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President Murmu releases coin to commemorate N T Rama Rao’s birth centenary
The event was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, which was attended by all the family members of NTR
President of India Droupadi Murmu on Monday released a special coin of ₹100 denomination to commemorate the birth centenary of the legendary Telugu actor and former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh late N T Rama Rao.
The brief but colourful event was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, which was attended by all the family members of NTR, as the former chief minister was called, including his daughter and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Andhra unit president Daggubati Purandeshwari and son-in-law and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu.
BJP national president J P Nadda and several TDP and BJP leaders also attended the event.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said NTR had enriched Indian cinema and culture through Telugu films. “He breathed life into the prominent characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata through his acting. The characters of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna played by him became so alive that people started worshiping NTR,” she said.
Murmu said NTR had also expressed the pain of the common people through his acting and had even spread the message of social justice and equality through one of his films “Manushulanta Okkate” (all human beings are equal).
The President said NTR’s popularity was equally wide as a public servant and leader. He created a unique chapter in Indian politics through his extraordinary personality and hard work. “He initiated many public welfare programmes, which are remembered till today,” she said, adding that his unique personality would always be imprinted in the hearts of the people, especially the Telugu speaking people.
The NTR commemorative coin was printed at the India Government Mint (IGM) in Hyderabad, on the directions of the Union Ministry of Finance. IGM chief general manager V N R Naidu, in a statement, said the special coin is not meant for normal transaction in the market, but has been released for preservation as a tribute to NTR.
He said each coin, costing ₹3,500, would be available for sale at two counters – Saifabad Mint Compound and IG Mint, Cherlapalli. It can also be bought online at www.indiagovtmint.in.
Meanwhile, NTR’s spouse and YSR Congress party (YSRCP) leader Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvathi, on Monday strongly protested for not being invited to the commemorative coin release programme in New Delhi honouring NTR.
Speaking to reporters at Vijayawada, Lakshmi Parvathi alleged that she was intentionally overlooked by NTR’s family members, particularly daughter Purandeshwari and son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu, who she said had conspired against her for political gains.
“All these days, I have been keeping silent when NTR’s family members were ill-treating me. I will no longer keep quiet and fight for my rights,” she said.
Parvati claimed that NTR had publicly stated his marital status, but the TDP was promoting a different narrative. She vowed to expose the political conspiracy against her to the public, asserting that they would not remain in politics after the upcoming elections.
Earlier, in a letter written to the President of India on Friday, Lakshmi Parvati said she should be given an opportunity to attend the event in the capacity of NTR’s legally married wife.
She said she had married NTR on September 11, 1993 and together they had led a peaceful family life. “However, due to a conspiracy orchestrated by his family members, power was acquired through backdoor methods. This unfortunate turn of events led to NTR’s deep depression, as he expressed his dissatisfaction with his children’s families. Tragically, he passed away on January 18, 1996,” she pointed out.
Ironically, the family members who were responsible for his demise are now invited to the prestigious function of releasing the ₹100 coin in his memory, she regretted.
