Pasala Krishna Bharathi (92), a Gandhian and freedom fighter from a family of revolutionaries, today passed away at her residence in Snehapuri Colony, Hyderabad.
She is survived by four brothers and three sisters.
Bharathi was the second daughter of prominent freedom fighters Pasala Krishnamurthy and Anjalakshmi from West Godavari district. A staunch Gandhian throughout her life, she upheld and lived by the values preached by Mahatma Gandhi.
In June 1932, her parents were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for hoisting the Indian flag over the Bhimavaram Sub-Collector's office, defying strict British restrictions. This act of defiance became known as the South Bardoli Rebellion.
At the time of her imprisonment, Anjalakshmi was six months pregnant, but the British government showed no leniency. She gave birth to Krishna Bharathi in prison, where the first 10 months of Bharathi's life were spent.
The Krishnamurthy couple sacrificed their entire property in Padamara Viparru village for the freedom struggle. Krishnamurthy also served as Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary during the latter's visit to West Godavari district.
Dedicated to social service, the couple actively participated in the land donation movement led by Vinoba Bhave, granting house titles to dalits in their hometown. They also served leprosy patients and the underprivileged, living by Gandhian principles until the end.
Bharathi generously funded several educational institutions and worked to promote education among dalits. She also contributed to cow shelters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had felicitated Bharathi at the unveiling ceremony of the Alluri Sitarama Raju statue in Bhimavaram in July 2022.