Kalmane Kamegowda

Kalmane Kamegowda ( 17 October 2022), also known as Kere Kamegowda or more commonly "Pond man",

Biography Kamegowda was born in in Dasanadoddi village, Malavalli taluk, Mandya district, Karnataka. He came from a shepherd family and was not formally schooled. While grazing livestock on Kundinibetta hillock, he observed water shortages affecting animals and birds during summer.

Kamegowda began constructing ponds for wildlife in the late 1970s using basic tools, and later rented mechanical excavators at a cost Rs 6,0008,000 per day.

By 2018, Kamegowda had completed fourteen ponds, and following receipt of the Rajyotsava award, he used the funds to construct an additional pond. He died on 17 October 2022 in Mandya, Karnataka.

Honours and awards He was awarded the Rajyotsava award in 2018 by the Karnataka state government. In July 2020, the state government announced that Kamegowda would receive a lifetime free pass for use on state transport buses. In the same year, the government allocated funds for watershed development in the area. and his work was noted in discussions of water conservation approaches in Karnataka.