Mala is a Telugu caste from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are also present in smaller numbers in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. They are classified as a Scheduled Caste (SC) by the Government of India. According to 2001 census data, Malas constituted 41.6 percent of the Scheduled Castes population in the then state of Andhra Pradesh, which also included the present state of Telangana.
Gurram Jashuva was a Telugu poet. He is legendary figure in the Telugu literary world. With his immense wisdom and through the struggle he faced due to the caste-based discrimination, Jashuva wrote his poetry with a universal approach. He was called the "Poet of the Millennium" for his timeless pieces of poetry and literature.
Reddy is a Hindu caste predominantly found in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in South India. They are classified as a forward caste.
Dravida Brahmins, or simply Dravidulu, are Hindu brahmins and a sub-caste of the Telugu Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh in South India, who migrated from Tamil-speaking regions. They are further divided into sub-sects based on the places where they have settled such as Aaraama Dravidulu, Pudur Dravidulu, Konaseema Dravidulu, Peruru Dravidulu, Tummagunta Dravidulu and Dimili Dravidulu. They are primarily categorized as the Saiva Brahmins or followers of Shiva.
Kapu is a Hindu caste primarily found in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kapus are classified as a Forward caste, and are a community of land-owning agriculturists. Historically, they also served as military generals (Nayakas) and warriors in Hindu kingdoms such as the Vijayanagara Empire. Kapus are a dominant caste of Andhra Pradesh. They are primarily present in Coastal Andhra, with a major concentration in the Godavari-Krishna delta region. Kapus commonly use the title Naidu.
Madhunapantula Satyanarayana Sastry is one of the most eminent personalities in pure Telugu literature of recent times. He lived in Rajahmundry in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh of South India. His magnum opus is Andhra Puranam. He was awarded the Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi Award for this work.
Kethu Viswanatha Reddy, also known as Ketu Visvanathareddi, was an Indian short story writer, novelist, and essayist. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu in 1996 for his short story Kethu Viswanatha Reddy Kathalu.
Arun Krushnaji Kamble was an Indian Marathi language writer, professor, Politician, and Dalit activist. Arun Kamble, President and one of the founding members of Dalit Panthers of India, worked as a Head of Marathi department at University of Mumbai. He was the National General Secretary of Janata Dal. He took many major decisions in favour of Dalit, Backward Class and Minorities.
Dalit literature is a genre of Indian writing that focuses on the lives, experiences, and struggles of the Dalit community over centuries, in relation to caste-based oppression and systemic discrimination. This literary genre encompasses various Indian languages such as Marathi, Bangla, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Sindhi, Odia and Tamil and includes narrative-styles like poems, short stories, and autobiographies. The movement started gaining influence during the mid-twentieth-century in independent India and has since spread across various Indian languages.
Karamchedu massacre refers to an incident that occurred in Karamchedu, Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh on 17 July 1985, where brutality by Kamma landlords against Madigas (Dalits) resulted in the killing of six Madigas and grievous injuries to many others. Three Madiga women were raped. Hundreds of Madigas in the village were displaced from their home & killed after their houses were burnt and looted.
Kolakaluri Enoch is an Indian writer, teacher, and former Vice Chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2014, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of literature.
K. Varalakshmi is a Telugu short story writer.
Lakshmanayyar Rama Swamy is an author, translator and short story writer from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. His work "Sufi Cheppina Katha" got the Sahitya Academy Award for Telugu Translation of Malayalam Novel "Sufi Paranja Katha" written by KP Ramanunni for the year 2015.
Bojja Tharakam was an Indian poet, writer, social and political activist and a human rights advocate. Tharakam was a lawyer in the Andhra Pradesh State High Court, fighting against the problems that Dalits have had to confront.
Dr. Papineni Sivasankar, a doyen of Modern Literature in Telugu, recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, 2016 is an Indian poet, short story writer, and critic.
K Siva Reddy is a Telugu poet from India who won Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu, 1996 for his Poetry work Mohana-O-Mohana and was awarded the Saraswati Samman in 2018 for his poetry collection Pakkaki Ottigilite.
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 Telugu 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 Chairman of the Telangana Sahitya Akademi.
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.
Velcheru Narayana Rao is an Indian author, critic, and literary translator. He is a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the Department of South Asian Studies. His work is primarily focused on Telugu literature for which he received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by Sahitya Akademi, in February 2021.
