T. Prakasam
| Tanguturi Prakasam | |
|---|---|
| టంగుటూరి ప్రకాశం | |
Portrait of Tanguturi Prakasam, by S.N. Chamkur, located in Rajya Sabha
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| 1st Chief Minister of Andhra | |
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In office 1 October 1953 – 15 November 1954 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Bezawada Gopala Reddy |
| 12th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency | |
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In office 30 April 1946 – 23 March 1947 |
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| Governor | |
| Preceded by | Governor's rule |
| Succeeded by | O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
23 August 1872 Vinodarayunipalem, Madras Presidency, British India (now Vinodarayunipalem, Andhra Pradesh, India) |
| Died | 20 May 1957 (aged 84) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India (now Hyderabad, Telangana, India) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | |
| Occupation | Lawyer, writer, statesman |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Nickname(s) | Andhra Kesari ("The Lion of Andhra") |
Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu (23 August 1872 – 20 May 1957) was an Indian politician and freedom fighter, chief minister of the Madras Presidency, and subsequently became the first chief minister of the new Andhra state, created by the partition of Madras State along linguistic lines. He was also known as Andhra Kesari (Lion of Andhra). The Andhra Pradesh government issued G.O on 10 August 2014 declaring his birth anniversary a state festival.
He was born to Telugu Niyogi Brahmin family of Subbamma and Gopala Krishnayya in the village of Vinodarayunipalem, 26 km from Ongole in Madras presidency (now Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh). When he was 11, his father died and his mother had to run a boarding house at Ongole, a profession that was looked down upon at the time.
When E. Hanumantha Rao Naidu, his teacher at school, moved to Rajahmundry, he took Prakasam along with him as that place had better opportunities for education. He acted in Gayopakhyanam by Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham in 1890 along with his teacher. He was interested in becoming a lawyer since childhood, but Prakasam failed his matriculation examination. However, he managed to go to Madras and become a second-grade pleader. Returning to Rajahmundry, he eventually became a successful lawyer. He was elected as Municipal Chairman of Rajahmundry in 1904 when he was 31 years old. This election was a tough one at that point in time.
During one of his professional visits to Madras on a court case, a barrister was impressed with his legal acumen and suggested that he become a barrister. As a second-grade pleader, Prakasam could not argue cases at higher courts as only barristers were allowed to do so. Prakasam took the idea to his heart and decided to go to England to pursue legal studies. It was considered a sacrilege to cross the seas during those days. However, as Mahatma Gandhi had done before him, Prakasam made a promise to his mother that he would abstain from eating non-vegetarian food, smoking and drinking. He reached England in 1904. In England, he joined the Royal India Society and worked for the election of Dadabhai Naoroji to the House of Commons.
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