Alluri Sitarama Raju

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Alluri Sita Rama Raju (Telugu: అల్లూరి సీతారామరాజు b. 4 July 1897- d. 1924), also known as Aluri Rama Raju, Rama Chandra Raju, and Alluri Seetha Rama Raju, was a young Indian revolutionary during the freedom struggle and he remains an inspiring model of people who fought oppression. His father was from Mogallu in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India and was an official photographer in the central jail at Rajahmundry. Raju led the ill-fated Rampa Rebellion joined by many tribal leaders and other sympathisers in the fight against the British from 1922 to 1923. He was adoringly referred as Manyam Veerudu (Hero of the jungles) by the local people.

He was born in Pandrangi, near Visakhapatnam, his mother's native place on July 4, 1897 and lived mainly in Mogallu, West Godavari district both in Andhra Pradesh.^[1] He was educated in Rajahmundry at Vullithota Bangarayya school, Kakinada, Tuni and Ramachandrapuram in the East Godavari district. His father died when he was in elementary school and he grew up in the care of his uncle, Rama Chandra Raju, a Tahsildar in Narsapur, West Godavari district. He then studied in Taylor High School, Narsapur. Then, he shifted to Tuni along with his mother, brother and sister, on the transfer of his uncle. He joined Mrs A.V.N. College in Visakhapatnam on September 20, 1912.^[1] He dropped out of college after having failed in the fourth form (Std. IX). While in Tuni, Alluri visited agency areas of the Visakhapatnam district and became familiar with the needy tribal people.

He was moved by the plight of the tribal people. The Madras Forest Act of 1882 placed restrictions on their free movement in the forest areas and prevented them from engaging in traditional Podu shifting cultivation and using of the forest produce for their subsistence and livelihood. The repressive measures and policies of the British Raj, coupled with the deeds of the greedy contractors who exploited and oppressed the tribals of the hill areas of the Visakhapatnam district, brought Alluri Sita Rama Raju into direct conflict with the bureaucrats and police who supported these contractors.^{[citation needed]} This eventually culminated in the Rampa Rebellion or Rampa Pituri (Pituri means complaints in Telugu).

Sita Rama Raju carried out his campaign in the border areas of East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. Inspired by the patriotic zeal of the revolutionaries in Bengal, and the decisions taken by them at a meeting in Chittagong in 1921, Sita Rama Raju raided many police stations in and around Chintapalli, Krishna-devi-peta and Raja-vommangi, carrying off guns and ammunition, and killing British army officers, including Scott Coward and Hites, near Damana-palli. Between August and October 1922, he and his men attacked Chintapalli, Rampachodavaram, Rajavommangi, Addateegala and Annavaram police stations and blasted Chintapalli police station. Despite having fewer men and weapons, Alluri and his men exacted tremendous damage on the British, as they were much more familiar with the hilly terrain and adept in guerilla tactics. In the 1920s, the British Raj offered a Rs. 10,000 award for his capture.

Under the leadership of Saunders, the British deployed a company of the Assam Rifles, near Pedagaddapalem, in December 1922. Sita Rama Raju, who had by then gone underground, resurfaced after about four months and continued the fight, strengthened by tribal volunteers, using bows and arrows. He was assisted by two brothers, Mallu Dora and Gantam Dora, who were tribal leaders.

On September 18, 1923, Sita Rama Raju raided the Annavaram police outpost. Subsequently, Mallu Dora was arrested. The Government entrusted the task of containing Sita Rama Raju's activities to Rutherford, the then Collector of Visakha patnam District who fired the first salvo when his forces arrested Surya Narayana Raju Pericherla, popularly known as Aggiraju, a strong follower of Sita Rama Raju.

The British campaign lasted nearly one year from December 1922. Sita Rama Raju was trapped by the British in the forests of Chintapalli. He was tied to a tree and shot dead with a rifle in Mampa village. This was an irony, as the British were proud of their justice system but followed the law of the jungle in this instance. After the martyrdom of Alluri, the tribal revolt lost its momentum and petered off by October 1923.

Today a statue of Raju stands at Seethammadhara Junction and another on the beach road near The Park Hotel in Visakhapatnam. A statue was erected in Pandringi, which is his maternal grand mother's village near Bheemili, about 28 km from Vizag. The Indian Postal Department issued a commemorative stamp on Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju in the series 'India's struggle for freedom' in 1986.^[2]

A Telugu movie was made about Raju's life, entitled Alluri Sita Rama Raju. Krishna starred as Raju and V. Rama Chandra Rao directed the film. The popular song 'Telugu Veera Levara' from this film has inspired generations of the Telugu community.

Mantena Satyanarayana Raju, a dietician and a naturopath, is said to be a relative of Sri Alluri Sitarama Raju.

The only photograph of Raju, which was taken after his death is preserved in the A.P. State Archives, Hyderabad.

The railway station of 'Narsipatnam Road' between Waltair and Tuni was built specially to deal with the rebellion and the unusually long platform for a way-side station was to facilitate offloading of troops and reserve police forces.

Gam Mallu Dora, who was interned at the Andaman jail after his capture, became a Member of Parliament from Visakhapatnam after the first general elections.During his swearing in, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said he was honoured to introduce this proud son of our motherland to the first Lok Sabha.

• Mystery of Alluri Seetha Rama Raju Death

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