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 19^th 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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