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SURYA PRAKASAM TELIKICHERLA |
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Suryaprakasam Telikicherla was the third son of Telikicherla Suryanarayana Sastri and Appala Narasamma. He was born on 18th November 1898at Karavanja Agraharam. He passed the B.A. examination from Parlakimedi Rajah's college and soon afterwards was selected for the post of Sub-Registrar under the Madras Government. However, he resigned while undergoing training as he was attracted to the independence movement under the Indian National Congress. It is also said that he was appalled by the rampant corruption in the department. He was married to Varanasi Rajeswaramma (Ramudu), daughter of Varanasi Jagannadham of village Kriththuparthi, near Vijayanagaram in 19--. He went to Calcutta in search of a job and worked as a clerk in the Madan Film Studios. During his college days he was drawn to the Brahmo Samaj, through the teachings of the Brahmo missionaries like Dr. Raghupati Venkataratnam Nayudu and others. In Calcutta, eager to obtain first hand information about the Brahmo Samaj at its place of origin, he met Brahmo leaders there among them Prabodh Chandra Mahalanobis, father of P.C.Mahalanobis, the famous statistician who authored the Five Year Plans for Nehru in the 1950s. He formally embraced the new faith, causing consternation in the family. He was declared an outcast and his father-in-law refused to send his wife to live with him. Rajeswaramma eventually joined him after her father was persuaded to let her go by a sanyasini known as Shantananda Mouni. As a sign of gratitude to her Suryaprakasam and Rajeswari named the first daughter born to them after her. With the help of his brother Ramamurty, Suryaprakasam got appointed as a teacher in the ULCM High School, a Christian Missionary School in Guntur. Since he could not rent a house because of his Brahmo leanings, Sri Gogulapati Venkayya, a leading Brahmo and a lecturer in AC College, Guntur offered a portion of his house for Suryaprakasam and his family. The management of the school were not happy at his association with Congress leaders like Condo Venkatappayya, Gollapudi Sitaramasastri, Maddi Venkata Rangayya and others and resented his wearing Khadi. Suryaprakasam, therefore, resigned from ULCM school and joined the Hindu College High School as a teacher. He completed the diploma course of a licentiate teacher (L.T.) and also obtained the M.A. degrees in History and English. In 1943 he shifted to Rajahmundry to work as a senior teacher and later Head Master of the Veeresalingam Theistic High School but returned to Guntur to become Head Master of the Hindu College High School until superannuating in 1953. After retirement, he worked as head master in Gurukula Vidyavanam, a residential school in Perecherla near Guntur. When the construction of the Nagarjuna Sagar dam commenced, the project authorities invited him to head the high school established there for the children of those who worked on the dam. He worked in Nagarjuna Sagar from 1957 to 1962. Throughout his life Suryaprakasam dedicated himself to the principles of Brahmo Samaj, living a life of simplicity, adherence to truth and devotion. These qualities, along with his teaching acumen and his love for his students, earned for him a reputation in society. He also played a part in furthering the cause of independence. He always wore clothes made of khaddar, woven from yarn, which he had himself spun. One of his most notable achievements was the establishment of a Harijan Hostel. At a time when untouchability was rampant in Hindu society, and it was impossible for Harijan students to get rented accommodation, Suryaprakasam set up a thatch roofed hostel for Harijans in the open area adjacent to his house and ran it for several years. The students mingled freely with Suryaprakasam's children and occasionally partook in community dinners at his house, establishing permanent bonds of affection. Some of the notable residents of the hostel were, L. Bulliah, former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University, Govada Nirikshana Rao, former editor of Bhagyanagar, Bhikshalu, who worked in the Central Excise Department. Suryaprakasam expired in on 21st November 1975 at Ajmer, where he was staying with his eldest son Ravindranath. Rajeswaramma passed away in December 1980 in Madras. |
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