The house of Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, the first Chief Minister of Andhra State carved out of the composite Madras state in 1953, in the remote village of Vinodrayunipalem in Prakasam district deserves to be developed into a museum for members of the GenX to take inspiration from the life of the statesman, feel his admirers.
It is just not enough to pay floral tributes on the birth and death anniversaries of such great leaders, they say, as the State government gears up to officially celebrate his birth anniversary on Saturday. The house, where the Andhra Kesari spent his childhood days, is now left with no objects to cherish his memory, lament his admirers.
Going down the memory lane, Prakasam district Freedom Fighters’ Association president Karavadi Venkateswarulu recalls Prakasam Pantulu belongs to a class of politicians who sacrificed his personal property for the cause of the freedom struggle. Though he was born in poverty and died in poverty, Pantulu had earned enormous wealth as a barrister, thanks to a lucrative law practice in Madras (now Chennai), his grandson T. Gopalakrishna says. “My grandfather had spent all his earnings while leading the freedom movement,” he adds.
The palatial Island villa in Ongole from where he led the Independence struggle has made way for a multi-storied private college with some vacant portion still left on the southern side. This could be converted into a park, feels Ashwath Narayana, another freedom fighter.
A grand ‘Vijayotsavam stupa’, erected near Devarampadu in 1935 to commemorate the Salt Satyagaraha led by the Andhra Kesari in 1930, by Babu Rajendra Prasad, who later became the President of India, could be developed into a tourist spot, feels freedom fighter G. Vandhanam.
It was in Devarampadu Prakasam Pantulu spent his last days, fondly recalls Sai Krishnam Raju, grandson of Prakasam’s associate Vijayarama Raju with whom the Andhra Kesari had affectionately exchanged views.
The house of Prakasam Pantulu at Vindrayunipalem, where he spent his childhood days, is now occupied by the descendents of his friend Nadipineni Venkatappaya.