Rudrappa Veerappa Mokashi, former Chairman of Malaprabha Cooperative Sugar factory at MK Hubli in Belagavi district passed away recently. He remained in office during the early Nineties for a brief period of one year and five months. But how he transformed the sick sugar mill into a profit-making unit is worth recalling even to this day. The pertinent question is because the Malaprabha Cooperative Sugar Factory once again is embroiled in woes of its own.
Unique and rare to find: You may feel, how many times this fellow wants to keep writing on the same personality already dealt with in these columns. You are absolutely right. Probably, that’s the interesting perspective about Rudrappa Veerappa Mokashi. Maybe, no one might have kept a count on the number of Chairmen of cooperative sugar factories in this state and country. But there can be no doubt that people like Rudrappa Mokashi are unique and rare to find.
Cooperatives in the real sense: Ever since the cooperative movement made its humble beginnings in the country lakhs of cooperative institutions have cropped up and any number of them have also vanished before making any contribution to society. As of now, there are 8, 54,355 cooperative societies’ in the credit and non-credit sector with 290.06 million members. Before Independence, the number of well-doing societies was huge in number while it was another way round after the country became free. But, by and large, the cooperative institutions in Mangaluru, Udupi and North Canara districts are true representatives of cooperatives.
Chocolate in the cooperative sector: Varanashi Subraya Bhat was the visionary behind the setting up of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO) at Putturu in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district during 1973. He remained the President since inception and until 1990. He envisaged CAMPCO, following a steep fall in areca nut prices between 1970 and 1973. It may be recalled here that areca nut happens to be a major crop in the Western, Malnad regions of the state and almost all districts of Kerala. He was also the architect behind the large, modern chocolate factory during 1986 to provide an assured market and remunerative prices for the Cocoa grown in the country.
The Totgars’ Cooperative Sale Society Limited started in 1923 at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district. It has more than 23,000 members and is one of the second oldest betel nut cooperatives in the state. Today the areca nut planters’ society has a series of laurels to boast of. It runs the oldest Samrat hotel, a hospital and to top them all, a shopping Mall in Sirsi. The above two instances are glaring instances of how institutions can thrive if honest and committed people remain at the helm of affairs.
MK Hubli Sugar Factory’s short-lived dream: If Rudrappa Veerappa Mokashi was not unseated unceremoniously from the chairmanship of the MK Hubli Sugar Factory during the early Nineties, the institution would have prospered into a model one in the state. But petty, selfish politics had the last laugh thus bulldozing all dreams of RV Mokashi!
Several firsts in the country: RV Mokashi himself had enlisted a series of accomplishments during his brief stint with the sugar mill during 1992-93, with this scribe, after he had relinquished his position: "A year before the Farmers’ Association representatives took the reins MK Hubli Sugar Factory administration had paid Rs 525/- per ton while the same amount got a steep hike to Rs 625/- per ton. Not only that, every shareholder was given a seasonal advance of Rs 2,000/- each. Nowhere else in the country, such financial incentives were given to farmers…
…The financial condition of the factory improved during my tenure. Members were made payment with the amount credited by disposing of sugar. Every month, Rs six crores were reimbursed only for sugar cane bills”.
Highest sugar yield in history: “Also, during the same 1992-93 period the percentage of sugar yield from cane shot up to 11.55 per cent, which also happened to be the highest proportion in the history of the factory. Likewise, the additional sugar per ton of cane was to the extent of 115 kgs. A total of 5.94 lakh tons of sugarcane was crushed during that year”, RV Mokashi had revealed.
Spirit unit comes to life: “The spirit unit which was biting dust earlier became functional during the period and manufactured spirit worth Rs 24 lakhs. A project worth Rs 1.30 crore was commissioned to process the polluted water due to the spirit unit”, he had disclosed.
Mauritius and Reunion Island visit: The penchant and commitment of RV Mokashi in striving for the overall welfare of the farmers were inherent and omnipresent. Ever since he became associated with the Karnataka State Farmers Association (KSFA), he got engrossed in the woes of land tillers. Irrespective of being in a family, private or public meeting he developed the tendency of dwelling on the grower's problems in depth. He visited the well to do sugar mills in neighbouring Maharashtra to understand the strategy of running sugar factories in a profitable and professional manner. In order to have a firsthand working knowledge of cogeneration projects, he even visited Mauritius and Reunion Island under French control!
Then unheard, now mandatory: When RV Mokashi had envisaged of cogeneration project in MK Hubli sugar factory, it was literally a utopian idea in the state. For being ahead of his time, he had to pay the price of demitting his position. He had drawn up ambitious plans to generate annual revenue of Rs 17.5 crores for the factory. But the remaining prominent stakeholders were least bothered about profit to the factory as they were desperate in strategizing monetary gains to themselves hook or crook. Now, cogeneration units are part and parcel of all new sugar factories.
Rudrappa has left large footprints: A family friend Ms Ursula Flueck from Oberrohrenbach, Germany expressing her grief over the passing away of RV Mokashi has condoled the sad demise: "Rudrappa has left large footprints and filling them out is certainly a life's work. This special Rudrappa Mokashi was our beloved friend, honoured and a holy person and yet in gratitude for his friendship". Ms Ursula Flueck had been a Teacher of Art Education and Visual Design. She was also the Project Coordinator for Indian and Nepalese Development Projects.
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| Ms Ursula Flueck with Rudrappa Mokashi |
“I’ll die only after your marriage!” Perhaps great men have foresight of their own. Vidya Umesh Patil, a close relative recalls: “He used to joke with Akshata Patil, his granddaughter that he’ll die only after seeing her marriage. Interestingly, Akashata, daughter of Ratnakka Patil, daughter of RV Mokashi and late Shankaragouda Patil got married on 19th December while her grandfather, who was bedridden for some time left for heavenly abode the very next day”!
Donated eyes, organs and body: Madhumati Uday Morab, another close relative reminds: “As per his wishes, the eyes, organs and body of RV Mokashi were donated to the KLE hospital in Belagavi”. Strange, it may look; he had decided to donate his eyes, organs and body more than 25 years ago itself. However, Basavaraj Mokashi, younger son laments: “He also happened to spend some of his last days in the same hospital and ICU. Even after being in the ICU, he had developed bedsores and you don’t need further explanation on the type of treatment and personal care he might have received in the hospital”!
Bust in the premises of factory: A meeting held in MK Hubli sugar factory condoled the demise of its former chairman late Rudrappa V Mokashi. Many members recalled the services, contributions and accomplishments of the late agrarian leader to the farming community and the sugar factory. The meeting also unanimously resolved to install a bust of the former chairman in the factory premises, informed Ashok Mokashi, the elder son.
The same shareholders did everything to embarrass, insult and humiliate him while in office and now they want to remember him by erecting a statue in his memory. Perhaps that's the irony of honest and committed leaders in public life.
-Manohar Yadavatti
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