BANGALORE: For Turuvanur village, 20 kms from Chitradurga district, the transformation - from a village under British rule to the one that is part of the world's largest democracy - has been one too many.
In 1942, when Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation, called for a ban on arrack (alcoholic beverage from wild date trees) in the villages across the country as part of the freedom struggle, people in Turuvanur extended their full support.
Even women were imprisoned for their active participation in the movement - Echalu Marada Satyagraha or wild date tree movement - against arrack.
Budensabh (96) is one of those who went to jail more than seven times in seven years till 1947.
He was deeply influenced by the man who led the movement here, Nijalingappa, who later became the chief minister of Karnataka.
Rafi, Budensabh's son, said his
father was popularly known as Buddappa in the village.
"Though a Muslim, he followed Hindu customs and became part of the community," said Rafi. "He had immense faith in God Thipperudraswamy and visited the temple often despite being a Muslim."
Rafi said his upbringing too had been on the same line. "We are more of Hindus than Muslims in many ways," he said.
Recalling his involvement in the freedom struggle, Basavarajappa (86) said Turuvanur played a vital role in the movement against arrack in the state.
"The village laid the foundation for the movement and several freedom fighters across the state joined it," he said.
According to him, Gandhiji was keen on visiting the village, but could not make it. Mahadeva Desai, an associate of Mahatma Gandhi, had paid a visit and expressed his satisfaction over the involvement of the people in the movement.
"I was in jail for about six months in Shimoga for participating in the antiarrack movement," he said.
Vasudeva Reddy was a schoolgoing boy during the freedom struggle.
"I only knew that our struggle was against the British rule and our leader was Gandhi," he said. "I still remember a group of boys cut the wild date trees at night to make sure that police wouldn't come to know about our activities."
People had chopped all the wild date trees grown on thousands of hectares land across the region as part of the movement.
The region is an open field now without any date trees.
Turuvanur also erected a metal statue of Mahatma Gandhi - one of its kind in the state - to remember the struggle.
The statue was built on a rampart 25 feet above the ground.
The village also has a few liquor vends today along the road.
It is lucrative business once again.
