Main Objective & Mission of the Foundation
The Chennamaneni Rajeshwara Rao and Lalita Devi Foundation (CRRLDF) is a non-profit organization with the main objective to promote the critical engagement with past and contemporary politics and socio-economic and cultural development particularly in Telangana, India.
The concrete mission of CRRLDF is to organize historical education about the Telangana Freedom Struggle, support critical research and initiatives on innovative and sustainable policies for a better and more prosperous future of Telangana, India, and the world. Also, CRRLDF functions as a platform for debates on pressing political and social issues of our time.
Main Activities of the Foundation
CRRLDF focuses on two main activities: it hosts an annual memorial lecture in the honour of Rajeshwara Rao and Lalita Devi and provides funding to individual or collective projects.
Annual memorial Lecture
The annual memorial lecture serves as a forum for thought exchange and brings together scholars, activists, peoples representatives and relevant stakeholders to discuss about the pressing societal issues of today from a critical perspective. In that it is focused but not limited to people working particularly on the Telangana/Andhra region and strives to promote their expertise and thoughts to stir public debate and enable a fruitful exchange of ideas in the interest of the people.
Scholarships - Individual Research
This scholarship supports a student of political and/or social sciences, law, or economy in the pursuit of a Master or PhD thesis with an annual lump sum payment. Ideally, the thesis should be concerned with the state of Telangana, its historical development and future. Particularly interesting are students who problematize and explore present societal conflicts, like distributional justice, gender inequality, or urban/rural development.
Scholarships - School/Junior College project
This scholarship is granted as a prize for a project of a group/class of engaged school/junior college children in the Karimnagar district (esp. Vemulawada and Sircilla). The project should be concerned with local issues for example in the areas of education, collective action, environmental protection, and promoting culture. Ideally, the project engages with different stakeholders, raises awareness of the issue, and educates participants and outsiders alike.
History of Chennamaneni Foundation
Chennamaneni Rajeshwara Rao was born to Chennamaneni Chandramma and Srinivasa Rao in Marupaka village of Vemulawada mandal, Karimnagar district, on 31 August 1923. His wife Lalita Devi was born to Gourineni Mangamma and Ramgopal Rao of Vemulawada village of Vemulawada mandal, Karimnagar district, on October 20, 1928. They were married in the year 1944. From an early age, Rajeshwara Rao was interested in issues of social justice in Telangana as he often had the opportunity to keenly follow the discussions of Andhra Mahasabha leaders, Polkampalli Venkatrama Rao and Baddam Yella Reddy, particularly when its fourth conference was held in Sircilla in 1935. Influenced by this movement he later came into contact with Marxist ideology and joined the Communist Party in 1942. As a student Rajeshwara Rao joined the Telangana Armed Struggle against Nizam of Hyderabad and actively participated in Freedom Movement of India. He worked under veteran Telangana Armed Struggle leader Ravi Narayana Reddy and was closely associated with him. Due to his active participation in Telangana Armed Struggle against the ruling Nizam of Hyderabad, Rajeshwara Rao lived underground from September 1947 till October 1951 when he was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act (PDA). In this period of underground and jail life, Rajeshwara Rao, his wife Lalita, his brother Hanumantha Rao, his colleague Makhdoom Mohiuddin and his two daughters Aruna and Kalpana (both born during their underground life) faced severe hardships and their life was always in danger.
While underground, Rajeshwara Rao organised different defying student actions, like hoisting the Indian flag on Independence day, 15th of August, and on banned Flag day on 2nd September 1947 as well as the training of students for the armed struggle of Telangana. After his release on parole in February 1952, Rajeshwara Rao fought for the implementation of the Tenancy and Land Reform legislation by organising thousands of tenants against feudal landlords and was soon rearrested. Only after the ruling of the Indian Supreme Court declaring the PDA unconstitutional, Rajeshwara Rao was ultimately freed months later.
Rajeshwara Rao had a very impressive 30-year legislative career starting from 1957 when he was Chief Whip, Puchalapalli Sundarayya was Leader, Ravi Narayana Reddy and Arutla Kamala Devi were Deputy Leaders. Throughout his career, Rajeshwara Rao’s main concern was to serve the poor rural population of Telangana. He raised a number of people’s issues in the assembly and was admired by all for his excellent articulation of their economic and social interests. For example, it is this devotion for the downtrodden that he was made a member of the first backward class commission of Andhra Pradesh by the then Chief Minister and Chairman of the Commission Sri. K. Brahmananda Reddy. His commitment for the socio-economic development of neglected Telangana region and the failure of the Government to use surplus revenue of Telangana region for this region has been strongly reflected by him in his speech on the floor of the Assembly as early as on 8th March 1969.
Rajeshwara Rao as Vice-President of Telugu Desam Party was equally vociferous when he drafted a 10 point important document demanding a resolution for a separate Telangana state which was submitted to the core committee in Januray 2008 constituted by Sri. N. Chandrababu Naidu. The above documents are published in his Autobiography „Quest for Truth“ in 2012. Rajeshwara Rao wrote in the said Autobiography „The year 2009 has again witnessed the upsurge for a separate Telanagana state..The movement got electrified with the fast unto death undertaken by the founder of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Sri. K. Chandrashekar Rao M.P. He had taken pains to rouse the Telangana people to fight for their statehood..Though physically unable to participate in the movement personally however much I may wish, I am very happy at the age of 88 years to witness the uncompromising and determined stand of the legendary and heroic people of Telanagana“.
Rajeshwara Rao was Secretary and later President of Telangana Martyrs Memorial Trust from 1988 to 2014. He was also President of Andhra Pradesh Freedom Fighters Organization from 1992 until his demise. He was Chairman of Freedom Fighters Screening Committee appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, from 1996 to 1998, and was instrumental in achieving pensions to thousands of freedom fighters of Telangana Armed Struggle.