Meetings, garlanding of statues and blood donation camps marked the 89th death anniversary of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Seetharama Raju organised at various places in the city on Tuesday.

At a programmes organised by the Alluri Walkers Association, Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana, who participated as chief guest, said that it was a matter of pride for the people of Visakhapatnam as the revolutionary leader was born in Visakhapatnam and had studied at Mrs. AVN College in the city. He said that Alluri had sown the seeds for the freedom struggle in the region by creating terror in the minds of the British rulers. Responding to the plea for renaming of Visakhapatnam district as Alluri district, he said that it was a matter which could be considered by the State government and the district administration.

Earlier, he garlanded the statue of Alluri Seetharama Raju at Seethammadhara.

Walkers Association president M. Suresh presided. Earlier, association secretary Venkatesh welcomed the gathering.

CPI-M district committee secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao, GVMC chief engineer B. Jayaram Reddy, Chief Medical Officer P.V. Ramana Murthy and association members participated.

A blood donation camp was organised under the aegis of the All India Trade Union Council, All India Students Federation (AISF) and All India Youth Federation (AIYF). Kshatriya Seva Samithi president Ch. Venkatapathi Raju, CPI district council secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, CPI City council assistant secretary K. Satyanjaneya, AITUC State council members Padala Ramana, G. Vamana Murthy and Sarvani Varma participated.

Mr. Satyanarayana Murthy called upon the participants to emulate Alluri, who had fought for the rights of the tribals besides participating in the freedom struggle.

Leaders of various political parties garlanded statues of Alluri to mark the occasion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Staff Reporter / May 08th, 2013

Visakhapatnam : 

The centenary celebrations of Andhra Mahasabha – the cultural organization that indirectly kickstarted the movement for a separate Andhra state is around the corner. But there isn’t any plan to celebrate the centenary in a big way in the city. What’s more, not many denizens are aware that it was a native of Visakhapatnam, Sir B N Sarma, who presided over the first Andhra Mahasabha conference in Bapatla on May 26, 1913.

Sir B N Sarma, twice the municipal chairman of Visakhapatnam, rose to become a member of the Imperial Legislative Council and president of the Council of State, was a visionary who envisaged along with stalwarts such as Sir Mocherla Rama Chandra Rao, Nyapathi Subba Rao Panthulu, Desabhaktha Kondavenkatappayya and Bhogaraju Pattabhi Seetharamayya, a Federal India with linguistic provinces.

Prasanna Kumar, former rector of Andhra University, says: “The Andhra Mahasabha was as much a socio-cultural forum as it was political. The founders of Andhra Mahasabha envisaged a pan-Indian federalism, based on linguistic and cultural identity.” Though the idea of Linguistic provinces was brought out in the open in 1917 and a Bill for separate Linguistic provinces introduced in the Imperial Legislative Council by Sir Sarma, it was opposed on the grounds that it would encourage separatist tendencies.

B Sudhakar Reddy, who teaches history at the Andhra University says, “The fact that it was the Telugu political leadership of yesteryears which debated upon the idea of federalism based on linguistic identity is not given due recognition. In fact, the Andhra University was one of the results of this federal movement.”

Analysts say that present day leaders of the region fight shy of acknowledging this face. They point out that the problem with Visakhapatnam was a peculiar one as most of the residents and the politicians are settlers, adding that it was only natural that the top political bosses from Vizag showed no interest in promoting the erstwhile leaders of and from the region.

D N Sinha, a native of Visakhapatnam, observed that the phrase, “A sleepy fishing hamlet barely a 100 years ago,” is often used by people who seem to be unaware of the fact that Vizag was the headquarters of the largest district in British India since 1803 and the de-facto socio-cultural and political centre of entire south Odisha and all of the North Coastal AP. He says, “It is unfortunate that many both wittingly and unwittingly try to paint Visakhapatnam as a city that virtually came out of nothing. More importantly, the efforts of those who made it the City of Destiny have been completely ignored and their names forgotten.”

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / May 02nd, 2013