Taraka Ratna hailed from the illustrious family of actors and politicians of former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh and legendary Telugu actor NTR.
Nandamuri Taraka Ratna passed away in a Bengaluru hospital on Saturday, 18 February.
Tollywood actor Nandamuri Taraka Ratna passed away on Saturday, 18 February, after battling for his life for 23 days in a Bengaluru hospital.
Taraka Ratna suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed minutes after TDP scion and his cousin Nara Lokesh launched his ambitious 4,000-km-long padayatra — Yuva Galam, or Voice of Youth — on 27 January at Kuppam in Chittoor district, the Nara family’s political bastion.
His body will be shifted to Hyderabad where the last rites will be performed on Sunday.
Taraka Ratna, 39, is survived by his wife, Alekhya Reddy, and two daughters. Alekhya is the niece of Rajya Sabha member V Vijaysai Reddy, a top aide of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Taraka Ratna comes from the illustrious family of actors and politicians of the former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh and legendary Telugu actor, the late NT Rama Rao, or NTR. He was NTR’s grandson.
Taraka Ratna’s father, Nandamuri Mohana Krishna — one of NTR’s five sons — is also connected to Tollywood. He worked for many movies as a cinematographer.
Taraka Ratna, who was in Kuppam to participate in the launch of his cousin Lokesh’s padayatra, collapsed when a stampede-like situation ensued near a mosque that Lokesh visited before he embarked on the walkathon.
Party workers immediately rushed him to a nearby hospital. For better treatment, he was shifted to the Narayana Hrudyalaya in Bengaluru the next day.
Family members rushed to Bengaluru while his uncle, noted actor and Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna, monitored the medical treatment.
Taraka Ratna had been actively seen with Balakrishna for a few days before his collapse in Kuppam. There were reports that he wanted to join politics and contest in the 2024 polls on a TDP ticket from one of the Assembly segments in the state.
Apart from Lokesh, he is the cousin of actors Junior NTR and Kalyan Ram.
Taraka Ratna made his film debut in 2002 with Okoto Number Kurradu and has acted in about a dozen movies and web series.
From TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naisu to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, to politicians across the political spectrum condoled the death of Taraka Ratna.
నందమూరి తారకరత్న మరణ వార్త తీవ్రమైన దిగ్భ్రాంతిని, బాధను కలిగించింది. తారకరత్నను బ్రతికించుకునేందుకు చేసిన ప్రయత్నాలు, కుటుంబ సభ్యుల, అభిమానుల ప్రార్థనలు, అత్యంత నిపుణులైన డాక్టర్ల వైద్యం ఫలితాన్ని ఇవ్వలేదు.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/VfyfdHfKnF
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) February 18, 2023
Chief Minister Sri YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed grief over the death of Sri Nandamuri Taraka Ratna, film actor and grand son of NTR and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.
— CMO Andhra Pradesh (@AndhraPradeshCM) February 18, 2023
On 27 January, Lokesh left R&B guesthouse to visit the Varadaraja swamy temple at 10.30 am. After pooja, he began his padayatra at the auspicious time of 11.03 am. He next visited a mosque at 11.20 am, leaving the place at 11:40 am. He reached Babu Nagar at about 11.57 am.
Taraka Ratna was with Lokesh all along.·He collapsed around 12.00 pm.
TDP workers immediately shifted Taraka Ratna to the nearby KC Hospital, reaching there around 12.15 pm. He was shifted from KC Hospital to PES Kuppam around 12.45 pm.
On 28 January, he was shifted to Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bengalluru, with the ambulance leaving the PES Hospital at about 12.20 am.
It was at PES Kuppam that he gained a pulse. He received balloon angioplasty, intra-aortic balloon pump, and vasoactive support.
At the Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru, he was put on a ventilator to stabilise his condition.
It is learnt that at one stage family members contemplated airlifting him to the US for better treatment.
Instead, a group of specialist doctors was flown to Bengaluru.
Tarak Ratna’s passing away has come at a time when Lokesh, who has been walking for the last 22 days, was about to reach a significant milestone by completing 300 km on Sunday.
He had walked for 296.6 kilometers till Friday and had taken a break on Saturday on the occasion of Maha Shivarathri.
He was scheduled to resume the walk on Sunday from the camp site on the outskirts of Sri Kalahastshi and would have reached the milestone soon after.
Lokesh has called a temorary halt to his padayatra and will be flying to Hyderabad on Sunday to take part in the final rites of his cousin.
“I will not hear the voice that calls me ‘bava’ with a lot of affection. His passing away leaves a deep void to our family and also TDP. I offer tearful tributes to Taraka Ratna,” said Lokesh.
బావ అంటూ ఆప్యాయంగా పిలిచే ఆ గొంతు ఇక నాకు వినిపించ‌దు. నేనున్నానంటూ నా వెంట న‌డిచిన ఆ అడుగుల చ‌ప్పుడు ఆగిపోయింది. నందమూరి తారకరత్న మృతి దిగ్భ్రాంతికి గురి చేసింది. తెలుగుదేశం యువ‌తేజం తారకరత్న మృతి మా కుటుంబానికి, తెలుగుదేశం పార్టీకి తీర‌ని లోటు.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/MLLlp3p60G
— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) February 18, 2023
