H.A.ARAVINDA blogs

  The making of the cultural ethos of modern Karnataka owes a debt to the efforts of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (1884-1940). As the Maharaja of Mysore for nearly four decades, between 1902 and 1940, he cultivated a humanistic vision of community co-existence that shaped old Mysore culture in important ways. Contributions of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Compulsory primary education Primary education was made compulsory for everyone and in 1915, public schools were directed to begin admitting Dalit children in an effort to give up caste discrimination. The State Bank of Mysore was established in 1913 The Bangalore Agricultural University was also established in 1913 The Kannada Sahitya Parishat was established in 1915 He became the first chancellor of the Benaras Hindu University in 1916. The Mysore University was established in 1916 The Mysore Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1916 The University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering and Maharani’s College for women in Myso...

  Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar’s reign brought Mysore into the limelight for many reasons.  Alleviating poverty and improving rural infrastructure were his main concerns. Public health, education and the Mysore economy also flourished during his reign. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar- IV was the first to criminalize untouchability and ban child marriage for girls under the age of 8 years. He also established a number of scholarships for widowed girls and donated Rs 60 lakhs each year for spastic children. In 1915 the Mysore Social Progress Association was formed to empower the weaker sections of the Mysore society. In 1918 he appointed Sir Lesley Miller to look into the backward classes and recommended 25% reservation of government jobs for non-Brahmans. In 1925, he also established the Kadhara Sahakara Sangha to help villagers in Tagdhur. The City Improvement Trust Board was set up under his guidance  – the first association of its kind in India. A number of educational...