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kinsman questioned PVG Raju saying, %u201cHow can you do this? It is not yours to give away%u201d, implying that the fortune should be used for the benefit of the extended family and not for all and sundry. PVG Raju is believed to have replied, %u201cThis is not for one man or one family. It is the property of the people and has to be given back to society at large. As the kartha, it is my prerogative to decide how best to use it and this is my decision.%u201d One of the first decisions PVG Raju made was to vacate and hand over the majestic Vizianagaram Fort, the seat of their dynasty for three hundred years, to the Trust for locating education institutions. It should not come as a surprise that the first new college, the Maharaja College for Women was opened here in 1962, the first of its kind in north-coastal Andhra. He was of the firm opinion that women needed to join the mainstream of socio-economic life if the nation was to progress and higher education was a sure pathway. Given the conservative nature of society at the time, and the reluctance of families to send their girls to co-educational institutions, a college exclusively for women was the answer. Despite his busy schedule of public life as an important politician, PVG Raju always had time for the affairs of MANSAS down to the last detail. He had regular interactions with the heads of the institutions, who at the time were accomplished people, and willing to go out of his way to solve their problems. On one occasion when the Maths Department of the Maharaja College was not strong, someone recommended a professor from Andhra University who would make a good addition. PVG Raju took the trouble to call on him and requested him to come and work at Vizianagaram. When the Professor expressed some reluctance to leave a university job, 96