Noted spiritual speaker and scholar Garikapati Narasimha Rao came under fire for his latest suggestion that Andhra Pradesh should be renamed “Telugu Nadu,” on the lines Tamil Nadu, as the word Andhra Pradesh sounds like a north Indian state like Uttar Pradesh.
Bhuvaneshwari Peethadhipathi Kamalananda Bharati has strongly reacted to comments made by Garikapati. He questioned the rationale behind what he termed “strange ideas and unusual thought processes.”
He pointed out that in traditional Sankalpa recitations, regions such as Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Saurashtra, Kerala, Dravida, and Andhra are mentioned, establishing the antiquity of the term “Andhra.”
He stated that from the Ramayana era, a community known as “Andhra” has existed.
He further cited literary works such as Andhra Mahabharatam and Andhra Bhagavatam as evidence of the term’s historical usage.
Referring to former chief minister N T Rama Rao, he noted that the Telugu Desam Party was founded on the slogan of “self-respect of Andhras.”
“States may have been divided administratively, but emotionally we remain united,” he remarked.
Quoting classical scholar Nannaya, Kamalananda Bharati said “Samskruta-Andhra” is grammatically valid, whereas “Samskruta Telugu” would be linguistically incorrect.
He added that Satavahanas and other dynasties were historically referred to as Andhras. He criticized attempts to discourage usage of the term “Andhra,” calling them divisive.
The Peethadhipathi further remarked that Garikapati, who he said is settled in Telangana, does not hold moral authority to advise the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh on how they should identify themselves.
“Is AP not Telugu? Is ‘Nadu’ or ‘Pradesh’ not derived from Sanskrit?” he questioned, alleging that similar intellectual interventions in the past prevented Andhra from retaining Madras and eventually led to the naming of Rayalaseema for four districts.