Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem - Freedom Fighters [UPSC Notes]

The Tale of Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem

Although Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem never met in their lifetime, the movie RRR weaves a fictional tale where they unite to fight against the British rule.

A Closer Look at Alluri Sitarama Raju

• Raju was born on July 4, 1897 and was fondly known as Manyam Veerudu, translating to ‘hero of the forest’.
• At the tender age of 18, he chose to live as a sanyasi. His austere lifestyle, knowledge of astrology and medicine, and his ability to tame wild animals earned him a mystical reputation among hill and tribal communities.
• Raju was a natural leader and used his charisma to rally the hill people in Ganjam, Visakhapatnam, and Godavari, leading a powerful guerrilla resistance against British colonial rule.
• The British government’s Forest Act of 1882 threatened the traditional podu cultivation of the tribal people. Adding to their woes, the colonial authorities commissioned village headmen known as muttadars to extract rent from the tribals, leading to their exploitation.
• Raju led a rebellion, known as the Rampa or Manyam Rebellion, which transformed into a guerrilla war against the British rule, to protect the rights and livelihood of the tribal people.
• Despite the British government offering a reward of Rs 10,000 for his capture, Raju continued his fight until he was killed on May 7, 1924.
• In recognition of his significant contribution to India’s freedom struggle, the Indian Postal Department issued a stamp of Alluri Sitarama Raju in 1986.

The Story of Komaram Bheem

• Born on October 22, 1901 in Sankepalli village in Komarambheem District, Hyderabad, Komaram Bheem was a member of the Gond tribal community.
• Bheem's life was filled with struggles from an early age. His father was killed by the forest department, causing the family to move to Sardapur village in Kerimeri.
• After his land was captured by an informer of the Nizam, Bheem killed him in rage and managed to escape police custody.
• Bheem spent five years in Assam working on a coffee and tea plantation, where he learned to read and write.
• He returned to his village and established a guerrilla army to fight against the taxes levied by the Nizam administration on individuals who grazed their cattle or gathered firewood for cooking.
• Bheem coined the term “Jal, Jangal, Zameen” which became a symbol of the Aadivasi movement.
• Despite his valiant efforts, Bheem was eventually killed during a battle with the Nizam army.