Suravaram Pratapa Reddy

Suravaram Pratapa Reddy

Suravaram Pratapa Reddy (1896–1953) was a social historian from the Hyderabad State (now Telangana), India.

Life

Pratapa Reddy was born on 28 May 1896 in Boravelli village in Gadwal district of erstwhile Hyderabad State. His mother was Rangamma and father was Narayana Reddy. Their native village was Itikalapadu in the district of Mahabubnagar. Pratapa Reddy completed his primary education at his uncle Ramakrishna Reddy's residence in Kurnool. He studied Sanskrit literature and grammar under the guidance of Vellala Sankarasastri. Later he finished his FA at Nizam College, Hyderabad. Then he obtained BA and BL degrees from Presidency College, Madras and became a lawyer for a short while.

Career

He wrote a social history of the Telugu people, Andhrula Saanghika Charitra, which was first published in 1949 and has since gone through many editions. It was the first Telugu language book that to win the best national book award (Kendra Sahitya Academy Puraskaram). From the 1970s onwards it was a prescribed text for the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service examinations and of the Andhra Pradesh civil services commission.

Pratapa Reddy was a scholar in Sanskrit, Telugu, Urdu and English languages. He had tremendous admiration for Telangana Telugu. He is famous for his research articles, novels, poetry, story writer, and literary critic. He used to say, "British Andhrulu Brownvandhram (English-Telugu) matlaadite memu tarakyandhram (Urdu-Telugu) matladutamu. (British Andhras speak Tenglish (Telugu-English) and we speak Turdu (Telugu-Urdu)."

He compiled a list of 354 Telangana poets under the title "Golconda Kavulu" to prove that Telangana also had literature and poetry. Pratapa Reddy wrote approximately forty books, including Nizamrashtra Palanam, Mogalayi kathalu, Sanghoddharana, Ucchala Vishadamu, Grandhalayamu, Hinduvula Pandugalu, Haindava Dharmaveerulu, Yuvajana Vignyanam etc. Most prominent among his writings was Andhrula Sanghikacharitra (Social History of Andhras), which won him prestigious "Kendra Sahitya Academy Award," a federal Indian government award for literature. In this book he described a thousand years of Telugu cultural and social history. Some of the interesting points in this book were: . Men used to wear mattelu (toe rings) during Nannaya period (~1000 AD). Telugu script is called "onamalu" derived from Om Namah Sivaya of Saivism. . Reddys and Velamas were not Telugus. They were immigrants. Rashtrakutas from north became Reddys and Vellalu from Tamil country became Velamas. Velamas were social reformers and Reddys were orthodox and hence there was always rivalry between these two tribes. During the period of Srinadha (~15th century) they were considered equal in the society.

He was the editor and founder of Golconda Patrika, a journal in Hyderabad State. Many of his articles appeared in journals like Sujata, Shoba, Bharati etc.

Suravaram Pratap Reddy is known more for his active participation in and leadership of the social and cultural renaissance movement in Telangana during 1920-1948 period that defied the Nizam autocracy and worked for the liberation of the people from the horrible feudal cum monarchical dictatorship of the days which prejudiced and oppressed the majority community in the Nizam Hyderabad State and especially the Telugu people of Telangana. He was the first President of the famous fighting organization of the people - Nizam Andhra Mahasabha - held in 1930 at Jogipet. He consistently propagated the idea of unity of all Telugu people and was an ardent supporter of the concept and demand of Vishalandhra. The book Telangana Andhrodyamam is a very precious and useful historical compilation of the cultural, linguistic cum political struggles of the period from 1920s to 1948 in Telangana; mainly under the banner of Andhra Mahasabha from 1930 onward - it contains many references to Sri Pratap Reddy's contribution to the Andhrodyamam. He welcomed the struggle for formation of Andhra State but did not live to see it, nor did he live to see his cherished Visalandhra (Andhra Pradesh), having expired on 25 August 1953.

He was moved by the sad plight and illiteracy of Telangana people. He was disturbed by the fact that Urdu was the ruling language and Telugu had no respect. There were no facilities for Telangana Telugus to study in their mother tongue. Raja Bahaddur Venkatrama Reddy, the police commissioner of Nizam State, employed him as the secretary of Reddy Hostel in Hyderabad. Pratapa Reddy set up a very good library in the hostel and brought activity and discipline among the students.

He quit his job at Reddy Hostel to launch a Telugu language journal "Golconda" for the benefit of Telangana people. Golconda was published twice a week. In one of the editorials of Golconda he wrote that the purpose of the journal was twofold: 1) to serve Telugu language in Telangana and 2) to help develop everybody in Telangana without any tribal/caste prejudices.

Bibliography

• Golconda Kavula Charitra
• Raamayana Visheeshaalu
• Hinduvula Pandagalu
• Hindava Dharma Viirulu
• '"Dathu Srinivas Patel"'
• Manchireddy Chenna Reddy

- "Andhrula Sanghika Charithra" and many short stories and poems.

Biography

Indurthi Prabhakar Rao researched Suravaram Pratapa Reddy and his works during 1976 by meeting and interviewing several associates and family members of Suravaram. But it came to limelight only in 2014 when the historical book by name " Sri Suravaram Pratapa Reddy gaari jeevitham, rachanalapai samagra parisheelana (A comprehensive study on Sri Suravaram Pratapa Reddy and his works)" was released by eminent personalities and scholars of Telangana state.

Incidentally, this is the only book which has complete history of Sri Suravaram Pratapa Reddy contributions to Telangana region and Telugu literature.