Chetti Bhanumurthy

Chetty Bhanumurthy (born 23 February 1888;Mary Stillwell McLaurin, ''Chetti Bhanumurti'' in John Craig, J. R. Stillwell, I. C. Archibald, A. E. Baskerville (Edited), ''Some of the Trophies: Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board Jubilee Volume, Telugu Trophies - The Jubilee story of some of the principal Telugu converts in the Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission in India from 1874 to 1924'', American Baptist Publication Society, Toronto

/ref> died 6 January 1973) was a Hymn Writer whose hymns are found in the Hymnal in Telugu language, Telugu.Andhra Christian Hymnal, Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1966
/ref> Bhanumurthy was a Pastor of the Canadian Baptist Mission/Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars who also led the Principalship of the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada from 1945 to 1956 leading to its affiliation to the nation's first University, Senate of Serampore College (University) in 1946.

Comparative religion Scholar R. R. Sundara Rao, who researched at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, highlighted the literary standard of Chetty Bhanumurthy terming him as a pioneer hymn writer whose songs had the element of Bhakti.R. R. Sundara Rao, ''Bhakti theology in the Telugu hymnal'', CISRS/CLS, Bangalore/Chennai, 1983

/ref> The Old Testament Scholar, Victor Premasagar was also enthused by the lyrical content in Bhanumurthy's compositions,T. Dayanandan Francis, ''Attempts at Critical Assimilation in Regional Christian Literature: A Tamil Perspective'' in H. S. Wilson (Edited), ''The Church on the Move: A Quest to Affirm the Biblical Faith - Essays in honour of P. Victor Premasagar'', CLS, Chennai, 1988, pp.135-14

/ref> especially Hymn Number 94 titled ''Yesuku Samanulevaru'' (Translated ''Who is equal to you Lord?'') with direct reference to Psalm 71:19 and strikingly similar to Tyagaraja's composition in Kharaharapriya. Dayanandan Francis brings Chetty Bhanumurthy in the line of another Hymn writer, Puroshottam Choudhary and writes,

Studies

In 1915,S. J. Samartha, M. P. John (Compiled), ''Directory of students 1910-1967'', Serampore College (Theology Department), Serampore, 1967, p.1. Bhanumurthy discerned his avocation towards priesthood and went for ministerial formation to the Serampore College, Serampore, a constituent College of the nation's first University.Murli Manohar Joshi, ''Higher Education in India Vision and Action, A paper presented at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in the Twenty First Century, Paris, 5–9 October 1998. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. '' Bhanumurthy studied up to 1918, during the Principalship of George Howells, as a candidate of the Canadian Baptist Mission/Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars where Bhanumurthy obtained a Licentiate in Theology ( L.Th.).

Theological Teacher

Bhanumurthy taught at the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary in Ramayapatnam and later on moved to Kakinada where he taught at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Kakinada along with Muthyala Theophilus who was his colleague. This was the period when A. B. Masilamani joined the seminary for spiritual formation. In 1952, Bhanumurthy became Principal of the seminary.

Hymns

Roger E. Hedlund, the Missiologist writes that along with the Bible, the Christian Hymnal in Telugu also forms the main bulwark of Christian spiritual life for the Telugu language, Telugu folk and of equal use to both the non-literates and the literates as well.Roger E. Hedlund, Quest for Identity: India's Churches of Indigenous origin: The "Little" Tradition in Indian Christianity, New Delhi, 2000, p.261

/ref> In such a context, it is noteworthy that sixteen of Bhanumurthy's compositions are found in the Christian Hymnal in Telugu with the following sequence,

* 9, ''Stuti Geethamu'',
* 84, ''Neeti Suryudu'',
* 87, ''Kreesthuku Namo Namo'',
* 92, ''Yesu Sharanu'',
* 94, ''Yesuku Samanulevaru'',
* 116, ''Raraju Janmadinamu'',
* 198, ''Siluva Balamu'',
* 201, ''Yesu Shanthikarudu'',
* 263, ''Kreesthu Sanghamunaku Sirassu'',
* 361, ''Yesunaku Sakshulu'',
* 406, ''Kreesthuni Vembadinchuta'',
* 514, ''Kutumbaradhana'',
* 522, ''Melukolupu'',
* 524, ''Kraistava Yuvajanulara Kreesthu Koraku Nelavandi'',
* 552, ''Abhinaya Christmas Geethamu'',
* 579, ''Kruthagnathala Panduga'',

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhanumurthy, Chetty
1888 births
1973 deaths
Telugu-language writers
20th-century Baptist ministers
Christian clergy from Andhra Pradesh
Indian Christian theologians
Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni
Academic staff of the Senate of Serampore College (University)
Indian Baptist ministers
Sacred music composers
Baptist hymnwriters
Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars
Canadian Baptist Ministries
20th-century Indian male singers
20th-century Indian singers
Indian Christians