BENGALURU: The contribution of Belagavi youths to the freedom struggle is commendable, says N R Mathad.
This 95-year-old resident of Bengaluru comes from a family of freedom fighters and he was among the 6,000 youngsters who were arrested in Belagavi for raising slogans against the British.
“It was August 9 and I was just 18 years old. Gandhiji had flagged off the Quit India Movement and a youth movement emerged from Belagavi,” he recalled.
He said the most prominent leaders in the country were arrested by then. It was during this time that Mathad participated in the movement lead by Annu Guruji from Belagavi.
“I come from a family of fighters. My brother was arrested four times. My sister-in-law spent one-and-a-half years in jail with her newborn,” he said.
He is the president of All India Freedom Fighters Association, Karnataka.
Expressing concerns over the country’s progress at present, Mathad said, “They had to bring Khadi to every village and sell it at affordable prices. This has never been fulfilled.”