Aluru Venkata Rao Birth Anniversary: Interesting Facts About Kannada Kulapurohita

ALURU VENKATA RAO BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: Born on July 12, 1880, in present-day Karnataka’s Vijayapura district, Alur Venkata Rao was a lawyer, historian, writer and journalist who led the movement seeing to reunite the Kannada-speaking regions of the country. After initial schooling in his hometown, Rao moved to Pune (Poona) to pursue a Bachelor’s in arts and later a Law degree from the University of Bombay.

It was in Pune that Rao first came under the influence of freedom fighters such as Lokmanya Tilak and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Rao soon got involved in politics and started the Karnataka Sangh.

He was given the title of Kannada Kulapurohita (High Priest of the Kannada family) for his efforts of unifying Kannada-speaking regions.

On his birth anniversary today, we look at some interesting facts about Alur Venkata Rao:

1. Rao was born to a well-to-do family and his father was a senior accounts officer in the revenue department.
2. He started the Karnataka Itihasa Samshodhana Mandali in 1904 to research Kannadiga history. While the idea was initially discouraged by the administration of Fergusson college, Rao later managed a Rs 50 grant to buy Kannada books for the college library.
3. He was inspired by the pride among Mahrashtraians for their language and culture and thought it could be developed among Kannadigas.
4. He along with Nargundkar Ramarao wrote Kannadigara Bhramanirasana (The Disillusionment of Kannadigas), a book aimed at instilling pride in Karnatak’s culture in the youth.
5. Rao joined the freedom struggle in 1920 and launched the Jaya Karnataka magazine to instill ideas of building a unified Karnataka.
6. After Karnataka was carved out into a different state in 1956, Rao headed to Hampi to offer prayers at the famous Bhuvaneshwari and Virupaksha temples built by the famous Vijayanagara empire.
7. Rao wrote a formal request to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru requesting the addition of ‘Karnataka’ in the national anthem.
8. Rao breathed his last on February 25, 1964, at the age of 84.