Garikipati Narasimha Rao is an Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

Avadhani Avadhānaṃ is a literary performance popular from the very ancient days in India. Avadhānaṃ originated as a Sanskrit literary process and is revived in modern times by poets in Telugu primarily. It involves the partial improvisation of poems u ...

(literary performer) from

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Avadhanis are respected for their abilities to spin out verses conforming to Telugu grammar on literally any subject that audience may throw at them, as a challenge. In 1996 he performed Avadhanam with 1116 ''Pruchchakas or Pricchakas'' for 21 days in

Kakinada Kakinada (List of renamed places in India, formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the List of cities in Andhra Pradesh by population, sixth largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra P ...

. He also delivers lectures on personality development based on Dharmic culture and way of life. He regularly appears on Telugu TV channels like SVBC,

Bhakti TV Bhakthi TV is the first 24-hour satellite devotional TV channel in Telugu which caters to people of Hinduism. It is one of the most prominent devotional channels of both Telugu speaking States which are Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Narendr ...

, and

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giving discourses on Ancient Hindu texts like Bhagavadgita Balavikaasam,

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

, and

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

. In 2022, he was awarded India's fourth-highest

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Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

by the

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Personal life

Rao was born on 14 September 1958 to the couple Venkata Surya Narayana and Venkata Ramanamma. He married Sarada who is from East Godavari, Annavaram. He named his two sons Sri Sri and Gurajada. His elder son was named after great telugu poet Srirangam Srinivasarao, has completed his Hotel management and working as a General manager. His younger son Gurajada who was named after great Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao, has pursued his Master's, M.Phil. and PhD in Telugu at university of Hyderabad. As a motivational and spiritual speaker, Dr. Gurajada has delivered over 200 lectures across Telugu states.

Career

Rao started performing

Avadhanam Avadhānaṃ is a literary performance popular from the very ancient days in India. Avadhānaṃ originated as a Sanskrit literary process and is revived in modern times by poets in Telugu primarily. It involves the partial improvisation of poems us ...

s in the year 1972. He has conducted more than 288

avadhanam Avadhānaṃ is a literary performance popular from the very ancient days in India. Avadhānaṃ originated as a Sanskrit literary process and is revived in modern times by poets in Telugu primarily. It involves the partial improvisation of poems us ...

s, including ''Dvigunita Avadhanam'' at

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

for the American Telugu Association in 2002. Rao is known for his

Dhāraṇā ''Dhāraṇā'' () is translated as "collection or concentration of the mind (joined with the retention of breath)", or "the act of holding, bearing, wearing, supporting, maintaining, retaining, keeping back (in remembrance), a good memory", or "f ...

(memorising and reciting), which is a key requirement for performing Avadhanams. On 26 November 2018, while at Koti Deepotsavam Stage, Rao emotionally announced that very soon he will retire from discoursing pravachanams and public speeches after completing already accepted projects, in order to attain inner peace and enlightenment but later he changed his decision per public requests and to help and activate the society through his way of speeches.

Literary works

* Sagara Ghosha (Padya Kavyam) () * Mana Bharatam (padya kavyam ) * Bashpa guccham (padya kavita samputi) * pallavi (songs) * Mahasahasravadhanam * Dwi satavadhanam * Dharadharana * Kavitakhandika satavadhanam * Moukhika sahityam (parisodhana) * Pillala bommala Telugu nighantuvu * Maa Amma (padyalu) * Avadhana satakam (2 Vol) * Vaikunthapali * Ishta Daivam * Vyaktitva Deepam * Ocean Blues (English version of Sagara Ghosha

Awards

* He received Loknayak Foundation Award on 18 January 2016. * "Gurajada Samskritika Samakhya", a literary organization honored him with "Gurajada Visishta Puraskar" in November 2016. *

Ramineni Foundation Awards The Ramineni Foundation was founded in 1995 by the children of the late Ramineni Ayyanna Choudary in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA for the purpose of protecting and promoting the monumental heritage of Indian culture and the ideals of Hinduism. In addi ...

in 2018. *

in 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Garikipati Narasimha 1958 births Living people People from West Godavari district Telugu writers Television personalities from Andhra Pradesh Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Telugu poets Indian Hindus