Srikalahasti freedom fighter remains an unsung hero

Pasupuleti Venkatappayya, a forgotten hero of the Indian freedom movement, dedicated his life to fighting for the oppressed.

Pasupuleti Venkatappayya is not remembered by many in his home town of Srikalahasti in Tirupati district, notwithstanding his immense contribution to the freedom movement.

People across the social strata participated in the freedom movement between 1885 and 1947, in which several leaders emerged from the undivided Chittoor district. 

Born on January 25, 1925 to P. Radhakrishna and Kamalamma in Srikalahasti town, he studied up to SLC. Nurturing Communist ideology from childhood, he stood by the oppressed working classes, even while actively participating in the nationalist movement.

Venkatappayya rose to fame when he was part of the dozen-member gang that removed the track at Akkurthi railway station during the Quit India movement, causing a huge loss to the railways, to the tune of ₹40,000 in those days.

With the British government ordering his arrest, he went into hiding, but was caught and jailed in the Vellore central prison for three months and later moved to the Cuddalore jail.

He fought for the rights of workers in the scores of bronze and blacksmith (Kanchu Patra) units that dotted Panagal area, close to Srikalahasti railway station. At the age of 17 years, he raised his voice for the oppressed beedi workers and sanitary workers, which brought him under the surveillance of the British regime. 

After Independence, he sat on hunger strike for eight days in 1958 and solved the problems faced by the handloom workers. He also fought for the rights of the farmers displaced when the Kalangi reservoir was built near Srikalahasti, going to jail several times.