– Dokka Manikya Varaprasad

The new-born Telugu state of Andhra Pradesh, even as it is searching for something as ordinary as an appropriate location to build its capital, is equally and profoundly engrossed in finding an appropriate model of the development of the new state. It is also looking for a model for promoting Telugu literature and culture. The Telugu Desam party which now has the golden opportunity to govern the Telugu land and its people has the historical responsibility and burden to formulate its language policy – in such a way that it ensures uninterrupted progress of the Telugu language and community. To do this, it is necessary to take forward the love, hard work and dedication of the poets and linguists of the past and also of today whose work has enriched the Telugu language.

In the 11 century, Nannaya Bhattaraka, considered to be the one of the earliest Telugu poets, attempted to translate the great epic Mahabharatam into Telugu, in order to make it accessible to ordinary people. However, the language he used was the scholarly language of his day, i.e., predominantly Sanskrit. His contemporary Thikkana Somayaji, in his own translation of the great epic used quite of a bit colloquial Telugu and took this process further. Even his diction was a blend of both Telugu and Sanskrit. Thikkana’s Telugu, admirable though, is eight hundred years old, and belonged to a bygone era. To my mind, it is ill-suited to our modern sensibilities.

Then, in the sixteenth century, came the great king Sri Krishna Devarayalu who proclaimed Telugu as the sweetest and the most refined of all the languages in the country in his time. Such a proclamation, no doubt, gave a much needed boost to the Telugu literature of his time and helped it in its subsequent evolution. However, when it came to the language used during this era, what we see is nothing but a scholarly diction, which is closely associated with Brahminism, and reminiscent of a socio-religious texture of its time. And regarding Srinatha’s profound verse soaked in sensuality that appeared in the same century, the less said the better.

In the subsequent period, i.e., the last phase of the Prabhandha era, even though Telugu was used, it has not produced any influential literary work or any major commentary in Telugu language. Further, in the middle ages, Vemana descended upon the literary landscape. Keeping ordinary people in mind, this great philosopher and poet wrote amazing poetry in people’s language. In my view, in the history of Telugu literature, he was the first people’s poet.

In the modern period, the language used by Gurajada had the signature and the flavour of the land of Kalinga; and in Sri Sri’s poetry we witness the mastery over the scholarly Sanskrit, irreverence notwithstanding. In other renowned poets of the 20th century, we see the regional flavour of the dialect that each one belonged to.

It is against this backdrop that we must see Gurram Joshua. He stands out as a modern poet who adopted Vemana’s kind of sensibility and expression, and a pure Telugu style and diction that brims with utter Teluguness and the sweetness of Telugu language. The distinct flavour of Guntur region where he was born and brought up, his caste background, and his life experiences, resulted in a language that stands out as sweet as it is extraordinary. He was indeed a social revolutionary who adapted Guntur dialect into a sweet poetic expression. This is a historical time when we are considering making Guntur-Vijayawada region as the capital of the new state; and also a time when we are formulating a language policy. In a time like this, I see a need to pause and study the writings of Joshua whose writings though having appeared nearly a century ago in the same language and dialect, have a tremendous relevance and meet the need of the contemporary times.

Pick any poem from his large body of poetry. It is delightful and comforting. The Telugu is sweet and is comprehensible to one and all. It takes you on a journey in the pleasant Telugu land. It was because of Joshua’s poetry that the Telugu language attained the great description: the Italian of the East. Following Gidugu Ramamurthy, we need to understand the fact that Telugu language gets its greatness mainly because of its colloquialism. To understand why Joshua’s Telugu has that aroma and fragrance, and equally its intense Teluguness, we need to understand that the aroma of his language comes from his own life’s backdrop – the circumstances under which he did his education, the ravages caused by untouchability during his time in the society that he lived in, the insults experienced by dalits around him, and so on. The language he used burst forth from the sufferings of the oppressed castes that he witnessed from such closed quarters.

Like Vemana, who was a people’s poet par excellence, Joshua in his poetry chose the linguistic tradition of the ordinary people. He believed that literature had a larger purpose of political and social instruction, and not just for entertainment and pleasure of a few in the society; and that it ought to be used as a creative tool for a progressive social change. It was within this framework that he mastered Telugu language and developed a style of his own in which he wrote his poetry. This however does not mean that Joshua did not learn or use scholarly Telugu. He was indeed a learned man deeply anchored in humanist philosophy. He was well-versed in the ancient texts such as Ramayanam, Mahabharatam, Bhagavat Geeta, Puranas, the Holy Bible, and Koran. And so was he equally well versed in modern literature. In a literary style that is now known as his own which is unique, he wrote poetry that demonstrated an extraordinary amalgamation and synthesis of apparently diverse texts and worlds.

At a time when poetry and literature were thoroughly and adamantly cast in the traditional and Bramhinical mould, Joshua democratised verse by making it accessible to everyone. By doing so, he proved that it is possible to produce democratic and progressive writings in verse. Again, at a time when one contemporary poet boasted of breaking the back of Telugu poetry, and another roared that he would drag Telugu poetry away from its inappropriate and exalted place, down to earth, Joshua quietly wrote his verse that effectively democratised poetry and used it to depict the downtrodden lives of the dalit community. Joshua is indeed a true Telugu poet who blended all that was good in the old and in the new, and created in a style that is his own poetry that remains as sweet and sublime as nectar. His Telugu is the Telugu of the community, and of the people.

There are many illustrations of Joshua’s devotion to Telugu culture and its great poets. His exquisite depiction of Sri Krishna Devarayalu in Andhra Bhojudu (1934) is unparalleled. In his entire body of work, the language and style that he used to describe everything of Telugu land, is but the Telugu of Seemandhra. Today, when the Telugu people now have a separate state, the Telugu language that Joshua used has a great significance. What is today used as a standard Telugu in journalism, and that of literary Telugu of the Seemandhra region, is but the language used by Joshua.

In these times of globalisation and computerisation when English is touted as the only language of any significance and value, it is necessary for us to remind ourselves to pause reflect on the language used by a great universal soul like Gurram Joshua. We need to have a policy, on the one hand of full-fledged teaching of English while continuing instruction in the Telugu medium till High School, and on the other hand, introducing Telugu as the official language in the government. It is crucial for us, on this matter, to understand and follow the path shown by Joshua.

The new regime in Andhra Pradesh, while formulating its official language policy, needs to take into account the passion for the Telugu language that this great poet expressed. Consider the following verse by him that evokes his devotion and loyalty to Telugu language:

Come what may…
my envious detratctors
who are not worth a penny
surround me as crowding vultures,
and try to stop me;
Or my lady love Sharada betraying me;
I shall not leave this land of mine,
nor shall I stop singing glory of my own language Telugu

Among the statues of literary figures in our land, certainly Joshua’s statues are more in number than anybody else’s. I think that is because of his contemporary relevance. It shows the proximity of his literature to the common man. Joshua’s literature will continue to interrogate us as long as inequalities exist in our society.

Lately, I see many lovers of Telugu expressing their desire to preserve the language. My appeal to them is that we should take Gurram Joshua’s literature as much as possible into the Telugu community. That would be the only way we can ensure the continuation and preservation of this great language and its equally great literary tradition.

 

Translated by Sarath Davala

Dokka Manikya Varaprasada Rao is a politician and legislator, interested in language and literature.

Sarath Davala is an independent scholar and activist interested in development and welfare.