R. N. Shetty facts for kids

Rama Nagappa Shetty (born August 15, 1928 – died December 17, 2020) was a famous Indian businessman and a kind person who helped others. He owned the R N Shetty Group of companies, which included businesses like RNS Infrastructure, RNS Maruti Suzuki (RNS Motors), Murudeshwar Ceramics, Naveen Hotels, and Murudeshwar Power. He also led many schools and colleges through the R N Shetty Trust. In 2004, he received the Rajyotsava Award from the Karnataka state government, which is a big honor.

Early Life and Beginnings

Rama Nagappa Shetty was born on August 15, 1928, in a small town called Murdeshwar on the coast of Karnataka. His family were farmers. His father was the Muktesar, which means the traditional leader, of the Murudeshwar Temple dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva.

After finishing high school, Shetty started working as a civil contractor in Sirsi. He once said that he chose this path because there were no colleges in Sirsi at that time for him to continue his studies.

Building a Business Empire

Starting His Own Company

In 1961, Shetty started his own company called R N Shetty & Company. This company focused on civil engineering and construction. They built important public structures, including bridges on the road connecting Honnavar and Bangalore. In 1966, he moved his business from his hometown to Hubli in northern Karnataka.

Taking on Big Projects

In 1967, he joined seven other contractors to form the Naveen Mechanised Construction Company. They aimed to build the Hidkal dam in Belgaum district. When the company faced big money problems, Shetty bought out his partners and took over the company himself.

Over the next eight years, his company successfully completed many large projects. These included building dams for hydropower, irrigation, and bridges. These projects greatly improved the company's financial health. Some of these important projects were the Hidkal dam, Supa reservoir, and the Gerusoppa hydel power project, all in Karnataka. He also built tunnels for the Konkan Railway and canals for the Upper Krishna Project. His company also worked on major road projects, like the Belgaum Bypass and the Dharwad–Belgaum road.

Entering the Hotel Business

In 1975, Shetty expanded his business into the hotel industry with Naveen Hotels Limited. He built a five-star hotel in Bangalore, which was then rented out to the Taj Group and became known as Taj MG Road Hotel. His group later built two more hotels in Karnataka: Hotel Naveen in Hubli and the RNS Yatrinivas resort in Murudeshwar. Another five-star hotel was built in Bangalore and is now operated by the Taj group as Taj Yeshwantpur Hotel.

Manufacturing and Power

Shetty also started a factory in 1977 to make Mangalore tiles, which are special roof tiles. Murudeshwar Tiles became one of the biggest Mangalore-tile factories in the state. In 1981, he created Naveen Structurals and Engineering, which focused on making parts for the construction industry. In 1987, he started Murudeshwar Ceramics to make glazed ceramic tiles, with factories in Hubli and Karaikal in Puducherry.

In 1993, Shetty entered the power sector by setting up Murudeshwar Power Corporation. This company built a small hydropower project in 1999. It could produce 11.6 megawatts of electricity at the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal in Bijapur district.

His company, RNS Motors, also opened car showrooms for Maruti Udyog in Hubli in 1995 and in Bangalore in 1998.

Helping the Community

Philanthropic Activities

R. N. Shetty was a philanthropist, meaning he loved to help others. He did this through the R. N. Shetty Trust. This trust supported many schools, including primary and high schools, an engineering college, a nursing school, and a polytechnic for rural areas. These educational institutions were located in Murudeshwar and Bangalore. The trust also ran hospitals and created programs to help with education in rural parts of Karnataka.

Modernizing Murudeshwara

Shetty is famous for making the temple town of Murudeshwara modern and turning it into a popular place for tourists. He provided money to renovate the Murdeshwar Shiva temple and its surrounding complex. This temple is very important in Hindu mythology. People believe it holds one of the five parts of the Atmalinga, which broke when the demon king Ravana was tricked by the elephant-god Ganesha.

With Shetty's funding, the Raja Gopura, which is the main temple tower, was built. It stands at 237.5 feet (72.4 meters) tall and is thought to be the tallest Gopuram in the world. Also, a huge statue of Shiva was built, standing 123 feet (37 meters) tall, which is considered the largest in the world.

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  The Gopuram in Murudeshwara

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  The Shiva statue in Murudeshwara

Awards and Recognition

In 2009, Bangalore University gave an Honorary Doctorate to Shetty to recognize his achievements. In 2004, he received the Visvesvaraya Memorial Award from a group called the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He also received the Karnataka Government's Rajyotsava award in 2004, which is a very high honor in the state.

Personal Life

R. N. Shetty was married to Sudha Shetty. They had three sons and four daughters. He passed away on December 17, 2020, in Bangalore due to a heart attack. He was 92 years old.