By Nandiraju Radhakishna, Sr. Journalist
“manyam veerudu” (Hero of the Jungles) Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a contemporary of all senior freedom movement leaders, was born on July 4, 1897. He was also known as Rama Chandra Raju. He is telugu from Godavari districts.
Revolutionary personality from coastal districts in Andhra that is part of Andhra Pradesh, Alluri is well known for leading the Rampa rebellion, which was launched in 1922.
He shot into fame with his armed rebellion against the British Government in India inspiring the tribals from the coastal districts of Andhra. He preferred an armed confrontation during 1922-1924, though he got respect towards Gandhi he preferred armed confrontation to an uninspiring Gandhian peaceful movement.
He belonged to the group of fire brand revolutionaries of India such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, Sukhdev, Ramprasad Bismil, Chandra Sekhar Azad, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Shaheed Uddham Singh of the 20th century.
His deeds have inspired the other freedom fighters in the country and kept the torch alive and finally India attained independence. But the dreams of our martyrs were shattered by partition. Sadly, his deeds are not much known outside the AP state.
Raju was born to Venkataraamaraaju and SuuryanaaraayaNamma in Pandrangi village in the Visakhapatnam district. Mother was from Visakhapatnam and father was a native of Mogallu, near Bhimavaram, who was an official photographer in the central jail at Rajahmundry. As Raju’s mother died when he was in school at Vullithota Bangarayya school, he grew up in the care of his uncle, Rama Chandra Raju, a tehsildar in Narsapur in the West Godavari district.
He studied at Taylor High School in Narsapur then moved to Tuni along with his mother, brother and sister. While there, Alluri visited areas of the Visakhapatnam district and became familiar with the needs of the indigenous people. When Raju turned 15, he moved to his mother’s hometown of Vishakhapatnam and enrolled at a school. He was dropped out of school after failing in the fourth form.
Raju led a protest movement in the border areas of East Godavari and Visakhapatnam against Madras Forest Act passed in 1882, which restricted the movement of tribal peoples in the forest and prevented them from engaging in their traditional “Podu” agricultural system. Inspired by the patriotic zeal of revolutionaries in Bengal, Raju raided police stations in and around Chintapalle, Rampachodavaram, Dammanapalli, Krishnadevipeta, Addateegala, Narsipatnam, Rajavommangi and Annavaram. Raju and his followers stole guns and ammunition and killed several British army officers, including Scott Coward near Dammanapalli.
In December 1922, the British deployed a company of Assam Rifles, near Pegadapalle under the leadership of Saunders. Raju, who had by then gone underground, resurfaced after about four months and continued the fight, strengthened by tribal volunteers using bows and arrows under the leadership of Gam Mallu Dora and Gantam Dora. Following a raid led by Raju on the Annavaram police outpost on September 18, 1923 Mallu Dora was arrested.
The Government entrusted the task of containing Raju’s activities to Rutherford, Visakhapatnam district. The British campaign lasted for nearly a year from December 1922. Rama Raju was eventually trapped by the British in the forests of Chintapalli. His relentless and selfless struggle in protecting the livelihood of the tribals from the British rulers has gained their admiration and respect.
After Raju’s death, the press hailed him as national leaders like, Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Lenin. It is written that hero Ramaraju has gained heaven. The magazine Satyagrahi compared Raju to George Washington. In 1929, when Mahatma Gandhi was on a visit to Andhra, Alluri’s portrait was presented to him.
On May 7, 1924, while sitting at a river near Koyyur village, he sent word to police through a cowherd about his whereabouts. While he was taking a bath on the banks of the river, the police surrounded and arrested Raju. He was presented to Major Gudaal who was encamped at Koyyur. Police tied Raju to a tree and shot him dead without trial. Even his mother was not informed of the news of his death.
On May 8, Raju’s body was cremated after a photograph was taken. His cremated ashes were immersed in the nearby river Varaha. Thus, Sitaramaraj became a martyr at the age of 27 only. His tomb is in Krishnadevipet (KD Peta).
End of an era..
With the death of Sitaramaraj, the rest of the revolutionaries were desperate for their lives. Their misadventures had dire consequences. Some died in the fighting. Others were caught. On May 26, the village people caught and killed Endu Padala. Sankoji Mukka was sentenced to 12 years. Gantadora’s wife and daughter were arrested.
On the 7th of June, a battle took place between the comrades and soldiers of Guntandora at “Pundukontakona” brook. After firing the gun from the top of the tree for a long time, when the bullets ran out, he came forward and stood bravely. He was shot. On June 10, Gokiri Erres was caught near Narsipatnam. Bonkula Modigadu was found on June 16.
This Manyam hero’s revolutionary struggle which started on August 22, 1922 ended in the first week of July 1924. Sitaramaraju’s mother died on August 30, 1953, at the age of 77. His sister Seethamma died at Bhimavaram on 8 July 1964. His younger brother Satyanarayanaraja retired as a teacher and lived at Boorugupudi near Peddapuram. His sons were Sreeramaraj, Venkatasubbaraju and Tirupatiraju.
Later he wrote about Raju in Young India Magazine – 1926, “All of us can learn from Sri Rama’s indomitable adventure, self-sacrifice, concentration and perseverance. I am not positive about armed conflict, I do not accept it. But I cannot help expressing my respect for a brave, self-sacrificing, simple person and noble like Raju. Sitramaraju is not a rebel, he is a hero”.
Subhash Chandra Bose commented that he was glad to have the privilege of commending Sitaramaraju for his service to the national movement and appealed to the Indian youth to continue to worship such heroes.
In 1986 the Indian Postal Department issued a commemorative stamp featuring Raju in the series ‘India’s struggle for freedom’. His statues have been erected in Hyderabad and at his native place. As part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled 30-feet bronze statue of Sitarama Raju, the 15 tonne statue was carved out in the Municipal Park at ASR Nagar in Bhimavaram,
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