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)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

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 in the Deccan region of south-central 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 the ...

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

satyagraha Satyāgraha (from ; ''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 who practises satyagraha is ...

in response to a call given by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

as part of the struggle to attain

swaraj Swarāj (, IAST: , ) can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule". The term was used synonymously with "home-rule" by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati and later on by Mahatma Gandhi, but the word usually refers to Gandhi's concept of Indian ...

(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. 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 in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is th ...

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

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

was fighting with arms under the banner of

Andhra Mahasabha Andhra Mahasabha ( Telugu: ఆంధ్ర మహాసభ, IAST: ''Āndhra mahāsabha'') was a people's organisation in the erstwhile Hyderabad state of India. It was an association started by Telugu people of Telangana region against Nizam r ...

against the cruel rule of the Nizam and bonded labour in the state. Her husband,

Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy was an Indian revolutionary leader and one of the prominent heroes of the Telangana Rebellion. Remained underground for nine long years, he had organised the armed squads in battling the Nizam's army and the razak ...

, and her brother, Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy, 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. Mallu Swarajyam with a Slingshot

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 Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...

Praja Rajyam Party The Praja Rajyam Party () was a political party in India. Formation The first public meeting of the party was held by Chiranjeevi on 26 August 2008, at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Praja Rajyam means people's rule in Telugu language, Telugu. H ...

. Her daughter-in-law, Mallu Laxmi followed her footsteps and she is AIDWA 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 People from Suryapet Women 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