The tragic death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy in a helicopter crash came as a shock to nearly one million-strong Andhraites living in Kolkata, one of the oldest non-Bengali communities in the city whose Andhra Association here dates back to 1936.

As the news of Reddy’s death reached the city, many members of Andhra Association were in tears.

“We are perhaps the only association for people from Andhra residing in the city. We have close cultural ties with Hyderabad. There are almost one million people from Andhra Pradesh settled here. Though the population has diminished over the years, it is still a strong community. We were planning to bring YSR Reddy to Kolkata. The visit would have made the cultural bond stronger. But now we are so shocked,” said Suri Pattabhiram, the president of the Andhra Association in Kolkata.

The Andhra Association still has its office at 13A, Sahanagar Road, in south Kolkata.

The association has around 500-plus members of the Andhra community in the city and has many more visiting them occasionally. Several former chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh had come to Kolkata on cultural visits and Reddy was expected this festive season.

Preparations for a programme to promote cultural ties between Bengal and Andhra Pradesh were in full swing but have now been upset. A condolence meeting for the Chief Minister will be held on Saturday evening.

While Christians are expected to offer prayers at the Mother House, a temple for Andhraites in Shalimar in Howrah could see huge crowds.

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