Kannada star Shivaraj Kumar pays tribute to Basaveshwara in UK

Kannada film star Shivaraj Kumar paid tribute to the 12th-century Indian philosopher and social reformer Basaveshwara, a pioneer of the idea of democracy, here along the bank of River Thames.
Kumar, who has acted in over 100 films, along with wife and daughters, paid their tribute to the Basaveshwara statue yesterday.
Shivanna, as Kumar is fondly known, said he was extremely delighted to pay tribute to Kannada poet "Basavanna".
The statue was unveiled in the London Borough of Lambeth byPrime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year.
This was the first conceptual statue approved by the UK government in the vicinity of the British Parliament as a mark of respect to the Indian philosopher.

Basaveshwara (1134-1168) was an Indian philosopher, social reformer and statesman who attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination.

In an attempt to create a casteless society and eradicate untouchability, the social reformer solicited the marriage of an upper caste bride with a lower caste bridegroom.
He created a model Parliament 'Anubhava Mantap' that had equal proportion of men and women, people from all socio- economic backgrounds and encouraged people to debate and discuss various issues.
India has recognised Basaveshwara as one of the pioneers of democracy and his statue was installed in the Indian Parliament in 2002 during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

On behalf of the Basaveshwara Foundation, former mayor of Lambeth Neeraj Patil -- the architect behind the statue -- welcomed thefilm star and his family.