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During the period of British rule, the Indian state of Karnataka as it stands today did not exist. Areas that today comprise Karnataka were under as many as 20 different administrative units with the princely state of Mysore, Nizam's Hyderabad, the Bombay Presidency, the Madras Presidency and the territory of Kodagu being the most important ones. In effect, nearly two-thirds of what is now Karnataka fell outside the rule of the Wodeyar kings of Mysore.

What this meant for the Kannadigas in these regions was that they were reduced to linguistic minorities wherever they were. Kannadigas in the Hubli-Karnataka region for example, came under the rule of the Bombay Presidency where Marathi was the official language. Those in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region came under the Nizam's rule where Urdu ruled. Kannadigas in South Canara came under the rule from Madras Presidency which used Tamil for all purposes.

Under these conditions, a feeling of discontent had started brewing among Kannadigas outside Mysore. They felt that their interests and their language was being mortgaged to the interests of the higher ups. Thus, while the Kannadigas under the Nizam felt that Urdu was being thrust on them at the expense of Kannada, those in the Bombay Presidency felt similarly vis a vis Marathi. Economically also, these areas remained undeveloped, neglected and backward.

It was in this backdrop that the movement that first started as a protest against linguistic oppression, soon morphed into one that began demanding a separate state be created consolidating all Kannada-speaking regions. This was essentially a movement that was spearheaded by the poets, journalists and writers and was called the Ekikarana or 'Unification' movement.

The role of North Karnataka

Almost the entire southern half of Karnataka was then under the Wodeyars of Mysore with Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar and his dewan Sir M V at the helm. The official language of the state was Kannada and the state was also one of the more progressive states of the day. Given these circumstances, Kannadigas in Mysore had few complaints and were mostly content. But the northern regions of what is now Karnataka were under the British and the Nizam and they mostly bore the brunt of the misrule of these governments. Not surprisingly, the seeds of the Ekikarana movement and all its most important protagonists including Aluru Venkata Rao were from northern parts of Karnataka. One of the earliest and most important organisations that spearheaded the entire movement, the Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha also took birth in Dharwad. Thus the contribution of the people and leaders of North Karnataka towards the unification of Karnataka is central.

==The Vidyavardhaka

1. "Contributing to the cause". Deccan Herald. 1 November 2005. Retrieved 2006-11-28.