DHARMA RAO NAYUDU, Rednam, Dewan Bahadur, late , Madras Salt Dept.-Joined the service. 15th May, 1861, and was employed in the pclice dept. until April, 1869, when he was transfd. to the rev. dept. as dep. collr. ; personal asst. to salt commr., July, 1878 ; asst. commr. ot salt rev., Feb., 1880 ; dep. commr., Dec, 1892 ; retd., April, 1896.
Naidu’s History
The place where hyenas, foxes and snakes were spotted more often has now turned into an unrecognisable urban jungle. Ensconced between Waltair Cemetery and Central Park (earlier Central Jail), Rednam Gardens was earlier known as Waltair Orphanage where senior Dutch Indians used to reside in an asylum.
The neighbourhood, dotted with beautiful gardens, belonged to Diwan Bahadur Rednam Dharma Rao where the entire property spread over 9.5 acres was bought by him in 1895. Later, the colony became a home to his entire family members who considered gardening as the main hobby. "My father R. Dharma Rao developed an exotic rose garden in our backyard by sourcing seeds from Pune and Kolkata. Besides assorted rose plants, vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage and tomatoes used to grow in our garden. Rednam Vari Cart Road used to be the busiest road where horse-drawn carts were the primary mode of transport then," recollects Rednam Ahi Krishna, Retired Principal of Andhra Medical College and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon who spent most part of his childhood in Rednam Gardens.
During the World War II, the AmericanEngineers were stationed in different parts ofVisakhapatnam and those residing in Rednam Gardens were asked to vacate the neighbourhood. "We were away from our hometown for about three years then and by the time we came back, the geography of the colony has changed drastically. My father was a bit disturbed to discover that his favourite rose garden was destroyed beyond recognition," said Dr. Ahi Krishna.
Today, only a few of the old buildings such as Rednam Alcazar stand tall in one of the arterial roads of the colony. "The place stands as a perfect example of a combination of commercial and residential area. Though the signs of development were seen on many fronts over the past 10 years, the underground cabling work initiated a few years ago is yet to take off," says Sunil Nivetia, one of the directors of Pages book store.