Bruce Elliot Tapper (born in the United States) is a social anthropologist, journalist, writer, and editor. He has published numerous articles on Telugu society and culture in Andhra Pradesh, and shadow puppets as a form of entertainment. He lived in a small village called Aripaka, close to Visakhapatnam, from 1970-72 to research the social structure and religious customs of the farmers and various other occupational communities in the village.
He obtained his B.A. in anthropology in 1996 and M.A. in Indian studies in 1968, both from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He obtained his Ph.D. in social anthropology in 1976 from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He first conducted research in India as a member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison College year in India Programme 1966-67, at Osmania University, Hyderabad. He was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Grant for his doctoral research in Andhra Pradesh, which he carried out in 1970-72 while affiliated with Andhra University, Waltair (Visakhapatnam).
Tapper taught social anthropology at the University of Adelaide, South Australia in 1976-77. He then returned to the United States, where he became a seminar associate of the Southern Asian Institute, Columbia University, New York City. After obtaining an M.Sc. in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1980, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he became a writer, reporter, researcher and editor. He was an editor at the Smithsonian Associates Program in the early 1980s and then had a career as an editor at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is currently retired.
Tapper has published articles on several aspects of Andhra society, and conducted research and written on traditional Andhra shadow puppetry.
The Bene EphraimBnei Ephraim, also called Telugu Jews because they speak Telugu, are a small community living primarily in Kotha Reddy Palem, a village outside Chebrolu, Guntur District, and in Machilipatnam, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India, near the delta of the River Krishna. They claim to be descendants of the Tribe of Ephraim, of the Ten Lost Tribes, and since the 1980s have learned to practice modern Judaism.
Telugu Brahmins are Telugu-speaking Brahmin communities native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India. Telugu Brahmins are further divided into sections like Vaidiki, Niyogi, Deshastha, Dravida, Golkonda Vyapari among others.
Telugu people, also called Andhras, are an ethno-linguistic group who speak the Telugu language and are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam district of Puducherry. They are the most populous of the four major Dravidian linguistic groups. Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India and the 14th most spoken native language in the world. A significant number of Telugus also reside in the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra. Members of the Telugu diaspora are spread across countries like United States, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, UAE and others. Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States. It is also a protected language in South Africa.
Kapu is a Hindu caste mainly found in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. They are classified as a Forward caste. They are a community of land-owning agriculturists. Historically, they have also been warriors and military generals (Nayakas) in Hindu armies. They are a dominant caste of Andhra Pradesh. Kapus commonly carry the title Naidu. They are primarily present in Coastal Andhra with major concentration in the Godavari-Krishna delta region.
Sardar Gouthu Latchanna was a veteran freedom fighter from India.
Gavara is a term used to refer to four different South Indian communities.
The Digital Himalaya project was established in December 2000 by Mark Turin, Alan Macfarlane, Sara Shneiderman, and Sarah Harrison. The project's principal goal is to collect and preserve historical multimedia materials relating to the Himalaya, such as photographs, recordings, and journals, and make those resources available over the internet and offline, on external storage media. The project team have digitized older ethnographic collections and data sets that were deteriorating in their analogue formats, so as to protect them from deterioration and make them available and accessible to originating communities in the Himalayan region and a global community of scholars.
Andhra Prabha - Journalism first is a Telugu language daily newspaper of India sold mostly in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The newspaper is one of the oldest running Telugu-language daily newspapers of India. The newspaper and website (www.prabhanews.com) were owned by the New Indian Express Group of Companies but the newspaper was sold to entrepreneurs from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The newspaper is owned by Mootha Gopalakrishna, former M.L.A of Kakinada city. The newspaper publishes neutral news not in support of any political organisation and is one of the most balanced and close-to-reality Telugu language daily newspapers.
Telaga is a community found in Coastal Andhra region of India. Telaga is a subcaste of Kapu and both terms are often used synonymously. They are classified as a Forward caste. They are a land-owning agrarian community. Historically, they were a warrior caste known for their honour and bravery.
Settibalija refers to two distinct and completely unrelated communities in Andhra Pradesh, India. The term Setti Balija historically referred to a sub-caste of the Balija community. These Setti Balijas were a prominent mercantile community of South India with a history dating back to the Vijayanagara Empire. They are currently found in the Rayalaseema region and are classified as a Forward Caste.
Tholu bommalata is the shadow puppet theatre tradition of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India with roots dating back to 3rd century BCE. Its performers are part of a group of wandering entertainers and peddlers who pass through villages during the course of a year and offer to sing ballads, tell fortunes, sell amulets, perform acrobatics, charm snakes, weave fishnets, tattoo local people and mend pots. Tholu bommalata has a history of consistent royal patronage. It is the ancestor of Wayang, the Indonesian puppet theatre play which has been a staple of Indonesian tourism and designated by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Bhadriraju Krishnamurti was an Indian linguist who specialised in Dravidian languages. He was born in Ongole in the Madras Presidency of British India. He was the vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad from 1986 to 1993, and founded the Department of Linguistics at Osmania University, where he served as a professor from 1962 to 1986. His magnum opus, The Dravidian Languages, is considered a landmark volume in the study of Dravidian linguistics.
Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf or Christopher von Fürer-Haimendorf FRAI was an Austrian ethnologist and professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London. He spent forty years studying tribal cultures in Northeast India, in the central region of what is now the state of Telangana and in Nepal. He was married to British ethnologist of India and Nepal, Betty Barnardo.
Bhattam Srirama Murthy B.A., L.L.B. was an Indian politician who was a Member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Indian Parliament.
Relli is a social group of South Indians who reside in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West bengal, and Chhattisgarh. They are classified as a Scheduled Caste.
The Komati is a Telugu-speaking trading community which is a Vaishya community that is currently organised as a caste. They are primarily found in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and in smaller numbers in neighbouring states. The members of the Komati caste are commonly engaged as moneylenders, businessmen, and shopkeepers. The community consists of many sects who are followers of Hinduism, namely the Gomata, the Thrivarnika, and the Kalinga, along with the Jaina Komatis who are followers of Jainism. Traditionally, most Komatis are vegetarian due to their belief in ahimsa (nonviolence).
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Andhra Pradesh:
Stephen Fuchs was an Austrian Catholic priest, missionary, and anthropologist who researched the ethnology and prehistory of India. After obtaining a Ph.D. in ethnology and Indology from the University of Vienna in 1950, Fuchs moved to India where he assisted in founding the Department of Anthropology at St. Xavier's College in Bombay. After a brief imprisonment for being misidentified as a German missionary by the British government during World War II, Fuchs founded the Indian Branch of the Anthropos Institute, later renamed the Institute of Indian Culture. Fuchs, because of health concerns, moved to Austria in 1996 and died at the age of 91 in Mödling, Austria.
Betty von Fürer-Haimendorf, born Elizabeth Barnardo, was a British ethnologist in India and Nepal. She was married to Austrian ethnologist Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf.
Asavadi Prakasa Rao was an Indian poet, critic, translator and scholar, who is known for his poetry and prose works. He is noted for his significant contribution to Telugu and Sanskrit literature. In January 2021, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri in the Arts and Literature category. As Ashtavadhani, he has given 170 performances and has written and published 50 books across various genres. His most notable literary contribution is his performance of Avadhanam – a literary performance. He has received an honorary D Litt from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University and a Distinguished Teacher award from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh.