HAIL TO
THEE....
K. V. Rama Rao
Hail to Thee blessed Master, Sri Veeresalinga
You were no ordinary teacher!
You taught thro’ example, not thro’ percept.
You welcomed noble thoughts from East and West;
And bludgeoned the Demon of Evil left and right.
You are a great soul, yea, greater than many.
At the touch of Lord Ram one stone turned into woman;
You transformed many stony lives into happy careers.
Wilted buds blossomed into bright flowers in
thine ‘Ananda Garden’
and the pall of widowhood lifted from many a young head
and the smile of joy broke rainbow-like on their radiant foreheads.
Lord Krishna waged one Mahabharat war!
Who can describe the mighty wars you fought
against corruption illiteracy and ignorance?
Hail to thee, undaunted spirit, Sri Veeresalinga.
Jesus gave his body as ransom for the sins of others.
You were a martyr every minute of your life –
You gave your body, you gave your abode,
You gave your time, wealth and wisdom
in the service of the depressed and the down trodden.
You were a greater Mahatma.
till now unhonoured and unsung!
Accept this my humble song-offering.
You were a multi-faceted gem, my father,
A great master of prose, you pioneered
many new genres in our mother tongue.
You inspired students and made them warriors;
You saw the safety of the nation in education of women;
Your prophetic vision clearly saw the futility
of mere political democracy;
And then you set to work in the right field - to
sow seeds of wisdom in society.
An Apostle of Reason, you ever listened to the voice of God.
The words of the Gitacharya are fulfilled in Thee -
“Yada yada hi dharmasya
glanirbhavati, Bharata
Abhyutthana madharmasya, tadatmanam Srijamyaham”.
Yes, Sir, Thou wert God-incarnate!
Can thou be less than an avatar?
Mighty Spirit hidden in a frail frame
so that people may not identify thee easily!
We bow at thy feet. Accept our adoration.
(A poem rendered at the “Kavisammelanam” in honour of Sri Kandukuri Veeresalingam, 28th November, 1998)