Will K'taka see more Mokshagundams and Kengals?

On his 102nd birthday I would like to share with the readers of OneIndia the delightful memories of my interactions with, Sri Kengal Hanumanthaiah (KH), who in my opinion is the finest Chief Ministers of Karnataka and has been one of my heroes and role models since the time I was a teenager.



He insisted that I make personal appearance on stage to receive the accolades. When I showed up with heavy makeup on my face, he made me feel comfortable by uttering congratulatory words. I met my political and public role model and KH got a life long admirer.

K'taka to celebrate K Hanumanthaiah's birth anniversary on Feb 10

My Kanakaapura Middle School, under the leadership of my esteemed head master Sri K Rangaswamy Iyengar was so influential that the second year chief guest was Sri. Kadidal Manjappa and third year was Sri S Nijalingappa, was a rare distinction among high schools in the state. And I received the grand prizes each year from the chief guests.

In 1955 the Russian leaders Kruschev and Bulganin accompanied by Nehru were on an official visit to Bengaluru. Sri KH had organanized a grand parade, a grand civic reception and a palace banquet in honor of the distinguished visitors.

I had made a 5:00 am trip from Kanakapura to watch the dignitaries, in person, the only way you could in the era of no TV or Youtube. The Russian leaders were so impressed that they invited a Mysore state delegation to visit Moscow. My hero always standing up for Mysore state, decided to add a cultural flavor to the delegation by including Sri T Chowdaiah and Smt Vyjayanthi Bala (not a Bali, yet) to showcase our culture. My esteem for my hero went up a notch.

Earlier KH thinking ahead and decided to build the magnificent Vidhana Soudha to signify a symbol of free and new India, right across the superb atara kutcheri built by the British to rule Mysore.

Vidhana Soudha was to and does overshadow the stare kutcheri as subtle message to the world. When Pt Nehru, in laying the foundation, or opening the Soudha the pronounced it as extravagant, KH, sort of ignored the criticism and went ahead. with the project. Very few politicians stood up to the great Nehru in those days. My esteem for my hero went up another notch.

To placate the critics and send a message of austerity, KH devised a novel way of employing the idle prisoners in the Central Jail next door as laborers to build the Soudha. This move did not sit well with some of KH critics.

However, later when I was in US in 1964 , and learned that it was then and as well as today, a common practice to use prisoners to make the automobile license plates for example and also teach them a trade. You can guess how I felt about my hero’s foresight.

Now aren’t we glad that KH did not give in to critics and did not scale down or diminish the magnificent architecture of Vidhana Soudha?

KH also added a bold inscription 'Sarkarada Kelasave Devara Kelasa' ( Government's work is divine work). Even this did not sit well with some critics. It was later chiseled away to placate the critics.

A new concrete double road running north south was built between Lal Bagh and St Joseph’s hostel to ease traffic flow and named it Kengal Hanumatthaiah Road which he did not ask for. But, it provided more fodder for criticism. These kinds of insignificant issues coupled with a plot to weaken a strong old Mysore leader by the newly joined areas of greater Mysore, started the rumors of autocratic rule by KH.

This became a daily circus (al a Monica Lewinsky Affair ) and a bonanza for Prajavani’s Choo Baana and Sheshappa’s hot hot Kidi patrike! I knew Mr TSR the editor of Prajavaani and the chief archer of Choo Baana column. All this lead upto KH giving up his Chief Minsiter’s position. But, my esteem for my hero did not diminish.

Then it was the year 1960 when I was a resident of the William Quan Judge Cosmopolitan Home (WQJCH) of the venerable India Institute of World Culture in Basavanagudi. One morning when I was about to go to BMS College, a station wan pulled up in front of my hostel. Out came my hero KH along with three other people that I had not seen before. I greeted my hero and he was happy to see a young man recognise him.

He introduced me to the other three people with him. This is when I learnt they were Martin Luther King Jr and his wife Correta, and Scott King from America!

And they were unknown to me than and so it was for much of the world. They were accompanied by a Baptist Minsiter. KH introduced me to the Kings and they asked me a few questions and invited me to join them for breakfast .

I quickly stopped in my room and picked up my autograph collection book which I had just purchased At the end I asked KH’s autograph. He said that instead of his, I should get the visitors’ autograph. I told KH that I did not know who they are but you are my idol and hero. KH gave me his autograph in Kannada as the Kings watched.

In 1960 I had not heard of the young Kings of America that would become famous and noble later nor did I know I would be going to America to study and live. In perfect hindsight, what a priceless autograph collection it would have been.

In 1961 , I saw my hero KH in action in one of the most cherished moments in my life. It was the occasion of Sir. M.Vishveswaraih’s 100th birth day celebration in the Lal Bagh Glass House attended by many of my heros and idols to name a few. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Maharaja Jaya Chamaraja Wodeyar, Actress and the heart throb of my youth Vyjayanthimala and who is who of Bangalore society.

My hero KH was the Master of ceremony and he did a magnificent job. By being a part of this historic event I can say, “My luck runneth over.”

I left for the US in 1964, after I got to occasionally read about KH, in the pages of the NewYork Times and the weekly overseas Hindu edition. I read about the continued unease between KH and Nehru and KH becoming the central Railway Minister

Then in 1968, I visited India for my marriage. After my first graduate degree I went to work for the great Xerox Corporation in its birthplace Rochester NY. And I had the good fortune again of knowing the inventor Chestera Carlson and the founder of Xerox, Joseph C Wilson, two of my American heroes who have influenced me.

The week after I landed in Bengaluru, I learned that my hero KH was heading the first central Administrative Reforms Commission.

This news made me jump with joy. I knew that there were no Xerox machines in India at that time. I knew the power of the free flow of information which was not possible in the Indian Administrative context where the bureaucrats exercised power by tying a red tape around a slow moving file.

I wrote to my hero that I would like the ARC to consider placing Xerox machines throughout the Government offices to have multiple copies of files to be acted upon simultaneously. This transparency would break the back of the administrative bureaucracy and lead to effective reforms. I sent the same message to my bosses at Xerox Headquarters and pointed out the opportunity for Xerox.

I was appreciated by Xerox management for my thoughts and they referred it to Rank Xerox based in UK who had the territorial rights to India. Even though I never heard back from them, I had the satisfaction of planting an idea into my heroe’s challenge.

This brings to a close my remembrance of Kengal Hanumanthaiah my childhood hero. Looking back, how fortunate I am to have personally met two of the architects of Mysore state, in pushing for building the magnificent Vidhana Soudha, and being the MC at Sir MV’s 100th birthday, I see placed Vidhana Soudha as like the jewel in the crown of Sir MV, the Bharat Ratna.

Sri Kengal Hanumanthaiah was the right person to do it in style and in his own way . When will there be more Kengals and more Mokshagundams in Karnataka?. This is my tribute to both great sons of Karnataka.