Navaratna Rama Rao

The Story

Born in 1877, Rama Rao entered journalism in the early years of the century and soon became one of the most respected editors of the state. He founded Jaya Karnataka, the newspaper that became a voice of the people and of the national movement, and he edited it with courage and integrity for decades.

His writings covered the whole public life of his time — the freedom movement, the Kannada language movement, and the social reform of the age — and his editorials were read with respect across the state. He was also a historian and writer whose books preserved the memory of the leaders and events of Karnataka.

He died in 1960, honoured as the sage of Kannada journalism. His Jaya Karnataka and his writings shaped the public life of the state, and his name remains one of the most honoured in the history of the Kannada press.