BANGALORE: Even as the nation celebrates Independence Day on Sunday, the statue of the man regarded as one of the pioneers of anti-British movement lies wrapped and neglected in Bangalore.
Sangolli Rayanna’s statue was brought to the city around two years ago. It has not been unveiled yet. The statue cost BBMP INR 72 lakh.
Opposition leaders in BBMP had raised the issue recently. They had stated that they would request the CM to unveil the statue or they would call upon eminent Kannadigas to unveil it.
Nagaraju, opposition leader in BBMP council, had said he would request the government to unveil the statue on Independence Day as it would coincide with Rayanna’s birth anniversary. Little has happened after that and the wait to unveil continues. Many letters have been written by politicians and citizens, asking the government to unveil the statue.
Rayanna was born in the Kuraba Gowda/Dangra community on August 15, 1798 at a small village called Sangolli in Karnataka. Serving in the army of Kittur under Rani Chenamma, he dedicated his entire life to fight the British and infused the thought of freedom into the minds of many. Using Guerrilla warfare tactics to counter the system of the British Raj, which included land lords and bureaucrats, Rayanna came to be known by many historians as the pioneer of Guerrilla warfare in India. Rayanna was betrayed by his relative who sold him to the British and as a result, Rayanna was caught by the British and hanged on January 26, 1831.
Even though his birth and death anniversaries are the two biggest days of celebration in this country, the government has not found time to unveil his statue yet.
