A file photo of Vimala Rangachar, president of M.E.S Institutions (Mysore Education Society), with Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
Vimala Rangachar, 97, a patron of crafts, textiles, theatre personality, builder of several institutions and an educationist associated with the reputed Mysore Education Society (MES) in Bengaluru, passed away in the city on February 25 evening. She was suffering from age-related illnesses.
Her daughter Revathi, a classical dancer based in the United States of America, will reach Bengaluru on February 27 following which the last rites will be held the same day.
Face of Malleswaram
Vimala Rangachar was the grand-daughter of Venkataranga Iyengar, one of the founders of Malleswaram in the late 19th century. The locality was home for Vimala Rangachar all her life. She was one of the founders of Mysore Education Society (MES) in 1956 and was involved in running many education institutions of the MES till her last day. Having chaired MES for many years, she was serving as a member of its management committee at the time of her demine.
She is one of the founders of the Malleswaram Enterprising Women’s Society (MEWS), and a patron of Seva Sadan, which she took over from Lokasundari, Nobel laureate scientist Sir C. V. Raman’s wife who started it in 1936. She lived in an old-style beautiful house at Malleswaram till her last breath.
Vimala Rangachar, born in 1929, was married to Dr. Rangachar, a doctor and army veteran, when she was just 16 years old, as was the practice in those days. However, it did not deter her. Returning from Italy where he served during World War II, Dr. Rangachar set up practice at Malleswaram. Meanwhile, Vimala Rangachar completed her graduation in English and Psychology, and soon bloomed into a multi-faceted cultural personality at Malleswaram, associating herself with MES, MEWS and Seva Sadan in the 1950s, an association which continued till her demise.
Craft Council of Karnataka Chairperspon Vimala Rangachar accompanying dancer and actor Vyjayanthimala Bali around the stalls at Vastrabharana Exhibition at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, in Bengaluru on September 30, 2011.
| Photo Credit:
File photo
I.M. Vittala Murthy (second left), Secretary, Kannada and Culture, along with Vimala Rangachar (right), Chairperson of Craft Council, visiting a stall at ‘Kuteera-2008’, an exhibition and sale by Crafts Council of Karnataka, held at Chitrakala Parishat in Bengaluru on January 4, 2008.
| Photo Credit:
File photo
Crafts council of Karnataka Chairperson Vimala Rangachar briefing mediapersons about the eco-Ganesha movement, and to use vegetable-based colours.
| Photo Credit:
File photo
Vimala Rangachar was active in promoting performing arts, traditional crafts, mainly textiles, something which she inherited from her mother Ammanni Ammal, who was known to design her own sarees. Through this work, she came in contact with Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and considered Kamaladevi her mentor. She came to head the Karnataka chapter of both Bharatiya Natya Sangh and Crafts Council of India that Kamaladevi set up. She even received the Kamala Sanman, given in Kamaladevi’s memory, in 2004. She was presented the Rajyotsava award in 2003.
Theatre veteran
She was a passionate theatre person. She was heading a theatre troupe called Kalajyothi. Disappointed with men playing women’s roles on stage, she took to acting, even roping in her husband to act. Their productions of many plays by T. P. Kailasam and Pravatavani were hits. The couple staged Kailasam’s superhit play Ammavra Ganda in Hindi to an audience that included India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
M. S. Sathyu, Vimala Rangachar and Girish Karnad at the inauguration of the Amateur Dramatic Association (A.D.A) Centenary Celebrations at the A. D. A. Rangamandira, in Bengaluru on June 22, 2009.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar
Much before Ranga Shankar or even Ravindra Kalakshetra came up in Bengaluru, Vimala Rangachar had taken the initiative to build Amateur Dramatic Associates Theater (ADA Rangamandira), along with others, on J. C. Road.
She was among those responsible for setting up the Jawahar Bal Bhavan at Cubbon Park in the early 1970s, where she created space for theatre as well.
Vimala Rangachar receiving the first copy of the book Attendance, released at the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Ashish Mohan Khokar’s year book of Indian dance, from Chiranjeev Singh, in Bengaluru on May 31, 2008.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar
“Vimala Rangachar is my cousin. From her college days, she was well-versed in socialism. Being a good friend of Kamaladevi Chattopadhaya, her interest in crafts grew. It is she who introduced me to the late G. Venkatachalam, first generation art historian, who was responsible for me joining art school in Chennai. She had good friends in Pandit Ravishankar and dancer Maya Rao. She travelled to both the USSR and the USA at the invitations of those countries, as a cultural ambassador. She even contested the Legislative Council elections in Karnataka. In many ways, she was way ahead of her times,” recounted noted artist S. G. Vasudev.
Published – February 26, 2025 12:34 pm IST
