Mallu Swarajyam (1931 – 19 March 2022) was an Indian politician from

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in term ...

and Freedom fighter. She was member of an armed ''dalam'' which took part in the Telangana struggle. Her autobiography ''naa maate tupaakee tootaa'' (My word is a bullet) was published by Hyderabad Book Trust in 2019.

Early life

Swarajyam was born in Karvirala Kothagudem into a feudal family in 1931 to Bheemireddy Ramireddy and Chokkamma.

Career

Nalgonda district was a part of the

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and t ...

under Nizam. The name Swarajyam is in deference to the wishes of several of her relatives who participated in the

satyagraha Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone w ...

in response to a call given by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

as part of the struggle to attain

swaraj Swarāj ( sa, स्वराज, translit=Svarāja '' sva-'' "self", '' raj'' "rule") can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule". It was first used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to attain self rule from the Mughal Empire and the Adil ...

(self-rule, or independence) from the British.The Pioneers: Mallu Swarajyam
Frontline At the age of 10, she started rallying people against Nizam's

Razakars Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Arabic word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, razakar is a pejorative word meaning a traitor or Judas. In Pakista ...

. Her public career began at the age of 11 when, in response to the Andhra Mahasabha's call to stop bonded labour, she violated family tradition and offered rice to bonded labourers from many castes and communities. Mallu Swarajyam became the commander of a ''dalam'' fighting against

Zamindars A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

and carried a prize of Rs.10,000 for her head during that time. The

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

was fighting with arms under the banner of

Andhra Mahasabha Andhra Mahasabha (Telugu language, Telugu: ఆంధ్ర మహాసభ, IAST: ''Āndhra mahāsabha'') was a people's organisation in the erstwhile Hyderabad state of India. The organization spearheaded people's awareness and people's movemen ...

against the cruel rule of the Nizam and bonded labour in the state. Her husband, Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy, and her brother,

Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy Comrade Bhimireddy Narasimha Reddy was a freedom fighter and a leader of the Telangana Rebellion. He is considered as the Telangana Che Guevara, given his rebellion against Rajakars. He belonged to Suryapet district of present day Telangana. B. ...

, who died in 2008 (both members of the communist movement in the State), had a profound influence on her life. The

expanded the scope of the armed struggle from being a means to free bonded labour to one that would take land from the Zamindars and distribute it among the poor. She later actively participated in the welfare of the local peasants and was also a major leader in the Communist party of India. She was elected from Thungathurthi Assembly constituency in 1978 and 1983 as a member of

Personal life and death

Swarajyam had two sons, Mallu Goutham Reddy and Mallu Nagarjun Reddy. She also had a daughter, Karuna, who ran in the 2009 Elections for Nalgonda in

Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu language, Telugu, as ...

Praja Rajyam Party The Praja Rajyam Party was a political party in India. Formation The first public meeting was held by Chiranjeevi on 26 August 2008, at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. He addressed a gathering of about a million people and announced the party name ...

. Her daughter-in-law, Mallu Laxmi followed her footsteps and she is

AIDWA All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) is a women's organisation committed to achieving democracy, equality and women's emancipation. It has an organizational presence in 23 states in India, with a current membership of more than 11 m ...

state secretary and working committee member of

, also ran in 2019 elections from Nalgonda in

. Swarajyam died from multiple organ failure in Hyderabad on 19 March 2022 at the age of 91.Her body is donated to Government Medical College, Nalgonda for medical research.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swarajyam, Mallu 1931 births 2022 deaths Telangana Rebellion People from Suryapet Women from Hyderabad State People from Hyderabad State Women in Telangana politics Participants in the Telangana Rebellion Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Andhra Pradesh Women Indian independence activists 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Indian independence activists from Telangana Deaths from multiple organ failure