The Andhra Pradesh government has announced State funeral for director-cartoonist Bapu which will take place after the arrival of his son from Japan on Tuesday.
Informing this to the Assembly while moving a condolence motion on Bapu's death in Chennai on Sunday evening, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said a Minister of Andhra Pradesh would attend the funeral.
A world class cultural centre would be constructed in memory of Bapu and his writer friend Mullapudi Venkata Ramana who passed away three years back. The existing museum at Vijayawada would be renamed after Bapu.
Conceding the demand of Telugu Desam member Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, Mr. Naidu said the statues of Bapu and Ramana would come up on a single memorial on the banks of Godavari where several films of the duo were shot. The construction of memorial was timely because the Godavari Pushkarams were also scheduled around this time next year.
Mr. Naidu paid glowing tributes to Bapu saying the latter brought world image to his art and artistic style of writing. They were acclaimed as "Bapu bomma and Bapu font". People did not know how mythological personalities such as Ram and Krishna looked like but Bapu gave them a shape through his art.
Mr. Naidu recalled that former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao took the help of Bapu and Ramana in devising "Drushya Shravana" programme for complete literacy. The friendship of the legendary duo for seven decades was a role model for future generations.
Leader of Opposition Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy said Bapu brought fame not only to the film industry but entire Andhra Pradesh. Earlier, Butchaiah Chowdary who represented Rajahmundry said a private guesthouse on the banks of Godavari at Dowleswaram was home for many films of Bapu and Ramana. Actress-turned-politician R.K. Roja recalled donning the role of Bhoodevi in the last film directed by Bapu -- Srirama Rajyam .
