Kavisamrat Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s 120th birth anniversary celebrations began on a grand note in the city on Wednesday.
Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad and others garlanded a statue of the poet at Lenin Centre and recalled his services to Telugu literature.
The Department of Culture, Andhra Pradesh, organised a memorial lecture and a sahitya roopakam at Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao Music and Dance College here.
Addressing the gathering, Mahasahasravadhani Garikapati Narasimha Rao said that a poet should neither prostrate before a ruler nor should write poetry to appease someone. Poetry or writings should be aimed at guiding the society in the right direction.
Classic example Viswanatha Satyanarayana was a classic example of this category of poets who never folded their hands before any government. He practised what he preached and believed.
Satyanarayana penned every single word with great reverence to god and wrote as if he was in a spiritual trance. He has to his credit more than 200 works and each of his books, from Khandakavyam to Ramayana kalpavriksham were master pieces. None could reach his literary standards, he said.
Gnanapeeth award When he received the Gnanapeeth award for his work, everybody was eager to know his reaction.
His reply was ample demonstration of how much the poet loved Lord Rama and was unmoved by the award. “ enni uttaramullu vacche, enni tanthulu vacche. Ayodhya nundi okka mukka raade. .” (received umpteen letters and telegrams. But not a word from Ayodhya — place of lord Rama) was his reply, Mr Rao said.
People branded the poet as pashana pakam (very difficult to understand). But, Viswanatha kept a stoic silence and continued his endeavours. Most people don’t try to understand what Viswanatha wrote.
They neither have patience to refer dictionary. People would understand what they have lost all these days, if they try to read Veyipadagalu and other works of Viswanatha, he added. =
