Life History of Alluri Seeta Rama Raju

Transcription

1 Life History of

2 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Author : P. Chandra Sekhara Azad B.A., Hyderabad Ph : The author, Sri. P. Chandra Sekhara Azad, is a distinguished writer, having written more than 400 short stories and 56 novels to his credit. He has also written the autobiography of Colonel D.S. Raju. He is a columnist for various Telugu magazines. Children literature is his favourite one. He has produced many plays for All India Radio and nearly 5000 episodes for Telugu T.V. Serials. He also worked for Telugu Cinema. He is also an endearing actor who performed in various serials. He got NANDI awards and many more laurels for his significant contributions. PUBLISHERS VIJAYA LAKHSMI MEMORIAL TRUST PRATHALLAMERAKA Kalla Mandal, W.G.Dist., A.P., Ph :

3 PREFACE Born in Mogallu village, near Bhimavaram of West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh,, shines as a brilliant star as one of the proud sons of India. His life history is a heroic saga depicting the courageous fight against the British to free the people of India from the shackles of their notorious rule. His bravery, chivalry, outspokenness and enthusiasm to help the underprivileged attracted the tribal people in the forests and they believed that this Kshatriya youth could be their savior to protect them from the inhuman treatment that they suffered from the British rule. His patriotism is associated with a real feeling for the others who are the victims of brutal dictatorship. Raju s followers as well as the British officers were stupefied by his mystic appearance. Never had he attacked any police station without prior intimation to them. Never had he involved in indiscriminate killing of innocent people. The British officers themselves adored his infallible strategies of Guerilla warfare. He never succumbed to the temptations of either money or power. Raju terrorized the British Empire like Netaji Subash Chandra Bose who believed that only an armed struggle could bring freedom to Indian people who were subjected to untold miseries, may be a divergent path away from the non-violent revolution of Gandhiji. But the goal is a noble one though the ways are different. Incidentally both of them could not live to see the independent India, their cherished dream. Raju s Guerilla war against the British imperialism started only in 1922 and ended in 1924 with his death in the cruel hands of the nefarious British police officer. It is unfortunate that he died so young at the age of 27 years, a blossoming flower that had been mercilessly cut off abruptly by the inexorable fate. Seeta Rama Raju s patriotism, humanity, purity of heart, sacrifice, perseverance, bravery, indomitable will power and chivalry will remain in the hearts of all patriots as long as this holy land exists or as long as the sun never ceases to rise in the east. The writer deserves due praise for writing the history of this patriot with such acumen that it reflects the truthful account of incidents chronologically without any figment of imagination. I feel it my privilege to bring this material to light by getting it edited at this opportune time when there has been moral bankruptcy in the present society and when there is need to remember the great values of our glorious heroes of our country and to emulate them for propagation of those eternal moral values enshrined in them and to rededicate ourselves for the service of humanity. In this regard, it is noteworthy to note that Sri. U. Krishnam Raju, former Union Minister who represented Narsapur Parliament Constituency has been striving his best to install the statue of Alluri Seeta Rama Raju in the Parliament Hall in memory of that great leader for his inimitable fight for our freedom and for the moral and spiritual values which he stood for.. To read this book is no longer enough. Now it is time to know the truth about this illustrious son of India. I hope the children as well as the elders of the present generation will be immensely benefited by this book by following the values ingrained in this great soul. Prathallameraka Vegiraju Siva Varma Managing Trustee Vijaya Lakshmi Memorial Trust Prathallameraka Kalla Mandal W.G.Dt. A.P. India

4 Sitarama Raju when he was a student wearing the Georage Medal Raju after shot dead on 7th May 1924

5 ALLURI SEETA RAMA RAJU I hailed from Mogallu village in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. Rama Raju s father was born in Mogallu village. Sri Gopala Krishnam Raju was Seeta Rama Raju s great grand father and Sri Venkata Krishnam Raju was his grandfather. Seeta Rama Raju was born on July 4 in the year 1897 in Pandrangi Village of Visakhapatnam District at his maternal grandfather,sri Mandalapati Srirama Raju's house. Though given the name Sri Rama Raju, he was better known as during the freedom struggle. Sri Venkata Rama Raju was Sri Rama Raju s father and Suryanarayanamma was his mother. Rama Raju had three paternal uncles. Ramachandra Raju was the eldest among his father s brothers, and Ramakrishnam Raju, Rangaraju, Ramabhadra Raju were the younger brothers. Venkata Rama Raju studied up to school final level and knew considerable English and Sanskrit. Rajayyamma who earned the title of Pandita Rajayamma was the sister of Venkata Rama Raju s grandfather. Scholars from as far away as Kaasi used to call on her to clarify their doubts. The family had many aunts and uncles who were well versed in Sanskrit. Venkata Rama Raju, Seeta Rama Raju s father was a highly independent person who went to Bombay alone, which was an act of adventure some hundred and ten years ago. That too taking some gold from home without anybody s knowledge! He was a man of refined tastes with a keen aptitude for photography, painting, magic and so on. Going to Bombay was no ordinary achievement in those days. Language of communication was the first hurdle to anyone who moved to the city from a remote place of another state. Since he knew some English, he stayed back in Bombay for some time and learnt photogra- 1 2 phy. On returning from Bombay he ran photo-studios initially at Tanuku and later at Narasapuram. He was blessed with a daughter Seetamma in The studio proved to be an unsuccessful venture. Venkata Rama Raju had to move to Rajamahendravaram - the present Rajahmundry - along with the family. The second child Satyanarayana Raju was born in By then Venkata Rama Raju had become a well established photographer. He was the only photographer for the surrounding four districts! Needless to say the family s fortunes looked up. But the expenditure too used to be on the higher side. The house was like a zamindari family with several servants and cooks. The house experience a constant flow of relatives and friends visiting them. Venkata Rama Raju had never compromised in his hospitality as a good host to all of them. Venkata Rama Raju had the privilege of photographing the famous personalities such as Tilak, Lala Lajpat Roy, Kodi Rama Murthy and at the same time he had been assigned the job of photographing the inmates of the Rajahmundry Central Jail. Venkata Rama Raju was a nationalist. The Vandemaataram movement of 1904 in Bengal against the division of the state had a great impact on him though he was not directly involved in it. Vandemataram... Manade Rajyam - Vandemataram and ours the country -- which the father used to sing spiritedly at home had an indelible impression on the young Seeta Rama Raju. Venkata Rama Raju had set up his studio in one of Javvadivari s small tenements to the east of the Training College at Innispet in Rajahmundry. For sometime he lived in the house of Chintaluri Lakshmi Narayana, a pleader by profession. In 1908, at the time of the Godavari Pushkarams, a river festival that occurs once in twelve years took place, Sri Rama Raju was a student of class 6. Venkata Ramaraju had set up several tents and took care of the pilgrims by way of serving them food. During this time he

6 was infected with cholera which then had no proper treatment. He had succumbed to the infection and died. The death dealt a blow to the family especially to Chittibabu, that was Sri Rama Raju s pet name. The paternal uncles rushed on receiving the telegraphic message of the death. Naanayya... who will take care of us... How are we to study...? Narayana Raju and Sri Rama Raju wept bitterly on seeing the uncles. One of the uncles, a Deputy Tahsildar came forward to take care of the family. But his job forced him to be constantly on the move on transfers to such as many important towns as Narsapuram, Kakinada, Cudappa, Pithapuram, Tuni, Amalapuram and Ramachandrapuram. The death created an abrupt void in the family as it was left alone to negotiate all kinds of crises with nothing to fall back on. Finding it difficult to live with three children in a city like Rajahmundry, Sita Rama Raju s mother shifted to Kovvada Village near Bhimavaram on the advice of the uncle. Kovvada was two miles from Bhimavaram. Sri Rama Raju had been admitted into the Board Middle School there in The life here was different from that of Rajahmundry where the family used to have several servants. Rama Raju who previously used to be accompanied by a servant to school had to wade through the slush on the village roads especially during the monsoon. The young heart had to still come to terms with his father s death. He was no longer that bubbling old self. The family now had to depend on others for everything. All sorts of thoughts used to disturb the already restive mind of Sri Rama Raju. He went into depression and attempted suicide by swallowing an over dose of sleeping pills. The result was a high fever. Upon knowing the reason he was made to clear his bowels and the ordeal ended in being bed-ridden for over three months. At that young age he became so weak that he was forced to walk with the help of a walking stick. He could not get through 3 4 his year-end examinations and studied the first form itself for two years in spite of his love for learning. However, he developed more interest in philosophy and yoga rather than academics. There was a name sake of Sri Rama Raju in Rajahmundry. A distant relative from our Raju s father s side, he was better known as 'Cheviti' - the deaf - Rama Raju. In 1910, Sri Rama Raju was sent to Cheviti Ramaraju who was then a student of B.A. Cheviti Raju had died a bachelor. He was a voracious reader and a staunch practitioner of yoga and philosophy who had been to Kaasi in those days. Here too Sri Rama Raju could not fare well at academics but he developed inclination towards yoga and philosophy. Cheviti Ramaraju used to tutor Sri Rama Raju though he didn t exhibit any academic brilliance. Instead, he began to compose and recite poems under the tutelage which was no mean achievement. By 1911, Sri Rama Raju s paternal uncle had been transferred to Ramachandrapuram as a Magistrate. His nephew s ways caused him a lot of concern. He lost no time in getting his nephew to Ramachandrapuram and admitting him into 2 nd form. The very next year he was transferred to Kakinada where Ramaraju studied his 3 rd form at the school belong to the Rajah of Pithapuram. The late Madduri Annapurnayya, a leading Congress leader of those days, was also a student of the same school. Rama Raju and Annapurnayya became friends in no time. On the occasion of the coronation of George V on December 12 that year, both Annapurnayya and Rama Raju took part in a play - Sasirekha parinayam -- as part of the celebrations. Rama Raju who played both the female and male roles became an overnight celebrity. His diction, dialogue delivery and mastery at singing simply charmed the audience. He now developed more love for poetry. All these brought about a discernible change in Rama Raju. Academics took a back seat. Always brooding, he longed for loneliness. He always used to be caught in extremes. If one day he

7 was well dressed, the next day people found him in rags. He loved going to the sea along with Annapurnayya who always asked him Why are you like this? Annapurnayya could never understand the way Rama Raju used to spend time at graveyards or lost in meditation into the wee hours at the temple on the hill. Do you call this education...? The British are simply training their clerks! It s not our national education either. One should learn the language people speak. Not English! used to be his stock reply whenever Annapurrrayya questioned him on his lack of interest in academics. Does one need a B.A. to serve people? used to be the standard response whenever Annapurnayya advised that he should acquire a B.A., at least if only he wanted to serve the masses. I ve no need for that kind of education...! Rama Raju used to state emphatically. Those days I thought Rama Raju was crazy. Till 1920 I didn t know it was I who was crazy... wrote Annapurnayya in his diary later. Right from his very young age, Rama Raju developed an uncompromising aversion for the white rule. The aversion continued to grow with his age. He developed love for physical exercises - how to hit the opponent with elan -- how to defend one s self. Rama Raju learnt all these and more at Kauta Ramakrishnayya s Gym in Kakinada and the skills made him stand in good stead when he openly resisted the British Government. There was a group photo of Rama Raju in which one finds the medallion of George V hanging around his neck. It was a prize he received for his expertise in histrionics during his student days at Kakinada. The British are sitting pretty on our hearts. I wear this to convey the message...! He used to say of the medallion. Rama Raju s thread ceremony had been performed at the age 5 6 of 14 atop the famous Annavaram Hill temple. Ramaraju s mother along with her other children lived at Payakaraopeta when Ramaraju was a student at Kakinada. She moved back to her native village, Pandrangi when living had turned tougher. By the time Rama Raju had completed his CIass VIII, the uncle was once again transferred. In 1913 Rama Raju had joined the mission school at Visakhapatnam where there was none to place a check on him. He became a spendthrift and whiled away all his time. Worried at the irresponsible behaviour of her eldest son, who should shoulder the family responsibility and take care of the younger ones, the mother shifted the family to Visakhapatnam. The friends at Visakhapatnam knew of Rama Raju s abilities as an actor. They even knew how good he was playing both male and female roles. Kusalavada Janakayya, a relative of Rama Raju had a daughter who was studying in the same school as Rama Raju. Hardly any girls went to school those days. Rama Raju and the girl - a sister by relation - used to be in the same class. The classmates lost no time in teasing the duo. Rama Raju took this as a pretext to keep away from school. He blamed the new place and new people as he lacked interest in school. The mother was determined to see him back at school. She got him admitted at AVN College High School. Unfortunately, Rama Raju fell seriously ill and lack of required attendance at school deterred him from appearing for the exams. The helpless mother sent him to his uncle, Ramakrishna Raju at Narsapuram where Rama Raju was adimitted in Tylor High School. Since Ramakrishna Raju was a tahsildar, the munsiff of Chinchinada used to come on a horse back to visit him. The munsiff owned a rude horse. Sri Rama Raju could not only tame the horse but used to ride on its back. Somehow the uncle, who got to know that, reprimanded him to change his wild ways. Angered at being questioned by the uncle that year when Rama Raju went to see the Antarvedi teertham, he sought his maternal aunt s per-

8 mission to go to Chinchinada without uncle Ramakrishna Raju s knowledge. When the uncle didn t see him for days, he concluded that Rama RaJu must've got drowned in the sea. He even commissioned people to search for him. Returning on the following day when Rama Raju was about to go to school, the uncle, who spent the previous two days worrying over the nephew, had lost his cool and slapped Rama Raju in the presence of all the servants. Rama Raju took it as an insult and left home. The uncle was agitated. He already informed his sisterin-law about her son. Rama Raju went to another uncle s house at Vempa, a very small village near Narsapur. The older uncle sent word to his brother that he would soon see him along with the nephew. The elder uncle, Ramachandra Raju was a great Sanskrit scholar and also an expert at playing chess. Rama Raju learnt many things while he was with him. Rama Raju along with his elder uncle went to Ramakrishna Raju to attend the marriage of the uncle s daughter. Later Rama Raju left for Tuni. His formal education had to be stopped there. Gopalapatnam where Rama Raju s maternal aunt lived is a small village located at 6 km from Tuni. Sitammavari Konda is a small hillock in the village. Influenced as he was by the stories he heard as a child and by the people he had met, Rama Raju sat for penance there on the hill for some time. One day when he opened his eyes he saw two foxes sitting in front of him. Another day he saw a wild boar. Rama Raju took them as different forms of God and broke into verse in an inexplicable mystic state of joy. He later shared all these experiences with his brother. At the Tuni asthanam, there used to be a poet by name Vatsavaayi Neeladri Raju. Rama Raju s family lived with them for some time. Rama Raju not only learnt Sanskrit from the poet but also gained the knowledge of the four Vedas. He came to know about hathayoga, astrology and other esoteric sciences there. 7 8 All these things confused his mother. The son s lack of stability had been a constant bother to the lady. Rama Raju didn t pay heed to her whenever she advised that he should find some employment and support the family. He used to be engrossed in tapas or lost in thought. Though he did not have command over the language, he spoke in English. The family began to sell away household articles to make a living. Then something happened. Neeladri Raju, the poet, studied the birth chart of Rama Raju to find out if some solace could be brought to the mother. It was very clear in the chart that Rama Raju would never get into any employment and forcing him into doing things would be of no use. However, the birth chart clearly indicated immense name and fame for Sri Rama Raju. Later another yogi pronounced that there was every chance Rama Raju would die at his 27 th year. If that were not to happen, he would sure grow in his stature and become famous! This determined Rama Raju s future course of life. He began to ponder over death and the possibility of the prediction coming true. By now, Raju himself had acquired considerable knowledge of these esoteric sciences. He began to study them deeper and after a series of calculations he came to the conclusion that he would not escape death. Soon he slipped into a state of spiritual revelation. He decided not to get married lest the woman would be subjected to agony. He made up his mind not to get involved in material pursuits. He took money from his mother saying that he would search for a job. He did not like the thought of displeasing her! In stead of going in search of an employment he went on a tour to Northern India on a pilgrimage. First he reached West Bengal. There he ran into Surendranath Banerjee who invited him to his house. By then Rama Raju completed three months of his stay away from home.

9 He had no money. Hunger taunted him. He jumped with joy at Surendranath s invitation. This accidental meeting led to a greater interaction between the two. Surendranath came to know of Rama Raju s life. He also came to know of Rama Raju s desire to withdraw into the Himalayas for offering penance. Surendranath liked Rama Raju immensely. He prevailed upon Rama Raju to be his guest. The stay was fruitful for Rama Raju. He met national leaders like Motilal Nehru. The leaders spoke to Rama Raju too who in turn expressed his ideas on freedom to them. The mother gave up all her hopes as far as the eldest son, Rama Raju was concerned. When she concluded that he must have died, there arrived a letter from him stating his where abouts in Calcutta. He also wrote to her how he met Surendranath Benarjee and Motilal Nehru there. I am heading elsewhere... better not think of me... he concluded the letter. Don t try to search for me. If I am alive, I myself will get in touch with you, he further wrote. I don t know where I am going...! He added. Raju begain his search for spiritual knowledge. First, he he went to Kasi and from there he went Haridwar and from there he walked for about 200 miles to reach Brahmakapalam. All through his journey Rama Raju covered several hundred miles. it gave him the opportunity to interact with different people especially yogis and sadhus. He visited several cities. He had bathed in a number of rivers. He had scaled a number of peaks. Puri Jagannadh, Bombay, Barooch, Baroda, Ujjain, Amritsar, Kaasi, Badarinath, Kedarnath, Assam, Naga Hills, Kashmir were some of the important places on his itinerary. He learnt Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. He had became worldly wise. He learnt the science of horses, elephants, vaastu, astrology, alchemy, fencing, and how to use gems. He had engaged himself in special worship of Goddess Kali. He had spent most of his time in japa. He had accomplished 9 what s beyond an average human being in such a short time. No wonder his life was wrapped in myths. Rama Raju never wished to have the same pattern of life repeated over. It is because of the diversity of his life and the innumerable people he had met and touched that each cross section of society claims him as their own. It is not merely the father s death or the family background that is responsible for Rama Raju s life style. To some extent we may trace it to the prediction of his death. Like King Parikshit, Rama Raju decided to make the best use of the short span of life given to him. Unlike king Kamsa, he did not want to waste his short span of life by fearing his personal safety. Was it not the fear for personal safety that prompted Kamsa to commit more sins by way of killing his sister s progeny? Rama Raju who could see the essence of life and death supported by his own knowledge of astrology had concluded that death was inevitable to him. The conclusion made him leave for the Himalayas to spend the remainder of his life in penance. However, once at the Himalayas, Rama Raju realized through his own self-experience that his family was dependent on him and that they were forced to depend on the uncles and other relatives because of his irresponsible ways. He thought that it was wrong on his part to shirk away from the family responsibilities and go in search of his mukti. He decided to continue the penance and simultaneously take care of the family. He turned homeward July Seeta Rama Raju was on his way back home from the Himalayas en route Krishnadevipeta in Golugonda taluq of Visakhapatnam district. He stopped at a house for water. The house belonged to Chitekala Bhaskarudu. Noticing the unusual brightness on his face, Bhaskarudu asked Raju who he was. I am a brahmacaari... I have no fixed address. Raju replied. He wanted to 10

10 head towards Dhaarakonda for his penance. However, Bhaskarudu suggested that Raju could offer his penance at Krishnadevipeta itself since Dharakonda was a god forsaken place. Bhaskarudu further promised Raju that his villagers and he himself would take care of all his needs. Rama Raju agreed to settle there. He remained upon a hill for long. One day he decided to come down from the hill. The hill was absolutely perpendicular and Raju had thedifficulty in negotiating the slope. Somehow he managed to reach Krishnadevipeta bleeding through several wounds of thorn pricks. Raju was taken care of by Bhaskarudu s mother. It was during this time that Raju shared his personal matters with them. The villagers requested Raju to bring his family to the village and decided to build a house for them. They chose a spot where river Thandava and the stream Chikkalagedda met. Raju thought he would develop a village by name Sri Rama Vijayanagaram around the spot. He took over some 30 acres of agricultural land and asked Venkatapathi Raju, his sister s husband to come over. He thought this might at least show some means of livelihood to the brother and mother so that he could later withdraw himself from the material world. But when Venkatapati Raju left them abruptly, the burden of looking after the mother fell on him once again. Raju survived on fruits and milk provided by the villagers. He began to put into practice the wide knowledge he gleaned on various subjects. Those were the days when people hardly had any medical facilities. Besides, a large majority of them were illiterates. And they lacked awareness of any sort. Raju decided to stand by the innocent villagers. The people of the village on their part almost deified him. He was their friend, philosopher and guide. He used to discourse with the villagers on the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Throughout the Agency area of Visakhapatnam, people used to recount the events of Raju s life in the form of anecdotes which when compiled would run into an epic. First and foremost, Raju s efforts that weaned the villagers from the habit of drinking is commendable. He walked the length and breadth of several villages promoting the message of the evil effects of drinking. He prevailed. upon the Panchayat Officers to fell the jeelugu trees so that the very source of liquor could be uprooted. Those who drank the country brew were fined and if it didn t work they were simply ostracized from the community. Raju was well supported by Bhaskarudu in this endeavour. While he was at the work of banning liquor, the untrodden village terrains, roads, hide outs, caves, streams and all these left a lasting impression on him. Once people began to pour out their worries, problems and feelings to him, once his interaction with people turned deeper, he developed deeper insights into their lives. Raju understood how the police, the revenue and the forest departments exploited the people of Manyam, the remote forest area. The people used to be robbed of their hard labour. Their produce was always seized from them at a throwaway price. Land tax, authoritarian attitude of the Government, indiscriminate exploitation in the name of power, socio-political-economic discontent gradually brewed into a revolution among the masses. Not that there had not been any such movements earlier. These rebellions of the tribals had been dubbed as phituris. There had been four to five such phituris prior to the one headed by Raju - Laagarai phituri, Gopanna phituri were two such movements. But the objective of these was not revolution. It was simply to rob. Having closely studied the tone and tenor of the earlier phituris Raju had embarked upon a new course of action that was typically of his invention. Businessmen and officers soon saw a drastic decline in the profits they always made from the tribal people which resulted to their bitter animosity towards Rama Raju. At the same time they were afraid of him as they strongly believed that he possessed some supernatural powers.

11 II The village Gudem in Chintapalli Taluq. Bastian used to work as the tahsildar of the area. Santanam Pillai was the road overseer. Bastian and Pillai together established a reign of terror in the region. Manyam region never used to have proper roads. The Government sanctioned funds for the laying of ghat road from Narsipatnam to Lambasingi. The labour hired were never paid their due. They were almost like bonded labour. Besides collecting taxes and paying peshkas to the government, the muthadaars were forced to deploy people under them to work on the ghat road. If it was not done, Bastian used to torture the muthadaars. The situation remains the same till today. Now also there are agitations in this area. Raju s rebellion was an inspiration for the present day social activists to find invaluable lessons in social revolution. It was a treasure if they studied Raju s rebellions analytically. If the Government wages of labour was only six annas but the coolies received only two annas as their due from the contractor. There were times the coolies went back home empty handed after a hard day s work. Those who dared to question were hung to a tree upside down that too in nude stripping their clothes. A number of tribal women used to be the regular targets of Bastian s violence and brute passion. Time and again Rama Raju used to report to the Government on the atrocities committed by Bastian. Instead of taking action against Bastian the Government filed a criminal case against Raju under Criminal Procedure Code section 107 at Narsipatnam Police Station. The corrupt official foresaw a threat in Raju! By then Raju had motivated the people of Manyam. He went all out to bring about effective changes in their lives. He had made people understand the need for fearlessness. They now understood that they need not cow down to the power of the rulers. They refused to part with their produce unless paid properly. They were not to carry the dolis of officials free of cost. Raju made them understand the need to protect the forests. Now they were confident of their ownership of the forests they had been living in. If bullied and compelled to carry an officer by a doli, Raju had advised the tribals that they should let the dolis loose and allow it to fall down the hill slope. You can always defend the action blaming it on the terrain, he used to assure them. The timber is yours. Take as much as you need. If questioned, simply say that you are doing it at the Raju's behest, he used to say. He assured them of his intervention if at all something went wrong. His words of encouragement had tremendous impact on the innocent tribals. From now on the officials had tough time negotiating them. Bastian began to harass the people in a different way now. He ditched the munisiff of Peddavalasa. He confiscated the lands of some tribals. He cancelled the munsiff giri of some others. He did not allow some muthadaars to enter Manyam. He used to get them arrested on flimsy grounds. The entire Manyam was now on fire, the rebellion of the people against the British government and Bastian, the British officer. The rulers soon decided to squelch the seeds of rebellion. 'We suspect yet another phituri...' They sent a telegraphic message to the higher ups. One fine day Raju summoned the Sub-Inspector of Jayapuram and warned him that the people would no longer remain indifferent to the evil designs of the Inspector Panda and Bastian. We won t hesitate to plunder the Government Office! He threatened. On Jan 30 th 1922, there were wide spread rumours of a phituri about to take off in the month of February. The Sub-Inspector of the Agency sent a telegram conveying the message. Swire, the Superintendent of Police of the Agency came down to question Rama Raju on the issue. Rama Raju categorically denied any knowledge of it. Swire took Raju to Narsipatnam and kept him on surveillance as a precautionary method. On 4 th February 1922, Rama Raju sent an appeal to

12 the Asst. Commissioner of Rampa, a close friend of his uncle that he needed a piece of land for the survival of his mother and brother. Since the issue was under consideration, Raju promised that he would see the Asst. Commissioner as and when summoned. It was decided that Raju should be sent out of Krishnadevipeta. Fazi-ul-Khan, the then Deputy Collector respected Raju immensely. He allotted some 50 acres of land too Raju at the village of Pydiputta about 4 miles away from Addateegela on the banks of Jadayeru. The official put up two huts on the land and even arranged all the tools needed for cultivation. He used to send reports on Raju from time to time. Raju learnt archery and fencing in Pydiputta. He even learnt how to fire a gun from the police. The day s schedule of Raju during those days has been documented in history sheets for posterity. Faziul-Khan used to discuss Vedanta with Raju. He used to advise Raju to take up some employment. Raju declined it saying that he, being a sanyasi had no need for anything. Raju predicted Fazil s death. He said Fazil had only a month on the earth. Raju continued to meet people. He used to discourse on Gita during the day and disappear during the nights traveling across the villages and gathering momentum for a rebellion. Raju s life shows how the rulers try their best to lure the revolutionaries with promises aplenty. A genuine revolutionary can never fall into the trap. The real one transforms these temptations to his advantage. Raju sent a letter to Fazil just 15 days before the latter s death. He stated that he would forgo his rights over the land allotted and that he wished to go to Nepal to offer penance and requested him to lift surveillance. It seems he promised Fazil that he would not rebel as long as Fazil was alive. That way Raju evaded the police vigil on him. But Raju confessed to his mother that he was all set to rebel against the British Government. The mother tried in vain to dissuade the son. Moreover, he requested her to leave the brother to him. Why... to get him killed? retorted the mother much to Raju s hurt and pain. Raju for the last time bade goodbye to his family and saw them off at the village of Veta Maamidi. From that day onwards Raju s relationship with both the immediate and the extended family had been snapped. Fazil died in 1922 at Timmapuram bungalow. A week from the day, Raju had initiated his rebellion. Rama Raju was the chief of the army. He was a martinet. Even the nearest ones did not matter to him when it s a matter of discipline. He never favoured any, including Mallu Dora. He used to maintain the biographical details of all those who struggled along with him. He introduced a strict dress code, a white khaadi shirt and red shorts to the revolutionaries. Only those who were ready to sacrifice their lives used to be inducted into the revolution. Each of the revolutionaries was given a status based on his expertise. The details of every weapon and its bearer used to be meticulously recorded. There was an instructive manual containing code of conduct for the revolutionaries and how they should conduct themselves with the Indian officers or soldiers or the police working for the Government. All the revolutionaries were familiar with every inch of Manyam. The revolutionaries had a unique way of heralding their entry to the enemy camp during rebellion. They used to write the expected time of their attack and tie it up along with a bunch of chillies to an arrow. They would shoot the arrow in the direction of the enemy and the message thus used to reach the intended place. They called it chillie post - mirapakaya tapa. That was the way they chose to dispatch messages to the officials. mirapakaya tapa created a scare to the Government August 22 The day the revolution kick started in Manyam. On August 19

13 Raju performed maha rudrabhishekam and announced that they would now attack the Chintapalle Police Station. Mere courage would not be of any use while attacking the British. Possession of weapons was the need of the hour. Raju set off with the Gaam brothers - Yendu Padalu and Gokiri Yerresu and hundreds of others. They carried traditional weapons like country guns, swords, bow and arrows, spears with them. At Lamma~ingi Shoot the revolutionaries ran into the sub- inspector of the jurisdiction. Raju had no hesitation to tell him that they were on their way to gather arms from his police station and to throw the British out of the country. The inspector was dumbstruck. When the party reached the station they found only three police jawans who could not even offer any resistance to the revolutionaries. Raju and his men tied them up as they refused to hand the keys of the armament room. They collected all that they wanted and left the police station without harming a soul. 11 guns, 1390 bullets, 5 swords and 15 bayonets now came under the possession of Raju and his men. Raju carefully entered the details of his booty in the log book at the station. That had been Raju s habit. While returning, he saw Appala Swamy and Maddi Reddayya. Raju did not hesitate to take whatever weapons they had on them before letting them off. The twist to the incident is that those who projected Rama Raju s struggle as an individual one documented that during the Chintapalli rebellion Rama Raju shouted jai Gandhi! They considered this as an extension of the struggle for Indian Independence. The victory at Chintapalli enthused the rebels immensely. By the time they reached Sarabhannapalem in the morning of 23 rd people of the villagers were ready with food and refreshments for the men. Having rested at the village temple Ramaraju headed towards Krishnadevipeta. People of Krishnadevipeta village welcomed him to the sound of native trumpets. Guns were fired into the air as a mark of respect. The police abandoned the station when they came to know of Raju s arrival. Rama Raju stayed at the Rama Temple there and sent Gantam Dora, Mallu Dora and a few other followers to the station. Only the Inspector could be seen there. Upon knowing that the Inspector had threatened to shoot them if they entered the station, Ramaraju rushed six others equipped with guns. The Inspector had no other option but to leave the station. The rebels occupied the station. F. Armitez the Inspector General submitted a report on the incident to R.A.Graham, the Chief Secretary. The report stated that the police had resisted the rebels. But that was not what actually had happened. Probably it was the same at other places too. We would know it only when Rama Raju was arrested, as then only it had been actually documented. The document reflects how the beaurocracy held Rama Raju in high esteem. The victory at Krishnadevipeta made the Government restless. The rebels could only collect small rifles, and a small box of gun powder. That night the party reached Kantharam village and rested there for the night. Aug 24 The rebels reached Rajavommangi station during the zero hours. In no time they attacked the police station. The police too had been alert as they already received a telegraphic message from the Commissioner because of which the rebels had to face some resistance from the police. This attack gave the rebels some 8 guns 825 bullets and some police uniforms. Besides the usual target of securing weapons, the main objective of the attack was to get Mottadam Veerayya Dora released. Veerayya Dora had been taken into custody without any investigation on the grounds that he had been involved in the 1916 Lagarai phituri. The Government confiscated his lands. Though Veerayya had been under arrest earlier, he escaped and lived underground. This time

14 Sergeant Scott Coward arrested Veerayya in Manyam. Ramaraju freed Veerayya in the attack on Rajavommangi. Since then Veerayya became one of the chief followers of Ramaraju along with the Gaam brothers. The Visakhapatnam District Magistrate, Henderson, sent a report to the Chief Secretary. The report stated that the aim of the attacks was not clear. And that it was not certainly to secure weapons alone. Though the rebels seemed to work in association with the people involved in the non-cooperation movement, there had been no clear evidence to prove the connection, the report stated. The Government sent strict directives to the Inspector General to put down the rebellion on an emergency footing. The Telugu region reverberated with Rama Raju s name because of the three successive victories. The rebels celebrated the event in a befitting manner, getting 26 guns 2500 bullets in the depot to their credit. The news of the celebrations had reached the District Collector, Visakhapatnam through Saunders, the District Superintendent of the Agency. Rama Raju had spread word that a similar attack took place at Narsipatnam too. Both Saunders and the District Collector rushed to Narsipatnam. Reserve battalions had been posted at Chintapalli, Addateegela, Kota Nandur and Malkangiri villages. Some hundreds of battalions along with European Officers had been deployed to counter the rebels. Rama Raju and his followers had set off towards the north easterly direction to reach Kilankota and from there to Gangaraju Madugula to the East of Kilankota. Heavy rains, unscheduled movements disturbed the health of the rebels whose number was not more than eighty. It proved difficult to attack the stations there and procure weapons as they had done earlier. Wherever they went, the rebels had to face a stiff resistance from the Government. On September 2 nd a message that the 19 rebel party was heading towards Kondakamberu from Gudem via Kilankota had reached the Government. Tremenheer set out towards Chintapalli while Scott Coward headed towards Lotugedda. They both met at Lotugedda. From there Scott Coward proceeded to Dharakonda via Gudem. Tremenheer was to reach Paderu via Onjeru ghat. Koraput reserve battalion had already been posted at Paderu. Stewart left for Narsipatnam via Krishna-devipeta and coordinated the activities from all directions. A ghat road ran through the Onjeri Hills for a distance of one and half miles. A battalion of 30 police under the command of Tremenheer, Bastian, a doctor and few other policemen were on their way to hunt the rebels. On 3 rd of September the team was traveling by the ghat road. There was a shorter route to reach Onjeri Village. Heer along with some half a dozen police men took the shorter route to reach the village. Around two in the afternoon Rama Raju with a few other followers from behind the hills had been watching their movements. Heer was determined to capture the rebels in every way which was possible. Rama Raju ordered to open fire. But the police began counter firing. The jamedaar who had been already waiting at some 60 yards height on the hills with some 20 policemen, began to fire from the east. The police had little chance against the rebels. The jamedaar abandoned Heer and fled. Bastian and the doctor could barely manage to escape. Heer was severely wounded. In the early hours of 4th around three in the morning the police party some how reached Narsipatnam via Lammasingi. There had been one casualty among the police. After the Onjeri rebellion, a hectic combing operation had been initiated in and around Krishnadevipeta. Though the rebels lodged themselves in the vicinity, the villagers refused to reveal the information to the police. Scott Cowart had no other alternative but leave for Narsipatnam on 11 th. Stewart in his letter to the Chief Secretary recounted the popularity of Raju among the masses. The report also stated 20

15 that Raju would take food from the villagers enough to last him only for a couple of days and that he would never allow any of his followers to rob the villagers. These principles made Raju more popular among the people. However, the letter stated that the possibility of dissent from the rebels such as Gantam Dora could not be ruled out. The Commissioner harbored the hope that the rebellion would die a natural death. Similarly a tiger on the prowl in the Agency area, besides the fear of the esoteric powers of Rama Raju caused restlessness among the police and the officials as well. On 14 th September, Hume could catch two men bearing a letter from Rama Raju. The letter was a message to Pericharla Suryanarayana Raju inviting him to join the rebellion. Later Suryanarayana Raju had been imprisoned for six months and levied a fine of hundred rupees. September 21 A full moon day. Raju had planned a worship of Goddess Kali at Gaalikonda near Gudem. Saunders and Tallbutt had already lodged themselves at Peddavalasa village intending to mar the celebration. On 17 th of September while Tallbutt took care of matters at Pedavalasa, Saunders set out with a battalion to Gudem. Ramaraju was an expert at gurilla-warfare. He was a strategist par excellence too. On 18 th September while Tallbutt s soldiers were involved in cooking activities, Rama Raju ordered a lightning attack. Caught unawares, the police had run helterskelter. The news reached Saunders. It left him in a dilemma whether to save Tallbutt or to disturb the worship. He decided to retreat, to save Tallbutt. By then enough damage had already been caused to the police and the soldiers. They were already shattered by Heer s defeat at Onjeri and now by Tallbutt s here. The worship and celebrations of Kali went off peacefully on September 21, After this event there had been a marked change in Raju s attitude. He was determined to show the real spirit of Telugus to the Brit ish. He lost no time in challenging Cowart by sending messages through the chillie post-- Looks like you ve been combing the place for me. Came to know you are lodged close by. Would you prefer to come to us and fight or do you want us to come to you? was the essence of the message intended for Scott Coward. Scott and Hyter felt elated at the contents of the message. They dreamed of name and fame to themselves by cutting the rebellion to ground with the help of soldiers carrying 303 rifles. lf only you are a true Indian, stay where you are till we reach... we will be there by 9 in the morning, replied Scott and Hyter, who were experts at hunting the tribals. He was more cruel than Covert. This was Hyter s unique qualification for being posted at Manyam. Both Scott and Hyter came to know that the rebels were at Daamanapalli. They rushed to the village with a platoon of soldiers. The place of action was some 6 miles away. In the early hours, Rama Raju, Gantam Dora, Yendupadaalu, Gokiri Yerresu and ten others had taken their positions and were waiting for the soldiers. First marched the native soldiers. Rama Raju did not fire at them. Behind them marched the white army with guns hanging on their shoulders. From Raju's side, Gokiri Yerresu, who was an excellent shooter and archer, aimed at Scott Coward. The bullet went through his left temple. In no time Scott's head rolled into the nearby stream. Hyter turned alert and was about to position himself. Yerresu s gun rained fire. A bullet cut through Hyter s shoulder. A Muslim soldier was about to support Hyter but he heard Rama Raju warning him- - Don t touch the English... I may be forced to shoot you too! The soldier continued to cling to Hyter inspite of Raju's warning. Rama Raju had no option but to shoot him. The soldiers ran berserk. Two of them had been captured by Raju s men. They had 303 rifles on them. Raju never victimised his captives. He extended his hospitality to them in every possible way. They in turn taught Raju how to fire those rifles. Raju confiscated the guns of the two officers along with Coward s

16 cross belt. Ever since, Raju had sported a cross belt. Scott Coward was a favourite with Armitez, the Inspecter General of Police. On hearing the death of Scott he rushed to Narsipatnam. He sought vengeance on Raju. It was a pity that even the dead bodies of the officers could not be traced. No body from the English administration dared to go to Manyam to recover the bodies. Armitez had set out from Krishnadevipeta to Mogalidoddi ghat with men and ammunition of 100 rifles. He was determined to trace the bodies and bring them out of Manyam. He was accompanied by Keen, an Asst. Police Superintendent. They had to negotiate three different hills to reach the spot. And on all the three, Keens deployed security forces. No sooner had the IG reached Antadaghat at its triangular point than the firing began. A bullet hit Armitez s cap. He understood the dangerous situation and returned helplessly to Krishnadevipeta. Stewart returned the following day but not before losing a solider to the Raju s army. He did not have the guts to stand against Raju. As a last resort the IG and others decided to send people to Raju for negotiations for securing the dead body of Scott and Hayter. The police departmetn conducted the last rites to them and built two memorials for the two dead English Officers. But the Indian soldiers died during the attacks had no memorials on the Indian soil. This shows how the English had displayed racism even in death. Such was their nature! The news had spread to every nook and corner of Andhra. People were enthused by the spirit of the brave Telugus. Anytime, anywhere cruel rulers are sure to meet their end in a similar way. The likes of Raju will remain forever in the hearts of the people. The wicked too will have history. Memorials too get built for them. But whenever people see the memorial built for the brave and the righteous, they will be reminded of the acts of sacrifice of the brave. They will even name their children after these heroes. 23 The British police force had found itself inadequate to counter the Raju s army. Armitez sent for soldiers adept at war. He sent a report stating how the present soldiers were reeling under fear psychosis created by Raju and his men. Stewart suggested the imposition of martial law. Two special battalions had been deployed from the Malabar under the command of Swire and Saunders. Six British Officers, 28 head constables, 280 jawans made one troupe. They took all the care to employ a special spy network, ensured of supplies and medical troupes for effectively supporting the combing operations. Besides improving the existing postal and telegraph system, they established a wireless network too. It had been decided that no white officer should move without proper security. A special tribunal had been set up to punish those who supported Raju and his men in any form. The Tribunal would take up the cases of the war criminals. The civilians and army should always work hand in hand. The Government took utmost care even in trivial matters. They made a list of the revolutionaries. The list comprised a mere eighty men. The Government released strict notices that the revolutionaries should not be supported by anybody in any form - cash or kind. People should not provide them any food or shelter. If a village was found to be indulging in such anti-government activities, it was decided to deploy an additional police force to that village. The additional expenditure incurred would be borne by the village concerned. Restrictions had been imposed on the movements of muthadaars and munisiffs, the back bone of Raju s revolution. They were not to support Raju and they should report to the police everyday. The officers made it very clear that the muthadaars found to be uncooperative to the Government would be liable to be prosecuted and their properties would be confiscated. Every villager was placed 24

17 under surveillance and was made to go around the courts of law in the name of legal suits. Thus the British imposed restrictions from all the eight corners. They were hard bent on squelching the flame ignited in Manyam before it turned into a wild fire. Raju remained undeterred. He was engaged in a strategy to initiate yet another attack. On 2 nd October two police men carrying tapals from Krishnadevipeta were caught by the revolutionaries. They snatched the tapals bearing the information that Turumamidi, Lakkavaram villages had been looted on September 28 and that the house of the munisiff of Rampala village had been looted on October 3. Latchumayya, a school teacher trapped four of the revolutionaries with the help of muthadaars and handed them to the police. 7 October 1922 The Government appointed spy, Kamayya, had been arrested by the revolutionaries while gleaning information from the villagers of Turumamidi and Lakkavaram. He was taken to Raju who chided him and was released only after Raju put some sense into him. This is not Raju s only gesture of grace. He always treated the native soldiers and police in respect. He had never attempted to kill anyone of the native officers. Earlier revolutionaries visited Sarabhavaram for rations. And one group under Raju s lead reached Devarapalli while another led by Gantam Dora had visited at Kondasingi. The news was that all the parties met Raju at Devarapalli and spent the night there and later proceeded to Rintaada, three miles away from Chintapalli. It was from here that Raju sent a war cry to Chadwick at Chintapalli. Chadwick lost his courage. October 9 Revolutionaries stayed a while at the Bungalow in Gudem village October 13 The revolutionaries stayed at the traveler s bungalow at Dhaarakonda to gather rations from the muthadaars. It was believed that from Dhaarakonda they proceeded to Bastar via Paapikondalu. They intended to establish swaraj there, stated A.J. Happell s report. Happell received telegraphic message that Dawson, the submagistrate of Peddapuram was all set to guard Addateegela. Dawson had to go to Kakinada to procure additional forces and thus had averted an attack on himself. Dawson s telegraphic report dated 15 th October stated that the revolutionaries were 2 miles from Addateegela around 1.30 in the afternoon. The District Magistrate rushed to Yeleswaram from Peddapuram. He anticipated that the revolutionaries would take some more time to travel 70 miles through the forests though they set off from Dharakonda on the 12 th. 16 October Attack on Addateegela. We get to know of these through the telegrams sent by the Magistrate of Yeleswaram: The night before, Addateegela had been attacked and twenty policemen had fled away from the station. The treasury was safe and no weapon was lost. They broke open the opium box. Raju s men could arrest two clerks. Now the revolutionaties headed towards Chodavaram. Inspector Sherlock's Account : I received the message of Raju s intended attack of 15 th night. I had with me a police head constable, ten reserve police and six policemen. Of these six of the police and two from the reserve police had fled the place. The station had been abandoned and they hid behind bushes. The revolutionaries were around ninety in number. Hence we did not open fire. The villagers protected me. Anticipating that Bracken might

18 reach Kakinada with army the revolutionaries reached Pydiputta. 17 October 9 AM Bracken reached with army as expected. They did not have the courage to go to Pydiputta in spite of knowing that Raju had lodged himself there. The Government contented itself that Rama Raju could not get away with any weapon. The officers began to contemplate how to defend themselves as the news of Raju proceeding to Chodavaram reached them. It was through Sadaaparthi Adinarayana, a police man, that the news of the proposed attack on Addateegela reached the Government. Raju did not mince words to convey to Adinarayana of his intentions of heading towards Pydiputta and of fixing an auspicious time to reach Rampachodavaram from there. You may inform your officers, if you desire, Raju told him. On knowing Raju s itinerary the tahsildar sent Adinarayana to find out if Raju was still at Pydiputta. Adinarayana met Raju there. Rama Raju categorically stated his intentions of attacking Chodavararn. The police had been informed to go into hiding along with the weapons. Afraid of the attacks the police sent away their families elsewhere. Ramaraju began his attack at the appointed hour. The village boomeranged with cannons. He stayed at the police station till three in the early hours. He later left for his kuteer at Jadayeru. Raju personally signed in the Station log book. He sent word to the magistrate that he would be available at Pydiputta till three in the afternoon and that he was ready either for discussions or battle. Addateegela attack was a feather in Raju s cap. It was not a lightning attack. It was a carefully measured and implemented plan. The other was the attack on Chodavaram station 22 miles away from Addateegela. The revolutionaries divided themselves into smaller groups and spread themselves through out. If Addateegela attack took place on 16 th October the Chodavaram attack had been carried out on th. In spite of the time gap, the police could not defend Chodavaram. General John reached Chodavaram on June 18 itself but to no avail. The revolutionaries fired guns into the air at the Village Administative Office of Chodavaram. The General s men simply dispersed out of fear. The villagers came to meet Raju in unending groups. There was not a soul at the station. But they could not find any weapons. With the mediation of the tahsildar, Raju had a political dialogue with the officers. He conveyed in very clear terms that the rebellion would continue for another two years and warned that blood shed would be inevitable. The only regret he expressed was his helplessness to fire at the British Officers as they used to be encircled by the native soldiers protecting them. Y

19 III Revolution is no child s play. It is not a series of successful attacks alone. A revolutionary has to negotiate unforeseen situations and events. He or she should have the ability to balance all. Rama Raju s acumen in this regard is beyond anybody s expectations. The news that Raju would loot the Treasury at Bhadrachalam had spread like a wild fire. On the other hand the news of Polavaram being surrendered to Raju had been taking rounds among the British Administration. The Officers were frightened out of their wits with the messages. They were not able to assess or anticipate any attack of Raju. All the steamer owners had been alerted in case the Raju intended to travel by a steamer. A police picket had been ordered along the river belt. The Government made arrangements to move all the currency from Polavaram Treasury to Rajahmundry. Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector had been advised to burn all the currency at the Treasury in case he was not confident of guarding it. All the reports were unanimous in stressing Raju s popularity among the masses. The only way to capture Raju would be by a chance occurrence, was what all the reports stated. 1922, November 3. The revolutionaries caught Nityanand Patnaik, an Inspector at Makaram. Gaam brothers summoned him before Raju who was seated on a rock dressed in Red Khaddar Uniform atop a hill in Peddavalasa. He had a 303 gun beside him. Several guns and bows were lying on an adjacent rock. The Inspector was cross examined. A letter addressed to Keene and Forbes had been found on him. Raju read the letter and gave it back to Patnaik. He warned the Inspector of dire consequences if the villagers were terrorized. He would not hesitate to rain down arrows on the army camp if that were to happen, Raju reiterated. Later Raju allowed the Inspector leave for Krishnadevipeta safely. November 8, Raju offered worship at the temple near Dhaarakonda. Meanwhile his associates gathered rations from the villagers. Even the Army Camps knew of the activity. The following day Raju left for Sarabhannapalem. There were several rumours afloat about Raju during those days. One said Raju had been suffering from an unknown fever. Another rumor was that Raju s men had serious differences among themselves. Another said that the Rebels of Gudem, Pedavalasa had deserted him. Yet another said that Raju had been living in caves in a valley near Gaamukonda and that his fellow revolutionaries had been guarding him. It was during the same time that a violent cyclonic storm had lashed the area. Each day used to be filled with exciting news. The British as well Raju s army reeled under a variety of fevers, flu, malaria, black-water fever and several other fatal fevers. Raju was the lone doctor available to the revolutionaries. He had to guard and treat them in absolute secrecy. The Army had all the resources to fight the situation. The military divided itself into eight batches each supported by a doctor, an ambulance and nursing staff. They even set up medical camps at Krishnadevipeta, Polavaram, Chodavaram, Chintapalli. The Narsipatnam hospital functioned as the main medical centre. For emergencies, a special train had been introduced to carry the patients to the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Their food supply used to come from Banglore and Madras by trains every day. The British soldiers used to be attended on meticulously. But it had been a nightmare to the locals. The locals were simply trapped between killer mosquitoes and the soldiers. Both the parties had been gearing themselves for a huge show down. The situation arose on 6 th December. December 6 th An unexpected event ocuured on the day. The Government came to know that Raju offered worship at Dhaarakonda frequently. That

20 morning John, Charlie, and three Indian officers along with 60 soldiers reached Golugonda by lorries from Krishnadevipeta. From there they proceeded to Peddagadda palem where they found Raju s men amidst the corn fields. The men hid themselves behind the crop and slowly disappeared into the hills by dividing themselves into three groups and two of the groups engaged in firing at the Army taking turns as the other group rested. Thus the men indulged in war from all the four sides of the hill. This particular war is reflective of Raju s astounding war strategy. After two hours of continuous firing, the revolutionaries escaped into the hills. In the process Raju lost four of his men while two others had been captured. John s men returned to Krishnadevipeta. Either side had been completely exhausted in the war. Under Sweney s command the Reserve Police began its combing operations. That night as the rebels were busy cooking and resting amidst Lingapuram Hills, the soldiers attacked them from three sides. Though an unexpected attack, Raju s men fired back and escaped into the night. Eight of the men had died in the process while four were taken as captives. Raju s weapons did not stand a chance vis-a-vis those of the British. They were firing cannons and Raju and his men had been forced to take a step backward. Still they continued to counter the soldiers while walking backwards on the hilly terrain. Raju s men lost two 303 rifles, two small guns, one machine gun, 748 rounds of bullets and many more articles. Jamedaar Kesav Nair of the Army had been badly wounded in the stomach. The bodies of the dead revolutionaries were taken in a procession in the village. The soldiers felt jubilant. People were scared out of their wits by the soldiers. However, Raju, the light of the revolution and his front rank associates could not be captured. The Peddagaddapalem s defeat led to doubts among the people regarding the unquestionable strength of the rebellion The Government was not satisfied with the victory of Pedagaddapalem. On that night of severe firing the bed roll on which Raju slept was full of bullet holes. All assumed that Raju had been killed and that the body might have been dragged into the hills. Rama Raju had always been on the alert. He had always known that he was constantly under a strict vigil. Hence he always diverted everybody s attention and did things contrary to the assumptions. He never used to sleep at one spot. Nobody really knew where and how he slept. In spite of the assumption, the Government fixed a price on Raju s head. Fifteen hundred rupees for Raju s head and a thousand each for Gantam brothers and Yendu Padal and a fifty for each revolutionary. Later they declared a reward of ten thousand rupees to those who brought Raju alive to them. Some how the Government wanted to confirm Raju s death in every manner possible. The reason behind was that the people of Peddapuram, Pithapuram and Tuni towns supported Raju s movement. The newspapers too highlighted the revolution that was influenced by the freedom struggle. The Government did not want the influence to spread to rest of Andhra April 17 Rama Raju made a sudden appearance atop the hills of Annavaram. He set off to the town s police station around six thirty in the morning. Mallu Dora and four other associates had accompanied him on the mission. The sub-inspector was not found at the station. The police had simply surrendered without any resistence. Rama Raju made himself comfortable at the station while Mallu Dora had gone to fetch the Inspector and prompt him to station. There were no weapons at the station and hence Raju let off the Inspector without injuring him. From the station Raju went to the Post Office. On seeing Raju the postmaster and his assistants went into a hypnotic stupor and folded their hands in veneration. Raju s men made sure that the postmaster

21 and his men did not send any telegraphic messages about the happenings. Later the party went to the Deputy Tahsildar who took Raju to his house. He washed Raju s feet in reverence and sprinkled the water on his own head. He took blessings from Raju who later headed to the temple on the hill. People from the nearby villages flocked in large numbers to have a holy glimpse of Raju. They were overwhelmed on seeing him. Raju spent a couple of hours with them at an inn there. He had his bath at the inn. There the dialogue he held with Cherukuri Narasimha Murthy is clearly indicative of the path of revolution that Raju had chosen to free the country. Suspecting the soldiers might come by the ten 0' clock train for him, Raju lost no time to reach Sankhavaram. The villagers gifted Raju with khaddar clothes, fruits. The District Collector rushed to Sankhavaram. He was extremely angry to know of the warmth the people showered on Raju. He even imposed a punitive tax of Rs.4,000/- on the villagers for the support they extended to Raju. Rama Raju sent a Chillie post expressing his desire for a dialogue. The Collector had neither the courage nor the capacity to face and understand Raju. So far he had been sending telegraphic messages to Madras that the revolution. had been razed to ground. The success of Raju s Annavaram visit had now given them a jolt. Even the people began to reinvest their trust in Raju. The enemy camp had become restive. Once again either side had caught up with new momentum. John and Underwood at Krishnadevipeta, Forbess at Rajavommangi, King at Jaddangi, Chaplie at Gudem, Swaine and Peterson at Peddavalasa, Martin at Narsipatnam had engaged themselves with renewed vigour in combating Raju. The spy and police mechanisms had been geared up once again But for a few trivial incidents here and there, there had been no major event. The whereabouts of Raju and his men continued to puzzle the officers. Vegiraju Satyanarayana Raju, a staunch patriot whose vengeance against the British was another warrior drawn to Raju s revolution. He hailed from Kumudavalli of Bhimavaram Taluq. Satyanarayana Raju later became Aggiraju, a front line associate of Raju. But for a couple of stray incidents there had been no occurance worth mentioning after this. May Under the leadership of Gantam Dora a battalion of revolutionaries reached Koyyuru. A Sub-Inspector who came to the village to collect punitive taxes and a deputy tahsildar were taken into custody by the revolutionaries. They were summoned before Gantam Dora waiting at the muthadaar s office. The Sub-Inspector and his servant were beaten up by Raju s men. Gantam Dora let go the tahsildar. Dora recounted how cruel Bastian had been towards them. Dora left the place ordering the muthadaars to procure rations for them as he suspected the arrival of the Malabar police. En route. they set aflame the European Officers bungalow. In the night they beat up the village munisiff for informing the whereabouts of Vojulu, that lead to Vojulu s arrest. There had been no news worthy of documenting till 8 th of June. 8 th June Rama Raju with 30 others went to Malkanagiri village. He straight away went to the Tahsildhar s house and called him out. At least that was what had been reported by the Tahsildar. He wrote We went to the Taluq Office on Raju s wish. There Raju had seated himself in a chair. The office was surrounded by his men. He sent word to the Inspector for guns and gun powder. Raju was dressed in a long

22 shirt and shorts. "He was dressed in red khaddar and his beard had grown unusually thick. Another kshatriya was standing by him. He was dark in complexion but was similarly dressed as Raju". Raju spent a half an hour at the office. He spoke in Telugu and spoke of Gandhi in high esteem though he negated Gandhi s non-violence. He said he would continue his struggle till the country was freed. He was not scared of bullets, he declared. He said he was in fact there to face the reserve police and had been disappointed. I would fight with John on June 13 at Dhaarakonda. If that s not feasible, I ll remain underground for a fortnight, he stated. He further felt confident of going to Rajahmundry and the surrounding villages to gather men to fight the British army. I expect help from the Punjab, he said. Later Raju bathed in the near by pond and offered his prayers while his associates did the cooking. There had been tight security around them. June 17 th Ramaraju reached Gudem by 10 in the morning. He had 30 guns and 60 associates with him. They all lodged themselves at the Traveler s Bungalow. The news reached Sweney. Yet he did not send any army to capture Raju. Muthadaars kept posting reports but only after Raju had left. All their reports used to be written in consultation with Raju. June 21 Gaam brothers reached Eebolu village. They had severed the ear of the muthadaar there for being an informer and facilitating the arrest of four of their men. He warned the villagers of similar consequences if they were to indulge in antirevolutionary activities. Raju roamed freely around Buddaralla Kantaaram, Revadlu, Ducherthi, Sankavaram villages along with his armed associates. This was only a strategy to create restlessness among the ad versary by exhibiting his strength openly. Moreover, this was the way Raju chose to counter the Government s moves obstructing the procurement of weapons, food etc. The officers thought that by closing all the ways they would disarm Raju and his men. Raju s men captured two Tapal Police at Rampolu. They seized letters from them and Raju sent a message through their post that he might attack the Peddavalasa Camp within a month s time. Peterson was in-charge of the camp. Peterson received the following letter from Raju. Dear Petersen Aggiraju, my associate has been suffering from a severe fever. All that he needs at the moment is 2 slices of bread from you. So I have taken them. In return I am sending you a basket of fruits. Hope you will not misunderstand me. By then the entire Agency area had been connected by a network of telephones. But Raju never touched the phone lines. He used to chide his associates that cutting the lines would be an act of cowardice. He strongly believed that public property should never be destroyed causing inconvenience to people. In spite of it there used to be a few lines snapped by his associates. Whatever may be Raju s strategy, the British always looked forward to hitting from behind. That was the English war ethics. Y

23 IV Mallu Dora, one of the Chief Security of Raju and the one who was konwn for his courage was given to all sorts of addictions. Raju tried his best to convince him in vain to change his ways. Though he retained some balance in his weakness for liquor he just failed to resist the temptation for women. At one context he fell senseless after a heavy booze. A Government spy lost no time to interrogate him and Dora went on responding though not with much clarity. Of course the spy had been killed by the one who followed Mallu Dora at Raju s behest. Raju immediately ordered Mallu to surrender his weapons and leave the revolution. Mallu Dora left Raju in tears. September 17, Kearns came to know through the munsiff of Nimmagadda that Mallu Dora at that moment was in the company of a tribal woman in the village Nadimpalem. Kearns and the Inspector along with some officers and twenty assistants reached Nadimpalem. Mallu Dora offered severe resistance. Finally he had to surrender as the house had already been surrounded by the police. It was an astounding victory to the Government. Mallu Dora was taken to Krishnadevipeta and from there to Narsipatnam. On October 4 th Dora was subjected to a high degree of torture to reveal information on the revolutionaries and their plans. In April 1924 a legal case had been filed against Dora on charges of sedition. Dora had been found guilty and on May 12 he was to be hanged. However, he had been granted clemency and was sent to the Andamans to serve a life term. Of all the associates of Raju, Dora alone had the fortune of seeing a free India. He was elected to the Parliament in Dora died in October 22. Yendu Padaalu and Gantam Dora along with other revolutionaries reached Gundupalli village. They had assembled with the munsiffs of Gundupalli, Chidipalem, Doddaram and Maruvada. Gantam Dora made it very clear that Mallu Dora s arrest had not weakened the revolution. Mustafa Khan, the Deputy Superintendent tried his best to arrest them but in vain. Raju who decided that attacking a police station where no weapons were available was not worth the trouble. The attack on the Gudem Camp is reflective of Raju s uniqueness and his shrewd planning in war strategy. Rama Raju divided his army into four divisions. The first division was to gain access to the arms depot through the bathroom and procure as many weapons as possible. The second division should be involved in firing as and when Raju gave the cue. The third division should sound the drums and thereby create confusion in the enemy camp not allowing the Officers orders to reach the soldiers. The fourth division should be engaged in waiiing aloud 'we are coolies babu!' - all meant to create confusion and chaos among the enemy camp. In the stillness of a pitch dark night when Hume had been away from the camp, Raju attacked the Gudem Military Camp. The division that was to procure arms had simply failed to pull the guns out of the stands. A sentry who had noticed the revolutionaries and sent a signal. On hearing the signal, Raju began firing. Taking hint from the sentry s signal and hearing the sound of firing the soldiers immediately woke up and rushed out with guns. Around the same time, some of the officers were busy at playing cards. These officers had assumed that the soldiers were locked in a scuffle among themselves. When they came out and saw the precarious situation, the subedar immediately gave orders for firing. The guns did not contain any bullets as the soldiers had hid them away within the stuffings of pillows. That was the way they planned to allow the revolutionaries to decamp with guns but without the bullets. When the soldiers went into the barracks to collect bullets, Raju lost no time to

24 initiate firing. The third and the fourth division had busily engaged themselves in creating chaos and confusion. By the time the soldiers returned with the loaded guns, Raju and his men had already disappeared into the hills. Subedar Kings had been awarded a police medal for defending the camp. The Government assumed that a military action would pose a threat to the revolution. On the contrary the Government had been bewildered as the revolutionaries caught them unawares. They assumed that Raju and his men had no weapons. Some thought that it was the way the revolutionaries chose to make their presence felt. The English officers main aim was to send strong signals down to the masses of their determination to crush the revolution. They also intended to convey to the public that unless they cooperated, it would be impossible to catch the revolutionaries December National Congress Meetings were being held in Kakinada. By then Raju s activities had reached every nook and corner of the country. The news that one had been giving sleepless nights to the English filled the atmosphere of the meeting. People were eager to catch a glimpse of this youthful yogi who renounced everything yet remained keen on fighting for the country. They all expected that Raju would attend the Congress meeting. The news that Raju might attend the meetings reached the Government. They appointed spies to arrest Raju. The rumour was that Raju did attend the meeting incognito as a sikh volunteer from the Punjab. A popular revolutionary of those days had been serving a term at the Central Jail, Rajahmundry. The Government sweated in fear anticipating Raju s attack on the jail in a similar fashion he adapted when he bundled Veerayya Dora out of the jail. The officials moved all the weapons to Kakinada and posted some five hundred security men there. The electric lights went on through the night creating an illusion of day. No attack took place. That was the impact Raju's actions created. Y

25 V Madras Government's request for Assam Rifles. The Rifles was experienced in tribal warfare. On January 27 th 1924 two platoons were sent by the Assam Government. Through January the revolutionaries had roamed around Malkangiri busy procuring rations. They formed into smaller groups for the purpose and kept in touch through coded messages. The Army intensified its combing operations during February and March. Their wireless sets, modern weapons and several vehicles could not be of any use. In spite of a strategic approach, they could not be anywhere near the target. All that they succeeded was in capturing the wife of a revolutionary and subjecting her to a high degree of torture. They could confiscate a country gun, some bullets and some useless articles. Rutherford had been posted to Manyam on April 17 as the Special Commissioner. He was known for his ruthlessness in suppressing the revolution in Palnaadu. A cold callous officer, Rutherford had the entire military police under him. Rutherford lost no time to implement his uncompromising methods. He levied punitive tax in some areas. He punished those village officers who supported Raju s men cruelly. The Assam Government wanted the Assam Rifles to be returned by May. Another platoon of 200 men had been deputed from Assam on the condition that all of them would be sent back before the monsoon. Rutherford rounded off some 182 men whom he suspected as Raju s men. Manyam reeled under an unofficial martial law. Rutherford and his men resorted to all possible means of violence to create fear psychosis among the people. Aggiraju used to spit fire during attacks. He used to punish informers very harshly. Koyyuru muthadaar received gifts from the English Officers for the information he passed on to them. Aggiraju simply severed the ear of the muthadaar s himself. Any act of violent punishment during the attacks used to be traced to Aggiraju. On July , 1923, Aggiraju and eight other revolutionaries headed towards Downur. En route he ran into military supplies. He lost no time in confiscating and rerouting the supplies to his own camp. Upendra Patnaik, an Inspector came to know that Raju was at Kondapalli. He went on a rampage with the assistance of the Malabar Police. But Rama Raju was not there on that day. Aggiraju confronted them along with some of his associates. The battle was long drawn. Two of Raju s men had died. Aggiraju was in possession of a 303 gun. But there were only eight bullets in it. During his fight with the police a bullet went through his leg causing Aggiraju to fall down. The soldiers surrounded Aggiraju and without any trial deported him to Andamans on the sly. Aggiraju s life ended miserably in Andamans. The Government corroborated his death when the issue was raised in the House in One has to admit that Aggiraju s impulsive actions posed several problems to the revolution. No one can deny the historical truth that looting the people the way Aggiraju had done to keep the revolution breathing or unjust violence would weaken a revolution, however strong it may be. Aggiraju had been taken into custody. By then Mallu Dora had already been captured by the British Army. Some of Raju s men too had been killed in the process while some others had been captured. Raju began to review his strategies. Raju who thought that the revolution of Manyam would be a beacon light to the rest of the country, now faced crisis. The Agency area was but a small area as against the mighty British forces. But for people s sympathy and support Raju could not have continued the revolution for three consecutive years. Now, the same people were being subjected to repression because of Raju and his revolutionary activities. The British Army began to set village after village aflame. The food grains in the villages too were reduced to ashes to hinder the supply of ration to Raju and his men. The officers saw to it

26 that there would be no support extended to the revolution both from within and without. The revolutionaries need to be politically reawakened if a revolution has to be sustained. Now the onus of the revolution fell on Raju alone. Once the activities began, the revolutionaries were constantly locked in fighting the armies. They failed to carry out any activity concerning the people s welfare. A movement cannot be effectively furthered if there is dearth for arms, money, rations and people s support. Besides, its impossible to sustain the momentum without any support from outside. Rutherford summoned a meeting in Krishnadevipeta. He minced no words to send down the message that he would not hesitate to carry out indiscriminate arrests if people failed to inform the whereabouts of Raju s men. We will not hesitate to confiscate your properties. We will not hesitate to shoot any, threatened Rutherford. There have been several stories afloat concerning the events that led to the death of Raju. Raju was disturbed at the threats of arresting Chitekala Bhaskarudu and destroying the properties of the people of Krishnadevipeta if he did not surrender before 31 st of May. Raju had unbound affection for Bhaskarudu s family. He could not bear to see the people of Manyam for whose good he initiated the revolution thus suffering to an unimaginable extent on his account. He decided to surrender May 7 Raju had a bath at a pond in Mampa village and was into his regular worship. A cowherd brought some milk for him from the village. Raju asked the boy to inform the army of his whereabouts. The boy did accordingly. An officer by name Alwar Naidu, a jamedar along with twenty others reached the spot where Raju had been offering his worship. The party was scared to go near Raju though he had no weapon on him. Raju assured them of no harm and surrendered himself without much ado. He was summoned at the Major s camp in Koyyuru. The police as well the soldiers feared Raju because of the esoteric powers he possessed. However, Raju had not killed any. He had not abused any. He had been extremely courteous in his interactions. If needed, he only tried to refine peoples behaviour. He had always let go off the police or army officials the revolutionaries captured. In fact it was his travel experience, the books he had read and internalized, his histrionic acumen, the excellent poetry he wrote, the regard and love he had for people, his empathy, his righteous grasp of looting all these contributed in projecting Raju as a superhuman. The officers suspected that Raju would suddenly disappear or escape by applying his witchcraft. They tied him up to a cot not allowing him even an inch of movement. A woman brought a glass of boiling milk. He drank it up without batting an eye lid confirming their worst suspicions regarding his superhuman powers. Raju had been carried along with the cot to the Major in Koyyuru. Major Goodall was annoyed at the ill treatment meted out to Raju and ordered the Inspector to free the warrior par excellence. The Major made Raju sit comfortably on the cot. In spite of Raju refusing to shake hands with Major Goodall the major tried to convey his appreciation for him. He even went to the extent of telling Raju how he could have been a wonderful colonel had he been with the English Army. It s not very late. The offer is still open if you stop your activities, Goodall tried to convince Raju. I hate to touch your hand! was Raju s simple reply. Why this vehemence towards us. We are the people who taught you refinement and culture... you owe a lot to the Queen...! Raju cut him short. It s because of your wiles that India now faces this wretched situation! Raju thundered. He went on to hurl aspersions at the British Royals and their Government. Goodall lost his temper.

27 You are the one responsible for the suffering of the people of Manyam. You owe them an explanation! Else I won t hesitate to kill you! Goodall spat fire. Raju stayed put. He briefed Goodall on the glory and goodness of Indian culture and heritage. He reminded how the British stealthily set foot on the Indian soil. Goodall could not tolerate the way Raju spoke, that too in immaculate English. He left for his tent in a huff. He knelt before the Bible and offered his prayers. He knew what he would be indulging in to be a heinous crime. Yet his loyalty to the Queen and his racism transformed him into an animal. Goodall came out of the tent. He summoned the Jamedar and ordered an immediate court martial. The major went to Raju. Is there anything you wish to convey to your kith? he asked Raju. Nothing! But this is an act of cowardice. You have no right to kill me. You should first admit me to court of law for a trial. Raju boomed. Goodall did not allow any more time to Raju. Pray to your God! You are going to be killed! He cut Raju short. Shoot! Goodall ordered the Jamedaar. Raju simply raised his head. He then lowered it as if in prayer. He refused to seek pardon. The Jamedaar s bullet went through the left upper arm of Raju. Goodall went wild. He abused the jamedaar, pulled the gun from his hands and shot at Raju personally at point blank. 's head hung on his chest. The era of an indefatigable leader came to an end. Y VI That evening Swaine, Rutherford and a few other officers assembled. They could not come to terms with the fact that an ordinary army personnel had shot Raju dead. They were jealous of the fame Goodall would be gathering for himself. When a revolutionary is captured alive, no one would wish to kill him or her without gathering all the possible secret information about his or her activities. Goodall should not have lost his cool but should have subjected Raju to all possible means of torture as is customary in a situation as this. Goodall defended himself saying that his Governor in Assam alone could find fault with his actions and to him alone he owed any explanation. I have nothing to do either with you or your Governor, was all that Goodall stated when the local officers found fault with him. Finally they decided to release an official statement that Raju had been shot at while attempting an escape and that he had been taken to Krishnadevipeta with several bullets pumped into his back. The body of Raju, read the officially records, had been identified by local people and officials. The body had been cremated on May 8 th at Krishna-devipeta. Before the cremation the dead Raju had been photographed at Krishnadevipeta. Not even Raju s aging mother had been informed of his death. The vengeful soldiers themselves settled scores with Raju s dead body by throwing his ashes into the Varaha river. They were scared that Raju might be reborn from the ashes! Raju s mother upon knowing the news rushed. On reaching Tuni she came to know that the British Government did not even return the ashes of her son. Broken hearted, the old lady turned back to Mogallu. Through Raju's death the British passed on a new legacy-- kill and not to shoulder any responsibility towards the killing and in the process take law into one s own hands! And any opposition to the philosophy will end in yet another killing! The news of Raju s death had spread like wildfire in the entire state of Andhra. People bemoaned his death. They shed oceans of tears. They went berserk with anger. They offered their heartfelt tributes to the great martyr. The death is a precursor of the death of the

28 Empire! cursed the people... On the day the sun had set on the British Empire, Raju glowed as the brightest star on the sky. Sitaramaraju s death did not end the revolution in Manyam. Gantam Dora was still alive. He had been burning with vengeance. The Government now shifted its focus to Gantam Dora. On June 6 th along with a few associates Gantam initiated a war by the side of a hill stream. Gantam Dora as well Yendu Padalu also laid their lives at the altar of freedom struggle. Some of the revolutionaries fled the place. Some were in captivity of the English by the indiscriminate laws. Thus the revolution in Manyam which started on 22 August 1922 as s rebellion ended pathetically in the month of June It would be no exaggeration to call the movement under the leadership of as the 2 nd struggle for India's Independence after Jhansi Lakshmibai. Y BOOKS REFERRED 1. Alluri Sita Rama Raju - Ponnaluri Radhakrishna Murthy 2. Alluri Sita Rama Raju Charitra - Yarramilli Narasimha Rao 3. Viplava Veerudu Alluri Sitarama Raju Charitra - Dantuluri Venkata Rama Raju 4. Alluri Sita Rama Raju, Hero of the Rampa Rebellion - Dr. Pala Krishna Murthy 5. All the official documents, reports pertaining to the rebellion. And several paper cuttings gleaned by Dr. Datla Ramachandra Raju EPILOGUE The very tune of Chandrasekhar Azad's song I love my India...' itself incites inexplicable vibrations in a listener. More so to people of Indian diaspora spread all over the globe. What does it mean to love one's country? This is a very pertinent question which gets answered by way of kissing the soil of the country and extolling the perfume of the soil in literature, movies, poetry and through several other art forms. As the great poet Gurajada expounded that soil alone does not make a country but It is the people which make a country. The real rich are those who serve the people with love. There may be many who love people. But people are not one and the same. There are those classified as capitalists and some as labour and some others victims of social and economic inequities. To love these disadvantaged and underprivileged groups is a no mean task. No place for cynicism! There are many whose loving hearts go all out to love the victims of socio-economic discrepancies. But then their love is confined to a particular cause. There are others who sacrifice their lives for them. These are the revered souls. Many Indians have been leaving the country for various reasons. The British came to our country probably for similar reasons. But one thing we have to keep in mind is that their priority had been to spread the wings of their imperialism far and wide. The Englishmen had insatiable desire to establish their cultural hegemony. In the process all their policies had been drafted to obliterate the existing native cultures. What the Englishmen had not foreseen was that there could be some resistance somewhere for their power hunger. That is where cracks appeared on the British empire where the sun had never set. The first struggle for Indian Independence in 1857 ended in a futile attempt. However, it paved the way to intensify the subsequent

29 struggles for Indian Independence. We are made to believe that it was the non-violence and noncooperation of Gandhiji that has brought freedom to India. The question is, "Is that the only one that achieved our freedom?" Several rebellions, several movements, severe resistance had been taking place all over the country against the British rule. There had been several unsung martyrs who lent their hands to the struggle. This had been made possible with the support of millions of Indians. These innumerable struggles emanated from the unexpressed dissatisfaction of the Indian masses. The British imperialism got a jolt from various forms of resistance expressed by the Indians. These small or big acts of rebellion in their own right extended their strength to the peaceful resistance to gain independence. No wonder, even after several decades we still remember all these soldiers. Time and again, history recalls their unique contribution to the freeing of the country. Even today people and activists from all walks of life have been drawing inspiration from these unsung heroes. The struggle of these heroes has been determining our immediate course of action. The moment we hear the name of our head raises in pride. The entire body vibrates to the sound of the very name. Alluri was a relentless soldier of our freedom struggle. He was a God incarnate to the people of Manyam. Manyam, its hills, its streams and the nature around reverberates at the very mention of Sri Rama Raju. Every part of Manyam still cherishes with his memories. Raju was not a charming personality in the strictest sense. He measured barely 5.4" ft. in height and did not eat anything other than fruit and milk after certain age. How could such an average man hypnotize the people and at the same time create terror in the English Officers? We get the answer only when we read a detailed account of his life Raju s astounding beauty is borne of his rebellion. His beauty lies in the love he had for people. Raju had never addressed anyone in a harsh tone. Though he always carried a weapon on him, he never fired at any. He always treated the police with due respect. He never raised his gun against any single Officer of the British administration. Rama Raju s life astonishes everybody. In all, he lived but for 27 years. When we exclude his childhood and adolescence, we wonder how he could traverse the length and breadth of Northern India and how he could plan strategies of revolution after his return from his travels at such a young age. We get moved by a similar emotion when we read about Bhagat Singh who was hanged at a young age of 23 years. How did they achieve such equilibrium, such humility and yet be architects of such great revolutions, we wonder. These are the lives that will have ever lasting impact for generations to come. These are the lives one would be compelled to read for generations to come. Rama Raju had a much checkered life. He lost his father at a very young age. He even attempted on his life and later ran away from home. Initially, he wanted to offer penance to attain moksha. In the process he realized moksha can be attained only by working for the people. The revelation proved to be a land mark in Raju s life. There had been no dearth for weapons with the English Administration. Similarly there were a number of ruthless officers on their side. Rama Raju s war strategies set ripples of fear that made the British administration dumbstruck. Anticipating that the little spark Raju had ignited would turn into a wild fire, the administration spent lakhs of rupees to suppress the rebellion. They deputed a number of platoons to counter Raju s moves. The British administration left no stone unturned, and in the process even resorted to the most heinous actions.

30 The kind of love Raju had towards his associates and the utmost sincerity with which he led the rebellion can hardly be seen in today s world. Today, most leaders go about as feudal lords. Those who wish to involve themselves in social activism must learn humility from Raju. They must learn how to extend pure love to the cadre. Raju never spared any of his associates who indulged in any anti-social activity. It was my fortune that Dr. D.Ramachandra Raju proposed that I write a book on such a towering personality as Seeta Rama Raju. I am thankful to Alluri Sita Rama Raju Samajika Samskrutika Seva Kendram, Visakhapatnam for coming forward to publish it. I am too small to expound on the philosophy that Raju s life reveals. I can at the most provide you with a simple sketch of Raju s life and struggle. There have been some books published on Raju earlier. There have been stories about his life including the dramatic way in which Rama Raju s name come to be popular as Seeta Rama Raju. Each event in his life has been reported in several different ways based on government reports and documents, personal accounts, hearsay and so on. Sometimes, the contradictions may lead to confusion especially on what we get to hear of his supernatural and superhuman powers. Whatever it may be, my aim is primarily to let the world know of the Manyam revolution. More so to let the present and the future generations know of the uncompromising sacrifices of the people like behind the free air we have been breathing. This is not the story of a hero that we see on a cinema screen. This is the life of a soldier borne of our race. Unlike some leaders who make profession out of politics, heroes such as Raju will live forever. Time may be illusive. But it will always place its dear children at an unattainable height. Sri Rama Raju is a pole star. I take pride in presenting this book to you. Here are some of the excerpts from freedom frighters and illus trious sons of India who expressed their views about this great soul who sacrificed his life for the sake of freedom for the country in general and the tribal people of Manyam in particular. Mahatma Gandhi: Though I don t agree with Sri Rama Raju s revolutionary ways, his spirit of adventure, uncompromising commitment, sense of purpose, simple living are for us to emulate. I cannot support violent revolution. Yet I cannot help but shower my praise on Sri Rama Raju, a courageous son, simple individual and treasure of sacrifice. If only our youth fight for freedom by following his qualities of strength, service and sacrifice, commitment to a cause how wonderful it would be! (Young India, ). Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose If only Sri Rama Raju had been in the main stream of freedom struggle, how wonderful it would be! He might have had more opportunities to accomplish more adventurous missions. He would have been a much more admired individual at the national level... His spirit of courage, patriotism, made him popular all over. One may not comply with his ways but cannot help but admire. May the youth of the country forget not the courageous sons of the soil! Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru I can count the likes of Sri Raju who terrorized the British on my fingers. Very rare do we see a man of his stature. Dr. Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya Sri Rama Raju never looted. Never led a Fituri. Never indulged in violence for selfish ends. He fought on similar lines as Nana Phrnavees, Rani of Jhansi by sending advanced notices to the Government. Dr. S.S. Hardicar Secretary, Hindustan Seva Dalam - The likes of Sri Rama Raju

31 53 54 is the need of the hour to free the country from the clutches of the alien rule. Every youth of the country should be a beacon light in making India shine. This is my clarion call to the young men and women of the country. Seelam Sayidi Lakshman Is there one who would not be overwhelmed by the qualities of the spirit of adventure, love for the country and sacrifice of Sri Rama Raju? May the youth of the country emulate him! Madduri Annapurnayya Editor, Congress Patrika. If Mazzini ignited the spirit of freedom in Italy, Garibaldi established freedom by wielding a sword, so did Sri Rama Raju drawing inspiration from Tilak, Gandhi and Das. Maharashtrians proudly declare themselves as the inheritors of Sivaji and Tilak. Similarly the whole of Andhra prostrates in veneration to Raju who enabled the Andhras to raise their heads in pride. Chitikela Bhaskarudu A Former Village Head of Krishna-devipeta. Alluri Seeta Rama Raju is a fine kshatriya youth. A man of wisdom, an enlightened soul, engaged in righteous activities, he had lived in our village for three long years. A daring son of knowledge and man of enlightened vision, Raju terrorized the English forces for three long years and offered his life at the feet of Mother India. We would never come across anyone like Raju again. Dantuluri Venkata Rama Raju (Writer) Sri Raju, the most courageous knew only one path - victory or a glorious death. A raja yogi, karma yogi, his mission was to better the lives of the people of Manyam. He could not bear to see the people whom he loved the most, suffer for his sake and hence decided to surrender himself though he knew he would be shot at. He left a glorious trail for the people of Andhra. Long live Alluri!