Install statue of freedom fighter Baidya: Forum | Mangaluru News

Mangaluru: The Billava Brigade, established in Puttur to promote the development of the Billava community across sectors, will officially begin its activities. As its first major initiative, the brigade plans to install a statue of freedom fighter Ubar Manja Baidya in Uppinangady.Manjayya Baidya of Uppinangady, popularly known as Ubar Manja Baidya, was a prominent freedom fighter from coastal Karnataka who participated in the struggle against British rule and remains a respected figure in the region. A memorandum was submitted to MLA Ashok Kumar Rai, demanding the installation of the freedom fighter’s statue in Uppinangady. Brigade members noted that Ubar Manja Baidya was a prominent freedom fighter from the coastal region of Karnataka, who fought against the British. A revolutionary peasant leader who was also an employee of the British government, Baidya fought courageously for the country’s Independence and became immortal. An unparalleled patriot, Manja Baidya martyred himself after rebelling against the British. He actively participated in the ‘Kalyanappana Katukai’ struggle, also known as the Amara Sullia Freedom Rebellion of 1837—which took place 20 years before the First War of Independence (the Sepoy Mutiny). He fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the peasant leader Kedambadi Ramayya Gowda, brigade members explained.“Baidya rebelled against the unjust cash-tax policy imposed on farmers by the British, despite being an employee of the British government himself. Working as a clerk at the taluk office in Uppinangady, then the taluk headquarters of the British administration, Baidya was fluent in English. Upon learning about the freedom movement, he prepared himself and organised a movement along with dozens of other fighters. On April 5, 1837, Baidya and his revolutionary force lowered the British flag at Bavutagudda in Mangaluru. Later, when the British army suppressed the revolution, Baidya was arrested. On May 27, 1837, the British publicly hanged him at Bikarnakatte in Mangaluru,” they stated, urging that as a first step, appropriate action must be taken to construct a statue of Baidya.