Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Pro-Social Movements of Karnataka from Class 7 Social Science. Let us begin our journey by understanding what these movements are all about. When the authorities come forward to implement decisions, programmes or projects that are detrimental to the society or environment, people have the right to protest against them. Whenever such occasions arose in Karnataka, alert citizens have carried out agitations against them. At the same time, the weak, suppressed and backward classes have fought for their own economic, social and cultural development. In this lesson, we will explore the movements carried out by Karnataka environmentalists, women, farmers, Dalits and pro-Kannada organizations. Our learning objectives are to understand the environmental movement with the help of examples, to appreciate the measures taken by the government to empower women, to know about the struggle of the farmers to protect their self-interests, to learn about Dalit movements, and to learn about the movements which began to protect the Kannada language and develop interest in them. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us first dive into the Environmental Movements. Humans, along with other living beings, have to depend on light, air, water and soil which are all part of the earth. In nature, there is an in-built balance and harmony. As man is growing more civilized, he is exploiting nature for his limitless ambitions and greed. He is treating this nature as a raw material instead of realizing that it is a marvel of creation. In order to see sparrows, which were previously seen in every house, man has to go out of the town to find one. The living and the non-living entities together form the environment. The industrial revolution, trade and commercial revolutions have severely affected the environment. Big industrialists are desperately trying to establish their control over the natural wealth. As a result, new problems have cropped up. Communities are becoming victims of newer health problems. In a nutshell, millions of people are facing serious problems because of the destruction of natural wealth. [CHECKPOINT]
During the second half of the twentieth century, environmental awareness movements started, in order to enlighten people about the importance of the environment. In the 1970s, the environmental movement started as a global campaign and reached Karnataka. As Mahatma Gandhi says, Nature has enough for everybody's need, not everybody's greed. With the beginning of mining in the Western Ghats, environmental protection movements became inevitable. The Sahyadri Mining Protest Forum started opposing the mining operations in Kudremukh and surrounding areas. The Central government had started an iron-ore mining company. Due to this, the Bhadra river got polluted at its very source. As a result of this struggle, the government was forced to take certain environmental protection measures. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now learn about a remarkable environmentalist. Salumarada Thimmakka, who is fighting for afforestation, is the mother of 284 trees. Though illiterate, she has educated everyone around her about environmental protection. In 2019 she was awarded with the fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri. The Tunga River Protection Drive started after people realized that the river was getting polluted. The forests of Sahyadri mountain ranges slowly started depleting. To grow and protect trees and to prevent their destruction, movements like Chipko or Appiko started in various regions of India. We cannot forget the role of Sunderlal Bahuguna, who dedicated his whole life to the Chipko Movement. I want you to make a mental list of the objectives and aims of the Appiko movement as an activity. [CHECKPOINT]
The forest department started planting exotic plants like Nilgiri and Acacia. This project is called Social forestry. Environmentalists protested against the planting of Nilgiri as it would reduce the groundwater level. Due to the discharge of the waste into Tungabhadra river by the Harihar Polyfibres Industry in Davanagere, the river got polluted. An agitation was started against the company. Some of the other protests are those against the Karwar Naval base, Sea bird, the Nagarjuna power project of cogentrix in the east coast, Save the tanks movement, protest against Bhadra upper canal project, Save Cubbon Park agitation, fight against the Kargil seed company and fight against many industrial cities. The movements which made headlines in the recent past at national and international levels were the movements against mining in Karnataka. [CHECKPOINT]
Agitations were held against mining and looting the natural wealth of Ballari, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Chikkamagaluru, North Canara, Davanagere, Ramnagara and other districts. The Supreme Court of India has taken environmental issues very seriously and is passing its judgements accordingly. The Karnataka Lokayukta serious consideration of the various public interest litigations and detailed investigations in the public interest are certainly exemplary and worth mentioning. As a result of such serious attempts, exploitation of nature is reducing. Even today, many agitations are going on. The agitation against the use of chemical fertilizers and replacing it with organic fertilizers has assumed the proportion of a revolution. This has brought in relief. [CHECKPOINT]
In Karnataka, the Organic Farming Mission was established, leading to encouragement of organic farming. Many farmers are benefitting from organic farming. In this regard Karnataka is the forerunner in the entire country. Yet, it has a long way to go. Now let us move on to the Women Movements. The women movement specifically laid emphasis on women education. In Karnataka, Srirangamma and Rukminamma were the first women to get Bachelor of Arts Honours degree. Indiramma was the first woman Mayor of Bengaluru. In spite of this, women empowerment was a distant dream. Women did not get their share of property. Women of different religions are subjected to different types of exploitation. As an activity, you should make a list of names of women who have made achievements in different fields. [CHECKPOINT]
Many women participated in the freedom struggle coming out of the family boundaries. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali, Doctor Muthulaxmi Reddy and others are worth remembering here. 1975 was celebrated as the International Women's Year. Karnataka government adopted various women welfare programmes. Gradually, women organizations became active. The leftist organizations started unifying the working women. Women organizations opposed dowry, harassment and domestic violence. In a similar way, a lot of pressure was brought in to propagate women rights and to bring about changes in the existing laws. These organizations are striving to get a reservation of 33 percent for women in the legislature to have an effective voice in administration. [CHECKPOINT]
As a result of these struggles, the government has initiated a number of corrective measures. Karnataka has been the first state to declare 50 percent reservations for women in local bodies. Through the policy of 33 percent reservation in the government appointments, women have been able to get justice to some extent. Government has appointed a commission for the welfare and development of girls and women. This commission is trying to get justice to women against exploitation. Let us now explore the Farmers Agitations. Since olden times, farmers have been called the backbone of the nation. But, the facilities to keep this backbone strong have not been provided. Even today, farmers find it impossible to survive without the support of government. [CHECKPOINT]
Industrialists decide the price of their produce, whereas the farmers have not reached a stage where they can decide the price of their produce. They are always at the mercy or wrath of the rain god. When the governments who have to support them do not oblige, they resort to agitations. Many farmers have become martyrs, losing their lives in these agitations. Although farmers have been struggling and fighting for their rights, a decent life for them is a dream, yet to be achieved. The main farmers agitations were against the landlords. The first post-independence farmers agitation took place at Kagodu in Shivamogga District, in the year 1951 C.E. The farmers started their protest against the size of the measuring jar used to measure their produce, known as the Kolaga system. [CHECKPOINT]
Gradually, the farmers started agitating against matters of exploitation like loan recovery, exploitation of the tillers and other major problems. Shantaveri Gopala Gowda of the Samajawadi Party was the leader of this agitation. Doctor Ram Manohar Lohia visited this place to support this movement and added fuel to it. As an activity, read the novel Kolaga by Na. D'Souza and write an essay on the status of farmers. In the 1950s, Samajawadi farmers started an agitation in North Canara district. In 1972 C.E., a land acquisition movement was carried out in Kolar. In 1980 C.E., the farmers of the Malaprabha basin carried out a protest when their cotton crop failed. Some farmers were killed in police firing. [CHECKPOINT]
The farmers continued their non-cooperation movement against the government. In this incident, more than 20 farmers of Navalgund, Naragund and Savadatti lost their lives. In the light of these occurrences, farmers started establishing their own organizations. The Karnataka State Farmers Association started in Shivamogga district and it took up the local farmers issues. It opposed the entry of foreign companies as it was aware that it would have long-term negative effects on the people of India. Karnataka Regional Farmers Association, Kisan Sabha, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti, Farmers and Labourers associations and other organizations lent their voice to the farmers problems. In the farmers agitations, M.D. Nanjundaswamy, Sundaresh, Puttannaiah, Kadidalu Shamanna and others are the prominent leaders. [CHECKPOINT]
As another activity, collect information about the Bagur Navile movement. Now let us turn our attention to the Dalit Movement. The famous psychologist R.D. Leong records a wonderful statement: You can understand others experiences, but you cannot experience the same experience. This statement is literally true as far as Dalits and women are concerned. Dalits had no place even in the caste system. They were lower than the lowest social strata. They were kept away from the main stream in society for the sole reason that they were born in untouchable families. We come across many agitations against this discrimination throughout our history. [CHECKPOINT]
But during colonial rule, matters related to Dalits were the subject of many discussions at the national level. The discussions between Mahatma Gandhi and Doctor B.R. Ambedkar during the 1930s are an example for this. Although their objective was the same, their approaches were different. After the visit of Swami Vivekananda, the King of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar the Tenth, considering the problems of the Dalits, opened separate schools for them. In 1936 C.E., the first entry of the Dalits into Mysore palace took place under the leadership of M.C. Raja, a prominent Dalit leader of South India. Many non-Dalits have fought on behalf of the Dalits in the past. At present, the Dalits are fighting for their own rights. [CHECKPOINT]
Their main inspiration is the ideology of Doctor B.R. Ambedkar. Education, organization and agitation became the catch words of the Dalit movements. They became organisationally conscious that the solution to the problems of the Dalits was in achieving political goals. Among the Dalits, Doctor B.R. Ambedkar was a symbol of self-respect and came to be known as Dalit Surya. Echoes of all these developments sounded in Karnataka too. The non-Brahmin movements that started in the twentieth century did not include the Dalits. Protesting against this, the Dalit Movement started in the 1970s C.E. and grew into a decisive force. In 1970 C.E., B. Shyamsundar established Bhimasena Organisation in the Hyderabad-Karnataka, now known as Kalyana-Karnataka, area. [CHECKPOINT]
The Basavalingappa Fodder Incident gave a new turn to the Dalit movement in 1973 C.E. In a programme at Mysore, Minister Basavalingappa expressed the opinion that Kannada literature had become fodder literature. Opposing this remark, protests started throughout Karnataka. Finally, Basavalingappa had to resign his post. This incident enabled the growth of awareness among the Dalits. Later in 1976 C.E., an Association of Dalit Writers and Artists was formed in Bhadravati. The firm steps of the Karnataka Dalit movement can be traced to this association. Subsequently, they founded Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti under the aegis of the association. Professor B. Krishnappa became the State Convenor of the Samiti. [CHECKPOINT]
In this manner, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti acquired an organizational structure. Gradually the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti expanded its scope. Its branches including associations of employees, women, municipality workers, students, writers and artists were started. The Dalits who traditionally had no land began demanding land. Securing entry into centres of authority through academic growth was another objective of the Dalit movement. However, as time passed, difference of opinion began to appear among the members of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti. New organizations sprung up under different names. As an activity, collect information about the works of Devanuru Mahadeva and Doctor Siddalingaiah. [CHECKPOINT]
Writers like Devanuru Mahadeva and Doctor Siddalingaiah revealed the life of the Dalits to the outside world through their works. Other Dalit writers have acquired the capability to play a decisive role in the happenings of the Dalit community. However, a lot needs to be done yet. Next, we will learn about the Save Kannada Movement or Protect Kannada Movement. The Karnataka Unification Movement aroused confidence and a feeling of unity among the Kannadigas. Through their literary works, Kannada writers had kept the Kannada spirit alive, among the people. In this matter, the contribution of Kannada cultural and pro-Kannada organizations are great. [CHECKPOINT]
In the 1960s, when speakers of other languages grew more in number in Bengaluru, A.N. Krishna Rao, Chidanandamurthy, M.N. Ramamurthy, Vatal Nagaraj and many others along with organizations like Karnataka Yuvajana Sabha, Kannada Jagruta Parishat and Kannada Shakti Kendra succeeded in securing supremacy of Kannada, Kannadiga and Karnataka. In addition to these organizations, many other associations are active in preserving the Kannada soil, water and language. Now let us discuss the Gokak Movement. In a sense, the 1980s was a period of agitations for the existence of the Kannada language. In 1982 C.E., a decisive historical fight began demanding the implementation of the Gokak report. [CHECKPOINT]
The whole of the Kannada community came together to carry out this agitation. The linguistic minorities in Karnataka were adamant that they would not learn Kannada but get educated in their own mother-tongue. When the erstwhile Chief Minister, R. Gundurao had visited Udupi, the Pontiff of the Mutt demanded that he gave importance to Sanskrit. As a result, the question of which language should be the medium of instruction was shelved for some time, and a committee was formed under the chairmanship of Doctor Vinayak Krishna Gokak to decide the place of different languages in education. This committee recommended that priority should be given to Kannada and that it should be made compulsory in education. [CHECKPOINT]
This committee allotted 350 marks for the three-language formula. It also recommended that in the three-language formula, Kannada should be the first language with 150 marks. The Gokak report was not accepted by the erstwhile government. An intense agitation under the leadership of Kannada cine artist, Doctor Rajkumar took place throughout the state. Senior litterateurs like Kuvempu, Patil Puttappa and others extended their support to this agitation. The important slogans of the Gokak agitation were: "Name is Karnataka"; "let the breath be Kannada"; "Let Kannada thrive; towards that we strive"; "Implement Gokak report"; and "Let Karnataka be filled with the fragrance of Kannada", along with many others. [CHECKPOINT]
Now it is time to review our learning and answer the exercise questions. I will guide you through each one carefully. For the first section, fill up the blanks with a suitable word. Question one: The movement started by Sunderlal Bahuguna was the Chipko Movement. Question two: Celebrations of the National Women's Day started in 1975, which the chapter notes was celebrated as the International Women's Year. Question three: Doctor B.R. Ambedkar was given the title Dalit Surya. Question four: The Language Committee was formed under the chairmanship of Doctor Vinayak Krishna Gokak. [CHECKPOINT]
Moving to the second section, answer in one word or sentence each. Question five: Why did the movement Save the source of Tunga begin? The chapter refers to this as the Tunga River Protection Drive, which started after people realized that the river was getting polluted. Question six: What is meant by Appiko movement? It is a movement that started to grow and protect trees and to prevent their destruction in various regions of India, similar to the Chipko movement. Question seven: What is Social Forestry? It is a project started by the forest department involving the planting of exotic plants like Nilgiri and Acacia. Question eight: Who were the first women to get Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Karnataka? Srirangamma and Rukminamma were the first women to get this degree. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us continue with the third section, answer in two or three sentences each. Question nine: Why should we save ancient lakes? The chapter highlights the Save the tanks movement as part of broader environmental protection efforts. Saving ancient lakes is essential to protect water bodies from pollution, preserve natural wealth, and maintain ecological balance and community health. Question ten: Name the important movements relating to the protection of the environment. The important movements include the Sahyadri Mining Protest Forum, Tunga River Protection Drive, Chipko and Appiko movements, Social forestry protests, agitation against Harihar Polyfibres Industry, Save the tanks movement, protest against Bhadra upper canal project, Save Cubbon Park agitation, fight against Kargil seed company, and movements against mining in districts like Ballari, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Chikkamagaluru, North Canara, Davanagere, and Ramnagara. [CHECKPOINT]
Question eleven: Why did the Dalit Movement begin? It began because Dalits had no place in the caste system, were kept away from mainstream society, and were excluded from earlier non-Brahmin movements. They started fighting for their own rights, inspired by Doctor B.R. Ambedkar, focusing on education, organization, and agitation. Question twelve: What are the catch words of the Dalit Movement? The catch words are Education, organization and agitation. Finally, for the discussion section, question thirteen: The achievements of the Dalit movements. The chapter outlines several key developments: the formation of organizations like the Bhimasena Organisation and the Karnataka Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, demands for land rights, the objective of securing entry into centres of authority through academic growth, and the emergence of Dalit writers who revealed their community's life to the outside world. However, the text also cautions that despite these steps, a lot still needs to be done. [CHECKPOINT]
Before we conclude, let us complete the activities mentioned in the chapter. Activity one: Visit the houses of Dalits in your area, and get to know about their economic, social and cultural status. Activity two: Collect more information about the recommendations of the Gokak report. These activities will help you connect classroom learning with real-world understanding. I hope this lesson has given you a clear and complete picture of the various pro-social movements in Karnataka. Remember to revise the names, dates, and key slogans regularly. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]