Laxmi parvathi biography
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She penned a poem in 1980 describing him as a star in the sky who remains out of reach for someone standing on earth and longing for it.
Her dream came true much later when she met him. I sought one month's time and then agreed to marry him."
NTR was then 70 while Lakshmi Parvathi was almost half his age.
Parvathi, as NTR's widow, gathered a small cadre of loyalists dissatisfied with TDP's direction, emphasizing restoration of NTR's vision amid family and party divisions.[21][5]Parvathi's establishment of the party was intertwined with her public assertions of being NTR's designated political successor, framing herself as the guardian of his legacy against perceived betrayals by Naidu and NTR's family members.
Similar battles arose over a Chennai bungalow, where in 2016 Parvati announced intent to litigate against NTR's sons for attempting to sell the property she claimed as marital asset, accusing them of neglect and profiteering. "He used to call Parvathi to come and sit beside him before starting the press conference," said a senior journalist who was a regular at NTR's press conferences.
NTR, who was planning a campaign to hit back at those who betrayed him, had also addressed a press conference on January 17, 1995.
This included invoking NTR's emphasis on self-respect for Telugu people and populist schemes, which she argued had been diluted under the post-coup TDP.[22][2]The party's launch highlighted ongoing disputes over NTR's inheritance, with Parvathi contending that her leadership preserved his uncompromised ideals, distinct from the TDP's evolution toward economic liberalization.
Her multifaceted involvement in these areas—education, performative arts, and writing—demonstrated a consistent orientation toward preserving and disseminating devotional content within Andhra Pradesh's traditional frameworks.[1]
Marriage to N.T. Rama Rao
Courtship and 1993 wedding
Lakshmi Parvathi, a Telugu writer and devotee of N.T. Rama Rao, first met him in 1991 when she approached him in Hyderabad with a request to author his authorized biography.[1][2] At the time, Parvathi, then a college lecturer in her mid-30s from Guntur district, had separated from her first husband, harikatha exponent Veeragandham Venkata Subba Rao, and traveled from Guntur to Hyderabad every weekend to conduct interviews for the project.[7][1] NTR, aged 68 and widowed since the death of his first wife Basava Tarakam in 1985, agreed to the biography, which marked the beginning of their personal interactions.[12]Their relationship evolved from professional collaboration into a romantic attachment, with Parvathi providing emotional support to NTR amid his political and personal challenges.[2] During this period, NTR proposed marriage to her, and Parvathi, recalling her long-standing admiration for him as a film icon and political figure, requested one month to consider before agreeing.[1][2] Accounts from Parvathi describe the courtship as rooted in mutual devotion, with her viewing NTR as a god-like figure, though the rapid progression drew scrutiny given the 33-year age difference and NTR's status as a public figure with grown children.[2]The couple reportedly conducted a secret marriage ceremony in February 1992, following Parvathi's divorce finalization, but maintained privacy to mitigate potential backlash.[8] The union became public on September 10, 1993, when NTR announced it during the 100th-day celebrations of his film Major Chandrakanta at a event in Tirupati, confirming Parvathi as his wife amid widespread media attention.[7][13] This 1993 disclosure formalized their relationship legally and socially, though it immediately strained NTR's ties with his family and Telugu Desam Party associates.[14] NTR defended the marriage as aligned with his party's pro-women welfare initiatives, but critics within his circle viewed it as a personal indulgence exacerbating his political vulnerabilities.[14]
Immediate family and political fallout
N.The next day, people woke up to the shocking news that he had died of cardiac arrest.
"They did not allow us to live peacefully and the backstabbing by NTR's own family members shocked and claimed his life. Her experience in this medium, linked to her first marriage to harikatha exponent Veeragandham Venkata Subba Rao, honed skills in captivating listeners with rhythmic prose and song, fostering a public persona rooted in cultural and religious expression.[7]As an author, Parvathi's pre-political pursuits included literary endeavors aligned with devotional themes, culminating in her 1991 approach to N.T.
Rama Rao to compose his authorized biography, reflecting her personal devotion to figures embodying Telugu cinematic and cultural mythology.[4] This initiative underscored her commitment to documenting lives intertwined with artistic and spiritual narratives, though the project evolved amid their growing relationship.
In an interview to IANS a few years ago, she said she used to travel from Guntur district to Hyderabad to meet him every weekend to work on his biography.
NTR was out of power at the time after serving two terms as chief minister and a brief flirtation with national politics before returning to the state.
"I used to come every Saturday and Sunday to Hyderabad.
NTR's children, including actor-turned-politician Nandamuri Harikrishna, refused to accept her as stepmother, insisting he disown the relationship; this prompted NTR to distance himself, relocating to a residence in Banjara Hills with Parvathi and excluding family members from key interactions, such as declining a dinner invitation unless she was included.[3][2] Critics, including family members and TDP leaders, accused her of isolating NTR from his children and leveraging her position to influence party decisions, exacerbating rifts that contributed to internal party revolts.[7]Following NTR's death from cardiac arrest on January 18, 1996, Harikrishna publicly blamed Parvathi for hastening it, alleging she administered steroids to facilitate conception of a child, a claim she denied while countering that family "backstabbing" was the true cause.[2] Ongoing property disputes, such as her 2011 eviction from NTR's Banjara Hills home—later allotted by court to his U.S.-based daughter Uma Maheswari—and failed claims over trusts like Basavatarakam, intensified accusations of her fostering prolonged family discord.[31][33]Parvathi's post-NTR political maneuvers, including her 1995 attempt to assume TDP leadership and formation of the NTR Telugu Mahila party, faced charges of opportunism, with detractors arguing she exploited NTR's legacy for personal gain despite the brevity of their marriage (three years) and her limited prior political involvement.[55] Family and party observers contended this legacy claim deepened divisions, as NTR had already forfeited much familial support for her sake, positioning her actions as self-serving amid TDP's fragmentation.[7][56]
Political legacy disputes and public perceptions
Lakshmi Parvathi's assertions of inheriting N.T.Rama Rao's political mantle after his death on January 18, 1996, sparked enduring conflicts with his family and the Telugu Desam Party
.
NTR's children from his first marriage, including sons N. Harikrishna, Nandamuri Balakrishna, and daughters such as Daggubati Purandeswari, aligned with Naidu against Parvati, viewing her post-marriage elevation as an erosion of family and political authority traditionally held by NTR's elder heirs.After NTR's death on January 18, 1996, Parvati formed the NTR Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvati faction) in May 1996 to challenge TDP's claim to NTR's legacy, contesting the 1996 elections and winning a by-election in Hindupur but failing to consolidate support against the main TDP.This splinter effort intensified acrimony with TDP leaders, whom Parvati accused of betraying NTR by usurping power and exploiting his image for electoral gain without honoring his vision, a charge she reiterated in public statements as late as 2023. These claims faced skepticism from TDP ranks and NTR's kin, who viewed them as opportunistic amid the broader family rift exacerbated by her 1993 marriage.[22][5]
Electoral participation and defeats
Following N.T. Rama Rao's death in January 1996, Lakshmi Parvathi founded the NTR Telugu Desam Party (Lakshmi Parvathi) and contested the Pathapatnam Assembly constituency bye-election in October 1996, securing victory with 43,558 votes (48.99% of the valid votes polled).[23] Her win, which defeated the main Telugu Desam Party candidate Venkaamma Kalamata (29,410 votes, 33.08%), represented a symbolic assertion of her claim to NTR's political legacy but also fragmented anti-Congress votes in the region.[24] This lone success, however, failed to translate into broader party momentum, as the NTRTDP(LP) struggled against the established TDP under Chandrababu Naidu.In the 1999 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, Parvathi contested from both Sompeta and Eluru constituencies on the NTRTDP(LP) ticket but lost decisively in each, contributing to the party's overall rout amid TDP's dominance.[25] Her campaigns invoked NTR's legacy to appeal to loyalists, yet they yielded minimal support, underscoring the limited viability of her factional splinter group.[26]Parvathi's subsequent independent foray in the 2004 elections saw her contest the Atmakur Assembly constituency, where she suffered a heavy defeat, forfeiting her deposit due to negligible vote share.[27] These repeated losses eroded the NTRTDP(LP)'s organizational base, leading to its eventual delisting by the Election Commission of India and Parvathi's shift away from autonomous electoral bids.[28]
Legal battles and disputes
Conflicts with TDP leadership and NTR's family
Following N.T.Rama Rao's ouster in the 1995 TDP coup, which was backed by several of his children and orchestrated by son-in-law N. Chandrababu Naidu, Lakshmi Parvati's relations with both the TDP leadership and NTR's first family deteriorated sharply, with Naidu and family members citing her undue influence over NTR as a key factor in the internal revolt.
She rubbished the allegations.
Lakshmi Parvathi laments that she met her 'god' very late and got very little time to spend with him.
"All I have today is his memories, his portraits and busts, one of which is in my pooja room. After a series of electoral defeats she went into political oblivion.
With the wish to see the political downfall of Naidu, the man she holds responsible for the untimely death of NTR, she joined the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in 2012 but remained inactive.
After the YSRCP came to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, ending the TDP rule, Lakshmi Parvathi was rewarded with the post of chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Telugu Academy.
Lakshmi Parvathi
Lakshmi Parvathi (born 14 September 1955) is an Indian politician and writer.
Thus began the love story, culminating in their marriage a year later. In early 1996 statements, she was described as rapidly emerging as his political heiress, leveraging her marital bond and proximity to NTR during his final years to claim moral and ideological authority over his Telugu Desam principles. there, with her research centered on mythology in cinema, particularly referencing the roles portrayed by N.T.
Rama Rao.[7] This academic focus aligned with her scholarly interest in Telugu epics, Puranas, and mythology, which informed her early writings and biographical work.[7]
Involvement in arts and devotion
Prior to her marriage to N.T. Rama Rao, Lakshmi Parvathi worked as a college lecturer in Sanskrit, delivering instruction on classical texts that often encompassed devotional and literary traditions in Telugu culture.[8] This role positioned her within academic circles focused on linguistic and scriptural heritage, where Sanskrit's role in Hindu devotional literature, including puranas and epics, formed a core component of her professional engagement.[10]She also performed as a harikatha artiste, a South Indian narrative art form that weaves spoken discourse, musical recitation, and dramatic elements to retell stories from Hindu mythology and devotional lore.[11]Harikatha performances typically emphasize bhakti (devotion) through tales of deities like Krishna and Rama, drawing from sources such as the Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana, and require performers to embody moral and spiritual teachings for live audiences.I still worship him," she said.
After NTR's death Lakshmi Parvathi tried to own his political legacy by floating NTR TDP (LP) with a few loyalists.
National / World
By Mohammed Shafeeq
Hyderabad, May 28 (IANS): The NTR story is incomplete without Lakshmi Parvathi, the second wife of the TDP founder.
All the dramatic events during the last few years of NTR revolve around her and she was blamed by his children from his first wife and other family members for whatever happened to the thespian after he led the TDP back to power with a landslide victory in 1994.
A college lecturer, who had separated from her husband, came into NTR's life when his children (seven sons and four daughters) had nearly abandoned him.
The former chief minister was a loner, having lost his first wife Basvatarakam to cancer in 1985.
The formation aimed to rally NTR's supporters who rejected the 1995 leadership change to N. Chandrababu Naidu, positioning the new entity as the authentic continuation of NTR's Telugu nationalist and welfare-oriented politics. I also had a son to look after. Though the group attracted limited organizational strength—primarily from NTR's die-hard followers—it served as Parvathi's platform to contest TDP's monopoly on his image and policies, including efforts to mobilize women and devotees through appeals to NTR's charismatic rule.