Cherabanda Raju

Last updated

Cherabanda Raju (1944 - 2 July 1982 [1] ) was a revolutionary poet, novelist, and songwriter, who wrote in the Telugu language. [2] He was one of the six poets who were known for their Digambara (naked) Poetry [3] that flourished during the mid-1960s in Andhra Pradesh. [4]

Contents

Early life

Raju, whose real name was Baddam Bhaskara Reddy, was born into a farming family in Ankusapuram village of Nalgonda district in 1944. Chera, as he was endearingly called by his friends, was influenced by the literary works of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore during his formative years. Even the legendary poet Sri Sri derived a lot of inspiration from him and dedicated his most popular anthology of poems Maha Prasthanam to Chera.

Political life

Cherabanda Raju was a teacher by profession and held a degree in Oriental Literature. His literary works include Ganjineellu, Nippurallu, Gamyam, Kattipaata, Diksoochi, Muttadi and Kaanti Yuddham. He, through his poetry, advocated the betterment of the oppressed classes such as Dalits and peasants and fought for their rights. After the Digambara School of poetry had lost steam and became a spent force, he cofounded Virasam (Viplava Rachayitala Sangham) along with other revolutionary poets such as Varavara Rao, Sri Sri, Kutumba Rao and Ramana Reddy, and continued his poetic journey. [5] [6]

During his lifetime he was harassed by law enforcement agencies, implicated in many cases and jailed. While serving prison sentence his health deteriorated and he died of brain tumor at the age of 38.

Related Research Articles

Telugu language Dravidian language

Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It stands alongside Hindi and Bengali as one of the few languages with primary official language status in more than one Indian state. Telugu is also an official language in the Yanam district of Puducherry and a linguistic minority in the states of Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is one of six languages designated a classical language of India by the country's government.

Sri Sri (writer)

Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Sri Sri, was an Indian poet and lyricist who is known for his works in Telugu literature and films. Noted for his anthology Maha Prasthanam, Sri Sri is a recipient of a National Film Award, a Nandi Award and a Sahitya Akademi Award.

Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognised languages.

C. Narayana Reddy

Cingireddi Narayana Reddy was an Indian Telugu-language poet and writer. Reddy had produced over eighty literary works including poems, prose-plays, lyrical plays, translations, and ghazals. He was also a professor, lyricist, actor, and politician.

Reddi Kingdom Historical kingdom in India

The Reddy kingdom or Kondavidu Reddy kingdom was established in southern India by Prolaya Vema Reddy. The region that was ruled by the Reddy dynasty is now part of modern-day coastal and central Andhra Pradesh. Prolaya Vema Reddy was part of the confederation that started a movement against the invading Turkic armies of the Delhi Sultanate in 1325 and succeeded in repulsing them from Warangal.

Telugu literature

Telugu literature is the body of works written in the Telugu language. It consists of poems, short stories, novels, plays, and song lyrics, among others. There is some indication that Telugu literature dates at least to the middle of the first millennium, the first extant works are from the 11th century when the Mahabharata was first translated to Telugu from Sanskrit by Nannaya. The language experienced a golden age under the patronage of the Vijayanagara king-poet Krishnadevaraya.

Pothana

Bammera Pothana (1450–1510) was an Indian Telugu poet best known for his translation of the Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit to Telugu. He was a Telugu and Sanskrit Scholar. His work, Sri Maha Bhagavatamu, is popularly called as Pothana Bhagavatam in Telugu.

Allasani Peddana

Allasani Peddana was a famous Telugu poet and was ranked as the foremost of the Ashtadiggajalu, the title for the group of eight poets in the court of King Krishnadevaraya, a ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Pingali Suranna was a Telugu poet and was one of the Astadiggajas.

Telugu cinema Indian Telugu language film industry

Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, a neighbourhood of Hyderabad, India. The nickname Tollywood is a portmanteau of the words Telugu and Hollywood.

Varavara Rao Indian communist writer (born 1940)

Varavara Rao is an Indian activist, poet, teacher, and writer from Telangana, India.He is an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence and has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Tank Bund Road

The Tank Bund Road is a road in Secunderabad, Hyderabad and it connects khairatabad, bhoiguda, kavadiguda areas. The Tank Bund dams Hussain Sagar Lake on the eastern side and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It has become an attraction with 33 statues of famous Telugu people.

<i>Alluri Seetarama Raju</i> (film) 1974 film

Alluri Seetarama Raju is a 1974 Indian Telugu-language biographical action film directed by V. Ramachandra Rao from a screenplay by Maharadhi Tripuraneni. Starring Krishna, Vijaya Nirmala and Jaggayya, the film is produced by Padmalaya Studios marking the 100th film of Krishna. The film depicts the life of Alluri Sitarama Raju, an Indian revolutionary, who is known for his role in the Rampa Rebellion of 1922–24. Alluri, with a band of farmers, tribal leaders and other sympathizers, fought an armed rebellion against the British Raj who violated their land rights and used them for forced labour.

Paryavarana Kavitodyamam is a 21st century Telugu-language environmental literary movement. There are many literary movements in Andhra Pradesh during pre independence period. These movements were mainly on Indian independence and freedom struggle. After independence, it has turned to social issues and disparities time to time. Feminism and Dalit rights were the issues in late 20th century. Now 21st century is the period for Environment Poetry Movement in Telugu literature. This is called Paryavarana Kavitodyamam and it is the need of the hour. This paper explains how Paryavarana Kavitodyamam is bringing new trends in Telugu literature during 2008–2009 with the brief history of earlier literary movements.

Jandhyala Papayya Sastry was an eminent Telugu writer and lyricist. He was popularly known as Karunasri because his writings expressively show compassion, one of the nine Rasas. His famous kavyas include Pushpa Vilapam and Kunthi Kumari.

I. Panduranga Rao

Ilapavuluri Panduranga Rao was an Indian scholar, poet, writer, linguist and orator of Telugu descent.

Nandini Sidda Reddy

Nandini Sidda Reddy is a teacher, writer, poet, songwriter and social activist from the state of Telangana, India. He is known for promoting Telugu culture. Several of his songs have been featured in Telegu language films. He was one of the leaders of the Telangana movement to make Telangana a separate state from Andhra Pradesh, which took place in 2014. He was the first president of the Telangana Sahitya Akademi.

Asavadi Prakasarao is 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.

References

  1. Vaḍali Mandēśvararāvu (1998). Modern Poetry in Telugu. V. Mandeswara Rao. p. 43.
  2. "Showcasing great Telugu literature". The Hans India. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  3. Datta, Amaresh (2005). Encyclopedia of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 1043–1044. ISBN   978-81-260-1194-0.
  4. "Revolutionary poet Jwalamukhi". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. Balagopal, K (1982). "OBITUARY- Cherabanda Raju". Economic & Political Weekly. 17: 1188–89.
  6. D'Mello, Bernard (23 July 2018). India after Naxalbari: Unfinished History. NYU Press. ISBN   978-1-58367-708-7.