Tanguturi Prakasam

Tanguturi Prakasam (23 August 1872 – 20 May 1957), also known as Prakasam Pantulu, was an Indian jurist, politician, and Gandhian anti-colonial nationalist. During a demonstration against the Simon Commission in Madras, he exposed his chest to armed police and dared them to shoot. A major anti-colonial leader, his actions earned him the epithet 'Andhra Kesari' among his admirers. He served as the premier of the Madras Presidency from 1946 to 1947 and played a major role in the abolition of Zamindari in the region. Following Indian independence, Tanguturi served as the first chief minister of the newly created Andhra State, from 1953 to 1954.

Early life

Tanguturi Prakasam was born on 23 August 1872 in Vinodarayunipalem, Madras Presidency, British India, into a family of karanams (hereditary accountants) and landholders on the Venkatagiri zamindari estates. During the Great Famine of 1876–1878, the family had sold some land to pay revenue taxes. Tanguturi Prakasam received his early education locally.

Following the death of his father when he was eleven years old, Tanguturi's mother was forced to assume the responsibility of earning for the family, leading to financial struggles. who was aligned with Gandhism. Tanguturi joined the movement in 1921, following Mahatma Gandhi's call for non-cooperation, quitting his legal profession in the process. He began a daily newspaper named Swarajya, to further spread the message of non-cooperation. Joining the Congress, Tanguturi was elected as the president of the Andhra Region Congress Committee the same year.

Following his reported act of defiance against the Simon Commission in 1928 and his independent Salt March in 1930, Tanguturi's admirers came to refer to him with the epithet 'Andhra Kesari ' .

Premier of Madras Presidency (1946–1947) Tanguturi served as the Revenue Minister in the cabinet of C. Rajagopalachari during the latter's tenure as the Premier of the Madras Presidency from 1937 to 1939. In this capacity, he produced a comprehensive report advocating for the abolition of Zamindari, a feudal system of autonomous or semi-autonomous lords and estates. Tanguturi sought to establish land ownership for the Ryot, a class of Indian peasants.

Following his success in the 1946 Madras Presidency Legislative Assembly election, Tanguturi assumed office as the Premier of the Madras Presidency. Tanguturi resigned in 1947 due to an internal party rebellion. Zamindari was legally abolished in the state the following year. In 1983, a Telugu-language biographical film titled Andhra Kesari, based on the life of Tanguturi, was released. In 2014, the government of Andhra Pradesh declared his birth anniversary to be a state function.