A plain country gentleman, fervent in religion, fierce in patriotism,  brilliant  in   leadership:  such  was  Siddavariahalli Nijalingappa. Hi s figure straddled the  hi story  of  Karnataka and left a mark that has never been effaced. Born on l 0 December, 1902, young Nijalingappa had a secure childhood. The teachings of his parents laid the foundation for a secular outlook and  his  education  at  Davangere  and  Chitradurga further widened his perspective.  He obtained  a degree  in  Law in 1926 at Poona where he studied in Fergusson College. His guiding principles as a lawyer were truth and justice and he believed that making money was not the goal of a lawyer. The freedom movement drew him  into  its fold  and  he  abandoned all  things  foreign,  adopting  Khadi  for his  attire.

Nijalingappa's public and political career can be broadly divided into five successive phases - his role as a leader of the Karnataka Ekikarna (Unification) Movement, participation in the freedom movement as a  member of the Gandhiji - 'led Congress, his achievements as the  Chief Minister of united Karnataka State, his role as the President of the undivided Indian National Congress at a critical juncture, and the final phase, in which he blossomed into a great statesman trying hard, inspite of old age and failing health, to rouse the conscience of a nation in the spirit of Gandhiji. We take a brief look at each of these phases.

Karnataka's territorial, caste and communal fragmentations provided, the  backdrop for Nijalingappa's stellar  role in the Ekikarna Movement. Territorially, it was divided into five sub regions - old princely Mysore State, old Hyderabad State of the Nizam, Madras Karnataka, Bombay Karnataka and Uttara Kannada and the Chief Commissioner's province of Coorg. Apart from the caste and communal factions, there was division between the Congress and the non-Congress parties. The only unifying factor was the Kannada language and it is a measure of Nijaling appa's astuteness that he was able to harmonize all these fragments and carve out a broadly acceptable Karnataka State.

The second major role that Nijalingappa played  with  a fire in his belly was towards the liberation of hi s motherland from the colonial yoke. Important landmarks in this direction include participation and subsequent arrest in the Flag  Movement  in 1938 at Shivapur near Maddur and organization  and  leadership of the struggle against the provisions of the Forest Act near Chitradurga in  which he led the Congress workers in  cutting down  toddy  palm  trees.

Formation of a separate Karnataka State and leading it as its first Chief Minister was the third major milestone that marked Nijalingappa's life. Towards this end he succeeded in persuading the powers that be to accept the logic of federalizing the Indian polity along linguistic lines. In his two stints as Chief Minister, his significant achievements lay in the nationalization of Kolar Gold Fields in 1956, successful handling of the issue of socio-economic justice for backward and weaker sections by extending the reservation scheme in existence in Old Mysore to the whole state, setting up of the Bangalore dairy, encouragement of Khadi and Village industries in rural areas, construction of Tunga Canal and Mangalore harbour and the development of agro-industries, wool industry, paper mills, cooperative sugar factories, roads, mining and Sainik School at Bijapur.

On his  entry into national level politics,  Nijalingappa donned the mantle  of  the  President  of  the  Congress,  giving up his third Chief Ministerial assignment. This was the period during which there was a rift between the old guard and the newer generation that eventually  led  to  the  fragmentation  of the  Congress,  despite  Nijalingappa's  best  efforts  to  prevent it. His role as a Statesman - the fifth major phase of his life - trying to keep the nation's conscience like a true Gandhian stemmed from these efforts. In this role, he emphasized upon the politics of principles and moral values. He vehemently condemned the unprincipled lust for power and self­aggrandizement. He was committed to creating a humanistic, egalitarian, moral and democratic political environment. He visualized an India that was not just a politically independent entity but an India that was economically strong,  socially vibrant  and  modern  in  outlook.

The Department of Posts pays a tribute to this visionary through the issue of this commemorative  postage stamp.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India