ANDHRA & 50 years of India's Independence - #1
PALANA (nparinand@cas.org)
Mon, 17 Feb 1997 12:44:13 -0500
This is 1997 and we are all galloping towards the 21st centry.
Fifty years (half-a-century) have already been buried in the time capsule.
Surprise but true! The Independent India is 50 years old.
You see celebrations everywhere backhome. Several generations of freedom
fighters have been in peace castles under 6 feet of mud. In Nehru's words
it was - "Tryst with Destiny". Even though, a separate Andhra State came into
political existence after India attained Independence, the real freedom
fighters of everlasting Andhra Desa, had been involved with the patriotic
battle for independent India since the early 1800.
Like every revolution in the world, struggle for Indian Independce in Andhra
was nurtured to a large extent by the intellectuals and especially by
writers/scholars. Telugu Writers/Literary Scholars played a vital role in
India's struggle for Freedom. This is what I am going to highlight in this
series. I am not going to discuss and bring out intellectual
guesses/discussions out of gone days of freedom struggle; on the flip side
of the coin, I would like to bring the dormanant, dark shadow-casted, and
dirt-covered History of Telugu Literature During the Days of India's
Independence Movement aimed at Freeing the then Mother India in British
Chains (of course the chains were made in India).
While cruising through the rugged highways of Freedom Struggle Telugu
Literature, we may come across several
poets/writers/speakers/journalists/story tellers/burrakadha
writers-singers/jAnapada writers-singers etc. This is a hair-raising
experience for me while compiling/collecting/reading such history.
I will be providing brief accounts of History wherever needed.
But, my main emphasis will be on Freedom Struggle Telugu Literature.
Before I start the series, I would like to open with Sri Garimella
Satyanarayana's messages (both in English and Telugu) while he was arrested
in 1922 at Madras. Do you recall the eternally echoing emotional patriotic
song written by Sri Garimella - mAkoddI tella doratanamu? That is it.
This Garimella's mAkoddI tella doratanamu was sung throughout Andhra and
awakened every Telugu creature including that was life-less. British Rulers
were terrified by Garimella and above all by his patriotic and freedom
struggle songs. Garimella was born in 1892 (at Priya Agraharam - in
Narasannapeta Taluk of Srikakulam District) and died in 1952 (at Madras).
{I will provide a detailed biographical account of Garimella in my
subsequent posts.}
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Garimella' statement in Telugu:
svarAjya gItamulu - garimeLLa satyannArAyaNa
[svarAjya gItamulu renDava bhAgAnni British praButvam nishEdhimci, 5000
pratulanu dagdhamonarinci, garimeLLaku renDELLu kaThina Siksha vidhincina
sandarBamlO...................]
"nA grandhamu, 5000 pratulanu, nA pAdamula kaDa prOgupeTTinappuDu, nAku
garvamunu, duhKamunu gUDa venTanE kaligenu. A yamara SiSuvulu maraNaBIticE
tammu kApADumani nA vanka dama dhRkkulu niguDincenu. kArumabbulatO
nalumukonucunna BayAnakamagu tuPAnu bArinunDi vAnini kApADuTaku nEnu
kEvalamasamardhuDanu...avi yippuDu dayA vihInula cEtilO baDenu. divya kusuma
kOrakamulanaTlE yI nA pottamulanu kUDA cIlcivEsedaru. vAnini tagulabeTTuTa
valana kalugu manTalu CandObaddhamagu gAnamunu vAyumanDalamuna
vyApimpajEyunu gAka. samudrataranga kanyakalu tIra parisaramuna
nRtyamonarincunanta kAlamunu, mandamAruta kiSOramulu dyAnamula
viharincunantakAlamunu, nA jAtIyagItarAgavallulu dESaBaktula vInunga valanu
vindonarincucunE yunDunani mAtramu nEnu praButvamunaku sRshTaparupagOredanu.
I gItamulanu vrAsi, vallinci, pADi, vyApinmpajEsina uttamulakandarikini nEnu
vandanamulanonarincu cunnAnu."
----garimeLLa satyanArAyaNa
1922, July, 28th
cennapuri, egmUr rAjadhAni mEjisTrET kOrTulO
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GARIMELLA SATYANARAYANA'S MESSAGE TO THE ANDHRAS.
------------------------------------------------
THE HINDU, SATURDAY, FEB 11, 1922
---------------------------------
Dear brothers and sisters - I have done my little work and am going to a
comparatively long rest. The British bureaucracy have determined to lull my
pen and my voice for a period of 1 year. It pleased them to think that I am
dangerous to the "public tranquility" which means its own existence.
Certainly it is a revelation to me. If I am really such as it suspected me
to be, it certainly caught me at too late an hour. I have given out to the
country what is best in me. My physical body is to be locked up but my soul
I have let off into the country through literature. Let it be gathered,
consolidated, and worked out. It will work more than my frail body. The
times are past when the Government's proscription or prohibition could gag
our liberties. I often times wished to move among the people through my
songs than through my person. The Government have created that peculiar
opprotunity, if the people can avail themselves of it. I feel that I am
almost hollow now and may God grant that I should return into your midst
for the sake of singing the establishment of Swarajya and the glory of your
achievements."
---------Yours affectionately
Garimella Satyanarayana
Tilak Swarajya Ashram, Rajahmundry.
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References:
1) garimeLLa gEyAlu - Editor parakAla paTTABirAmArAu, Visalandhra 1992.
2) The Freedom Struggle in Andhra - Editor Prof. Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya
Vols I-IV, 1965.
2) Andhrula samkshipta caritra - ETukUru balarAmmUrthy.
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PS: There is no reason why I start with Sri Garimella. I will try to cover as
many as I can throughout this year. Sometimes, I will include some of those who
never even reached the history books.
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Opinions are mine only.
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