Off the battleground, veterans of Military Madhavaram lead the fight to restore their village’s legacy

After years of serving on the frontlines, the retired soldiers of a small village in West Godavari district find themselves in the thick of a new battle: reviving neglected facilities in their village. From rebuilding a collapsed culvert to restoring a historic library, the ex-servicemen are determined to preserve their legacy and empower their next generation to continue their rich tradition of military service

Soldiers who have returned to their homeland after years of guarding the nation’s frontiers are now fighting a unique battle to restore vital infrastructure in Madhavaram, a village in erstwhile West Godavari district. Known as ‘Military Madhavaram’, the village was incorporated into East Godavari district during the 2020 reorganization of Andhra Pradesh’s districts.

A memorial built by the village’s soldiers near the local pond reads: “As many as 90 soldiers from Madhavaram village fought in the First World War (1914-18). One of them was martyred. Between 1939 and 1945, a total of 1,110 men from this village fought in the Second World War, and eleven laid down their lives.”

The village takes its name from Madhava Brahma Varma, a 17th-century ruler of the Gajapati dynasty of Odisha, who established a garrison at Arugolanu to defend his kingdom. Arugolanu, where the remnants of the fort existed till a decade ago, is six km away from Madhavaram.

“As of 2024, at least 200 personnel from our village are still serving in the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and paramilitary forces. Most of them are jawans. The total number of ex-servicemen who are alive is nearly 300,” notes Gopisetti Bharatudu, who is the secretary of The Madhavaram Ex-Servicemen Association (MESA).

MESA has been leading efforts to restore key village facilities, including reviving a library abandoned two decades ago, rebuilding a culvert destroyed in the 2022 Godavari floods, laying a running track to help local youth prepare for defence services, and finishing work on an incomplete gym.

Hon. Lt. Guda Sundara Rao, president of MESA and a retired officer, expresses his frustration. “Nearly two decades have passed since the old library in the heart of the village was abandoned. Its structure is still sound. We have appealed to the Panchayat Raj Department to either hand over the building to MESA or revive the library themselves, but nothing has been done. Now birds are nesting there.”

The palatial building of the library, officially known as the West Godavari District Board Library, was built in 1935. It once housed books that have since been relocated to Tadepalligudem. Now, its wooden bookshelves are used to store utensils for the village’s security guard. Hon. Lt. Sundara Rao, who retired from the Indian Army’s Artillery in 2002 after serving in the Kargil War, said, “The authorities’ lack of support is to blame for closing the library. It serves no purpose for our youth as it remains unused and dilapidated.”

Madhavaram, with a population of around 6,000, has a long tradition of military service, with many families boasting three generations of service in the armed forces. Havaldar Gopisetti Bharatudu, who retired from the Indian Army two decades ago, says, “Joining the defence services is an unwritten tradition passed down from one generation to the next. This tradition is still alive in our village.”

In 2022, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL Hyderabad) offered aid under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to support infrastructure development in the village.

“BDL, under the Ministry of Defence, funded a ₹5 crore grant for building a gym, community hall, and science laboratories in the Government Junior College,” said Havaldar Bharatudu. These facilities were inaugurated virtually by then-Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. However, the gym remains closed due to a lack of equipment, and there has been no word on the promised second phase of the project, which includes an additional ₹11.32 crore for village development.

The proposal for a 400-metre running track on the banks of the village pond has also been stalled. According to Mr. Bharatudu, the plan was shelved after the death of Endowment Minister and local leader Pydikonda Manikyala Rao in 2020. “Our calls for facilities needed for youth training in both physical and academic preparation for defence service are growing weaker,” he said, recalling the late Minister’s pivotal role in securing financial aid from BDL.

The village also suffered heavily during the 2022 Godavari floods, which wiped out crops and washed away a key culvert connecting Madhavaram to nearby Nidadavolu. “Our village is cut off from Nidadavolu. We can’t use this route by two-wheeler or car. Each monsoon, the flood damages the culvert further,” said Bandreddi Srinivasa Rao, a retired soldier from the Indian Army’s Madras Engineering Group. Despite continued pleas from ex-servicemen to rebuild the culvert, there has been no progress.

In recent times, several youths from Madhavaram have enrolled in the Indian Army under the Agnipath Scheme introduced by the Central Government in 2022. The first batch of Agniveers is set to retire in 2026.

Demonstrating their unity, the soldiers and ex-servicemen of Madhavaram have raised funds to construct the MESA building next to the soldiers’ memorial on the village pond.

Published - September 28, 2024 09:48 am IST