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{{short description|Indian student leader}}
{{About||the eponymous film|George Reddy (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = George Reddy
| image = George Reddy.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Reddy in 1971
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date |1947|1|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Palghat]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age |1972|4|14|1947|1|15|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Osmania University]], [[Hyderabad, India]]
| death_cause = [[Stab wound]]
| nationality =
| known_for = Founding [[Progressive Democratic Students Union]]
| father = Challa Raghunadh Reddy
| mother = Leela Varghese
| alma_mater = [[Osmania University]]
| education = [[MSc]] in Physics
| occupation =
| relatives = Cyril Reddy (brother)<br/>[[Gita Ramaswamy]] (sister-in-law)
}}
'''George Reddy''' (15 January 1947 – 14 April 1972) was an Indian student leader and social activist. He was a [[PhD student|research student]] (PhD) in [[nuclear physics]] at [[Osmania University]], [[Hyderabad]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/galleries/nation/2019/nov/19/the-cult-of-george-reddy-meet-the-forgotten-leader-102645--3.html|title=The cult of George Reddy: Meet the forgotten leader.|website=The Indian Express|date=19 November 2019|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="mission">{{cite news |url=http://missiontelangana.com/keeping-the-dream-alive-in-memory-of-george-reddy/ |title=Keeping the Dream Alive: In Memory of George Reddy |first=Pradeep |last=Burgula |work=Mission Telangana |date=14 April 2012 |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref> His untimely death led to the formation of the [[Progressive Democratic Students Union]] (PDSU), a student body on the campus of the university that took its name from the "PDS" imprint he had used to publish pamphlets.<ref name="mission" /><ref name="hindu">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/george-reddy-remembered/article3316722.ece |title=George Reddy Remembered |work=The Hindu |date=15 April 2012 |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref>

== Biography ==
He was born in [[Palghat]] (now [[Palakkad]]) on 15 January 1947, just before India's independence, in the then [[Madras Presidency]]. His father Challa Raghunadh Reddy was a [[Telugu people|Telugu]] from [[Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh|Chittoor]], while his mother Leela Varghese was a [[Malyali]] from [[Travancore State|Travancore]]. They met while studying at the [[Presidency College, Madras]].<ref>{{cite news|title=George Reddy: A tribute to an exploding star|url=https://newsmeter.in/george-reddy-a-tribute-to-an-exploding-star/|date=10 October 2019|website=Newsmeter}}</ref> The family later moved to [[Andhra Pradesh]] from where George did his early schooling; at [[St. Gabriel's High School]], Warangal and [[St. Paul's High School, Hyderabad]]. He ultimately got his [[Higher Secondary Examination|intermediate degree]] from the [[Nizam College]] in Hyderabad.

He was known for his helping nature, and was also a kick boxer.<ref name="ie">{{cite news |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article380447.ece?service=print |title=PDSU founder George Reddy was AP's Che Guevara |work=The New Indian Express |date=15 April 2012 |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref>

His enthusiasm for nuclear physics earned him a university gold medal while during his postgraduate studies at [[Osmania University]].

His brother Cyril Reddy (died 2016), was also an activist in Hyderabad. A lawyer, Cyril was a part of the legal team led by [[Bojja Tharakam]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Activist Cyril Reddy passes away at his residence in Hyderabad|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/161216/activist-cyril-reddy-passes-away-at-his-residence-in-hyderabad.html|date=16 December 2016|newspaper=[[Deccan Chronicle]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Guevara of Osmania University: George Reddy|date=12 October 2019|url=https://www.thehansindia.com/featured/sunday-hans/che-guevara-of-osmania-university-george-reddy-571945|newspaper=[[The Hans India]]}}</ref> Cyril's wife, [[Gita Ramaswamy]], is a social activist and writer.<ref>{{cite news|title=Positively GRITTY|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/positively-gritty/article3917766.ece|date=20 September 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

=== Student politics ===
Reddy is now primarily known for his promotion of [[Marxist]] ideas<ref name="hindu" /> and his opposition to social discrimination and economic inequality. According to a student friend, he was inspired by "the emerging [[Black Panther Party|Black Panthers]], started in 1966 in the US, the Vietnamese people's struggle against US imperialism and the peasant [[Naxalite|uprisings]] in [[Naxalbari]] and [[Srikakulam]]."<ref name="ie" />

Reddy was stabbed to death in an attack at his college campus on 14 April 1972.<ref>{{cite web |title=‘George was fearless and continues to be an inspiration' |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/george-was-fearless-and-continues-to-be-an-inspiration/article3314122.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=24 January 2020 |language=en-IN |date=14 April 2012}}</ref>

Reddy's [[student activism|student activist]] movement was a part of a string of [[student protests]] against the [[Second Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira Gandhi government]] during the 1970s in India. After his death other student protests cropped up across the country such as the [[Navnirman Andolan]] ([[Gujarat]]) and the [[Bihar Movement]]. The latter of which lead to [[The Emergency (India)|The Emergency]] and eventually to the ouster of the Indira Gandhi government [[Indian general election, 1977|in 1977]].<ref>{{cite web|title=George Reddy to JP: How Student Protests in the 70s Shook Up India|url=https://www.thequint.com/explainers/caa-protests-jp-movement-how-students-changed-protests-in-the-70s-jayaprakash-narayanan|date=|first=Vikram|last=Venkateswaran|website=[[The Quint]]}}</ref>

==Legacy==
* ''Crisis on the Campus'' (1971) is a short documentary film directed by Fali Bilimoria.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b706623a1|title=CRISIS ON THE CAMPUS (1971)|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/george-was-fearless-and-continues-to-be-an-inspiration/article3314122.ece|title='George was fearless and continues to be an inspiration'.|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 April 2012|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref> In 2012, at an event marking his fortieth death anniversary, the film was premiered and a book titled ''Reminiscences of George Reddy'' was released.<ref name="ie" /><ref name="R">{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/ode-to-a-rebel-star/article8259895.ece|title=Ode to a rebel star.|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=20 February 2016|access-date=23 November 2019|last1=Venkateshwarlu|first1=K.}}</ref>
* ''Alajadi'' is a 1990 film by [[Tammareddy Bharadwaja|Bharadwaja Thammareddy]]. The lead character named Ravi, based on Reddy, is played by [[Bhanu Chander]].<ref name="celluloid">{{cite web|url=https://telanganatoday.com/george-reddys-life-on-celluloid|title=George Reddy's life on celluloid.|website=[[Telangana Today]]|date=13 April 2019|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref>
* [[Mani Ratnam]]'s movie, ''[[Aaytha Ezhuthu]]''/''[[Yuva]]'' was loosely based on his story and [[Suriya]]/[[Ajay Devgan]] played his character in the respective Tamil and Hindi film versions.<ref name="celluloid"/>
* ''Jeena Hai To Marna Seekho: The Life and Times of George Reddy'' by [[Gita Ramaswamy]] (Reddy's sister in law), a 152-page book named was published in 2016 by the Hyderabad Book Trust.<ref name="R"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29779617-jeena-hai-to-marna-seekho|title=Jeena Hai To Marna Seekho: The Life and Times of George Reddy|publisher=[[Goodreads]]|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref>
* ''[[George Reddy (film)|George Reddy]]'' is a 2019 biopic by [[B. Jeevan Reddy]]. [[Sandeep Madhav]] portrays George in the film.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/sandeep-madhav-satyadev-knit-the-story-of-forgotten-leader-in-george-reddy-watch-trailer-2339491.html|title=Sandeep Madhav, Satyadev Knit the Story of 'Forgotten Leader' in George Reddy|publisher=News18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/hyderabad/george-reddy-biopic-is-a-tribute-to-aps-che-guevara/articleshow/70522480.cms|title='George Reddy biopic is a tribute to AP's Che Guevara'|website=Times of India|date=5 August 2019|access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/george-reddys-life-on-screen/article30040168.ece|title=Student leader George Reddy's life on screen|website=The Hindu|date=21 November 2019|access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|title=Reminiscences of George Reddy|last=Kumar|first=Asvini|year=2012|publisher=}}
* {{cite book|title=Jeena Hai To Marna Seekho: The Life and Times of George Reddy|last=Ramaswamy|first=Gita|author-link=Gita Ramaswamy|year=2016|publisher=Hyderabad Book Trust}}

==References==
{{Commons}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, George}}
[[Category:1940s births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:Indian communists]]
[[Category:Osmania University alumni]]
[[Category:Student politics in India]]

George Reddy - Revision history

UpdateBot at 10:37, 8 May 2022