Inspiring Journey of Ramoji Rao: From Pedaparupudi to Film City

Media baron Ramoji Rao was born on November 16, 1936 in Pedaparupudi village of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh in an agricultural family. His father Venkata Subba Rao was a farmer, and his mother Venkata Subbamma was a homemaker. He completed his schooling, intermediate and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Pedaparupudi and Gudivada town. Ramoji Rao married Ramadevi, the second daughter of Tatineni Venkata Subbaiah and Vani Devi of Penamaluru on August 19, 1961.

Ramoji Rao's grandfather's name was Ramaiah, who was a farmer. Ramaiah passed away a few days before Ramoji's birth, and Ramoji was named after his grandfather. However, the name Ramaiah was considered old-fashioned, so he changed his name to Ramoji.

Although his family had an agriculture background, Ramoji Rao decided to venture into the business sector. After completing his B.Sc., he developed an interest in the advertising industry and joined an advertising agency in Delhi. After working there for three years, he moved to Hyderabad. In October 1962, he started a chit fund company called Margadarshi Chit Funds in Hyderabad and three years later he established an advertising agency under the name of Kiran Ads.

Ramoji Rao diversified his business interests into various sectors. Between 1967 and 1969, he ventured into the fertiliser business under the branding Vasundhara Fertilisers. During this time, he also launched an agricultural magazine called Annadata to cater to the agricultural informational needs of farmers. 

In 1970, Ramoji Rao started an outdoor advertising agency called Images Outdoor Ad Agency and opened the Dolphin Hotel in Visakhapatnam. He had a keen interest in the press, so he started the Eenadu magazine in Visakhapatnam. The extensive coverage of local news, coordination with newspaper agents in villages to ensure quick distribution made the magazine quickly become popular among the readers.

Ramoji Rao was a visionary in the field of journalism. He initially launched ETV as an entertainment channel, but later expanded into the news domain by establishing ETV2, a dedicated Telugu news channel. When Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, he set up separate news channels for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states to cater to the respective regions.

Apart from his media ventures, Ramoji's foray into the pickles business under the brand name 'Priya' also proved to be a success story. In recognition of his remarkable contributions across various sectors, the Government of India bestowed upon him the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award in 2016.

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the president of the YSR Congress Party, condoled the death of Ramoji Rao. In a heartfelt message shared on X (formerly Twitter), Jagan Mohan Reddy acknowledged Ramoji Rao's immense contributions to the Telugu press over several decades. The YSRCP leader extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members of Ramoji Rao.

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