The Beginning of Protest Poetry in Telugu

THE BEGINNINGS OF PROTEST POETRY IN TELUGU

I am presenting an over view in socio-­political outline. It was Henry James who commented that it takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature. The same holds true of the protest literature in Telugu. Since the early nineties a great deal of remarkable progressive literature has been written in Telugu by writers ranging from Gurajada Appa Rao to the avowed leftists like Varavara Rao, However after Gurajada Appa Rao (1862-1915), the author of the well known Kanyashulkam(Bride Price), there was virtually a void in the production of progressive literature for a considerable period of time.

Therefore, Telugu literature needed a kind of ‘shock-treatment’ which was finally given to it by Srirangam Srinivas Rao in 1934 by publishing the famous Maha Prasthanam (Forward March) in that year. The first stanzas of this poem which is meant to be rendered as a marching song reads:

‘The waves are rolling
The bells are tolling
The voice of another world is calling
Another’ another’ another world
Is rolling’ tolling’ calling on
Forward march
Oh onward forge
Ahead, ahead let’s always surge

The poet was moved by the exploitation and repressive feudal and colonial regimes existing at that time. Though not a committed revolutionary at the time of the writing of this poem, Sri Sri was deeply moved by the death sentence on Bhagat Singh and his two colleagues (Rajguru and Sukhdev). He expressed his solidarity with the revolutionaries. Hence he has given the call for “another, another, another world”. The poet’s call for “another world” which is suggestive of  revolution is an outcome of socio-political and economic factors that had been in operation in Andhra Pradesh. An attempt to examine this socio-political and economic scenario of the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh makes it clear as to why the poet gave the call for revolution.

The Moghul Empire was divided into two parts in 1720s when Asaf Jah, the Moghul Governor in the Deccan broke way from the Empire, to set up the independent state of Hyderabad. Subsequently, when Mir osman Ali Khan became the king, the Jagirdari system of land revenue flourished immensely. The Nizam ruled the State in complicity with the colonial regime. The jagirs (revenue officials) gradually became the owners of the lands, and virtually enjoyed all the powers, for instance, Jaana Reddy Pratap Reddy whose cruelly was legendary, was known to have possessed 1,50,000 acres of land. This is only one example of land grabbing and possession.

Apar from the Illegal possession of land, many other kinds of exploitation were prevalent during the Nizam’s rule. The low caste people were supposed to do vetti (free service). Excessive taxes used to be collected from the peasants. Bhagelas were used to be retained by their masters because of the former’s debt. Women were not allowed to feed their babies while working in the fields of the landlords. Sexual molestation of women used to be considered as the right of the landlords. There was, in fact, no limit and no objection to the oppressive deeds of the feudal lords. Nowhere was the feudal exploitation of the peasantry more intense than in the Telangana districts of Hyderabad state.

It was against this exploitative and repressive feudal establishment that the Telangana Armed Struggle (1948-51) took place. The Telangana peasantry did everything to bring down the autocratic feudal regime. In 1947, the state of Hyderabad was torn between two diametrically opposed movements: The Telangana Armed Struggle, led by the Communist Party of India, which was indeed the high tide of the struggle against the oppressive social order engendered by the Zanindari system: and the Razakar Movement led by Nizam’s Armed Forces, whose main demand was that Hyderabad be allowed to join Pakistan.

As it is characteristic of any establishment the Government of India waited until the Telangana Armed Struggle was launched against the Nizam’s rule. The then Home Minister, Vallabhai Patel ordered the famous Police Action in 1948. The armed struggle gradually died down in 1951.

After this major armed struggle, Andhra Pradesh saw another movement known as Srikakulam peasant Armed Struggle (1967-71). It was started by Vempatalapu Satyanarayana and Adibatla Kailasam. Both of them were school teachers. In this movement, a great revolutionary poet, called Subbarao Panigrahi participated both as a poet and as a fighter; he was famous for holding a pen in one hand and gun in the other. Several other writers in this period were also immensely influenced by these movements for liberation. Thus, a new crop of progressive writers in Telugu started to emerge, having been inspired by the revolutionary struggles in India and abroad. These movements include: Tebhaga Movement, and the Peasant Movement in Awadh in India, and the Russian, Chinese, East-European and Latin American revolutions in the other parts of the world.

Apart from the inspiration drawn from these revolutionary struggles, the writers were greatly moved by the penury around them. The society in which these writers lived was feudal and oppressive. The socio-political and economic conditions of the poor people did not improve much even after the Independence in India. In Telangana, for example, after the withdrawal of the armed struggle, the landlords returned, and a new administrative setup replaced the jagirdari system. Neither the problem of poverty nor the caste system was solved. In such circumstances, writers had a great role to play in the process of social change. Sri Sri defined the role of the revolutionary writers in the following terms:

Any writer has a society around him, that society has a history, and that history has an evolution. The writer’s place in literature depends on the movement of these socio-historical evolution. The writer can make this movement fast if he happens to be progressive and talented.

The revolutionary writers in Andhra Pradesh had been doing exactly what Sri Sri wanted the writer to do: the revolutionary bought to change the consciousness of the people thereby initiating them into questioning the status quo. Exploitative principles like goondaism and landlordism served to dehumanize the people, and alienating them from their land for generations together. But the people were no longer blind to this. They did not suffer entirely in silence. They expressed their dissent. Inspite of this aspect, it may be said that the Telugu poetry lacked in both sharpness and direction.

In the mean while, a group of six poets in the late sixties declared themselves as Digambara (naked) poets. They christened themselves with names like--Cherabanda Raju, Nikhileswar, Jwalamukhi, Nagnamuni, Mahaswapna and Bhairavayya. They wrote poetry, which might not have been highly finished in style. Their verses showed the quality of their angry obscenity. Even though, in its beginning, the movement was against ideology and orgnisations, they did not keep themselves away from facing the socio-political and economic problems.

They published three manifestoes in a span of three years (1965-68). Despite their criticism against ideologies and organisations, they gradually grew into Marxist-Leninist writers. At the time of their third manifesto (1968), their aim was to give the message of revolution explicitly in a sharper and more aggressive style. They started attacking the establishment directly.

At this juncture, when the two movements------Digambara Poetry Movement in literature, and the Srikakulam Tribal Movement in politics------­were at their peak almost simultaneously, the revo­lutionary writers were contemplating on writing under one banner. In fact, the unorganised Marxist-Leninist writers came under a single banner by a pamphlet in the name of ‘Visakha Students’. This pamphlet, pointed out the struggles of the people in various parts of the country, and asked the writers: “Whose side are you on?”.

The result of the Visakha students’ pamphlet was the formation of VIRASAM, an acronym of Viplava Rachayithala Sangham (Revolutionary Writers Association) on July 4, 1970. The revolutionary writers had answered the question of the Visakha students by taking the Marxist-Leninist line. The aim of toe R.W.A. was to inculcate revolutionary culture among the people. Sri Sri, in        his “Final Journey: First Victory”, sings:

Swing, swing, swing!
Holding on to the gallows, swing!
Holding fast to the gallows, swing!
Swing on as on a swing
Lances and sickles are your pashupathas
Yours is the Rama’s arrow which misses no mark,
Your bow is gandeevam, your abode the earth,
Your nails are axes these people your
people, Therefore, {Swing}
You have built tombs for the enemies of
the people, Therefore, {Swing}

Moved by the socio-political and economic conditions in Andhra Pradesh, and inspired by various revolutionary struggles in India and abroad alike, writers, like Sri Sri, Chea, Ramana Reddy, Varavara Rao and Gaddar began to awaken the political consciousness of a whole generation of youth. For about two decades (1970-90), the VIRASAM had influenced Telugu poetry rop­ing in young poets into its fold. But, it may sound unpalatable to the activists of VIRASAM that the Telugu poetry in the last decade has ceased to be any more under its influence. Having deviated from the left wing impact, the Telugu poetry has been marked by the feminist and dalit ideology since the nineties. Several young women and dalit writers have emerged with the voices with a difference. The paradigm of their poetry has shifted greatly from the Marxist-Leninist class to the socio-cultural gender and caste.

REFERENCES

1. Prasad, Chalasani; Sri Sri: New Frontiers: Hyderabad: RWA, 1983.
2. Rais, Qamar, ed: October Revolution: Impact on Indian Literature, New Delhi: Sterling, 1978.
3. Thomson, George. Marxism and Poetry Hyderabad: Vishalandra Publishing House, 1989.