By Dr. A.V. Narasimhamurthy
It was 1946 and I was studying 8th standard in Hardwicke High School. At that time, over 1,000 students from Sarada Vilas, Banumaiah’s and Dalvoy Schools were shouting slogans like ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. They were demanding freedom from the British.
The house of Banavara Ramaswamy Shastry and his wife Lakshimidevamma was like a Poornaiah’s Choultry. Anybody who comes to Mysuru used to stay at their home. Since student Ramaswamy was poor, Shastry arranged lunch for him at the houses of his acquaintances.
Student Ramaswamy was yearning to take part in the freedom struggle and was ready to sacrifice his life for this cause. It was one particular day in 1946 and the time was about 11 am. A large gathering of students assembled at Hardwick School shouting “We want Freedom.’
Nagarajaiah was the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru then. He was informed by the Police about the gathering and their fight for freedom. Riding a horse, the DC came to where the students had assembled. Ramaswamy was holding a flag in his hands and on seeing this, an angry Nagarajaiah shouted at him and asked him to drop the flag.
But Ramaswamy ignored and chanted ‘Vande Mataram.’ Provoked by the act of a student ignoring his order, the DC Nagarajaiah shot a bullet straight into his chest, even though there was a rule that the bullet should be fired first at the leg. Ramaswamy collapsed on the spot and became a martyr.
Accusing Nagarajaiah of committing a ‘Bramha Hatya Dosha,’ an unwritten restriction was imposed barring purohits from attending or performing any religious ceremonies at his house. Saddened by this, Nagarajaiah moved out of Mysuru.
About a furlong away from DC Office there was a circle with five lights. It was called Ramaswamy Circle. Ramaswamy thus became immortal.
So, It was the Indian Nagarajaiah, who was the DC who killed this Ramaswamy!
The flag waving and shouting for Bharata Mata, etc.. look , what has achieved today, 75 years after independence.
India is ruled by Narendra Modi, a wife deserter, who preaches the ancient Hindu Culture to foreigners. There is the alternative of Sonia Gandhi, a barmaid from Turin, Italy, who ruled India for years through her proxies-Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. Even today, Kuruba Siddaramaiah, the ex-CM, a veritable villain, crawls on the floor in front of his leader Sonia Gandhi.
The country is corrupt to the core-the society is totally corrupt. Every Indian , if he can, wants to emigrate to a Western country. The country is riddled with casteism, every community wants to ble classified as backward for reservations!
If Gandhiji were to visit this country again, he will feel very ashamed looking at the degradation of this country into a morally filthy cesspool.
As for purohits, look at the chief priest of the Chamundi Hill Temple, trained in Agama and aspects of what purohits learn. He is corrupt, rich, after getting Rupees wads from the rich VIP worshippers, who are corrupt thugs and worst sinners, and letting them inside so called the sacred sanctum of the Goddess.
Money Talks. If it is Euro or US Dollars, you can buy any one.
As for this writer, he achieved NOTHING staying as the president of the BVB Mysore Kendra-perhaps installed by that Mathur Krishnamurthy, who made BVB London Kendra, a non-entity in his 20 years of sitting as its director, just to facilitate his future son-in-law( his was childless , but adopted a girl) to come to London and study, and made his his successor. That is independent India for you, Nepotism reigns supreme.
Go on wave your tricolour flag acknowledging the corrupt state of your country, after 75 years.
I was a student in engineering in Mysore in the only engineering college the city had then in 1950s. I have often walked thorugh this circle, and friends of mine, Mysoreans, explained why this cicrle was named after Ramaswamy.
At that time, Kengal Hunamanthiah was defending the massive budget het set for the construction of Vidhana Soudha, with the budget doubling every year. He was caught with the accusation that he awarded contacts to his friends , through who, crores went to his pocket, which proved to be true, even after the enquiry committee he appointed with his friend as the chair cleared him!
Many real freedom fighters in Mysore, who were friends of Ramaswamy and who took part in that procession, were openly asking whether their sacrifice was worth it.
Mind you, it was mid-1950s, the corruption was not as wide spread, although signs were there in politics. The people who sacrificed their education and went to jail GOT NOTHING.
For a moment, assume that Ramaswamy who made that sacrifice thinking that his country will flourish after British left India, were to come today and looked around and saw what this country has become, where corruption shines so well, would he think that his sacrifice was worth it? If he had come back in 2021, had caught Covid-19, hospitalised with oxygen given to him, only to see it taken away to be given a VIP, a political thug and rich, would he have been happy about what his country has become?
If Ramaswamy had a son, and he applied to join a medical college, being of upper caste with merit, he would have stood no chance of getting admission.
Why narrate a story now? It is 75 years after independence, and just see how this country has become so corrupt, with a very corrupt society too?Any one could see the very sorry state of this country, riddled with corruption and nepotism every where, with no moral fibre left to be proud of.