Udupi: Veteran freedom fighter Laxminarayan Sharma (97) passes away

By Pundalika Marate
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 22 Oct 2015: Ninety-seven-year-old K Laxminarayan Sharma, veteran freedom fighter of coastal district, staunch Ghandian, progressive farmer, retired Hindi teacher of Bantakal, near here passed away owing to brief illness at his home, here on Wednesday October 21.

 

 

He was the district president of Krushika Sangha.  He is survived by 2 sons and 5 daughters.

 

The last rites were held in the presence of state urban development and Udupi district-in-charge minister Vinay Kumar Sorake with state honors here on Wednesday evening.

 

Sharma had plunged into freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi during 1934 and later joined Vinobha Bave’s land for landless campaign.

 

He was imprisoned for a month for taking part in Quit India Movement in 1942. He was later imprisoned at Bengaluru for 9 months. He was imprisoned for 15 days for taking part in Tri-Color agitation in 1943.

 

He had undergone rigorous punishment by British rulers in Bijapur and Pune for staging protest, urging them to release Mahatma Gandhi who spearheaded Quit India Movement.

 

Sharma returned to his native – Katpady near here during 1949 and joined Hindu PU College, Shirva as Hindi lecturer, where he served for 26 years and retired.

 

 

He donated 1 acre out of his 10 acre plot thereby setting an example to others heeding to Vinobha Bave’s land for landless campaign.

 

He was awarded copper award by union government in 1972 and also an ward from the former PM Indira Gandhi. He also bagged Udupi district Rajyotsav Award and was felicitated by JCI, LCI, SKPA – Kaup and other social welfare and voluntary organizations.

 

The state minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, former MLA Lalaji R Mendon, BJP district president Tingale Vikramarjuna Hegde, Suresh P Shetty Gurme, Deviprasad Shetty, Mattar Ratnakar Hegde, Navinchandra Shetty, Katpady Shankar Poojary, Arun Shetty Padoor, Geetanjali Suvarna, Shirva – Vidyavardaka Sangh administrator Professor Y Bhaskar Shetty, correspondent V Subbayya Hegde, Kutyar Naveen Shetty, Ravindra Shetty Kollabettu, Kenja Sridar Tantri, Geeta Wagle, Sridar Shenava, K R Patkar, Gerald Fernandes, Devdas Hebbar, Laxminarayan Rao Mattu, Kutyar Prasad Shetty, Kudi Srinivas Bhat, Ravindra Poojary, Srinivas Ballal, Jinaraj Salian and others condoled the demise of veteran freedom fighter of district.