September 12, 2011

A SYNONYM FOR SOCIAL SERVICE


In one's life time, what is that a person can achieve? He can become a very good doctor and build a chain of famous hospitals. He can become a big Advocate by winning every case he takes up, He can become a well known social worker and forgets himself in service of others. One can reach a top position in his respective field.

Yesterday I was in Mysore, to participate  in a program to launch two web-sites. One on a great person and the other on an equally great institution.

Late M.Venkatakrishnaiah, popularly known as TATAIAH, remained an amazing personality. When I learnt about his greatness, it was my turn to be left bewildered thinking how could a person achieve so many things in one life time and that too all of them for the public cause?

TATAIAH was a teacher, a journalist, a political activist, a litterateur, a social worker and what not. He was responsible in initiating women education in 19th century, had founded many educational institutions. In a way his life has become synonymous with the history of 19th and 20th century Mysore.

He was a teacher for nearly 40 years. The famous education institutions of Mysore like Marimallappa, Maharani College, Sharada Vilas college, Sadvidya school were all his gifts to the city which have brought the well known name of "Shikshana Kaashi " to the City of Mysore. TATAIAH started a school exclusively to educate girls in those days in-spite of facing resistance from the society. He arranged widow re-marriages. He started skill development institutions for widows. Much before Mahatma Gandhi, TATAIAH came out with steps to fight untouchability and started many Harijan hostels and also started imparting skills that could fetch employment. TATAIAH was also instrumental in finding “Pinjarapol”, the centre for helpless, guardian less animals which has made a name in the entire State.

He was known as the Father of Kannada journalism. Sadhwi, Udaya  Chintamani, Vidyadayini were few among many Kannada papers and Mysore Patriot, Wealth of Mysore, The Civil and Social Journal were the English papers which were nurtured under his stewardship. Many of us might not know that it was because of TATAIAH, the services of another great Engineer-Administrator, Sir M Vishweshwaraiah came to be available for Mysore state and the rest is history. His greatness can be imagined when we learn that Swamy Vivekananda, Ravindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and other great personalities met him at Mysore.

Another greatest contribution of TATAIAH was the orphanage (I should say that this word has a real weak connotation in English) or ANATHALAYA that he built for the destitutes. This ANATHALAYA nourished, protected, educated future famous personalities like HY Sharada Prasad (who went on to become the media secretary to late Smt Indira Gandhi) and SL Byrappa the great thinker-writer of Kannada. Gandhiji, who met TATAIAH while he visited Mysore described him as 'Bhishma of Mysore'. 
TATAIAH was the President of 8th Kannada Sahithya Sammelan that was held at Davanagere in 1922.
 TATAIAH was a member of the erstwhile Legislative Assembly which was then known as Praja Prathinidhi Sabha. He also served in the then Municipal Council and Economic Conference and he was a true public representative in these capacities.

Yesterday, two websites were launched by none other than Sri SL Byrappa.  One website is on the legendary personality of TATAIAH and the other is on the equally great product of his ANATHALAYA. The programme was organized by the once inmates of ANATHALAYA.

All those present are well placed today in society. One of them was the additional secretary to government of India. He was proudly claiming that what he is today is because of this Anathalaya. One should visit 'www.mysorethathaiah.org' and 'www.anathalayamysore.org' to learn about the Greatness, Selfless service, compassion in the real, real sense of this man. This, in today's murky and vitiated public life is definitely acts like a breath of fresh air. This website gives us the much needed Oxygen.

My special thanks to Ramachandra Hegde, an Infosyan who is responsible for these two websites who made me to participate in this memorable function and hear S.L.Byrappa who took us by awe on to that memory lane. Byrappa said, TATAIAH could achieve all those things even though he was monetarily poor and it was only because of his unquestioned Credibility and Accountability.

S.SURESHKUMAR

8 comments:

Pradeep CS said...

Great article.
This is what expect from Honest Politician, who want to give message to people, how a person dont have money can do social welfare activities, with Proud.

Thank you for writing this article, hopefully many student who walks to Marimalappa College ,Sadvidya college will visit Anathalaya & Sharavilas College Student will see statue of Tataiah(Law function hall) and will get more inspiration.

Once again Thank you sir.

Anonymous said...

Good analysis and good message.
It is heartening to see a politician who goes beyond stating what can garner him votes and expresses his feelings and sensitivities so well.
It makes us feel good.
Guru, Mysore

Racham said...

Dear Sir,

Thank you very Much for your Encouraging words. It is really energized us to do more and more social activities. We, Thathayya Vichara Vedike has many aspirations and dreams to promote the Life and works of Sri Thathayya. This is just the beginning and we have to pass through a long journey. We need your Support and Guidance even in future.

There is a small typo mistake in the Thathayya website Url you published here, The correct one is www.mysorethathayya.org. Request you to please correct. Anyway Thanking you again for your support and encouragement.

-Ramachandra Hegde, Thathayya Vichara Vedike, Mysore

Krishna Prasad Alias KP said...

It is good to see that your inspirational well written comments about Thathayya. I hope it will inspire many people to follow Thathayaa's principle being humble and wihout money also we can achive great things in life if we have strong determination and passion and will power. Thanks once again for wirting such a wonderful well thought comments about Thathayya.

Anonymous said...

Good article. In spite of busy schedules Suresh Kumar Sir attended programme and also made his observation. As he observed, Thathayya was a towering personality. In these days of biased media, he can be seen as best example how a common man with integrity can face the corruption and power with courage.

DKH

C.V.Gopinath said...

Dear Mr. Minister

You have spoken from your heart. Historians have failed to project the personalities like Thathaiah while hailing Raja ram Mohan Rai as the social rformer.Thathaiah was indeed much more than a social reformer as he was in the forefront of social reforms like widow marriages, women emanicipation, spreading literacy, bringing the deprived to the mainstream by providing them with opportunities, facing the challenges in bold and honest journalism and above all imbibing values at an young age in persons like me. At least the profiles and the contributions of great personalities from Karnataka are much required to be told to the present generation and your writing about the great Grand Old Man of Mysore is Good a beginning. I had not seen you in the past face to face and a small interaction with you brings the warmth and integrity in you.

Love and blessings from the Almighty.

C.V.Gopinath
Formerly Additional Secretary to Govt.of India
2961/30-CH-2,First Main road,Saraswatipuram,Myosre-570009.
Telephone: 0821-2341234,Cell:09449994222,
E-Mail ID: cv_gopinath@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

ಆತ್ಮೀಯ ಸುರೇಶ್ ಕುಮಾರ್, ತಾತಯ್ಯ ನವರನ್ನು ಕುರಿತ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಬರಹ ಖುಷಿ ತಂದಿತು. ಧನ್ಯವಾದ. ಪಾರಂಪರಿಕ ತಾಣಗಳ ಉಳಿವಿಗಾಗಿ ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಅನೇಕ ಸಾಧಕರ ಮನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿಸುವ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಯೋಚನೆ ಸ್ವಾಗತಾರ್ಹ. ಆದರೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಾತಯ್ಯ ನವರ ಮನೆ 'ಪದ್ಮಾಲಯ' ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದು ಬೇಸರದ ವಿಷಯ. ತಾತಯ್ಯ ನವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಕಷ್ಟ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊನೆಗಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯನ್ನು ಮಾರಿದರು. ಅದೀಗ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಕಚೇರಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಮನೆ ಮರಿಮಲ್ಲಪ್ಪಾ ಕಾಲೇಜಿನ ಸಮೀಪದಲ್ಲೇ ಇದೆ. ಒಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಮನೆ ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಅನೇಕ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆ ಕಾಲದ ಅನೇಕಾನೇಕ ಗಣ್ಯರು ಈ ಮನೆಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಇಂದು ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಆಡಳಿತ ಮತ್ತು ನಗರದ ಇತಿಹಾಸ ತಜ್ಞರು ಇದನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಲಕ್ಷಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ದಯಮಾಡಿ ತತಯ್ಯನವರ ಮನೆ 'ಪದ್ಮಾಲಯ' ವನ್ನೂ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಆ ಮೂಲಕ ಆ ಮಹಾನ್ ಚೇತನಕ್ಕೆ ಗೌರವ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸೋಣ ಅಂತ ನಮ್ಮ ಅಪೇಕ್ಷೆ. ದಯಮಾಡಿ ಉತ್ತಮ ಕಾರ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ತಾವು ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಈ ಮಹಾನ್ ಚೇತನದ ಮನೆಯನ್ನೂ ಪಾರಂಪರಿಕ ತಾಣವಾಗಿ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ತಾತಯ್ಯ ನವರ ಕುರಿತ ಎಲ್ಲ ವಸ್ತುಗಳು ಜನರಿಗೆ ಲಭ್ಯವಾಗುವಂತೆ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಾಲಯವಾಗಿ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಪಡಿಸಬೇಕು ಎಂಬುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಕಳಕಳಿಯ ಮನವಿ.

- ಜಿ.ಸುಬ್ರಮಣ್ಯ , ಮೈಸೂರು

Bhanuprasad KS said...

Thanks for your article and honest words.
Thataiah & his Anathalaya mysore gave a very good shelter for many many people in achieving there life goal. This is the place where thousands and thousands of people learn the moral values and developed a clean character.