User:Aambale/sandbox

1.Early life 2.Entrepreneur 3.Civil service 4.Educational activities 5.Financial dream 6.Social responsibility 7.Religious activities. 8.Family life

Early Life: Tirumale Ranganatha Shamanna (TRS) was born in Tirumale village in Magadi district, 40 miles northwest of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. He was born into a prosperous, landed gentry family of socially orthodox and intellectually progressive Brahmins. This progressiveness must have formed the basis for TRS leaving school at an early age of 14 to join the call for liberating India from British rule. As a freedom fighter, young TRS was a brilliant community organizer, aspects of which continued later through his life and career. He had the honor and pride of serving a not-yet formed country, India by being jailed for his freedom fights alongside Gandhi and Nehru at the infamous Yerawada jail in Pune, India. While young TRS was fighting to liberate his country and was attending the Congress covention at Karachi, his family life was upheaved. His father died heart-broken at the thought of losing a first-born to the freedom movement and his mother and siblings were forced out of their ancestral holding. TRS's mother came to Bangalore and struggled to raise the remaining siblings.

Entrepreneur: India won freedom. The seeds of putting community and nation ahead of himself were sown in TRS and he returned to Bangalore. To support his large family, TRS became a General Contractor - helping a young nation house it's newly liberated citizens in Bangalore. As an ethical and honest General Contractor, TRS oversaw the construction of numerous buildings that stand out 70 years today for the quality of their construction and unique designs. He saw an opportunity in developing large tracts of granite outcroppings into residential colonies. Predictably, he was laughed at for thinking of this. Undaunted, he got the granite rocks chiselled and blasted; sold them to raise money to build large parts of the residential colony. Streets and parks in this residential colony, Narasimharaja Colony (N.R. Colony) in Bangalore South, bear his name today. Some of those buildings built by TRS are the Basavanagudi Sahakara Sangha,Vijaya High School,Kote High School,Bhoo Abhivruddi Bank,Chandrashekara Kalyana mantapa and Sharada Kalyana mantapa.

Not only commercial buildings but even common man approached him to build houses which he satisfied with utmost devotion and dedication using finest material and at a very nominal price.In many instances,houses were built with no charges applied to those who could not afford to.Rows of houses built in NR colony were later given to handicapped and underprivileged at a throw away price.

Civil Service : TRS, drawn as ever to putting country above person and embrace of Gandhian ideals of life decided to represent his community in the Bangalore City Corporation in 1957.He twice represented to the Vidhana Sabha in 1968 and 1971 being elected from the kote constituency of Bangalore. As a popular corporator, he was instrumental in abolishing the infamous Bicycle tax and Water tax in the city of Bangalore.Bicycle owners had to use an aluminium plate infront of the cycle and had to demonstrate that they had paid the bicycle tax,otherwise they would be harassed by the corporation people to surrender the cycle or pay the tax. Realizing that the vast population of the then city which included many daily wage earners used cycle to commute to work ,he lead a massive movement against the government which forced the government to abolish the tax.This nicknamed him Cycle shamanna among the general public.

In a progressive career of service to society and country, he went from corporator to Mayor to State Legislature.In the 1978 elections to the state assembly,he won with the highest of number of votes for the state of karnataka well representing the popular public mandate he held in those days. Political parties did not matter to him but political ideologies did.When he could not compromise his political ideology,he had quit Congress party and joined Janata Party and pursued his next political career. His crowning glory was being elected as the only Opposition (Janata Party) Member of Parliament across the whole of South India in 1980 when the ruling party (Congress-I) wave swept the nation. An added bonus was that he represented Bangalore South, a constituency that was and to date, a constituency with the single highest number of college graduates (over 60%) in the country. The particular said election was fought entirely based on his credentials unlike the financial power that the opponent wielded but proved unsuccessful in the end.

Politicians whether in ruling or opposition held in high esteem for his personality.For the AICC(All India congress committee) held at Lal Bagh in Bangalore under late PM of India Sri Pandit Nehru,TRS had taken the full responsibility to provide catering to all the invitees and delegates.Nehru was so impressed with the arrangements and the quality of food served at the venue,he is said to have come personally and patted on his back to thank him.There were instances when late PM Indira Gandhi as ruling head of the state openly acknowledged the simplicity and humility of TRS citing him as an ideal example to her own party men to emulate.Another Gandhian from Karnataka,late Sri Kadidal Manjappa had a very high regard for TRS and advised to follow the footsteps of him.

''Gradfather of Old Bangalore '' The city corporation was the alma mater for TRS from where he worked tirelessly to give a future to a growing city of Bengaluru. Three names dominated the city corporation in those days.TR shamanna,VS Krishna Iyer his close associate who later became the Mayor and KN Naganna. TRS was instrumental for the corporation budget to be presented in kannada language which is being followed even today.

Educational Institutions:

TRS created numerous educational institutions that still bear his name as founder,guide and philosopher.TRS started Sri Ranganatha Institute of Commerce, a vocational training institute serving the underserved community that could not afford the means to get a formal collegiate education.Established with a humble beginning at the premises of present National College Campus,the institute began it's journey by teaching students in type-writing.As years pass by,the number of students increased and so did the popularity that necessitated the institute be shifted to an own building in 1956 at Shankarpuram area of Bangalore.TRS gave utmost emphasis on quality education in his institute.For the 25th anniversary of the institute,his highness Sri Jayacharamarajendra Wodeyar the scion of Mysore State came as a chief guest for the commemoration.

He was the trustee of Acharya Patashala(APS) college and Vijaya College.He also served as the secretary,treasurer and finally as vice-president of the famous National Educational Trust,the same institution where he did his earlier part of education.TRS helped the BMS(BM Srinivasaiah memorial trust)to get a land to start an Engineering College.He also served as Chairman of Board of visitors of Victoria and Vanivilas Hospitals attached to the Bangalore Medical College(BMC).Due to his personal efforts at the government and other donors,a transit accomodation was constructed for the visitors and patient's family members.A similar work was pursued at Kidwai Institute of Oncology(an institute which caters to Cancer afflicted patients) for the benefit of patients and relatives.

TRS had a firm conviction that if a society had to move forward,every child has to receive a good education.No deserving kid ever be denied a good education was his personal motto.On record,he had maintained poor students who came from villages in his own house giving shelter and all the support to pursue education. He had gone an extra mile to support the educational needs of these children,even ordering books from United Kingdom when it was not available for studies locally.All the children whom he supported for education went on to make useful and productive life in professional career later on.

He was the chief patron and helped establishing Gururaja Parent Teachers School at Tyagarajanagar and Vinayaka School at Srinivasanagar.An auditorium has been named after him in the latter school as a mark of respect.

The old thatched roofed school at Tirumale where he did his primary education must have prompted him to give back with a new government primary school.This school was inagurated by late Sri Ramakrishna Hegde,former Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Financial Institutions: TRS took Karnataka forward in Co-operative Banking sector by establishing the National Co-Operative Bank.Established in 1975 by TRS along with YV Keshava Murthy,a veteran co-operator.The Bank has been awarded the Best Urban Co-operative Bank of Karnataka for the year 2003-04,2004-05.During the Centenary Celebration to mark the Co-operative Bank movement in Karnataka,the same was awarded the best Co-operative Bank by the Government of Karnataka.

He also founded the Karnataka State Commerce Institute Association and served as the founder president.TRS made efforts to fix the nominal fees for the typing and shorthand commensurate with the rates of pay followed in neighboring states.

Social cause:

Bhagiratha of Karnataka

There was a time in late 50's and early 60's when Bangalore was reeling under severe potable water shortage and severe power shortage.TRS lead a delegation to the center and got the required quantum of water calculated to the then population of Bangalore.For this efforts,he is fondly called Bhagiratha of Karnataka. Another noteworthy person who was the contemporary and worked along similar lines to bring water to the parched districts of North Karnataka,Mr Nazir Saab on record had stated that TRS's work had inspired him similarly.

Karnataka Gandhi

TRS served the community with no regard to religion,caste or any political affiliations.He served one and all with no prejudices.An unfortunate beggar in beggar's colony received the same attention and care as did an educated person who came to seek help from him.

A champion of the underprivileged class of the society,he is fondly remembered by the common man as karnataka's Gandhi for the great humanitarian service rendered. Noteworthy was the period when he was the Chairman of the Central Relief Committee which involved the Beggars Relief Committee.It was TRS's personal mission to give a new lease of life filled with dignity to the homeless and destitutes housed at the Beggar's Colony near Magadi Road. On record,he would personally visit the relief camp and supervise quality of the food and the shelter provided to the neglected sections of the society.He would make sure each of the inmates would get hot water to take a bath with soap and water and cloth them in decent dress.

His modest house, Ranganatha Nilaya in Basavangudi from where he started his social and political movement always witnessed a steady stream of people who came with various problems for which there was always a solution offered.As a mark of respect for the social cause,two low economy areas in Thyagarajanagar and Srinagar of Bengaluru are named after him.The park surrounding the historical bugal rock has been named after TRS.

A man who had a soft corner to the struggling mass,offered associations with Abalashrama for women under various capacities. He also maintained links with Chamarajpet Hindi Seva Samithi as one of the patron.

Whether it is marriage or death ceremony of known and lesser known people to him,he would always be there to share the joy or the grief.He had personally sponsored many marriages by supplying all the essential utensils,lanterns and cooking paraphernalia even going to remote villages.He had the generosity to take personal interest and request the flower and vegetable vendors in the city market area to help the less affordable ones to carry on marriage and any personal functions.

TRS never utilized any government money nor resources for his official or private work.A modest black coloured autorikshaw fitted with a door would be his personal vehicle for all the occasions.He had employed a driver for the autorikshaw who accompanied him for all the official and private activities till his last days of public life.

He had the utmost simplicity to choose a government run victoria hospital to seek health assistance when he needed to undergo an operation. when visitors bee-lined to see him at the hospital,he had a strict request for them all not to bother about his well being, thus speaking the selfless nature he pursued in public and private life.

Religious activities

The Dodda Ganapathi temple near the bugal park near Basavanagdi offered him the spiritual strength for all his activities. An ardent devotee he was,his personal autorikshaw would stop near the temple daily to pay morning prayers before the day's work begun. TRS worked as one of the trustees of the Dodda Ganapathi temple,Basavana and Mallikarjuna temple.He was also the chief trustee of Rameshwara temple in Chamarajpet.

As a mark of respect to the place from where he made his humble beginning in Tirumale near Magadi,TRS made a vogue to do anna daana one of the days of the Magadi Rathotsava which is continued even today and followed by his children.One of his son Sri Ravichander is one of the trustee for this mission at Magadi.As a mark of respect,the first floor of the Magadi Ranganatha Swamy vipra sabha has been named after him.

Under the able organisational and leadership of TRS,Master Hiranayya,Sri Badarinarayan,Vidhyasagara MPL Shastry and HK Kumaraswamy,the 1st akhila karnataka Brahmana sammelana was conducted on 03/12/1972 and the organisation Akhila Karnataka Brahmana Mahasabha(AKBMS) was established.

Personal Life: TRS has 7 children, all of whom continue the spirit of furthering their father's legacy in their own ways, small and large