It was the Hungry Thirties. A time when the world was facing the horror of a second devastating war, and poverty was rampant... The young were on the verge of breaking down, and the old were on the verge of dying.
That was when a man forged words out of the flames of the world's anger. A man whose poetry shunned many customs; a man whose words changed many lives.
Yes, YOU, wearing the Che Guevara T shirt, you need to know about him.
1. In a time when Telugu poetry was questioning its own existence, Sri Sri gave it a new purpose. One of revolution.
2. Being influenced by writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Jean Paul Sartre, there is a recurring existential thought in his poetry. He read a lot of Russian revolutionary poets.
3. He de-constructed the prevalent classicism in Telugu poetry. He chose not to remain a slave to rhyme and meter.
4. Sri Sri was someone who understood and deeply felt for people's struggles. As the great writer Chalam once said, comparing him with Devulapalli Krishnasastri, "Krishnasastri's sorrow is the world's sorrow. The world's sorrow is Sri Sri's sorrow."
5. The film Aakali Rajyam has a strong undercurrent of Sri Sri's poetry running through it. Kamal Hassan reciting 'Poni poni pothe poni...' while walking out of the house is a sharp symbolism of the 80s youth angst.
6. He later wrote a lot of patriotic and rebellious songs for films, later in his life. Who can forget the classic inspirational anthem 'Telugu Veera Levaraa' from Alluri Sitarama Raju?
7. He has never been the one to sugarcoat his poetry with unnecessary metaphors and similes. It was always to-the-point and rousing.
Source: The Hindu
8. The revolutionary poet also had a great sense of humour, with a hint of philosophy... Exemplified in this poem, Rukkulu, which says one can write poetry on anything, right from an aggipulla to a kukkapilla, if you are curious about the world around you.
So how is he relevant today, you ask? His poetry is a stark reminder to the Naxalites who have forgotten the meaning of a People's War. His inspirational lines are just what the nation's youth needs at the dawn of a new era. His existential questions are what we all, as humans, need to ask ourselves, to add meaning to our lives. And thus, the great poet still lives on through his writings, he still keeps sounding alarms to the modern generation...
Chai Bisket pays a humble tribute to the Kala Ravi, Pavi...Kavi.
Source: The Hindu
8. The revolutionary poet also had a great sense of humour, with a hint of philosophy... Exemplified in this poem, Rukkulu, which says one can write poetry on anything, right from an aggipulla to a kukkapilla, if you are curious about the world around you.
So how is he relevant today, you ask? His poetry is a stark reminder to the Naxalites who have forgotten the meaning of a People's War. His inspirational lines are just what the nation's youth needs at the dawn of a new era. His existential questions are what we all, as humans, need to ask ourselves, to add meaning to our lives. And thus, the great poet still lives on through his writings, he still keeps sounding alarms to the modern generation...
Chai Bisket pays a humble tribute to the Kala Ravi, Pavi...Kavi.
