Freedom fighter Pilla Rama Rao, one of the founder members of Bharateeya Vidya Kendram (BVK) group of educational institutions, passed away here on Sunday. He was 95 and is survived by his son Venkata Ramana Murthy.
On Sunday morning, Rama Rao developed breathing problems and died while being shifted to a hospital. Rama Rao did his schooling and college at Mrs. AVN High School and Mrs. AVN College respectively between 1935 and 1944 and pursued his B. Sc (physics) at Mahararaja College in Vizianagaram and M.Sc (physics) from Andhra University in 1956.
He joined Mrs. AVN College as a physics demonstrator in 1956, later became a lecturer and served at the college till 1972. He became the founder principal of BVK Junior College in 1972 and founder principal of BVK Degree College in 1980 and served there till 1983. He was also the founder member of Vijnana Vihara, Gudilova, in 1980. He was also a Senate member of Andhra University.
‘Quit India’ movement
In 1942, Rama Rao participated in the ‘Quit India’ movement under the leadership of noted freedom fighter Konda Venkatappayya. He was jailed for three months when he was working as an RSS Pracharak in Nellore in 1947.
“Rama Rao was our principal when I did my Intermediate at Mrs. AVN College . When I joined RSS in 1966, he was its city president. We were both lodged at the Visakhapatnam Central Prison during the emergency period between 1975 and 1977,” K. Bhavani of Shankarudu of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), said. BJP leader P.V. Chalapathi Rao and All India joint general secretary of RSS V. Bhogaiah expressed condolences.
