Dr. Boyi Bhimanna (19 September 1911 – 16 December 2005), transliterated alternatively as Bheemanna or Bheemana, was 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 ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
.
Early life
Bhimanna was born in a poor
Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
East Godavari
East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549.
In the Madras Pre ...
District of
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 ...
in 1911. He participated in the Quit India Movement. He wrote a book called "Gudiselu Kaalipothunnay
Writings
He was influenced by the teachings of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
and
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served a ...
. His writings reflected the angst of the down-trodden. He wore several hats such as that of a writer, poet, journalist and academician. He was a member of the senate of
Andhra University
Andhra University ( IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926.
History
King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest d ...
. He was the director of the Andhra Pradesh state translation division for some time.
He wrote in English, as well, and the work entitled ''Seventh Season'', a collection of his English poetry, was well-received. He wrote over seventy books in his career, with the work ''Gudiselu Kaalipothunnaayi'' (English:''The Huts are Burning'') being the most popular.
Bheemana written many literature works some of the most popular among them are ''Paleru, Janabaduni Jabulu, Dharmamkosam Poratam etc.''
Among all great literature works Paleru is the main icon which brought changes in many poor and dalit families. Many backward caste parents started joining their children in school for better and beautiful future.
Sahitya Akademi
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 ...
Puraskar
''Puraskar'' is a 1970 Bollywood action film. The film stars Joy Mukherjee and Farida Jalal.
Cast
*Abhi Bhattacharya ... Mr. Das / Mr. Dinanath
*Joy Mukherjee ... Rakesh
* I. S. Johar ... Sumesh
*Farida Jalal ... Reshma
* Helen... Rita
*F ...
for ''Gudiselu Kaalipothunnaayi'' in 1975. He was honoured by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
with the fourth and third highest civilian awards in the country, namely the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
and the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1973 and 2001, respectively.
Bhimanna was also awarded the title ''
Kala Prapoorna
Andhra University ( IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926.
History
King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest d ...
'' (honorary doctorate) by
Andhra University
Andhra University ( IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926.
History
King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest d ...
. From 1978 to 1984, he was a member of the
Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council or Andhra Pradesh Śāsana Manḍali is the upper house of the legislature of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the lower house being the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly It is situated in the s ...
.
He was awarded
Kala Ratna
The Kala Ratna ( te, కళారత్న) earlier Hamsa Award, is a civilian honour of the Andhra Pradesh state are conferred annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and is organised by the State Cultural Council and Department of Cultur ...
Award from Andhra Pradesh Government in 2003.
In 1992, Telugu University conferred a special award on him and in 1996, the state government awarded him the '' Atma Gauravam Puraskaram'' (English: Self-Respect Award).
Bhimanna also received the prestigious Raja-Lakshmi Literary Award from the
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 for the year 1991, as well as the Loknayak Award.
Death
He suffered from
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
and, after a period of ailment, died at the
Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences
Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) is a public hospital located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India and is named after its founder – the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad– and was inaugurated by Princess Durreshehvar
It is an Institute under St ...