From Telugupedia

Gogineni Ranganayukulu, better known as N. G. Ranga (7 November 1900–9 June 1995), was an Indian freedom fighter, parliamentarian, and kisan (farmer) leader. He was an expounder of the peasant philosophy, and considered the father of the Indian Peasant Movement.

Ranga was born in Nidubrolu village in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. He went to school in his native village, and graduated from the Andhra-Christian College, Guntur. He received a B.Litt. in Economics from the University of Oxford in 1926. On his return to India, he took up teaching as Professor of Economics at Pachaiyappa's College, Madras (Chennai).

[edit] Politics

Ranga joined the freedom movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi's clarion call in 1930. He led the rythu-coolie agitation in 1933. Three years later, he launched the Kisan Congress party. He held historic discussions with Gandhiji on the demand for a rythu-coolie state. He wrote a book, Bapu Blesses, on the highlights of the discussions.

Ranga was one of the founders of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. He represented India at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (Copenhagen) in 1946, the International Labour Organisation (San Francisco) in 1948, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (Ottawa) in 1952, the International Peasant Union (New York) in 1954 and the Asian Congress for World Government (Tokyo) in 1955.

He quit the Congress Party and founded the Bharat Krishikar Lok Party and the Swatantra Party, along with Rajaji who was a trenchant critic of the cooperative farming idea. Ranga became the founder-president of the Swatantra Party and held that post for a decade. In the general elections held in 1962, the party won in 25 seats and emerged as a strong Opposition. He rejoined the Congress (I) in 1972.

Ranga served his country for six decades from 1930 to 1991. Honours

In his honour and memory Agricultural University of Andhra Pradesh is named after him as Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University.

His name was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records as a Parliamentarian with fifty years of service.

The N.G. Ranga Farmer Award for Diversified Agriculture was instituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 2001.

A commemorative postage stamp was released by Government of India in 2001.

He was awarded Padma Vibhushan award in 1991.