Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MD)
Mangalore, Jun 29: Dakshina Kannada district administration, Mangalore city corporation, Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat and social welfare department, Mangalore on Sunday June 29 celebrated the 155th birth anniversary of Kudmul Ranga Rao at Town Hall here.
Minister for forest, environment and ecology B Ramanath Rai inaugurated the ceremony and paid tribute to Kudmul Ranga Rao by garlanding his portrait.
In his inaugural address, he said, "Kudmul Ranga Rao was one of the greatest persons Mangalore had ever seen. He was a social reformer who established 'Depressed Classes Mission' in 1897 in Mangalore for providing education, better housing, drinking water and empowering the backward classes socially by guarding them against exploitation by upper classes."
"Mahathma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi were also great personalities who never degraded any person in their life," he added
Mayor Mahabala Maarla said that Kudmul Ranga Rao is an inspiration to every Mangalorean. "He was born into a rich Saraswat Brahmin family. As an advocate he was better known as 'the poor man's lawyer'," he added.
MCC commissioner Ajith Kuar Hegde, Mangalore North MLA Mohiuddin Bava, deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim, assistant commissioner Dr Prashanth, zilla panchayat vice-president Satish Kumpala, Karnataka Kannada Sahitya Academy president S Pradeep Kumar, social welfare department officer Santhosh Kumar, N R Umesh, superintendent of police Dr Sharanappa, Honnaiah, corporator Shashidhar Hegde, Raghuveer Baba Gudde and others were present.