Telugu writer Ravuri Bharadwaja honoured with Jnanpith award

 Telugu writer Ravuri Bharadwaja honoured with Jnanpith award

Telugu writer Dr Ravuri Bharadwaja got the country’s prestigious Jnanpith award for 2012 for his contributions to Telugu literature over 60 years.
He is the third  recipient of the country’s highest literary award from Andhra Pradesh, after Dr  Viswanatha Satyanarayana in 1970 for his Srimad Ramayana  Kalpavriksham and Dr C. Narayana Reddy in 1988 for his book Viswambhara. Eighty six-year-old Dr Bharadwaja was chosen for the award by a selection Board chaired by poet Sitakant Mahapatra, said a statement of the Jnanpith award committee.

Books of Dr Bharadwaja, who studied only up to Class VII, have been prescribed as text books in universities and are even the basis of many research works. Dr Bharadwaja passed through several vicissitudes of life, but continued his service to Telugu literature with perseverance. He is a poet, a playwright, a novelist of distinction and a popular science writer, the Board stated in its press release. 

 

Dr Bharadwaja’s published works include 37 collections of short stories, 17 novels, six short novels for children, five compilations of short stories for children, three collections of essays and biographies and eight plays. His notable creations include Kadambari, Pakudurallu, Jeevana Samaram, Inupu Tera Venuka, Koumudi and many more, which have been translated into most of the major Indian languages and English. 

 

Dr Bharadwaja’s greatest attribute is his flair for story-telling. His works prove that a writer can have social awareness and his works, a human purpose. 

 

Ravuri is the recipient of  many important awards, including the Sahitya Akademi award, Soviet Land Nehru award, Telugu Academy award, Balasahitya Parishad award, a Honorary D. Litt from Nagarjuna University, the release stated. 'Pakudu Rallu' is the most popular among all Ravuri works and highlights persons and their attitudes in the film industry.

 

I am honoured and delighted, says Ravuri

 

“I am honoured and delighted, I don’t feel the award came late,” said Dr Ravuri Bharadwaja, reacting to the news, sitting in his two-bedroom house in Vijayanagar Colony in the city. However, he said that “all regions, castes and creeds play politics in the selection of Jnanpith awards, which is most unfortunate.”

 

He recollected that since he had only Class VII education, he was not selected for a job in All India Radio. “Some people ask me, ‘how can you write poetry when you are only a Class VII fellow. Now I can say with all dignity that the same Class VII fellow received the country’s highest literary award,” he said.