Legendary film maker Sattiraju Lakshminarayana, popularly known as Bapu, found an enviable place as a son of the soil in Narsapur, his birthplace in West Godavari district, on his birth anniversary four months after his demise.

A bronze statue of Bapu was unveiled by Palle Raghunadha Reddy, Minister for Information and Public Relations, Telugu Language and Culture, on the banks of the picturesque Vasistha river which too found a prime place in the Bapu’s films. Different walks of people joined the occasion and paid him floral tributes in their own way.

A statue committee involving intelligentsia, writers and artistes from the town was constituted to raise funds for unveiling of the statue, a creation of a woman sculptor from Tadepalligudem. NRIs, public representatives and philanthropists from in and around the town contributed their mite for the statue installation. A group of painters brought the caricature works of Bapu into the form of painting works which were on show at an exhibition organised on the occasion. Songs competitions with the songs in the Bapu films and drawing competitions with his cartoons and paintings as the theme were held for students in the run up to the jayanti celebrations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by G. Nagaraja / Narsapur (West Godavari Dist.) – December 15th, 2014