Uyyalawada remembered on his 176th death anniversary

ANANTAPUR: Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, the first person to fight against British rulers in 1846, has been remembered on the occasion of his 176th death anniversary at a function organised in Kurnool city on Wednesday.

Kurnool collector P. Koteswar Rao and Kurnool Municipal Corporation commissioner Bhargav Teja were among those who paid floral tributes to the statue of the freedom fighter at the A Camp in Kurnool.

Speaking on the occasion, collector Koteswar Rao recalled that Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy had been born in 1806 in Rupanagudi village in Uyyalawada mandal of Nandyal district. He had been the first to start a freedom movement against British rulers prior to the First War of Independence in 1857.

Uyyalawada had then fought against the British East India Company for being anti-farmer and sacrificed his life in 1847 fighting the British rulers.

The Kurnool collector said in recognition of his sacrifice, Orvakal Airport had been named after Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy in 2021. “Narasimha Reddy, who initiated the first steps towards the Indian freedom movement, is a role model for future generations,” Koteswar Rao observed.