(On the eve of Prakasam’s 150th birth anniversary. 23-8-1872 to 20-5-1957)

-K.C.Kalkura

As per the needs of those days, in 1946 Prakasam established rural education centres (a sort of rural Universities). He made Babu Rajendra Prasad its Kulapati. (Chancellor)  and Prakasam himself was Upa-kulapati (Vice Chancellor). The activities of the centres included Gandhiji’s constructive programme, yarn spinning, handlooms, and cottage industries. As time passed most of these activities ceased. Now we find only a little bit of the Khadi industry. One of the schemes for the rural development sponsored by him was introduced in Gopannapalem, near Eluru in West Godavari District for the Northern part of the State and for the Southern part in T.Kallupatti in Madurai District, with the name Training Centre for Village Workers. Workers received training in these centres in 1. Intensive campaign for kHadi 2 Harijan uplift 3 Transport facilities for villages and 4. Health care includes drinking water supply facilities. This scheme was introduced through G O No 757 Dt Sept 1946.

In addition to this kind of orientation programme special training was provided to equip persons to man the novel centre. Nearly one thousand workers were trained in these centres. Instead of conducting the training course for one year at a stretch and sending the workers into the field, they followed a kind of sandwich system according to which training was given during the three months and fieldwork was arranged for a period of another three months by turns. When the workers came back for training for the second time, they were given more intensive training. After this, they were sent once again into the arena of work. By this arrangement corrections and adjustments were made in the training programme after observing their performance in the field. Those who received the training were engaged in doing their own work like road construction and well sinking. They were also growing vegetables and food materials. They used to have group meetings in a disciplined way and discuss their programme of action for future improvement. At night they were running adult education schools. Thus foundations were laid in Gopannapalem and T Kallupatti and their neighbouring villages for a viable programme of rural reconstruction which generated a new awakening and ideas of self-sufficiency among the villagers. Eight decades ago these activities were relevant

High-salaried professors were not appointed in these centres. But great men who were patriotic and service-minded came forward to deliver inspiring lectures on subjects of their special interests. Gadicharla Harisrvothama Rao used to train them in matters concerning the library movement and related things. Gollapudi Seetharama Sastry lectured especially on Gandhism and rural reconstruction. Amarajeeevi Potti Sriramulu talked about the Harijan uplift programme. These were all well known for their dedication to Andhra. No government could remunerate their services adequately. Besides, elders like Tallapragada Prakasharayudu, Vegiruju Krishnamraju, Lingamraju Gopal Rao, and Mallimadugula Kodandaramaswami used to teach subjects like Gandhian way of life, nature cure, bais education, Khadi production and economic developments.

Under the direction of these elders, the villagers were able to attend to important matters like transport facilities and drinking water problems. They used to make special efforts towards the welfare of Harijan slums. It is common knowledge that Prakasam made a lump sum allotment of one crore of rupees towards Harijan welfare in his very first budget. For this reason, Harijan welfare acquired great prominence in the Gopannapalem project. However, with the fall of the Prakasam ministry, the project fell short of its original objective. Even the centre was brought under the new scheme of community development. Of course, there was a substantial difference between Prakasam’s ideals and the objectives of these community development centres. In Prakasam’s scheme self-government and self-sufficiency were all important for the village’s development.

Although the welfare of villages was the aim of community development
centres they did not attach much importance to the concept of self-sufficiency. In the scheme of rural self-sufficiency cum self-government there was no scope in the neighbouring villages to influence the centre with their politics. These centres were expected to be free from contamination by provincial politics. But subsequently, they became centres of political chess, got merged in the Panchayat Raj system and finally deteriorated into cockpits of Panchayat politics and party vendettas. It was only to avoid such unpleasant consequences that Gandhiji and Prakasam gave their support to the concept of rural self-government and self-sufficiency. But they had no idea of the future developments and the political horoscope of this country. The deleterious effects of this change are seen today in the political field of our country in the shape of all sorts of frictions and conflicts.

In 1946 there was only one University. Andhra University, Waltair, Visakhapatnam for the 11 Telugu-speaking districts. Prakasam as premier of Madras, with the cooperation of the Minister for Revenue and Endowments, Kadapa Koti Reddy prepared a bill for the establishment of a University at Tirupati to be named after the Lord of the Seven Hills, Sri Venkateswara. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had agreed to part with Rs.10,00,000/- and two thousand acres of land. With the fall of the Prakasam’s Ministry, the successor Govt shelved the Bill.

On becoming the Chief Minister of Andhra in 1953, Prakasam riggled out the moth-eaten Bill from the Archives. It may be noted that still there was only one University. That University was not ready to admit more young aspirants for postgraduate studies. Further, earlier while rejecting the claims of Tirupati as the Capital for the new Andhra State, Prakasam had categorically stated that he was not prepared to pollute the holy atmosphere in a pilgrimage centre with political idiocracies; better develop it as a centre for culture, religion and learning.  Fortunately, the same Koti Reddy was the Minister for Revenue and Endowments. TTD was to grant Rs. six lakhs and allot the required land. And it had to make an annual grant of Rs. Two lakhs and fifty thousand, a substantial amount in those days and one-fifteenth of the annual income of the TTD. The bill was passed in the Andhra  Assembly. When the Bill was sent to the assent of the President, some silly and irrelevant objections were raised by the Ministries of Education and Law of the Central Govt. Prakasam had deputed his trusted colleague, Tenneti Viswanatham, the Minister for Law, Finance, Planning and Parliamentary affairs to clear the doubts of the Centre. V.V.Giri, the Union Minister for Labour, Justice Chakravarthi, the Law Minister and  Prof Humayun Kabir, Secretary, to Education Minister, Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, were helpful in seeking the assent of the President. With the Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Koka Subba Rao as Chancellor and Dr Govindarajulu Naidu as the Vice Chancellor, Sri Venkateswara University was inaugurated in September 1954. All the colleges in Chittoor, Nellore, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur were affiliated with the University.          
 

Thenneti Viswanatham writes: “We proposed to develop the University as a great centre to assist all the institutions of ancient arts and culture of south Asian studies. In course of time, it developed from  strength to strength and with Lord’s grace became one of the premier centres of learning in the country.” Prakasam’s Govt in Kurnool sanctioned an additional amount of Rs one lakh towards an annual grant to the Andhra university even without their making a formal request.  

Prakasam might not be an educationist or an academician in the strict sense. But he was a visionary statesman, interested in the all-around progress and development of the next generation.  He kept pace with the time. He acted according to the conscience and march of time.  Whatever Prakasam did or said reminds the immortal words of Oliver Goldsmith:
 “Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, And fools who came to scoff remained to pray:” The Deserted Village.” (Concluded)