Way back in 1930s, when bullocks-carts were the important mode of transportation, a businessman from Bangalore was moved by the plight of bullocks, which often broke their legs while pulling the carts up the steep height with heavy loads near Hebbal Lake.
The businessman got the place levelled spending out of his pocket. He got a circle created there. He may have forgotten his good deed, but the Mysore Maharaja did not. The then Maharaja, Krishnaraja Wadiyar, got to know about this initiative of M Enayatulla Mehkri (Remember, it’s not Mekhri as people generally write or pronounce). He invited the businessman and persuaded him to accept the expenses borne by him for levelling the place that proved a disaster for the bullocks. The Maharaja convinced Mehkri to accept the amount on the ground that the task he undertook was primarily the duty of the government.
The place we call Mehkri Circle today is named after Enayatulla Mehkri. This year is the diamond jubilee of the Mehkri Circle, which was inaugurated in 1937 by Lord John Hope, the then Governor of the erstwhile Madras Presidency.
The Mehkri Circle is located at the junction of Bellary Road, Tumkur Road and Jayamahal Road.
After its construction, the Circle had a lamp post with five lights and a neat garden around it. The garden was maintained by the ward officers. Now, there is an underpass at the place where Mehkri Circle used to be. The only solace for the descendants of Enayatulla Mehkri is that his name is retained, if not the original road intersection.
His contribution is not restricted to levelling a steep road junction for the sake of bullocks.
He had also participated in the freedom struggle actively and was behind bars for six months at Madras Central Jail, where he was in the company of Chakravarthy C Rajagopalachari and E V Ramaswamy Naicker.
Enayatulla Mehkri had also served as the Municipal Commissioner of Civil and Military Station. He was also a member of the Freedom Fighters Cell of the All India Congress Committee and president of the Karnataka Freedom Fighters Organisation.