Udaya kumar Parida

Potti Sriramulu (16 March 1901 – 15 December 1952) was a revered Indian freedom fighter, a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and a revolutionary social activist. Venerated in the Telugu-speaking regions as Amarajeevi ("The Immortal Soul"), his supreme sacrifice led directly to the creation of Andhra State and permanently altered the internal political map of India along linguistic lines.

​1. Early Life, Career, and Gandhian Ideals
​Born in Madras (present-day Chennai) to a Telugu family originally hailing from the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, Sriramulu studied sanitary engineering in Bombay. He initially took up a lucrative job with the Great Indian Peninsular Railway.
​However, deeply moved by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and civil disobedience, he resigned from his job in 1930 to join the Indian Independence Movement.
​Active Participation: He actively participated in the Salt Satyagraha (1930), the Individual Satyagraha (1940), and the Quit India Movement (1942), serving multiple prison sentences.
​Gandhi's High Praise: Sriramulu lived at the Sabarmati Ashram and committed himself heavily to Gandhi's constructive programs, like spinning Khadi and promoting village industries. Impressed by his staggering grit and focus, Mahatma Gandhi once famously remarked:
​"If I have only eleven more followers like Sriramulu, I will win freedom from British rule within a year."

​2. Social Reform and Dalit Rights
​Following India's independence in 1947, Sriramulu turned his focus to eradicating untouchability and uplifting Dalit communities (referred to as Harijans at the time) in his native Nellore district.
​Between 1946 and 1948, he undertook three separate fasts to demand temple entry rights for Dalits and to compel upper-caste dominated management bodies to open public amenities to all classes, demonstrating his willingness to use hunger strikes as a tool for social justice early on.

​3. The Demand for a Separate Andhra State
​At the time of independence, the Telugu-speaking population was part of the massive Madras Presidency, which was heavily dominated by Tamil-speaking administrators and politicians. The Telugu people felt structurally marginalized, underrepresented, and economically neglected. This ignited a widespread public movement demanding a separate "Andhra State" carved out of the northern districts of Madras Presidency.
​While Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the central leadership acknowledged the sentiments, they were deeply reluctant to redraw borders based on language. They feared that splitting states by language might trigger ethnic tribalism and threaten the fragile unity of a newly independent nation.
​The Historic Fast (1952)
​Frustrated by years of political stagnation and empty promises, Potti Sriramulu decided to take the ultimate step. On 19 October 1952, he began an open-ended fast unto death at the residence of Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurthy in Madras.
​He held two uncompromising demands:
​The immediate declaration of a distinct state for Telugu-speaking people.
​The inclusion of Madras city (Chennai) as the capital of the new Andhra state.
​As the weeks passed, Sriramulu's physical condition deteriorated drastically, but he refused to break his fast without a concrete executive order. Despite rising tensions, massive public rallies, and escalating strikes across the Telugu region, the central government under-calculated the depth of public sentiment and delayed a decision.
​After 58 days of total fasting, Potti Sriramulu suffered a fatal collapse and passed away on the night of 15 December 1952.

​4. The Aftermath and National Impact
​The news of his martyrdom acted as a massive catalyst. The entire Andhra region erupted into unprecedented civil unrest, riots, and strikes. Railway stations were ransacked, government properties were damaged, and police firings resulted in multiple civilian casualties.