Kolachalam Venkata Rao
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Comment: The page currently lists two different dates of death (25 December 1931 and 28 December 1931 respectively); this should probably be rectified. — Blablubbs (talk • contribs) 15:29, 11 October 2020 (UTC)
- Comment: Please add more references from independent reliable sources for verification and remove the Wikipedia link used as a reference. KartikeyaS (talk) 17:53, 9 October 2020 (UTC)
- Comment: Do search for secondary sources like newspaper articles. Linking to Google search results, even if books, are not appropriate as the data cannot be verified. Vikram Vincent 18:49, 23 November 2020 (UTC)
Kolachalam Venkata Rao (28 February 1850 – 28 December 1931) was a freedom fighter and social reformer of Madras Presidency. He represented the state of Karnataka in the first session of the Indian National Congress. He was one of the early social reformers who encouraged widow remarriages and female education. He was the elder brother of Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao.[1]
Early life
Kolachalam Venkata Rao was born in Kaddirampura. His father Sethupathi Sastry was the last Dewan of Anegundi Samsthana of the Vijayanagara empire. He belonged to the family of Mallinātha Sūri. He was privately educated at home. After clearing his matriculation at the age of 12, he went to be a Pleader, practising law for almost 50 years.[2]
Freedom movement and politics
He represented the state of Karnataka in the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885, held in Bombay.[3] He was repeatedly elected to serve as a member of the Madras Legislative Council[4] for the constituency of Bellary, which then comprised 12 districts. He played an important role in establishing newspaper printing press both in Kannada and Telugu languages. The British had conferred him the title of Right Honourable, which he returned in 1916 in response to their oppressive treatment of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was closely associated with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji, Kandukuri Veeresalingam,[5][6] Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu[7]and several other national leaders.
Social reforms and philanthropy
Remarriage of widows was not appreciated in the society during those days, Venkata Rao opposed this by quoting verses from the Hindu Dharma sastra to prove his point. In 1889 he arranged three widow remarriages, which had triggered the orthodox society who then decided to boycott him and stop taking part in his freedom activities, He educated them about the importance of widow remarriage, the society members later agreed to carry out widow remarriages every year.
He constructed a town hall in Bellary and furnished it with a free library.[8] He also constructed a widow ashram and brought a house to be used as a girl's school.[9] He donated 4 acres of land for the construction of a football stadium in Bellary, which is now called as BDAA grounds.
Death
Kolachalam Venkata Rao died on 28 December 1931, a main road in Bellary is named after him in his memory.
References
- ^ Mudaliar M., T. Swaminatha (1910). A Brief Sketch of the life of Mr Kolachala Vencata Rao of Bellary. Madras. Thompson & Co.,printers.
- ^ Ponangi Sri Rama Apparao (1994). Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 42. ISBN 9788172017712.
- ^ March of Karnataka. Vol. 21. India. 1983. p. 17.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Madras (India : State) Legislature Legislative Assembly (1953). Madras Legislative Assembly Debates. Vol. 9. Chennai,India: Madras : Superintendent, Government. Press, 1933. p. 347. JSTOR saoa.crl.27485064.
- ^ John Greenfield Leonard (1970). Kandukuri Viresalingam,A Biography of an Indian Social Reformer. Vol. 2. University of Wisconsin-Madison. p. 416.
- ^ Kandukūri, Vīrēśaliṅgaṃ (2006). An Autobiography. Dravidian University. p. 193.
- ^ T. Prakāsam (1992). The Journey of My Life. Prakasam Institute of Development Studies. pp. 48–50, 52. ISBN 9788185194073.
- ^ "Drama Companies of Bellary (Part 1) | Prekshaa". www.prekshaa.in. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ In A history of freedom and unification movement in Karnataka. Melkunde Shashidhar. 1910. pp. 97, 105. ISBN 9781329825017.
Category:Social reformers
Category:1850 births
Category:People from Bellary
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