SMT.

DOKKA SEETHAMMA – A PRE- FACE

Smt. Dokka Sithamma lived in a remote village Lankala Gannavaram on the banks of
holy river the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, between 1841-1909, and set her name as
synonymous with ANNADANAM, ‘feeding the people in need with kindness’ and
‘hospitality’. During the days when there was no media, even the culture of news paper
reading was not, developed, her name in charity and hospitality crossed not only the
states in India, but the boundaries of the continent. Her photograph was inaugurated in
the main hall of the Royal Palace of London by the then Ruler, King Edward VII on
01.01.1903. The photograph installed in 1903 was witnessed by the then Hon. Speaker
of our Lok Sabha, Sri GMC Balayogi in the year 2000 when he had visited the palace in
London.

Our father Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu took lot of pains in collecting all the
required information from various sources, and wrote the very first book on the life
history of the legend Smt. Dokka Sithamma in Telugu, “Nirathannadaatri Smt. Dokka
Sithamma” and published in 1959, after 50 years of Smt. Sithamma’s demise. Basing
on the first ever book that was published in Telugu prose on Smt. Dokka Sithamma by
my father in 1959, Sri Chellapalli Venkateswarlu written her life history in Telugu Poetry
during late 60s.

In 2009, being the centenary death year of Smt. Sithamma, the first book on the life
history of Smt. Sithamma ‘Nirathanna Daatri Smt. Dokka Sithamma’ in telugu written by
Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu, was reprinted and inaugurated in a grand function
that was held at the residence of the writer late Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu,
by his sons. In honour of the writer, Sri Mirthipati Sitha Rama Cheyunulu, the second
edition of the Telugu version book had been intended to distribute at free of cost to the
interested readers, to encourage the spirit of charity practiced by Smt. Sithamma The
same will be published in internet also shortly, to enable the same to be available to the
global readers.

During the pre-independence days, an aqueduct was constructed on the River Godavari
between Delta Gannavaram and Lankala Gannavaram. Since it became very old, in the
year 2000 the State Government of Andhra Pradesh constructed a new aqueduct by the
side of the old one. The then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Sri N. Chandra Babu
Naidu had opened the same in the year 2000 and named it as ‘Dokka Sithamma
Aqueduct’ and her bronze statue was installed on the same, and affirmed the gratitude
of the Andhra people towards Smt. Sithamma. Our eldest brother Sri Mirthipati
Narayana had published a book on ‘Smt Dokka Sithamma and the river Godavari’
explaining why the newly constructed Aqueduct should be named after Smt. Sithamma
and met the then Hon. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Sri N. Chandra Babu Naidu
and the then Hon. Speaker of Loksabha Sri GMC Balayogi and the other relevant
Leaders and dignities, and requested to name the aqueduct after Smt. Sithamma. The
people in Konaseema will never forget the efforts of my brother Sri. M. Narayana for
getting the aqueduct named after Smt. Sithamma.

It is our blessed privilege, we were borne and brought up in Lankala Gannavaram, the
holy place where Smt. Dokka Sithamma lived for nearly 60 years, and our house is just
beside Her house.

In 1996, Doordarsan telecasted a serial on the life history of Smt. Sithamma. Famous TV (DD)
serial ‘Sri Maryadaramanna’ fame Sri Jayanthi Bhavani Sankaram played Sri Joganna role. It is
not out of place to mention that our eldest brother Sri Mirthipati Narayana had supported the DD
crew in all respects to complete their suiting works in our and the surrounding villages.

I take this opportunity, as my privilege, to write a few words about my father, Sri
Mirthipati Sitharama Cheyunulu (1916 – 1976) the writer of the first book on Smt. Dokka
Sithamma: by profession he was a school teacher, and by nature also he was a good
teacher. He wrote another book, Sri Vainatheya Venkateswara Charitra, on ‘the Lord
Venkateswara and the river Godavari in Lankala Gannavaram’ and got published in 1977. He was
a qualified Ayurveda Doctor with ‘Ayurveda Visarada’ Certificate in the village. He was
known for his charity and medical services. He was a good speaker, and was honored
by the ‘Andhra Ashramam’ in Varanasi for his lectures there for 30 days, in 1974. He
also established ‘Saraswathi Bala Sangham’ in our village with his own funds, to
encourage the children not only in sports and arts, but also with ethical values. He was
one among the important persons who worked for reconstruction of the Lord
Rajagopalaswamy Temple, the deity in which was said to have been installed by
Vasista Maharshi centuries back. During my childhood days we were seeing a lot of
poets, writers and pundits participating in discussions on various noble matters in our
house, with our father. His date of birth was 25 th December and he was proudly telling
us that he was born on the day when Jesus born, and he was taking us to the Christian
Prayer Hall in Delta Gannavaram on his birthday. He used to tell us that my mother
Smt. Ratna Manikyamba (1921-1977) had supported him in his writing and other
cultural activities.

To our knowledge the life history of the ‘Ever Telugu Legend’ had not yet been
published in other languages. Though I am not competent enough to translate my
Father’s Telugu version of the life history of Smt. Sithamma, into English, I have taken
a dare step to publish a book in English, with a strong belief that my Father and Smt.
Sithamma will lead me in completing this task. The same will be published shortly.
PHOTGRAPH OF SMT. DOKKA SITHAMMA (1941-1909)
 THE AUTHOR OF TELUGU VERSION LIFE HISTORY OF SMT DOKKA SEETHAMMA

SRI MIRTHIPATI SITARAMA CHEYUNULU (1916 – 1976)

SMT. RATNA MANIKYAMBA (1921-1977)

It is an appeal to the concerned:

1. To see that the life history of the legend should be introduced as a lesson in the
school syllabus;
2. A postal stamp in memory of the legend should be released;
3. The house where in the legend lived for nearly 60 years is now in a ruin stage,
the same should be developed as a memorial in the interest of tourism
development.

VENKATRAMAIAH MIRTHIPATI
9407910605