The Ramineni Foundation was founded in 1995 by the children of the late Ramineni Ayyanna Choudary in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, USA for the purpose of protecting and promoting the monumental heritage of Indian culture and the ideals of Hinduism. In addition, the primary mission of the foundation is to facilitate the valiant, relentless and altruistic efforts of all those high priests drawn from a cross-spectrum of fields in arts, science and humanities. __NOTOC__

History

Ramineni Ayyanna Choudary, after whom the foundation and the awards were named, was born on 1929-10-12 in ''Brahmanakoduru'',

Guntur District Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the List of urban agglom ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to Veeriah Choudary and Kanya Kumari. He completed his school education in Guntur District and obtained a postgraduate degree in

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

from

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

. Until 1955 he worked as a teacher in Palaparru and

Movva Movva is the name of a well-known village in the Krishna district of the Indian state known as Andhra Pradesh. It is located in 'Movva mandal of Machilipatnam revenue division'. It is one of the villages in the mandal to be a part of Andhra P ...

. He left for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1955, and completed his master's degree in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

followed by a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. During this time, he founded the ''Hindu Association of Minnesota'' to promote

Hindu culture Hinduism () is an umbrella term for a range of Indian religious and spiritual traditions ( ''sampradaya''s) that are unified by adherence to the concept of ''dharma'', a cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and right ...

and civilisation and organised Hindu festivals & social activities regularly. He worked as a professor at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, and

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

in Cincinnati, Ohio (1963–1973). He took early retirement from his job in order to devote his time to social and cultural activities, and to raise his children. He established Downtown Property Management in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, a real estate business now managed by his sons. He married Suguna in 1967 and gave birth to 6 children – Dharmapracharak, Saradha Devi, Satyavadhi, Brahmananda, Vedacharya and Harischandra. He established Sangeeth Sahitya Samskrithi Hindu Dharma Nilayam and dedicated it to Indian fine arts. He developed agricultural activities and also established Hindustan Therapeutics at

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

to supply high-quality, cost-effective veterinary medicines and feed supplements to farmers. On the occasion of his 70th birthday, his children started the Ramineni Foundation in India on 1999-10-12. Choudary died on 2000-04-24 in Cincinnati Ohio.

Awards

1999

Ramineni Foundation was inaugurated in India on 1999-10-12 at Hyderabad. The occasion was attended by

C. Narayana Reddy Cingireddi Narayana Reddy (29 July 1931 – 12 June 2017), popularly known as CiNaRe, was an Indian Telugu-language poet, writer, and critic. He had produced over eighty literary works including poems, prose-plays, lyrical plays, translat ...

as Chief Guest and Vempati China Satyam, N. Gopi, P. Siva Reddy and Gummadi as esteemed guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

* G. N. Rao – Director, L V Prasad Eye Institute

Viseesha Puraskaram

* Bapu * Ramana * Nanduri Rama Mohana Rao – Veteran journalist and Writer * Kalipatnam Rama Rao – Custodian of Telugu Story, founder of Kathanilaya

2000

This function was attended by

Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...

as Chief Guest and D. N. Siva Prasad, Prof.

Kakarla Subba Rao Kakarla Subba Rao (25 January 192516 April 2021) was an Indian radiologist who served as the first director of Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad. For his contributions to the field of medicine, Rao was conferred Padma Shri in 200 ...

, M.

Murali Mohan Maganti Murali Mohan (born as Maganti Raja Ram Mohan Roy; 24 June 1940) is an Indian actor, producer, politician, and business executive from Telugu cinema. In 1973, Murali Mohan debuted in ''Jagame Maya'', produced by Atluri Poornachandra Rao. ...

as esteemed Guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

* K. Varaprasad Reddy – MD

Shantha Biotechnics Shantha Biotechnics Limited is an Indian biotechnology company headquartered in Hyderabad, India. It is the first Indian company to develop, manufacture and market Recombinant DNA, recombinant human healthcare products in India. The company is a ...

Viseesha Puraskaram

Lalji Singh Lalji Singh (5 July 1947 – 10 December 2017) was an Indian scientist who worked in the field of DNA fingerprinting technology in India and pioneer of Assisted reproductive technology, where he was popularly known as the "Father of Indian D ...

– Director, CCMB *

K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (19 February 1930 – 2 February 2023) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist and actor who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. One of the greatest auteurs of Indian cinema, he received international recogn ...

– Cine Director *

Kaloji Narayana Rao Kaloji Narayana Rao (9 September 1914 – 13 November 2002) was an Indian poet, freedom fighter, anti-fascist and political activist of Telangana. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1992. The Telangana government honored Kaloji's birthda ...

– Veteran Writer * Gudapati Srinivasa Rao - DGM BSNL

2001

The function was attended by U.

Krishnam Raju Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju (20 January 1940 – 11 September 2022) was an Indian actor and politician. He was known for his works in Telugu cinema and was widely known as "''Rebel Star''" for his rebellious acting style. He was also th ...

, Union Minister of Defence as Chief Guest and Justice Jasti Chelameshwar, A. Gangadhara Rao, Former Chief Justice of High court of Andhra Pradesh, P V R K prasad IAS, and M. V. Bhasakara Rao as Esteemed Guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

* Chinchode Devender Reddi-

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate university, collegiate Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, issued a ''firman'' calling f ...

Viseesha Puraskaram

* Volga – Popular Writer * M. A. Subhan – Founder, Kalasaagar *

Nirmalamma Nirmalamma (18 July 1920 – 19 February 2009) was an Indian actress in the Telugu cinema. She appeared in more than 1000 films and was well known for her grandmother roles in several films. She won two Nandi Awards. Early life She was born in ...

– Veteran Artist

2002

The function was attended by

K. Prathibha Bharathi Kavali Prathibha Bharathi (born 6 February 1956) is a politician from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She is a former speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly (1999–2004). She was the first woman speaker in Andhra Pradesh Le ...

, Speaker of

Legislative Assembly as Chief Guest and T Devendra Goud, Home Minister, Government of

, Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, Minister for Health, Government of

Andhra pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

, I. Venkata Rao, chairman, Press Academy of Andhra Pradesh, and Madugula Nagaphani Sharma as Esteemed Guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

* Shantha Sinha, Secretary -Trustee M. V. Foundation

Viseesha Puraskaram

*Dr. Chukka Ramaiah (IIT) * N. Koteswara Rao – Popular Writer * Syed MD. Arif – National Chief

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

Coach

2003

The function was attended by

Mullapudi Harishchandra Prasad Mullapudi Harischandra Prasad, (28 July 1921 – 3 September 2011) was an Indian politician and industrialist from Andhra Pradesh. He was the chairman and managing director of the Andhra Sugars Group and also the managing director of Andhra Pet ...

as Chief Guest and Somireddy Chandra mohan Reddy, Minister of Information & Public Relations, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Mohan Kanda, Chief Secretary of Government of Andhra Pradesh, Prevaram Ramulu, chairman, APPSC, and Rajasekhar, film actor as Esteemed Guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

* K. Anji Reddy – chairman, Reddy Labs

Viseesha Puraskaram

* C. Raghavachari *

Rao Balasaraswathi Devi Raavu Balasaraswathi Devi (born 28 August 1928) is an Indian singer and actress who performed from 1930 to the 1960s in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in the Telug ...

– Popular Singer * C. V. Krishna Rao – Social Worker and Writer

2004

The function was attended by Avadhoota Datta Peethadhipathi Sri Ganapathi satchtananda Swamiji and Nara

Chandra Babu Naidu Nara Chandrababu Naidu (; born 20 April 1950), commonly known as CBN, is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He holds the record of longest-serving Chief Minister in the political history ...

, Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh as Chief Guests and V S Rama Devi, Former Governor of Karnataka, Pathuri Nagabhushanam, Chairman Zilla Parishad,

Guntur Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is lo ...

as esteemed guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

* Yarlagadda Nayudamma, Pediatric Surgeon,

Viseesha Puraskaram

Tadepalli Lakshmi Kanta Rao Tadepalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao (16 November 1923 – 22 March 2009) was an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Regarded as one of the finest method actors, Rao appeared in more than 400 feature films, s ...

– Veteran Artist * Buddiga Subbarayan – Popular Writer * Hemalatha Lavanam – Secretary – SAMSKAR

2005

The function was attended by Tridandi China Jeeyar Swamiji and

Dasari Narayana Rao Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1942 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, lyricist, and politician, primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over his four decade career, he directed more than 150 feature ...

, Union Minister for Coal & Mines, Government of

, as Chief Guests and K. R. Suresh Reddy, Speaker Of

State Legislative Assembly, and A. K. Khan, Additional Commissioner of

Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

as Esteemed Guests.

Visishta Puraskaram

*D.Nageswar Reddy –

Gastroenterologist Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometime ...

, Director, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology

Viseesha Puraskaram

* Boyi Bhimanna – Veteran Writer * K. Sugunamani – Andhra Mahila Sabha * Navodaya Rama Mohana Rao – Navodaya Publishers,

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

2006

The function was attended by Konijeti Rossaiah, Minister for Finance, Medical and Health, Government Of

, Avula Manjulatha Vice Chancellor of Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, and C. C. Reddy, Adviser, Government of Andhra Pradesh, as Esteemed Guests, Jury Members, B. V. Pattabhiram, G. N. Rao, Paruchuri Gopala Krishna, A V S.

Visishta Puraskaram

*Padam Bhushan K. Srinath Reddy, Professor and Head of the Dept of Cardiology,

AIIMS The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. These institutes ha ...

Viseesha Puraskaram

* Umar Alisha – Philanthropist, Chairman Umar Alisha Rural Development Trust,

Pithapuram Pithapuram (also spelled as Pitapuram) is a Town and municipality in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, India. With a history spanning over 1,500 years, it is one of the oldest towns in the state. Pitapuram served as the capital for vario ...

* I. V. Chalapathi Rao, Eminent Academician * Smt

Anjali Devi Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in '' Lava Kusa'' as well as for the title roles in movies like Chenchu ...

– Veteran Artist

2007

The function was attended by

Narayan Dutt Tiwari Narayan Datt Tiwari (18 October 1925 – 18 October 2018) was an Indian politician who served as the 9th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and 3rd Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2002 to 2007. He was first Indian Chief Minister who served for t ...

Governor of Andhra Pradesh The governor of Andhra Pradesh is the head of state of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Governors in India have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the president of India at the central level. They exist in the ...

, as Chief Guest and N. Rajyalakshmi, Minister For Women Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh, G. Aruna Kumari, Minister for Medical Education, Government Of Andhra Pradesh and M. Venkataramana Rao, Minister for Infrastructure, Investment, Government Of Andhra Pradesh and jury members G.N. Rao, director, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, K. Ramachandramurthy, Editor, Andhra Jyothi, and magician B.V. Pattabhiram have participated at the occasion.

Visishta Puraskaram

* P. Ramachandra Rao, Director of Defence Institute of Advanced Technology

Viseesha Puraskaram

* Nerella Venu Madhav – Cine Artist * P. Susheela – Playback singer * Reddi Raghavaiah – author of children's literature

2018

Viseesha Puraskaram

* Dr. Garikapati Narasimha Rao (literary performer) *

Nag Ashwin Singireddy Nag Ashwin Reddy (born 23 April 1986), popularly known as Nag Ashwin, is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work in Telugu cinema. He is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Nandi Award, and a Filmfare Award ...

(Art - Cinema - Best Director)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Awards established in 1995 Civil awards and decorations of India