TUMAKURU: Ninety-eight-year-old traditional midwife Sulagitti Narasamma, who was awarded the Padma Shri in March this year, was laid to rest with full state honours at Gangasandra village on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday evening. She had been suffering from a chronic lung disease and was being treated at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals in Kengeri, Bengaluru, where she died at 3.10 pm on Tuesday.
The body was brought to Tumakuru late on Tuesday night and kept for public viewing at the Amanikere tank Glass House from 10 am on Wednesday. Several religious and political leaders including the junior pontiff of Siddaganga Mutt, Sri Siddalinga Swami, Elerampura Mutt’s Sri Hanumanthanatha, Ministers S R Srinivas, U T Khader, MP S P Muddahanume Gowda, Tumakuru city MLA G B Jyothiganesh, former minister Sogadu Shivanna and others paid their last respects.
Thousands of people from different walks of life also paid their tributes during the day.Initially, there seemed to be some confusion over the burial site. But deputy director of the social welfare department, Devaraj, and ST Development Corporation district manager Rajkumar helped in identifying a 1-acre plot on Survey No.58 at Gangasandra, which had been earmarked as a burial ground for the SC/ST community by the government.
Labour minister M Venkataramanappa, who is Pavagada MLA, visited the site and narrowed down on it. Sulagitti Narasamma became the first person to be buried there. Half acre of the one-acre plot will be set aside for a memorial. The site in the vicinity of the tree park named after noted environmentalist Salumarada Thimmakka.Though the government had declared a state funeral, none of the ministers were present in the evening.