Veteran freedom fighter Ammembal Balappa passes away

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 15, 2014:  Veteran freedom fighter Ammembal Balappa  is no more. He breathed his last  on May 15, Thursday at the age of 95.

 

 

Hailing from Devasya in Amembal of Bantwal taluk, Balappa was also a well-known socialist leader and had played an instrumental role in the drafting of the declaration of Land Policy (Land Reforms Act) during the Devaraj Urs regime.

Balappa was born in a family of potters at a time when casteism was at its peak and  prevented  him from studying after attending classes for just six months in Class I. He then  shifted to Mangalore  to his uncle’s place where  he joined work as a helper to a British officer who was in-charge of administrative affairs in Mangalore. All the work which Balappa had was to take care of the aged father of the  officer.

Ammembal Balappa then in his 20s  was  inspired by Mahatma Gandhi  when he launched the Quit India Movement and plunged  into the struggle  along with Karnad Sadashiva Rao and others.Balappa was once even jailed for participating in the Quit India Movement.

He was instrumental in launching the first Tulu newspaper Tulu Siri and also a Kannada paper named Mithra. Among other things he was a council member  of Mangalore University and was the founder of Samaja Seva Sahakari Bank of Bantwal.