Karnad Sadashiva Rao

An affluent neighborhood in the city of Bangalore is known as Sadashivanagar today. Very few people know that it is named after Karnad Sadashiva Rao, a glorious son of Karnataka who died penniless (catching  a cold, and without warm clothing) in the cause of India.

Sadashiva Rao was born in a wealthy family, but spent all his material wealth in India's service. He was a social reformer, a great patriot, tireless organizer, a fatherly figure to the downtrodden, and a humanitarian. He was a Gandhian to the core. He is referred to as "Dharmaraj" (embodiment of charity) by Dr. Shivaram Karanth, the great Kannada writer, whose famous novel "Oudaryada Urulalli" is centered around a Sadashiv Rao-like hero.

HK