People ’wake up’ to Namdev Shenoy’s (Badiyadka Gandhi) missing.

People ’wake up’ to Namdev Shenoy’s (Badiyadka Gandhi) missing.

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru :  A well known person called as ’Badiyadka Gandhi’ and ’Gandhi Ajja’, 92-year-old Shenoy is a familiar figure on the streets with his Khadi jubba and mundu and a cotton bag dangling from his shoulders as he prefers walking to reach his destination.  He is known to be the only surviving Gandhian in the coastal region, freedom fighter and Sarvodaya activist from Badiadka in Kasaragod district, B Namdev Shenoy, has gone missing from November 2014.

Until his sudden disappearance, the nonagenarian was regularly visiting schools, colleges and institutions preaching Gandhian philosophy and Sarvodaya ideology, a work dearer to his heart, which he has been carrying out for the last 70 years with the undulating avidity and dynamism.

His sudden and mysterious disappearance has shocked many. "We have tried to trace him in every possible place," Sarvodaya Mandala Secretary and Advocate Yeshwanth K said.  Yeshwanth used to accompany him whenever he came to Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada or Udupi or other neighbouring districts.

Subsequently, in a letter to Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithela, sent in January 2015,  Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Sarvodaya Mandala President Harikrishna Punaroor, stated that freedom fighter B Namdev Shenoy has been missing since November 2014.

"The last time he (Shenoy) visited the Sarvodaya office in Mangaluru was on November 22, 2014 and November 25, 2014 and since November 26, 2014, he is not traceable," the Sarvodaya office-bearers are suspecting foul play behind his sudden disappearance.  Requesting the minister to take steps to trace Shenoy, Punaroor said in the letter that efforts to reach Shenoy’s mobile number (9539194997) too has gone in vain as it is switched off since November 2014. Shenoy is a drawee of Kerala state freedom fighter pension.

As there is no reply from the Kerala home minister’s office, the office-bearers of Sarvodaya and his well wishers are planning to file a Habeas Corpus in the High Court soon.