The association is now preparing to celebrate its centenary on February 26, 2026, in Mumbai. Earlier this month, a programme was held in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bengaluru as a precursor
It all began when a group of young professionals from the then Mysore State (eventually called Karnataka), on February 26, 1926, got together to create a platform to meet the cultural aspirations of Mysoreans in Bombay (now Mumbai).
The organisation that came to be formed- The Mysore Association, Mumbai- started functioning in a rented house near Matunga railway station. Its activities were initially limited to indoor games, dinners, and anniversaries, but soon diversified as membership grew. They ranged from sports and cultural acrivities to social service and education.
The association is now preparing to celebrate its centenary on February 26, 2026, in Mumbai. Earlier this month, a programme was held in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bengaluru as a precursor.
Speaking to The Hindu, B.R. Manjunath, a member of the committee of the assoaition, said, “The achievements of Horanada Kannadigas, who started the association before independence, is remarkable in the last hundred years in Kannada literature, music, art, education, sports, and other fields.”
On solid foundation
The office-bearers recall the solid foundation and contribution of Chief Engineer and Kanndiga, Diwan Bahadur Ramaswamy, who played a key role in the construction of the historically important ‘Gateway of India’ in Mumbai. He was the first president of the association.
Prior to that, when M. Visvesvaraya was working as an engineer in the Bombay Presidency, many engineers from Mysore region came to Mumbai to work with him. But since all of them had studied in Kannada medium, speaking of Kannada language was common in their association.
Most of these youths lived in Girgaon region and the Mysore Association was informally inaugurated on the August 15, 1925, by Subba Rao, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore. It took a more formal shape the next year.
In 1932, the Bombay Municipal Corporation gave a plot at Bhau Daji Road, Matunga, on a perpetual lease. The first building of the association ‘Vanivilas Hall’ was constructed in 1934 at a cost of ₹5,000 from the contributions of its members. Many dignitaries visited the association, beginning with Krishnarajendra Wadiyar.
Of sports and more
The sporting activities of the association were always special, testified by the fact that their team grabbed many coveted trophies across sports and being part of Olympic team.
The association was active on the educaiton front too, and it started an elementary school in 1927. Later a separate entity, National Kannada Sangha came to be and to this day provides education to the children of underprivileged section from Dharavi, Antop Hill. and Wadala, right from kindergarten to class 10 in both Kannada and English medium.
The association has been in the forefront of fine arts including painting, right from its early days. In cooperation with the Bombay Arts Society, it organised exhibitions of painting by eminent artists from both Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Beginning in 1946, the association has been hosting music and dance festivals too during the Ganapati celebrations. Another credit to the association is the hosting of All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 1934 in Bombay jointly with the Karnataka Sangha there. All the Kannada literary giants have visited the association over the years, including Jnana Peetha award winners.
Theatre activities
Theatre has been a key activity of the association, started back in 1926, with the initiative of Gangadharaiah, a lawyer by profession. Gangadharaiah presented ‘Virat Parva’ in 1926 and ‘Shakuntala’ in 1927 and nature of plays have changed with the changing times.
Interestingly, cinematographer, V.K. Murthy, was the driving force in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. At the beginning of the new millennium, an eight-day-long multi-language theatre festival of Girish Karnad was organised in which eight different groups from different parts of India took part.
Published – October 19, 2025 08:10 pm IST
