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Srirangam Srinivasa Rao (30 April 1910 – 15 June 1983), popularly known as Sri Sri, was an Indian poet and lyricist who is known for his works in
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 ...
literature and films. Noted for his anthology '' Maha Prasthanam'', Sri Sri is a recipient of a
National Film Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...
, a
Nandi Award The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
and a
Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
. He was a member of Pen India,
Sahitya Academy The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
, vice-president of the South Indian Film Writers Association, Madras and president of the Revolutionary Writers Association of Andhra.


Life

Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Sri Sri, was born in a
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 ...
family on 30 April 1910 in
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 Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
of present-day
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 ...
. His parents were Pudipeddi Venkatramaniah and Atappakonda but was later adopted by Srirangam Suryanarayana. Sri Sri was schooled at Vishakhapatnam, and graduated in BA at
University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
in 1931. He started as a demonstrator at SVS College, Vizag in 1935 and joined as sub-editor at the daily, ''
Andhra Prabha ''Andhra Prabha'' - ''Journalism first'' is a Telugu language daily newspaper of India sold mostly in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The newspaper is one of the oldest running Telugu-language daily newspapers of India. The newspaper ...
'' in 1938. He later worked at Delhi Akashavani, The State of Hyderabad, and the daily ''Andhra Vani'', in various positions. He later married Sarojini, with whom he had a son and three daughters, whose names were Mala Srinivasarao, Venkat Srinivasarao, Manjula Srinivasarao, Mangala Srinivasarao.


Literary career


Srirangam Srinivasa Rao
was the first true modern Telugu poet to write about contemporary issues that affected the day-to-day life of a common man in a style and metre which were not used in classical Telugu poetry. He moved poetry forward from traditional mythological themes to reflect more contemporary issues. The essence of his personality was captured by
Gudipati Venkatachalam Gudipati Venkatachalam (1894–1979), popularly known as Chalam, was an Indian Telugu-language writer and philosopher. He was considered to be one of the most influential personalities in modern Telugu literature. Most of Chalam's work was reg ...
when he compared him with the great romantic Telugu poet
Devulapalli Krishnasastri Devulapalli Krishnasastri (1 November 1897 – 24 February 1980) was a Telugu poet, playwright and translator known for his works in Telugu literature and Telugu cinema. He is known as ''Andhra Shelley''. In 1976, Krishnasastri was honoured wit ...
: “While Krishna Sastry made his anguish known to the whole world, Sri Sri spoke in his voice about the anguish of the whole world. Krishna Sastry's pain was the pain of the world, while the world's pain became Sri Sri's pain.” His book '' Maha Prasthanam'' (The Great Journey), an anthology of poems, is one of his major works. In one of the poems, "Jagannathuni Ratha Chakralu", Sri Sri addressed those who were suffering due to social injustices and said, "Don't cry, don't cry. The wheels of the chariot of Jagannath are coming; they are coming! The apocalyptic chant of the chariot wheels! Come, realize your dreams Rule your new world!" "Other major works include ''Siprali'' and ''Khadga Srushti'' ("Creation of the Sword").


Telugu cinema

He entered into Telugu cinema with Ahuti (1950), a Telugu-dubbed version of Junnarkar's ''Neera aur Nanda'' (1946). Some of the songs, such as "Hamsavale O Padava", "Oogisaladenayya", "Premaye jannana marana leela", scored by Saluri Rajeswara Rao, were major hits. Sri Sri was a screenwriter for several
Telugu film Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
s. He was one of the best film songwriters in India, he has penned lyrics for over 1000 soundtracks in Telugu. He was a great asset to the Telugu film industry.


Literary style

He is a major radical poet (e.g. Prabhava) and novelist (e.g. Veerasimha Vijayasimhulu). He introduced
free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French '' vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Defi ...
into his socially concerned poetry through Maha Prasthanam. He wrote visionary poems in a style and metre not used before in Telugu classical poetry. According to Viplava Rachayitala Sangham leader G. Kalyan Rao, Sri Sri was a scientist, a thinker and a philosopher. Maoist ideologue and writer Varavara Rao opined that Sri Sri not only wrote poetry but also practiced what he said.


Work for human rights

Sri Sri was the first President of Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee that was formed in 1974.


Awards and recognitions


National honours

*
Sahithya Academy Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
– 1972 *Soviet Land Nehru Award


Film awards

*
National Film Award for Best Lyrics The National Film Award for Best Lyrics (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) to a lyricist who has composed the best song for films produced within the In ...
''Alluri Seetarama Raju'' for "Telugu Veera Levara" – 1974 *
Nandi Award for Best Lyricist The following is a list of recipients of the Nandi Award for Best Lyricist commissioned since 1977: Winners References {{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Lyricist Lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of ...
– ''
Neti Bharatam ''Neti Bharatam'' is a 1983 film written and directed by T. Krishna and produced by Eetharam Films. It is a musical hit film promoting liberal ideals. Lyrics for the songs were penned by revolutionary poet Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, Adrushta Deep ...
'' – "Ardha Raatri Swatantram Andhakara Bandhuram" – 1983


Other honours

* Raja-Lakshmi Award in 1979 by
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 ...
in Chennai


Bibliography

* Prabhava (1928) * Vaaram Vaaram (1946) * Sampangi Thota (1947) * Maha Prasthanam (1950) * Amma ( 1952) * Meemee (1954) * Maro Prapancham (1956) * Three Cheers for Man (1956) * Charama Raathri (1957) * Maanavudi Paatlu (1958) * Sowdamini * Gurajada (1959) * Moodu Yebhailu (1964) * Khadga Srushti (1966) * Views and Reviews (1969) * Sri Sri Sahityam (5 volumes) (1970) * Sri Sri's Minnelani (1970) * Rekka Vippina Revolution (1971) * Vyasa Kreedalu (1973) * Maro Moodu Yabhailu (1974) * China Yaanam (1980) * Maro Prasthanam (1980) * Mahaa Prasthanam (1981) * Paadavoyi Bharateeyuda (1983) * New Frontiers (1983) * Anantam * Pra-Ja


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sri, Sri 1910 births 1983 deaths Indian lyricists Indian atheists Telugu-language lyricists Telugu poets Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu 20th-century Indian poets University of Madras alumni Indian Marxists Writers from Visakhapatnam Indian male poets Indian Marxist writers Poets from Andhra Pradesh Best Lyrics National Film Award winners People from Visakhapatnam People from Uttarandhra