U Srinivas Mallya
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1902 to 1965
U. Srinivas Mallya who was also called Malliah in North India or Sheenappa Mallya in Dakshina Kannada is the architect of Modern Canara District or master planner and a true politician. In his 18 years tenure as member of Parliament, from 1946-1965 he did not speak a single word. But he was instrumental in getting several nation building projects mentioned below.
When in Mangalore, you would have sauntered down NH 17 or 48, admired the scenery from the Ullal Bridge on the River Nethravathi, visited Panambur Port, wondered at the working of MCF, listened to Mangalore Akashavani, desired to send your children to study at Karnataka Regional Engineering College (now NIT-K), Suratkal, even managed to stay at Circuit House, attended a programme at Town Hall and after a pleasant stay and zoom in Mangalore, probably said goodbye to your friends and relatives at Bajpe Airport. Mallya is the architect of all these landmarks in Mangalore. And he was rightly called "Father of Modern Dakshina Kannada District."
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[edit] Early years
He was born in a conservative, traditional and cultural Gowda Saraswath Brahmin (GSB) family in Mangalore (the family was known as Ullal Mallyas) on 21th of November 1902 to Sri Ullal Manjunath Mallya and Smt. Saraswathi alias Rukma Bai. His elder brother was Late Dr. U. Padmanabha Mallya another congress leader for a long time. Young Srinivas completed his primary education (eighth standard) at St Aloysius Primary School. The next two years, he studied at Canara School and continued his intermediate studies at Government College, Mangalore. Mallya was more interested in taking part in freedom struggle rather than attending classes. Reaching out to Mahatma Gandhi’s call, Mallya joined the freedom fight at the age of 18. It was the time when the freedom struggle was gathering strength as more number of youths joined the movement. All people of India were desperately fired with the vision of freeing their motherland from the clutches of British and French.
What made the young Mallya give up a more comfortable and carefree life? While he simply needed to help his well-to-do family, doing its business in Bunder, he opted to undergo the strenuous life of a Sathyagrahi, evade arrest, go underground or fill jail rooms. He never looked up for material gains and comforts and stepped into an uncertain and more strenuous life at an early age. As a forefront freedom fighter, he was in and out of jails several times. But he came in close touch with many a great State and national leaders. Mallya joined Congress party and became its member. His intelligence, Integrity, principled outlook and his tendency to keep at a task till its completion saw him rising swiftly in the party hierarchy.
[edit] Skillful Politician
Starting from being the secretary of the District Congress Committee to a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) saw a substantial rise in his political career. He was very close to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India who chose him as General secretary of All India Congress Committee in 1951 when he was the Congress President, along with another great selfless leader Late Sri. Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1951. Besides Pt Nehru he also held intimate friendship with leaders such as Bose and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, who was also a Mangalorean. They supported his ascent. Mallya was known as the ‘King Maker’ in state politics. During 1937-1946, Mallya was the source of immense support to the Congress party activists through his philanthropic pursuits of donations and other financial assistance.
Freedom was imminent in 1946. The British Government named Pandit Javaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister of the Interim Government. Mallya first became member of the Delhi House of Representatives (Parliament). After the Independence in 1947, India had to rely on its own Constitution. Mallya was appointed to the Constituent Assembly, where he had the privilege of associating with President Dr Babu Rajendra Prasad, Nehru, Vallabhabhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Dr B R Ambedkar.
He was elected as Member of Parliament from the Udupi Lok Sabha constituency for three terms from the very first Indian Elections held in 1952, and in the subsequent two held in 1957, and 1962.
Pt. Nehru sent Mallya several times to various States as trouble shooter to settledown controversies, disputes between political leaders. It was for Mallya's credit that even Chief Ministers and Ministers and party heavy weights from States when they land in New Delhi were going straight to Late Mallya's residence to seek his advise and support for their plans and projects before put up their plans with Ministries of Central Government.
[edit] Successful projects
- New Mangalore Port (Panambur)
- Mangalore Hassan Bangalore Railway Line
- N.H. 17 (Mumbai-Kochi)
- N.H. 48 (Mangalore-Bangalore) Road
- Karnataka Regional Engineering College (Surathkal)
- Mangalore Air Port (Bajpe)
- All India Radio Station (Mangalore),
[edit] Great Visionary
Which are among a few very important projects which laid a strong foundation for the development of Canara District & Karnataka State as a whole. And he was rightly called "Father of Modern Dakshina Kannada District". He along with his close friend V S Kudva of Mangalore strived to place it on the map of India
Srinivas Mallya, a hero too early forgotten by the people of Dakshina Kannada, was always working for realising his dreams. The qualities, courage, generosity and strength of character coupled with a strong ethical base and principled lifestyle, are enough to make every inhabitant of three coastal districts feel proud to claim him as their own.
He was a great visionary with a skill to manoever and silence the opposition by facts and figures, and get nod from the government for his plans and projects through. What he achieved from his success story was not at all for his personal benefits or self organisation but for the betterment of our district or the Nation.
Mallya put his heart, soul, body and wealth and worked for the cause of the country. He was an innocent and extra-ordinary man. He was a shrewd manager of men besides being a visionary, revolutionary, a canny businessman, a philosopher, and a philanthropist. In his 45 years of fruitful public life, he was the candle who enlightened thousands of lives and souls around him.
[edit] Freedom fighter
He was in the forefront of freedom struggle and had to go underground when he was chased by British C.I.D.'s in Mumbai, Madras, M.P. and Karnataka and in D. K. District. He was in and out of jails several times. But he came in close touch with many a great State and National leaders by which he became a king maker in Karnataka and All India politics when the nation got freedom from the British in 1947. By this unique stature he could make or mar the fortunes of State or National leaders, because of his proximity to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastriji. Even a great leader Chakravarthi Rajgopalachari the First Indian Governor General of India (and British Press had nick named him as 20th century fox) called Malliah 'the most dangerous man'. He was the architect of the so called 'Syndicate' which played great role in national political scene after the death of Pt. Nehru.
[edit] The person
Sri Mallya hailed from the famous Ullal Mallya family. He could not complete his higher studies and nor could he join his family business in Bunder, Mangalore, due to his act of plunging in the National freedom struggle. Smt. Indira Mallya, his wife, also hailed from an aristocrat family from Bantwal. She was widely known for her hospitality, when common people and great leaders and ministers visited them at Delhi or at Mangalore. They had no children. U. S. Mallya died in New Delhi on 19th of January 1965 at New Delhi.
[edit] A tribute
Mallya put his heart, soul, body and wealth and worked for the cause of the country. He was an innocent and extra-ordinary man. He was a shrewd manager of men besides being a visionary, revolutionary, a canny businessman, a philosopher, and a philanthropist. In his 45 years of fruitful public life, he was the candle who enlightened thousands of lives and souls around him.
Statues of Shri Srinivas Mallya dot the city of Mangalore. There is one in front of the Town Hall, one at Kadri and one each at the main gate of the New Mangalore Port Trust, and at NITK, Suratkal. People of Dakshina Kannada and Karnataka State are heavily indebted to Late Ullal Srinivas Mallya for his vision and the very big projects he brought to the district.
[edit] Quotes
"The airport was opened in 1951. The late MP Ullal Srinivas Mallya was the main person who was responsible for the setting up of the airport."
Mangalore Airport Director, M R Vasudeva
"Referring to other housing projects, he said that 14 acre of land had been acquired at Padavu village to develop house sites, and this area will be named after the architect of modern Dakshina Kannada, late Ullal Srinivas Mallya."
MUDA Chairman, Mr Abdul Khader, December 2003
"It was Mallya's vision which saw the construction of the New Mangalore Port, Bajpe airport, National Highway 17 and most importantly Karnataka Regional Engineering College (since upgraded into National Institute of Technology, Karnataka)."
Jaideep Shenoy, in an article in The Hindu Apr 24, 2004
"When the late Ullal Srinivas Mallya, architect of the erstwhile-undivided Dakshina Kannada District set up the Karnataka Regional Engineering College (now National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK)) at Suratkal, he did so to ensure that the best technical minds were shaped there."
Jaideep Shenoy, in an article in The Hindu Nov 20, 2004
The Chairman of New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), Mr P.T. Vanan, lauded the efforts of late U. Srinivas Mallya, the architect of New Mangalore Port, at the Republic Day celebration at NMPT stadium in Mangalore recently. Jan 29, 2005
