Rajamahendravaram: Philanthropic Veeresalingam Panthulu's Hitakarini Samajam still going strong

Rajamahendravaram: The footprints of the great social reformer as well as legendary journalist Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu are still visible and society never forgets the services that he rendered to it in various aspects.

Veeresalingam Panthulu, like a warrior, waged a battle against superstitions in the society in those days in spite of receiving threats from various quarters.

He encouraged widow marriages, discouraged child marriages and also put his endeavor for the development of education mainly among womenfolk and sacrificed everything for that purpose. As part of it, he started 'Rajahmundry Hitakarini Samajam' in the year 1906, by donating all his properties worth Rs 41,500 to the Samajam and registered under Registration of Societies Act 1860 on May 2, 1908.

He registered the Samajam for which he would be the lifetime president and framed many rules for the maintenance of it. He also mentioned that the properties should not be sold by anyone under any circumstances. He also stated that the Samajam should be handed over to the government in case the managing committee expresses its inability to run it properly.

The aim of the Samajam is to promote education, philanthropic activities, maintenance of widow homes, schools for boys and girls, orphanages, performing of widow marriages and other useful work among others for society, which are even now functioning.

As per the wish of Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu, many educational institutions in his name and in the name of his wife Rajya Lakshmi came into existence. The Samajam is providing education from LKG to the Post-Graduate courses.

As many as 4,794 students are studying and a total of 323 aided and unaided teaching staff and non-teaching staff are working in Samajam's eight educational institutions. Of the total there are 28 aided and 154 unaided teaching staff, 32 aided and 109 unaided non-teaching staff working for the Samajam.

Veeresalingam Theistic Telugu Medium School was started in 1907, Sri Kandukuri Rajya Lakshmi College for Women started in 1968, Sri Kandukuri Rajya Lakshmi Hostel in 1969, Veeresalingam Panthulu Theistic Junior College in 1970, Sri Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu Degree College in 1972, Sri Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu English Medium High School in 1974, Sri Kandukuri Rajya Lakshmi MBA College for Women in 2008 and Sri Kandukuri Rajya Lakshmi D Ed College for Women came into existence in 2012.

The properties given to Hitakarini Samajam by the great personality include two-storey building (ancestral property) worth Rs 6,5000 and another building constructed in 1,000 square yards in Innispeta, two bungalows worth Rs 2,000 and 14,739 sq ft site in Lakshmivarapupeta, a two-storey building constructed in 80 yards near town hall worth Rs 1,500, a garden located in 22 acres with two tiled houses worth Rs 6,000, one bungalow along with a summer house, half acre garden with four buildings worth Rs 6,000, library with Telugu and Sanskrit books worth Rs 1,000, copyrights of all books written and published worth Rs 1,000, life insurance policy with number 1882 of Oriental Government Security Life Assurance Company Limited worth Rs 2,000, registered mortgage deed worth Rs 2,000 and a registered mortgage deed worth Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,500 in cash and the total values of the properties are Rs 41,500. Speaking to 'The Hans India' here on Tuesday, Rajahmundry Hitakarini Samajam executive officer and Endowments Department Assistant Commissioner CM Rammohan Rao said that the government was paying salaries to the aided staff and for un-aided staff the Samajam is paying salaries of Rs 3 crore per annum.

The Samajam has 20.6 acres of land in the two Godavari districts and a petrol bunk is being run in1,850 square yards at Y Junction and getting an annual rent of Rs 8.6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh annual income from 15.87 acres and also getting an annual income of Rs 27.52 lakh from other sources, he said.

A proposal relating to take over Hitakarini Samajam and educational institutions was under active consideration of the state government. Earlier, Adikavi Nannaya University has given its consent to merge the educational institutions with the university but later backtracked.

There will be bright future to the educational institutions and unaided staff would also get salaries regularly if the government takes over the organisation. Many poor and middle class students are studying in the educational institutions and Hitakarini Samajam is putting its entire endeavour to fulfill the wishes of Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu, he averred.

The students of the educational institutions are proving their mettle in the state and at national level sports and games competitions and also achieving 100 percent results in examinations.

Sri Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu Theistic Junior College