. For the third consecutive time, he

won the parliamentary seat in 1971. This time he was offered the important

portfolio of the Ministry of Railways. The kind of reform measures Kengal

Hanumanthaiah adopted to improve the efficiency in railway networks and its

functioning is remembered even today. At a time, when the Railways was facing a

deficit of 28 crore rupees, due to his prudent management, Kengal Hanumanthaiah

made the railways earn a profit of Rs. 30 crores.23 Somehow for reasons not clear,

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was taken out of the railway ministry in 1973. He,

however, continued as a member of the parliament till 1977 and continued to

participate in the parliamentary debates. However, he was defeated for the first

time in 1977 parliamentary elections. The 1977 parliament election was a unique

one as even Smt. Indira Gandhi lost the elections because of the popular

disenchantment with the emergency. Subsequently, the political life of Kengal

Hanumanthaiah almost ended and he passed away in 1980.

23

Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 21.

54

2.6 PERSONALITY OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH

Personality refers to the consistent way in which a person behaves, i.e.,

consistency in his/her particular ways of thinking, perceiving, acting and reacting

as a person for a longer period. Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a disciplined

politician. The strength and character must have risen from his deep rooted

religious ethos that was practiced by him.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah hails from a remote village, Lakkappanahalli,

where the people lead a simple life, which must have also had an influence on

him. His simplicity is well-known all over Karnataka. Kengal Hanumanthaiah has

always been praised for his integrity and being a man of word, which has

been proven through several incidents during his political career.24 Kengal

Hanumanthaiah was witty and friendly by nature hence loved to spend time with

friends. His dearest and nearest friends were T. Siddalingaiah, K. Shamraj Iyengr,

Veda Murthy, A.N. Krishnaraya and Sachidananda. Very often they spent time

discussing plans for the welfare of the society. According to Nage Gowda,25

“Kengal Hanumanthaiah was moving forward according to his will and wish and

he had a rich kind of leadership quality from his student days and also he had little

bit of patience”. Nevertheless, only few people could understood Kengal

Hanumanthaiah properly.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah loved challenges, he actively engaged in some or

other work. His integrity can be understood through Motte Doddi incident26 the

example as narrated below.

24 A point narrated by some respondents at the time of an interview on 11.4.2010 at Lakkappanahalli. 25 Nagegowda was very closely associated with Kengal Hanumanthaiah as a good friend. This was

noted from Rashtra Ratna Kengal Hanumanthaiah Jeevana Gathe, a serial published in Karmaveera, Samyukta Karnataka Press, Bangalore, 28.7.2008, p. 35.

26 Rashtra Ratna Kengal Hanumanthaiah Jeevana Gathe, op.cit., p. 37.

55

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s youngest brother Nanjappa was sanctioned

50 acres of land at Motte Doddi when K.C. Reddy was the Chief Minister of the

state. Some made an allegation that Kengal Hanumanthaiah misused his power

and got the land sanctioned to his brother. On hearing the accusations, he returned

the land to the government.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was well known for his multi-faceted personality.

Though outwardly, he looked more of a strict politician yet inwardly he was very

kind to others and totally loyal for his cause. Being ambitious, he pursued his

dreams with full vigour. At times, he appeared to be short-tempered yet never had

grudge against others. His anger was always justified as it reflected his reaction

towards injustice or violation of laws. Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a person of

sincerity towards social welfare, just, honest and ambitious, who drew his inner

strength from the spiritual inclination and was molded at an young age by the

cultural, economic and family background.

2.7 INSPIRATION AND INFLUENCES ON KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH

Inspiration and Influences are the two coins of a life and these two can

make a person move forward and achieve his/her goals. Great leaders of this

nation were the true inspirations for Kengal Hanumanthaiah. He was blessed with

opportunity of working and learning from them, which later inculcated the

leadership quality to govern a state and be termed as an able administrator.

The foremost inspiration on Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s life was Rajaji. An

opportunity to listen to the speech of Rajaji that changed the course of his life.

During the student days in 1920, Kengal Hanumanthaiah while going to the city

market perchance heard Sir Raja Gopalachari, fondly called as Rajaji, speak. The

56

speech was delivered in English, most of which could not be understood by

Kengal Hanumanthaiah. Nevertheless, tone and tenor suggested that speech was

concerned with freedom movement and that it was emphasized the urgency of the

hour. This speech had a great impact on him and made him dwell over the issues.27

This incident urged him to engage himself in the freedom struggle and led him to

wear Khadi since 1921.28

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s mother, a dedicated and enthusiastic person, was

one of his inspirations. She took great pains to educate him. Therefore he

considered his mother as his first as well as real inspiration because he believed

that education taught him the values of life.29 Several of his writings point out that

Sir. M. Visveswaraiah and Jesus Christ were his great inspirations.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was influenced by popular personalities because of

their attractive and special qualities. Kengal Hanumanthaiah was influenced by

Mahatman Gandhiji from his student days onwards. He became a staunch

Gandhian as he considered Mahatma Gandhi as a great human being and

nationalist. This made positive changes in his life. Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s

patriotic nature, truth, peaceful mind, non-violence are the Gandhian influences.

Several writings corroborate from evidence that he emulated Gandhiji.30

Yet another influence in Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s life was Jawaharlal

Nehru. He was fond of Nehru’s democratic attitude. Kengal Hanumanthaiah got to

experience Nehru’s democratic approach first-hand. An interesting incident took

27 K.S. Bhagawan, Kengalara Bashanagalu, Kannada and Culture Department, (Kannada), Bangalore,

2006, p. 5. 28 Ibid, p. 5. 29 A point narrated by some respondents at the time of interview on 13.6.2010 at Bangalore. 30 Rashtra Ratna Kengal Hanumanthaiah Jeevana Gathe, a serial published in Karmaveera, Samyukta

Karnataka Press, Bangalore, 14.9.2008, p. 15.

57

place when he was first elected as the chief minister of Mysore. On becoming the

chief minister, he went to meet Nehru, who was the Prime minister of India at that

time. He sought the advice of Nehru to form the cabinet. But Nehru said to Kengal

Hanumanthaiah, “You are a strong man of vision, so you can form your own

government. Be democratic. I do not want to interfere in your business”.31 This

incident depicted the democratic nature of Nehru. Such incidents touched the right

cords in the life of Kengal Hanumanthaiah that helped him to imbibe such

qualities into his personal life. Other great personalities like Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s

strong vision and liberal behaviour attracted Kengal Hanumanthaiah.32 He was

also attracted by the courage of Sardar Patel.33 So also the concerned and

cooperative approach of Lal Bahadur Shastry attracted him.34

2.8 PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH’S

LIFE

Due to the success and achievements, Kengal Hanumanthaiah had to face

some problems and challenges in his life time. Perhaps there were many obstacles

to his goals but through courage and bold determination he overcame them. Tough

problems made him tougher and work for the better of others.

He had to endure many hardships while he was with his family. He

belonged to the lower middle class family. They were totally dependent on

agriculture, their main occupation which did not give much revenue.35 Kengal

31

Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p.47.

32 Ibid, p. 47. 33 Ibid, p. 47. 34 Ibid, p. 47. 35 Rashtra Ratna Kengal Hanumanthaiah Jeevana Gathe, a serial published in Karmaveera magazine,

Samyukta Karnataka press, Bangalore, 24.8.2008, p. 15.

58

Hanumanthaiah, being the eldest son naturally had the responsibility of bringing

up his younger brothers.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s family members were not educated so he could

not get any kind of support for his education, though his mother was inclined to

educate him at all cost. Many times he felt that he could not get even moral

support from his family members. The other thing was Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s

family settled in a small village so that he had to struggle for everything to come

up in life. It can be judged that “Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s life was not a bed of

roses”.

Financial problem was one of the most typical challenge in the life of

Kengal Hanumanthaiah. A small piece of land owned by his parents was used to

manage the entire family with four children. In addition, there were no further

source of income too. Till the time he became a lawyer he depended on financial

assistance from Kengeri Thayappa, Narayanaswami, Savkar Channaiah and

Yashodharamma Dasappa.

He struggled hard even for basic necessities like clothes and food till he

became a lawyer. None of these conditions deterred him from being ambitious.

While explaining his economic condition, he quoted an incident where a congress

worker Smt. Sunandamma could not bear the smell of cows in his house and

retreated immediately after entering it.36

Cast and class discriminations are deeply rooted in the Indian society even

after 66 years of independence. These challenges was a great obstacle in his life.

Since the parents of Kengal Hanumanthaiah belonged to different divisions of a

36 K.S. Bhagawan, Kengalara Bashanagalu, op.cit., p. 3.

59

same caste, the family was ill treated by his community. He faced class

discrimination in one hand and caste indifference on the other hand. Even after his

entry into politics, caste factor always created bias in the minds of the people.

These experiences ingrained in him a determination to adopt an anti-castiest stand.

Challenges Faced By Kengal Hanumanthaiah

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a strong person with a great vision, even

though he had to face several problems and challenges in his life time. However

he had a great zeal for nationalism and fought for the welfare of the people. The

focus on the personal life of Kengal Hanumanthaiah shows the challenges that he

had to face in his life.

The first and foremost challenge was the education. Getting education is

very difficult in those days especially for him, because first of all he had to come

out from his remote village and get an opportunity for his further studies.37

Moreover he had to adjust and understand others for their support and guidance

for the bright future. Kengal Hanumanthaiah took it as a challenge and

successfully got degrees in B.A. and LL.B.

His professional life was also speckled with challenges. He grew up at a

time when freedom struggle was at its peak. He had the dilemma because of either

joining the freedom struggle or practice law. He was against autocracy which

determined the outcome of his decision to join politics.38

In his time, there were eminent leaders who were involved in politics. To

be recognized and accepted by them was in itself a huge task that required sincere

and tireless effort. He worked unwearyingly to strengthen congress party and its 37 Venkappa Gowda Konandur, Nava Mysore Shilpi, op.cit., p. 10. 38 Kengal Hanumanthaiah was in favour of democracy. Prathibavantha Samsadhiya patugala Badhuku

Baraha Malike, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 7.

60

structure. This required travelling far and wide to the various parts of the state to

understand the ground reality in these areas and the problems and challenges faced

by the people. His reward was the acceptance by the people as their leader.

2.9 LAST DAYS OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH’S LIFE

The last decade of Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s life took an entirely different

dimension due to his advanced age and the experiences that he had gathered in

life. He eschewed political life, instead focused on the socio-religious activities.39

It had been proved with the various works that he was concerned with.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah got himself relieved from active politics at the age

of 65 years. He was a member of parliament till 1977. He enthusiastically

participated in the sessions and critically evaluated the matters raised in the

parliament and gave suggestions to the government. He was highly regarded by all

during his tenure at the parliament as a member of Lok Sabha. He lost the 1977

parliament election which was his first and the last defeat of his political carrier.40

Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi’s Government between 1975 and 1977 had

a nation-wide political change This led to the loss of power of Congress Party in

the Center and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was also defeated in the election.

This defeat had a profound effect on Kengal Hanumanthaiah and he vowed never

to contest for another parliament election, thus ended his parliamentary journey.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a multi-faceted person. Though he was revered

as a visionary and statesman, personally he was a religious man with great ideals

and devotion, which was formed through the impact of his family environment

and the culture from where he was brought up. In the last decade of his life, his

39 Ibid., p. 22. 40 Ibid., p. 23.

61

priorities changed and he inclined more towards religious activities than politics.

He felt that religious conviction among the people was declining and hence there

was a dearth in loyalty and honesty among people in the society. He initiated

several social works for the upliftment of the society.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was a great devotee of Sri Kengal Hanumantharaya

Swamy ever since his childhood days. He had an ardent desire to construct a

temple to the god. His dream became a reality when he became the Chief Minister

of the state in 1970 with the generous financial support from the people of

Karnataka. Further, he collected donation from the people in various ways. One of

the interesting ways was that he used to sell the garlands that were adorned to

honour him and used the amount collected to the building of temple and various

other social causes.41 The temple construction was successfully completed in 1973

at Rs. 6 lakhs.42 This temple, which attracts thousands of devotees, is situated in

Bangalore–Mysore highway road of Ramanagara District even today in

remembrance of Kengal Hanumanthaiah. In addition, he was also instrumental in

building Shri Rama Temple and Shri Ramanjanaya temple in Hanumanthanagar,

Bangalore. He contributed to the Swamy Vivekananda trust as a president of state.

Shringeri Trustee bestowed on him “Rastra Ratna” award in 1973, which he

considered as the greatest honour.43

Kengal Hanumanthaiah had a great vision for the youth of Karnataka. He

honoured the memories of freedom fighters by constructing Sathayagraha Soudha,

which is a historical monument constructed in the memory of freedom fighters.

41 A point narrated by some respondents at the time of an interview on 14.10.2010. 42

Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 23.

43 Rashtra Ratna Kengal Hanumanthaiah Jeevana Gathe, a serial published in Karmaveera magazine, Samyukta Karnataka press, Bangalore, 30.8.2009, p. 15.

62

His vision to build Sathayagraha Soudha started with a meeting on July 14, 1974

at Vidhana Soudha including the then Chief Minister Devaraj Urs. The proposal

was unanimously accepted by the members. The construction work was personally

supervised by Kengal Hanumanthaiah and culminated in the completion of

Sathyagraha Soudha in 1978 at Shivapura in Maddur Taluk.44 He desired that it

should become an inspirational monument for the future generation.

All through life, his zeal for the social cause never subsided, he inspired

youth through his programs directed towards youth. He also thought of the welfare

of the farmers and helped them in enhancing their living standards through welfare

measures. In 1978, he supported Indira Gandhi in the Lok Sabha election when

she contested from Chikkamagalur district. In this election Indira Gandhi won by

utmost support given by Kengal Hanumanthaiah.

While he served as a member of Congress Working Committee,

Lal Bahadur Shastry, then Prime Minister of India, offered him prestigious

positions like governor and ambassador, which he refused citing that he would

rather serve the people at grassroot level understanding their problem and

providing solutions to them. He passed away on December 1, 1980 at the

St. Martha’s Hospital. Thousands of people paid homage to his body, which

showed the impact he had on the common man. His last rites were performed at

Shri Kengal Hanumatharaya Swamy temple at Kengal Dhama, which was built

through his efforts.45

44 Venkappa Gowda Konandur, Nava Mysore Shilpi, op.cit., p. 234. 45

Prathibavantha Samsadhiya Patugala Badhuku Baraha Malike Kengal Hanumanthaiah, op.cit., p. 24.

63

Kengal Hanumanthaiah Eulogized By His Friends

Veerendra Patil, Central Minister and Former Chief Minister of Karnataka,

“Hanumathaiah recognized as a sculpturist of modern Karnataka because of his

intensive service to the nation”.46

R. Gundu Rao, Chief Minister of Karnataka, “Kengal Hanumanthaiah

struggled a lot for the independence with his courageous leadership quality and

worked for the progress of Karnataka State so he was considered as a pure and

dynamic administrator”.47

B.D. Jathi, former Vice President, “Kengal Hanumanthaiah was one among

who are the reason for the formation of Karnataka State. His death is a terrible loss

to the state as well as to the nation”.48

Kengal Hanumanthaiah memory remains with the people though his work

and contributions even today after 50 years of long political carrier. His received

notable recognition in the political history of Karnataka through his statesmanship

and efficient administration.

2.10 IMPORTANT STAGES OF KENGAL HANUMANTHAIAH’S LIFE

1908 Kengal Hanumanthaiah born at Lakkappanahalli.

1927 Participated as a student representative in the Indian National

Congress conference held at Madras.

1928 Led the procession as a student leader against Simon Commission.

1930 Received B.A. degree from Mysore Maharaja College.

1932 Obtained law degree from Pune Law College.

46 Ibid, p. 25. 47 Ibid, p. 25. 48 Ibid, p. 25.

64

1933 Started practicing as a lawyer and also appointed as secretary to the

Harijana Seva Sanga.

1934 Became the president for Hindi Prachara Sabha, Bangalore.

1936 Elected as a full-time congress worker and president for Bangalore

Congress Committee.

1941 Elected to Mysore Representative Assembly.

1942 Elected to Constituent Assembly and became the president to

Bangalore Corporation in role he actively participated in Quit India

Movement.

1938 Played crucial role in Shivapura Dvaja Sathyagraha Movement.

1947 Participated in the Mysore Chalo Movement. Imprisoned for seven

times. Remained as a member of the Constituent Assembly until it

was dissolved. Participated actively in the National Parliamentarian

Conference.

1949 Attended Inter Parliamentarian Board Conference at Stockholm.

1950 Participated in parliamentary conference in Dublin. Elected as the

president of Congress Committee.

1952 Elected to State Assembly and became Chief Minister of Mysore

State from 1952 to 1956. This period is considered to be crucial in

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s life.

1962 Re-elected to Legislative Assembly.

1962 Elected to Parliament (Lok Sabha) for the first time. In the same

year, he represented India in Brazil conference.

65

1966 President of Punjab Administrative Reforms Commission and for

All India Vivekananda Memorial Trust.

1966-67 Attended Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Ottao,

Canada as Indian representative. Elected as President for All India

Technical Education Committee.

1967 Re-elected to Lok Sabha.

1969 President for first Administrative Commission till 1973. In the same

year, he participated in the Administrative Science Conference at

Barcelona.

1970-71 Law and Social Welfare minister with the Central Government and

Member of All India Administrators Congress Working Committee.

He was also nominated as the member of International Judicial

Committee from India at Hague. In the same year he was re-elected

to parliament (Lok Sabha).

1971 Railway Minister till July 1972.

1973 Honoured as “Rashtra Rathna” by Shringeri Peeta.

1978 Member for the Congress Working Committee.

1980 Kengal Hanumanthaiah took his last breath on December 1st, 1980.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s Achievements as a Chief Minister

Construction of Vidhana Soudha

Commencement of Sharavathi Power Project

Nationalization of Kolar Gold Field

Implementation of reformed education

Establishment of Kannada and Culture Department

66

Worked for the success of Unification of Karnataka

Construction of Shri Hanumantharayaswami temple at Kengal.

Construction of Shivapura Dhvaja Sathyagraha Soudha.

Established “Surajya” party in 1978, which later merged with Congress.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah’s life is motley of interesting events that shaped

him as a leader and could achieve greater heights in his political career. His

struggle for freedom was the outcome of the influence the national leaders had on

him. His participation in various nationalistic activities honed his skills that sowed

the strength of character required to achieve success in the unification of

Karnataka.