How Dakshina Kannada crowdsourced the movement against British

Inspired by the Mahatma, Karnad Sadashiva Rao gave his everything, writes Harsha

The erstwhile Dakshina Kannada (DK) district, besides giving rise to many freedom fighters, had also crowdfunded the freedom movement against the British government.

Mahatma Gandhi himself acknowledged this while delivering a speech at Jnanodaya Samaj Mandir at Hoige Bazaar here on February 24, 1934.

“The speech where he thanked the gathering for the purse (donation) has been widely documented,” informs well-known physician Dr G G Lakshman Prabhu.

Gandhi, during his two-day visit to Mangaluru in 1934, which was his third and final one, had accepted Jnanodaya Samaj Mandir founder M Thingalaya’s request to deliver a talk to fishermen from the Mogaveera community.

Thingalaya, in handing over a purse to Gandhiji, was emulating his leader Karnad Sadashiva Rao, who had led a string of such crowdfunding initiatives in the district.

Sadashiva Rao, born to the richest advocate in Mangaluru, Karnad Ramachandra Rao, plunged into the freedom struggle after resigning from his job in 1920.

According to excerpts from published research including ‘Apostle of Sacrifice’ and the ‘Deshabhakta Karnad Sadashiva Rao’ memorial volumes, it was Sadashiva Rao who had invited Gandhi to make his first visit to Mangaluru in 1920.

Moved by Gandhi’s stirring speech on the non-co-operation movement at Kendra Maidan (now the Nehru Maidan), Sadashiva Rao, his wife Shanthi Bai and his daughters Suguna and Radha handed over all the gold bangles and necklaces on their person to Gandhi.

The gathering followed suit and handed over their jewellery to Gandhi.

In the following year, when Bal Gangadhar Tilak set up ‘Swarajya Nidhi’ to fund the freedom movement, Sadashiva Rao led crowdfunding campaigns to support it.

When the non-co-operation movement was withdrawn with the Bardoli resolution of 1922, Sadashiva Rao encouraged members of the Indian National Congress to donate one part of their income to Swarajya Nidhi.

He had undertaken a tour of taluks and single-handedly succeeded in getting 12,000 people to become members of the party.

The money he raised was a significant contribution to Swarajya Nidhi.

When Gandhi launched ‘Khadi Nidhi’ in 1928, Sadashiva Rao raised over Rs 1 lakh, including Rs 25,000 from Mangaluru, within a couple of days.

In organising Salt Satyagraha and programmes aimed at empowering child widows and members from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, the leader struggled to make ends meet for himself.

Sadashiva Rao passed away on January 9, 1937, in Mumbai. His last days in poverty have been chronicled in a book.

Some have referred to him as ‘Dharmaraya’ and ‘the Motilal of the South’ in honour of his financial contributions to the freedom struggle.