Acharya Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiah

LEST WE FORGET

PROF. M. VENKATARANGAIYA
- (A biographical sketch)

Prof. M. Venkatarangaiaya
(1889 – 1981)

The birth centenary of the Late Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya, who lived upto a ripe old age of 92, was celebrated in 1989.

On 8th January 1889, Venkatarangaiya was born in an orthodox brahmin family, well versed in their knowledge of the Vedas and the Shastras and Sanskrit learning, and was initiated into the Vedas at the age of seven. He passed the Matriculation examination of Madras University in 1903 and the B.A. Degree examination in 1907 in first class and secured a Gold Medal for standing first in the University.

Deeply influenced by spirited speeches of Bipin Chandra Pal and other national leaders, who lectured throughout the country for support to the freedom struggle he decided not to go to England for the Civil Service (like many of his contemporaries like S. V. Rama Murty) but decided to devote to teaching profession as a mission in his life.

After doing his M.A., he became a Lecturer in the Pithapur Rajah’s College at Kakinada and later in 1914 joined the Maharaja’s College, Vizianagaram, which post he held for 13 years. During that period he was also tutor to the Yuvaraja of Vizianagaram. In 1931 he joined the Andhra University as Head of the Department of History, Economics and Politics and retired in 1944. He had a stint as the founder Principal of the D.N.R.College, Bhimavaram.

He was highly respected as a devoted teacher, as he chose voluntarily the hard path of teaching profession which he liked most. His reputation as a profound scholar and a great political scientist spread far and wide. The Bombay University invited him to become the first holder of the Pherzeshah Mehta Chair in Civics and Politics in 1949. Ably assisted by his junior colleagues like Ramamurthi Pratapagiri, he gave a new dimension to the department with a vision and a missionary zeal. He was responsible for instituting a specialised course in Politics and laid solid foundations for field research and survey work, which other universities had not taken up till then.

He was an erudite scholar with great insight of the conditions of that time. Generations of students owe it to him in the Andhra and Bombay Universities for his contribution to their development and progress. He was mainly interested in local self-government and federalism. His contribution in the fields of public administration, constitutional development and International relations was invaluable.

Prof. Venkatarangaiya was a prolific writer in English and Telugu and brought out several books on Civics, which were prescribed as text books for different classes. He believed that knowledge should creep to the grassroot level and with that view, produced several books, booklets, pamphlets and educated the people with his popular lectures, study groups etc., He was a regular contributor to outstanding journals like the Bharati (Telugu) and the Triveni (English). His weekly feature in the SWATANTRA - SPOTLIGHT ON THE WORLD - and his articles in the Illustrated Weekly of India, like “Is India a Welfare State?”, “Party less Democracy” and “What is wrong with our Education?” were thought provoking and attracted wide attention.

He was basically a researcher. As he was scholar, research work gave his teaching a new insight and a perspective. While in the Maharaja’s College he conducted several economic surveys in the rural areas and his research in local government started in the Madras University in 1925. As Sir Pherozeshah Mehta Professor in Bombay University, he undertook a survey of the Bombay Legislature and organised a scientific and systematic study of the first General Elections in Greater Bombay. This pioneering project called for an imaginative adaptation of the Western techniques of survey to the Indian conditions. This survey was received so very well by all the concerned, and it involved a great effort in contacting the various political leaders, and following their election meetings and visiting slums and attending mohalla meetings and scanning news reports and checking up details personally, that the successive incumbents of the Chair thought it fit to continue the project. Besides he was a teacher of Durgabai Deshmukh, the well-­known social worker.

Sri Venkatarangaiya had numerous distinctions in the academic field conferred on him. He was one of the founder-members of the Indian Political Science Association and presided over its Annamalainagar Session in 1945 and was a member of the three-man Committee to study the first General Elections. He was the local Secretary of the Bombay branch of the Indian Council of World Affairs and was a member for sometime of the Planning Commission’s Research Programmes Committee. He was an Advisor to the All India Radio, Madras on Educational broadcasting, and editor of Educational India for over 30 years. He was intimately connected with the Co-operative movement, the Theosoppical Society, several Teachers ‘Guilds and students’ associations which experience was highly rewarding and fruitful.

As a fitting recognition of his great and valuable services to the Nation, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award in 1968. Teaching, in his opinion, is one of the noblest of professions and the higher the standards set, the more ennobling it becomes. An ideal teacher should possess clarity of thought and lucidity of expression, prodigious industry, comprehensive learning, perennial freshness in teaching and an unique personality, according to him. This description fits him admirably in all details. “By his life and work, by his teaching and research, by his continuous and living interest in political science and his former pupils and colleagues, by his simple living and high thinking, by his tireless energy and love for discipline, by his philosophic wisdom and wide vision, he has instructed and inspired a whole generation of teachers and students, strengthened the foundations of democracy in the country and put before us an ideal worth emulating”. (Usha Mehta)

Prof. Venkatarangaiya was not only tall in life but was taller in stature academically. He was a great teacher and educationist. Like the ancient rishis, such people adorn the earth on which they live.

(Note: Like his brilliant father, Prof Venkatarangaiah’s son Pattabhiram, was a regular Contributor to the Triveni on politics and political trends in India till he left this world a few months ago. Another brilliant son, Sri. M. Anandam, a Trustee of Andhra Mahila Sabha and former Member of the Parliament has made a name for himself in keeping with the traditions of his illustrious father and continues to evince interest in the TRIVENI. Sri Anandam’s daughter Smt. Santha Sinha has received the award of Padma Sri for her meritorious service to the Community as social worker.)