Town Hall to be named after Kudmul Ranga Rao
Mangaluru: The recently renovated 50 year-old, Town Hall-Mangaluru at a whopping cost of nearly Rs 5.5 crore will henceforth be named after social reformer late Kudmul Ranga Rao, once the Urban Development department of state government makes it official.
The council of the Mangaluru City Corporation in its meeting on Friday, 29 July 2016 unanimously resolved to call it as “Kudmul Ranga Rao Memorial Town Hall”.
Earlier, whip in the council and former Mayor-M. Shashidhar Hegde moved a proposal to this effect. MCC Mayor Harinath addressing the council members said that Kudmul Ranga Rao had played a vital role in social integration and was also involved in India’s freedom fight, which is beyond comparable. Apart from naming the Town Hall in his memorial, the stretch of road from PVS junction to Bunts Hostel circle has also been named after Ranga Rao.
Late Ranga Rao fought for the rights of Dalits and strived for their welfare. Born on June 29, 1895 in a village called Kudmul in Kasaragod district of Kerala, Ranga Rao lost his father when he was a boy. He shifted to Mangaluru and worked as a teacher and an advocate. Most of his clients were poor and hence, he was known as “advocate of the poor”.
He opened Panchama schools in Kankanady, Udupi, Mulki, Ullal, Bannanje, Boloor, Babugudde, Nejaru, Daddalkadu and Attavar for educating Dalits, and was instrumental in getting government sites for Koragas in Puttur and Udupi.
He gave up his land for Dalits in Udupi, Bannanje, Udyavara, Panambur, Tannirbavi, Baikampady and Daddalkadu, and distributed land to them freely. It is also learnt that Mahatma Gandhi had visited Ranga Rao’s office in Mangaluru in 1934.