The association is now preparing to celebrate its centenary on 26 February 2026 in Mumbai. A precursor program was held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bengaluru earlier this month
It all started when a group of young professionals from the then state of Mysore (eventually called Karnataka) came together on 26 February 1926 to create a platform to fulfill the cultural aspirations of the Mysoreans in Bombay (now Mumbai).
The organization that emerged – The Mysore Association, Mumbai – started functioning in a rented house near Matunga Railway Station. Its activities were initially limited to hall games, dinners and anniversaries, but soon diversified as membership grew. They ranged from sports and cultural activities to social services and education.
The association is now preparing to celebrate its centenary on 26 February 2026 in Mumbai. A precursor program was held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Bengaluru earlier this month.
Speaking to The Hindu, BR Manjunath, a committee member of the association, said, “The achievements of Horanada Kannadigas, who founded the association before independence, are remarkable over the last hundred years in Kannada literature, music, art, education, sports and other fields.”
On solid foundations
The office bearers commemorate 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.
Before that, when M. Visvesvaraya was working as an engineer in the Bombay Presidency, many engineers from the Mysore region came to Bombay to work with him. But since they all studied in Kannada medium, speaking Kannada was common in their society.
Most of these young people lived in the Girgaon region and the Mysore Association was informally inaugurated on 15 August 1925 by Subba Rao, the then Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University. The next year it took a more formal form.
In 1932, the Bombay Municipal Corporation gave land on Bhau Daji Road, Matunga, on permanent lease. The association’s first building ‘Vanivilas Hall’ was constructed in 1934 at a cost of ₹ 5,000 through contributions from its members. Many dignitaries visited the association, starting with Krishnarajendra Wadiyar.
From sports and more
The association’s sporting activities have always been exceptional, as evidenced by the fact that their team has collected many coveted trophies across sports and been part of the Olympic team.
The association was also active on the educational front and founded a primary school in 1927. Later, a separate organization, the National Kannada Sangha, was formed, which still provides education to children from the underprivileged part of Dharavi, Antop Hill. and Wadala, from Kindergarten to Class 10 in both Kannada and English.
The association has been at the forefront of visual arts, including painting, since its beginnings. In collaboration with the Bombay Arts Society, she organized exhibitions of paintings by prominent artists from both Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Beginning in 1946, the association organizes music and dance festivals during Ganapati celebrations as well. Another credit of the association is hosting the All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 1934 in Bombay along with the Karnataka Sangha there. All Kannada literary giants have visited the association over the years, including Jnana Peetha award winners.
Theater activity
Theater was a key activity of the association, which began as early as 1926 at the initiative of Gangadharaiah, a lawyer by profession. Gangadharaiah introduced ‘Virat Parva’ in 1926 and ‘Shakuntala’ in 1927 and the nature of the plays changed with the changing times.
Interestingly, cinematographer VK Murthy was a driving force in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. At the beginning of the new millennium, an eight-day multi-lingual Girish Karnad Theater Festival was organized in which eight different groups from different parts of India participated.
Published – 19 October 2025 20:10 IST
