'Lake man of Mandya' passes away at 86; CM condoles

NT Correspondent

Mysuru: The 'Lake man' who even found mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Man Ki Baat' two years ago for creating 16 lakes in the Mandya region, died of old age at his residence in Dasanadoddi village in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district, on Monday.

He was 86. Kame Gowda, a shepherd from Mandya, had created 16 water bodies which continue to quench the thirst of villagers as well as cattle and birds to this day. He was honoured with the 'Kannada Rajyotsava' award of the state government and 'Basavashree' award of Chitradurga Bruhan Mutt.

The many water bodies Gowda dug, get filled with water when it rains and have helped in increasing the ground water level. He displayed his love for nature by creating two more water bodies with the money given by the government as part of the Rajyotsava award.