Freedom fighter M D Adhikari's bust unveiled
Freedom fighter M D Adhikari's bust unveiled
Udupi , A bust of freedom fighter M D Adhikari, who was also a farmer and leader of the cooperative movement, was unveiled at a village school in Padukuduru in Hebri taluk here, to revive his legacy. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Karnataka M Veerappa Moily unveiled the bust. Hailing M D Adhikari as a leader with great qualities, he said, adding that his nationalistic spirit will continue to inspire the people of this region forever. Adhikari was inspired by the freedom movement and was jailed during the Quit India movement. "He was brutally beaten up for making a fiery speech in Mangaluru city. He got head injuries and was sent to Alipur Jail in Bellary . A farmer by profession, he plunged into the Quit India movement in 1942 having been inspired by the movement started by Mahatma Gandhi," his daughter Jayalakshmi told PTI. Since he was a polyglot, his mastery of four languages made him a popular speaker all over the Dakshina Kannada district, which was a part of the Canara district in those days, she recalled. "But soon he got disillusioned with the Congress party and followed the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and took up the co-operative movement and promotion of Hindi. After Independence, he carried on with his work in popularising farming, and he was perhaps one of the first freedom fighters to promote the youth empowerment movement in the state," she said, adding that the injuries he suffered during the brutal attack by the police took a toll and he died when he was just 61 years old. Hailing from the Jain community, Adhikari was made the administrator of the Varanga lake Basadi properties by the Hombuja Jain Mutt. Reflecting on his selfless service, Devendra Kirti Bhattraka swamiji of Hombuja Jain Mutt said under his guidance the local farmers of Varanga have prospered in agriculture and farming practices that he promoted. Jayalakshmi recalled that her father was ably supported by her mother Kamalavati Adhikari, also a freedom fighter. "Hailing from a well-known family of Puttur, Kamalavati was married to my father when she was 17, and had ]first son when she was 18. When she came to know Mahatma Gandhi was coming to Puttur town, she went to the public meeting where she, along with many other women activists of the town, was beaten up and sent to Vellore jail in Tamil Nadu, where she was imprisoned for over six months," she said.
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