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Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Unnava Lakshminarayana

Lawyer and Congress worker of Guntur. Government intelligence reports named him during the Vandemataram movement; he gave up his legal practice in the non-cooperation movement, and in 1921 he was jailed for a year after going to enquire into the forest troubles of Palnadu. In 1932 the government forbade him, with Unnava Lakshmibayamma and others, to hold a civil disobedience conference.

Unnava Lakshminarayana was a lawyer and Congress worker of Guntur.12 He took part in the national movement from the Vandemataram years to the civil disobedience of 1932.13 In 1921 he was jailed for a year over the forest troubles in Palnadu taluk.4 The source for this page is Sarojini Regani’s Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh.1

The Vandemataram movement

During the Swadeshi and Vandemataram movement, government intelligence (C.I.D.) reports listed leaders working against the government.1 Regani names “Unnava Lakshminarayana of Guntur” among them.1

Non-cooperation, 1920–1921

In 1920 the Congress called on lawyers to stop practising in the British courts.2 Regani names Lakshminarayana among the lawyers who answered the call.2 In January 1921 the Andhra Congress asked lawyers to suspend practice for eleven months.5 He was again among the lawyers who gave up practice.5

Palnadu, 1921

In 1921 the villagers of Palnadu taluk defied the forest laws.6 On 23 September 1921 forest officials and armed police raided a forest reserve there, and the police fired on villagers.6 The Andhra Provincial Congress Committee then sent Lakshminarayana and Madabhushi Vedantam Lakshminarasimha Chari to enquire into the people’s grievances.4

The Collector called the two men before him.4 He asked them to show cause why they should not give security for good behaviour.4 Regani writes that the people took them to the Collector in a procession with drums.4 When they refused to give security, the Collector sentenced them to a year’s imprisonment.4 There was then a week’s hartal (closing of shops) in Guntur.4

Civil disobedience, 1932

In the civil disobedience movement of 1932, the government served orders on Congress leaders in several districts.3 In Guntur it forbade a group of them, among them Unnava Lakshminarayana and Unnava Lakshmibayamma, from holding a conference for civil disobedience.3 Unnava Lakshmibayamma led women volunteers in Guntur during the salt satyagraha of 1930.7 Regani names them together but does not state how they were related.3

Footnotes

  1. Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh (1956), p. 47 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 69 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 130 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 88 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  5. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 78 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  6. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 87 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  7. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 116 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

References

Sources (1)
  1. Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh (opens in a new tab), Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1956, pp. 47, 69, 78, 87–88, 116, 130. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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