MODERN TELUGU LITERATURE

PERSPECTIVES AND PROSPECTS

 

PROF. G. SUNDARA REDDY

 

            The post-Independent era of Telugu Literature offers a rich variety of ideation, both self-motivated and borrowed, and thus encompasses global coverage of the economic, political and social spectrum, diligently attuned to the Indian milieu, and recording the transitional emphasis of the impact of the same. Even in such a situation, the original contributions of the Indian writers cannot be treated negligible in proportion just for the fact that they have adequately enriched the idiom and the style of their respective vernaculars.

 

            In Post-Independent era, owing to the exhilarating breeze of the freedom of thought and expression that curbed the ailing inhibitions, Indian thought had imbibed the contingent basic tenets of secularism, democracy and socialism from western ideology. To this phenomenon, Telugu literature is in no way an exception and its capacity for assimila­tion is in no degree inferior to that of any other Indian literature. The trial and pursuit of the Telugu literature in this direction are certainly deemed to be multi-dimensional, and constitute a terminal influence, on the nature of Telugu creative writings.

 

MUSEUM

 

            India is a museum of diverse cultures, castes and religions which exist together in harmony. Unity in diversity is the unique feature of this country. Again, there exist many off-shoots of these diverse religions, and thus India presents a panoramic view, complex structure with its breathtaking uniqueness. Foreigners have regarded it as a land of ‘myths and superstitions’ for a long time. This evocative complex culture of India has accordingly got its unique problems which compel, by the dictates of human law, the adoption of a policy of secularism, which alone can impart, unequivocally, equal significance to all the diverse traits of its complexity.

 

            Thus religion becomes purely a personal belief and practice, dissociated from the field of the public life and politics. The Indian constitution provided aptly for the secularisation of life, thus enhancing public participation in all the spheres of social action without any restrictions. Mahatma Gandhi emphasized the same, and with all his might, he endeavoured to forge a sustaining link between all these religious diversifications, allowing them to co-exist peacefully with no mutual jeopardy.

 

            In Telugu literature, the writings of Gurajada Appa Rao reflect the essence of the later day Gandhian ideology with great power and efficacy. His poetry breathes the spirit of patriotic fervour and social reform with its unmistakable accent upon secularism.

 

            Hand in hand, knit together,

            All the people should march.

            Like brothers, should all the

            castes and faiths behave.

            what matters if we differ in faith,

            If with like minds, people unite

            Nations thrive and flourish by

            themselves.

 

            Next to Gurajada, comes Duvvuri Rami Reddi and Joshua in their propagation of scularism, in their devout belief in religious harmony, and in their pleadings for the eradication of untouchability. Rami Reddi in his collection of poems Swatantra Ratha’ has spelt out the need for such a social setup. Joshua’s accent upon these themes is no less influential than Gurajada and Rami Reddi, and he presented/depicted a moving account of the sufferings of the downtrodden Harijans at the hands of the high-caste Hindus. His book entitled ‘Bat’ is nothing but a delineation of the multitudinous vagaries of class consciousness and its rigidity, along­side of their subsequent evils. The grandeur and the eloquence of tone in which Joshua presented are really heart-touching and sensational.

 

DISGUST

 

            Sabnavis Gurunath Rao in his poem ‘Repentance’ expresses his disgust with the rampant practice of untouchability, and he makes the high-caste Hindus grudgingly reform themselves on the auspicious day of ‘Siva Rathri’ in the temple of Lord Siva.

 

            Followed by Harijans

            Let us go to the shrine of Shiva

            Commingling like water and milk,

            Let us serve Him all the night.

 

            Secularism, as is understood to-day, makes its poetic debut in Sri Sri alone. In his poetry, he denounces all the blind beliefs and supersti­tions etched on the Indian mind, and enticingly invites them with all his poetic excellence to march together on the path of secularism and reli­gious tolerance. He has made his own following of progressive writers who have strongly refuted the tradition-bound conservatism and paro­chialism, that did not allow the Indian people to see the light of reason.

 

            The poets of the Digambara school further brought the same hatred and disgust to a climax and exhausted all their venom in their writings by lashing at the present systems of caste and religion. They published three volumes collectively. Jwalamukhi, one of the poets of the same school bursts out:

 

            I wish to outstrip the pangs

            Nursed by the bewitching logic of faiths.

            To slap the cheeks of the religious bigots.

Pinching their ears,

            And to show them at the navel of this global earth,

            The divine orchard of humanity

            cut down remorselessly by them.

 

and Cherabanda Raju, another poet of the same school explodes:

 

            Out of the bonding fetters of the

            blind beliefs,

            And out of the pretenses of the

            charlatan leaders,

            The blinders of the harassed

            people should themselves

            unfold.

 

            Telugu fiction also projects a rich and variegated crop of the same ideology in the same measure. The novel Malapalli of Unnava Lakshmi Narayana is an exposition of the problems of the Harijans. Muppala Ranganayakamma’s ‘Balipitham’ sufficiently gives out its tacit support for the wiping-out of the class oriented differences, and suggests that these man-created wedges can only disappear through inter-caste marriages.

 

            Several plays also deal with the same theme. Boyi Bhimanna in his two dramas ‘Paleru’ and ‘Padipotunna Addugodalu’ deals with the pestilent problem of untouchability. Narla Venkateswara Rao and Kodavaganti Kutumba Rao also contributed much in their writings of this new trend.

 

            The simplest and most effective definition of Democracy as de­fined by Abraham Lincoln, is that it is a Government of the people, by the people and for the people. After independence India opted for the democratic form of Government with the fervent hope that it would bring equality, liberty and plenty of fraternity to her people. Her hopes have been belied and the disillusioned. Telugu poets have registered their protest in pungent terms so as to create a stir in the people of these, Sri Sri, Arudra, Tilak, Narayana reddi, Vara Vara Rao, Vijayalaxmi and the poets of the Digambara school are prominent. Vijayalakshmi detests:

 

            No single drop of blood spilled out

            And the chant of non-violence

            showed at vigour

            The freedom dawned

            And the white Burra Sahibs made

            Their abrupt exit

            But the Black Burra Sahibs did

            not let us forget them by their ways.

 

            In Telugu fiction, Dr. G.V. Krishna Rao presented a gloomy picture of the evils of democracy in his ‘Keelu Bommalu’ and Gopichand in his’ ‘Asamarthuni Jivayathra’ harps along the same lines upon the meaninglessness and futility of the much exalted system.

 

            ‘Secularism’ gained wider currency since beginning of the 19th century but it had a long history having originated much earlier. Socialism as it is practised today has got manifold forms, but its essence has been left unruffled because of its basic tenets which bestow a solid firmness upon it, it has a definite, appealing tone, with its accent of a continuous change of the societal pattern. Its efficiency in replacing the antiquated systems of fascist and monarchical Governments. Its evocative stress upon the equality of every individual irrespective of his parental, political, economic or social affiliations and finally, its religious fervour in its approach.

 

HORROR

 

            Telugu literature has digested much of the novelty of socialism and endeavoured a lot of it to give a well-moulded expression of its philosophy alongside of a new style, which with all its propriety and decorum, enriched the whole diction of the Telugu language. Sri Sri ranks foremost among the poets who tried their hands in this direction. He had portrayed every mode of exploitation, distinct and indistinct, deeply rooted in the nature of an individual, and brought out their disastrous effects into light. He has championed the cause of the downtrodden and the rejected strata of the society by bringing to a sharp focus of their predicament and plight.

 

            Narayana Babu was no less prominent in the commitment to socialism and in a more vehement and heartrending tone, he gave vent to his horror at the unimaginable atrocities perpetrated by the ‘so called’ capitalists:

 

            The groan of the fallen.

            The shriek from the abyss

            with its shabby rhythm.

            Breaking the hearts

            Gave out its pathos

            With its dreadful appeal.

            To repeat the same and took inside

 

            Under the tutelage of these two poineers, the whole group of socialistic poets carried on their angry tirade against the capitalistic and, imperialistic tendencies prevailing in the society. Of these, Arudra, Dasarathi, Dr. C. Narayana Reddi, Sri Anisetti Subba Rao, Sri Eichuri Ramadas etc. are decisive influences in creating an entirely new trends and in giving it stability and grandeur. Although the Digambara poets profess the same ideology to a greater extent, their tone and mode of presentation and technique are different. The tendency of these poets is enough to differentiate them from the above-mentioned group of poets.

 

 

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