Forty Seven years ago, a small lamp of knowledge was lit in Nagaram, a small village of hardly a thousand thatched houses. Nagaram is on the Repalle – Bapatla road, 15 kms. West of Repalle in Guntur Dist, a district of Andhra Pradesh well-known for
Dist, a district of Andhra Pradesh well-known for rich social, economic, religious, literary and historical traditions. This village was originally in Repalle taluk and subsequently it was made the head-quarters of the Pallapatla taluk on reorganization of taluks. And now it is the Mandal head-quarters.
Though Nagaram is a small village with less than 2000 population, it has a locational advantage in that, that it has a number of villages all around within a radius of 4 or 5 miles. After independence, these villages fall within one of the most backward areas educationally, socially and economically in the district. But in Satavahana period, a village namely Bhattiprolu of this region flourished as a local center of Buddhism and historical monuments available here confirmed it also. Chandolu of this region, nearer to Nagaram became the capital of Velanati cholas, a politically powerful kingdom of coastal Andhra in medieval times.
During British reign, Nizampatnam, a harbour near Nagaram stood as a remarkable trade point. Many renowned freedom fighters like Sri Duggirala Gopala Krishnaiah and Late Sri Mantena Venkata Raju, former member of our managing committee etc., of this region played an active role in freedom struggle. Unfortunately this area remained as a forgotten corner of Repalle Taluk in free India, backward in all respects notably in education. Most of the people here were illiterates as they were farmers. They were deprived of providing higher education to their children. There were 20 high schools in this taluk but not even a single college in late sixties. Every year about 500 boys used to go to towns like Tenali, Guntur and Machilipatnam for collegiate education.
The wise step taken by the College to go for National Assessment and Accreditation remains as a milestone in the glorious history of our unique institution. This endeavor, which takes us back to the amazing birth and growth of this extra – ordinary institution, provides us with a clear insight into our onward march towards the horizon of learning and indomitable spirit of knowledge.
It is difficult to say why some ideas see the light of the day and are fulfilled, while many others are not born or forgotten. One such was the idea that a seat of higher education would be started in Repalle taluk. This came to a group of enlightened, patriotic and philanthropic gentlemen who soon banded themselves into Repalle Taluk Educational Improvement Society. Dr.N.V.Krishna Rao was one of them. An opportunity came to these determined men when they received a call from Late Sri Velagapudi Ramakrishna to come to Madras to discuss the feasibility of starting a college at Nagaram. Late Sri Velagapudi Ramakrishna belongs to Bellamvaripalem only two miles from Nagaram. Though he rose to eminence as an administrator, entrepreneur and industrialist, he never forgot the area to which he belonged. He was always mindful of the industrial development of this area and subsidiary sources of income and employment for the rural youth. He thus started a sugar factory at Nagaram, but soon he realized that its turnout was far below its capacity, and it was therefore shifted to Chagallu in West Godavari District. On his sick bed he gave assurance to Dr. N.V.Krishna Rao that he was prepared to give the entire site of the sugar factory and the buildings there on as a gift provided the people of this taluk could build up an educational institution with a distinctive character and standards for the benefit of the people of his birth place. Death had claimed him soon.
Smt. Rajeswary Ramakrishnan, the proud daughter of Late Sri V. Ramakrishna and his son, Sri V.L. Dutt proved worthy of their illustrious father and set about translating his vision into reality. After their father’s death, they gifted lands measuring 28.74 acres and buildings thereon to the college. With their munificence the college was started on August 21, 1969. In the memory of the great man and his ideals, it was named Sri Velagapudi Ramakrishna Memorial College. Thus an ideal institution with the loftiest objective of dispelling darkness from society and to prevent any further erosion of values and virtues from all walks of life came into existence. The impulse behind it is the great principle that every human being has an inalienable right to develop the full faculties of his personality through education.
Nagaram College was a sacred trust and a magnificent endowment given by Sri V.Ramakrishna and his family. It rose like phoenix of the legends from the ruins of sugar factory. Since its inception, it shares the grand vision of the founders to bring education and knowledge to the door step of our poor and neglected in the surrounding villages.
The Repalle Taluk Educational Improvement Society took up the responsibility of conducting this prestigious educational institution with the ideal of providing education at several areas of knowledge to rural youth. The most outstanding objectives that emerged in the by-laws of the society are as follows:
i) To establish and maintain a college or colleges initially at Nagaram and there after at any other place or places with in the limits of Repalle Taluk providing courses of study in Arts, Science and Technology in
conformity with the rules and regulations of Andhra University or any other University to which it shall be affiliated.
ii) To start at Nagaram a college in memory and in the name of Late Sri Velagapudi Ramakrishna and for that purpose to acquire by sale, endowment, or otherwise all those pieces of land and the construction thereon at Nagaram in Repalle Taluk belonging to the Jeypore Sugar Co., Ltd.
iii) To act as a trust board to accept endowments, bequests, donations, subscriptions, grants from institutions both private and public, corporate bodies, local bodies and Government and other transfers of property made to the society and to administer the same in accordance with the terms agreed.
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