ALLURI SITARAMA RAJU

1. Background

• The fourth of July marks the 125th birth anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju, one of India’s revolutionary heroes whose guerilla tactics and daring attacks struck terror in the hearts of the British.
• In the tribal areas, the villagers were exploited by Britishers, as they lacked knowledge and were powerless. 
• Sri Alluri Seetarama became their voice and strength to them. 
• He united various tribes, taught them guerrilla warfare and trained them to fight back against the colonial power. He was one of the bravest revolutionaries and freedom fighters. 
• He was born on 4th July 1897 to Alluri Venkata Rama Raju and Suryanarayanamma. 
• He remains an idol for the tribesmen of Andhra Pradesh.
• When the British government passed the Forest Act, 1882 (that banned the villagers from practising their traditional agricultural system of shifting cultivation, forcing them to raise particular types of crops). 
• Alluri Seetarama initiated the famous “Rampa Rebellion'' or Manyam Rebellion in 1922-1924. 
• During two years, he fought multiple times with the British troops, always winning against them. 
• This gave him the title of "Manyam Veerudu" or the "Hero of Jungle". 
• The Britishers were focused on capturing and defeating him. 
• He was captured by the British deployed Assam rifle battalion.
• In the year 1986, the Indian Postal Department issued a stamp on his behalf, featuring his struggle for Independence.

2. About early life

• Born on July 4, 1897, the awe-inspiring revolutionary leader is revered across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Karnataka as “Manyam Veerudu” or the “Hero of the Jungle”. 
• He is a household name in these states. 
• While his audacious exploits and lightning strikes against the British rattled the authorities of the day, turning him into a much-revered, larger-than-life hero in these states, our history books have not accorded him the stature and importance he merits.
• Alluri, a born rebel, became a sanyasi at the age of 18. 
• He is famously remembered for leading the Rampa rebellion in 1922-24 in the Visakhapatnam-Godavari agency area of the then Madras Presidency. 
• He was then in his early twenties. 
• After sending chills down the spine of the British, the fierce revolutionary laid down his life for the freedom of the motherland in 1924, at the young age of 27 years.

3. The Unknown struggle

• Fired by intense patriotism and a passion to free the nation from the clutches of the British, he opposed the exploitation of tribals by rulers in the wake of the Madras Forest Act, which had laid severe curbs on their movement in the forest area and prevented them from carrying out their traditional agricultural practice of Podu cultivation.
• He galvanised the tribals to fight against the injustices of the British. 
• His life is epitomised in the words of Babasaheb Ambedkar who famously said — “Life should be great rather than long”.
• In April this year, I was fortunate to have visited Pandrangi village near Visakhapatnam where I also met some of the family members of the great leader. 
• In the same village, the tall statue of this charismatic warrior, clad in ‘dhoti’ and ‘angavastram’, holding the bow and arrow, reminds one of Lord Rama who slew demonic forces and fought fearlessly against injustice and tyranny. 
• His name ‘Sitarama’ truly symbolizes the humility and kindness of Maa Sita and the courage and fortitude of Prabhu Shri Rama. 
• He was a selfless freedom fighter who led an austere life devoted to the welfare and uplift of the underprivileged Adivasis in the Eastern Ghats region.

4. Fight for the freedom

• Angered by the atrocities of the British against tribals, farmers and others, the ‘Manyam Veerudu’ built a strong team of followers to lead the historic Rampa revolt. 
• The bravery and exploits of Sitarama Raju during the Rampa rebellion have, ever since, become part of the folklore in Andhra Pradesh and adjoining states.
• His deep understanding of the forest terrain and skilful use of tribal war tactics made him a highly successful guerrilla warrior who struck fear in the hearts of the British forces. 
• He led a series of daring attacks on the police stations. Speed and precision were distinctive features of his strikes. 
• It is said that all these attacks ended uniquely with a letter signed by Alluri Sitarama Raju himself, giving details of the raid in the station diary. 
• In contrast to the merciless attitude of the police forces controlled by the British, Sitarama Raju is said to have once spared the life of a native police officer who was part of a team sent to capture him, admonishing him for siding with the oppressor rather than standing with the oppressed.
• For close to two years, Sitarama Raju led one of the most intense uprisings against the British in India. 
• Shaken by these attacks, the British called in a large contingent, the special Malabar force, to halt the rampaging Sitarama Raju and his loyal band of followers. 
• Finally, after shining as one of the brightest stars in the galaxy of Indian freedom heroes, Sitarama Raju was martyred on May 7, 1924.