Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday expressed the government’s commitment to establish a Telugu university in the name of Potti Sriramulu, whose sacrifice for the formation of the Andhra State set the stage for the creation of linguistic States in India.
Sri Potti Sriramulu:
Early Life:
- Born on March 16, 1901, in the Madras Presidency (now Nellore, Andhra Pradesh).
- Completed higher education at Pachaiyappa’s College, Chennai, and Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute, Bombay (Mumbai), earning a Diploma in Sanitary Engineering.
- Worked with the Great Indian Peninsular Railway before being inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to join the freedom struggle.
Role in the Freedom Movement:
- Actively participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922), Salt Satyagraha (1930), and Individual Satyagraha (1941–42).
- Arrested during the Quit India Movement in 1942.
Socio-Religious Reforms:
- Contributed to village reconstruction projects in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
- Lived in the Gandhi Ashram at Komaravolu and fought for Harijan (Dalit) rights, often through fasting.
- Undertook three fasts advocating for Dalit entry into temples, including the Venu Gopala Swamy Temple in Moolapeta and Nellore.
- Secured favorable government orders for Dalit upliftment through his efforts.
- Walked barefoot in the scorching summer with placards to raise awareness for the downtrodden.
Post-Independence Contribution:
- Played a crucial role in the demand for a separate Telugu-speaking state.
- Began a hunger strike on October 19, 1952, at Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurthy’s house in Madras, calling for the creation of Andhra Pradesh.
- Despite disapproval from the Andhra Congress Committee, he continued his hunger strike and passed away on December 15, 1952, in Mylapore.
- Following his death, the Prime Minister announced the formation of Andhra Pradesh on December 19, 1952, and the state was officially established on November 1, 1956.
- The Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District (SPS Nellore) was named in his honor in 2008.
