R. Gundu Rao (27 September 1937 – 22 August 1993) was the

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state from 1980 to 1983.

Early life

Rao was born in a

Kannada Brahmin Kannada Brahmins are Kannada-speaking Brahmins, primarily living in Karnataka, although a few of them have settled in other states like, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They belong to one of the three main sects: Smartism, Sadh Va ...

family in

Kushalanagara Kushalanagara or Kushalnagar is a city located in the Kodagu district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Surrounded by Kaveri river, it is the gateway to Kodagu district. It also serves as the headquarters of Kushalanagar Taluk. By population ...

in the erstwhile

Coorg Province Coorg Province was a province of British India from 1834 to 1947 and the Dominion of India from 1947 to 1950. Mercara was the capital of the province. It was administered by a Commissioner and later, Chief Commissioner appointed by the Governme ...

(now in

Kodagu district Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

) of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

on 8 April 1937. His parents were K. Rama Rao and Chinnamma. His father was a Headmaster in a local school. He studied in Ammathi High school. He was a well-known Ball Badminton Player in Kodagu and had won numerous trophies.

Political career

Rao began his political career as Town Municipality President of Kushalanagar, a position in which he served for ten years. Later, he was elected as MLA from

Somwarpet Somwarpet (''somavārapēte'', also written ''Somvarpet'') is a panchayat town in Coorg district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Karnataka. It is the main town of the Somwarpet taluk, in the north-east of the district. ...

in 1972 and 1978. He served as minister in the government of

D. Devaraj Urs Devaraj Devaraj Urs (20 August 1915 – 6 June 1982) was an Indian politician who served two terms as the eighth Chief Minister of Karnataka (1972–77, 1978–80), a state in southern India. He is also the longest serving List of chief minist ...

and also as a Leader of Opposition for a brief period. He became Chief minister of Karnataka after the collapse of the Urs government. As Chief Minister, Gundu Rao was responsible for the construction of the Majestic bus station in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, which is today known as

Kempegowda Bus Station Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Bus Station (Kan: ನಾಡಪ್ರಭು ಕೆಂಪೆಗೌಡ ವಾಹನ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣ) , also known as Majestic Bus Station, is a main bus station in Bengaluru, India. It is located opposite the KSR Beng ...

. He also sanctioned numerous Medical and Engineering Colleges in Karnataka. The Cauvery IInd Stage was completed within a year and half during his tenure. He was also responsible for the construction of the "Kala Mandira" in Mysore. The

Gokak agitation The Gokak agitation ( kn, ಗೋಕಾಕ್ ಚಳುವಳಿ) was a successful language rights agitation in the 1980s that fought for the first-language status of the Kannada language in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It was named aft ...

seeking supremacy for

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

in the administration and education of

as well as the police firing on farmers at

Nargund Naragunda is a town in Gadag district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Karnataka. Geography Nargund is located at . It has an average elevation of 605 metres (1984 feet). Etymology The name "Nargund" comes fro ...

and

Navalgund Navalgund or Navalagunda is a panchayat town in Dharwad district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Navalagunda or Navilagunda means hill of peacocks. Navalgund is famous for Navalagunda durries. Navalagunda durries has been accorded Geographica ...

were the low points during his tenure as Chief minister. While he was acknowledged as an efficient administrator, he was more well known for his flamboyance, boldness and outspokenness. Gundu Rao was also elected as a Member of Parliament from Bangalore South Constituency from 1989 to 1991.

Death

He died of Cancer in London on 22 August 1993, aged 56.

Personal life

His son

Dinesh Gundu Rao Dinesh Gundu Rao (born 9 October 1969) is an Indian politician from INC who is the Incharge of All India Congress Committee of Goa, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. He was the President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. and the member of Karnat ...

is currently serving as a legislator from Gandhinagar constituency in

and a former minister for food and civil supplies. and a former minister for food and civil supplies.

References

External links

* :kn:ಆರ್. ಗುಂಡೂ ರಾವ್ Kannada biography of R.Gundu rao
Gundu Rao's biography release
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Gundu 1937 births 1993 deaths People from Kodagu district India MPs 1989–1991 Lok Sabha members from Karnataka Leaders of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Indian National Congress politicians from Karnataka Chief Ministers of Karnataka Chief ministers of Indian states Mysore politicians Mysore MLAs 1972–1977