reddy

Reddy Community History

The largest single community grouping in Andhra Pradesh today is of the Reddi community. The name is also written in english as Reddy. They are found all over Andhra Pradesh and the neighbouring states. In Andhra Pradesh, the Reddis are considered traditional village headmen. The duties of headmen included the collection of tax, guarding the village and basically representing the village in dealing with outsiders or even the government. Physically they are very well built and strong, 'solid farmer stock' according to some english observers, and they retain a residual military -aristocratic tradition. (In short they are upper caste). Several members of the community are very wealthy landowners and businessmen, but most are small farmers. In most areas of Andhra Pradesh, in the small villages it is the Reddi who speaks authoritatively on behalf of the village: they are the traditional "leaders" of the village. But this is changing fast. Younger members are losing interest in living in rural areas and striking out to work in towns ...even to the USA.

There are various sects/clans among the reddis. The ones I could get some details about are the Panta reddis, including the Velanadu , Paakanadu and Motati Reddis ( these are old geographical areas) i.e. the Krishna-Guntur , Nellore and Chittoor Reddis and upland area. In Telangana there are the the Keti Reddis, There are other subdivisions but I am still collecting information.

Roots of the Reddis:

The Reddis do not constitute a ethnic group, really. There are several strands which go to make the Reddis of today. They appear to be basically Deccan plateau inhabitants, which includes Maharashtra, karnataka and Andhra of today. Another point to note, in several areas the term Reddi was treated as a sort of title for anyone who was appointed as village headman. Usually this meant a soldier, who got along fine with the other headmen. Gradually the descendants
would be absorbed into the larger Reddi grouping.

The earliest reference we have to anyone resembling the Reddis are the Rathis and the Maha rathis before 200 BC. These kings ruled over small principalities in the Deccan plateau area of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra before the Satavahanas and mauryas. They have left coins in northern Andhra Pradesh, also in Kurnool district, and near Pune etc. The coins are found in the levels between the megalithic and satavahana levels in excavations. The term Rathi might
refer to "one riding a chariot" (Ratha=horse drawn chariot in prakrit and old sanskrit). A grander Rathi king might be called Maha rathi.

The Satavahanas intermarried with the maharathis. Sri Satakarni married Naaganika Devi, daughter of a maha rathi.(221 -198BC). The Satavahanas ruled over Malwa and parts of Gujarat as well and clashed
with the Sakas -Pahlavas (scythians and pallavas) and also intermarried with them. The Deccan was covered with thick forests, only scattered areas were under agriculture, and that too likely slash and burn primitive agriculture. Castes and communities were still forming. Even feudalism hadn't really developed in those days, the tribal structure was slowly dissolving with the influence of Buddhism. So one shouldn't take the caste thing too seriously.

The next mention of the Reddis seems to be during the rise of the Rashtrakutas. The Reddis are also called ratthi, raddi and rattodi in old inscriptions dating back to the 9th century. The Rashtrakuta soldiers were among the elite troops of the Chalukyas: they founded an empire after the Badami chalukyas faded from the scene. A section who migrated to rajasthan became the well known rathodis, who later are found as one of the Rajput clans. After the Rashtrakuta empire faded away we find interesting inscriptions of the succeeding Kalyani Chalukyas in Andhra Pradesh, where Reddis are mentioned (900 ad). They were soldiers appointed as headmen of villages in Medak district by the kalyani Chalukyas. Some of the names mentioned are Mini Raddi and Kati Raddi. (these are surnames even today).

The Reddis in the Telangana region were active in the kakatiya kingdom. (AD 1000-1223). They were knights and barons and subordinate kings who ruled regions, in turn they had to pay taxes/ a part of the plunder and organise troops for campaigns. Several large dams and lakes were constructed by the reddis of the time, and they still serve their purpose..

After the kakatiya kingdom disintegrated many Reddis migrated to coastal Andhra---Addanki and Kondaveedu, and later Rajahmundry on the Godavari and founded their own independent kingdoms which flourished between 1325-1448 AD. Komati Prolaya Vemareddy , son of Komati Prola reddy founded this kingdom . There are foolish explanations of why
the name Komdi or Komati was their surname (apart from silly fake legends, there is an attempt to discover some "jain goddess".)

The actual very simple reason, which sems to have escaped so called scholars, is Komdi or Komda is a name of a tribal deity Kumara, Kumra, Kartikeya, Mayura, Mora, Velan, Murugan--- the warlike son of Siva. A merchant community called komati also is derived from this ancient name, while they have very little to do with reddis. While the area and extent may not have been large, these Reddi Raja states are historically significant because Telugu literature got a strong impetus. Vemareddi has left many inscriptions, the well preserved ones detailing the repairs he made to temples like Srisailam and Ahobilam.

During the Vijayanagar empire (roughly 1300 -1600 AD) too they were prominent especially in Rayalseema, where they became independent zamindars or landholders and were constantly engaged in clan feuding. (the feuds continue to this day). The Rayalseema reddis are closely related to the landlord Gowdas of karnataka and the Reddiars of Tamilnad. There are also a few Reddi principalities which managed to survive independently between large warring states, in Mahabubnagar
district (Old Palamoor) like Gadwal and Wanaparthi. The Reddis around these areas have a tradition they are descended from ancient Chalukya ancestors.

Reddis are also prominent in Nellore and Chittoor district also. --- in these areas, during Brit times they often visited closeby Madras, took to modern education in the Madras presidency, and also joined the military.

In the Golkonda region, all during the Turkish rule and recent Nizams too , the Reddis continued to be headmen, village policemen and tax collectors and farmers. The larger Reddi landlords were styled as Desais and Doras. ( and continued their bitter nine-hundred year old rivalry with the Velamas, another feudal clan. The rivalry exists to this day in rural areas). Several Reddis were noblemen during the Nizams time, too.

There does not seem to be any ethnic /social connection between the plains Reddis and the tribal Kondareddi of the Godavari hills.

The Reddis of these various regions have different traditions and notions and do not seem to have much in common with each other : they have more in common with other communities of their regions. Given the background one would expect they are all feudal reactionary upper caste bigots : not so, they were prominent in reform activities too. In medieval times they were enthusisatic backers of Saivite and Vaishnavite reform movements too. In south coastal areas the saivite
Reddis intermarried with Brahmins. In Telangana area they used to wed girls from other communities but the offspring wouldnt bear the clan name. In north Andhra Pradesh, during the communist-led Telangana people's movement against the feudal Nizam state in the 1940's, there were many comrades from a reddy background. Large number of Reddis
went into business especially construction and films and have made a name for themselves in the field. --Kalabandhu Subbiramireddy, for instance. (I believe he has several websites. Any URLs?). In recent times they are prominent in the world pharmaceutical industry too, like Dr Anji Reddy. Dr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was a President of India. (etc etc, many others. Please send a good list if you have )

Taken as a whole, they are healthy, strong, cheerful, generally smiling, broadminded, and impulsively generous. They are somewhat conservative, but not really clannish: managing soldiers or running a village or district or kingdom efficiently means you have to take along everybody with you: the feudal man management skills honed over the centuries are still useful.

Socially overall, it appears today their outlook or watchword is " status quo" or 'slow gradual change is best'. Womenfolk are not as independent minded as in some other communities. In politics they are usually backers of the Congress : they are not well represented in the Telugu Desam party which is in power in the state. While the older generation of Reddis had a feeling for the "land" and flair for farming, nowadays there is a rapid change in rural areas: the younger Reddis are losing interest in rural life (not just farming, but the ramifications like district politics) and migrating to the cities, becoming urban professionals and businessmen. Fairly large numbers have migrated to the USA. They are prominent in Telugu organisations in the USA.

Website: http://www.reddyonline.in
Yahoo ! Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReddyOnline

reddy famous persons

FROM ENCYLOPEDIA

Notable Reddys

Politicians
O P Ramaswamy Reddy - Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy - Former President of India and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Dr. S. Jaipal Reddy - Information & Broadcasting Minister, Government Of India (2004-till date)
T. Anjaiah (alias Ramakrishnareddi Talla)[6] ---Former Chief Minister of Andhra pradesh.
Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy - Current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy - Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy
Dr. Bejawada Gopalareddy
Kysamballi Chengalraya Reddy -first Chief Minister of the old Mysore state
Kasu Brahmananda Reddy - Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Bhavanam Venkatrami Reddy - Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Kotla VijayaBhaskara Reddy - Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy - Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
P.Sundarayya - Communist party leader


Non-Politicans
Raja Bahaddur Venkatram Reddy
Suravaram Pratap Reddy
Cattamanci Ramalinga Reddy - Educationalist, First vice chancellor of Andhra university
Potu Narsimha Reddy --Social Reformer, Satyagraha Movement Member
G. Pulla Reddy - Entrepreneur and educationalist
Prof. G. Ram Reddy - Former University Grants Commission chairman
Dr. Anji Reddy - entrepreneur-scientist (Dr. Reddy's Laboratories)
Dr. C. Narayana Reddy - Poet
Yogi Vemana (Real Name: Gona Vema Buddha Reddy) - Poet
Vedre Ramachandra Reddy Bhoodhan - Social Reformer, Satyagraha Movement Member
Dr. Raj Reddy - winner of the ACM Turing Award
Dr. Y. Venugopal Reddy - present Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Annamalai Reddiyar - Tamil Poet, 19th Century.
P. Siva Reddy - Eye surgeon
Dr. M. Mahadeva Reddi - Mechanical Engineer and Entrepreneur - Founder of Conrad Technologies


ACTOR
nitin reddy

link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddy

Reddy is a dominant caste (community) mainly from the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Reddys wield significant social and economic power and they are dominant in every part of Andhra Pradesh, and have strong political hold in Rayalaseema, Telengana and coastal areas. They are generally Telugu-speaking farming community originally from the state of Andhra Pradesh, though there are considerable number of Reddys settled in the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.


Role in politics
Historically, Reddys dominated the politics of the south India and are the most powerful caste in wealth and are highly educated. Interestingly, the sixth President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and some of the chief ministers of the State of Andhra Pradesh and many Notable Reddy personalities come from Middle class and very poor families . Dr. Bejawada Gopalareddy served as the chief minister of Andhra State from March, 1955 to October, 1956. Ten of the twenty[3] elected Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh including the present chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy are from the Reddy community. Sixth President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy who was in office from 1977 to 1982 is also from the Reddy community. Even though the population of Reddys is 11% in the state of Andhra Pradesh they occupy 40% of the state legislative assembly seats (MLA) and had played a vital role in the social and economic development of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Situation is changing from the last ten years because of the rise of reservations at every level and more and more people are opposing the reddy dominations. If the same trend continues it is very hard to have many reddy politicicians in the coming days. The community is very devided bacuse of the many sub castes and even religions. for example out of the Five chief ministers of Andhra pradesh four belonged to Christian religion and they are YSR, Janardhan Reddy and Kasu brahmananda reddy .Chenna reddy belonged to the kapu community and Anjaiah belonged to the Gone sub caste.Neelam Sanjiva reddy bolonged to pakanati.Motati and Gudati are yet become chief misisters though they are more popular compared to others as they always fight with the other.

Incidentally, the first chief ministers of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were from the reddy caste:

First Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh: Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (1-11-1956 –10-1-1960)
First Chief Minister of Karnataka: Sri Kyasamballi Chengalaraya Reddy (25-10-1947 30-03-1952)
First Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: O P Ramaswamy Reddiyar[4] (March 23, 1947 April 06, 1949)


Immigration of community
Indira Gandhi's land reform policy in 1969 of putting a ceiling on personal income and private property affected the rich Reddy land lords in the state of Andhra Pradesh and most of them now live in Middle class. Economic changes that took place during the 1960's and 70's triggered the migration of the community to North America.

In the 2004, the American Medical Association survey of last or middle names in United States revealed 4.02% of the practicing physicians had Reddy as their Middle or Last Name[5]. Most of them work in the Information Technology fields and there is a significant Reddy community in Academia and Research at American Universities. Reddys are a very influential and affluent group among the immigrated South Indian communities of North America. Many Reddys who were educated between 1940 and 1950 migrated to USA and UK, but Reddy communities from places where reservations are 100% are leading hand to mouth as agricultural labor. The Reddy community is also a major comunity in Karnataka and Tamilnadu. Most of the Tamilnadu Reddys are the people migrated from the neighbouring Rayalseema and Andhra areas and the roots are very hard to trace. In Karnataka most Reddys work in agriculture.


Reddy kings and the Dynasty
Reddys ruled Andhra Pradesh area from 1353 to 1448. At the height of its days, their kingdom spanned over most of South India. The initial capital of the kingdom was Addanki and then Kondavidu and later shifted to Rajahmundry. Some of the major cities of the kingdom included Orugallu (present Warangal), Bezawada (now Vijayawada), Devagiri (present Davanagere in Karnataka state), Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu), Rayagada (Orrisa), Ratnagiri (Maharashtra). Reddys rose to power by starting a revolt against the Muslim rulers in Andhra Pradesh. The dynasty had its decline due to the wars with Recharla chiefs and Gajapathis of Orissa. Ratnagiri fort was built by reddys but was captured by muslims and the small community of reddy's fled to andhrapradesh border districts like Adilabad and Karim nagar and there was few cultural gaps between the local reddys and the migrated Ratnagiri reddys who are locally known as reddy gandla and saudars. The Reddys were known for their fortifications. Two major hill forts, one at Kondapally 20 km north west of Vijayawada and another at Kondavidu about 30 km west of Guntur bear testimony of the fort building skill of the Reddi kings. The other fort which the Reddis were partially involved in building was the Khammam fort.

Reddys also ruled many local dominions (samsthanams) until the british seized their power.

Reddys role in Politics

This entry was posted on December 27, 2006 3:03 PM and is filed under Reddy Community.

Historically, Reddys dominated the politics of the south India and are the most powerful caste in wealth and are highly educated. Interestingly, the sixth President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and some of the chief ministers of the State of Andhra Pradesh and many Notable Reddy personalities come from Middle class and very poor families . Dr. Bejawada Gopalareddy served as the chief minister of Andhra State from March, 1955 to October, 1956. Ten of the twenty[3] elected Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh including the present chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy are from the Reddy community. Sixth President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy who was in office from 1977 to 1982 is also from the Reddy community. Even though the population of Reddys is 11% in the state of Andhra Pradesh they occupy 40% of the state legislative assembly seats (MLA) and had played a vital role in the social and economic development of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Situation is changing from the last ten years because of the rise of reservations at every level and more and more people are opposing the reddy dominations. If the same trend continues it is very hard to have many reddy politicicians in the coming days. The community is very devided bacuse of the many sub castes and even religions. for example out of the Five chief ministers of Andhra pradesh four belonged to Christian religion and they are YSR, Janardhan Reddy and Kasu brahmananda reddy .Chenna reddy belonged to the kapu community and Anjaiah belonged to the Gone sub caste.Neelam Sanjiva reddy bolonged to pakanati.Motati and Gudati are yet become chief misisters though they are more popular compared to others as they always fight with the other.

Reddys have played a significant role in Andhra politics and a vital role in the social and economic development of the state. They were one of the first non-Brahmin communities to actively participate in the new democracy. The population of Reddys is 6% to 7% in Andhra Pradesh but at one time they occupied up to 40% of the state legislative assembly seats (MLA). Out of the five Reddy chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, one was of the Gudati sub-caste (Chenna Reddy), and one was of the Gone sub-caste (Anjaiah Reddy). Neelam Sanjiva Reddy belonged to Pakanati group. Sanjeeva Reddy wrote his caste as Kapu reddy. The term Reddy comes from "Redu" which is a village term (Vikruthi) of "Raju" means King in telugu.

Their percentage of seats occupied has been decreasing because of the many sub-castes and varying religious affiliations that divides the Reddy community and because more and more communities as getting involved because of reservations.

In AP Indira Gandhi succeeded in removing the dominant leader (Kasu Brahmaananda Reddy, of the Reddy caste) and replaced him with Narasimha Rao, a Brahmin compromise candidate with no independent electoral base (Srinivasulu 1999). Rao sought to strengthen his position by forming an alliance outside of the Reddy and Kamma groups (Reddy 1990; Vakil 1990). This strategy received the high command's support in the larger, national game of securing Indira Gandhi's dominance by sidelining the dominant castes trying to destabilize her (represented, for instance, by the Syndicate, of which the Reddy leader Sanjeeva Reddy was a part).

For instance, Bernstor (1973) wrote an article entitled “The Eclipse of Reddy Raj?”. Randa (1972) notes that 60% of Congress tickets in the 1972 state elections were given to women, backward classes, SCs, STs, youth, and labor, and a third of the sitting members of the Andhra Assembly were retired. In Rao's 26-member ministry, there were only 9 dominant castes (Brahmins, Reddys, and Kammas).

Srinivasulu (1999) writes: “In pursuit of his political survival in the political context dominated by the Reddy, Kamma castes , Rao sought to forge a social bloc consisting of backward castes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and minorities by giving them political berths in the Cabinet, greater representation to this bloc, and reducing the Reddy preponderance in the 1972 assembly election. Corresponding to this, measures like the AP Land Ceiling Act of 1972 and the launching of anti-poverty programs, more than their reactive implementation played a catalytic role in furthering the social polarization within the Congress. While on the one hand it led to the closing up of ranks among the landed gentry, it contributed in a significant way to the rise of awareness among the backward communities on the other.”

History behind the word REDDY

This entry was posted on December 25, 2006 5:37 PM and is filed under Reddy Community.

In the history of many races and castes got great regard for their remarkable services rendered services in education religion and literature and fine arts. One among such castes is 'Reddy'. No other word in India has got such a detailed and convincing history as the word 'Reddy'. Reddy’s are farmers, they are Kings, they are Journalists, they are Poets, they are Patriots who stood in front row in the freedom fight, and they are Writers, Politicians. If you question your self what they are not? Answer will be they are everything and they are in every field. Several patriots from REDDY community caring very less for their properties and participated in freedom fight and lost their lives for the Independence of India. Eminent historians like Dr.Beryl and Dr.Mallampally Somasekhara Sharma proved on the basis of inscriptional evidence that The present word ‘REDDY’ has traveled several thousands of years changing its name several times to reach the present day. It was RATTAGUDI in 7th Century and was RATTOTI in the years 894. It was RADDHODI And RATHOD, and RATTADI in 10th century. It has then changed its Communities name As RATTAJIKAMU in1100, RADRIKAMU in 1153, RADI in 1238, and RADDI, and then Finally Settled as “REDDY”

Reddy’s Population:

Till now 36 branches among Reddy Community are located and identified. As per 1991census almost 12%(96lakhs) of Andhra Pradesh state comprises of Reddy’s in Karnataka almost 6%(36 Lakhs), Tamilnadu 38 lakhs, Pondichery, Andaman and Nikobar it is 3,00,000. Remaining parts of India and world 10 lakhs. The Okkalinga community identifies itself with Reddy’s who are almost 60 lakhs in the state. In this way there are 22.5 million Reddy’s through out the world. It is estimated that there nearly 5,000 surnames in this community. But till now 1577 were located and collected.

Reddy Kingdoms:

Several historians researched to know the origin of the Reddy Community. Having read all the Literature one can come to a conclusion that the famous historian and researcher Mr.B.N.Shastry’s writing could give us clear picture about it. Mr. Shastry in his book Reddy Rajya Sarwaswam revealed several interesting facts about Reddy community. Having studied several books one could be able to know that the existence of Reddy community was traced back to 11th and 12th Centuries. After the fall of Kakatiyas Reddys who were army commanders established their own kingdoms and built several dams and lakes for farming and drinking purpose, which still serve the purpose. They loved literature and fine arts. Prolaya Vema Reddy- (1324-1347) made Yerrapragada his court official where as Pedakomati Vema Reddy (1402-1420) appointed Sreenatha as Poet Laureate Though some historians have reservations without any doubts Reddy’s were Rajputs. There is concrete evidence for these claim Rashtrakutas are Simhadwaja Lanchanulu. Pedakomati Vema Reddy also had the same Lanchanam.

There are authentic proofs that Reddy community has marital relationship with Kshatriya’s (Kings). Mahamuni Kavya Kantha Ganapathi Shastry who wrote the fore word for Mr.Shastry’s book Reddy Rajya Sarvaswam mentioned this very clearly. Bheema Raju son of Bhakthiswara Choda who belongs to Surya Vamsha Karikala Choda Vamsha married his daughter Vemabika to Allada Reddy who was residing in Raja Mahendra Varam (Now called as Rajahmundry). This was according to the research of the history said to be the 1st marriage between Reddy and Kshatriya Communities. There are proofs that Kind Dantuluri Ganna Bhoopal gave away his daughter Surambika to Ana Vema Reddy who ruled Addanki, Dharanikota, Kondaveedu in the marriage. The history also tells us that the very famous King among Chandra Vamsha Kings Harihara Deva Rayadu married his daughter Hariharamba to Kataya Vema Reddy. All these things prove that Reddy’s are kings.