Madapati Hanumantha Rao

Madapati Hanumantha Rao (22 January 1885 – 11 November 1970) was an Indian statesman, poet and a short-story writer. He was the first Mayor of Hyderabad from 1951-1954. He is also a Padma Bhushan recipient.

Early life

He was born in Pokkunuru, Nandigama Taluk in Krishna district. He lost his father at the age of five.

Public worker

He headed many Andhra MahaSabha meetings and wrote Andhrodhyamam. Because of his passion in public service, he left his lucrative legal practice at the age of 56 in 1941 and became a full-time public worker. After the formation of separate state for Andhra Pradesh in 1956, the then Chief minister Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy asked him to be the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. He conducted the proceedings of the upper house until 1964.

He is one of the proponents of library movement inaugurated in 1901 along with Komarraju Venkata Lakshmanarao and Ravichettu Ranga Rao. They started Srikrishna Devaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam at Hyderabad in 1901 and Sri Rajaraja Andhra Bhasha Nilayam at Hanamakonda in 1904. He was influenced by the writings of Kandukuri Veeresallingam, the social reformer.

A Telugu-language high school was started by Rao. When the state government and Osmania University, and Andhra University refused recognition, he got recognition from the Women's university at Pune. He was also a member of the Senate and Syndicate of Osmania University.^[1]

Writings

• History of Roman Empire
• Life of Garibaldi

References