Aluru Venkata Rao

Aluru Venkata Rao ( _kn. ಆಲೂರು ವೆಂಕಟರಾವ್) (12th July 1880 - 25th Feb 1964) was one of the most eminent leaders of the "Karnataka Ekikarana" movement. He had a very strong impact on the "Ekikarana" movement which was fighting for a separate state encompassing all Kannada speaking areas of Mysore, Bombay Presidency and Nizam's Hyderabad. Even though the first strains of this movement had started as early as in 1856 and the "Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha" had been established in 1890, the movement took a dramatic turn with the arrival of Aluru Venkata Rao on the scene. The single most important event that spurred the movement into a frenzy was the publishing of Aluru's magnum opus, "Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava" in 1912. Such was the impact of his work on the masses that he came to be known as the "Kannada Kula Purohita" or the 'High priest of the Kannada "kula"(family) '

"Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava"

"Karnataka Gatha Vaibhava" literally means "The glory that was Karnataka!". It was a book that recounted in great detail the glorious history that had been Karnataka's until the Marathas, Nizam and the British took over. The book created tremendous impact on the young and old alike. The movement soon caught the imagination of the public and people started rallying around the "Ekikarana" movement and the movement picked up momentum.