Kolachalam Venkata Rao

Kolachalam Venkata Rao (28February 185028December 1931) was a freedom fighter and social reformer of Madras Presidency. He represented the state of Karnataka in the first session of the Indian National Congress. He was one of the early social reformers who encouraged widow remarriages and female education. He was the elder brother of Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao.

Early life Kolachalam Venkata Rao belonged to the family of Mallinātha Sūri whose family stood unequalled in the Sanskrit lore. His Grand Father Subba Satri was a moralist and a writer on religious topics. His father Sethupathi Sastry was the Dewan of Anegundi Samsthana of the Vijayanagara empire. He received his Early Education from the Government School, Bellary. He then joined the Presidency College, Madras under Mr. Thompson for the B.A. but had to give up due to ill health. He was a school Master till 1874 and later served as the Head Clerk, District Munsiff Court until 1878. He then served as the Deputy Tahsildar and Sub-Magistrate. He later became a Pleader He played an important role in establishing newspaper printing press both in Kannada and Telugu languages. He went to Bombay to present a valedictory to the Marquis of Ripon on behalf of the People of Ballari. He was one of the guests to attend the Coronation ceremony of King Edward VII which took place in Westminster Abbey, London on 9 August 1902. He was a patron of the British Committee of the INC in London and Also Central Hindu College, Banaras. The British had conferred him the title of Right Honourable, which he returned in 1916 in response to their oppressive treatment of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was closely associated with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji, Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu and several other national leaders.

In addition to his political interests, He was fond of travel. He had visited Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Great Britain and several parts of the Continent. He was a benefactor to the Transvaal deportees He also constructed a widow ashram and brought a house to be used as a girls' school. He donated 4 acres of land for the construction of a football stadium in Bellary, which is now called as BDAA grounds.

Death Kolachalam Venkata Rao died on 28 December 1931, a main road in Bellary is named after him in his memory.