Doreswamy : Fighter to the core

NT Correspondent

Centenarian freedom fighter late H S Doreswamy’s 104th birth anniversary was celebrated in the city on Sunday. A group of about fifty people marched from Vidhana Soudha to Freedom Park, each holding a Tricolour. The event started at Shantaveri Gopala Gowda Circle in front of the State Legislative building at 9:40 am.

Former Karnataka minister, activist and writer B T Lalitha Naik, veteran politician Michael Fernandes, activist Sirimane Nagaraj and Ravishankar Reddy of KRS Party spoke before the march began.

Jhansi Lakshmi Rani, daughter of veteran freedom fighter N V Krishnamachari, told News Trail that her father was very close to H S Doreswamy during the freedom struggle. “We have inherited their spirit of fighting for the right cause. Even after gaining independence they preserved their ideals and fought against corruption, land mafia and various other evils. H S Doreswamy and his contemporaries had the vision of ‘Rama Rajya’ in its true sense. It was not just about a temple,” she said.

Jhansi Lakshmi Rani told News Trail that the two freedom fighters had played an active part in many movements in the state including the Esuru Revolt in 1942. “They had been very close to getting killed during the Vidurashwattha massacre (also known as Jallianwala Bagh of the South). H S Doreswamy was detained in Bangalore Central jail where Freedom Park stands today,” she added.

The participants could not plant a sapling as previously planned due to denial of permission by the park authorities.

“There was an old tree under which H S Doreswamy used to sing Bhajans while he was at Central Jail. We have planted many other saplings around the spot.”