Mangalore: Barrister Yellappa - Man who Refused Plum Post to Fight the British

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (NM)

Mangalore, May 5: As part of the birth centenary celebrations of freedom fighter Barrister Attavar Yellapa, his portrait was unveiled at Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School, where he did his primary schooling.
 
The portrait was unveiled by SDMC honorary president Raveendranath Attavar here on Friday, May 4.

As part of the celebration, the members of Shirdi Sai Baba Mandira, Urwa Chilimbi, distributed fruits and sweets to the patients of Government wenlock Hospital.

Raveendranath said that a road in the city should be named after the Tulu patriot in commemoration of his sacrifice for his people.

Potraits of various other freedom fighters by GJ Mehendale were exhibited on the occasion. Cultural programme too was staged.

The celebrations will go on till Sunday May 6. A book release ceremony will be held on Saturday May 5 and a procession will be carried out on Sunday followed by a stage programme at Loyola Hall of St Aloysius College on May 6. Chief minister Sadananad Gowda is likey to visit.

Hemavathi P S, headmistress of the school, Ranganath Kili, Divakar Pandeshwar, Surekha Shrinivas, Vijayalakshmi, Anil Kumar Attavar and B Ravindra Kumar were present at the event.

About Barrister Yellappa

Barrister Yellapa was one of the few freedom fighters from this part of the country. In 1943, at the age of 33, he fought against the British in Myanmar, and that was the last anyone heard of him.

Born on May 4, 1912 to Attavar Balanna and Venkamma, Yellappa was closely associated with another great freedom fighter, Subhash Chandra Bose, and was part of his Indian National Army, and was one among advisors of Azad Hind Provisional government in exile.

Yellappa did his early schooling at Milagres School at Hampanakatta and continued in University College. He then pursued his BA at St Aloysius College and achieved distinction. He later went on to study law in London, with the help of a kind Englishman who gave him money as compensation for causing him injury in an accident.

Interestingly, he was offered the post of assistant commissioner for his academic excellence, but he outrightly refused to work under the British regime, and instead took up the fight to free his motherland.

Later in his life, he joined the INA government in exile and became its chief financier. He even started the Azad Hind Bank and collected money from willing Indians to finance their fight against the British. 

As struggle continued, the INA was attacked by the British troops and the Gurkha, ending in Yellappa's death following bombings, a bout of tetanus and finally, fire opened by the Gurkhas in a house where he was taking refuge.