Let me start the history from somewhere in the second half of 19th century in a hamlet surrounded by vast tracts of fertile fields.
AKELLA Satyanarayana Rao was adopted by a wealthy landlord by name KAMAYYA and inherited huge landed property with a two storeyed mansion in the remote part of Visakhapatnam district.(Ghantavanipalem or Perantalpalli on the side of a perennial rivulet).
As the sole successor to KAMAYYA and endowed with unrestricted independence, he spent life running after vicarious pleasures of body and soul. He made his name as arbiter and expert in singing prayers at the religious gatherings. With the knowledge of the little he acquired from books and as a result of his inherent intelligence he was both feared and respected by all in surrounding villages. His word was final in disputes and he lived the life of overlord in the area.
He was married to Janikirama daughter of Rudhrabhatla Lakshmi Narasimha Sastry of Pidiseela a small village not far from Vizianagram.
Janakirama a docile and a devoted mother was a contrast to her husband who established himself as a dominant husband and arrogant individual with fury and vulgarity as characteristics of his personality. The lady coming from an equally respectable and rich joint family reconciled to the new environment and played the role of a devoted housewife and caring mother to the six surving children.
I now can imagine the blissful life of the family in rural splendour with uncontaminated air and healthy food with cattle in the compound and doting parents and obedient servants. The head of the family never failed in his parental duties and married their daughters at the age appropriate in those days. When the sons finished available schooling in the native village, he moved to the nearby town where he purchased a house and admitted their children in high school. By now the wealth he inherited dwindled fast and he had no source of income with all the lands sold and paid in lieu of the expenses incurred in getting daughter married. After high school education he shifted lock stock and barrel to vizianagram and settled in his in-law's house on the outskirts of Vizianagaram where the children graduated from
M R College. The narrative remains imperfect without the story of the house in Vizianagaram.
Rudrabhatla Varaha Narasimham and Lakshminarasamma had three sons and two daughters and Akella SATYANARAYANARAO's wife Janakiram was one of the three daughters. Varahanarasimham ( hereafter referred to as RVN)
a native of Vaddadi originally married a girl from Nistala family of Pidiseela and sttled there. RVN's eldest son Subbarao married Nistala padmanabha sastry's daughter Suramma. RVN's daughter was married and became a widow at a young age died staying with her sister Janakirama. The son Lakshmanarao
died at a young age serving in far off Nizam state. The youngest Jogarao served in Andhra University and died at the age of 75.
At the time of Satyanarayanrao's children finshed high school at Anakapalle ,RVN's youngest was a school going kid and Subbarao's son was still a toddler. RVN bought a house in Vizianagram set up his family for education of children. He requested his worldly-wise brother-in-law and sister (Janakirama) to come and stay as a care taker of his
family. That's how the Akellas took roots in vzm. With his domineering personality, uncommon common sense and bullying tactics won him respect and even educted people shivered in front of him. In addition to all this he was greatly interested in arbitrating in land disputes and an authority on legal matters.
A sorry episode Tanikella.
Akella Satyanarayanarao's eldest child Subhadramma was married to Tanikella Sarveswara Somayajulu.
Lokshmisodemma mother of Sarveswara Somayajulu married her daughter to Kotikalapudi Jagannadharao who was a teacher .
Lakshmisodemma wanted money to send his son-in-law for law studies and
demanded money from her son and he did not oblige her . As the sole heir to the property and as he declined to act on her suggestion, the lady went to the extent of separating the wife&husband. The son a scholar of sanskrit and an intelligent gent didn't oblige his mother. He was fond of his 2/3 year old son and wife. He used to visit k l puram surreptitiously when Subhadramma lived with her parents.
Ultimately Satyanarayanarao saw to it that her daughter had possession of two houses in vzm opposite the fort.
When the son came of age the house in vzm was sold and a house in Visakhapatnam was purchased and Subhadramma with her son with parents shifted to Visakhapatnam. Thus Tanikella house became a hub of activity. for decade afterwards.
The eldest son was greatly attached to his mother either because of natural love or out of sympathy for the torture she suffered at the hands of her father. He naturally developed aversion to his father for his behaviour. His mother relied on him and infused in him a sense of responsibility as the eldest son to the family. By now, all three daughters were married and sons educated to get employed, the patriarch squandered his time in petty squabbles and devoting his time in organising religious get togethers where he would recite prayers and sing songs in praise of Ram.
His eldest daughter Subhadramma was married into a wealthy family who owned lands around vzm and houses in the town. Unfortunately the marriage was in doldrums after a son was born . Her mother-in-law a scheming lady tried for separation of wife and husband though the husband vehemently opposed the idea. It was rumoured that the mother even gave potions of medicine to separate her son from his wife. Eventually, Satyanarayanarao the shrewd manipulator he was intervened and settled the matter for which huge amount was spent in litigation. The end result was Subhadramma with her son returned to her parents and her husband left home in disgust.
Satyanarayanaraos two children graduated from MR college are employed. The eldest kameswararao was selected in Madras Public Service Commission and posted in co-op department. The second Jagannadharao selected in Central services in Postal department. The third Narsingarao secured job in Andhra University.
Kameswararao family wife&children with aged parents lived in KLPuram VZM while Jagannadharao moved from place to place on transfers. Kmeswararao had two sons and two daughters as he too moved to places far off on transfers. Jagannadharaos wife died in child birth and his son was brought back from his maternal grandfathers house to be brought up by the Akellas at VZM. Both Jagannadharaos son(babu) and kameswararaos so(mohan) studied for some time in VZM under the guardianship of satyanarayanarao in the absence of kameswararao and Jagannadharao. When jagannadharao transferred to Rajam as he had yet no children from his second wife all children were taken to Rajam and stayed till high school studies are completed. Kameswararao with wife and two children and old parents moved to vskp . Subhadramma and her son had by now been left to fend for themselves as her husband hadnt returned home after many years and wife hoping for reunion. Satyanarayanarao as the head of the family and with inputs and suggestiobs from wife and eldest son sold the ancestral house in vzm and purchased a house in vskp for subhadramma and son. Thus the Tanikellas were relocated in vskp.
Babu after high school joined uncle and grandparents at vskp for college. Soon he was followed by kameswararaos son Mohan to join college. Slowly Tanikella house in vskp started buzzing with activity. Subhadrammas husband returned for a short while to the excitement and unbounded happiness of all though short lived. Subhadramma delivered a child during this period and survived for few days only. Gloom followed soon after with the disappearance of husband and death of daughter. Subhadrmma's son wad employed in Andhra University, kameswararao stationed in vskp it was a cosy family at vskp. It attracted near and far relations visiting Tanikella House.
During the 2nd world war period kameswararao with his family lived in Visakhapatnam in a rented house near the sea. His younger sister Suryakantamma with her husband Vadapalle Ramarao employed in Railways too stayed in Visakhapatnam in rly colony.
His youngest brother Narsingarao with his wife lived in his in-law's house.
Suryakantam was a forward looking lady with indomitable courage and commonsense. She was a source of courage to her elder brother who sought her advice in familial matters. She had special love for her father and frequently visited the ailing father and offered moral support to her brother in times of crisis. Her husband Ramarao too had immense respect for his brothers-in-law and reposed faith in them. Though he had his brothers one in Visakhapatnam and the other in Madras his relations remained formal till the end. He with his wife became inseparable from the Akella family. She conceived at the age of 40 after unsuccessful surgeries. Unfortunately, Ramarao died of pneumonia when the child was hardly 2 years old. Kameswararao took both mother and son under his care after the death of Ramarao. When the child was 5 years old Suryakantham too died leaving an orphan to be brought up by her brother kameswararao. The boy prasad was brought up and educated by kameswararao is now retired from HPCL he joined after his M.Sc .
Kameswararao's younger brother Jagannadharao had two sons and three daughters
Voice note
Narrator --- A S Ratnam.
