Mahakavi SRI SRI

Mahakavi Sri Sri

as he is populary know in the Telugu Literary world is the Pen name for Srirangam Srinivasa Rao. He thoughtfully took the "Sri" from his first and last names to come up with Sri Sri. The man who went on to say that this ERA was his (as far as Telugu Literature was concerned), proved every bit of those words and indeed gave a new look to the modern Telugu Language.

Sri Sri was by no means a unique phenomenon but a rare, highly gifted product of his times, especially the hungry thirties. Having retained some amount of romanticist legacy both in diction and neo-classicist a'la Viswanatha, he very soon discovered his own mighty poetic expression. In a way contemporaneous with the Communist movement, its birth and growth, he also became the leading light among lesser poets such as Pendyala Lokanatham, Garimella Satyanarayana and Settipalli Venkataratnam. Soon he could attain full floated and unbounded expression. Without least hesitation, Sri Sri can be mentioned as a master of poetic diction. Not only that, we could even see him revealing in skillful sound patterns conveying powerful and meaningful slices of life as lived by the poor and the wretched. His knowledge of versification is deep which is marked by rhythm rhymings recalling Swinburne whose "Songs Before Sun-Rise" impressed him early in life.

Though conversant with all modern trends such as Dadaism, Surrealism, Expressionism and Existensialism, his inclination towards Surrealism is more pronounced. But these were only passing phases which failed to strike root in the soil of Telugu literature. But these trends enfranchised Telugu literature by familiarising the Telugu reading public with glimpses of the western culture. No doubt it was degenerate in nature but relevant to the western context.

Sri Sri is an acknowledged and splendid alchemist who created superb and marvellous originals in Telugu; absorbing Easter and Western poetic influences. In this context mention should be made of Nazrul Islam, Harindranath Chattopadhyaya in Bengall Gurazada to a great extent, Kavikondala and also Sistla to some extent in Telugu; Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Paul Eluard, Emile Verhaeren Louis Aragon in France; Mayakovsky in Russia; James Joyce, Dylan Thomas and E.A Poe in English. Hence it is but natural that Sri Sri's poetry possesses universal essence.

Sri sri himself admitted that in those times his knowledge of Marxism was not significant. But owing to suffering in and around himself he could acquire an understanding of it. He also developed an emotional attachement towards communism. Hence he could render its message into the most inspiring poetry e.g. 'I OWE'. He was deeply influenced by the Spanish civil war in his soul though he did not explicitly put into poem. it is evident that Sri Sri did not stop hating general Franco, the arch enemy of Communism until the last breath of his life. Having presaged the advent of World War II, he longed for the world of peace, plenty and Universal brotherhood not of Utopian but of proletarian or Marxist.

Sri Sri always stood by the cause of fighting masses not only in India but also of Ireland, Poland, Czech, China, Southern Africa, Zulus, and Hottentots. Probably no other Indian poet either before or after Sri Sri is marked by such a unique and universally valid poetry of the highest and most powerful variety.

Though trained up in the school of Romanticism he altogether opened new vistas as early as 1933. Trenchant in a tone, militant in mood, buoyant in spirit he was neither a lotus-eater nor a day-dreamer but a down to earth realist tinged with revolutionary romanticism.In 1937 and 1940 he dealt only with general themes without stressing here and now. But in 1950s and afterwards he rid himself of adolescent nationalist illusions as well as the wishy-washy tearful and weak-kneed progressivism. Hence Sri Sri's view point in his own words is "realist- internationalist" but not "nationalist-idealist". His modest claim that there were only "Progressivism" in Mahaprasthanam with an iota of "revolutionism", it was the latter which marked him out for Par excellence.

More so after 1967 i.e., from Khadgasristhi his message as well as music were meant for mankind in its onward march to the fulfilmetn of its historic destiny.Date of Birth jan 2 1910..Expired on Jun 5 1983.

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Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Sri Sri, was born on 2nd January 1910 in Visakhapatnam. Sri Sri completed his education in the same school in which his father Sri Venkata Ramaiah was working as a mathematics teacher. He married Ms. Venkata Ramanamma at an age of 15 and adapted a girl child. Later on he married Ms. Sarojini and was blessed with a son and two daughters. He went to Madras for his higher studies in 1928 and completed them by 1931. In 1938, he joined as a sub editor of 'Andhra Prabha' daily newspaper. He later on worked for All India Radio and armed forces. He is a major radical poet (e.g. prabhava) and novelist (e.g. Veerasimha Vijayasimhulu). He introduced free verse into his socially concerned poetry through Maha Prasthanam. He wrote visionary poems in a style and metre not used before in Telugu classical poetry. He moved poetry forward from traditional mythological themes to reflect more contemporary issues.

He entered into Telugu cinema with Ahuti(1950), a Telugu dubbed version of Junnarkar's Neera aur nanda(1946). Some of the songs Hamsavale O Padava, Oogisaladenayya, Premaye janana marana leela, scored by Saluri Rajeswara Rao, were major hits. He did also do some strident songs like Telugu Veera Levara from Alluri Seetarama Raju and Padavoyi Bharateeyuda from Velugu Needalu(1961). Films like Aakali Rajyam were inspired on the works of Sri Sri.

Telugu people remember Sri Sri as long as Telugu poetry exists. Lets salute this great human being for the inspirational work and service he has provided to the Telugu community