Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (EP)
Udupi, Oct 21: Veteran freedom fighter and Gandhian, Bantakal K Laxminarayana Sharma, passed away at his residence on Wednesday, October 21 after a brief illness. He was 97.
He is survived by three sons including Ramakrishna Sharma, district president of Udupi Raita Sangha and five daughters.
K L Sharma was cremated the same day with full state honours in the presence of urban development minister and Udupi district incharge Vinay Kumar Sorake. The DAR police fired three rounds in the air as a mark of honour.
K L Sharma, who was also a progressive farmer and retired Hindi teacher, had participated in the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi against the British and also in Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan movement. Sharma had taken part in Quit India Movement in 1942 and was imprisoned for six months. Later, he was arrested in Bengaluru and was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for nine months. He had again participated in Tiranga Movement in 1943 and was in prison for fifteen days.
He was subjected to rigorous imprisonment in Bijapur, Pune and Visapur prisons in connection with the Quit India Movement and in the movement demanding Mahatma Gandhi's release from prison.
He returned to Katpady in 1949 and joined Shirva Hindu Junior College as Hindi teacher and served there for 26 years.
He participated in the Bhoodan movement of Acharya Vinoba Bhave while he was working as a teacher and set an example by donating one out of ten acres of land owned by him.
In 1972, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had honoured him. Several social organizations including JCI, Rotary, Lions, SKPA Kaup zone etc had felicitated him. He was also awarded Udupi district Rajyotsava award.
Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, former MLA Lalaji R Mendon, BJP district president Thingale Vikramarjuna Hegde, Suresh P Shetty Gurme, Dr Deviprasad Shetty, Mattar Rathnakar Hegde, Navinchandra Shetty, Katpadi Shanker Poojary, Arun Shetty Padooru, Geethanjali Suvarna, Kuthyaru Navin Shetty, Ravindra Shetty Kollabettu, Kenja Sridhara Tanthri, Geetha Vagle, Sridhara Shenava, K R Patkar, Jerald Fernandes, Devadas Hebbar, Laxmi Narayana Rao Mattu, Kuthyaru Prasad Shetty, Kudi Srinivas Bhat, Ravindra Poojary, Srinivas Ballal, Jinaraj Salian and others have expressed condolences on the demise of K L Sharma.