Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu (16 April 1848 AD – 27 May 1919 AD) was one of the pioneers of the social reform movement in South India. He made extraordinary contributions to removing superstitions from Telugu society. For this reason, he is called the “Father of Telugu Social Reform.” Kandukuri Veeresalingam was the pioneer in writing the first novel, drama, autobiography, and science-based literature in the Telugu language. He even attended the first session of the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1885.
He built movements against child marriage, polygamy, sati practice, and the dowry system. He was one of the early social reformers who encouraged women’s education and widow remarriage (which was not supported by society at that time). In this way, he strived to build society healthily and beautifully. The government, appreciating his various types of social reform work, honoured him with the title of “Rao Bahadur” in 1893. He is frequently referred to as “Andhra’s Raja Ram Mohan Roy.” Another moniker for Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu is “Gadya Tikkana,” or “the Tikkana of Prose.”
Early life of Kandukuri Veeresalingam
- Kandukuri Veeresalingam was born in a Telugu-speaking Brahmin family in Rajahmundry of Madras Presidency. His father’s name was Subbarayudu, and his mother’s name was Poornamma. His maternal uncle Venkataratnam adopted him after he lost his father at the age of four. His wife Kandukuri Rajyalakshmi was shadow partner Kandukuri Veeresalingam.
- He first started his education by studying at an Indian street school, then he was sent to an English-medium school. During his school life, he won the best student award for his quiet nature and studiousness. Kandukuri Veeresalingam completed matriculation from the government district school of Rajahmundry in 1869 and got his first job as a teacher in Korangi village.
- In his early life, he was influenced by Bengal’s Brahmo reformers, especially Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Keshab Chandra Sen. He believed that social and religious reform movements could be popularized through the development of modern Telugu prose literature.
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Ideology of Kandukuri Veeresalingam
The main purpose of Kandukuri Veeresalingam’s life was to pave the way for social progress by bringing about the moral upliftment of people and the development of the Telugu language. He was a strong opponent of government oppression. Additionally, he strongly condemned social ills such as idolatry, untouchability, prostitution, and the practice of keeping mistresses. Kandukuri Veeresalingam realized that a society’s progress is only possible when women in that society get the opportunity for education. Therefore, the main goal of his social reform work was to eliminate these evil practices through the spread of women’s education and to bring about changes in the thinking of people at every level of society.
Contributions of Kandukuri Veeresalingam as a Social Reformer
- Kandukuri Veeresalingam was a strong advocate of women’s education. He even started a reform movement in favour of widow remarriage in the Telugu-speaking areas of the Madras Presidency. He believed that widow remarriage could not be established by quoting from Vedas or scriptures.
- On December 11, 1881, the first widow remarriage was publicly conducted in Rajahmundry, his hometown. Another widow marriage was held in Madras on June 7, 1883. Kandukuri Veeresalingam was a dedicated supporter of widow marriage and was helped in this matter by Kakinada’s wealthy Vaisya Ramakrishnaiah, who donated 30,000 rupees for this cause. The first widow marriage in the Guntur region was held in 1902, with Unnava Lakshminarayana as the main organizer.
- In 1891 for widow remarriage, he formed a ‘Widow Remarriage Association’ with the support and patronage of prominent citizens of the city. For this dedicated support to widow remarriage, MG Ranade referred to Kandukuri Veeresalingam as the ‘Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar of South’ in a meeting in 1898.
- He was also a strong opponent of the caste system. He had a notable role in educational reform. He established schools for elderly women, schools for Harijans, and night schools for workers. At this time, the arrival of Mary Carpenter in Madras in 1867 brought more enthusiasm to the expansion of women’s education. Inspired by her, Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu established a girls’ school in Dowlaiswaram in 1874.
- Additionally, he established the ‘Brahmo Mondir‘ in 1887 and the ‘Hithakarini School‘ in Andhrapradesh in 1908. By 1881, 67 women’s schools had been established in Telugu districts with 2,569 female students. By 1908, the number of women’s schools increased to 329, and the number of female students reached 17,091.
- In the second half of the nineteenth century, child marriage and the practice of buying daughters (Kanyashulkam) had taken the form of severe social diseases in South India. By 1891, in the Madras Presidency, there were 24,257 married girls below four years of age. And the number of married girls between five and nine years was 144,482.
- The practice of child marriage was most prevalent in the Northern Government areas, namely in districts like Ganjam, Visakhapatnam, Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, etc. Dampuru Narsaiya, a resident of Nellore district, made the first protest against child marriage. Around 1865, he wrote several articles in the ‘Madras Time’ newspaper. He tried to prove by quoting from ancient scriptures and texts that child marriage was not sanctioned by scripture.
- Around 1884, Kandukuri Veeresalingam spoke out against child marriage and the Kanyashulkam custom. Gurajada Apparao composed the play “Kanyasulkam” in 1892 AD following the social principles of Veeresalingam. Kandukuri Veeresalingam founded “The Rajahmundri Social Reform Association” in 1878 AD to prevent child marriage. He said that 80 percent of girls were married at such a young age that they soon became widows. He attacked child marriage and the Kanyashulkam system in his play “Brahma Vivahastha.” However, he too relied more on scripture than logic.
- The 1891 census revealed that in the Karnataka region, there were at least 18,000 married girls below nine years of age. The progressive party in the Mysore representative assembly demanded laws to stop child marriage and a law was enacted on this matter in 1894. This law stated that girls below 8 years of age could not be married in any way, and girls under 14 years could not be married to men over 50 years old. Widow homes were built in Mysore in 1907 and in Bangalore in 1910 for the improvement of widows’ conditions.
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Kandukuri Veeresalingam Books
- Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu has mastered various languages, including Telugu, Sanskrit, and Hindi. He used his literature as a weapon in the fight against social evils. He was the first writer to write a Telugu novel in 1880 called “Rajashekhara Charitram,” and it is inspired by The Vicar of Wakefield, a novel by the Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, and Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. In this novel, he strongly criticized bribery, corruption, and prostitution.
- Kandukuri Veeresalingam wrote a satirical play called “Satyaraja Poorvadesayatralu.” This play strongly protested against male dominance in society and their practice of polygamy. He wrote this play after Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Gold Smith’s The Vicar of Wakefield.
- Veeresalingam’s contribution was also undeniable in introducing essays and autobiographies to Telugu literature. His autobiography, “Sweeyacharitha,” was the first autobiography written in Telugu. Veeresalingam wrote several plays in Telugu language, and through his plays, he would highlight the ill effects of various customs prevalent in society at that time.
- In 1880, Veeresalingam wrote a play called “Vyavahara Dharmabodhini,” which was the first staged Telugu play. In the same year, he wrote ‘Bramha Vivaham,’ and this play satirized those in society who opposed women’s education.
- Although Kandukuri Veeresalingam was born into a Brahmin family, he never hesitated to criticize the superior attitude of Brahmins in society and their lower mentality towards lower classes. Some of his well-known dramas, including “Viveka Deepika” (1880), “Prahlada” (1885), “Satya Harischandra” (1886), and “Tiryag-Vidvan Mahasabha” (1889), revealed the inferior mindset of the Brahmins in positions of authority.
- Kandukuri Veeresalingam started publishing a monthly magazine called “Viveka-Vardhini” in 1876, which later became a weekly magazine. Through this magazine, he fearlessly exposed the corrupt activities of government officials.
- He wrote several essays on “the importance of women’s education” and “the ill effects of child marriage.” In 1873, Veeresalingam wrote a poetry collection called “Stree Vidya.” He also started the monthly magazine “Satihita Bodhini” in 1883 AD, “Satya Sambardhoni” in 1891 AD, “Satya Bodhini” in 1905 AD to advocate for widow remarriage and women education. His remark on child marriage, “Athibalya Vivaham,” was published in 1910.
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Death of Kandukuri Veeresalingam
Social reformer Vireslingam died on 27 May 1919 at the age of 71. After his death, a statue was unveiled on the Beach Road in Vishakhapatnam. In 1974, the Indian Postal Service issued a 25-paisa postage stamp to commemorate Kandukuri Veeresalingam.
Conclusion
Paying tribute to Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, First Vice President of India Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan said in his book “Swatantra Centenary Tributes,” “Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu was foremost among the pioneers of South India in bringing radical change in our society.”
