Alluri Sitarama Raju, a sage-turned-freedom fighter, who fought for the rights of tribal people under the Visakha agency area in Andhra Pradesh against the British, has been inspiring generations with SS Rajamouli’s film ‘RRR’, where popular Tollywood actor Ram Charan essayed the role of Ramaraju, which was pretty much based on the life of the crusader.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 30-feet tall bronze statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju on his 125th birth anniversary in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
Born in Mogallu village of Palakoderu Mandal in West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh on July 4, 1897, Alluri Sitarama Raju launched the Rampa rebellion in 1922, which was also referred to as “Manyam Veerudu”. His father, Venkata Rama Raju, was a photographer and his mother, Suryanarayanamma, a home-maker. His father died when he was eight years old. He completed his schooling at Bhimavaram, Narsapuram and Visakhapatnam.
Leading the tribal in the agency areas, Alluri Sitarama Raju’s revolt against the British gained momentum after he opposed the strict implementation of the Madras Forest Act, 1882 that makes the life of tribal peope miserable by prohibiting them from Podu cultivation (age-old-cultivation by the tribal where they cannot use the cultivation process of the plains).
By believing in the armed struggle, Alluri Sitarama Raju led raids on police stations of Chintapalli, Rajavommangi, Addateegala, Rampachodavaram and Devipatnam in order to seize ammunition and firearms in broad daylight. After seizing the arms and ammunition, he left a note in the police station mentioning the details of the items taken.
His relentless and selfless struggle in protecting the livelihood of the tribal from the British rulers has gained their admiration and respect. Unable to digest the Alluri Sitaramaraju’s popularity among the tribes and his revolt against the ruling class, the British police arrested him on May 7, 1924, and was later shot dead by them.
Besides paying a huge tribute to his sacrifice in liberating the tribal from the clutches of the British, the Andhra Pradesh government while reorganising more districts in the state has created a district ‘Alluri Sitarama Raju’, which includes some parts of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts.
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