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About Alluri Sitarama Raju
Alluri Sitarama Raju was a revolutionary in India who took part in the Indian independence movement. The limits on the free movement of tribal peoples in the forest imposed by the 1882 Madras forest legislation precluded them from partaking in their traditional podu agricultural method, which comprised shifting cropping.
Alluri Sitarama Raju led the Rampur uprising from 1922 to 24. During which a band of tribal leaders and other sympathisers fought against the British Raj, which had passed the law. Locals addressed Alluri as manya mayuri, means “Jungle Hero.”
Sita Rama Raju spearheaded a protest campaign inspired by the patriotic zeal of revolutionaries in Bengal in the border territories of Madras Presidency’s East Godavari and Visakhapatnam regions, present-day Andhra Pradesh.
Early Life and Beginning of the Revolution
He was born on July 4, 1897, in the village of Pandrangi, 12 kilometres from Bheemunipatnam in the Visakhapatnam district. He received his education in Rajahmundry and Rama-chandra-puram in the East Godavari district. His father died when Alluri was in primary school, and he was raised by his uncle, Rama Chandra Raju, a Tahsildar in Narsapur. He then attended Narsapur’s Taylor High School. On his uncle’s transfer, he relocated to Tuni with his mother, brother, and sister.
He was strongly moved by the situation of tribals, whose rights were violated by the British by the Madras Forest Act of 1882. The Act restricted tribals’ unrestricted movement in forest areas and forbade them from engaging in their traditional lifestyles of Podu (shifting) farming and firewood harvesting.
The British Raj’s repressive laws and policies, in addition to the actions of British contractors who exploited and oppressed the people of the Visakhapatnam district, placed Alluri Sita Rama Raju against the police who supported the contractors. This culminated in the Rampa Rebellion, also known as the Rampa Pituri (Pituri means complaints in Telugu).
Rampa Revolution
Sita Rama Raju ran his campaign in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts. Sita Rama Raju raided many police stations in and around Chintapalli, Krishna-devi-peta, and Raja-vommangi, carrying off guns and powder and killing several British army officers, including Scott Coward and Hites, near Damana-palli.
Between August and October 1922, he and his troops attacked and bombed the Chintapalli, Rampa-choda-varam, Rajahmundry, Addati-gala, and Annavaram police stations. Despite having fewer soldiers and weaponry, Alluri and his men dealt massive damage to the British because they were considerably more familiar with the steep terrain and excellent at guerilla tactics.
Britisher’s Hunt to Capture Sitarama Raju
The British Raj offered a Rs. 10,000 reward for his capture in the 1920s. In December 1922, the British stationed a company of the Assam Rifles near Pedagaddapalem under the command of Saunders.
Sita Rama Raju, who had gone underground by then, returned four months later and continued the war, aided by tribal volunteers and armed with bows and arrows. He was supported by two tribal leaders’ brothers, Mallu Dora and Gantam Dora.
Sita Rama Raju raided the Annavaram police outpost on September 18, 1923. Mallu Dora was arrested as a result. The mission of limiting Sita Rama Raju’s activities was handed to one Rutherford, who fired the first salvo when his forces detained Surya Narayana Raju Pericherla, popularly known as Aggiraju, a staunch supporter of Sita Rama Raju.
The British campaign lasted nearly a year, beginning in December 1922 and ending in October 1923. The British captured Sita Rama Raju in the Chintapalli woods. In Mampa village, he was tied to a tree and shot dead with a rifle. The tribal insurrection stalled after Alluri’s departure.
Alluri Seetharama Raju Legacy & Inspiration
In Visakhapatnam, a statue of Raju lies at the intersection of Seethammadhara Junction and The Park. In 1986, the Indian Postal Department produced a commemorative stamp in the series ‘India’s struggle for freedom’ honouring Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju.
A Telugu Pan India fictional Movie, “RRR – Rise Roar Revolt” was made on the fictional life of Alluri Sitarama Raju, which illustrates fictional tale inspired by the two great revolutionaries ‘Alluri Sitarama Raju’ & ‘Komaram Bheem’. With this Movie, the director/filmmaker, S.S. Rajamouli has provided enough tribute to those revolutionaries by glorifying their name and deeds with this beautiful fictional tale.