As the municipality has taken the decision, it would not be illegal to name the circle after Dr Rajkumar. Some influential leaders have chosen some circles for naming without prior permission of the Deputy Commissioner or the municipality. Patel circle was one of them.

Though it was illegal, nobody had objected to this, the fans said in a memorandum submitted to the district administration. The Dr Rajkumar faction said that some people acting as devotees have been creating confusion by saying that the circle should not be renamed and this had humiliated the real devotees, they said.

Normally the circles have been named after social reformers and national leaders. In Raichur city only, there were circles named after Mahatma Gandhi Babu Jagjivanram, Dr B R Ambedkar Netaji, Tippusultan, Basaveshwara, and Kanakadasa, they argued.

Dr Rajkumar preached the values of life and naming the circle after him would be appropriate. But circle naming after a god of a community would harm communal harmony, they argued.

The office bearers of the Dr Rajkumar fans association, Kannada Chaluvali Kendra Samithi, Janajagrutha Vedike, forum against injustice, Tharun Bharath Sangha, Shivarajkumar Sena Samithi, Navaratna Yuvaka Sangha, Thayi Bhuvaneshwari Samithi, Dalit Hitha Rakshana Samithi, Ravindranath Tagore Yuvaka Sangha and Karnataka Rakshana Vedike participated in the procession.

Source: http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20061212012903&Page=K&
Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

“Rajkumar brought the Idiga community to limelight. To those, who do not know about the Idigas, we tell them that we are from Rajkumar’s community.”

Raghavendra Rajkumar re-lived the memories of his father. “After he was released by Veerappan he had lost his will to live. He was an unusual person. On an occasion, some doctors asked him about his knee pain and he told them that like his fans, the pain had become a part of him and was comfortable with it,” said an emotionally charged Raghavendra.

The Sangha put forward three demands before the government; to name the international airport in Bangalore and any one university in Karnataka after Rajkumar and to observe April 24 – his birthday as Rajkumar Jayanthi.

On the occasion, 71 people donated blood to the Karnataka Red Cross Society and 127 people pledged their eyes to the Narayana Nethralaya, Bangalore. The camps were organised by the Sangha.

Earlier, the distinguished members of the Karnataka Pradesh Arya Idigara Sangha paid floral tribute to the late Kannada icon.

Among those who were present were Atmanand Swamiji of Beltangadi, Parvathamma Rajkumar, Raghavendra and Puneet Rajkumar, Mr K N Tilak Kumar, Chairman, Deccan Herald and Prajavani group, President of the Karnataka Pradesh Arya Idigara Sangha D Dasappa, MLA Kumar Bangarappa, former MP (Udupi) Vinay Kumar Sorake.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may162006/city2013212006515.asp

Tight security has been mounted at Rajkumar’s residence in Sadashivnagar, Puneet Farms on Mysore Road and his samadhi at Kanteerava Studios where a large number of visitors are expected. On Sunday, under the aegis of Netravathi Kannada Yuvakara Sangha in Chamrajpet, 101 members shaved their head in observance of 12th day rituals after the actor’s death. “We used to call Rajkumar appaji. As dutiful sons, we have shaved our heads,” said Shekar, a resident of II Main, Chamrajpet. Rajkumar’s three sons attended the programme. A similar ceremony was held at Jayachamarajendra Nagar. Under the banner of the Bharatinagar Residents’ Forum, actress Jayanthi distributed fruits and bread to patients at the Corporation Maternity Home in a birthday remembrance function. Sri Bhuvaneshwari Angadi and Vanijya Noukarara Sangha had a shraddanjali programme in Chickpet. A theatre festival at Ravindra Kalakshetra was also dedicated to Rajkumar. The BMP workers association has demanded that the international airport be named after the actor.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr242006/city2244522006423.asp