Sunil Lohan
*Rajiv Gandhi was a great leader who laid the foundation for transformative change in the country.
*Devaraj Urs translated the constitutional ideal of equality into practice.
*DyCM Dr.G.Parameshwara speaks after presenting the ‘D. Devaraj Urs Award to Prof. P.V. Nanjaraj Urs.
Gen Z is making its presence felt everywhere today. Their aspirations and outlook are different.They do not want divisions based on caste or religion;building their lives and futures is what matters to them.
It is noteworthy that they are leading society towards such a way of thinking, said Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Revenue and Sports Dr.G.Parameshwara.
He was speaking after inaugurating the programme commemorating the 111th birth anniversary of former Chief Minister D.Devaraj Urs at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha today and presenting the ‘D. Devaraj Urs Award’ to Prof. P.V.Nanjaraj Urs.
Today is the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi,a great leader who laid the foundation for transformative change in the country.
During his tenure,he introduced several reforms aimed at the larger good of society.
Devaraj Urs understood the deeply hierarchical nature of society and introduced several programmes to ensure that every individual could live with dignity and self-respect.Today,we can see many positive changes brought about by those initiatives,he said.
There is no such hierarchical social system in other countries of the world.I have personally not seen a caste system in any other country.
We all know how and why it came to exist in India. Devaraj Urs dreamed of a society where every human being was treated as an equal human being, and he worked towards making that dream a reality,Dr. Parameshwara said.
He further said that Lord Buddha advocated equality, while Basaveshwara ushered in social transformation. Many visionary leaders have contributed to society during their lifetimes.
Devaraj Urs made a sincere effort to ensure a life of dignity and self-respect for people.He undertook several measures to bring socially backward communities, Dalits and minorities into the mainstream of society.
Manual scavenging did not exist in other countries of the world. We have entered the 21st century, and modernity is visible everywhere.
Yet,it is painful that this inhuman practice continues even today in several States.
Banning manual scavenging and restoring dignity to the communities subjected to it was one of the country’s major social reforms,and Devaraj Urs laid the groundwork for that change, he said.
Land is not merely an asset for a person; it is also a source of power.Through land reforms, Devaraj Urs ensured that those who actually toiled on and cultivated the land became its owners.
In parts of North Karnataka,a handful of landlords once owned two to three thousand acres of land.He redistributed such land to the poor.This was no ordinary achievement.
Devaraj Urs gave practical expression to the equality enshrined in the Constitution,Dr.Parameshwara said.
Devaraj Urs was a visionary.Inspired by the Electronic City model in California,he developed Electronic City in Bengaluru.
By creating employment opportunities for lakhs of young people, he laid the foundation for future economic activity.
Through his commitment to social justice and development,he helped make Karnataka a model State for the country.
His remarkable service as Chief Minister has left an enduring place in history, he said,praising Devaraj Urs’ achievements.
Karnataka has emerged as a model for the world.Lakhs of students from other States and countries come here to pursue higher education because quality education is available in Karnataka.Devaraj Urs laid the foundation for this,he said.
Recalling Devaraj Urs’association with his father,Dr. Parameshwara said,“Once, my father was pushed aside while walking through the corridors of Vidhana Soudha.
Devaraj Urs noticed this, called him into his office and spoke to him.He also granted approval for Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology.Devaraj Urs laid the foundation for the growth of higher education.”
Children from our State are today living and working across the world.If Karnataka has emerged as a strong centre of education,I believe Devaraj Urs deserves significant credit for it.
At the time of Independence,Mahatma Gandhi envisioned a democratic republic.We are proud that Devaraj Urs worked to translate that vision into reality, he said.
Without recorded history,who would tell us about all these developments? Had the history of Mysuru not been documented,we would have remained unaware of a significant part of our State’s history.
By recognising Prof.P.V.Nanjaraj Urs and conferring the Devaraj Urs Award upon him,the award itself has been honoured.I pray that God blesses Prof.Nanjaraj Urs with a long life,good health and strength,he said.
Siddaramaiah has followed the path of Devaraj Urs.He has worked to give a voice to the voiceless and empower the poor.D.K.Shivakumar has his own vision and ideas,with the aspiration that everyone should have equal opportunities and that the State should progress, Dr.Parameshwara said.
With the collective participation of all these leaders,we will make Karnataka a developed State.Along with continuing people-centric schemes,we will also introduce new programmes.
The Bharat Jodo Yuva Sangha is already being organised. In this manner, we are implementing guarantee schemes, development initiatives and welfare programmes in equal measure and taking the State forward on the path of progress,he said.
