Telugu Legends

Telugu Legends: someone who is very famous and admired, usually because of their ability in a particular area. 

** American Legends: Great  American Telugus.

* Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao(1895-1948) - The man who made "Miracle Drugs".One of the most eminent "Medical minds of the Century".

The Great son of India,The Great American Legend. Dr.Yellapragada known as the “Man of Miracle Drugs”.
Dr. Yellapragada was born in a very poor family in Bhimavaram, West Godavari(District), Andhra Pradesh, India.

Awards: a fungus is named after him “Subbaromyces splendens” and a commemorative stamp by the Govt. of India. 

Achievements: “You've probably never heard of Dr. Yellapragada Subba Rao,Yet because he lived you may be well and alive today; Because he lived you may live longer"-- Doron K. Antrim, American Author(1950).

Great Discoveries:

1.Folic Acid(1945): A very essential vitamin for the development of growing cells, Blood and Brain, without which even B-complex cannot function properly.

2. Methotrexate(1948): It is the underlying drug in many Cancer treatments, is a derivative of Aminopterin which was isolated by Subba Rao as anti folic acid substance. 

* Dr.Raj Reddy(Dabbala Rajagopal Reddy): Computer Scientist, World-renowned Researcher in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Human-Computer Interaction.

Reddy's research interests include the study of Human-Computer Interaction and artificial intelligence.

His current research interests include Million Book Digital Library Project; a Multifunction Information Appliance that can be used by the uneducated; Fiber To The Village Project; Mobile Autonomous Robots;spoken language systems; gigabit networks and distance learning on demand and Learning by Doing.

Reddy is currently the Mozah Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University; he was formerly the Herbert Simon University Professor there. The several institutes at Carnegie Mellon founded under his initiation include the Robotics Institute, the E-Commerce Technologies Institute, and the Institute of Software Research International. He is also the chairman, Governing Board of IIIT Hyderabad.

Reddy also served as a co-chair of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) for Bill Clinton and led the formation of AAAI. He also serves on the Microsoft Technical Advisory Board, the Board of Directors at 3Com. Furthermore, Reddy was the first director of Carnegie Mellon University West and one of the first members on the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.

** Most  Intellectuals/Social Reformers in the History.

* Sri Pothuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy(1610-1693) - The Indian Nostradamus saint, a Hindu mystic.
Sree Potuluri Veera Brahmam garu, known as the 'Nostradamus of India' wrote "Kalagnanam"(containing his prophesies).

Bramham Gari Matham- Jeeva Samadhi: It is located in  Kandimallayapalli(small Mandal), Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, India.

It is the place where Sri Potuluri Veerabrahmam  who was famous for his preachings and mainly for his remarks on future of the world, lived in Kandimallayapalli.

Bramham garu entered Jeeva Samadhi in the year 1693.  Brahmamgari Matham was built in Kandimallayapalli after the Jeeva Samadi of Veerabrahmam. The Matham does not look like temple but has beautifully carved statues and its walls are full of Veerabrahmendra Swamy's preachings and his predictions.

* Yogi Vemana- Great Indian POet, Praja kavi(A poet of the people), a philosopher of equality and a fighting sait, Vemana was unique in many ways.

Vemana Teachings/Poetry: His teachings have much contemporary relevance for he was a dreamer of one world and of the universal brotherhood of man.His poems are of many kinds, social, moral, satirical and mystic nature.

** Great Indian Freedom Fighters.

* Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy (Death:22.Feb.1847)-First Indian popular Revolt/Great Freedom Fighter.
Led one of the first popular revolts in all of India against British occupation,against the mighty British Empire for freedom.
After Kurnool district came under the British rule as ceded district's,He was the local chieftain (palegar) of Koilkuntla, as he refused to share the revenue of the region with the British.Led a popular uprising against the British.The Collector of the ceded district, Thomas Monroe, took a serious view of the rebellion and ordered the capture of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, palegar of Koikuntla.
He was in favour of an armed uprising and is supposed to have used guerilla tactics of warfare. He attacked the treasury at Koilkuntla and marched towards Cumbum,Prakasam Dt.
Reddy escaped the British captain Holt, and took refuge in the Nizam state.

Uyyalawada- Public Hanging: He was caught after six weeks, and hanged publicly on 7am, Monday, 22.Feb.1847 by the British at Jurreti Bank, Koilkuntla, Kurnool district.
His head was kept hung in the fort on the gibbet till 1877. Two Thousand  people attended for this public hanging. 

* Gade Chinnapa Reddy(- 1921): Chinnapa Reddy was the freedom fighter from guntur district ,who was hanged by the british in 1921. With this incident most of the people started revolt against the british rule.

* Alluuri Seetaaraama Raaju(1897-1924): Fearless freedom fighter. Led the most famous armed revolt in Telugu history against the British occupation.

* Durgaabaayi Deshmukh(1909-1981): Eminent freedom fighter, social reformer, educator and leader of early women's movement.

* Pingali Venkaiah(1887-1963): Jaateeya Pataaka Nirmaata, Freedom fighter. Great follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Designed the tricolour -the Indian national flag.

* Potti Sreeraamulu(1901-1952): Amara veerudu, Freedom fighter. Led the popular movement to unite Telugu speaking people under a single government and martyred himself in the process. His act of "Satyagraha" directly led to the eastablishment "Linguistic states" in modern India.

* Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu(1872-1957): One of the greatest freedom fighters of India, eminent leader and administrator. Chief minister of Madras Presidency and the first chief minister of Andhra.

* Swaami Raamaananda Teertha: Freedom fighter. He and other prominent communist and non-communist leaders led the free Telangana movement.

* Raavi Naarayana Reddy(1908-1991): Eminent freedom fighter, philanthropist, reformer, and parliamentarian. Spear headed liberation of Telangana movement. Founding member of the communist party of India.

* puchalapalli Sundarayya(1913-1985): Communist Gandhi, Great freedom fighter, social reformer and parliamentarian. Led communist movements in Andhra and beyond for many decades.

** Telugu Film Legends

* Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao(1922-1974): Ghantasala was a singer and composer of Telugu film music.As a freedom fighter he was jailed for two years in Alipore. He served as the 'Aaasthana Gaayaka'(court musician)for the TTD. He was also a recipient of the Padma Shri.

The famous renderings of Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao include BhagawathGita, Patriotic Songs, Padyalu (unique genre of Telugu - singing the verses in dramatic style), filmsongs, folk songs etc. He introduced the technique of changing the voice pitch and diction to suit the actor singing the songs on the screen. People were so enamoured by this that they started imagining the hero of the movie just by listening to him sing over the radio. Such was his brilliance.