Remembering Bharago

Writer Bharago will be remembered for his versatility.

Writer Bhamidipati Ramagopalam (Bharago). Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam.

Noted writer Bhamidipati Ramagopalam, popularly known as Bharago, breathed his last last Wednesday. Born on February 6, 1932, at Pushpagiri (Sree Venugopalaswamy Punyakshetram) in Vizianagaram district, he was the eldest son of Bhamidipati Suryanarayana and Suramma. He had regular schooling from III form onwards at M.R. Branch College and later he graduated in B.A. Economics in 1951 from M.R. Degree College, Vizianagaram.

After serving a temporary assignment as a checker to start with for seven months from April to December 1951 at the Census Sorting and Tabulation office, he served as a clerk, surveyor, head-surveyor and district surveyor of the Department of A.P. Survey, Settlement and Land Records. He was chosen to be assistant to the Editor of Andhra Jyothi Weekly for a year and a deputy surveyor of Visakapatnam Port Trust for about 16 years, before retiring in 1990.

Born with extraordinary flair for creative writing, Bharago, who started writing by contributing a short story at the age of 15 as an intermediate student for the college magazine in 1947, soon got himself established as a versatile writer. Successfully continuing with a review on feature film

Drohi for December 1948 issue of the film magazine

Roopavani ,

Nenu-Maa-Avida story for February 1949 issue of Andhra Patrika and essay on ‘one party government' for the

Swatantra English weekly (November 1949), he brought out 160 stories, three novels, 50 essays and over 1000 articles in Telugu besides 50 in English under the section ‘News and views on cultural matters'.

He was credited with three novels

Kundapenkulu (1961), Sparsa Rekha (1984) and Nakee Udyogam Vaddu (1988) and stories under the heads Vantochina Mogudu (1966), Vennela Needa (1997), Kadhanakutoohalam (1985), Itlu Mee Vidheyudu (1990), Sarada and Kulasa Kadhalu (1997) besides the translation of the biography of Asutosh Mukherjee from English into Telugu for National Book Trust, Kalpasootram from Prakrit into Telugu, two volumes of 116 Goppa Telugu cinema paatalu each with discerning commentary and Anusthana Bhagavadgeetha (2001) before he died at the age of 78.

Beginning from the A.P. Survey and Land Records Employees Souvenir of 1976, he successfully headed the souvenir committees of almost all important celebrations for 15 till 2001.

Bharago received a number of awards — second prizes in

Andhra Patrika (weekly)

Deepavali Kadhala Poti in 1960, Yuva Monthly,

kadhala poti (1978), best book award (1981), best humour writer award of Telugu University (1990), Central Sahitya Academy Award (1991), Kurella Sahithi Award (1994), Vaisakha Award (1996) and Kalasagara (Chennai) Award (1997).

He is survived by wife Chandra, two sons Bhaskaram and Subrahmanyam and one daughter Kanakalatha who is credited with 11 published stories.