Bhoodan Pochampally (Yadadri- Bhongir): “As the Bhoodan Movement enters its 75th year, Bhoodan Vajrotsavam celebrations will be held in Pochampally on Friday,” announced Gandhi Global Family State Secretary Yanala Prabhakar Reddy.

A peace ritual will be performed at the Vinoba Bhave Mandir, followed by garlanding the statues of Acharya Vinoba Bhave and the first land donor, Veddire Ramachandra Reddy.

Awards will be presented to Seetha Sriramulu, Tadaka Mutyalu, and Karagalla Narasimha on this occasion. Local MLA Kumbham Anil Kumar Reddy, former Bhoodan Yagna Board Chairman Gunna Rajender Reddy, Telangana Agriculture Commission Chairman M Kodanda Reddy, Supreme Court advocate P Niroop, and others will attend. Special programmes will also be held at the local tourism park by the Sarvodaya Mandali, with key figures like Chandan Pal and Shankar Nayak participating.

The birthplace of a revolutionary land movement

It all began on April 18, 1951, when Vedirera Ramachandraraeddy donated 100 acres of land in Pochampalli—the only instance of its kind in world history. This historic act not only set in motion a transformational reform but also bestowed international fame upon Pochampalli as a hub for the Bhoodan movement. Locals, now stepping into the 75th spring of the movement, have long wished to continue its legacy by holding an annual Bhoodana Vajrotsavam throughout the year.

The inspiring initiative unfolded when Acharya Vinoba Bhave, a devoted disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, was on his nationwide Padayatra. Invited by Sarvodaya leader Shri Ramakrishna Dhoot, Bhave delivered a message at a Sarvodaya convention held near Hyderabad on April 15, 1951, at Shivaram Palli. On learning about the distressing conditions in the Nalgonda district, he set off on a foot journey. By April 17, he had reached Pochampalli, spending the evening in Harijanawada at a modest dwelling (now known as the Vinoba Bhave Temple).

The next day, amidst a gathering under a jujube tree by a lake, Dalits declared that any land gifted to them would allow them to cultivate and live with dignity. Responding to Bhave’s inquiry if anyone could donate land, Vedirera Ramachandraraeddy immediately rose and pledged, in memory of his father, his 100 acres.

This contribution became the seed that later blossomed into a nationwide movement, amassing 4.4 million acres donated to 4,00,000 landless poor people. The movement paved the way for significant land reforms and helped reduce economic inequalities.

Bhave maintained a deep, lifelong connection with Pochampalli, visiting in 1951 and again in 1956 during Gandhi’s memorial celebrations. Despite efforts to revive the once-revered Vinoba Bhave

Temple and annual festivities, delays in these initiatives have caused disappointment