The contribution of the Magadis to the freedom movement in Karnataka is unique. Leelavati, the only daughter of Shri. Veeranagouda Patil by his first wife Sundaratai inherited the graces, beauty and determination of the one and the sense of social services and sacrifice of the other.
So the choice fell on Shri. Veerangouda Patil. From her very childhood, Leelavati breathed the air of independence and patriotism. She accompanied her father in his tour of the country. In 1927 he visited Shantiniketan. He was so much impressed by the atmosphere of the Niketan that he decided to admit there, Leelavati who was just seven years old. He asked her whether she would, and her quick and firm affirmative answer settled the matter. That is how Leelavati came to be influenced in her early childhood by the teaching of Ravindranath Tagore. Later on she was admitted to the Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, another national school in Jullundar. Though she spent much of her time outside, the national activities that were carried on in Karnataka were not unknown to her, both her parents being in the very thick of it. Prabhat Pheri, Picketing, boycotting the foreign goods, spinning, and the frequent visits of the police, the arrests and the release were part of her life.