Bengaluru: Chennamma, wife of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, passed away on Saturday. She was 85 and had been admitted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru after complaining of breathing difficulty. She was moved to the ICU on July 15 and was being treated under the supervision of specialist doctors, including Dr Satyanarayan. Despite continuous treatment, her condition did not improve, and she breathed her last on Saturday.
What is the current situation at the hospital?
After news of her passing spread, relatives, political leaders and JDS workers began arriving at Manipal Hospital to pay their last respects. Police security was beefed up around the hospital given the large number of people arriving. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh visited the spot personally to review the security arrangements.
A life beside Deve Gowda?
Chennamma was born in Hirehalli in the Muttige district of Hassan taluk. She married HD Deve Gowda on May 25, 1954. The couple had six children together: four sons and two daughters. Their children are HD Revanna, HD Balakrishna, HD Ramesh Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy, Shailaja and Anusaya.
Chennamma was the backbone of Deve Gowda’s political journey. While he remained consumed by politics, she managed the home and raised all six children largely on her own. She took charge of their education, their upbringing and the running of the household without complaint. Those who knew her described her as a strong and selfless woman who made Deve Gowda’s political career possible by shouldering everything at home.
How did she survived and acid attack?
In February 2001, Chennamma survived an acid attack. She was returning from a temple in Hardanahalli after offering prayers when she was attacked. She suffered serious injuries but recovered after treatment. The attack had shaken the entire family and drawn widespread condemnation at the time. Chennamma was the eldest daughter of her parents, Kalamma and her father, and had completed her SSLC before her marriage. As the eldest in her own family, she had also played a significant role in raising her four younger brothers and three younger sisters.
