Chekuri Rama Rao, a Versatile Literary Personality

Hyderabad :

In the death of Chekuri Rama Rao (1934-2014), popularly and affectionately called CheRaa, Telugu literature has lost one of its finest literary critics and a highly respected mentor of poetry in particular and literature in general. He was a versatile literary personality spread across poetry, linguistics, poetry appreciation, literary criticism, teaching, public speaking and editing.

Born in an agricultural family in Illindalapadu near Madhira in Khammam district, he had his education in Sattenapalli, Narsaraopet, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. While in high school in Narasaraopet, he began writing romantic poetry under the influence of Nayani Subba Rao, a harbinger of romantic poetry in Telugu. Studying BA in Nizam College in the early 1950s when love for Telugu language and literature were in the air, he got interested in Telugu and went to Andhra University to do his masters in Telugu. Acquaintance with Bhadriraju Krishnamurthy, forerunner Lingusitics discipline in this part of the world, inspired Rama Rao to take up his masters in Linguistics from University of Wisconsin and doctoral study at Cornell University, US. Returning from the US in mid 1960s, he joined Osmania University as a lecturer and worked there in various positions for about 30 years.

The hallmark of Chera was that he was a blend of a rigorous, trained analyst and sensitive, emotional dreamer. These two essential characteristics inform all his writings and speeches as well as his inter-personal relationships. All through he sailed with revolutionary trends in Telugu, so much that he was considered as a member of Revolutionary Writers’ Association without membership in technical sense. He might have attended and spoke at hundreds of meetings of revolutionary literary, students and cultural associations. Yet, that did not prevent him from sharing dais with traditionalists and speaking about and appreciating non-revolutionary trends. He was democratic to the core in all his personal and professional relations though being very strong in his views.

His name stands tall among the Marxist literary critics in Telugu, but his approach was a bit inclusive of taste and rasa, unlike traditional Marxist literary criticism. He published more than a dozen standard texts of literary criticism and linguistics including Telugu Vakyam (1975), Vachana Padyam – Lakshana Charcha (1978), Telugulo Velugulu (1982), CheRaathalu (1991), CheRaa Peethikalu (1994), Mutyala Saraala Muchchatlu (1997), Smriti Kinaankam (2000), Bhaashaanuvartanam (2000), Bhashaantarangam (2001), Sahitya Vyasa Rincholi (2001), Kavitvaanubhavam (2001), Vachana Rachana Tatvaanveshana (2002), Sahitya Kirmeeram (2002) and Bhasha Parivesham (2003).

He also published his poetry of youth after 20 years with the same title – Rendu Padula Paina (1982). Besides these published books and collections, there might be hundreds of uncollected research papers, essays, prefaces and introductions.

He will be remembered more for at least three significant works:

He created a sort of sensational interest among poets and poetry lovers in the mid-1980s with a weekly column of poetry appreciation in the Sunday supplement of Andhra Jyothi. The column, CheRaatalu was a rage in those days with almost all poets aspiring to be written about and all the poetry lovers seeking Rama Rao’s recommendations and analyses.

Any Telugu reader would thank Hyderabad Book Trust for creating and feeding the urge for good reading in Telugu society with its hundreds of titles since late 1970s. The credit for making HBT such an enduring brand goes to Rama Rao for helping HBT as its editor.

Andhra Pradesh Open University was able to attract thousands of neo literates to become graduates not only because of its ease of admission but also of the great style it used in all its text books. Rama Rao was one of the architects of the style.

The legacy Chekuri Rama Rao leaves behind is immense and in a way death cannot take him away from Telugu literary lovers.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by N Venugopal / July 26th, 2014

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