Sanjeevaiah Humility personified

Addressing the Telugu Bhasha Samithi of Osmania College, Kurnool, where I was a student, in January, 1963, Kavisamrat Visvanatha Sathyanarayana said: "It is a matter of pride and honour for me to speak in a literary meet presided over by an Intellectual and a statesman like Damodaram Sanjeevaiah (then President of AICC) and a gathering attended by a scholarly poet like Sheik Dawood.”

Earlier in his President's opening remarks, Sanjeevaiah said: "It is since long that I heard the Kavisamrat. I am present here only to listen to him.” A native of Peddapadu, a village near Kurnool, having lost his father, Muneyya in his childhood, Sanjeevaiah (14 February 1921 – 8 May 1972) was brought up by his mother, Sunkalamma.

Luck smiled on Sanjeevaiah, a law graduate, when he was elected a Legislator from the Kurnool Reserved Constituency. He was nominated as a Minister in Madras, Andhra and AP and became the Chief Minister of AP in 1960. He had the distinction of becoming the first Dalit Chief Minister in the county; first CM and later the first President of the AICC without seeing Gandhiji.

It must be made clear that he was elected the CM in his own right and not under any quota. He was humility incarnated. It is said that he had lot of reverence and respect for his benefactors: His uncle Sardar Nagappa, a Member of the Constituent Assembly; his classmate Karnam Vijayarama Rao, Pyalakurthy; His mentor and teacher, Pasupathi Ayer, Legendary Head Master of the Municipal High School, Kurnool. Kind and affectionate to his personal staff, he used to take care of them well, inviting them to dine with him.

Listening to folklore with drum beating was his regular pastime. Sanjeevaiah used to speak a simple language. Small sentences and economy of words was the hallmark of his speech, punctuated with anecdotes and quotations from scriptures, proverbs and folk literature.

Declaring open the Government Polytechnic at Nandyal, in 1960, he stressed the need for producing scientists, engineers and technologists at different stages of developmental activities. In early 1961 while inaugurating the Nandyal Municipality's Protected Water Supply Scheme, he invited the earlier Municipal Chairman Desai Kuppu Rao to the dais and honoured him with a remark: "Efforts and services of our predecessors, in any scheme or project must be properly acknowledged.”

When he became the President of the All India Congress Committee, in 1962, Sanjeevaiah was accorded a civic reception by the Kurnool Municipal Council at his own alma mater, already a century-old Municipal High School, Kurnool. It was established in 1858, was later named Damodara Sanjeevaiah Memorial Municipal High School. ‘In a Democracy,” he said, "I represent those who voted for me; those voted against me and also those who did not cast

their votes at all." The last time I heard him was in 1964 or so, when he was inaugurating Variety Theatre at Kurnool, owned by his classmate and a long-time friend, Anantha Subrahmanayam. He recalled some mischievous nostalgic memories. Reservation for the socially backward classes was introduced by Sanjeevaiah in 1961.

He used to regularly pay some money to his mother, for expenses. Once she said: "Dear son, I am one of the few old aged widows to have a blessed son like you. There are many more unfortunates. Arrange a scheme for them." So was introduced the old age pension scheme with Rs 50 per month.

Ever lasting contribution of Sanjeevaiah to Andhra Pradesh was his efforts to secure clearance to the Srisailam Project from the Central government and the Planning Commission. Foundation stone for the project was laid by Nehru in July 1963.

He was ably supported by his Minister for Public Works Department, Alluri Sathyanarayana Raju. In 1961, addressing a mammoth gathering in the spacious Municipal High school Ground, Nandyal, Raju declared: "We will fight till the last breath of the last Andhra to secure the last drop of our right in the Krishna waters.” Bachawat Tribunal awarded Maharashtra 560 tmcft, Karnataka 700 tmcft and AP 800 tmcft.

Through his words and deeds, putting his heart and soul, Sanjeevaiah lived the life sketched by the Kavisamrat; an intellectual and a Statesman. Like many favourites of the god, his destiny ended when he was in his 52nd year.