The Telangana government might soon issue orders changing the name of the Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, in the aftermath of the State bifurcation. The names of Suravaram Prathap Reddy and Bammera Pothana are in the reckoning for renaming of the university soon after the division of assets and staff.
Sources from the university seeking anonymity inform that the government is mulling the two names, with more emphasis on Suravaram Prathap Reddy, the renowned social historian, writer and father of the CPI’s National General Secretary, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy. The name of Pothana, a much celebrated classical poet from Telangana, has surfaced to match with the spirit of Adikavi Nannaya University in Rajahmundry.
The rechristening, if it happens, will be the second such for the university since its establishment in 1985. It was first named merely as Telugu University which was changed to Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in 1998.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, E.Siva Reddy, however, said he was unaware of the name change proposals. Nevertheless, division of the university is imminent, and clarity in this regard may be expected in a couple of months, he said.
“It is as yet unclear how the division would be done, or how the assets would be distributed. It may be done based on the geographical location of the respective schools associated with the university,” Dr. Reddy surmised.
The university has 40 acres each in two locations of Andhra Pradesh, namely Rajahmundry and Srisailam, where the new headquarters for A.P. might come up after bifurcation.
The university’s premises housing School of Classical Dance at Kuchipudi, School of History, Culture and Archaeology at Srisailam, and the School of Telugu Literary Studies at Rajahmundry might be allotted to Andhra Pradesh, while the School of Language Development, School of Fine Arts, and School of Social and Other Sciences, which are being run at the headquarters in Nampally, and the School of Folk and Tribal Lore in Warangal, may be retained by Telangana.
