A Rare Walking Encyclopedia Par Excellence

There are many anecdotes on Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao. For instance, Rajeshwar Rao as a young bold journalist, while working in the then largest circulated Telugu daily Andhra Patrika, offered his resignation to the editor Shivalenka Shambhu Prasad, following a critical article of assessment on the then Chief Minister Brahmananda Reddy, who happened to be editor’s friend, thinking that his article might affect their friendship. The editor did not accept the resignation. This is something which is rare in journalism and something that cannot be visualised in the modern days of journalism

Time flies. It is exactly on this day (March 23, 2023) when my friend late Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao left for his heavenly abode. He was a man who was humble and admirable. Though I did not work with him shoulder to shoulder, I had been associated with him since his tenure of working with N Janardhan Reddy as Information Advisor.

I was PRO to the CM, Dr M Channa Reddy, whom Janardhan Reddy succeeded, and I called on Rajeshwar Rao to introduce myself. The way he warmly received me is still fresh in my mind. Since our first meeting then, almost 35 years ago, he had been a very good friend, philosopher, and guide to me in general and, particularly, in matters of public relations. Immediately, on my joining as CPRO to the first Telangana CM KCR, he congratulated me profusely.

We were in regular touch, but generally over phone. A couple of months before he passed away, one afternoon he telephoned me, enquiring whether he could drop in at my house for a few minutes. Despite my request that I would go to him, he politely vetoed and walked into my house, ‘hale and hearty’ despite his old age. It was absolutely a friendly visit and typically with his characteristic elegance, he initiated discussion on latest books and to my privilege on my books, too. I presented him books on Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata, and books on KCR Governance authored by me. I am still preserving the photo as a souvenir.

I was just going through the commemorative articles that were brought out by his beloved family members, which was a humble and admirable volume. It includes articles written by a galaxy of persons associated with Rajeshwar Rao.

The most memorable tribute was paid by Anjali, the wife of Rajeshwar Rao. There is a message in it, if read carefully. Married when she was just 13, she re-counted how she was encouraged by her husband to pursue studies, till she joined him. The tribute also described as to how an ideal married life should be, and Rajeshwar Rao as an ideal husband in many ways.

Similarly, Rajeshwar Rao’s children and siblings, Sarita, Sanjay, Satish Rao, Dolly, Shruti, Rishi, Havish, Mahika, Vamshi, Shailaja, Smitha, Sujan, Anita,Padmaja, Satya, Shilpa, Deepa, Surekha, Sarath, Sneha, Aparna, Haritha, Siddhu, Ravi Chaitanya, Abhilash, Vijaya, Shobha, Shailu, Krishna Kumari-Ramachandra Rao, recollected their association with them, as father, father-in-law, grandfather etc. Everyone had such a wonderful experience with Rajeshwar Rao, and to put in one word he was more than a relative and friend to them.

There are many anecdotes on Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao. For instance, Rajeshwar Rao as a young bold journalist, while working in the then largest circulated Telugu daily Andhra Patrika, offered his resignation to the editor Shivalenka Shambhu Prasad, following a critical article of assessment on the then Chief Minister Brahmananda Reddy, who happened to be editor’s friend, thinking that his article might affect their friendship. The editor did not accept the resignation. This is something which is rare in journalism and something that cannot be visualised in the modern days of journalism.

Dr Velchela Kondal Rao recalling his association with Rajeswara Rao, when he was the Principal of SRR Government College, Karimnagar, and Rao was a student, said Rao always used to carry a book in one hand and dictionary in another hand. Usage of appropriate words is the implicit lesson he gave to the present-day journalists.

MVS Prasad underscored the aspect of Rajeshwar Rao giving importance to friendship (a friend whose affability and no-nonsense approach on issues kept both close) and how he was jovial even a day before his passing away.

Referring to him as ‘Rajeshwar Rao Anna,’ his onetime colleague in former Chief Minister Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy office, Anil Kutty, described him as a person who was not only “extremely competent and effective in his job’ with enormous love and affection to friends, but also a true connoisseur on best of the eateries in town. More than anything, Kutty mentioned about Rajeshwar Rao’s wish to die holding a book in his hand. P S Ramamohan Rao admired him as the person who belonged to the old school of journalists for whom facts were sacred and opinions personal.

Krishna Sagar Rao Kasuganti, a maternal cousin of Rajeshwar Rao, affectionately termed him as a rare professional and in a country where professionalism is scarce. Krishna Sagar also wrote that, ‘Rajeshwar Anna’ protected his integrity, journalistic values, and higher order human values to an impossible stature.

A Raja Hussain poetically paid his tributes bringing out various facets of Rajeshwar Rao’s qualities: Rajeshwar Rao’s habit of carrying a book till the last moment of his life. He had all the qualities mentioned by Mudigonda Veerbhadraiah; the way he maintained cool, calm, composed and comfort always besides making others the same way. He was a beacon of light to the veteran journalists as another journalist friend of mine, Nandiraju Radha Krishna, said. He was always seen with a bunch of books, magazines on his table and often reading those, recalls senior journalist Bhandaru Srinivasa Rao.

K Srinivas Reddy recalled constituting a three-member committee by Telangana State Union of Working Journalists and Media Education Foundation of India (MEET) jointly, with Rajeshwar Rao as one member, to study various aspects of journalism, arising out of AP State Reorganization.

Acharya K Yadagiri credited Rajeshwar Rao with being a ‘Walking Library.’ Devulapalli Amar recalled his capability of not only merely reading books, but also his exceedingly great memory power to retrieve the stored information gathered from the books, as well as mention contextually.

B Narsing Rao sharing his experience with Rajeshwar Rao wrote about his personality that always made a difference, his evincing keen interest in sharing knowledge with others, his humble way of presentation of subjects and friendliness.

Recalling Rajeshwar Rao’s regular contact over phone or in person, Kondubhatla Ramachandra Murthy in his tribute said that their conversation often rotated about the latest books, that included a comparative study of other books on the same subject, and praised him, saying that to talk to him itself was an ‘Education.’

May The Great Person and ‘A Rare Walking Encyclopedia Par Excellence’ Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao’s Soul Rest in Peace!