The Legacy of Potti Sreeramulu: A Hunger Strike That Changed India's Borders
A Life Sacrificed for a Cause
On December 15, 1952, a 51-year-old man passed away in a rented residence in Madras after enduring 58 days without sustenance. Although he held no official position and did not lead any political party, his death would compel the Indian government to take actions it had previously resisted, ultimately reshaping the nation's internal structure. This man was Potti Sreeramulu, a figure largely forgotten outside the Telugu-speaking regions.
The Engineer Who Renounced Comfort
Sreeramulu was born on March 16, 1901, in Madras to a Telugu family from the Nellore region. He trained as a sanitary engineer at the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute in Bombay and secured a stable position with the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. However, after the tragic loss of his wife and newborn child in 1929, he abandoned his conventional life. He resigned from his job, distributed his assets among his family, and joined Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, transforming from a comfortable engineer into a dedicated activist.
A Devoted Follower of Gandhi
Fully immersing himself in the freedom struggle, Sreeramulu's fervor was notable even among his peers. He was imprisoned during the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 and again during the Quit India movement. He spun khadi, revitalized villages, and made a point of dining with individuals from all castes, subtly challenging the norms of untouchability. Between 1946 and 1948, he undertook three fasts in Nellore to secure temple access for Dalits, ultimately succeeding. Gandhi once remarked that with eleven more followers like Sreeramulu, he could liberate India within a year—a commitment that would ultimately cost Sreeramulu his life.
The Struggle for a Separate Andhra
After the British departed, the Telugu-speaking population found itself divided between the Tamil-majority Madras State and the Nizam's Hyderabad. The demand for a separate Andhra state had been voiced since the 1910s, but Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was hesitant to create states based on language so soon after Partition, and C. Rajagopalachari, the governor of Madras, opposed the idea. Despite an earlier fast by Swami Sitaram in 1951 yielding only empty promises, Sreeramulu resolved to risk his life for the cause.
A Fast to the End
On October 19, 1952, he commenced his hunger strike at the home of veteran leader Bulusu Sambamurti. Surprisingly, his own Andhra Congress committee distanced itself from his protest, which initially garnered little attention. However, as time passed, public interest grew. For six weeks, Nehru and Rajaji remained indifferent, with the Prime Minister privately agreeing to the demand but failing to make a public announcement. Sreeramulu continued his fast and ultimately died after 58 days without food, becoming the second person in modern Indian history to die from a hunger strike.
A Catalyst for Change
His passing ignited widespread unrest. A massive procession carried his body through Madras, and anger erupted across Telugu towns, leading to riots and police violence. The government that had overlooked his life could not ignore his death. Within days, Nehru declared the formation of a separate Andhra state, which officially came into existence on October 1, 1953, with Kurnool as its capital. This set a precedent that led to the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which redefined India's boundaries based on language, culminating in the merger of Andhra with the Telugu districts of Hyderabad to create Andhra Pradesh. Historian Ramachandra Guha humorously referred to him as the 'Mercator of India.'
His Enduring Legacy
The house on Royapettah High Road, where he fasted to death, remains a memorial. In Andhra, he is revered as Amarajeevi, the immortal one, with his legacy honored through statues and institutions. However, beyond this region, he has largely faded from memory, despite the fact that the cause for which he sacrificed his life continues to impact the daily lives of millions. Every Indian who identifies their home state in their native language is living within the boundaries that Potti Sreeramulu fought to establish, armed only with his determination to be heard.