Dallas, Texas: The 162nd birth anniversary of Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, the pioneer of the Telugu vyavaharika (spoken) language movement, was observed on August 29 with the grand celebration of Telugu Bhasha Yuvabheri on the occasion of Andhra Pradesh Telugu Language Day. As part of the long-standing initiative Telugu Velugu, the TANA Sahitya Vibhaga, along with TANA World Sahitya Vedike, has been conducting monthly literary conferences for the past five and a half years. Continuing this tradition, the 83rd International Internet Conference was successfully held on Sunday.
During the event, Dr. Prasad Thotakura, organiser of TANA World Sahitya Vedike, paid rich tributes to Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, scholar, historian, rationalist, teacher, reformer, and architect of the Telugu vyavaharika movement. He highlighted Gidugu’s efforts in transitioning Telugu from a strictly grammatical language to one closer to everyday usage. Speaking about the youth participants, Dr. Thotakura said, “From high school students to medical graduates, the excellence they displayed not only in their command of Telugu but also in literary creativity is truly inspiring. This achievement is possible because of the dedicated role of Avadhana Vidya Vikasa Parishad, the support of parents, the guidance of teachers, and the passion instilled from a young age.”
Renowned lyricist Tripuraneni Kalyana Chakravarthy, who graced the event as the chief guest, shared his journey: “Although my academic degrees are in M.Tech and MBA, not in Telugu, the encouragement I received from my grandfather, parents, and teachers helped me cherish the beauty of the Telugu language. That inspiration brought me to the point of writing nearly 100 songs for Telugu cinema. It is the duty of parents to ensure their children learn Telugu from an early age.”
Several young talents showcased their literary skills:
- Addanki Vanija (Class 9, Vijayawada) – prose
- Vinjamuri Sankeerth (Class 9, Hyderabad/Nalgonda) – Shataka literature
- Bulusu Ramyasri (Class 10, Eluru district) – modern literature
- Uppaladhadiyam Bharat Sharma (BA student, Tirupati) – classical poetry excellence
- Yerramsetty Umamaheswara Rao (PhD student, Tirupati/West Godavari) – social perspectives in avadhana
- Dr. Borelli Harsha (BDS, Kurnool) – descriptive works
- Nallan Chakravartula Sahith (M.Tech, IIT Kharagpur/Hyderabad) – Nishiddakshari
- Gattedi Viswanath (PhD, Central University Hyderabad/Jagtial) – origins of the Telugu language
- Banavath Nitin Naik (B.Tech, IIIT Basara/Nirmal) – a review on Avadhana Vidya
- Susarla Sudhanva (MBBS, Chennai/Hyderabad) – problem-solving through oration
Their thought-provoking presentations impressed the audience and highlighted the depth of Telugu literary tradition among today’s youth.
The event concluded with a vandana presented by Chigurumalla Srinivas, one of the organisers of TANA World Sahitya Vedike. He extended heartfelt gratitude to all participants, distinguished guests, and the media for their support in making the celebration a success.
