Cherukuvada Venkata Narasimham

Congress speaker and writer from Ghantasala in Krishna district (1887–1964). He worked on the nationalist papers Desabhimani and Krishna Patrika, taught at the National College in Machilipatnam, and was jailed for a year each in the non-cooperation movement of 1921, the salt satyagraha of 1930 and the civil disobedience of 1932. He was known as Upanyasa Chakravarti.

Cherukuvada Venkata Narasimham was a Congress speaker, journalist and teacher from Ghantasala, in Divi taluk of Krishna district.¹ He went to jail three times between 1921 and 1932.¹ The Who’s Who of Freedom Struggle in Andhra Pradesh (1980) says he was known as Upanyasa Chakravarti (emperor of speeches).¹ He was born on 1 March 1887 and died on 23 June 1964.¹

Journalist and teacher, 1906–1920

He was the son of Sitaramayya.¹ He passed the matriculation examination of Madras University in the first division in 1906.¹ He studied law for the Bombay High Court examination but could not pay the fee to enrol as an advocate.¹

He worked as sub-editor of the nationalist papers Desabhimani and Krishna Patrika.¹ From 1910 to 1919 he was headmaster of a middle school at Kowtharam.¹ He then taught at the National College in Machilipatnam.¹

Three jail terms, 1921–1932

When Gandhi stopped at Vijayawada on his way to Calcutta in 1920, he was received by Ayyadevara Kaleswara Rao, Mutnuri Krishna Rao, “Cherukuvada Narasimham” and others.² Gandhi announced the policy of non-violent non-cooperation there on 1 August 1920.²

The Who’s Who lists three terms of imprisonment:¹

one year in the non-cooperation movement of 1921¹
one year from 22 April 1930, in the salt satyagraha, in the Rajahmundry, Vellore and Cuddalore jails¹
one year from 7 January 1932, for working in the boycott of foreign goods, in the Rajahmundry and Cuddalore jails¹

Sarojini Regani also names “Cherukuvada Narsimham” among the Congress leaders arrested in the civil disobedience of 1932.³

Speaker and writer

The Who’s Who says he was a powerful speaker who toured all the districts spreading Gandhi’s message of non-violent satyagraha.¹ Later he gave his life to the Congress’s constructive work, the uplift of Dalits and the Sarvodaya movement.¹

He wrote several Telugu books.¹ The Who’s Who names Sasana Sabhalu, Swarajya Darpanamu, Rajakeeya Panchangam, Aranyarodanam and Hakkuvidudala Dastavezu.¹

Sarojini Regani (ed.), Who’s Who of Freedom Struggle in Andhra Pradesh, Vol. II (1980), p. 298 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸
Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh (1956), p. 68 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩²
Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 130 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

Journalist and teacher, 1906–1920

Three jail terms, 1921–1932

Speaker and writer

Footnotes

References