Unsung Heroes Detail

Ramrao S Hukkerikar was born on 22 October 1886 at Chincholi in Belgaum. He passed his BA from Fergusson College Poona in 1910 and later did his MA from the University of Bombay in 1912. He was closely associated with R R Diwakar. His political journey and ideals were highly influenced and inspired by Lokmanya Tilak. He also served as a teacher in the Victoria High school Dharwad till 1920. He began his political journey from the year 1924. He was a member of the Indian National Congress. He was elected to the Bombay Vidhana Sabha in 1946. In 1944, he Established the JSS SMI Arts College in Dharwad. He also lent a hand in setting up Sakri Law College and KHK Polytechnic in 1956. Later He was elected to the Bombay Vidhan Parishad in 1952. He was the editor of the Kannada periodical 'Karmaveera' and 'The Hindu'. For most of his life, Hukkerikar emphasized the importance of education and he believed that comprehensive development is possible only through proper education. He carried a personality embedded with discipline. During his days as a teacher in the school, he was fondly called 'master'. Hukkerikar registered proactive participation in the Civil Disobedience movement. He served a sentence along with other prominent freedom fighters like RR Diwakar and was imprisoned in Yerwada Jail. In 1946 Hukkerikar addressed a meeting of 600 people and paid tribute to the martyrs of the 1942 movement. He explained the importance of Congress's August resolution and exhorted the audience to carry out the constructive program and strive for the freedom of the country. On 9 August 1946, in honor of the 'Quit India movement,' he carried out activities in almost every district of the Bombay Presidency. As the cities were bustling with activities like flag salutations and Prabhat Pheris he conveyed the importance of 9 August to the masses. He explained to the masses the importance of celebrating the movement and termed British Imperialism to be fascist. He also paid a tribute to the people who underwent Martyrdom and urged the masses to take an active part in the freedom movement and activities. The 9th August celebration became a huge success in the city creating a sense of courage in the masses to participate in the freedom movement. Hukkerikar’s lively and engaging personality impressed the people and other leading personalities of the freedom movement. He passed away in the year 1963 but the prominent educational institutes he established continue to host his magnanimous spirit of educating the youth of the country.