Ramakrishna Ranga Rao

Raja Sri Ravu Svetachalupati Sir Ramakrishna Ranga Rao, KCIE (b. February 20 1901 - d. 1978Fact|date=June 2008) was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from November 05, 1932 to April 04, 1936 and August 24, 1936 to April 01, 1937. [ [http://www.tn.gov.in/tnassembly/cmlist-1920.htm List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu] ] . He was the 13th Raja of Bobbili [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/10/07/stories/2002100701390200.htm The Hindu - A people's king] ] .

He showed firm determination right from his childhood. He would not leave any task that he undertook unfinished. This attitude was seen all through his life.

As a child he used to play with other boys in the majestic Laxmi Vilas Palace. He had three English tutors - H.C. Leclare, D. Gordon and F.H.J. Wilkinson - and an Indian tutor, Ramalingaswamy. He used to play badminton and billiards in the palace.

Ramakrishna married Lakshmi Subhadrayamma, a princess of the Tallaprole Zamindari in 1921.

He contested the Madras general elections of 1930 from the Vizagapatam Constituency as a Justice Party (India) candidate against the Nationalist Party nominee, C.V.S. Narasimha Raju, and polled 28,000 more votes than his opponent.

Ramakrishna attended the second Round Table Conference held in London in 1931 as a representative of the Indian landholders.

On the resignation of P. Munuswamy Naidu as Chief Minister of Madras Province, the Justice Party selected Ramakrishna to head the Ministry. The Governor called upon him to form the Ministry on November 5, 1932.

The most important legislative measures that he undertook was the amendment to the Estates Land Act of 1908. The Amendment to the Estates Land Act was moved in the Legislative Council of Madras Presidency to safeguard the rights of the cultivators. As Chief Minister of the composite Madras Presidency, he was instrumental in getting the Act passed in August 1933, despite opposition and criticism from fellow zamindars.

One third of the Madras Presidency was in the hands of Zamindars and one third of it in the hands of major and minor Inamdars. In 5000 Inam villages, there were five million cultivators. The Inams Bill was housed by him and meant to ensure the happiness of the cultivators, who are in a state of serfdom and slavery. The cultivating tenant had inherent rights of property in the land, subject to his paying reasonable rent.

He introduced a Bill to improve the Tirumala-Tirupati Temple Administration. Harijans were appointed to the Temple Administration Committees in various parts of the Presidency.

H was a great sportsman and his main interests were horse racing and polo. He had imported many fine breeds of horses from the United Kingdom, France and Pakistan. He had won a number of cups in horse racing. He was an expert polo player and often played in the Dasara sports at Mysore and Jeypore besides Bobbili.

His contribution to the promotion of education in general and to Andhra University in particular, besides Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan, speak volumes of his generosity.

References

3. Bobbili: Being a biography of Sri Varu Sir Ramakrishna Swatchelapathi Ranga Rao, the 13th Raja of Bobbili, who was Chief Minister of Madras (1932-36), Nilkan Perumal, The Topical Book Co: 1960.