Chilakamarthi Lakshmi Narasimham is a Telugu playwright and Novelist who fought all the odds to become an inspiring personality. He was a true follower of Veeresalingam Panthulu and remained dedicated to his philosophy throughout his life. It reflects in his writing patterns and his path of life.
Born on 26th September 1867, he was raised in West Godavari but later settled in Rajahmundry. He was named Puniah earlier but later changed after the Lord Lakshmi Narasimham of Anthirvedi. He was visually impaired in his youth and became completely blind after his graduation. Nevertheless, he started working as a Telugu Instructor at Government Arts College in Rajahmundry. Later, he became very active in Independence movement and shunned foreign cloth completely in this process. He started writing at a very young age of 20 as was very much influenced by his maternal grandfather. His earliest verse was the translation of Keechaka Vadha by Bammera Pothana in the year 1889.
Gayopakhyanam and Ganapathi are his most notable works. He wrote 13 plays in which a couple are incomplete. He was also a pro in translations. He translated more than 10 Sanskrit plays and also Shakespeare’s Macbeth as ‘Syamala’ in to Telugu. Most of his novels are social novels. They questioned the atrocities that people had to go through before independence. Chitrakatha Guchchamu is a collection of eight stories which are full of humour and wit. He also received ‘Kala Prapoorna’ for his magnum opus Gayopakhyanam. He also headed three monthly magazines called ‘Saraswwathi’, ‘Manorama’ and ‘Desamatha’.
His autobiography is a very inspiring work of his. He remained fearless throughput his life and remained dedicated to his principles. Even though he was threatened by the British for the writings against their Government published in Desamatha, he never compromised on his ethics. He also faced many allegations on the credibility of the articles published in those magazines as people blamed them on his blindness. His life is truly an inspiration, from fighting his visual impairment to his role in achieving independence. This gem of a man breathed his last on 17th June 1946, just a year before Independence dawned in the country.
