There are n't all many entries to my disappointment. Hope next time there
'll be more active participation.
The winner is Sri Jampala, missing just one; i.e. the first, question and
wins an audio tape with "exclusive/very difficult to get" Telugu film and
non-film songs.
Here are the answers:
> 1. The first auto-biography by a Telugu?
The word "sweeya charitra" (Auto-biography) was first used by gurajaaDa
Srirama Murthy in the last decade of the 19th century and came under
criticism from Kasibhatta Brahmayya Sastri, saying that it should read
"swakeeya charitra" or "sauva charitra" or "swa charitra". Inspite of the
objections by Kasibhatta and others the word got established in Telugu.
There are certain examples in Telugu literature where poets did narrate about
themselves in the form of poems, but these can't be considered as
auto-biographies, but a part of the "kaavya rachana".
Anyhow, coming to my first question, its vennelakanTi subbaaraavu
(1784-1839), the first Telugu to have penned his own story. It was published
in 1872 under the title: _A life and journal of Vennelakanti Subbarao_. He
worked those days as translator/interpreter in the Madras Court and twice
travelled entire India.
This book was translated by Dr. Akkiraju Ramapatirao in 1976 under the title:
_vennelakanTi subbaaraavu jeevayaatra charitra_. Also I highly recommend
another title from Akkiraju; _telugulO sweeyacharitralu_.
> 2. The first auto-biography by a Telugu in Telugu?
kandukoori (1848-1919) veerESalingam's _sweeyacharitramu_ (ca. 1910).
> 3. The first journal (patrika) in Telugu? For bonus points :-) name the
> first three journals!
vaarta yandu jagamu vartiluchunnadi
yadiyu lEninaaDu yakhila janulu
andhakaara magnulaguduru gaavuna
vaarta nirvahimpa valayu batiki
--bhaaratam
I admit that its a controversial question. _satyadoota_ is conisdered to be
the first, but sofar no copies of this news paper could be found. But, if its
first published in 1835, as claimed by some, then its certainly not the
first.
Its _Madras Chronicle_, established in 1833 by A. Vadisaiva,
T. Visakha Parukalayya, T. Samanna Perumalayya and Constantin Sampi.
The second news paper in Telugu was _vRttaantini_ under the editorship of
Mandigala Venkatrayasastri, published between 1838 and 1842.
_vartamaana tarangiNi_ by Puvvada Venkatarao followed it immediately; i.e.
from June 8th 1842 onwards.
Many guessed its either _kRshNaa patrika_ (muTnoori kRshNaaraavu) or _aandhra
patrika_ (kaaSeenaathuni naagESwararaavu), but both these came much, much
later, in the first decade of this century.
Tirumala Ramachandra's _telugu patrikala saahitya sEva_ contains good amount
of information. And also K. Natarajan's _History of Indian Journalism_, 1955
is a good reading.
> 4. The first "printed" matter/book in Telugu script (lipi)? In which year?
C. P. Brown in the foreword to his Tel-Eng. dict. writes:
"Among the Telugus printing commenced about the 1806 but made little progress
until 1830".
Sri Ari Sitaramayya already provided the answer in his recent posting. I
quote (however it was n't a book but pamphlets):
The first book printed in Telugu script came from a press in Magdeburg in
Prussia (was in East Germany, now Germany). Five titles in all were
printed from there in 1746-47 by Father Benjamin Schultz. Two of the titles
were "Satyamiina vedam lo unde jnana upadesala yokka samkshemam" and "nooru
jnana vachanalu." Copies of these books are preserved in the library of
Srirampur Mission College near Calcutta.
It took nearly six decades till the first work was printed in Telugu in
India. It was in 1807 and the venue was the afore mentioned Srirampur
missionary in Calcutta (also it simultaneously started in Madras). The
first printing blocks were made by Panchanan and Manohar between 1800 and
1804.
Probably its Enugula Viraswamy's _kaaSee yaatra charitra_, the first
published non-missionary book in Telugu, published in ~1830. I was told that
this book is reprinted recently. Vishwanath Vadlamani even quoted a few
excerpts from it a while ago on SCIT.
For detailed information, pl. refer to:
J. Mangamma's: _Book printing in India : with special reference to the
contribution of European scholars to Telugu, 1746-1857_
Published by
C. P. Brown Research Project, S.V. University, 1975.
AND
J. Mangamma's chapter in:
_Studies in the history of Telugu journalism; presented to
V. R. Narla on the occasion of his shashTyaabdapoorti.
Ed. by K. R. Seshagiri Rao, 1968.
This 2nd title also gives valuable information related to Q 3.
5. The first drama/play (naaTakam) in Telugu? Whos the author?
Here I apologize for not formulating my question precisely. I meant the
"modern" drama here. Anyhow, I 'll give more detailed information about the
earliest plays in a later post, as I have to leave now. Here is the answer to
the above question:
Its Korada Ramachandra Sastri's _manjaree madhukareeyam_, written in 1860,
but published in 1908.
Regards,
Sreenivas