NEWS

• Sukri Bommagowda, popularly known as Sukrajji, was a folk singer and social activist from the Halakki Vokkaliga community in Karnataka.
• She was an advocate for education, environmental protection, and anti-alcoholism.
• Passed away at 88 years due to age-related ailments at her home in Badigeri, Uttara Kannada.

HIGHLIGHTS

Contributions to Folk Culture

• Known as the “Nightingale of Halakki” for her melodious folk singing.
• Memorized and preserved over 5,000 folk songs of the Halakki community.
• Worked with All India Radio and Karnataka Janapada Academy to record and preserve folk songs.

Social Activism

• Used folk songs as a medium to promote girls’ education and fight against social evils.
• Participated in protests against Project Seabird in Karwar and the airstrip near Ankola.
• Demanded Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Halakki Vokkaliga community.

Fight Against Alcoholism

• Became a strong advocate against alcoholism after losing her adopted son to hooch.
• Led protests that resulted in the ban of liquor sales in and around her village.

Commitment to Society

• Spent her Padma Shri award money for social welfare.
• Provided the first floor of her house for an anganwadi (childcare center) free of cost.
• Encouraged her community to attend night schools, despite being illiterate herself.
• Delivered lectures at various universities on herbal medicine, folk culture, and social issues.

Recognition and Legacy

• Recipient of Padma Shri and multiple other prestigious awards.
• Remembered as a cultural icon and a relentless social reformer.

• Sukrajji’s life was a blend of art, activism, and social service.
• Her contributions to folk culture and social reforms continue to inspire generations.