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

Soldiers from 'Military Madhavaram' fight to restore infrastructure, honor history, and uphold tradition in their village.

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.”