Image and Narrative contributed by Sanjay, UK
This photograph of my Great great grandfather Mukuntha Madhav Reddy Yekollu (sitting far left, on chair) was taken in my ancestral home in Yelagiri near Jolarpet. He later went on to become a honorary civil magistrate/judge with a capacity to impose fines upto Rs.10 ( a princely sum then). He committed suicide in 1907 for reasons no one knew, but we conjecture- it was depression. All I know of the two European gentleman in the picture is that one was a Railway supervisor of Jolarpet which was an important railway junction. The other was a Police Inspector of Italian origin.
My Great Great Grandfather was educated up to form three. He had two wives, four sons, six to seven daughters and an elder brother who died on the eve of his marriage.
3 Responses
Am doing my Master’s in Germany…My ancestral home was in Reddiyur, my family sold it recently :(
Could have been for some event during the annual village festival honoring the village deity
Hi Sanjay are your ancestor from Yellagiri.
A very good antique photo.The rope in the foreground appears to be that used for tug-of-war and the vests /shorts worn by some of the persons including the ‘great great grandfather’ go to show that the photograph was taken with the “distinguished” European guests on the occassion of some sports/ athletic event. I fail to understand the reluctance of the writer’s uncles / aunts to welcome the writer as one of them- is it because they are “unhappy” that they are “stuck” in INDIA while he is happily settled abroad? The writer coluld have mentioned where he is now, as he says he “visited his ancestral home in INDIA”.