Legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao’s strong determination to give a facelift to his birthplace is continuing to bring in a change to the remote village Venkata Raghava Puram (new Ramapuram) even after his death.
On Saturday, the village’s ANR Centre was buzzing with heavy machinery and a few men toiling to lay roads. The Akkineni Janmabhumi Development Trust, set up by ANR to develop Ramapuram — where Rao’s parents lived and other siblings were born — and the nearby new Ramapuram where he was born and brought up after his parents’ migration is actively involved in the construction of individual household toilets and roads that were a distant dream for the villagers. Though the government is a major contributor for the developments, it was the Trust members including the actor’s daughter Naga Susheela, granddaughter Supriya, grandson Sumanth, his close associates Dr. A.S. Narayana, noted dentist and Padma Sri awardee Potluri Sreemannarayana, founder and chairman of the Viswabharati Schools in Gudivada, who made efforts for the sanction of works.
In fact, new Ramapuram was formed as a gram panchayat of Venkata Raghava Puram in 2013 only after representations by the actor to the State government.
Earlier, the actor helped Venkata Raghava Puram and nearby villages get a bridge over Budameru. “Two years ago, the Trust has provided bore water facility to Ramapuram which depended on a single pond for all purposes. Now the households have supply from the overhead tank. Thirty households recently got individual toilets and 40 more will get them in a few weeks,” said Dr. Narayana.
“We are currently bridging the gap between government funding and materialisation of the work of toilets and roads for the hamlets. Once these works finish, this year we will focus on education and healthcare. The nearby school is in a dilapidated condition and needs renovation for which the Trust is ready to help. Also, we will be building a hospital facility in all likelihood,” Ms. Supriya said.
The Akkineni Museum in the heart of the village is one place with a connection to the actor and his birthplace.
“The family has no properties in the village since they left it. But he [ANR] has a strong desire to not to forget the place where he took birth and lived for some time as a child and youth,” Dr. Narayana says. At the Museum, girls and women are being trained in embroidery and tailoring as part of a three-month course offered by the Trust. The actor also helped many villagers like Inti Brijithamma who had to undergo surgeries and other treatment for chronic diseases in Hyderabad.