Alluri Seetharama Raju: The Brave Son of India
Alluri Seetharama
Raju is known in Indian history to have led the Rampa rebellion which took
place in during 1922-24 against the British. He was born on July 4, 1897 in
Pandrangi village in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. He studied
at Mrs. AVN College in Visakhapatnam.
Rampa rebellion
was one of the 70 listed tribal uprisings during the British colonial period
from 1778 to 1947.
What makes Rampa
rebellion unique that it was the earliest known tribal revolt led by a
non-tribal Alluri Seetharama Raju. Though an outsider, he assembled a band of followers
who had the support of the people of the surrounding areas of at least 2,500 square
miles. He became a folk hero in Andhra Pradesh and came to be known as Manyam
Veerudu (Hero of the jungles). Though Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-cooperation Movement inspired
him, he advocated violence to win tribal goals.
The revolt takes
it name from the Rampa region north of Godavari, which was the place of action
for several uprisings in the 19th century.
The immediate cause
for Rampa rebellion was illegal construction of forest roads with unpaid labour
by a Tahsildar Bastian of Gumed, who was very unpopular with the local
populace.
A master strategist, Alluri Sitarama Raju used guerrilla tactics and was said
to have divine and healing powers and claimed to survive the bullet shots. The rebellion
was ruthlessly put down by the British who deployed a company of Assam Rifles. Raju
was captured and killed in May 1924. The movement failed as a result of this.
The entire operation cost Madras government fifteen lakh rupees.
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