Those who till the land

Sandur is like the 'mini-Malnad' of Ballari district. Though it is enveloped in layers of red mining dust for most of the year, it sheds the red and embraces green when it begins raining, especially in September. So, September and Sandur have a unique association.

Mahatma Gandhi visited Sandur in 1936. Impressed by the place, he called upon people to come see Sandur in September to enjoy its natural beauty. 

September is also significant in Sandur’s history for a different reason. It was on September 10, 1973, that Sandur witnessed an unforgettable struggle for land rights.

More than 8,000 acres of land which was known as the ‘Kumaraswamy Geni’ land (land dedicated to Lord Kumaraswamy) was given back to farmers following this struggle. This September marks the 50th anniversary of the movement.

It all started when the British Raj chartered Yashwantrao Hindurao Ghorpade, a descendant of the rulers of the princely state of Gajendragad near Dharwad, as Sandur’s king in 1928. Politician M Y Ghorpade was his son. 

Yashwantrao Ghorpade was quite ambitious, and with his eyes on the land, he converted 15,000 acres of farmers' land into 'Kumaraswamy' land as part of the Sandur Proclamation of 1948. 

Land rights

The farmers who lost their land to this proclamation had to give 'geni' (part of the crops grown) annually in order to be allowed to take up ploughing on this land. Though the farmers protested for their land, the royals quelled these uprisings. It was only in 1973 that a movement to get back these lands was launched.

Ballari activist Yajamana Shantarudrappa and farmer leader Eligar Thimmappa of Sandur organised the people. Eligar Thimmappa met State Socialist Party President K G Maheshwarappa and sought support for Sandur’s movement. The Socialist Party, which had been pursuing many such land-related movements, welcomed the idea. Maheshwarappa discussed it with the party’s national president, George Fernandes, and they decided to launch a farmers' movement in Sandur. 

On January 28, 1973, George Fernandes, the National President of the Socialist Party, addressed an open meeting in Sandur as a prelude to the land movement.

Recalling that day, Maheswarappa says, "George came down heavily on Sandur royals on that day. In his speech, George elaborated on how the kings of Sandur were deceiving the people and called all the farmers to unite. That day is important in the history of Sandur.”

On March 3 that year, Socialist Party workers and farmers of Sandur staged a dharna in Bengaluru, raising slogans like 'Andu Kagodu, indu Sandur' (then Kagodu, now Sandur). A similar land reformation movement had been held in Kagodu in the 1950s, demanding to bring down the geni.

K G Maheshwarappa, J H Patel, Ballari District Socialist Party President M P Prakash, Yajamana Shantarudrappa, Eligar Thimmappa, S S Kumuta, Kagodu Thimmappa and over a hundred Socialist Party workers and farmers of Sandur took part in the protest. The then Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs rushed from the Vidhana Soudha and met the agitators, accepting their petition on the Sandur movement.

Public meetings

As planned, the movement was launched in Sandur on September 10, 1973. A march was held that morning under the joint leadership of the State Socialist Party and the Sandur Farmers' Organisation.

"We held a massive public meeting at the bus stand in Sandur. Then, there were no public meetings allowed in Sandur due to the powerful hold of the royals. People were not allowed to speak against them. As soon as our public meeting began, some people sent by the royals threatened us. But we went ahead with the meeting," recalls K G Maheshwarappa.

The struggle went on for 46 days from September 10 to October 26. During this time, there was no harm to any personal property of the royal family. Instead, the Satyagrahis picketed the fertile ‘Inam’ land (tenancy land) where tobacco was being grown at Nandihali Raghapur and Siddapur. They took up cultivation there symbolically. In the process, 1,036 satyagrahis who participated were arrested. But the struggle went on in various other forms.

A unique feature of the struggle was the ‘dasoha’ (mass feeding). Farmers used to get jowar, foxtail millet and other millets from their villages. They would also visit the weekly and daily markets, buy vegetables, cook and have food together.

Many women along with their children participated in the land picketing movement, and went to jail too. Women representatives like Buddamma, Maramma, Medar Hulgemma, Medar Bhimakka, Sohan Kumari of Bengaluru, Vaddanakatte Shanthamma, N M Shivadevamma, Santhoshithiga from Bihar and Maharashtra's socialist leader Mushal Ghore showcased the power of women power in the struggle. 

Although the 46-day land struggle was peaceful, it eventually turned violent due to police brutality.

The impact

Ultimately, the movement bore fruit. The Karnataka (Sandur area) Inams Abolition Act, 1976, was brought in. Applications were invited from farmers for distribution of the 8,029 acres of land belonging to the Kumaraswamy temple. 

Yashwantrao Ghorpade’s ‘Dharmadarshitva’ (ancestral control) over the Kumaraswamy temple was also withdrawn. The royal family also gave up the 2,000 acres of forest land that they had reserved for hunting.

Until now, the land tribunal has received as many as 7,176 applications under the Inams Abolition Act. Cases involving about 39,868 acres of land have been taken up for hearing.

Among these, 3,448 applications have been settled. The farmers of Sandur have been able to recover 20,180 acres of land.

While some of the beneficiaries who got land as part of the movement still make a living from it, others have given in to the pressure of mining barons and have sold it. 

Some farmers are making every effort to retain their land. The Jana Sangram Parishat led by S R Hiremath is still pursuing such land-related struggles. Jana Sangram Parishat members Srishail Aldalli and T M Shivakumar are still in touch with farmers. Farmer leaders like Eranna of Lakshmipur are still raising their voices against land encroachment by mining companies.

“It was due to the response by then chief minister Devaraj Urs that the farmers got their lands back. Urs came in with land reforms, with the slogan, 'he who tills the land, owns it'. This helped the farmers get land,” recalls E Tukaram, who has been elected as Sandur MLA for the fourth consecutive time.

Kagodu Thimmappa, who was at the forefront of the farmer movement, says that during the Kagodu movement, the Congress party took a stern stand and did not respond positively. But the government, responded positively to the Sandur movement later. It was due to this support that the farmers of Sandur could get their share of land. 

Call it peoples’ struggle or the government’s initiative, the Sandur movement serves as an unforgettable land reformation movement in Karnataka, post-independence.

(Translated by Divyashri Mudakavi)

A book on the Sandur movement by Arun Joladakudligi. 

Sandur farmers march in Bengaluru in 1973; (top) A demonstration organised during the Sandur movement.

Kagodu thimmappa