Padma Bhushan Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya, Financial and Political Scientist and Historical Writer from Nellore

Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya was a financial and political scientist and historical writer. He received Padma Bhushan award from Govt of India in 1968.

He was born on January 8, 1889 in Purini village of Kovur taluk in Nellore district to Venkatesham and Narasamma. After primary education in Telugu and Sanskrit he joined Pachaiyappa’s College in Madras where he completed B.A. and later finished his M.A. degree in History, Economics and Politics in 1910. He actively participated in the Indian Independence Movement while studying.

He worked as History lecturer in Maharajah college of Kakinada from 1910 to 1914 and as Economics and Politics lecturer at Maharajah college, Vizianagaram till 1927. He was the teacher to prince Alak Narayana Gajapathi. He was appointed as Diwan of Vizianagaram Samsthanam in 1927. He joined as principal of Rajah college at Venkatagiri from 1928 to 1931. Later he joined Andhra University as reader in 1931 and became professor in 1938 and retired as principal of University college in 1944. He was invited by Bombay University to head the Political and Social Sciences department between 1949 to 1952.

He married Venkamma and they had ten children: Annapurna, Godavari, Mamidipudi Narasimham, Mamidipudi Seetharam, Mamidipudi Anandam, Mamidipudi Venkateswarlu, Mamidipudi Pattabhiram, Mamidipudi Krishnamurti, and Mamidipudi Simhachalam and Vaidehi. Mamidipudi Anandam is a Chartered Accountant and twice Rajya Sabha member. Shanta Sinha is daughter of Anandam. Mamidipudi Pattabhiram is Associate Editor of The Hindu. Mamidipudi Nagarjuna was the son of Pattabhiram. He was an IAS officer and served as Collector at Guntur district.

He wrote many books on Indian history, constitution, encyclopedia, panchayati raj and politics.

• Chief Editor of Sangraha Andhra Vignana Kosham (1958–1969)
• Panchayati raj in Andhra Pradesh, 1967
• Mārutunna samājaṃ, nā jñāpakālu, 1981
• Āndhralō svātantryasamaramu, 1972
• Evariki mī ōṭu?, 1951
• The freedom struggle in Andhra Pradesh, 1965
• Free and fair elections, 1966
• The fundamental rights of man in theory and practice, 1944
• The general election in the city of Bombay, 1953
• Indian federalism, 1975
• Local government in India, 1969
• Mana paripālakulu, 1962
• Mana śāsana sabhalu, 1963
• Mānavahakkyulu, lēka, Prāthamika svatva siddhantamu, 1946
• Pāriśrāmika viplavaṃ, 1964
• Some aspects of democratic politics in India, 1967
• Some theories of federalism, 1971
• Vidyāraṅgaṃ, nāḍu-nēḍu, 1982
• Vidyārthulaku okamāṭa, 1965
• The welfare state and the socialist state, 1962
• Mārutunna samājaṃ, nā jñāpakālu, 1981
• Āndhralō svātantryasamaramu, 1972

He died peacefully at the age of 92, at his Secunderabad residence on 13th January, 1982. Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MV Foundation), Secunderabad was established in his memory in 1981. The foundation’s activities include Child Rights, Health and Natural Resource Management. His daughter Prof. Shantha Sinha, Secretary of the Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya (MV) Foundation, won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2003.

References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamidipudi_Venkatarangayya