Kodi Rammurthy Naidu

2021-09-25T07:03:47Z

27.59.130.76:

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{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019|Nationality=Indian}}
'''Kodi Ramamurthy Naidu '''(1882–1942<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/08/12/stories/2002081200920200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030505011703/http://thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/08/12/stories/2002081200920200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2003-05-05|website=[[The Hindu]]|date=2002-08-12|title=Indian Hercules}}</ref>), also known as '''Prof. Rammurty''' and '''Ram Murti Naidu''', was an [[India]]n [[bodybuilder]] who earned enormous respect for India in the field of [[wrestling]]. Originally hailing from town [[Veeraghattam]] in [[Srikakulam district|Srikakulam]] District. Naidu dominated wrestling tournaments throughout Punjab as well as internationally.{{cn|date=May 2019}} Prof. Rammurty worked as Physical Education Teacher in the Branch College of [[Vizianagaram]]. He got profound knowledge in ''Vayu Stambhana'' (en. air resistance) and ''Jala Stambhana'' (en.water resistance).<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://vizianagaram.ap.nic.in/EminentPersons.html|title=Vizianagaram District - Official WebSite|publisher=|access-date=1 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006041146/http://vizianagaram.ap.nic.in/EminentPersons.html|archive-date=6 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was awarded with the title of ''Kaliyuga Bhima'' by the King [[George V of the United Kingdom]]. He established a circus and earned a lot of money but donated it to the charitable trusts contributed a lot in the [[Indian independence movement]].<ref name=autogenerated2 />

==Early life==
[[File:Kodi Ramamurthy2.JPG|thumb|left|150px|[[Statue]] of Kodi Ramamurthy Naidu in [[Srikakulam]]]]
Rammurty Naidu was born to Venkanna<ref name=autogenerated2 /> in the month of April 1882 at the village of [[Veeraghattam]] in the [[Srikakulam district]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]] in India. His mother died when he was a little child. Since the boy had become motherless, his father treated him with more care and affection in his childhood. As he grew up he started quarrelling with his age group youngesters the father Venkanna sent him to Vizianagaram for his studies where he lived with his uncle who was serving there as an [[Inspector of Police]].

==Joining the fitness centre==
Rammurthy joined a fitness centre in Vizianagaram and learnt kusthi, a type of wrestling. His uncle Kodi Narayana Swamy,<ref name=autogenerated2 /> sent him to another fitness centre in [[Madras]]. He returned to Vizianagaram after one-year training and joined as a physical training instructor at a college of the state.
He was a strict vegetarian and the Andhra Pradesh government devoted a chapter in the Telugu text books about the prominence of gaining strength purely based on plant based protein.

===First body show===
[[File:Kodi Ramamurthy3.JPG|thumb|right|150px|[[Information]] plate of the [[Statue]] in Srikakulam]]
In 1911 he went to [[Madras]] and showed his skills of breaking steel chains, stopping motor cars and allowing elephant to pass over his chest before the public and government authorities. He was awarded there the title of ''Indian Sandow''<ref name=autogenerated1 /> for his excellence.

==Established a circus company==
He established a [[Circus (company)|circus company]] at Vizianagaram with the help of his friend, Potti Panthulu. His uncommon feats attracted people from all over the country. He used to break an iron chain tied to his body by taking a deep breath and flexing his muscles. Iron chains would be tied to his shoulders and the other ends were tied to two cars and used to stop them. He took an elephant on his chest and held it for five minutes.

===Impressed the lord===
Then the [[Viceroy]] of [[British India]], [[Lord Minto]], experienced Ramamurthy's strength, when he tried to drive his car with Rammurthy holding it back with iron chains. His fame spread across the length and breadth of the country after this incident.

==Demonstrating his physical strength==
He demonstrated his skills at the [[Indian National Congress]] meeting in Allahabad. [[Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya]]<ref name=autogenerated2 /> encouraged him to perform his feats abroad and sent his team to [[London]].

===Honored by the crown===
[[George V of the United Kingdom|King George]] and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] were impressed with his feats and gave him the title ''Indian Hercules'' after watching his display of physical strength at [[Buckingham Palace]].

===Kaliyuga Bhima===
He was the first Indian to be so honoured by the royal couple. When he put before them the historical facts of [[Bhima]] of Mahabharata and compared it with those of Greek [[Hercules]] and Prussian [[Eugen Sandow|Sandow]], the King awarded him another more prestigious title of ''Kaliyuga Bhima'' to him.

==Performances abroad==
This great bodybuilder performed impressive feats like stopping two cars(driving on two different directions) of 25 [[horse power]] at high acceleration{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}}, breaking iron chains (of half inches) and holding an [[elephant]] leg on his chest, as well as juggling elephant babies {{Citation needed|date=December 2013}} with weights attached to them. He also performed in [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Japan]] and [[Spain]].

===Bullfighting in Spain===
When he was in Spain the Spanish people invited him to fight the bull at ring.he entered the bullfighting ring, caught hold on a bull by its horns and threw it to the ground.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> Although he had no experience of fighting such bulls yet he dared to do and performed it successfully.

==Contribution to charity and freedom movement==
Ramamurthy was attracted towards the freedom movement through B. Chandrayya Naidu,<ref name=autogenerated2 /> who used to organise tribal youths against the British rulers. He earned crores of rupees through his circus company but spent a large amount of his wealth on charity and for the Freedom movement of India.

==Legacy==
A statue of him is erected on the Beach Road of [[Visakhapatnam]].<ref name=autogenerated2/> Another statue is also situated in his home town [[Veeraghattam]] and also in his home district of Srikakulam. [http://wikimapia.org/194453/Kodi-Ramamurthy-Stadium Kodi Rammurthy Stadium] has been named after him.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20031019105954/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/08/12/stories/2002081200920200.htm The Hindu]
*Dr. Shridevi S. ''Kody Rammoorthy : Luminaries of Andhra Pradesh'' 1976 Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Academi [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]].

{{commons category|Kodi Rammurthy Naidu}}
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{{Physical culture}}

[[Category:Indian wrestlers]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:1882 births|Naidu, Kodi Ramamurthy]]
[[Category:1942 deaths|Naidu, Kodi Ramamurthy]]
[[Category:Indian bodybuilders]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:People associated with physical culture]]
[[Category:People from Srikakulam district]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian sportspeople]]
[[Category:People from Uttarandhra]]

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Kodi Rammurthy Naidu