Tummala Seetharama Murthy or Tummla Seetharama Murthy Choudary (1901–1990) was an Indian poet writing in Telugu.
Murthy was born in Kavuru village in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Works such as "Rashtragaanamu" reflect patriotism and the Indian independence struggle. He was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1969 and with the title "Kalaaprapoorna" by Andhra University in 1969.
Introduction
Sri Tummala Sitaramamurthy was a great gift of the 20th century to the Telugu people and the Telugu literature. He was one of the most prominent poets in the history of the modern Telugu literature. Born in an age of national fight for freedom, he completely came under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. The other personalities that inspired him were Acharya N.G. Ranga, the father of the world peasant movement, Kaviraju Sri Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chowdhary who was the father of the revolutionary poetry in Telugu literature, and Mahakavi Sri Chellapilla Venkata Sastry who brought Telugu poem from Royal palaces to common people in the society. Also the philosophies of social reformers of Vemana, Potuluri Veerabhramam, Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Kabir, Nanak, Raja Ramamohana Roy, Dayananda Saraswathi and others had immense effect on the poet. Inspired by these personalities, he produced a noble literature to promote human values in the society. He wanted to make man cultured and the society progressive through his literature. He did not write his poetry, he spoke to the society with the voice of tomorrow. Telugu is the second-largest living language in India. He was the unacknowledged- laureate of the Andhras. The story of his life itself was a marvel of effort, achievement and purposefulness.
His Early Life
Like a lotus born in mud, Sitaramamurthy was born in a family of land cultivators. He was born on 25-Dec-1901, at Kavoor, a hamlet in Repalle Taluq of Krishna district (later divided into Guntur and Krishna), in the presidency of Madras (later divided into Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu). His parents Narayya and Chenchamma- were hard-working middle class agriculturists. His place of birth was a significant one, for it was visited by noble personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bave and Babu Rajendra Prasad. In his early life, the poet struggled for his education. During the daytime he assisted his father in agriculture and in the night he learned Telugu and Sanskrit with great curiosity under great teachers and eminent scholars living in the neighboring villages.
His Education
Later, he went to Chittigudur near Bandar (now Machilipatnam), which was a great center for learning in the district to study Ubhayabasha Praveena. Sri G Varadacharyulu was the founder and also the principal of this institution. He was not only an ideal teacher but also a great patriot. Here he learned Telugu grammar perfectly Sri Duvvuri Venkata Ramana Sastry who was a profound scholar. Finally, he passed the public examinations in first division and then secured a job as a Telugu pandit in 1930. He worked in the schools of Duggirala, Bapatla, Nidubrolu and Appikatla. He retired from the service in 1957 at Appikatla. Thus his early life was one of the deep study, stupendous learning and a great preparation for his future literacy career. His early literacy works brought him name and fame and he was at once recognized as a promising poet.
His Literary Ideals
The modern age has brought a remarkable change in the outlook, philosophy and ideals of literature. Literature has come nearer to human life, its problems and its solutions. This has brought a breakthrough in the literary thinking of the present age. The puranic (mythological) themes have given way to human life in literature. True of the spirit of the age, Sitaramamurthy was a revolutionary poet. For him revolution does not need bloodshed; it only means 'change'. He opined that the change in the society should come through the Gandhian way or the Sarvodaya Path. The change that comes through the revolution will be temporary and the change that comes through the Sarvodaya Path will remain permanent. He had a message and philosophy to the society.