Nyapathi Subba Rao Pantulu (January 14, 1856–1940) was an Indian politician and social activist who served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council

Madras Legislative Council

Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...

. between 1893 and 1909. He was also one of the founders of The Hindu

The Hindu

The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...

.

Early life

Pantulu was born in Nellore

Nellore

Nellore , is a city and headquarters of Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore District, formerly Nellore district.And in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Ancient name of Nellore was "Vikrama Simhapuri"....

 on January 14, 1856 but later moved to Rajahmundry

Rajahmundry

Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...

. While studying in Madras, he founded The Hindu also with G. Subramania Iyer

G. Subramania Iyer

Ganapathy Dikshitar Subramania Iyer was a leading Indian journalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who founded 'The Hindu' newspaper on September 20, 1878...

 and M. Veeraraghavachariar

M. Veeraraghavachariar

Mudumbai Veeraraghavachariar was an Indian journalist, freedom-fighter and teacher from the erstwhile Madras Presidency. He was one of the founders of The Hindu newspaper and served as its Managing Director from 1878 to 1905.- Early life :...

. Pantulu was involved in politics from his early life and served the President of the Rajahmundry municipality.

Indian Independence Movement

Pantulu was a member of the Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 from 1914 to 1917. When the Andhra Mahasabha

Andhra Mahasabha

Andhra Mahasabha was a people's organisation in the erstwhile Hyderabad state of India. Started as a subsidiary of the Indian National Congress, it had later moved away from it permanently to join hands with the Communist Party of India.- History :...

 held its first meeting at Vijayawada

Vijayawada

Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District, about from the state capital Hyderabad.Vijayawada literally...

 on April 11, 1914, Pantulu presided over the meeting in which he demanded a separate Andhra state for Telugu-speaking people of Madras Presidency

Madras Presidency

The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...

. This resulted in the formation of the Andhra Congress Council on January 1, 1918 with Pantulu as its first President.

Death

Pantulu died in late 1940 at the age of 84. In a tribute which appeared in The Hindu in January 1941, Pantulu was hailed as "a man of magnificent vitality" and "a promoter of 'liberal Hinduism'".