When the erstwhile Mysore State, comprising Kannada-speaking territories, came into existence on November 1, 1956, the Information Department of the then Mysore government brought out Mysore Rajya, a 440-page book, to mark the occasion. This six-decade-old volume laid emphasis on the fact that Mysore is a State of diverse cultures, but Kannada is the binding factor.
The book consists of two parts: the first containing articles by eminent people from Kannada-speaking areas, and the second on statistical data about 19 districts that formed the new State of Mysore. According to the preface, the idea behind the government bringing out the book “is to see that it will serve to create a mental and psychological fusion among its several areas”.
In the article Our Culture , R.R. Diwakar, the then Governor of Bihar, explained the difference between individual and social culture and pointed out that Kannada culture is part of Indian culture. Dr. Srikanata Shastry in his article The History of Karnataka dealt with the succession of ings who ruled Karnataka namely the Kadambas, Gangas, Chalukyas and Hoysalas culminating in the establishment of the Vijayanagar Empire. He also made a reference to the Mahratta influence on Mysore and Mohammedan rule under Hyder and Tipu.
B. Shivamurthy Shastry, in his article on Religious Movements in Karnataka, dealt with several religious movements that left their impression on Kannadigas. In his illuminating article on the Political Life of Kannadigas , Tirumale Tatacharya Sharma pointed out that the kings of Karnataka have always stood for a Welfare State. Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar has traced several events that led to the formation of the New Mysore State in his article on The Formation of New Mysore. Writer Jayadevi Taayi Ligade has given a good account of the part played by women in Karnataka. Writing on modern Kannada literature, A.N. Krishna Rao dealt in detail about development in prose, drama, short story, lyric, novel, and literary review, and indicated that the influence of English literature has given a liberal outlook among the Kannada authors.
The publication has messages from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, first Vice-President of India, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of India, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, Governor Mysore State, and Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa.
Kadidal Manjappa, who was Chief Minister till October 31, 1956, in his introduction stated: “We must not forget that under the scheme of States’ Reorganisation, we are only altering the number and boundaries of the States for administrative purposes and not trying to set up Independent Sovereign States”.
Interestingly, batting for the need of “multilingual, multinational State”, C. Rajagopalachari dubbed such State as “ideal State in political theory”. He also said: “let us not allow small and narrow interests to take obstinate root and obstruct real progress”.
