KAS officer set to seek VRS to become monk

KAS officer H.L. Nagaraj to retire and become a monk, aiming to lead a religious institution with social impact.

In a development that has taken the State bureaucracy by surprise, a senior Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) officer is set to take voluntary retirement to become a monk.

The 49-year-old H.L. Nagaraj, a 2004-batch KAS officer, who is serving as Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mandya district, is applying for VRS to take over the reins of the Vishwa Vokkaligara Mahasamsthana that is located at Kengeri in Bengaluru.

This mutt is in the news due to the controversial remarks of its incumbent seer Kumara Chandrashekaranatha Swami on disenfranchising Muslims. However, mutt authorities say that the episode has nothing to do with the proposed change of guard as Dr. Nagaraj was already tipped to take over.

Dr. Nagaraj, who has an MPhil and PhD in Economics and also has the reputation for introducing various reforms in administration in his capacity as tahsildar, Assistant Commissioner and Additional Deputy Commissioner, will be anointed into ascetic order on December 14 by Nidumamidi Mutt seer Veerabhadra Channamalla Swami.

An ardent admirer of Kuvempu, Mr. Nagaraj says he wants to take forward the religious institution based on the Vishwa Manava (universal human) concept of the poet laureate. “Whoever toils hard in the field and contributes towards food production are all Vokkaligas in the broader sense.”

Dr. Nagaraj told The Hindu, “I will try to take the definition as well as the meaning of Vokkaligas in a broader sense. I want to pursue an ideology that will provide for the harmonious living of Vokkaligas with other communities.” Manuja Matha, Vishwa Patha, Sarvodaya, Samanvaya and Poorna Drishti, the pancha mantras of Kuvempu should be the guiding light, he said. Dr. Nagaraj pointed out that there were attempts to confine Kuvempu to the community, but he did not accept it.

Dr. Nagaraj is keen to popularise Kuvempu’s concept of Mantra Mangalya, a simple marriage tradition. “It is a matter of great pain that people, especially those from poor and lower middle-class families, are spending heavily on marriages by taking loans. Through this, they are entering into a debt trap. Mantra Mangalya is ideal for all oppressed communities,” he said.