Military Madhavaram: Soldiers All Through Generations

Kakinada: A progressive village in Tadepalligudem in West Godavari district is known popularly as Military Madhavaram. It enjoys a unique reputation and a proud legacy of providing men to the armed forces through the generations.

So far, as many as 6,000 men from the village joined the armed forces and served the country. As many as 90 men from the village participated in the First World War, and 110 men in the Second World War. During British rule, a Martyrs Movement came into being in the village.

Patriotism runs through the veins of the villagers--men, women and children; the young and the old. According to the Martyrs Movement, some 90 men went to the War 1914-1919, among which one gave up his life while in action.’’

As per historical records, King Madhava Varma ruled the region from the King’s Fort at Arugolanu village in Tadepalligudem. The village came to be known later as Madhavaram. The King gave armed training to the men there to protect his fort. They participated in various local conflicts on behalf of King Madhava Varma. Eventually, many of them were encouraged to join the nation’s armed forces.

When Rajiv Gandhi, as Prime Minister, formed the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), several men from this village got in and were shipped to Sri Lanka. There, in an attack, Chikkam Hari Hara Kondala Rao of Madhavaram village lost his life in an explosion.

His body lay scattered in blood. IPKF only sent back his uniform to the family. However, even such shocks did not deter these families from sending their youths to services in the armed forces.

“From childhood, the people of Madhavaram village look forward to joining the military and start exercises for physical fitness. This is done in a spirit of patriotic fervour in our village,’’ said 75-year-old Prathi Krishna, who participated in the 1971 India-Pakistan War.

Krishna reminisced that at that time, no soldier was afraid of war. “We were all determined to defeat the enemy. We were in a soldier's mind to ‘do or die’ for the sake of the country.”

“I participated in the Pakistan and Bangladesh wars, and when I returned to the village, the people here gave me a grand welcome,” he said.

Prathi Krishna, his brother, son, his uncles and some of his relatives served in the military. “In those days, we used the .303, SLR, LMG and other guns in war, and we loaded the bullets with our hands. Now, sophisticated arms are provided to the armed forces,” he noted.

Guda Sundara Rao served in the military from 1973 to 2003, working as Subedar Major, Honorary Lieutenant in Armoury etc, and did supply of weapons and bullets to the soldiers. “When the young men here hear such stories from us, they would be inspired to join the armed forces. This is also a means of livelihood for us,” he said.

Sundara Rao, along with his three brothers served in the armed forces. His son G Anand also served in the army and retired as Naick.

The Military Madhavaram ex-servicemen association was formed in the village in 2015. Sundara Rao is acting as its honorary president.

Its secretary is Gopisetty Bharathudu. He worked as Havaldar. His brothers too had joined the armed forces. He had a dig at Pakistan. “Pakistan always hatched conspiracies against our country. The Kargil War was one example. Pakistan violated the Shimla Agreement in those days.

During the winter season, soldiers of both countries have to leave the borders. “Pakistan’s soldiers would often infiltrate Indian territory. We were always ready to give them a fitting reply,’’ he said.

G Venkateswara Rao worked in the engineering division, laying bombs to a depth of 1 to 2 feet in the soil across the Line of Control. He said, “Due to the repeal of Article 370, army men get the freedom to act now. They can make their own decisions and give a fitting reply to the enemy.”

Veerla Narasimha Rao, another inhabitant, worked as a supplier of cooking material to soldiers. His relatives are now in the military. All the retired soldiers get pension and are feeling content and comfortable in their own ways. Military Madhavaram enjoys a pride of its own.