Telugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family, and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of the six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the 14th most spoken native language in the world. Modern Standard Telugu is based on the dialect of erstwhile Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Coastal Andhra.
Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Ancient Meitei, Modern Meitei, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi and Urdu among other prominent languages. Poetry in foreign languages such as English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. As of April 2023, it has a total of 1,253 schools in India, and three abroad in Kathmandu, Moscow and Tehran. It is one of the world's largest chains of schools and also the largest chain of schools in India. It is controlled by 25 Regional Offices and 05 ZIETs under KVS (HQ).
Cingireddi Narayana Reddy, popularly known as CiNaRe, was an Indian Telugu-language poet, writer, and critic. He had produced over eighty literary works including poems, prose-plays, lyrical plays, translations, and ghazals. He was also a professor, film lyricist, actor, and Rajya Sabha politician. He also served as the Vice Chancellor of Telugu University.
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 has experienced a golden age under the patronage of the Vijayanagara Emperor-Poet Krishnadevaraya.
Palkuriki Somanatha was one of the most noted Telugu language writers of the 12th or 13th century. He was also an accomplished writer in the Kannada and Sanskrit languages and penned several classics in those languages. He was a Veerashaiva a follower of the 12th century social reformer Basava and his writings were primarily intended to propagate this faith. He was a well acclaimed Shaiva poet. The trio of Nanne Choda, Mallikarjuna Panditaradhya and Palkuriki Somanatha are referred as Śivakavitrayam. These trio along with Piduparthi poets and Yathavakkula Annamayya pioneered Veera Saiva movement in Andhra region.
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.
Hyderabad Literary Festival or HLF is a literary festival held in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is a 3-day annual event that celebrates creativity in all its forms. Every year has a guest nation, and an Indian language in focus.
Vemulawada Bhima alias 'Vemulawada Bheemakavi' was a hugely popular Telugu poet for his style of poetry and is considered to be a demi-god for his powers.
Rallabandi Kavitha Prasad was an Indian poet and Avadhani. He performed over 500 'Avadhanams,' which include satavadhanam and dvisatavadhanam. Additionally, he has showcased his mastery in various avadhanas, such as navarasavadhanam and astadasavadhanam, among others. He achieved a Doctor of Philosophy from Osmania University through a rigorous exploration of the topic titled "Avadhana Vidya - Aaramba Vikaasaalu." He was known by the title, "Avadhana RaaRaaju". He is survived by wife Nagini Devi and sons Ramakoteswara Raju and Samvaran Kashyap.
Sunkireddy Narayana Reddy is a poet, writer, researcher and a retired principal from Nalgonda, India who is the author of the books like Mattadi, Ganuma, Mungili, and Telangana Charitra. He won the B.N. Sastry award and an award in the "Litterateurs" category on the occasion of the first formation day of Telangana state. His book "Telangana Charitra" is now included in the syllabus for M.A. History and Group II.
N. Gopi is an eminent Indian poet, and literary critic in Telugu and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient. He has also been in the University system as a professor and Dean since 1974, until retiring in 2008. He has also held the post of the Vice Chancellor of Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad. Gopi's poetry displays nativity and a national outlook.
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.
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.
Viswambhara is a 1980 Telugu-language philosophical long poem by C. Narayana Reddy. It is written in free verse and was an outcome of Narayana Reddy's meditation on the meaning and mystery of human existence. It deals with the theme of universal brotherhood and the quest of man for the meaning of life and of the nature of the universe.
