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🏛️ The Founding of 'The Gudivada College'

The Vision of Five Farmers

Five visionary farmers from the Gudivada region of Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, came together in April 1950 with a shared dream of imparting education to the children of farmers and future generations.

Shri Parvataneni Venkata Ratnam
Shri Kaja Venkata ramayya
Shri Lingam Venkata Krishnayya
Shri Updrasta Papanna Sastry
Shri Vadde Sobhanadri

On April 22, 1950, they convened a pivotal meeting at the Sri Srinivasa Cinema Hall in Gudivada, inviting farmers from nearly four talukas, encompassing around 200 villages. During the gathering, they collectively recognized the major challenge: the lack of higher educational institutions within a 40 km radius of Gudivada. This shortage forced many families to forego higher studies due to the unaffordable costs of tuition and distant travel.

Community Generosity and Inception

The community leaders proposed establishing a college and appealed for land and financial contributions. Their appeal was met with overwhelming support.

Farmers from Bhushanagulla and Pedaparupudi villages generously donated 15 acres of land.
The community contributed ₹100,000/- toward the college’s establishment.

This collective will and generosity of the farming community led to the inception of a new center of learning, initially named “The Gudivada College.” The college began modestly, operating from rented buildings under a dedicated organizing committee.

The Founding Leadership Committee

President: Sri Parvathaneni Venkataratnam
Secretary: Sri Kaja Venkatramaiah
Treasurer: Sri Uppalapati Veerabhadra Rao
Joint Secretary: Sri Vemulapalli Rama Bramham
Committee Members: Sri Lingam Venkata Krishnaiah, Sri Vadde Shobhanadri, and Sri Upadrashta Papanna Sastry.

Transformation and Growth

The college received a momentous boost in 1959 when renowned film actor Sri Akkineni Nageswara Rao donated one lakh rupees to support its development. This generous contribution accelerated the college’s growth, enabling it to acquire an additional 10 acres of land and construct several new academic buildings. The institution was subsequently renamed the Akkineni Nageswara Rao College.

From these humble beginnings, the college has blossomed into a distinguished temple of learning, expanding from undergraduate to postgraduate programs and achieving Autonomous Status. Guided by visionary management, discipline, and devoted teachers, the institution has built an enduring legacy of excellence. The pioneering work of the first Principal, Sri A.F. Thyagaraju, and later Dr. Yerneni Venkateswara Rao, remains particularly memorable.

Legacy of Distinguished Alumni

Over its 75 years of illustrious history, the college has produced countless distinguished personalities who have made outstanding contributions in various fields and brought pride to the institution through their service to the nation.

Notable Alumni include

Late Sri Ch. Ramoji Rao, Chairman of the Eenadu Group.
Numerous Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly.
Several High Court Judges and Civil Servants.
Distinguished Industrialists, Diplomats, and Ambassadors.

ANR College: A Chronological Timeline

🌟 The Founding Decades (1950s)

Year	Landmark Event
1950	Inception: Five promoters (Parvataneni Venkataratnam, Kaja Venkatramaiah, V. Sobhanadri, L. V. Krishnaiah, U. Papanna Sastry) explored starting the college. Inauguration: 'The Gudivada College' was inaugurated on July 6 by Prof. V. S. Krishna, Vice-Chancellor, Andhra University. 'The Gudivada College' the first year of Intermediate class was started. Sri A. F. Thyagaraju was appointed as a Principal.
1951	The Biology-Physics-Chemistry (BPC) group was introduced, serving as a stepping stone for medical education.
1952	The college attained First Grade status by starting B.A., B. Com., and B. Sc. (Zoology Main) courses.
1953	Sanskrit and Hindi were introduced in B.A. and Intermediate programs.
1957	The one-year Pre-University Course (PUC) was started, replacing the old Intermediate system.
1958	The three-year degree courses were started, aligning with the new national educational pattern.
1959	Renaming: Following a massive donation of ₹1 Lakh by Sri Akkineni Nageswara Rao and his admirers, the college was renamed Akkineni Nageswara Rao College. Foundation-stone for the new building near Bhushanagulla was laid.
1960	The college was shifted to the new building after the completion of the eastern wing (ground floor).

🏗️ The Mid-Century Expansion (1960s & 1970s)

Year	Landmark Event
1961	The Yerneni Chalamaiah Auditorium was constructed, following a generous donation by late Sri Yerneni Venkateswara Rao.
1966	Principal Sri A. F. Thyagaraju left; Dr. Y. Venkateswara Rao succeeded him. A Building Committee was constituted to expedite construction.
1967	Construction of the Botany and Zoology laboratories was completed.
1969	The new two-year Intermediate (Telugu medium) was started.
1970	The first floor was completed, and construction of the Library was initiated.
1971	Telugu medium was introduced in the degree classes.
1972	The present stately Library was completed and ready for use.
1973	A Gymnasium was constructed and named after late Sri Kolli Lingaiah Garu.
1974	Post-Graduate education began with the start of the M.Com. course. The Biology Museum was also constructed.
1976	Silver Jubilee celebrations were held in May. Plans for the Akkineni Annapurna Hostel and Yerneni Govindayya Junior College were announced.

🚀 Modernization and New Programs (1980s & 1990s)

Year	Landmark Event
1984	The Junior College Building was named after Yerneni Govindaiah A College Canteen was constructed.
1985	Foundation stone for the proposed Post-Graduate Block was laid by Justice Avula Sambasiva Rao.
1991	Two new restructured B.Sc. courses were started: Maths, Physics, Computer Science and Maths, Physics, Electronics.
1992	The Post-Graduate department was shifted to the newly constructed P.G. Block.
1993-94	The prestigious P.G. Course, M.B.A., was started. M.Sc. (Maths) was started in 1994 (joining the existing M.Com.). The Akkineni Kala Peetam (cultural wing) was set up and inaugurated by Akkineni Nageswara Rao himself.
1996	A Men's Hostel was completed using a UGC grant.
1998	Several state-of-the-art courses were started: M.C.A., M.Sc. (Computer Science), B.C.A., and B.Sc. with Maths, Statistics, and Computer Science.
1999	The Computer Centre was named after **Dr. Y. Lakshmi Prasad, M.P., in gratitude for his donation. A.N.R. College of Education (B.Ed.) was started as a sister institution.

🏆 The Golden Jubilee and Beyond (2000s – 2010s)

Year	Landmark Event
2000	Golden Jubilee Celebrations were held, inaugurated by Chief Minister Sri Nara Chandra Babu Naidu. Major donations were announced by alumni, including Sri Ch. Ramoji Rao, for the construction of the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Building.
2002	The Golden Jubilee Memorial Building was inaugurated. The College of Education was renamed K.G. Prasada Rao – A.N.R. College of Education following a donation.
2003	The Akkineni Annapurna” Women’s Hostel was constructed.M.Sc. Physics and B.Sc. (English medium) were started.
2005-06	The college was accredited with a B++ grade by NAAC (1st Cycle). A 400m Running Track was laid.
2008	The annual intake of both MBA and MCA courses was extended from 60 to 120. The college secured FIRST prize as the Best Performing Professional P.G. College (ANU).
2010	College affiliation shifted from Acharya Nagarjuna University to Krishna University.
2014	A 10 KV Solar Power Plant and an RO plant (1000 lts. capacity) were commissioned.
2016	NAAC awarded the college with an “A” grade (2nd Cycle) with CGPA 3.05.
2017	UGC conferred Autonomous Status to the college for a period of 10 years (effective from 2018-19).
2018	Became an Autonomous College. Received a ₹2.00 Crore RUSA 2.0 grant for renovation and construction.

💎 The Diamond Jubilee Era (2020s & 2025)

Year	Landmark Event
2020	CBCS pattern as per NEP 2020 was introduced in UG & PG programmes.
2021	The College was converted as a Private College (Sept 2021).
2022	TThe P.G. Building Northern Block was named as “Sri Kolli Koteswara Rao - Smt. Kolli Jhansi Lakshmi Block” (Following a generous donation ₹15,00,000/- by his Son Sri. Kolli Srinivasa Rao).
2023	Single Major and Minor system was introduced in UG Programmes.
2025	“A” grade awarded (3rd Cycle) with CGPA 3.06 by NAAC. The Engineering Collegewas established. Diamond Jubilee Celebrations were scheduled for December 16th, 17th, & 18th.