Hyderabad
Cherukuri Ramoji Rao, the media baron, was cremated with state honours at Ramoji Film City on Sunday. A contingent of Telangana police paid tribute by reversing their arms and firing shots in the air. Ramoji Rao’s son, Cherukuri Kiran, Managing Director of Eenadu, lit the funeral pyre amid Vedic hymns chanted by priests.
The ceremony was attended by former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, political leaders, film personalities, and many eminent individuals. Chandrababu Naidu helped carry the bier from Ramoji Rao’s residence to Smriti Vanam within the Film City, a site designated by Ramoji Rao for his funeral.
Ramoji Rao, who passed away at 88 following a brief illness, was the founder of the Telugu daily ‘Eenadu’, ‘ETV’ channels, and Ramoji Film City, considered the world’s largest film production centre. His contributions spanned media, film, the food industry, and Telugu politics, marking him as a first-generation entrepreneur who launched the first 24-hour news channel in Telugu and other languages.
