Snehalata Reddy

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Snehalatha Reddy
Born1932
Pattabhirama Reddy Tikkavarapu
ChildrenNandana Reddy, Konarak Reddy
RelativesRamana Reddy
T. Subbarami Reddy

Snehalatha Reddy (1932 – 20 January 1977) was an Indian actress, producer and social activist known for her works in

Pattabhirama Reddy presented - In the Hour of God, a play based on Sri Aurobindo's classic Savitri, inspired by the mythical woman who defied death for love, which he dedicated to Snehalata Reddy.[1]

Personal life

Snehalatha was born in 1932 to second generation Christian converts from the state of Andhra Pradesh. She strongly opposed the Colonial Rule and her initial years were immersed in the freedom struggle. She resented the British to such an extent that she reverted to her Indian name and wore only Indian clothes. Snehalatha was married to poet and film director

Kannada film Samskara, written by UR Ananthamurthy and directed by her husband. The film went on to win the National Award in 1970. Her last film Sone Kansari was released in 1977, after her death.[1][2][3] Her daughter Nandana Reddy is a human rights, social and political activist. She is the founder and director of CWC (Concerned for Working Children) a Bangalore-based NGO that was nominated for 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.[4] Nandana has written various memoirs of her mother's ordeals at imprisonment during the Emergency.[5]
Her son Konarak Reddy is a musical artist.

Political activism

Snehalatha and her husband actively participated in the anti-Emergency movement. They spoke out against the tyrannical Indira Gandhi regime and the proclamation of Emergency in consideration with their affiliation to

Bangalore Central Jail, enduring regular torture and was subjected to inhumane conditions. Despite having chronic asthma she received irregular treatment and on two occasions even went into an asthmatic coma.[6] Her frail health worsened due to solitary confinement. With her health failing, Snehalatha was eventually released on parole on 15 January 1977.[9] As a result of chronic asthma and debilitating lung infection, she died on 20 January 1977, just 5 days after her release.[10] She is one of the first martyrs of the Emergency.[11][12]
[13][14][15] Madhu Dandavate, who was also in the same jail where Snehalata was imprisoned, writes in his memoir, "I could hear the screams of Snehalata from her cell in the silence of the night".[16]

While in jail, Snehalatha Reddy had maintained a diary which was published by the Karnataka Human Rights Committee in 1977 in a compilation titled A Prison Diary. A documentary was made based on her diary in year 2019.[17]

Filmography

  • Samskara (1970)
  • Chanda Marutha (1977)
  • Sone Kansari (1977)

References

  1. ^ a b c Aditi De (1 December 2003). "A Savitri for Sneha". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 March 2004. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Snehalata Reddy". IMDb.
  3. ^ "In the Hour of God: Play in tribute to Snehalata Reddy at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore".
  4. ^ "Bangalore NGO among nominees for Nobel peace prize |". Citizen Matters, Bengaluru. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  5. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Fearless, Compassionate And Martyr: The Story of an Actress Who Took on The Emergency". The Better India. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. ISBN 978-0330540209
    .
  8. ^ "Snehalata Reddy - churumuri". 29 January 2019.
  9. ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (29 June 2015). "Celluloid's two-pronged response to Emergency". The Hindu.
  10. ISBN 9780230016545
    .
  11. ^ A Prison Diary. Snehalata Reddy Human Rights Committee, Karnataka State, 1977 -. 1977. pp. 15–22.
  12. ISBN 0901269344
    .
  13. ^ Himmat - Volume 13, Issues 1-26. 1976. p. 180. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  14. ISBN 9781558612730
    . Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  15. ^ "When friends disappeared". The Hindu. 2 July 2000. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014.
  16. ISBN 9788177648560
    .
  17. ^ "'Prison Diaries': An intimate documentary on anti-Emergency activist Snehalatha Reddy". The News Minute. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2021.

External links

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