Shantaveri Gopala Gowda

Shantaveri Gopala Gowda (14 March 1923 – 9 June 1972) was an Indian socialist politician who was thrice elected to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka, in 1952, 1962 and 1967.^[1] He is considered one of India's most important socialist leaders, and a pioneer of socialism in Karnataka.^[2] He was influenced by Ram Manohar Lohia. His leadership began as early as 1951. He was considered "charismatic" and he gained many followers.^[3] He mentored several socialists in Karnataka including J. H. Patel,^[4] Bangarappa, S. M. Krishna and D. Devaraj Urs, al of who would go on to become chief ministers of the state. Urs was inspired and understood the depth of Gowda's mind and life which was devoted to the poor and working classes, especially the farmers. The Land Reforms Act and renaming of the state from Mysore to Karnataka are thanks to his association with Gowda.

Gopala Gowda was born in Araga, a village in the Thirthahalli taluk of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore (in present-day Shimoga district, Karnataka), into a Vokkaliga family.^[5] His father was Kollurayya Gowda, who worked as a postal constable, and mother Sheshamma, a homemaker. Gowda had two older siblings: brother Dharmayya and sister Siddhamma. He completed his primary schooling in Araga, and lower secondary in Shikaripura. While pursuing his matriculation, Gowda got involved in the independence movement, and took part in the Quit India Movement in 1942. He was arrested on charges of cutting the telegraph lines. During his time at the Shimoga prison, he met personalities such as Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar, K. T. Bhashyam, T. Mariappa and H. Siddaiah. In 1944, he completing his schooling before enrolling in a college in Shimoga to pursue the intermediate course.^[6]

Upon the publication of his biography, N. Dharam Singh, chief minister of Karnataka, said that "the agitation and the political contribution of the late Shantaveri Gopala Gowda are significant in the history of the Legislature".^[7]

He was a firebrand politician who knew the culture of the land, and being a villager himself had a great following among the farmer community of Karnataka. A well-read person with a strong love for the Kannada language, he had been a friend to many intellectual and sensitive literary figures of Karnataka like the poet Gopalakrishna Adiga, the novelist Dr. U.R. Ananthamurthy, the writer and journalist P. Lankesh, and the farmers' association leader M. D. Nanjundaswamy. In fact, Dr. Ananthamurthy wrote the novel Avasthe ("State of Life") based on the life of Gopala Gowda.^[8] It was also made into a sensitive film of the same name in 1987 with actor Anant Nag playing the lead role. A real idealist and daredevil leader his 'Kagodu satyagraha' – the indefinite fast he held to provide justice to the farmers of Karnataka – is evergreen in the minds of Karnataka people. His death at an early age heralded the slow demise of socialist movement in Karnataka. M. D. Nanjundaswamy, was one of the few leaders to carry forward the movement along the lines that Gowda had envisaged. Gowda's political role was pivotal as it once again drew the attention of the nation on the plight of the farmers.

Gowda married Sonakka, the daughter of a Hubli-based lawyer, on 3 March 1964. Sonakka (died 2019)^[9] worked as a schoolteacher. The couple had two children together: daughter Ila Geetha (b. 1967) and son Ramamanohar (b. 1968). Gowda named his son after Ram Manohar Lohia. Gowda's health began deteriorating after 1970 leading to his death on 9 June 1972 at the Victoria Hospital in Bangalore.^[6]

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