VIJAYAWADA: This Independence Day, Vijayawada remembered the remarkable Udumula Rama Rao, who took an active part in the freedom struggle but was left unrecognised till the time of his death on December 30, 2017. Be it Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanthi, or Nehru Jayanthi, Janda Thatha or Mana Gandhi, as he was fondly called by the people of the city, used to be present at the celebratory events with a national flag in his hand.
The man does not require any introduction to the people of Vijayawada. He could be seen walking on the city roads, donned with three colours of the national flag, with a Tricolour in his hand. He was born around 1915 in a small village near Machilipatnam, and he spent most of his childhood there. He was married at a very early age and took active part in the freedom struggle. In 1933, when Gandhiji visited Machilipatnam, Rama Rao followed him and came to Vijayawada. He was also sent to the jail on several occasions because of his activism.
He did various other things in his life like contributing his labour for the construction of the iconic Prakasam Barrage in 1964, being a tenant farmer, working as a daily wage worker, and running a dairy with 20 buffaloes.
Rama Rao devoted almost 40 years of his life to motivating young people to love and respect their motherland. Even a little time spent with him generated an immense respect in people for the nation.Other than green, white and orange clothes, the man was often seen wearing a cloth cap on his head, traditional pancha kattu, thick, old-fashioned glasses, and handmade chappals. Adorned such, he used to cycle around the city routinely, with the national flag in his hand, for over 10 years. When he turned 70, he switched from cycling to walking. He walked day in and day out and reached people all across the city to remind them of the nation’s importance. In the morning and at night, he used to eat finger millet and sorghum, and had the only proper meal of the day in the afternoon.
Though he had a reputation of being a patriot fighting for the nation, he was not a recognised freedom fighter. He met many chief ministers and MPs with the plea for assistance for being recognised as a freedom fighter, but in vain.
What he could get was `25,000 from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, just few months before his death. When he breathed his last too, on the hospital bed, he was holding the national flag in his hand. This independence day, denizens of Vijayawada city miss their Jhanda Thatha, who added meaning to the celebrations with his immense love and patriotism towards the country.
Speaking to TNIE, Udumula Bujji, Rama Rao’s son, says, “Every day was Independence Day for my father. He spent most of his life preaching patriotism to the younger generations. Every Independence Day, he walked more than six hours to meet children, talk to them about the freedom struggle, and distribute sweets. This was the first Independence Day after his death and many people missed him.”