Communist leader Kondapalli Koteswaramma passes away

Kondapalli Koteswaramma (96), the revolutionary communist leader, writer and feminist, has passed away in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on September 19, 2018. Born in a prosperous family in Pamarru area of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, she grew up in a political environment. She had joined the Congress party when she was around 10 years old by placing her jewellery at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Vijayawada, but was soon disenchanted with the party’s stand against freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. She was a widow of Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, the founder-member of People’s War Group (PWG). Koteswaramma had gone underground from 1946 for 5 years during the Telangana Armed struggle supported by communists against the Nizam rule. An enthusiastic reader from childhood, she had developed the love for the language and words. She had written four books, including her autobiography ‘Nirjana Varadhi’ at the age of 93 in 2012.