NAGLOO (FATHER OF HOTEL INDUSTRY)

WRITTEN BY G. KRISHNA.

PUBLISHED IN THE INDIAN CULTURE (FLAME OF THE PAST)

(JOURNAL OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF INDIA)

Akka Nayudu, a Kamm by caste, belonging to the family bearing the name of Muthyala, was a peasant belonging to Cuddapah. His son was Guna Nayudu, an enterprising young man who planned to improve his status by entering service in the court of the Rajah of Ongole. Both father and son were often found to be shuffling between Cuddapah and Ongole, They were appointed as “Silver mace bearers’ (Vendi Vatla Ballem Bantulu) or body guards of the Rajah. So they changed their residence to Ongole. From the time of Govindu, the son Guna, the family as a whole belonged to Ongole. In 1783, there was a dreadful famine when weak humans began eating weaker humans and stronger humans ate the strong ones. Food was hard to get them. One day, a bull was caught by some people, killed and cooked. Guna Nayudu and family also had eaten this greedily! This news somehow reached the ears of the Rajah who had promptly excommunicated him from the Kamma caste, giving him the choice either to become a “Maala” or embrace Islam. Guna Nayudu was also divested of his family name and instead, a new surname “Medara” was prefixed to his name.

So, the crud caste administration had acted immediately and consigned the whole family and future generations to society’s waste paper basket “the Maala caste”. From then on all castes including the Kammas began treating the family as outcastes and they were made to live in the mala ghetto, the Kabadipaiem the outskirts or Ongole. That was a place where hewers of wood (for firewood) lived.

The famine had reduced the unfortunate people to isolation. Govindu was an active man. He had, by stages, developed himself into a transport contractor to the military wing of the East India Company. Bommadevara Naganna (Yedla Naganna) a Kapu by caste, was a potential rival to Govindu in the business. Naganna purchased some localities in Secunderabad. His residence was known as Naganna Devdi (There is a cinema hall, Anjali talkies on this site now). About sixty or seventy years ago there used to be a drama hall here and it was Naganna Devdi hail. The present Bansilalpet area was known as Naganna Kunta and Naganna thota (Naganna tank and Naganna garden). Here, one finds the grave of Naganna and his wife. Naganna’s descendants purchased Valluru, a zamindari near Bezwada in Krishna district.

Govindu had, in his role as a bullock cart transport contractor, travelled wide between Mynapuri in the North to Kodagu (Coorg) in the South. He had witnessed many battles. he had earned a name as an honest Contractor and earned money too. He had in his place constructed for his family a tiled house, as only the ‘light caste rich’ did.

Lord Welles by the captor of Srirangapatnam, was so pleased with Govindu’s service, he asked him “Do you want anything from us?” but Govindu replied non-chalantly “I have everything your lordship”.

Polayya was the son born to the first wife of Govindu. During his lifetime, there were two famines, one in 1823 and another in 1833. The wealth earned and accumulated by Govindu was diminished due to these families mainly because Polayya was an idler and spendthrift.

In addition to this he was also a vain dreamer hoping always to gain by sorcery.

Polayya was also in jail quite for some years. Nagayya Naloo was born in 1828, but by then the family was throughly impoverished. Nagloo was the only male offspring of Polayya’s first wife Venkatalakshmi. He had to undergo all the misfortunes of a poor outcaste, when young. By then the Medara family was scattered and settled in different cities like Madras, Hyderabad and Bezwada. The old glory of the family had dwindled.

Nagloo came to Hyderabad in search of a job which would give and his mother two meals per day. But Hyderabad was a dirty town where infections, diseases were thriving. His mother died of cholera!

By then the Iron Horse (railway train) was not heard of. P Somasundaram Mudaliar (who had later established the Mahaboob college) was yet to begin his postal transport contract. The prospects of a daily two meals appeared bleak. Nagloo went Jalna. But one of his relatives Medara Narasaiah was working as a domestic servant to an English officer. Nagloo saw them. He then went to Kampte near Nagpur.

Nagloo must have worked as a dog-boy, a dressing boy, a table servant and then as a butler. Butler was considered as an important man in those days.

Nagloo was close witness to the “Mutinee” about which the students were taught that it was a heinous rebellion against the holy Britishers. A close witness gets the proper feel of their first war of independence. But that pertains to patriotism.

Nagloo during this period had learnt and in clear not much. He had also worked as a transport contractor as his grandfather Govindu with difference. He also carted off the Britishers boot to Bombay Port. Interesting details he could narrate mostly pertaining to the central provinces of Nagpur at the headquarters. He managed the timber (for railway sleepers) business of his employer insuring project to them both.

Then he started a hotel at Nagpur which was modern enough with “boarding and lodging” facilities suitable for Europeans! Branches too were opened. Soon he became the pioneer of modern hotel industry. Viceroy officers and diplomats were his customers.

Nagloo was a philanthropist of considerable standing. He was a personality to reckon with, in those days. Nagloo had overcome the caste handicap by his perseverance in whatever work he had undertaken. He had richly deserved the sobriquet “the father of hotel enterprise’ in the central provinces.”

His son M.V. Venkataswamy was the Asst. Librarian in-charge of the Asafia Library (Hyderabad) which we now call as the State Central Library. A good story writer, and a researcher, he was chosen as the member of the Royal Asiatic Society. He lived in the first half of this century and his biography of his father is replete with interesting details some of which may not be available in any another book. He was a regular contributor to Indian Antiquary. Where is the book “Life of M. Nagloo?” available now? May be in pavement bookshops or in certain private libraries.

Hyderabad was once a rich centre of private libraries. But Now….?