The news that the name of the designer of the National Tricolour Pingali Venkayya was not considered for Bharat Ratna may have disappointed many. But it had no impact on 62-year-old weaver-turned-lyricist Sangisetti Sambasiva Rao, a diehard admirer of Venkayya.
Rao penned a song Ghanakeerthi Jenda – Muvvenna Jenda on Pingali Venkayya who was born at Bhatlapenumarru in Krishna district, and motivated villagers to bring out an abridged-version book on the patriot. Rao hails from the same village.
“In 2008, while residents of this village were busy drawing plans to build a bhavan to commemorate Venkayya on the site where his house was located, I spoke about the need for a book on him. I have distributed at least 1,000 copies of the book in and outside the State,” said Mr. Rao. The villagers contributed financial assistance for the book – Manavaadu-Pingali Venkayya . It was edited by journalist Turlapati Kutumba Rao.”
“The unedited six-stanza song I wrote has been included in the book and it is sung on all important days of the life of Venkayya”, Mr. Rao said The Hindu . Local residents call Mr Rao a devotee of Venkayya.
Finding him as suitable person, the village elders appointed him as the caretaker of the Pingali Venkayya Bhavan here. Gathering information on every aspect of the freedom fighter through various means has become an integral part of Rao’s life.
He treats as a valuable asset a rare photo of Pingali Venkayya’s house site before the existing bhavan was built there.
