Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya

Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya (January 8, 1889 – January 13, 1982) was a multidisciplined person and financial and political scientist and historical writer of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1968 by Indian Government.^[1]

Early life

He was born in Purini village of Kovur taluq in Nellore district in 1889 to Venkatesayya and Narasamma. After primary education in Telugu and Sanskrit he went to Madras for higher studies. He joined the Pachaiyappa's College and completed B.A. in 1907 from Madras University. While working as a Tutor in the Pachiappa's college, he took his M.A. degree in History, Economics and Politics in 1910 from the same university. He actively participated in the Indian Independence Movement during the study period.

Teaching

On the invitation of Raghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu he joined Maharajah college in Kakinada as History lecturer from 1910 to 1914. He later worked as lecturer in Economics and Politics at Maharajah college, Vizianagaram till 1927. He was teacher to prince Alak Narayana Gajapathi. He was appointed as Diwan of Vizianagaram Samsthanam in 1927.

He joined as principal of Rajah college at Venkatagiri from 1928 to 1931. Later he joined Andhra University as reader in 1931 and became professor in 1938 and retired as principal of University college in 1944.

He was invited by Bombay University to head the Political and Social Sciences department between 1949 and 1952.

He died peacefully at his residence at Secunderabad in 1982 at the age of 92 years.

Literary works

He wrote many books on Indian history, constitution, encyclopedia, panchayati raj and politics.^[2]

• Chief Editor of Sangraha Andhra Vignana Kosham published by Andhra Vignana Kosha Samithi, Hyderabad (1958–1969)
• Panchayati raj in Andhra Pradesh, published by State Chamber of Panchayati Raj in 1967
• Mārutunna samājaṃ, nā jñāpakālu, Telugu Vidyārthi Pracuraṇalu, 1981
• Āndhralō svātantryasamaramu, Saṃskr̥tika Vyavahāraśākha, Āndhrapradēś Prabhutvamu, 1972
• Evariki mī ōṭu?, Yaṃ. Śēṣācalaṃ aṇḍ Kampenī, 1951
• The freedom struggle in Andhra Pradesh (Andhra), Andhra Pradesh State Committee Appointed for the Compilation of a History of the Freedom Struggle in Andhra Pradesh (Andhra), 1965
• Free and fair elections, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 1966
• The fundamental rights of man in theory and practice, Hind kitabs, 1944
• The general election in the city of Bombay, 1952, Vora, 1953
• Indian federalism, Arnold-Heinemann Publishers (India), 1975
• Local government in India, Allied Publishers, 1969
• Mana paripālakulu, 1962
• Mana śāsana sabhalu, 1963
• Mānavahakkyulu, lēka, Prāthamika svatva siddhantamu, Jātīya Jñāna Mandiramu, 1946
• Pāriśrāmika viplavaṃ, 1964
• Some aspects of democratic politics in India, University of Mysore, 1967
• Some theories of federalism, University of Poona, 1971
• Vidyāraṅgaṃ, nāḍu-nēḍu, Telugu Vidyārthi Pracuraṇalu, 1982
• Vidyārthulaku okamāṭa, 1965
• The welfare state and the socialist state, Triveni Publishers, 1962
• Mārutunna samājaṃ, nā jñāpakālu, Telugu Vidyārthi Pracuraṇalu, 1981
• Āndhralō svātantryasamaramu, 1972

Family

He married Venkamma and they had ten children: Annapurna, Godavari, Mamidipudi Narasimham, Mamidipudi Seetharam, Mamidipudi Anandam, Mamidipudi Venkateswarlu, Pattabhiram, Mamidipudi Krishnamurti, and Mamidipudi Simhachalam and Vaidehi.^[3]

Mamidipudi Anandam is a Chartered Accountant and twice Rajya Sabha member. Shanta Sinha is daughter of Anandam. She was awarded Padma Shri and also the Ramon Magsaysay in the year 2004. Mamidipudi Ravindra Vikram was Chartered Accountant Director of Indian Bank and Indian Overseas Bank and son of Anandam.

Mamidipudi Pattabhiram was Associate Editor of The Hindu. Mamidipudi Krishnamurthi retired as the Chief Controller of R& D, Government of India and is presently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of M.Venkatarangaiya Foundation. Mamidipudi Nagarjuna was the son of Pattabhiram. He was IAS, Special Officer for District Primary Education Project and earlier served as Collector at Guntur district and in a primary health project earlier. He died in Mumbai while undergoing treatment at the Tata Memorial Cancer hospital for Leukaemia. He was 47 and is survived by his wife and two sons.^[4]

Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation

Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation^[5] was established in his memory in 1981 and presently working from Secunderabad. Their fields of working are Child Rights, Health and Natural Resource Management.

Shantha Sinha, Secretary of the Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya (MV) Foundation, won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2003.

References

• Luminaries of Andhra Pradesh, Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, Hyderbad, 2005.