Aluru Venkata Rao Biography: Age, Birthday, Early Life, Works, Legacy, Death

Aluru Venkata Rao Biography: Aluru Venkata Rao (12 July 1880 – 25 February 1964), also known as Aluru Venkata Raya, was an Indian historian, author, and journalist. In the Karnataka region, he is revered as Karnataka Kulapurohita (High priest of the Kannada family) for his contribution to the cause of a separate Karnataka state. In support of the establishment of a state for the Kannada-speaking populace of Mysore, Bombay Presidency, and the Nizam’s Hyderabad, he led the Karnataka Ekikarana movement, for which he gained notoriety.

Aluru Venkata Rao Biography

Early years

Venkata Rao was born on 12 July 1880 to Bhima Rao, a revenue department sheristadar. They belonged to a Bijapur, Karnataka, Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family of strict tradition. At Fergusson College, where he earned his B.A. and L.L.B., he met Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Senapati Bapat, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Tilak’s Gita Rahasya was translated into Kannada by Tilak’s close companion, Rao, who was also a close friend.

Aluru Venkata Rao Works

Rao began by contributing articles to periodicals such as Chandrodhaya, Karnataka Patra, and Rajahamsa, Karnataka Vritta In 1906, he began working as the editor of the monthly publication Vagbhushana. In November 1922, he founded the monthly magazine Jaya Karnataka, which published articles on a diversity of topics. The first of Rao’s approximately 27 publications to be published was Vidyaranya Charitre in 1907. His other works include Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava, Karnataka Veeraratnagalu, Karnatakathva Sutragalu and Karnatakathva Vikasa. He organised a conference of Kannada writers in 1907 and founded the Karnataka Grantha Prasarada Mandali the following year. In 1930, he presided over the Mysore Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. In accordance with Tilak’s request, he translated the Marathi text Gita Rahasya into Kannada. He independently interpreted the Bhagavad Gita and wrote the Kannada texts Gita Prakasha, Gita Parimala, Gita Sandesha, and Gita Kusuma Manjari.

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Aluru Venkata Rao Death

Aluru Venkata Rao passed away in Dharwad on 25 February 1964 at the age of 83.

Legacy

In honour of Rao, the government of Karnataka renamed Albert Victor Road in Bangalore to Alur Venkata Rao Road (A V Road).
On the occasion of the 49th anniversary of his death, Central Institute of Indian Languages released a Kannada and English CD about his life and achievements.