Bezawada Gopala Reddy
Reddy in 1944
6th Governor of Uttar Pradesh
In office
1 May 1967 – 30 June 1972
Chief MinisterCharan Singh
Chandra Bhanu Gupta
Tribhuvan Narain Singh
Kamalapati Tripathi
Preceded byBishwanath Das
Succeeded byShashi Kant Varma (Acting)
2nd Chief Minister of Andhra State
In office
28 March 1955 – 1 November 1956
GovernorChandulal Madhavlal Trivedi
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byOffice Dissolved
(Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as Chief Minister of United Andhra Pradesh)
Personal details
Born
Bezawada Gopala Reddy

5 August 1907
Buchireddypalem, Madras Presidency, British India
(now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died9 March 1997(1997-03-09) (aged 89)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Political partyIndian National Congress
SpouseLakshmikanthamma
RelativesBezawada Ramachandra Reddy

Bezawada Gopala Reddy (5 August 1907 – 9 March 1997) was an Indian freedom fighter, writer and politician. He was the Chief Minister of the erstwhile Indian state, Andhra State from 1955 to 1956 and later served as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh from 1967 to 1972. He was popularly known as "Andhra Tagore" in recognition of his literary works.[1][2]

Early and personal life

Reddy was born on August 5 1907, in Buchireddypalem in the Nellore district of present-day Andhra Pradesh (then part of Madras Presidency) to Pattabhiram Reddy and Seethamma. Reddy completed his school education in the same village before furthering his studies at Andhra Jatiya Kalashala from 1921 to 1924 in Machilipatnam. He pursued graduation in D.Litt at Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. Upon his return from West Bengal in 1927, he actively participated in the freedom movement, notably contributing to the Salt March and Quit India Movement. As a consequence of his involvement, he faced arrest and imprisonment at Vellore and Tanjavore jails.[3][4]

Reddy was married to Lakshmikanthamma, the daughter of the freedom fighter Tikkavarapu Rami Reddy and Sudarshanamma. Similar to Reddy, Lakshmikanthamma was also a student at Shantiniketan and involved in the freedom movement.[5] Reddy's admiration for Rabindranath Tagore's works inspired him to translate many of his books into the Telugu language.

Political career

[6]Member A.I.C.C., since 1931 ; M.L.A., Madras, 1937–46 ; was Minister Local Administration, Government of Madras, 1937–39 ; President Andhra Pradesh, 1955–56 ; Finance Minister, Madras, 1947 ; Home Minister, Andhra Pradesh, 1956 ; Finance Minister, Andhra Pradesh, 1957 ; M.P. Rajya Sabha, 1958–60, Lok Sabha, 1962 ; Minister of Revenue and Civil Expenditure Government of India, 1958–61 ; Minister for Information and Broadcasting 1962–63 ; resigned under the Kamraj Plan ; Chairman, Children's Film Society; President: Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (A.P.) ; Telugu Bhasha Samiti, since 1947 ; A.P. Sahitya Academy, since 1957 ; All-India Chess Federation, since 1959 ; Governor of U.P. since 1 May 1967.

Death and legacy

Reddy was admitted to the hospital following an accident just 10 days prior to his death. He died on 9 May 1997 at the age of 89, after being discharged from the hospital at his son's residence.[7][8] An award in his honor was established and is known as the "Dr. Bezawada Gopala Reddy Award", recognising individuals in the fields of Telugu literature and politics for their contributions.[9][10]

Awards

Reddy received the prestigious Raja-Lakshmi Award for the year 1989, conferred upon him by the Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation, Chennai.[11]

See also

Sources

References

  1. ↑ Prasad, P. V. (2 April 2019). "Reputed political families in Nellore lose charm". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Desk, OV Digital (9 March 2023). "9 March in Indian and World History". Observer Voice. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Mahotsav, Amrit. "Bejawada Gopal Reddy". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  4. ↑ India, The Hans (15 August 2022). "Nellore: Kin of freedom fighters felicitated". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Nellore women who stole limelight during freedom struggle". Deccan Chronicle. 13 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Official Website of Governor's Secretariat, Raj Bhavan Lucknow Uttar Pradesh, India. /". upgovernor.gov.in. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Former Up Governor Gopala Reddy Passes Away". Business Standard. 10 March 1997.
  8. ↑ "Today in Indian History - Bezawada Gopala Reddy, 89, former Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, died". www.seattleindian.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Rosaiah given Bezawada Gopala Reddy Award". News18. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bezawada Gopala Reddy Award for Mohan Babu". The Hindu. 21 October 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "TFASNJ.ORG | Telugu Fine Arts Society, New Jersey, North America". tfasnj.org. Retrieved 21 November 2023.


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