Glowing tributes paid to Sir Arthur Cotton

Rajamahendravaram: Presentation of life-time achievement awards to 20 persons from various walks of life and paying of glowing tributes to Sir Arthur Cotton, regarded as Water God, marked his birth anniversary here on Monday. Delta farmers, having two square meals a day, owed to Cotton’s yeoman contribution to the development of the Godavari delta.

Delta farmers celebrated the 214th birth anniversary of Sir Arthur Cotton, architect of Godavari Delta, at Dulla village in Kadiam mandal in East Godavari district on Monday.

As his routine would have it, a delta farmer Sattireddy Bhaskar Reddy, also known as Kanda Reddy, begins his farm work only after offering pranaams to Sir Arthur Cotton. He organises birth and death anniversaries of Cotton annually along with other delta farmers.

They worship Sir Arthur Cotton as Water God. Lands in East and West Godavari districts became fertile only on account of construction of an anicut across River Godavari at Dowleiswaram by Sir Cotton.

Since childhood he worshipped the architect of Godavari Delta. On Monday, he presented silk clothes to Sir Arthur Cotton amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by priests. Later, grains of paddy were poured over the statue followed by milk.

The farmers in and around Dulla garlanded the statue and paid rich tributes to the British Raj officer who had turned
vast tracts of lands in East and West Godavari districts into fertile farms.

They raised slogans Annadata Cotton Mahasaya Sukheebhava and paid glowing tributes to the officer, who had a lot of concern for the farmer.

Life-time achievement awards presented
At the birth anniversary celebrations held at the Rajamahendravaram campus of the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University auditorium, under the aegis of the University and Philanthropic Society, Palla Subrahmanyam, president of the National Nursery Farmers’ Association garlanded Cotton’s portrait and lighted a lamp marking the inauguration of the celebrations.

Former Lok Sabha member Vundavalli Arun Kumar and Acharya Yendluri Sudhakar graced the occasion as chief guests. A physically-challenged nursery farmer Palla Venkanna, nursery owner Dulam Venkateswarlu and yam farmer Satti Bhaskar Reddy were honoured with Sir Arthur Cotton life-time achievement awards. Vundavalli honoured them with shawls and awards.

Others honoured with the life-time achievement awards were: Dr Yendluri Sudhakar (Literature), Swarnandhra Rambabu (service sector), Bonthu Srihari (best employee), Alamanda Prasad, P Kirti Priya, Dr Manikreddy Satyanarayana, Inupakatta Immanuel Kumar, Raheemunnisa Begum, Addateegala MPP Karra Venkata Lakshmi and artiste Turaga Surya Rao (Dance) and micro artiste and Koccherla Chakradhari.

Palla Subrahmanyam said that true tribute to Sir Arthur Cotton would be making good use of every drop of Godavari water. Vundavalli said that he feels honoured to have felicitated Palla Venkanna, who was adjudged as the best nursery farmer in spite of physical disability. Yendluri Sudhakar noted with the concern that our governments were still battling to tackle drought, which Sir Arthur Cotton successfully halted with his genius.

By:M Sri Rama Murty