Karnataka’s chief minister said on Friday that he would recommend the 109-year-old Siddaganga Mutt pontiff Dr Shivakumara Swamiji’s name to the union government for India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. The swamiji is widely respected in Karnataka for his philanthropic work, especially in rendering education to the poor.
Siddaramaiah visited Tumkur to greet the swamiji on his 109th birthday. Addressing the media persons, he praised the swamiji and said that each year thousands of students receive free education, food and shelter at the mutt.
Several other ministers and political leaders from various parties, including former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, too visited the swamiji on his birthday.
Dr Shivakumara Swamiji is known as ‘Nadedaduva Devaru’ (the walking god) in Karnataka for his humanitarian work.
The Siddaganga Mutt is built on a hillock in Tumkur. The mutt has a temple, educational institutions and students’ hostels. It provides free food, shelter and education to more than 8,500 students from ages 5 to 16.
At 109, the hale and hearty swamiji often participates in the mutt’s activities and interacts with the students.
Shivakumara Swamiji was born in April, 1907, at Magadi taluk’s Veerapura. He graduated with a degree from the Bangalore University in 1930. The Karnataka University conferred the doctorate in literature on him in 1965. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2015 by the union government.
