Aluru Venkata Rao
| Aluru Venkata Rayaru ( ಆಲೂರು ವೆಂಕಟರಾಯರು ) | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 12, 1880 |
| Died | February 25, 1964 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Known for | Karnataka Ekikarana |
| Notable work | Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava |
Aluru Venkata Rayaru (Kannada: ಆಲೂರು ವೆಂಕಟರಾಯರು) (12 July 1880 - 25th Feb 1964) was a leader of the Karnataka Ekikarana movement, which was fighting for a separate state encompassing all Kannada speaking areas of Mysore, Bombay Presidency and Nizam's Hyderabad. The first strains of this movement had started as early as 1856 and the Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha had been established in 1890, the movement took a dramatic turn with the arrival of Aluru Venkata Rayaru. Notable was the publication of Aluru's magnum opus, Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava in 1912. Such was the impact of this work that he came to be known as the Kannada Kula Purohita or the 'High priest of the Kannada kula(family) '
Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava literally means The glory that was Karnataka. It was a book that recounted in great detail the glorious history that had been Karnataka's until the Marathas, Nizam and the British took over. People started rallying around the Ekikarana movement, which picked up momentum.
Aluru Venkata Rayaru was born in Bijapur in 1880 in a well-to-do Madhwa Brahmin family of landlords. His father Bhim Rayaru was a Shirastedar, an important accounts official at the Taluka level under British rule. Bhim Rayaru and Venkat Raya’s mother Bhagirathamma were of pious and charitable nature.
Alur Venkat Rayaru attended primary school in different small towns where his father was transferred and he passed Matriculation examination (school graduation) from Dharwar in 1897. Though Kannadiga, he had acquired good fluency in Marathi, Sanskrit and English by then. But his first love was Kannada. There were no good books, journals or periodicals in Kannada at that time. He attended Fergusson College in Pune and completed his B.A. and L.L.B. (law) degrees by 1905. His student years in Pune were memorable. The country was witnessing early nationalism in different forms and phases. Lokamanya Tilak was the prominent leader who shaped young minds, by arranging Shivaji Utsav and Ganapati Utsav and establishing national schools. Veer Savarkar and Senapati Bapat were Alur’s contemporaries in college. Partition of Bengal as envisaged by the Vice roy Lord Curzon had led to a nationwide agitation. It kindled latent nationalism among educated youngsters in several ways. Alur returned to Dharwad determined to serve the country, in the ways that suited him. He started as a pleader, one of the most coveted posts in those days which brought name and fame with minimum work according to him. But soon the call of mother Karnataka snatched him away from all material attractions.
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