The struggle for Karnataka

A view of Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha in Dharwad; (top) photos of Kannada writers displayed in a hall at the Vidyavardhaka Sangha. DH PHOTO/B M Kedarnath

The seeds for Karnataka’s unification on November 1, 1956 were first sown in Dharwad.

On July 20, 1890, the Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha (KVS) was founded by R H Deshpande, which eventually became the centre for a growing consciousness about Karnataka’s language and culture.

The challenge was that Kannada-speaking regions were split under different administrative units, and the Kannada organisations faced the mammoth task of bringing people together.

In the initial meetings of the KVS at Dharwad and Bengaluru, there was apprehension about whether to mobilise people politically or bind them culturally. Later, both these goals were understood to be the same.

Linguistic community

And with this understanding, the objective of reorganisation of the state on the basis of a “linguistic community” was set.

The Karnataka Sabha, established in Dharwad in 1916, is considered the first political organisation to work in this regard.

Its office bearers submitted a memorandum to Montagu Chelmsford Commission in 1917 and argued for the consideration of their political demand. Their demands grew more vocal and at a meeting in Dharwad in 1917, a resolution was passed seeking statehood for Kannada speakers.

In 1920, leaders and members representing different forums and organisations convened the ‘Akhila Karnataka Rashtriya Parishat’ which gave an impetus to the demand for Kannada statehood.

A large number of people also attended the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Nagpur in 1920. Here, permission was accorded for the formation of a separate committee for Karnataka affairs.

And so began a movement based on a political ideology.

Between 1920 and 1936, the emergence of new associations saw the clash of ideas and even disagreements.

During this period of political confusion, two new forums were established namely, All Karnataka Unification Parishat and Karnataka Unification Committee.

Between 1936 and 1947

The process of linguistic mobilisation and the creation of Sindh and Orissa boosted the confidence of Kannada-speaking people. The formation of the ‘Ekikarana Sangha’ in 1936 at Bangalore further raised people’s hopes.

During World War II (1939 - 1945) and its aftermath, this linguistic identity was subsumed by the national question.

After the country’s independence, the movement gathered steam once again, with people in the border areas of present-day Karnataka being mobilised.

In 1948, the Central Government in a newly-independent country constituted the ‘Linguistic State Coordination Commission’ also called the ‘Dhar Committee’ after its chairperson S K Dhar

In December 1948, another committee consisting of Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramaiah was formed.

The government also constituted the ‘States Reorganisation Commission’ consisting of three members, including the Chairperson.

The members, Fazl Ali (Chairman), K M Panikkar and Pandit H N Kunzru, were non-party men.

Soon after the first national elections in 1952, non-Congress parties and forces jointly formed a new forum called Akhanda Karnataka Rajya Nirmana Parishat. Its first session was held at Davanagere on May 28, 1953. It was decided that starting from August 9, 1953, one week would be for ‘Struggle for Unification’.

When the States Reorganisation Commission visited Bangalore, Mangalore, Kodagu, Hubli, Dharwar, Belgaum, Mysore and other places, leaders met them and forwarded their plea.

On September 30, 1955, the Commission submitted its final report in which the formation of a new state was mentioned.

The new state, officially inaugurated on November 1, 1956, came to be called ‘Mysore’ and was the result of a political and cultural struggle imbued with the emotions of an entire people.