Snehalatha Reddy (1932 – 20 January 1977) was an Indian actress, producer and social activist known for her works in

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...

, Kannada theatre,

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

, and

Telugu theatre Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, ''Kanyasulkam'' in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language.20th Cent ...

. She was arrested over her involvement in the

Baroda dynamite case Baroda dynamite case is the term used for the criminal case launched by the Indira Gandhi government in India during the Emergency against the opposition leader George Fernandes and 24 others. The Central Bureau of Investigation charged Geor ...

and imprisoned for over 8 months during the Emergency in India. She was the co-founder of the Madras Players in the 1960s, the amateur group that staged memorable productions like

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

'', directed by Douglas Alger, besides ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and Tennessee William's ''

Night of the Iguana ''The Night of the Iguana'' is a stage play written by American author Tennessee Williams. It is based on his 1948 short story. In 1959, Williams staged it as a one-act play, and over the next two years he developed it into a full-length play, pr ...

'', directed by Peter Coe. Besides, she acted in, directed, or produced plays such as ''A View from the Bridge'' and ''The House of Bernarda Alba''. In 2003, her husband Pattabhirama Reddy presented - ''In the Hour of God'', a play based on

Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. He was also a journalist, editing newspapers such as ''Vande Mataram''. He joined the ...

's classic '' Savitri'', inspired by the mythical woman who defied death for love, which he dedicated to Snehalata Reddy.

Personal life

Snehalatha was born in 1932 to second generation Christian converts from the state of Andhra Pradesh. She strongly opposed the Colonial Rule and her initial years were immersed in the freedom struggle. She resented the British to such an extent that she reverted to her Indian name and wore only Indian clothes. Snehalatha was married to poet, mathematician and film director Pattabhi Rama Reddy. The couple were devoted to the cause of renowned freedom fighter and activist

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Ram Manohar Lohia ; (23 March 1910 – 12 October 1967) was an activist in the Indian independence movement and a socialist political leader. During the last phase of British rule in India, he worked with the Congress Radio which was broadcast s ...

. Snehalata came under national spotlight for her role in the

Kannada film Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

'' Samskara'', written by UR Ananthamurthy and directed by her husband. The film went on to win the

National Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...

in 1970. Her last film ''Sone Kansari'' was released in 1977, after her death. Her daughter Nandana Reddy is a human rights, social and political activist. She is the founder and director of CWC (Concerned for Working Children) a Bangalore-based NGO that was nominated for 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Nandana has written various memoirs of her mother's ordeals at imprisonment during the

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

. Her son Konarak Reddy is a musical artist.

Political activism

Snehalatha and her husband actively participated in the anti-Emergency movement. They spoke out against the tyrannical Indira Gandhi regime and the proclamation of Emergency in consideration with their affiliation to Lohia's principles. She was a close friend of

George Fernandes George Mathew Fernandes (3 June 1930 – 29 January 2019) was an Indian trade unionist, statesman, and journalist, who served as the 22nd Defence Minister of India from 1998 until 2004. He was a member of Lok Sabha for over 30 years, starting f ...

, the trade unionist and politician and was arrested on 2 May 1976 for being a part of the

. However, while George Fernandes and 24 others were in the list of accused, Snehalatha's name was not mentioned in final charge-sheet. She was considered guilty by mere association. She was held without trial for eight months in

Bangalore Central Jail Central Prison, Bangalore (also called Bangalore Central Jail and Parappana Agrahara Central Prison) is the largest prison in the Indian state of Karnataka. Established in 1997, it became the central prison of Bangalore in 2000 when the old jail, w ...

, enduring regular torture and was subjected to inhumane conditions. Despite having chronic asthma she received irregular treatment and on two occasions even went into an asthmatic coma. Her frail health worsened due to solitary confinement. With her health failing, Snehalatha was eventually released on parole on 15 January 1977. As a result of chronic asthma and debilitating lung infection, she died on 20 January 1977, just 5 days after her release. She is one of the first martyrs of the Emergency.

Madhu Dandavate Madhu Dandavate (21 January 1924 – 12 November 2005) was an Indian physicist and socialist politician, who served as Minister of Railways in the Morarji Desai ministry, and as Minister of Finance in the V P Singh ministry. Born in Ahmednagar ...

, who was also in the same jail where Snehalata was imprisoned, writes in his memoir, "I could hear the screams of Snehalata from her cell in the silence of the night". While in jail, Snehalatha Reddy had maintained a diary which was published by the Karnataka Human Rights Committee in 1977 in a compilation titled ''A Prison Diary''. A documentary was made based on her diary in year 2019.

Filmography

*'' Samskara'' (1970) *Chanda Marutha (1977) *''Sone Kansari'' (1977)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Snehalata 1932 births 1977 deaths Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India) Actresses in Kannada cinema Indian stage actresses Indian film actresses Actresses from Bangalore Victims of police brutality 20th-century Indian actresses Karnataka politicians Indian arts administrators Indian human rights activists Kannada screenwriters Kannada film directors Indian women film directors Indian women film producers Film producers from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian film directors Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Film directors from Andhra Pradesh Indian women activists Indian civil rights activists Social workers from Karnataka Social workers from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian screenwriters Women civil rights activists