Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1

Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1:

First son of Anantha Irwathraya-1 & Bhageerathi. His migration to Bendrala has been covered in the previous chapters.  When he arrived at Bendrala, Kittanna Irwathraya was living in a house at Bendrala Pithil. His stay with wife Nagamma and children was arranged at a Kotya (Shed) near the present house location.  Thereafter he built a new house at the present location. The new house was having thatched roof. It was a very big house having ground floor, Atta floored with wooden planks, and Kuthatta floored with Bamboo Adhyelu. Atta & Kuthatta were used for only storing goods and valuables. He had Four sons and a daughter as below:

Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1

Nagamma                             : 1) Son – Anantha Irwathraya-2 
                                                              (wife Saraswathi)

                                                  2) Son – Sreenivasa Irwathraya -2 
                                                                ( 1-wife: Mahalakshmi
                                                                  2-wife Lakshmi)

                                                  3) Son – Vishnumurthy Irwathraya 
                                                                (wife – Vedavathi)

                                                  4) Daughter – Jalajakshi
                                                                       ( W/O Ramanna Analithaya, Bayaru)

                                                   5) Son – Venkatakrishna Irwathraya 
                                                                 ( wife – Shakunthala)

It is told that Sri Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1 had stored good wooden planks to cover the ceiling of Maalya (floring for Atta). Unfortunately, one day, when he was away from the house, a distant relative named Kittanna Vailaya from Beltangady (he was running a hotel there) came to Bendrala and told a lie to Nagamma that Ramakrishna Irwathraya had promised to give the wooden planks to him. Without waiting for the reaction of Nagamma, and without giving scope for counter verification,  he took away all the good wooden planks and used for his house. Nagamma felt very sad, and all along her life, she was cursing the cunning Kittanna Vailaya for his treacherous act.  Then, the ceiling of  Maalya  (Pooja room) was covered with leftover sub-standard and odd shaped wooden planks, which can be seen even now in Bendrala House Maalya.

During the house construction, another incident was said to have  taken place. A worker was working on the roof tying the Bamboo poles. Young Boy  Sreenivasa Irwathraya – 2 was standing below on the ground. By mistake, a bamboo pole slipped from the hands of the worker and fell down, directly hitting the head of the boy, who suffered head injury and became unconscious. Father Ramakrishna Irwathraya-2 became upset and lamented that, the worker killed the young Maniu due for his upanayana. But, by god’s grace, the boy survived of the injury, and the deep head injury got healed.

During the house construction, the the notorious Shivottu Patel Somashekhara Rao  openly declared that, Ramakrishna Irwathraya was building the new house, but the ‘Vokkelu’ (house warming) would be done by Somashekhara, who was hell bent of driving away Ramakrishna Irwathraya from Bendrala. But Ramakrishna Irwathraya took the challenge with guts, and with his vide public contacts, was able to foil all the attempts of Somashekhara Rao.

Thereafter, Shivottu Patel had a dispute with Neria Venkatramana Hebbar, the biggest Landlord of the District, in connection with the agricultural land of Moorje, adjescent to Bendrala. Neria Hebbar wanted to teach him a lesson, and dragged him to court. Because of the court case, Shivottu Patel Somashelhara rao incurred heavy expenditure, and borrowed money from Bantwal GSB traders (Bhami Shanbhags), Pilikala Rangayya Sheneru and Komatihithlu landlords. There after he sold one by one property at Bendrala to these creditors for clearing the debts. Thus the tyranny of Shivottu Patel came to an end and he became toothless. Ultimately Ramakrishna Irwathraya was able to get these agriculturallands on lease basis from all these landlords. It is told that, the Bami Shenoys were prepared to give their paddy fields thimaru to the muslim land lord Idne Byari of Bendrala (Kailmar). Then Ramakrishna Irwathraya went to Bantwal and requested Bami Shenoys to give the pady fields to him on lease. When they did not oblige, Ramakrishna Irwathraya pledged that, if they did not budge, he would break his head to the front steps of their house and become Brahma Rakshasa to haunt them. His trick yielded, and the frightened Bami Shenoys gave the paddy fields on lease to him.       

Soon after the construction of new house, Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1 had a son and named him as Venkatakrishna (last son). He was very happy and the birth of a son in the new house was considered as a good omen. He conducted  the Upanayana of his second son Sreenivasa Irwathraya-2 in this new house. Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1 was maintaining very good public relations. Wife Nagamma was also maintaining good public relations. She knew each and every house hold of the village. Ramakrishna Irwathraya became the Panchayat President and Head of the Thotathady Panchayat Elementary school. During his time the school teachers were residing at Bendrala house itself, because of non-availability of residential accommodations elsewhere in the village at that time.

Ramakrishna Irwathraya-1 had acquired own properties at Charmady, Kevudelu and Bendrala.   Charmady  property consisted owned ( paddy fields) as well liesed (Arekanaut Garden). The leased Arekanut Garden was owned by Bandaaru Pangannayas, to whom, the Geni (liese amount) was to be paid.

Bendrala property consisted of ‘Varga’ land (Eermajalu , Golthi majalu, Angadi place) as well as  other lease hold land. The lease hold property consisted of mostly paddy fields and some Bottu/majalu. These leased lands were owned by Komartilu (Komati hithlu) Nadashivalli Brahmin family, Radha Bai (w/o Balakrishna Rao)  &  Bami Upendra Shenoy/ Madhava Shenoy, one of the leading  Konkani Businessmen of Bantwal.  The Komartil Sundari Amma was a widow, and she was coming personally to Bendrala to collect the Geni. Mostly she was coming with her son Janardana (Janardanayya), who was a rough – stout black gigantic figure. He was a drunkard.  One day, at Ujire Janardhana Temple car festival, he was fully drunk, and  had a tiff with his brother in law. Bone of contention was a young prostitute. Both of them were in an inebriated state and had a violent fight in which, Janardhana was stabbed in his stomach by his brother in law.  Janardhana’s intestine poured out of his stomach, and as he was falling, he caught hold of his brother in law and bit him in his neck. As a result, both of them died on the spot, and even after death, a sizeable flesh from the neck of his brother in law was  in Janardhana’s mounth.  After the gory end of Janardhana, Sundari Amma was coming to Bendrala long with her daughter-in-law Vasanthi to collect the Geni. 

Being the only daughter, Radha Bai had inherited her property from her father named Pilikala Rangayya Sheneru. Radha Bai’s husband was named as Balakrishna Rao, who was a non-Brahmin, posing as a brahmin. (as per information  gathered from a lady – Kayyar Laxminarayana Moodithaya’s maternal uncle’s wife - from his native place).  Balakrishna Rao was known as Pilikala Balakrishna Rao, because he owned some properties at a place called Pilikala (Neria side) belonging to his father in law Pilikala Rangayya Sheneru.  He was serving as Head clerk to Deputy Superintendant of Police at Mangalore. He started coming to Bendrala to collect the Geni pertaining to Radha Bai.   Once, Balakrishna Rao’s nephew, a bulky person – rich person having some business connected with Indian Oil Corporation at Pune also accompanied her to Bendrala to collect the Geni.  After some time, Radha Bai deserted Balakrishna Rao and eloped with that Indian Oil Man of Pune, leaving her children in the custody of Balakrishna Rao. Thereafter Balakrishna Rao was collecting the Geni from Bendrala. He was coming to Bendrala in a heavy Motorcycle.  MOTOGUZZY was the bold letters written on his Motor cycle. In the carrier, he used to take one Mudi of rice for his immediate use. Many times, while coming, he used to bring a police constable also with him – maybe to create an impression & fear.

Kevudelu property was a self acquired property of Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1 consisting of good paddy field.

During his tenure at Bendrala, he was managing the daily poojas at the following temples through his children and assistants:

1)Bendrala Gopalakrishna Temple

2) Appila Panchalingeshwara Temple

3) Charmady sahasra Lingeshwara Temple

4) Somanatha Temple at Somanatha Pady (only symbolic abhisheaka)

Apart from this he was having very good practice of Mantravaada and pourohithya. He was also the official priest of Bailangady Aramane. He employed various Brahmin families from time to time for assisting him in Pooja & Pourohithya.  Sundara vailaya at Charmady, Vishumurthy Bhat at Charmadi and Annu Mama at Bendrala etc.  were some of such personalities.

After the death of Anantha Irwathraya -1, family partition took place between the brothers – Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1 (Bendrala), Subraya Irwathraya (Halekote), Eeshwara Irwathraya (Halekote), and Anantha Padmanabha Irwathraya (Vodeel). Because of this, Ramakrishna Irwathraya got his share in the ancestral properties at Halekote and Vodeel. The Halekote share was leased to Subraya Irwathraya, and the Vodeel share was leased to Yenkappu Naika.

Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1 was a healthy stout personality, and it is said that his calf muscles were very strong because of regular heavy walking. He used to frequently visit Beltangady.  If he went to Beltangady, he used to take food at Kittanna Vailaya’s hotel. Also he used to meet Subraya Yerkadithaya, who was the head clerk in Beltangady court.  During one of such frequent visits, the talk of the marriage of his eldest son Anantha Irwathraya  with Miss Saraswathi, the third daughter of Subraya Yerkadithaya cropped up. Subraya Yerkadithaya was having a high reputation amongst Shivall Brahmin society at that time because of his employment in the court under British Govt and also because of his high ethics, principles & helpfulness. Even Neria Venkatakrishna Hebbar, who was the richest landlord of the District used to visit Yerkadithaya’s house whenever he visited Beltangady, either for court work or for his property management at Beltangady. Neria Hebbars were having substantial land holdings and urban property at Beltangady town.

 Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1 readily agreed for this marriage proposal and without loss of time, he took his son Anantha Irwathraya -2 to Yerkadithaya’s house and showed the girls as a formality.  The marriage was fixed and the Nischithartha was over. Shortly thereafter, one hot sunny day, he visited Beltangady. While returning to Bendrala, he was fully exhausted, and consumed a Water Melon he brought from the town to beat the summer. Unfortunately he was attacked by Typhoid/pneumonia (may be sun stroke also) and thereafter he was bedridden for about a week but did not recover. When his end came, he was barely in his FIFTIES, and his wife Nagamma  thus became a widow at an early age.  Thus came an end to the illustrious life of Ramakrishna Irwathraya -1, who happens to be my grandfather (Ajja).  A lot of happenings and events are gathered by me from various sources about  Ajja, who was a great personality, but,  for the sake of chronology & brevity, I am confining myself only to this much detail in this chapter.

Because of the unexpected sudden demise of Ajja, my father’s (AnanthaIrwathraya -2) marriage was withheld till the Varshanthika.   More details will be dealt with in the chapter named Bendrala Branch