SMT. DOKKA SEETHAMMA – A PRE- FACE

Smt. Dokka Sithamma lived in a remote village Lankala Gannavaram on the banks of holy river the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, between 1841-1909, and set her name as synonymous with ANNADANAM, ‘feeding the people in need with kindness’ and ‘hospitality’. During the days when there was no media, even the culture of news paper reading was not, developed, her name in charity and hospitality crossed not only the states in India, but the boundaries of the continent. Her photograph was inaugurated in the main hall of the Royal Palace of London by the then Ruler, King Edward VII on 01.01.1903. The photograph installed in 1903 was witnessed by the then Hon. Speaker of our Lok Sabha, Sri GMC Balayogi in the year 2000 when he had visited the palace in London.

Our father Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu took lot of pains in collecting all the required information from various sources, and wrote the very first book on the life history of the legend Smt. Dokka Sithamma in Telugu, “Nirathannadaatri Smt. Dokka Sithamma” and published in 1959, after 50 years of Smt. Sithamma’s demise. Basing on the first ever book that was published in Telugu prose on Smt. Dokka Sithamma by my father in 1959, Sri Chellapalli Venkateswarlu written her life history in Telugu Poetry during late 60s.

In 2009, being the centenary death year of Smt. Sithamma, the first book on the life history of Smt. Sithamma ‘Nirathanna Daatri Smt. Dokka Sithamma’ in telugu written by Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu, was reprinted and inaugurated in a grand function that was held at the residence of the writer late Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu, by his sons. In honour of the writer, Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu, the second edition of the Telugu version book had been intended to distribute at free of cost to the interested readers, to encourage the spirit of charity practiced by Smt. Sithamma The same will be published in internet also shortly, to enable the same to be available to the global readers.

During the pre-independence days, an aqueduct was constructed on the River Godavari between Delta Gannavaram and Lankala Gannavaram. Since it became very old, in the year 2000 the State Government of Andhra Pradesh constructed a new aqueduct by the side of the old one. The then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Sri N. Chandra Babu Naidu had opened the same in the year 2000 and named it as ‘Dokka Sithamma Aqueduct’ and her bronze statue was installed on the same, and affirmed the gratitude of the Andhra people towards Smt. Sithamma. Our eldest brother Sri Mirthipati Narayana had published a book on ‘Smt Dokka Sithamma and the river Godavari’ explaining why the newly constructed Aqueduct should be named after Smt. Sithamma and met the then Hon. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Sri N. Chandra Babu Naidu and the then Hon. Speaker of Loksabha Sri GMC Balayogi and the other relevant

Leaders and dignities, and requested to name the aqueduct after Smt. Sithamma. The people in Konaseema will never forget the efforts of my brother Sri. M. Narayana for getting the aqueduct named after Smt. Sithamma.

It is our blessed privilege, we were borne and brought up in Lankala Gannavaram, the holy place where Smt. Dokka Sithamma lived for nearly 60 years, and our house is just beside Her house.

In 1996, Doordarsan telecasted a serial on the life history of Smt. Sithamma. Famous TV (DD) serial ‘Sri Maryadaramanna’ fame Sri Jayanthi Bhavani Sankaram played Sri Joganna role. It is not out of place to mention that our eldest brother Sri Mirthipati Narayana had supported the DD crew in all respects to complete their suiting works in our and the surrounding villages.

I take this opportunity, as my privilege, to write a few words about my father, Sri Mirthipati Sitharama Cheyunulu (1916 – 1976) the writer of the first book on Smt. Dokka Sithamma: by profession he was a school teacher, and by nature also he was a good teacher. He wrote another book, Sri Vainatheya Venkateswara Charitra, on ‘the Lord Venkateswara and the river Godavari in Lankala Gannavaram’ and got published in 1977. He was a qualified Ayurveda Doctor with ‘Ayurveda Visarada’ Certificate in the village. He was known for his charity and medical services. He was a good speaker, and was honored by the ‘Andhra Ashramam’ in Varanasi for his lectures there for 30 days, in 1974. He also established ‘Saraswathi Bala Sangham’ in our village with his own funds, to encourage the children not only in sports and arts, but also with ethical values. He was one among the important persons who worked for reconstruction of the Lord Rajagopalaswamy Temple, the deity in which was said to have been installed by Vasista Maharshi centuries back. During my childhood days we were seeing a lot of poets, writers and pundits participating in discussions on various noble matters in our house, with our father. His date of birth was 25 th December and he was proudly telling us that he was born on the day when Jesus born, and he was taking us to the Christian Prayer Hall in Delta Gannavaram on his birthday. He used to tell us that my mother Smt. Ratna Manikyamba (1921-1977) had supported him in his writing and other cultural activities.

To our knowledge the life history of the ‘Ever Telugu Legend’ had not yet been published in other languages. Though I am not competent enough to translate my Father’s Telugu version of the life history of Smt. Sithamma, into English, I have taken a dare step to publish a book in English, with a strong belief that my Father and Smt. Sithamma will lead me in completing this task. The same will be published shortly.

PHOTGRAPH OF SMT. DOKKA SITHAMMA (1941-1909)

THE AUTHOR OF TELUGU VERSION LIFE HISTORY OF SMT DOKKA SEETHAMMA

SRI MIRTHIPATI SITARAMA CHEYUNULU (1916 – 1976)SMT. RATNA MANIKYAMBA (1921-1977)

It is an appeal to the concerned:

1. To see that the life history of the legend should be introduced as a lesson in the school syllabus;

2. A postal stamp in memory of the legend should be released;3. The house where in the legend lived for nearly 60 years is now in a ruin stage,

the same should be developed as a memorial in the interest of tourism development.

VENKATRAMAIAH MIRTHIPATI9407910605