In my 13 years of life, I haven’t had a lot of encounters with pedda thathagaru. But with the few times I have met him and all the stories about his great deeds that I have heard, I know enough to know what an admirable being he is.
Pedda thathagaru’s brother and my thathagaru, TSR Venkateswarlu, talked about him with endless affection. His day wouldn’t be complete without mentioning his brother at least once. His job at IIP, the various awards he won, how well-known he was, the temples he built, how he helped anyone in need. The list is endless. By this time, I already knew as much about him as I would if I met him everyday!
The fact that his greatness radiated through just the mention of his deeds says so much.
Even when I was little, I felt this excitement and joy that I was so closely related to someone as great and as famous as him. I was too little to understand his true greatness, but I was still so proud to know that I was related to someone like him. Even now, I feel like the perseverance and positivity he had in this cruel world is just something I can imagine having, something I can never truly achieve, something no one but a person as great as him can achieve.
I feel so sorry that the life of a man like him had to end already. But I am very happy that he got to spend time with his loved ones just before he had to go. I am sure that wherever he is, he is spreading the same happiness and positivity he led his entire life with.
– Akshu Turaga