Dr.Pappu Venugopala Rao (born 30 June 1948) is a well-known Indian educationist and renowned
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
. He specializes in Telugu and Sanskrit literature. He is also a writer and has written on varied subjects such as Music, Culture and spiritual subjects.
Early life
''Pappu'' as he is fondly known was born in
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is a city and the headquarters of Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is central Eastern Ghats, about west of the Bay of Bengal and north-northeast of Visakhapatnam. The city has a population of 228,02 ...
, Andhra Pradesh. He has post graduated in English, Telugu and Sanskrit Literature from
M. R. College, Vizianagaram. He earned his doctorate in Telugu and Sanskrit.
Career
Pappu Venugopal Rao began his career as a Lecturer in Telugu at Mrs.AVN College,
Visakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...
. Since 1980 he had been working with the
American Institute of Indian Studies
The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), founded in 1961, is a consortium of 90 universities and colleges in the United States that promotes the advancement of knowledge about India in the U.S. It carries out this purpose by: awarding fello ...
and retired as its Associate Director General for the Southern Indian region during 2008. He is presently the organisation's Consultant.
He is actively involved in research activities in Carnatic Music and Dance songs. He has delivered several lectures and presentations on the subject.
Dr.Pappu Venugopala Rao is also a book reviewer for the newspaper
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
and a contributing editor to
Sruti Magazine.
Cultural
* Performed
'Ashtavadhanam' about twenty times in Telugu and Sanskrit languages.
* Delivered about 50 Lecture Demonstrations on various topics on Music &
Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...
Dance with
Vempati Chinna Satyam
Vempati Chinna Satyam (15 October 1929 – 29 July 2012) was an Indian dancer and a guru of the Kuchipudi dance form.
Chinna Satyam was born in a brahmin family at Kuchipudi, Andhra Pradesh. He was taught by Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Sastry ...
in India and abroad.
* Delivered about 100 lectures on literature.
Dance Dramas
Sexual Harassment Allegation
On October 23 2017, Rao’s name figured on a list of ‘alleged sexual offenders from academia’ released online by US-based law student Raya Sarkar. She published 69 names, inviting criticism from some quarters on taking activism to levels of absurdity.
On 17 November 2017, The secretary of Madras Music Academy, Pappu Venugopala Rao, resigned from his post. Ever since, there has been much speculation around his resignation — while some say it was an impending decision, some believe it has to do with the fact that his name appears on a list of sexual harassers and offenders from academia.
Pappu Venugopal Rao however has denied all allegations against him.
Books published
12. Nritta Ratnavali book released in 2013 by Dr.Pappu Venugopala Rao & co authored by Dr. Yasoda.
Awards
* Dr.K.V.Rao & Dr.Jyoti Rao Award in association with
Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation
The Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation is an Indian charitable trust that promotes arts, sciences, literature, medicine, journalism, humanities and other intellectual pursuits and to honour distinguished persons in these fields. Established in 1979 in C ...
and the Telugu Fine Arts Society, New Jersey, USA.
Titles:
* Aasukavi Sekhara conferred by Prof. S.V.Jogarao
* Kalavipanchi
* Sangeetha Saastra Visaarada
* Sangeeta Saastra Siromani
* Ashtavadhaana Sekhara
Reference list
Newspaper article links
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Dr.Pappu Venugopala Rao's Official WebsiteFlowers at his feet Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Pappu Venugopala
Indian musicologists
Indian spiritual writers
Living people
1948 births
Musicians from Andhra Pradesh
People from Vizianagaram