Rao was born in a Kannada Brahmin family[4] in Kushalanagara in the erstwhile Coorg Province (now in Kodagu district of Karnataka) of British India on 8 April 1937.[5] 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.[6]
Political careerEdit
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 in 1972 and 1978. He served as minister in the government of D. Devaraj Urs 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, which is today known as Kempegowda Bus Station.[7] 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.[6]
The Gokak agitation seeking supremacy for Kannada in the administration and education of Karnataka as well as the police firing on farmers at Nargund and Navalgund 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.[8][9]
He died of Cancer in London on 22 August 1993, aged 56.
Personal lifeEdit
His son Dinesh Gundu Rao is currently serving as a legislator from Gandhinagar constituency in Bangalore[10] and a former minister for food and civil supplies.
gundu, september, 1937, august, 1993, chief, minister, karnataka, state, from, 1980, 1983, chief, minister, karnatakain, office, january, 1980, january, 1983preceded, bydevaraj, urssucceeded, byramakrishna, hegdemember, parliament, sabhain, office, 1989, 1991p. R Gundu Rao 27 September 1937 22 August 1993 was the Chief Minister of Karnataka state from 1980 to 1983 R Gundu Rao2nd Chief Minister of KarnatakaIn office 12 January 1980 6 January 1983Preceded byDevaraj UrsSucceeded byRamakrishna HegdeMember of Parliament Lok SabhaIn office 1989 1991Preceded byV S Krishna IyerSucceeded byK Venkatagiri GowdaConstituencyBangalore South ConstituencyMinister of Transport Government of KarnatakaIn office 1975 1977ConstituencySomwarpetMinister of State for Information Government of Karnataka 1 In office 1973 1975ConstituencySomwarpetAssembly Memberfor Somwarpet 2 3 In office 1972 1983Preceded byG M ManjanathayaSucceeded byB A JivijayaPersonal detailsBorn 1937 04 08 8 April 1937Fraserpet Nanjarajapatna Taluk Coorg Province British India now Kushalnagara Kodagu District Karnataka India Died22 August 1993 1993 08 22 aged 56 London England United KingdomPolitical partyIndian National CongressSpouseVaralakshmiChildren3 including DineshSource 1 Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 3 Death 4 Personal life 5 References 6 External linksEarly life EditRao was born in a Kannada Brahmin family 4 in Kushalanagara in the erstwhile Coorg Province now in Kodagu district of Karnataka of British India on 8 April 1937 5 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 6 Political career EditRao 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 in 1972 and 1978 He served as minister in the government of D Devaraj Urs 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 which is today known as Kempegowda Bus Station 7 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 6 The Gokak agitation seeking supremacy for Kannada in the administration and education of Karnataka as well as the police firing on farmers at Nargund and Navalgund 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 8 9 Gundu Rao was also elected as a Member of Parliament from Bangalore South Constituency from 1989 to 1991 6 Death EditHe died of Cancer in London on 22 August 1993 aged 56 Personal life EditHis son Dinesh Gundu Rao is currently serving as a legislator from Gandhinagar constituency in Bangalore 10 and a former minister for food and civil supplies References Edit I am here because of my party R Gundu Rao Previous Year s Election Results in Somwarpet Karnataka www traceall in Somwarpet Assembly Constituency Election Result www resultuniversity in RAHUL GANDHI APPOINTS DINESH GUNDU RAO AS KARNATAKA CONGRESS CHIEF India Times Retrieved 2 July 2018 Members Bioprofile Lok Sabha a b c The Charismatic Chief Gundu Rao Karnataka com 21 November 2011 Profile of Late Sri R Gundu Rao Dinesh Gundu rao personal website Archived from the original on 17 August 2012 Retrieved 9 November 2012 Gundu Rao was known for his boldness The Hindu 26 February 2007 Archived from the original on 28 February 2007 Achievements of Gundu Rao significant says Ananthamurthy The Hindu 5 March 2006 Archived from the original on 20 April 2006 and a former minister for food and civil supplies Winning is all that ultimately matters to political parties Rediff on the net External links Editkn ಆರ ಗ ಡ ರ ವ Kannada biography of R Gundu rao Gundu Rao s biography releasePreceded byD Devaraj Urs Chief Minister of Karnataka12 January 1980 6 January 1983 Succeeded byRamakrishna Hegde Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title R Gundu Rao amp oldid 1151584225, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
