Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

The library movement, 1880–1956

How Telugu people opened reading rooms and libraries in towns and villages, first by private effort in the 1880s and 1890s, then as an organised movement led by Ayyanki Venkataramanayya. In the Nizam's Hyderabad State the Telugu libraries of Hyderabad (1901) and Hanumakonda (1904) began a Telugu awakening, and the government watched the library conferences closely. After 1948 new laws made public libraries the work of district library bodies.

From the 1880s, Telugu people opened reading rooms and libraries in their towns and villages.12 At first a teacher, a club or a group of townspeople started each one.23 By the 1910s this had become a library movement (granthalaya udyamam).43 In the Nizam’s Hyderabad State it helped to start the Telugu awakening.56 The movement matters because the libraries brought newspapers and books to ordinary readers, and gave them a place to meet.7

About the sources. Few records of the early libraries survive. This page uses the district gazetteers of the 1970s, a 1987 thesis by P. Krishna Moorthy, a 1933 article in the monthly Bharati, the Hyderabad State committee’s history (1957) and G. Venkataramarao’s Telangana Charitra (2014), which is in Telugu.12358 The newspapers that filled the reading rooms are the subject of Telugu newspapers and journals, and the books are the subject of Printing and Telugu books. Schools are covered in Schools, colleges and universities, 1800–1956.

The first reading rooms, 1880–1911

The West Godavari district gazetteer says the first reading room and library in that district opened at Narsapur in 1880.1 Between 1880 and 1900, it adds, reading rooms opened at Eluru, Nidadavole and Bhimavaram.19 Two of them were still at work when it was written: the Naoroji Granthalayam at Undi (1895) and the Veeresalinga Kavi Samaja Granthalayam at Kumudavalli (1897).9

P. Krishna Moorthy, drawing on G. V. Subba Rao’s History of Andhra Movement, calls the Saraswathi Grandhalayam the first modern public library.2 A schoolmaster, Manthena Adinarayanamurthy, started it at Visakhapatnam in 1886.2 He lists others that followed:24

  • the C. V. N. Library at Ongole, 18902
  • the Simhachalapati Rao Library at Vizianagaram, 18942
  • a reading club at Kolluru in Tenali taluk, 18992
  • the Young Men’s Literary Association of Guntur and the Veeresalinga Pustaka Bhandagaramu of Rajahmundry, both 190024
  • the Rama Mohan Library at Vijayawada, 19114

Rajahmundry had more. The East Godavari gazetteer names a Town Hall Reading Room of 1891, a Jubilee Library of 1894 and the Sree Goutami Library of 1898, all in that town.10 Later came libraries at Kakinada, such as the Sree Eswara Pustaka Bhandagaram (1916).10

Libraries in Hyderabad, 1886–1918

In Hyderabad the state itself kept a library. G. Venkataramarao writes that in 1886 Abdul Qayyum and Syed Husain Bilgrami took over a library and opened it to the public.8 It became the Asafia State Library, now the State Central Library at Afzalgunj.8 The Hyderabad State committee’s history credits Mulla Abdul Qayum with founding a State Central Library in 1892.11 By 1932–33 the Asafia Library held 33,360 books, of which 12,236 were in English.12

Telugu libraries came next. The Sri Krishnadevaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam opened in Sultan Bazaar, Hyderabad, on 1 September 1901.5 Komarraju Lakshmana Rao, the Raja of Munagala and Ravichettu Ranga Rao were among its founders.5 The committee’s history says that the public awakening of Telangana began with this library.5

Others followed:6

Venkataramarao adds libraries at Errupalem (1911), Suryapet (1917) and Nalgonda (1918).8 The Warangal district gazetteer names the Sri Sabdanusasana Andhra Bhasha Nilayam at Warangal.13

Ayyanki Venkataramanayya and the Andhra movement

In the Madras districts one man gave the movement its shape. Ayyanki Venkataramanayya of Vijayawada, born about 1890, is called the father of the library movement in Andhra and Grandhalaya Pithamaha (grandfather of libraries).14 He heard Bipin Chandra Pal speak at Rajahmundry in 1907, and vowed to give his life to the country.14 Krishna Moorthy writes that he started the library movement.4

The Who’s Who of Freedom Struggle (1980) lists his work:14

  • he helped people form library associations in many parts of the country14
  • in 1910 he started the journal Andhra Bharati at Machilipatnam, and in 1924 the Indian Library Journal14
  • he helped set up the All India Public Library Association (1919), the Andhra Desa Library Association (1925) and the Madras Library Association (1928)14
  • he received the Padma Shri in 1972 and died on 7 March 197914

He was not alone. The same book names Ayyadevara Kaleswara Rao as one of the founders of the Andhra library movement.15 P. T. Raju notes that the Andhra Library Association had its own journal, the Andhra Grandhalaya Sarvasvamu.16 The young poets of the new lyric school began to print their poems in it.16

Libraries became meeting places too. When Gandhi toured the Andhra country for his satyagraha, Regani writes, he spoke to a huge meeting at the Ram Mohan library in Vijayawada.17 Kaleswara Rao put his speech into Telugu.17 During the no-tax campaign of 1921–22, the Palnadu Library Association printed a book of freedom songs, and the government banned it.18

Village libraries in Guntur district

A 1933 article in the monthly Bharati, by U. Ven. Sreshthi, shows how the movement rose and fell in one district.3 It says the townspeople of Ongole opened a reading room in 1890.3 In 1916 Tadanki Venkayya and others set up a district library at Tenali, and worked to start libraries in the villages.3

District library conferences were held until 1921.3 Then, the article says, the movement slept for ten years, and many libraries survived only in name.3 The numbers show it: 136 libraries were at work in the district in 1920, but only 81 in 1931.3 In 1931 the district library association was revived, and conferences began again.3

Libraries and the Telugu awakening in Telangana

In Hyderabad State the libraries became part of the Telugu awakening. The Andhra Jana Sangham, a Telugu association, made the opening of libraries and reading rooms one of its aims.19 Venkataramarao counts about fifteen Telugu libraries in Telangana by 1922.20 Among them were libraries at Khammam and Nalgonda, and the Vemana Andhra Bhasha Nilayam at Nampally in Hyderabad.20

The first library conference of Telangana met at Madhira on 22 February 1925.2122 Its president was Pingali Venkatarama Reddy, a deshmukh (hereditary revenue officer).2123 Seeing how popular the movement was, the government tried to close libraries on the ground that district officers had not given permission to open them.22

Venkataramarao tells how this worked in practice. A collector closed the library at Suryapet because it had no government permission.7 Its workers wrote to Madapati Hanumantha Rao, who complained to the Home Secretary, Akbar Hydari.7 Hydari replied that no permission was needed, and the library opened again.7

In 1927 the government tried to stop a conference at Suryapet, held with the second library conference.2221 It said the Executive Council had not given permission, and the organisers had to go to court.22 The Warangal district gazetteer says the Nizam’s government saw the library movement as an attempt to stir discontent.13 When leaders said their movement was only about libraries, Regani writes, Police Commissioner Armstrong replied that in Bengal a library movement meant a revolutionary one.24

People found ways to pay for books. At Korutla, Venkataramarao writes, a scholar collected rice from house to house and sold it to buy books and papers.25 Library secretaries went round on bicycles to lend books, a kind of travelling library.25

Public libraries by law, after 1948

The Madras Public Libraries Act of 1948 gave the movement new strength in the Andhra districts.26 Under it, and the Andhra Pradesh Public Libraries Act of 1960, a district library body (Zilla Granthalaya Samstha) ran the libraries.26 It opened branch libraries in places of 5,000 people or more, and book-deposit centres in places of 1,000 to 5,000.26

In Telangana, the Hyderabad Public Libraries Act of 1955 did the same work.13 Twenty-nine libraries were started in Warangal district after the state joined India.13 West Godavari district had 157 aided and 200 unaided libraries at the end of 1969, besides those of its district library body.9

Where the sources disagree

The first library. Three sources name three different “firsts”:

  • the West Godavari gazetteer gives the Narsapur Reading Room of 1880 as the first in that district1
  • Krishna Moorthy calls the Saraswathi Grandhalayam of Visakhapatnam (1886) the first modern public library2
  • the Bharati article of 1933 says Guntur district had the first library in Andhra, the reading room at Ongole of 18903

The Hanumakonda library. The Hyderabad State committee, Regani, Krishna Moorthy and the Warangal gazetteer all date the Rajaraja Narendra library to 1904.6272813 Venkataramarao dates it to 1908.8

The state library of Hyderabad. Venkataramarao dates it to 1886, the Hyderabad State committee to 1892.811

The Sabdanusasana library of Warangal. Krishna Moorthy dates it to 1913, the Warangal gazetteer to 1918.2813

Footnotes

  1. Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: West Godavari (1979), p. 195 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. P. Krishna Moorthy, Unification of Andhra Pradesh (Ph.D. thesis, Karnatak University, 1987), p. 22, citing G. V. Subba Rao (ed.), History of Andhra Movement, Vol. I (1982) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11

  3. U. Ven. Sreshthi, “Guntur mandala granthalayamulu” (the libraries of Guntur district), Bharati, Vol. 10, No. 3 (March 1933), PDF p. 146 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11

  4. Krishna Moorthy, Unification of Andhra Pradesh (1987), p. 23 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  5. The Freedom Struggle in Hyderabad, Vol. III (1957), p. 151 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  6. Freedom Struggle in Hyderabad, Vol. III (1957), p. 152 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  7. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 142 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  8. G. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 141 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  9. Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: West Godavari (1979), p. 196 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  10. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 203 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  11. The Freedom Struggle in Hyderabad, Vol. III (1957), p. 67 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  12. Report on the Administration of H.E.H. the Nizam’s Dominions for 1342 Fasli (1932–33) (1935), p. 116 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  13. M. V. Rajagopal, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: Warangal (1976), p. 184 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  14. Regani (ed.), Who’s Who, Vol. II (1980), p. 303 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  15. Sarojini Regani (ed.), Who’s Who of Freedom Struggle in Andhra Pradesh, Vol. II (1980), p. 183 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  16. P. T. Raju, Telugu Literature (1944), p. 60 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  17. Sarojini Regani, Highlights of the Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh (1956), p. 59 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  18. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 93 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  19. Krishna Moorthy, Unification of Andhra Pradesh (1987), pp. 170–171 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  20. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 145 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  21. Krishna Moorthy, Unification of Andhra Pradesh (1987), pp. 171–172 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  22. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 179 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  23. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 146 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  24. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 180 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  25. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 143 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  26. Ramesan, East Godavari (1979), p. 204 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  27. Regani, Highlights (1956), p. 171 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  28. Krishna Moorthy, Unification of Andhra Pradesh (1987), p. 167 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

People

Mulla Abdul Qayum

1853–1906 CE

Mulla Abdul Qayum (1853–1906) was a scholar and officer of the Nizam's Hyderabad who led the early public awakening there. He joined the Indian National Congress soon after 1885, wrote a plea for compulsory education in 1894, helped to found the Dairat-ul-Maarif and a state library, and with Aghornath Chattopadhyaya began the Swadeshi agitation in Hyderabad in 1905.

Ayyanki Venkataramanayya

c. 1890–1979 CE

Ayyanki Venkataramanayya of Vijayawada, called Grandhalaya Pithamaha (grandfather of libraries), led the library movement of the Andhra country for about fifty years. He started the journal Andhra Bharati in 1910 and the Indian Library Journal in 1924, helped to found library associations from the district to the all-India level, received the Padma Shri in 1972 and died in 1979.

Institutions

Sri Krishnadevaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam, Hyderabad

1901 CE

The first Telugu library of Hyderabad, opened in Sultan Bazaar on 1 September 1901. Komarraju Lakshmana Rao, the Raja of Munagala, Ravichettu Ranga Rao and others founded it. A Hyderabad State committee's history says the Telugu awakening of Telangana began with it, and calls it a school of renaissance.

Rajaraja Narendra Andhra Bhasha Nilayam, Hanumakonda

1904 CE

A Telugu library at Hanumakonda (Warangal), opened in 1904. It was the second Telugu library of the Nizam's state, after the one at Hyderabad, and played the same part in the Telugu awakening of Telangana. Most sources date it to 29 January 1904; one gives 1908.

References

Sources (11)
  1. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: West Godavari (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1979, pp. 195–196. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  2. P. Krishna Moorthy, Unification of Andhra Pradesh (Ph.D. thesis, Department of History and Archaeology, Karnatak University, Dharwad) (opens in a new tab), 1987, pp. 22–23, 167, 171–172. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (revised edition) (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh (Government Central Press, Hyderabad), 1979, pp. 203–204. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  4. U. Ven. Sreshthi, Bharati (భారతి), Vol. 10, No. 3 (March 1933), incl. "Guntur mandala granthalayamulu" (the libraries of Guntur district) (opens in a new tab), 1933, PDF p. 146. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  5. G. Venkataramarao; C. Narayana Reddy (chief ed.) and J. Chennayya (ed.), Telangana Charitra (తెలంగాణ చరిత్ర) (opens in a new tab), Andhra Saraswata Parishat, Hyderabad, 2014, pp. 141–143, 145–146. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  6. Hyderabad State Committee Appointed for the Compilation of a History of the Freedom Movement, The Freedom Struggle in Hyderabad: A Connected Account, Vol. III (1885-1920) (opens in a new tab), Hyderabad State Committee, Hyderabad, 1957, pp. 67, 151–152. Public domain in India; paraphrased. [Public domain in India]
  7. 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. 59, 93, 171, 179–180. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  8. Sarojini Regani (ed.), Who's Who of Freedom Struggle in Andhra Pradesh, Vol. II: Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Medak and Nalgonda districts (opens in a new tab), State Committee for the Compilation of the History of the Freedom Struggle in Andhra Pradesh, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1980, pp. 183, 303, 386. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  9. P. T. Raju, Telugu Literature (Andhra Literature) (The P. E. N. Books, The Indian Literatures, No. XV) (opens in a new tab), International Book House, Bombay, for the P. E. N. All-India Centre, 1944, pp. 60. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  10. M. V. Rajagopal, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: Warangal (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh (Government Central Press, Hyderabad), 1976, pp. 184. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  11. H.E.H. the Nizam's Government, Report on the Administration of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions for the Year 1342 Fasli (1932-33) (opens in a new tab), Government Central Press, Hyderabad, 1935, pp. 116. [Public domain]

Spotted an error on this page? Tell us

Last updated: