Veteran Journalist and Former MLA Konda Lakshma Reddy Passes Away at 84

Hyderabad: Konda Lakshma Reddy, founder and Managing Editor of ‘News and Services Syndicate (NSS)’ and former MLA from Chevella, passed away on Monday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city. He was 84.

Reddy, who was active in both political and journalistic fields, had a distinguished and multifaceted career. He entered politics as a Congress candidate and won the Chevella Assembly seat in 1983, remarkably at a time when the newly formed Telugu Desam Party (TDP) swept the polls and went on to form the first non-Congress government in the then combined state of Andhra Pradesh.

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Although denied a Congress ticket in the subsequent Assembly elections, he continued to be associated with the party and contested the Lok Sabha polls from the Hyderabad constituency in 1999 and 2014, albeit unsuccessfully. He also held key positions, including Chairman of the AP Sports Council and Chairman of the Grievances Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).

Belonging to a family with deep political roots, Lakshma Reddy was the grandson of former Deputy Chief Minister Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, after whom the present-day Ranga Reddy district is named.

Outside politics, Lakshma Reddy made a lasting contribution to the field of journalism. He served as President of the Hyderabad Press Club and the Journalists’ Cooperative Housing Society, and was also actively associated with the A.P. Union of Working Journalists. His efforts helped strengthen journalistic institutions and nurture young talent.

His death marks the end of an era that saw a unique blend of political commitment and journalistic service.

NSS – A LAUNCHING PAD FOR MANY, AND A JOURNALIST-FRIENDLY INSTITUTION

The “News and Services Syndicate (NSS)”, launched in 1980 by Konda Lakshma Reddy, has earned a reputation as both a launching pad for aspiring journalists and proved to be journalist-friendly organization.

In its formative years, the news agency was associated with several veteran journalists of yesteryear, such as B. Nageshwar Rao, T.V. Krishna, Neelamraju Muralidhar, and S. Papaiah Sastry, whose mentorship shaped the careers of many young reporters. Their collective contribution helped establish NSS as a respected news source serving newspapers in multiple languages.

In October 1999, P. A. Ramarao, a veteran journalist who retired from Deccan Chronicle, joined NSS as Editor and Special Correspondent. Over the past 26 years, he has been instrumental in strengthening the organization and turning it into a nurturing ground for scores of journalism graduates. Students from Osmania University, Rachana College of Journalism, and other institutions regularly undertook internships at NSS, with many beginning their professional careers there before moving to mainstream media outlets.

NSS also became a professional sanctuary for senior journalists who had left their organizations for various reasons. Some worked with NSS in multiple stints – returning to it after other engagements, a testament to the trust and goodwill it enjoyed in journalistic circles.

Editor Ramarao recalls with pride that many former NSS trainees now have bylined stories in leading regional and national newspapers. Despite its modest financial resources, the agency provided small but regular stipends to trainees and reporters, who continued to work with dedication and satisfaction rather than monetary expectation.

Lakshma Reddy gave him full editorial independence in appointments, salaries, and reporting, never allowing his political background to interfere with editorial freedom. “He never said ‘no’ to any journalist who approached NSS for a job, and there was no instance of asking any journalist to quit, till they left on their own, finding a better-paid job,” Ramarao noted.

Today, NSS continues to provide news content/reports to over a score of small and medium newspapers in English, Telugu, Urdu, and Hindi languages, remaining true to its founding spirit – serving journalism and journalists alike.