Thousands pay tribute to DeJaGow in Mysuru

Mysuru: D Javare Gowda, noted litterateur and former vice-chancellor of the University of Mysore, was laid to rest with state honours on the sprawling campus of the Kuvempu Vidyavardhaka Trust, managed by his family, in Vijayanagara I Stage on Tuesday.
He was laid to rest beside his wife Savithramma, who died a decade ago, at Pampa Vana around noon with his son J Shashidhar Prasad performing the last rites.Javare Gowda died after a brief illness at the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Science here on Monday after a brief illness.
Many relatives and dignitaries like chief minister Siddaramaiah, district minister V Srinivas Prasad, Kannada and culture minister Umashree, cooperation minister HS Mahadeva Prasad, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former CMs SM Krishna and Veerappa Moily and MLAs Vasu, Somashekar, KS Puttannaiah Chikkamadu and GT Devegowda paid their last respects. Writers SL Byrappa, CP Krishnakumar, Hampa Nagarajaiah, Pradhana Gurudatta, M Krishnegowda and KS Bhagavan too paid their tributes.
Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami also came here to pay his respects.
Javare Gowda's mortal remains were taken in a procession from his Jayalakshmipuram residence to the Kuvempu trust where members of the public came in large numbers. The body was kept on Venkannaiah Vedike, where Javere Gowda, popularly known was DeJaGow, had launched a hunger protest demanding classical status for Kannada language. Hundreds of relatives, well-wishers, writers, students and members of pro-Kannada organizations came to the spot.
Siddarmaiah remembered DeJaGow as a role model and said the writer had contributed an article for 'Abhinandana Grantha', an anthology about the life and achievements of the CM. The article was written in September 2014. "The death is a great loss to Kannada literarature. He contributed immensely to the development of the university during his stint as vice-chancellor for two terms in the late '60s and early '70s," he said.
Writer Hampa Nagarajaiah said Javare Gowda's greatest contribution was introducing Leo Tolstoy to Kannadigas by translating his 'War and Peace.'
Minister's tribute
V Srinivas Prasad, district in-charge minister, said Javare Gowda loved Kannada and actively joined pro-Kannada organizations during their protests demanding classical tag for the language and to make Kannada the administrative language.
(With inputs from Ajith MK)