Kengal Hanumanthaiah

Kengal Hanumanthaiah (Kannada: ಕೆಂಗಲ್ ಹನುಮಂತಯ್ಯ) (14 February 1908 – 1 December 1980) was the chief minister of the old Mysore State (Karnataka) in India from 30 March 1952 to 19 August 1956. He is best remembered for his vision and contribution to the construction of Vidhana Soudha or the state assembly house.^[1]

Early life

Kengal Hanumanthaiah was born in 1908 to a Vokkaliga family in Lakkappanapalli, a small village in Bangalore district. He graduated in Arts from the Mysore Maharaja College in 1930, and later completed LL.B from Poona Law College in 1932. During his college days, he was elected as the secretary of the Students Union and Karnataka Sangha.

After graduating from law, he joined the bar council in the same year. Dr. P. Tandon, the then President of Indian National Congress, advised Kengal Hanumanthaiah to give up active practice at the bar and to devote himself to the freedom struggle. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Hanumanthaiah pitched himself into the freedom struggle and was imprisoned more than nine times.

The Vidhan Soudha

During an interview, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, explained the reasoning behind the architectural styles of the monument. A Russian cultural delegation was visiting Bangalore and K Hanumanthaiah took them around to show the city. Every now and then they queried, "Have you no architecture of your own? They are all European buildings". Stung, K Hanumanthaiah, vowed to create a monument so magnificent that it would showcase the best of South India's indigenous architectural styles.^[2]

Death

He died on 1 December 1980

See also

• List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka

References

External links

• Centenary of Kengal Hanumanthaiah held