Karnataka - Bidar   

He took on the Nizam's army

Rishikesh Bahadur Desai

HUNDRED PLUS: Maruthi Rao

BIDAR: Members of the Ashtikar family of Hallikhed (B) village in Humnabad taluk are extremely happy. The family patriarch, Maruthi Rao, a freedom fighter, will be 101 years old on Friday. His wife, Tanabai, is 93. Their 80th wedding anniversary will also be celebrated on Friday.

Every one in the 30-member joint family is looking forward to the occasion. "Not every family gets to celebrate such events. Very few parents live so long, or children send their parents to old-age homes. But we want to show the world that we care. For us there is no greater joy than in living together as one family," says Subhash Ashtikar, Mr. Rao's son and secretary of the Karnataka Arya Samaj Pratinidhi Sabha.

Mr. Rao was born in an agricultural family in Hallikhed (B), a hotbed of revolutionary activities before Independence. Many freedom fighters visited the village. They exposed the misrule of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and his culture police, the Razakaars. He was deeply influenced by their speeches and joined the movement. He was part of a group that bombed the Nizam's residence in Hyderabad. He was jailed several times and assaulted by the Nizam's forces. His friends Lakshman Veerappa, Shiva Chandra, Narsing Rao and Ravji Rao were shot dead by the Nizam's army. After Independence, he returned to farming. His father, a strict disciplinarian, got him married only after he came back home and took to farming.

Mr. Rao also developed a keen interest in the Arya Samaj movement. He travelled across the country to attend national-level conferences of the samaj. In his absence, Tanabai managed the family and the farm. Though unlettered, she sent her six sons and two daughters to school. All of them are well settled now.

Dashrath, the eldest, is 80. He is also a farmer. Krishna, Balram, Parashuram and Tulsiram live in Hallikhed. Some of them are businessmen and the others are in government service. Subhash, who is an active member of the Arya Samaj, lives in Humnabad. Their sisters, Shalubai and Savita, will also be attending Friday's ceremony.

Gyanraj Manik Prabhu of Humnabad, Guru Baba Maharaj of Ausa in Maharashtra and Channaveera Shivacharya of Harkud and dignitaries such as the former Minister Bheemanna Khandre will be present on the occasion.

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