BENGALURU: Chennamma Deve Gowda, wife of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, passed away on Saturday after suffering a massive cardiac arrest. She was 89. She was undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospitals on Old Airport Road in Bengaluru.
Chennamma was admitted to the hospital on July 15 with breathing complications, chest congestion, and other age-related ailments. She was placed under the care of a multidisciplinary team led by Pulmonologist Dr Satyanarayana Mysore and Dr Sunil Karanth.
While she was responding well to treatment and was on the road to recovery, her condition worsened suddenly on Saturday afternoon.
In a statement issued by the hospital, doctors said, “Ms Chennamma suffered a massive cardiac arrest at 4 pm on Saturday despite her being on the road to recovery earlier”. Following her demise, her mortal remains were taken from the hospital to the Deve Gowda family’s residence in Padmanabhanagar in the city, where family members, relatives, party leaders and supporters gathered to pay their respects.
Family sources said that her mortal remains will be taken to Hassan on Sunday afternoon to enable members of the public, political leaders, and well-wishers to pay their last respects. The final rites are likely to be held on Monday.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda held his wife Chennamma’s hands till her last breath at the hospital. From 4 pm to 4.43 pm, the 93-year-old JDS supremo tightly gripped her hands, and when he felt losing the grip he turned emotional and broke down, according to his attendants who had accompanied him at the hospital.
Gowda and Chennamma were married for 72 years. “His eyes turned into an ocean of tears. Soon he recovered from the shock as he was pragmatic that he had to console his grief-stricken family members”, they said.
Meanwhile, Gowda also performed a ritual of adorning flowers in her hair and applying vermilion on her forehead and turmeric on her chin.
Inconsolable due to the death of his mother, Chennamma, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy, said that the Almighty had taken her with him. “She was a great devotee of Goddess Rajarajeshwari... She had survived an acid attack in the past purely by the grace of God. I believe God finally made the decision that her time here was enough and took her with him,” Kumaraswamy told reporters while trying to control his emotions.
“For about 65 to 70 years, she lived as a companion to our father and sacrificed her entire life for him. She not only taught us what a mother’s heart truly is, but despite being born in a small village, she became a guiding light for lakhs of
families,” the former chief minister said. “She would spend 8 to 10 hours a day in the prayer room. From 5 am till 3 pm, she would immerse herself in the remembrance of God without consuming even a single drop of water”, he recalled. “If we have learned even a little bit of good sense or wisdom in our political lives, it is strictly the wisdom that she taught us,” he said.
LEADERS ACROSS POLITICAL PARTIES
Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar and other leaders mourned the demise of Chennamma, wife of former prime minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, here on Saturday. She passed away at a private hospital where she was admitted on Wednesday. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Smt Chennamma, wife of former Prime Minister Shri Deve Gowda. She was respected by all for her humility and dedication to social service.
At this time of grief, my heartfelt condolences to Shri Deve Gowda and his entire family. Om Shanti (sic),” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on ‘X’. DK Shivakumar termed Chennamma a mother figure. “Chennamma, who was a deeply religious person, was a great mother who raised a large family.
Her hard work is behind the political and life success of her family members, including Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy and HD Revanna. Everyone had believed she would recover, but I am saddened that the belief turned out to be false. It is said that behind a successful man there is always a woman.
She was the one who stood behind Deve Gowda’s every success. The loss of his wife at his age is painful for Deve Gowda and his family and an irreparable loss. I pray for her soul to rest in peace,” he said.
Recalling his bond with the Gowda family, former CM Siddaramaiah said, “As a member of the Janata Parivar, I shared a close bond with Deve Gowda’s family and knew Chennamma intimately. Chennamma was a pillar of strength who faced the hardships and pains of life without faltering, confronting everything with courage. Amid the ups and downs of Deve Gowda’s political journey, she shouldered the responsibilities of a large family and embodied the ideal homemaker,” he posted on X.