Andhra Pitamaha - Madapati Hanumantha Rao
Andhra Pradesh produced many great freedom fighters who fought bravely and sacrificed their life for the country. All of them have made Andhra proud. This article is about one such freedom fighter-Madapati Hanumantha Rao.
Madapati Hanumantha Rao - Introduction
A very few educated and liberal minded intelligentsia of Hyderabad felt the need to together to protect their language and culture. Kommaraju Lakshmana Rao established Sri Krishnadeva Raya Bhasha Nilayam, which heralded the regional language movement. This "self respect" movement for Telugu language was given a direction by men like Raja of Munagala, Madapati Hanumantha Rao and N Venkata Ranga Rao.
One incident in 1921 in particular sparked off cultural unrest in Hyderabad and that became the precursor of freedom struggle in Hyderabad. The Nizam's Social Conference was held in 1921 under the presidentship of Karve. The proceedings were conducted in English and Urdu, and when Venkata Rama Rao, a leading lawyer of Hyderabad, started to speak in Telugu he was booed out. This sparked off a debate on the status of Telugu in Hyderabad. Madapati Hanumantha Rao's contribution in the revival of Telugu language
Madapati Hanumantha Rao more popular by his title 'Andhra Pitamaha' formed an association called Andhra Janasangham, which aimed at social, economic and cultural revival of people of Telangana. Apart from publishing pamphlets which included Vetti Chakiri and Varthaka Sangam, and editing Mushire, an Urdu journal, he collected funds to establish the first school for women in Hyderabad. He worked for the education of backward classes, for safeguarding the interests of petty traders, all of which had political undertones that were reflected in the Andhra Jana Sangham.
Subsequently, he lost out to the Leftists, and he himself was relegated to the background. However, the contribution made by him in the field of education, cultural revival of the Telugu language, forming semi-political associations, bloomed in 1930s when Hyderabad witnessed a full blown struggle for independence, both from the Nizam and the British Raj.
