Salutation to Ramakotiswara Rau

SALUTATIONS TO RAMAKOTISWARA RAU

The Founder - Editor of “Triveni”

DR. B. GOPALA REDDI

I am delighted to learn that Triveni is issuing its Diamond Jubilee number shortly. It is a glorious occasion for any magazine to bring out a Diamond Jubilee number. Since I was present at the inaugural function and followed its career these sixty years, I am happy to record some of my reminiscences.

The founder-editor, Kolavennu Ramakotiswara Rau, was my teacher in the Andhra Jateeyakalasala, Machilipatnam, in 1923. He was an excellent teacher of history. I was one of his favourite students. He was fond of me and wished me well when I left for Viswa-Bharati in 1924. Earlier, he was in Swarajya, an English daily founded by Tanguturi Prakasam. Our mutual affection and regard grew as years rolled by until Rau’s death after a brief illness.

In 1937, when I became a Madras Minister, K.R.R. warmly congratulated me and wished me every success; K. Brahmananda Reddy’s elder brother, Venkata Reddy, was elected to the Madras Assembly from Narasaraopeta Constituency. He died prematurely causing a vacancy in the Assembly. Dr. B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya was then President of the Andhra Provincial Congress Committee and selected K.R.R. for the vacancy. As a Minister, I took per­mission of the then Premier, Rajagopalachari and participated in the election campaign for three days extensively. He won with a comfortable majority. I was happy, as his student to campaign for him, ensuring his great success. His tenure, in the Assembly was only for a short period, as the ministry resigned in October, 1939 due to the dragging of India by the British Government into the vortex of the second war.

Later we were co-prisoners in Tanjore jail, when Quit-India movement was sweeping over the country. He never tolerated untidiness. He used to be emotionally upset whenever something went wrong in the jail. Outside too, he was cleanly dressed. He loved orderliness and grace in whatever he undertook. That was amply reflected in Triveni. We were good associates and our mutual regard and affection never showed a decline. We met occasionally and I never failed to call on him, whenever I visited his home-town, Narasaraopet.

His biggest achievement was in founding Triveni. In December 1927, at the time when the Congress was meeting in Madras under the Presidentship of Dr. M.A. Ansari, he launched his Triveni. At a hotel in Parasuwakam in the presence of forty and odd friends, he explained the aims and objects of his venture, followed by lunch.

The first issue was a sumptuous volume, neatly printed and with an elegant appearance. That was a dream fulfilled and he looked very happy on that occasion. It contained a facsimile letter written by Gandhiji to Maganti Bapineedu on the demise of his beloved wife, Annapurnamma who donated all her gold bangles to Gandhiji when he visited Eluru. It was a touching letter and Bapineedu became known through the sacrifice of his deceased wife.

That was the beginning of K.R.R’s saga of his joy and difficulties. The little bank balance was exhausted and began to cause anxiety.

He toured all over the Telugu districts and visited the city of Madras, where he established several personal contacts. K. Chandrasekaran, who recently passed away, was a scholar and took personal interest and helped K.R.R. in all possible ways. For a while he established several contacts in the city of Bangalore. Anxiety and perseverance chased him and pushed him to many a difficult situation. He never accepted defeat and went on with a bundle of anxious responsibilities. He was prepared to take any risk in keeping up Triveni. He never spared any pains to keep the flag flying. It is no exaggeration if I say he became a martyr in the battle of Triveni. Mentally and physically it became a burden too heavy for him to bear. When he went to prison in 1942, his friends Nittoor Srinivasa Rao, K. Sampathgiri Rao and others published Triveni from Bangalore. After his release from prison, K.R.R. migrated to Bangalore and continued running the journal. Then Bhavaraju Narasimha Rao brought it to Machilipatnam (1950) and now C.V.N. Dhan joined him and is bringing it out from Guntur.

Now, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee, I recollect the financial cyclones it passed through before it could reach the safe port of sixty years. He drank the Halahala and bequeathed to the posterity the nectar of his votive offering, the Triveni. At Triveni in Allahabad, we see the Ganga and Jamuna, but we do not see the underlying current of Swaraswati. We see K.R.R. and the Triveni. But we do not see the underlying Saraswati of anxiety and struggle. The Triveni we see is really the Triveni at Prayaga. I salute him on this sacred occasion. Long before leaders spoke of national integration and the Sahitya Acadamy was born, Triveni tried to reflect the trends of Indian languages. He preferred trans­lations of the best in our languages, so that the States could under­stand each other, while not neglecting original literary articles.

Triveni came out through many hurdles. The undaunted spirit of K.R.R. kept the lamp burning.

The motif of Triveni was to interpret the Indian Renaissance in its manifold aspects and draw together cultured men and women in all lands and establish fellowship of the spirit. K.R.R. succeeded in realising his dream to a large extent. I pay my tribute to him for his services and sacrifices. He made valuable contacts and friendships. He must be feeling happy as his mission is being carried on by Bhavaraju Narasimha Rao and C.V.N. Dhan.

I appeal to the new management to keep the waters flowing, to keep the lamp burning and the flag flying and continue the mission shining for a long time.

Once again, I offer my salutations to K. Ramakotiswara Rau on this memorable occasion and wish the new management every success.