The champion of Bahujana emancipation

Today is 123rd birth anniversary of Krishna Swamy Mudiraj

The first quarter of the 20th century Telangana witnessed the rise of new socio-cultural awakening due to the efforts of Nizam Rashtrandhra Janasangham and Andhra Mahasabha. A number of enlightened intellectuals like Suravaram Pratapa Reddy, Madapati Hanmantha Rao worked for the uplift of downtrodden communities.

The establishment of libraries, newspapers, schools, hostels facilitated access to knowledge by the disadvantaged sections. Social reform activities undertaken by Arya Samaj and Brahma Samaj inculcated a sense of identity, self-respect and dignity among the dalit/bahujana communities. The contribution of Bhagya Reddy Varma in dalit emancipation movement is an acknowledged fact of modern Telangana history. Likewise, among the backward castes the role played by Krishna Swamy Mudiraj is of immense historical significance.

As a member of the ‘Thrimurthis’ of Bahujana uplift movement in Telangana, he was instrumental in organising community-based social reform organisations. While Bojjam Narsimlu founded the Munnuru Kapu Sangham, Konda Laxman Bapuji organised the Padmasali Association and Krishna Swamy established Mudiraj Mahasabha. These ‘Thrimurthis’ were the pioneers of bahujan emancipation movement in the erstwhile Hyderabad state.

Krishna Swamy Mudiraj, born in a backward class Mudiraj family on 25 August 1893, with sincere commitment, hard work and dedication came up in life and rose to prominence in the Nizam’s state. He began his carrier in the government service, and later chose a life of his own dedicated to social service and public cause. His main concern was the uplift of downtrodden communities and in terms of imparting modern education and eradication of superstition and social evils.

He devoted himself to the spread of education among women and backward classes, who were the victims of caste system and patriarchy. They were also the victims of caste feudalism which was rampant in the rural society of Telangana. He realised that the lower castes like the Mudiraj were poor, illiterate, and superstitious. To liberate them from social evils and religious dogmas, he mobilised them collectively through the Mudiraj Mahasabha and awakened the community by means of establishing schools and hostels. The founding of the Mudiraj Mahasabha in 1922 was an important landmark in history of this community’s welfare and empowerment.

As the vast majority of the Mudiraj community lived in villages as poor peasants, agricultural labourers and exploited by the landlords, Krishna Swamy established several schools, libraries and reading rooms. He appealed to the rich people in his own to community to support his educational activities through donations and charity. Through the Mudiraj Mahasabha, he also sought government help in starting schools in the villages for the benefit of weaker sections. His untiring efforts for more than 25 years resulted in the spread of education and modern outlook among the community and an educated section among them benefited by employment in government service.

Krishna Swamy Mudiraj was a multi-faceted personality. Though he made remarkable efforts for the uplift of his own community, he was a broadminded intellectual and a visionary. He realised the emancipation of other backward castes like Munnuru Kapu, Padmasali, Yadava, Gouda was a necessary condition for the empowerment of the Bahujan community as a whole. Therefore, he was instrumental in mobilising the OBCs for collective action and responsible for the establishment of the All Hyderabad Backward Classes Association. This organisation played a significant role the empowerment of weaker sections through modern education, employment and political and administrative representation during the Nizam’s rule.

Krishna Swamy Mudiraj also imbibed the secular and cosmopolitan Hyderabadi culture and participated in the social reform activities of women and other deprived sections. He played an active role in various social reform organisations like the Jeva Raksha Samithi, and founder of many libraries and schools. He was a great champion of women liberation and founded the Hindi Kanya Patashala and co-founder of Narayanaguda Girls School and Venkatrama Reddy Memorial Girls College. Krishna Swamy Mudiraj was a friend of dalits, pioneer of bahujan emancipation, social reformer, write, scholar, publisher, a public intellectual, activist, whose selfless service immensely contributed for the making of modern Telangana. (Writer is a retired Professor of Osmania University)

By Prof Adapa Satyanarayana