Acharya Aatreya (born Kilambi Venkata Narasimhacharyulu ; 7 May 1921 – 13 September 1989) was an Indian poet, lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter known for his works in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...

and

Telugu theatre Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, '' Kanyasulkam'' in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language.20th Ce ...

. He received the state

Nandi Award for Best Lyricist The following is a list of recipients of the Nandi Award for Best Lyricist since 1977.(in Telugu language, Telugu) Winners References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Lyricist Nandi Awards, Lyrics ...

in 1981 for "Andamaina Lokamani" from the film ''Tholikoodi Koosindi''. He is popularly known as ''Manasu Kavi ('').

Life

Athreya was born on 7 May 1921 in Mangalampadu village near Sullurpeta,

Nellore district Nellore district, officially known as Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district in Coastal Andhra Region, is one of the 26 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. According to the 2011 Census, the district's population was 2,963,557 of which ...

of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

of British India. His birthname was Kilambi Venkata Narasimhacharyulu. He took ''Acharya'' from his birth name and ''Aatreya'' his

Gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotr ...

name, combined them as ''Acharya Aatreya'' and adopted it as his

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

. As a student in Nellore and Chittoor he wrote several plays. He abandoned his studies to participate in Quit India Movement and was jailed. After being released from jail, he had worked as a clerk in a settlement office and worked as an assistant editor of the journal ''Zamin Raithu'' which is based out of Nellore. Athreya married Padmavathi in 1940.

Career

Athreya continued his pursuit for social reform, transformation and universal peace, with his 10 ''Natakams''

lays Lay's (, ) is a brand of potato chips with different flavors, as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in the United States. The brand is also referred to as Frito-Lay, as both Lay's and Fritos are brands sold by the Fr ...

and 15 ''Natikas'', Athreya which include ''Bhayam'' ( Fear), ''Viswa Shanti'' ( Universal Peace), ''Kappalu'' ( Frogs), ''Goutama Buddha'', ''Ashoka Samrat'', ''Parivartanam'', ''Edureeta'' and ''Tirupati''. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, for his contributions to Telugu literature. Athreya made his film debut in 1951. He went on to write over 1400 film songs. In 1989, he published a compilation of his works titled ''Naa Paata Nee Nota Palakali'' ( You would sing my song).''

Death

Athreya died on 13 September 1989.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aatreya, Aacharya 1921 births 1989 deaths Telugu screenwriters Nandi Award winners Indian lyricists Telugu-language lyricists Telugu-language writers Andhra University alumni Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Telugu-language dramatists and playwrights People from Nellore district 20th-century Indian poets Poets from Andhra Pradesh Indian male poets Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian screenwriters