KARWAR : Well-known businessman, philanthropist and educationist R N Shetty died early on Thursday in Bengaluru after a cardiac arrest. He was 92.Shetty came a long way from humble beginnings. Born in a agricultural family on August 15, 1928 in Murudeshwar of Bhatkal taluk in Uttara Kannada district, he began his journey as a businessman at an early age. He floated a construction firm in 1961 and executed several mega projects.
He ventured into the power sector by setting up the Varahi Hydel Power Project and went on to execute the Hidkal Dam, Supa Reservoir and the Gerusoppa Hydel Power Reservoir projects. His company also constructed the KLE Hospital and Research Centre in Belagavi, the massive RNS Hospital at Murudeshwar, tunnels for the Konkan Railway project and bagged several other works including the construction of national highways.
He also ventured into the hospitality sector by constructing several hotels, including the RNS Residency in Murudeshwar, and was instrumental in setting up several educational institution.Shetty is credited with transforming the tiny town of Murudeshwar into a major tourist attraction.
The village had an ancient Murudeshwar temple, the deity of which is said to be one of the five parts of the Atma Linga which broke when Lord Ganesh tricked Ravana into handing it over to him while performing the ‘Sandhyavandana’ ritual.
The temple was renovated in recent years. A 237.5-foot tall Raja Gopura, with 20 storeys, was constructed by Shetty and inaugurated in April 2008. The gopura is considered the tallest among Hindu temples in the world. A 123-foot statue of Lord Shiva, touted as the tallest in the world, is a major tourist draw. Shetty had funded several organisations for the education of rural students in Uttara Kannada district. He had donated Rs 2.4 crore to the PM Cares Fund and Rs 1.03 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.