BENGALURU: Kamalamma Ramamurthy (95), wife of Ma Ramamurthy who designed the red-and-yellow Kannada flag and unfurled it for the first time in Bengaluru in the early 60s, has been denied an old-age pension by the Kannada and Culture Department. The nonagenarian had approached the department seeking a pension on health grounds.
Hailing from Nanjangud, Kamalamma had moved to Bengaluru after her marriage. Her husband Ramamurthy played an important role in the Kannada movement in the 60s. In the flag which he designed exclusively for Karnataka, yellow symbolises Arishina (turmeric) and red represents Kumkuma (vermilion), both considered sacred.
Ramamurthy used to walk across the city, almost every day, carrying the flag to popularise it. However, in a tragic incident, he and his sons died while digging a well in the early 60s. Since then, Sharadamma has been living in an ashram in Bengaluru. As a tribute to the great man, a locality in East Bengaluru, Ramamurthynagar, was named after him.
Former CM SM Krishna on Monday wrote a letter to CM Basavaraj Bommai urging him to provide financial aid for Kamalamma’s medical expenses. When contacted, Kannada and Culture Minister Sunil Kumar said he is not aware of the matter and would look into it.