Tainadu P.R.Ramaiya - Brief bio (1894-1970)

Another spelling used is P.R.RAMAIAH

This is about a major newspaper in Kannada from Bangalore during the Indian freedom struggle and also about the founder P.R.Ramaiya.Request help/comments from people with info related to either the paper or the family. (Enlarge Piks to view them),The posts may keep getting reconstructed often. Pl see the other blogs - about the tainadu family. If interested Pl visit my other blogs here and at Lordoftheuniverse@blogspot.com (P.R.Vishwanath)

Tainadu P.R.Ramaiya (1894-1970)
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Parts of this post which may be interesting in their own right have been shown also as separate posts
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(1) Palahalli .R.Ramaiya
and P.R. Jayalakshamma
(Anna and Akkamma)
Sri Ramaiya (1894-1970) was the founder of Tainadu, the premier Kannada Newspaper of the Mysore state during the freedom movement. The newspaper ran for more than 25 years under his leadership. It can be said that the newspaper with its simple language instilled reading habits in the people of the state. It was also at the forefront of the freedom struggle. He was also the editor of Daily News, an evening newspaper in English from Bangalore for about a decade. There will be more about the newwspaper in the other blogs.
Sri Ramaiya was one of the first members of the Indian National Congress in Mysore. He was associated with Bangalore municipality for quite some time. He contested successfully for the MLA seat from Basavanagudi from the Congress party in the first ever general elections in 1952 . He was a MLA from 1952-1957.

The photograph on the left shows PAndit Jawaharlal Nehru in a reception given by Bangalore journalists. This was taken probably in the early 1950s. Front two rows :
Vyasa Rao, Ramaswamy(Hindu),Venkoba Rao (Vishwakarnataka),K.C.Reddy (CM, Mysore) Nehru, not known, Hanumantahiya (future CM),not known, Sagar (Photographer),P.R.Ramaiya. Some other journalists like Jayasheela Rao of Prajavani also can be seen

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Smt P.R.Jayalakshamma (1908 -1991) , also known as Akkamma, was a well known social worker of the state of Karnataka. She was the vice chairman of the Social welfare board for quite some time. She was closely associated with several welfare organizations like the Abalashrama, Ashakta Poshaka sabha etc. In her last years she ran the school and orphanage started by the Gokulam educational society.She was also a member of the congress party and later the Janata party. She represented jayanagar constituency as a corporator during the late ' 50s and early' 60s. She was also the Deputy mayor of Bangalore during 1963-1964.

The Photo on the right was probably taken in ~1969 at the AICC convnetion in Bangalore (LAl Bagh). This is just before the split in congress. Picture shows Smt Indira Gandhi and Smt P.R.Jayalakshamma. Sri S,Nijalingappa , CM Mysore and the future head of ' Old Congress ' also seen in the picture.
(Pl see other posts on this blog
for more on Smt. P.R.Jayalakshamma)







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P.R.Ramaiya's life - Dates etc in Kannada
























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EARLY LIFE
His forefathers came from Palahalli, a village near Mysore. Thus, ' P' the initial of several people in the family refers to Palahalli. He was born inSreerangapatna in 1894. He went away to Benares in his youth to conduct further studies.







.He completed his B.Sc in 1919 and went on to do M.Sc in Chemistry. However, he was influenced by Gandhiji and paid heed to his plea that students enrolled in institutions aided by the British should forego their studies. Therefore he did not take the M.Sc (final) exam which was due in 1921. He came back to Karnataka. Following is his signature on a book of Organic Chemistry:









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GANDHIJI's influence on his life

(1) He had met Gandhiji for the first time in Benares when he told him about his decision to come out of BHU.
(2) In 1927 he again met Gandhiji. Following is his account of the meeting

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Gandhiji was in Mysore on 23 July 1927. He met Sri P.R.Ramaiya him for a short time .
He also wrote the famous shloka ' Sukha dukhe ..' from Bhagavadgita as the motto for the
newspaper. Following is the shloka in Gandhiji's handwriting as also Sri Ramiaya;s account of the meeting. After the shloka and Gandhiji's signature, the page reads --- " Ramasharmajiko Ashiravad ke saath --The above is Mahatmaji's autograph which he was pleased to write in this diary on 23/7/27 during my short interview with him during his visit to Mysore. Gangadharraoji (Gangadhar Deshpande) introduced me to Mahatmaji speaking of my non cooperation with M.Sc etc. I showed Mahatmaji the diary showing him the day of non coperation etc. He scanned my diary for 3-4 days and (saw my Gayatri (mantra ?) .. and said ' Good,Good'. He was much pleased. I told him about my papers. He asked abou the circulation.. He was gratified..."
" ....
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(3) It seems he met Gandhiji again when he came to recuperate on the Nandi Hills in the late (?) 1930s. There is no account of it
(4) He kept a good record of his activities. Here are the excerpts from this diary of 1942 . In February he saw Gandhiji when he went to Wardha. The diary has also accounts of the start of the Quit India movement, as also the arrests of national leaders like Gandhiji and Nehru. Sri Ramaiya himself was arrested and his newspaper Tainadu suspended. This was in Sep 1942.


P.R.Ramaiya's diary
for 1942 - Gandhi (6 Feb) ,Quit India movement (8thAug), Gandhi, Nehru arrested (9th Aug), Tainadu and Daily News (from Bangalore) suspended/Police firing (17 Aug) , P.R.Ramaiya arrested (8 Sep) Released(18 Sep) , Birth of a son (25 July)
1 Pages from 1942 : 6 feb,25 July, 8 August,17 aug, 8 aug, 18 sep, 8 sep
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Eminent Mysoreans and Sri Ramaiya

(1)SriM.Vishweshwaraiya
Feb 1944
The letter, written from Bombay , addressed to sri P.R.Ramaiya says
... I HOPE THE TWO JOURNALS WHICH YOU ARE CONDUCTING WITH SO MUCH ENERGY AND VIVACITY WILL PROVE A POWERFUL AID TO ROUSE OUR APATHETIC FELLOW CITIZENS IN MYSORE TO A MORE INDUSTRIOUS AND PURPOSEFUL LIFE ..














(2) With Sri Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore ( better pik will be put soon)





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FIRST GENERAL ELECTIONS -1952 BASAVANAGUDI CONSTITUTENCY
18296 people voted out of which Sri P.R.Ramaiya (Indian National Congress) got 10003 votes. He was opposed by representatives of SP, Jan Sangh and KMP etc. The next runner up was the candidate from SP. Below is an excerpt taken from the records of Election Commission of India






















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Sri Ramaiya wrote several books :(1) Adhunika Russia (2)Fraancina Mahakranti (3) Dayasaagara Venkatakrishnayya (4) Gandhiji (5) Mysore's political evolution (6) Autobiography (short) . Except for 5, all the books are in Kannada. The first two are examples of his deep interest in history , the next two are on his two Gurus.



P.R.Ramaiya - Books



















































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Sri Ramaiya was an integral part of the Congress party from its inception. He was also very much involved with journalists/journalism in the state


Piks - 1st Mysore State Congress (1928) etc
The pik shows the people who attended the First Mysore State Congress convention. The GOM of Mysore - Sri M.Venkatakrishnayya - is seated in the first row - 7th from left. Sri S.Satyamurthy is 5th from the left
Sri P.R.Ramaiya is 3rd from left in the last row (standing)




(2) This is the 1st Mysore State journalists association meeting (1932) to honour Sri Venkatakrishnayya ; Some of the people who could be identified : Last row standing
(from left) T.T.Sharma, P.R.Ramaiya,NK,NK,Nk,P.B.Srinivasan,NK,NK,; Mid row (on chairs)

Hindu Ramaswamy, K.T.Bhashyam, D.V.Gundappa. Venkatakrishnayya, NK,NK,NK

Front row (sitting on ground) NK,NK,NK, Narayan Rao, A.N.Subbarow(Kalamandira)

(NK - not known Will try to fill in later)






This is in 1946 - a meeting attended by Mysore state journalists and several congressmen
.People who could be identified:
Sitting on chair - From left :NK,NK,P.B.Srinivasan, T.T.Sharma,P.R.Ramaiya, K.T.Bhashyam, NK,NK, K.C.Reddy






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