Jamalapuram Kesava Rao
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Sardar Jamalapuram Keshav Rao | |
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| Born | 3 September 1908 Errupalem, Madhira Taluka, Hyderabad State, British India (now Khammam district, Telangana, India) |
| Died | 29 March 1953 (aged 44) Hyderabad, India |
| Other names | Jamalapuram Keshava Rao, Jamalapuram Kesavarao |
| Citizenship | Indian |
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| Parent(s) | Jamalapuram Venkatarama Rao (father) Venkata Narasamma (mother) |
Sardar Jamalapuram Keshav Rao (also spelled Keshava Rao or Kesavarao; 3 September 1908 – 29 March 1953) was an Indian freedom fighter, Congress leader, and president of the Hyderabad State Congress.[1] Contemporary Telugu-language sources referred to him as "Telangana Sardar" and "Deccan Sardar".[2] He opposed the Nizam of Hyderabad's rule and campaigned for the integration of Hyderabad State into the Indian Union.
Keshav Rao was active in the Indian independence movement in the Telangana region. He served as the first president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee and presided over the 13th Andhra Mahasabha in 1946.[3] After the Police Action of 1948, he became president of the State Congress under the Vellodi government.[4]
Early life and education
Jamalapuram Keshav Rao was born on 3 September 1908 in Errupalem village, Madhira Taluka (then part of Warangal district in Hyderabad State, now in Khammam district, Telangana) to Jamalapuram Venkatarama Rao and Venkata Narasamma.[5][6][7] He was born into a zamindar family as the eldest child.
Keshav Rao attended Nizam College, Hyderabad, where he studied Urdu, Hindi, English, and Persian.[5][4] He briefly joined the Nizam government service but resigned shortly after.[4]
While at Nizam College, he organised a student protest against the administration's ban on the singing of Vande Mataram. The students threatened to boycott classes unless the ban was lifted. The ban was subsequently rescinded.[5][8]
Political career
Keshav Rao entered politics at the age of 18.[5] In 1923, he heard Mahatma Gandhi speak at Rajahmundry, and in 1930 met Gandhi at Vijayawada.[5][8]
He undertook padayatras (journeys on foot) through villages in Madhira Taluka and across Warangal and Karimnagar districts.[5]
Hyderabad State Congress
Keshav Rao helped establish the Hyderabad State Congress in 1938, alongside Swami Ramananda Tirtha and other leaders.[9][10] After the Police Action of 1948, he became president of the State Congress under the military government.[1] The organisation opposed the rule of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, and advocated for civil liberties and the integration of Hyderabad State into India.
1938 Madhira Satyagraha
On 24 September 1938, Keshav Rao led a satyagraha in Madhira along with Govindaraju Nanak, Janardanarao Deshaye, and Ravi Narayana Reddy.[5][4] He was arrested and sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment for violating the ban on public gatherings.[5][4]
Andhra Mahasabha
Keshav Rao was elected president of the 13th Andhra Mahasabha, held from 10 to 12 May 1946 in Kandi village, Medak district.[3]
Freedom movement activities
Quit India Movement (1942)
During the Quit India Movement of 1942, Keshav Rao promoted the Congress's call for immediate independence in the Telangana region.[5]
Join Indian Union Day (1947)
On 7 August 1947, Keshav Rao organised a satyagraha in Madhira under the banner of "Join Indian Union Day", demanding that Hyderabad State merge with the Indian Union.[11][12] He was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment.[5]
Other activities
Keshav Rao also led civil disobedience campaigns including a Forest Satyagraha (protesting restrictions on villagers' access to forest resources), an Excise Satyagraha (against taxation policies), and a No-Tax Campaign.[13]
He organised what is described as Telangana's first flag hoisting ceremony at Jujjalraopet.[13]
In 1945, Keshav Rao joined the Jateeya (National) Andhra Mahasabha.[13]
Underground activities (1948)
In 1948, prior to the Police Action, Keshav Rao led underground resistance, coordinating with associates including Bommakanti Satyanarayana and Burra katha performer Venkata Raju.[14]
Activities during this period included destroying bridges, halting trains and buses, and declaring villages free from Nizam control.[14][4]
He served as Field Public Officer, supervising border camps that provided refuge and organised resistance until the Police Action in September 1948.[13]
During this period, Keshav Rao was imprisoned along with Kaloji, Dasaradhi, and Kolipaka Kishan Rao, while Bommakanti and Marri Chenna Reddy continued the movement externally.[14]
Meetings with national leaders
Keshav Rao met with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to urge action on the Hyderabad question.[13] He also met with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.[15]
Imprisonments
Keshav Rao was imprisoned multiple times:
- 18 months for the 1938 Madhira Satyagraha
- 8 months in Warangal Jail, later transferred to Nizamabad Jail
- 2 years rigorous imprisonment for the 1947 "Join Indian Union Day" satyagraha[5][4]
Social reform work
Keshav Rao promoted the library movement initiated by Madapati Hanumantha Rao, establishing libraries in Telangana villages.[5]
He established night schools (vayojana vidya) for adult education across Telangana.[5]
He campaigned against untouchability and worked with depressed classes.[5]
Along with Panuganti Picchayya, Vanam Narasimha Rao, and Narayana Rao, Keshav Rao organised the Adivasi Mahasabha in Palvancha to address issues facing tribal communities.[5]
He formed grama rakshaka dalalu (village protection squads) against exploitation by local officials including desh mukhs, mali patels, police patels, and patwaris.[5][16]
He also wrote articles for the nationalist journal Kakatiya and promoted the Telugu language at a time when Urdu was the official language of Hyderabad State.[16]
Post-independence
Following the Police Action of September 1948, Keshav Rao became president of the Hyderabad State Congress under the government of M. K. Vellodi.[4]
1952 Hyderabad State Legislative Assembly election
Keshav Rao contested the 1952 Hyderabad State Legislative Assembly election from the Pakhal constituency in Warangal district as a Congress candidate. The constituency was largely composed of forest areas inhabited by Koyas and Lambadas. He lost to the Communist-led People's Democratic Front (PDF) nominee by over 4,000 votes, polling 10,468 votes.[17]
Death
Jamalapuram Keshav Rao died on 29 March 1953 in a hospital in Hyderabad at the age of 45.[18][1] The cause of death was pneumonia.[18] His health had declined due to the effects of his multiple imprisonments.[5] He was survived by his wife Jamalapuram Annapurna and three children.
Honorific titles
Sources record several titles given to Keshav Rao: "Sardar" (from 1938),[5] "Telangana Sardar", "Deccan Sardar" (Dakkan Sardar), "Ukku Manishi" (Man of Steel), and "Boundary Gandhi".[2][5][4]
Legacy
The Government of India lists Keshav Rao among the "Unsung Heroes of the Freedom Movement".[13] His centenary was commemorated in 2009.[1] In 2017, a statue was unveiled in Errupalem.[19]
A junior college named Sardar Jamalapuram Kesava Rao Memorial Junior College was established in Errupalem, Khammam district.[20]
Biographies of Keshav Rao include Sardar Jamalapuram Keshavrao by Hiralal Moriya[15] and a chapter in Torch Bearers of Freedom Movement by B. Nageshwar Rao (1991).[21] His role in the Hyderabad State Congress is referenced in Swami Ramananda Tirtha's Memoirs of Hyderabad Freedom Struggle (1967)[22] and Lucien D. Benichou's From Autocracy to Integration (2000).[23]
V6 News Telugu produced a documentary on his life.[24]
See also
- Hyderabad State Congress
- Telangana Rebellion
- Andhra Mahasabha
- Swami Ramananda Tirtha
- Operation Polo
- Hyderabad State
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Jamalapuram Kesava Rao centenary fete". The Hindu. 6 March 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Nizam Andhra Maha Sabha Sessions". KPIAS Academy. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Sardar Jamalapuram Keshavrao". Scribd.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 "జమలాపురం కేశవరావు". Telugu Wikipedia (in తెలుగు). Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ↑ "People and Personalities of Khammam District". Vikaspedia. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ "Keshava Rao Jamlapuram". Indian Culture Portal. Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Sardar Jamalapuram Kesava Rao Biography". Telugu Wishesh. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
- ↑ "Nationalist Movement - Chronicles". Liberation Hyderabad. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ "Hyderabad Freedom Movement". Telangana 360. March 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ "Invoking freedom struggle legacy, Bhatti pledges modern facelift for historic Madhira". Deccan Chronicle. December 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ "How Hyderabad's merger with Union unfolded". Hindustan Times. September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 "Unsung Heroes of the Freedom Movement". MyGov.in. Government of India.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao (September 2017). "When Hyderabad Merged with India". Jwala's Musings. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Moriya, Hiralal. Sardar Jamalapuram Keshavrao (in తెలుగు).
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Remembering Telangana Hero Jamalapuram Keshava Rao". Disha Daily.
- ↑ "Kesavarao defeated". Deccan Chronicle. Hyderabad. 1952.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "సర్దార్ జమలాపురం కేశవరావు అకాలమృతి (Sardar Jamalapuram Keshavarao's untimely death)". Andhra Patrika (in తెలుగు). Hyderabad. 30 March 1953.
- ↑ "Protagonists of united AP made ministers: K Laxman". Deccan Chronicle. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ "Sardar Jamalapuram Kesava Rao Memorial Junior College". Schools.org.in.
- ↑ Nageshwar Rao, B. (1991). Torch Bearers of Freedom Movement. Institute of Historical Research of Freedom Struggle.
- ↑ Tirtha, Swami Ramananda (1967). Memoirs of Hyderabad Freedom Struggle. Bombay: Popular Prakashan. p. 247.
- ↑ Benichou, Lucien D. (2000). From Autocracy to Integration: Political Developments in Hyderabad State, 1938-1948. Orient Blackswan. p. 313. ISBN 9788125018476.
- ↑ Telangana Hero - Jamalapuram Keshava Rao (Video). V6 News Telugu.
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