Chennamma, the wife of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, passed away on Saturday after she was admitted to a private hospital due to respiratory problem on July 15. Manipal hospital’s official bulletin said “Chennamma suffered a massive cardiac arrest despite she was on the road to recovery today at 4 pm.” She was 85 years old.
Chennamma embodied the traditional role of a political spouse of her generation. She rarely appeared in public, spoke on political matters and largely remained confined to family responsibilities, even as her husband rose from a legislator in Karnataka to become India’s Prime Minister in 1996.
Born into a farming family in 1939, Chennamma hails from Paduvalahippe village in Holenarasipur taluk of Hassan district. Deve Gowda and Chennamma got married in May 1954. They had six children, including H.D. Balakrishna Gowda, H.D. Revanna, H.D. Kumaraswamy, H.D. Ramesh and two daughters Anasuya and Shailaja.
Despite belonging to one of the state’s best-known political families, she was known for her simplicity and deep attachment to family tradition, most of the time spending time performing pooja at home.
She previously survived an acid attack in February 2001 at at Eshwara temple in Haradanahalli, Hassan district. Chennamma recovered miraculously but was left with a large scar on the right side of her face. She completely avoided public appearances after this incident.
THE WEEK was one of the few publications that got a photograph of her with husband Deve Gowda, which went viral when the couple were infected during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She was known for hosting visitors at the Deve Gowda home with warm hospitality and remained the emotional anchor in the family during intense political uncertainty.
She is survived by her husband, their six children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
