Know Your City: How a freedom fighter played a crucial role in developing Mekhri Circle in Bengaluru

Indian Express

11 hours ago

Written by Bhoomika Roy Bannerjee, Mehak Singh
If you have driven past the Mekhri Circle in North Bengaluru, you have passed a name engraved not just into the roadways of the city but also into the history of Bangalore. The name Enayathullah Mehkri appears on signage, Google Maps, and even now in the Metro station currently under planning. But very few know the human behind the name—a freedom fighter, philanthropist, and quiet reformer.
In 1937, the area was nothing more than a steep incline, where bullocks pulling stone-laden carts struggled to ascend. It wasn't the municipality or the monarchy that stepped in—it was Enayathulla Mehkri, a military contractor and freedom fighter recently released from jail. He personally funded and oversaw the levelling of that road, not for reward or recognition, but out of empathy for the animals and labourers.
His maternal grandson Abid Mehkri said, 'He did it out of compassion for the bullocks—the 'beasts of burden'—as he used to call them. To help the needy was his cause.'
This act of generosity, which he performed so quietly without any expectations, got noticed by none other than the then Maharaja of Mysore, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who was informed through his dewan Sir Humayun Mirza. The Maharaja offered him a sum of Rs 10,000 – a large amount for that period — as reimbursement on the grounds of persuading him to accept the money as a reward and that it was the duty of the government to level the road.
However, Mehkri refused, saying, 'Let this be between me and God.' This act of kindness is what led to the naming of the then Enayathulla Mehkri Square, now popularly known as the Mehkri Circle, inaugurated by Lord John Hope, the 1st Baron Glendevon, in 1939.
His family traces its roots back to Mehkar in Syria. The family came to India as advisors to the courts of Mughal and later Mysore rulers, serving under Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, and eventually the Wodeyars.
He was born in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu, and was arrested during the freedom struggle and imprisoned in Vellore for nine months. He was later brought to Bengaluru, where he settled in the military quarters near the very area he would later help develop. This is where his work began—not just as a contractor but as a man devoted to the cause of the community. Despite having little formal education (he didn't complete his Class 10), he became known as a man of the people.
'He could have bought half of Bangalore,' Abid recalls his grandfather saying. 'But what use is that? My work was for the poor, he said.' During his time in jail, he had made significant contacts with freedom fighters like C Rajagopalachari and E V Ramasamy Naicker.
Post-independence, he remained deeply engaged in civic issues. He was elected as a councillor in the Bangalore City Corporation for 16 years, also serving as the All India Congress Committee freedom fighter cells' only member from Karnataka, as well as the president of the Karnataka Freedom Fighters Association. Besides, he also served as the municipal commissioner of the cantonment area, influencing critical urban planning and civic works.
One of Mehkri's most enduring roles was his service as an honorary general secretary of the Muslim Orphanage in Bengaluru for 17 years. Family stories highlight how he once left his own lunch untouched to attend to a call from the orphanage reporting that the children hadn't eaten. He ensured they were fed before he returned home to his cold meal. 'The left hand shouldn't know what the right hand is doing' was a principle that he lived by.
He was also involved in helping the underprivileged buy land, supporting families in financial crisis, and paying school fees or electricity bills for those in need. His philanthropic actions were never documented publicly, but they remain vivid in the oral history passed down by the living of his family. Even though the name survives in road signs and articles, Abid Mehkri admits that the legacy is slowly fading away.
'My father said the name will remain, but the family may vanish. And it seems to be already happening,' he says. What was once the expansive estate of the Mehkri family in Miller Road, Benson Town—described as 'palace-like'—now stands as a relic of the past.
The circle has undergone multiple renovations, underpasses and soon metro additions. Still, the plaque with Mehkri's name remains, less prominent than it once was. The family members themselves have recently attempted to repaint and re-establish the original name.
In 2035, Mehkri Circle will mark 100 years since its naming. As the city grows ever larger, its people ought to pause to remember the ones who laid its foundation.
(Bhoomika Roy Bannerjee and Mehak Singh are interns with the Indian Express)