Potti Sreeramulu

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Amarajeevi Potti Sreeramulu
Sanitary Engineering
Occupation(s)Engineer, social activist.
Known forHunger strike for a separate state of Andhra.
TitleFounding Father of Andhra Pradesh
Parent(s)Guravayya and Mahalakshmamma

Potti Sreeramulu (

Andhra state
".

Early life

Sriramulu was born to Guravayya and Mahalakshmamma in 1901 at Padamatapalli in a district that once was itself a region within Nellore district. He was born in a

Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram to serve the struggle for Indian Independence.[3]

Independence Movement and Dalit upliftment

Sreeramulu took part in the

Quit India movement and was imprisoned on three occasions. He was involved in the village reconstruction programmes at Rajkot in Gujarat and Komaravolu in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. He joined the Gandhi ashram established by Yerneni Subrahmanyam in Komaravolu. Commenting on Sreeramulu's dedication and fasting ability, Mahatma Gandhi once said, "If only I have eleven more followers like Sreeramulu I will win freedom from British rule in a year."[8]

Between 1923 and 1944, he worked for the widespread adoption of

Harijan) rights to enter holy places, such as the temples of Nellore.[9] He fasted in supplementary of Dalit entry rights to the Venu Gopala Swamy Temple in Moolapeta, Nellore, rights which were eventually secured. He again fasted to receive favourable orders, passed by the Madras government, to further uplift the Dalit community.[citation needed
]

As a result, the government instructed

Komati community for his solidarity with the Dalit cause.[10]

Statehood for Andhra

In an effort to protect the interests of the

Pattabhi Sitaramayya, would not accept that proposal.[11][12]

With the Andhra State still not granted, Sreeramulu resumed his hunger strike, at the Madras house of

Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurti on 19 October 1952, despite the entreaties of supporters who stated that retention of Madras was a futile cause.[13] Despite the Andhra Congress committee's disavowal of the fast, this action captured the public attention.[14]

Despite strikes and demonstrations by the Andhra people, the government made no clear statement regarding the formation of the new state, and Sreeramulu died during the night of 15 December 1952. Only one person before him in modern Indian history,

Jatin Das, actually fasted to death; all the others either gave up or were arrested and force fed or hospitalised.[8]

In his death procession, people shouted slogans praising his sacrifice, with thousands more joining as the procession reached Mount Road, Madras. The procession broke into a riot and accompanying destruction of public property. As the news spread, disorder broke out in

Anakapalle and Vijayawada. The popular agitation continued for three to four days disrupting normal life in Madras and Andhra regions. On 19 December 1952, Prime Minister Nehru announced that a separate Andhra state would be formed.[15][16]

Aftermath

On 1 October 1953, the Telugu speaking Andhra State was established with its capital in Kurnool. Later, the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State, called Telangana was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad became the capital city which was formed on 1 November 1956.[17][18]

Legacy

Sreeramulu on a 2000 stamp of India

The house where Potti Sreeramulu died is 126 Royapettah High Road, Mylapore, Chennai; it has been preserved as a monument of importance by the state government of Andhra State.

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Murthy, Chippada Suryanarayana, Andhra martyr amarajeational Telugu Institute, p. 5
  3. ^
  4. ^ Guha, Ramchandra (30 March 2003). "The battle for Andhra". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  5. ^ Sri Potti Sriramulu. Eemaata.com. Retrieved on 2018-11-26.
  6. ^ Murthy, Chippada Suryanarayana (1984), Andhra martyr amarajeevi Potti Sreeramulu, International Telugu Institute, p. 1
  7. ^ Sarkar, Asmita. "Remembering India's forgotten heroes on 70th Independence Day: 7 freedom fighters that you need to know about". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b Fast and Win. Time, 29 December 1952
  9. ^ Indian, The Logical (28 June 2017). "Andhra Pradesh: Dalits Suffering From Social Boycott By Upper Caste Villagers For Two Months". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  10. ^ by (19 December 2017). "Famous Personalities of Andhra Pradesh". Andhra Pradesh PCS Exam Notes. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Potti Sriramulu, The Martyr Who Breathed Life Into Andhra". Sakshi Post. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  12. ^ Express, Shodhganga (2001). "His fast upto death for a separate Andhra State" (PDF). Shodhganga.
  13. ^ "Andhrulu Aalochinchali ("Andhras should think")". Lavanam. Andhra Jyithy. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  14. ^ "Shodhganga, 2005" (PDF). Shodhganga.
  15. ^ "Potti Sriramulu: Little-Known Freedom Fighter Who Sacrificed His Life for Andhra!". The Better India. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  16. ^ "About Potti Sreeramulu(Founder of Andhra)". jillellareddy. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  17. ^ Murthy, Chippada Suryanarayana (1984). Andhra Martyr Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu. International Telugu Institute.
  18. ^ Ramach, ByVarun; ra (13 July 2015). "Linguistic States in India". The Takshashila Institution. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

External links