The R.N. Habbu Trust has donated Rs. 1 lakh to the Kannada Sahitya Parishat on December 15.

At a function arranged at the new building of the Mysore District Kannada Sahitya Parishat in Vijayanagar Extension in Mysore, Parishat State President Mr. Harikrishna Punarooru received the endowment from the family members of late Habbu, who was a leading publisher in Mysore. He felicitated donors Usha Vamana Rao, Prema M. Mahishi, Leela Ramesh, Sudha Gururajachar and Prahladha Rao. Former Vice-Chancellor Prof. D.Javare Gowda unveiled a portrait of Habbu. Educationist S.R. Rohidekar and Publisher T.S. Chayapathi were the chief guests.

The Parishat will utilize the interest earned from the endowment amount for an annual award for the best published work of a publishing agency and arrange a memorial lecture. The award will carry a cash prize, a memento and a certificate, according Mysore District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President N.Giri Gowda

Founder of the famous Usha Publications of Mysore, Habbu Narayana Rao Raghavendra was born at Nimbal, near Bijapur in 1914. He came to Dharwad to join G.B.Joshi, founder of the famous Manohara Granthamale. Later, Habbu moved over to Mysore with Joshi and started the Usha Press in 1943 and publication of works written by leading writers in Kannada. Usha Sahitya Male publications included works of authors like Ram.Shri. Mugali, Shriranga, Betageri Krishna Sharma, K.V.Raghavachar, V.M.Inamdar, V.Seetharamayya, H.M.Nayak, V.K.Gokak, Dr.G.Varadaraja Rao, Kerur Vasudevachar, Prof. S.V.Parameswara Bhat and Mirji Anna Rao.

Whenever many of these writers came to Mysore, the house of Habbu in then Halladakeri was the guest house to complete or supervise printing of their works. Habbu was also response for starting the Nrupathunga Samskrithika Sangha in association with late Hindustani musician Hunagund. Hindustani music concerts were an annual feature of the association. Habbu passed away in 1990. His son H.R.Ramesh, who took up the mantle, died a decade later in 2000, with which the Usha Publications also had to be shutdown. To perpetuate Habbu's memory, his daughters and nearest kins have instituted the endowment in the Sahitya Parishat.