Retired lecturer, Panchayat Raj resource person in Karnataka, and journalist S. Janardhana Maravanthe died of age-related illness at his home in Maravanthe, in Udupi district, on June 6.

The 88-year-old former gram panchayat president leaves behind two sons. He is also the honourary president of Byndoor taluk working journalists’ association, and had chaired the Byndoor Taluk Sahitya Sammelana recently.

Born to S. Manjunathaiah, a teacher, and Janaki on March 21, 1939, Janardhana lost his father at a very young age. Unable to continue studies beyond SSLC following financial constraints, he undertook the hereditary Shyanubhog profession at Maravanthe in 1957, a position which was abolished by the government in 1962.

He joined government service as a village accountant in 1962, and became a government high school teacher after pursuing a BA degree in private. He rose to become a lecturer after completing an MA in political science and English in 1979. Janardhana retired from service as a lecturer in English from Government PU College, Navunda in 1997.

Social service

After retirement, Janardhana engaged in social service. Along with like-minded persons, he established Sadhana, a voluntary service organisation that undertook a host of developmental activities in Maravanthe. He was elected as a member of the Maravanthe Gram Panchayat, which he served for 15 years, including two terms as its president.

Due to his keen interest in the Panchayat Raj system and in-depth knowledge, Janardhana was invited to hold workshops and seminars for GP members and other stakeholders by different organisations and universities from across India. For 25 years, he worked as a part-time correspondent for two Kannada dailies. He was awarded the ‘Senior Citizen State Award’ in 2021 by the government.

His mortal remains would be kept for public viewing in Sadhana auditorium at Maravanthe from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 7.