Honesty was his (Bhandaru Parvatala Rao) name & life : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Honesty was his (Bhandaru Parvatala Rao) name & life

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Metro India (21-08-2016)

            Ten years ago on this day, August 21, 2006, Bhandaru Parvatala Rao passed away at the age of 71 years in Puttaparti where he was staying in the service of Satya Saibaba ever since he took voluntary retirement. Very few people of this generation know him though he served five successive Chief Ministers beginning with Congress Party’s Marri Channa Reddy to Telugu Desam’s NT Rama Rao and later to N Janardhan Reddy as Public Relations Officer without a break. The institution of PRO to CM was in fact started for the first time in 1978 during the first tenure of Dr M Channa Reddy as CM and Parvatala Rao was appointed as the first PRO. A voracious reader and prolific writer, he also worked as Director Information and Public Relations of Government of Andhra Pradesh; as Public Relations Officer to Andhra Bank; as Managing Director State Film Development Corporation as well as Counselor and Examiner of Ambedkar Open University. Parvatala Rao was also a journalist, consultant of AP Handicrafts Development Corporation and Honorary Managing Editor of the Bi-Lingual News Feature National Information Services.

Parvatala Rao entered AP Information Service as DPRO in 1958 and rose to the highest position in the department. When for the first time Chief Minister Late Dr M Channa Reddy introduced the position of an exclusive PRO to CM, Parvatala Rao then working as Deputy Director in the department, was the automatic choice. He excelled in it and even now who ever occupies that place at some time or other quote him. He authored number of books both in verse and in poetry both in English and Telugu languages. Prominent among them were “Prakasham Gadha Sathi”-100 short biographical anecdotes of Tanguturi Prakasham Pantulu, “Mana Suprasiddha Devalayalu” (Tel-prose) - of Publications Division and “Paramacharya Pavana Gathalu”-108 Anecdotes from the life of late Sri Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

After retirement from Government service and before he decided to settle at Puttaparti Prashanti Nilayam of Bhagavan Sri Satya Saibaba, his expertise was utilized by the then AP Handicrafts Development Corporation and DR MCR HRD Institute. His greatest contribution to the Handicrafts Corporation was documentation of rich but rare and languishing handicrafts of the state. Parvatala Rao visited places where craft persons engaged in work, talked to them, observed the process studied the reasons for languishing and then prepared a report suggesting the methodology for their revival leading to establishing Craft Development Centres. This resulted in their survival till this day. The report on three important crafts namely “Veena Making”, “Mridangam Making” and “Leather Puppetry” should have been brought out in a book form under the title “Languishing Handicrafts of AP”. It is a rich contribution from Parvatala Rao. Unfortunately it did not happen despite efforts put up by me.

Three eminent persons Potturi Venkateswara Rao, Dr CV Narasimha Reddy and Dr AP Ranga Rao, recalled their association in their introduction of author for the unpublished book. Former State Secretary AP Branch of Indian Red Cross Society Dr AP Ranga Rao also his nephew says that he was Parvatala Rao’s admirer in his childhood. “Parvatala Rao was someone capable of finding something good even in an evil person and not to antagonize anyone. He had a tremendous potential to become a great writer, speaker, debater, reformer and a great leader. He had the capacity to influence and change for better. He could have become easily any one of those; instead he has voluntarily chosen a path to be a loving human being” described Ranga Rao.

Former Director of Information and Public Relations Dr CV Narasimha Reddy also a colleague of Parvatala Rao said Parvatala Rao was the department’s most outstanding Public Relations Professionals-who not only brought his fierce commitment to the discipline but also a quiet, grace, self-respect and dignity to the profession. Narasimha Reddy interprets the decision of Parvatala Rao to settle in Prashanti Nilayam as his inner desire to serve the cause of humanity in tune with the Baba’s Vision and Mission which bears an eloquent proof to the fact, that he committed his life, to the cause of needy and under privileged. “That was Parvatala Rao with a difference, combining in himself many unique features of great Scholarship, intellect, competence of highest standards and abundant aptitude to the spirit of service. In his thoughts, words and deeds Parvatala Rao devoted to spirituality. He was not only a highly non-controversial Person but also a Friend, Philosopher and Guide to one and all”. That makes him a True “AJATASHATRUVU” says Dr Reddy.

Senior Journalist and former Chairman AP Press Academy Sri Potturi Venkateswara Rao described Parvatala Rao as essentially a “Man of Self Respect, an extraordinary and unique personality”. Potturi as a working Journalist came in to contact with Parvatala Rao. “I had a lingering suspicion that he was like a silent volcano with problems and worries inside, a few of his own and many of others. While he never bothered others with his problems, he was always ready to share the worries of his friends” recollected Potturi.

Potturi disclosed that Parvatala Rao was qualified to practice Ayurvedic medicine and also knew certain techniques of healing by meditation. “Parvatala Rao was a great researcher. His expertise in collecting information helped the department he served. His research on the temples of Lord Narasimha Swami in Andhra Pradesh resulted in the publication of a comprehensive work in a few volumes” says Potturi.

Parvatala Rao planned to write a book with the title “Channa to Anna”. Potturi says that it is unfortunate that it did not see the light. Channa means Dr. M. Channa Reddy and Anna was Sri N. T. Rama Rao. The book would have revealed many interesting anecdotes and so far untold political happenings of historic importance. Potturi also narrated an instance that occurred when Anjaiah was Chief Minister. At that time he as Editor of Andhra Prabha weekly offered to publish a feature called “Mukhya Mantri to Mukha Mukhi”, meaning face to face with the Chief Minister. He invited questions from the readers and the Chief Minister was replying to them. Late U. B. Raghavendra Rao, CM Secretary then and Parvatala Rao were assisting Anjaiah in this exercise. Anjaiah used to ask Parvatala Rao for his views also when he was in doubt. The replies provided by Parvatala Rao were simply accepted without discussion. Such was the confidence that the Chief Minister had in Parvatala Rao recalled Potturi.

It was fifty years ago I first met Parvatala Rao while he was working in Khammam. His brother Bhandaru Srinivasa Rao was my classmate in ninth and that was how I came to know him. In later days I married his niece and our association further increased. When Dr Channa Reddy became Chief Minister of AP in 1989 I was PRO to CM. Parvatala Rao then working as PRO Andhra Bank was requested by CM to come back to the department as Director Information and Public Relations. In that capacity he was my boss in the department for about a year. We together collected, edited and compiled a book based on the extempore speeches of Dr Channa Reddy as CM which has been published as “An Agenda for Development of AP”.

Parvatala Rao was always a friend, philosopher and guide to one and all who knew him and I am one among those many. It is however unfortunate that even after ten year since his death Parvatala Rao 78 year old wife has not been sanctioned family pension as the government rules do not permit to do so. End