(KC Kalkura)
In early 1961 addressing a largely attended public meeting held at the Municipal High School Ground, Alluri Sathyanarayana Raju, Minister for Public Works Department declared: “As long as the last breathe of the last Andhra, we will fight for our rightful share in every drop of the Krishna water.” This relentless agitation led to the constitution of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal – I (KWDT- I) or Justice Bachhawat Tribunal by the Govt of India.
The KWDT-I in its award outlined the exact share of each state. The award contended based on 75% dependability that the total quantum of water available for distribution was 2060TMC. This was divided between the three states in the following manner; Maharashtra 560 TMC; Karnataka, 700 TMC, and a lion’s share of 800 TMC for Andhra Pradesh.
Tallapalli Veraiah, a freedom fighter and a rice miller were the last among those respected citizens of my days in Nandyal. The President of the Nandyal Town Congress Committee, since 1985, Subba Gurumurthy was at the threshold of his 20s. Raja Pedda Subbarayudu, agent of Raja Snow and other allied products was a name to be reckoned with in the public life of Nandyal. Mithaigiri Pullappa and Neravati Balasubbaiah were the two leading cloth merchants.
Financiers Pawn brokers and trustees of Vyayama Mandali near Bus Stand, Magham Pedda Subbarayudu and Chinna Subbarayudu were at the forefront of public life. Neravati Venkatasubbaiah, Medum Subrahmnyam, Appa Kondiah, Chittalur Venkata Setty, Gajula Mallaiah, Pedda Chengalrayudu and Chinna Cengalrayudu were the leading Mandy merchants. Almost all the businesses were concentrated in Cement Road and two Chowks. Nobody was seen moving beyond Fort after sunset.
Gelivy family, Atmakur Nagabhushanam Chetty, Yelukuru Vasudevaiah and his son Sriramulu and Pami Reddy and his son Vasudeva Reddy were the leading Oil and ginning mill owners, located in Noonepalli. The pride of Nandyal, Binni Mill, and Rayalaseema Agricultural Research Station(RARS), were also located at Noonepalli. Cream of the Nandyal Business fraternity used to gather every evening at N.C.Bali Reddy & Co shop in the Kalpana Chowk to work out a common strategy for forward trading. Jagadish Coffee Works was a popular brand for both hotels and household consumption.
Tahir and Karnati Subrahmanyam Soda shops at State Bank chowk were the popular places where during summer people used to gather till late at the night. VIPs had a special brand/ combination of Soda. Nabi Saheb, earlier near Bus stand and later near Kalpana Centre was the most sought-after pan beeda wala. Baig was the most sought-after Royal tailor. There was a popular Hair Cutting saloon, near the Municipal Office managed by one Subbarayudu. All bigwigs used to visit him. He was getting Andhra Patrika, Andhra Prabha, Indian Express, and the Hindu. Photos of the national leaders including Gandhiji, Nehru, Patel, Rajaji, and Prakasam adorned the walls of his shop.
There were two bus stands, one known as the Kurnool Bus stand and another Atmakur Bus stand. Atmakur buses were starting and terminating at Atmakur Bus stand at the outskirts of the town near the tank, Cheruvukatta. All other buses were plying from the Kurnool Bus stand. There were hardly 50 buses; most of them starting and terminating at Nandyal; Ongole, Kadapa, Kurnool, Tadapatri, Chagalamarri, Jammalamadugu, Atmakur, etc. Only one bus from Kurnool to Kadapa was passing through Nandyal. Owned by Pidatha Ranga Reddy, two buses were plying between Giddalur and Kurnool, in the morning and afternoon. They were the first front less (మూతి లేని) busies seen in the Nandyal Bus stand. Radhakrishna Motor Service operated one service from Allagadda to Kurnool. There were no express services. Usually, they used to take three and a half to four hours for a journey of 75 k.ms from Nandyal to Kurnool. Giddalur to Kurnool Bus became the speediest one with a three hours journey. In early 1961 two new express services, in opposite directions, were introduced from Kurnool to Kadapa and vice versa. They covered the distance within two and a half hours.
Md. Peera Saheb, Allah Malik, Rachaiah, Radhakrishnaiah, Rajaachari, and Danchanapala Venkata Subbaiah were the leading bus owners. The bus stand was a god-forsaken place after the sunset. Peera Saheb was a pillar of strength to our family. He was so much respected by our family that his photo is exhibited in Shobha Lodge, founded by K.Anandhakrishna Achar, the prestigious hotel of Nandyal. Ayyapu Setty Veeraiah was another person who was our true friend in need.
Only two pairs of passenger trains. (no express trains) were passing through Nandyal. It was a lunch and dinner station. VRR (Vegetarian Refreshments Room) in the Railways Station, run by Gopalakrishna Prabhu was very popular. Ramanath and National were the only two theaters. Cinemas used to start very late. I still remember the first show of Santhi Nivas starring Nageswara Rao, Kantha Rao, Raja Sulochana, Krishna Kumari, and Devika. released in 1960 being ended at 10.30 p.m., the cine-goers visiting the restaurant after 10.45 and the restaurant closing at 11.30 pm, an hour behind schedule.
Pilgrims to Srisailam, Ahobilam, and Mahanandi used to get down at Nandyal Railway Station and take one or two buses available. However, during the Sivarathri many buses used to ply to Srisaiam. A large number of devotees from Karnataka used to get down at the Nandyal RS and from there directly they were being carried to Srisailam and Mahanandi. If they did not produce the certificates, they were being injected with anti-cholera vaccination at the railway station and the bus stand, before getting into the bus.
The popular and prestigious Delhi Bhogalu paddy, Sugar cane, and Betel leaves were the crops grown under the Nandyal Tank. It is an ancient tank. Now, it is a balancing reservoir under the Kurnool-Cuddapah(Kadapa -KC) Canal Command area. Farmers used to bring ghee from Koilakuntla. State Bank of India and Syndicate were the only two commercial Banks. Branch of the Dist. Cooperative Central Bank and Nandyal Town Urban Cooperative Bank were the other banks.
In 1953 when Kurnool was selected as the Capital of the newly formed Andhra State, the collectorate was converted into the Secretariat and the District Police Officer (DPO) became the Police Headquarters. So the Kurnool Collectorate and the Kurnool DPO were shifted to Nandyal. The Collectorate returned to Kurnool in 1956 when the Andhra Pradesh was formed and the Capital was moved to Hyderabad. But Nandyal remained in the Kurnool East Police District, with a separate Superintendent of Police till 1963. DPO was located in Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari Choultry on the Cement Road. In 1963 they were amalgamated into one Kurnool DPO with a single Superintendent of Police.
SPG in 1875 was the second oldest High School in Kurnool Dist, the first being Municipal High School, Kurnool in 1858. S.P.G along with Municipal and Govt Girls were the only three high schools in the town. Legends; C.G.V.Subbaiah (His son Rama Subbu became a top banker at the national level), Suryanarayana, Anjaneyulu, James, Ramachandraiah, and Faithamma, served as Headmasters of MPL High School. Anumula Venkatasesha Kavi inspired a generation of students to evince interest in Telugu literature and molded some of them into scholars. Sheik Dawood of Heera Panna fame, before joining Osmania College, Kurnool was a Hindi Teacher in MPL, High School. Nandyal.
Doctors Haranath Babu, (Kunti Doctor,he lost one leg while serving in the Army), Mohan Rao, and Rajagopala Reddy were the only sources of medical aid. There was Taluk Headquarters hospital in Noonepalli. There was one dentist, by the name of Dr. Subba Reddy in Byrmal Street. He had manual equipment.
Narasimhachar, Talanki Venkata Subbaiah, Desai Kuppu Rao, Palle Narasing Rao, Obul Reddy, and Padmanabha Sastry were the leading Lawyers, commanding respect from the public. There was only one Court of Munsiff Magistrate. Later an additional Court was established.
Sanjeevanagar was the first Residential Layout in Nandyal. It was approved by the Govt of Madras at the instance of Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, a Minister. Hence it was named after him. The elite of the town; advocates, doctors, teachers, and the businessmen sought a residential building there.
Gopavaram Venka Reddy, Mallu Subba Reddy, Yatam Mahanandhi Reddy, Nivarthi Venkata Subbaiah, and Pendekanti Venkata Subbaiah were the leading politicians. The last one, a freedom fighter from Banaganapalli State, represented Nandyal in the Lok Sabha for five terms. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was elected in 1977 from Nandyal to the Lok Sabha. However, he resigned from the seat after being elected the President of India. P.V.Narasimha Rao was M.P. of nandyal from 1991 to 1996.
Subbagurumurthy has been close to me and regularly converses over the phone. I meet the General Surgeon and literary figure Dr Sahadevudu, son-in-law of Athmakur Nagabhushanam Chetty regularly in literary meets. Dr Madhusudana Rao of Madhumani Nursing Home, son of Chittaluru Venkata Setty is a social activist. His daughter is given in marriage to Praneeth, grandson of my cousin K.Gangadharachar. Dr Kadarabad Ravindranatha son of Nandyal Gandhi is an inseparable companion of mine at Nandyal Though I know and associated with many at Nandyal, I have little contact with the successors of the other celebrities I mentioned. I left Nandyala in June 1961 to pursue my PUC in Poornaprajna College, Udupi and returned to Kurnool in April, 1962 as my brothers Govinda Kalkura and Narasimha Kalkura had opened their own Udupi Hotel, opp King Market and shifted to Kurnool. (Concluded)
(KC Kalkura is an advocate from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh)