Shaik Khaja Hassan (15 August 195121 November 2020), popularly known by 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 ...

Devi Priya, was an Indian

Telugu-language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian langua ...

poet and journalist known for his

political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

. He was a recipient of the 2017

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

for his work ''Gaali Rangu'' (English: ''Color of the Wind''). Some of his famous works included ''Adhyakshaa Mannichandi'' (English: ''Pardon Me, President''), ''Gareebi Geetaalu'' (English: ''Songs of Poverty''), and ''Amma Chettu Chepa Chiluka'' (English: ''Mother, Tree, Fish, and Parrot'').

Early life

Priya was born as Shaik Khaja Hassan in Tadikonda,

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the List of urban agglom ...

, in the southern state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

in India on 15 August 1951. He studied Telugu and English literature at the

Andhra Christian College The Andhra Christian College or A.C. College is one of the oldest colleges in India located in Guntur Andhra Pradesh. It started in 1885. AC College is part of the education enterprise of the Protestant churches. It admits intermediate, undergr ...

in Guntur.

Career

As a journalist, Priya was known for his political satire including a running piece on current political events titled "''Running Commentary"'' in the Telugu newspaper, ''Udayam''. He later went on to provide the same commentary on local Telugu language news channels. He was also known for his satirical cartoons. A collection of his newspaper editorials was published as ''Adhyakshaa Mannichandi'' (English: Pardon me, President). Per ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'', the book is considered one of the most popular books for vernacular language journalists, writers, and politicians. Through his career he had worked as a journalist with Telugu newspapers ''Udayam'', ''

Andhra Prabha ''Andhra Prabha'' is a Telugu-language daily newspaper in India, circulated primarily in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Founded on 15 August 1938, by Ramnath Goenka under the Indian Express Group, it has become one of the longest-running Telug ...

'', and ''Hyderabad Mirror'', and the English newspaper ''

The Hans India ''The Hans India'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well as in New Delhi. The newspaper was launched on 15 July 2011 and is owned to Hyderabad Media House Ltd., which also ...

.'' A statement from the Andhra Pradesh government on his death noted him as amongst the state's first and finest political commentators. As a poet, he was noted to bring along a fine balance between 'direct and ornamental' verse in his poetry. He drew from Indian mythology, including epics, for his poetry. Some of his famous works included ''Gareebi Geetaalu'' (English: Songs of poverty), and ''Amma Chettu Chepa Chiluka'' (English: Mother, Tree, Fish, and Parrot)''.'' He was also a lyricist for Telugu movies including the song ''"Jambal Bhari Bhari"'' for ''

Maa Bhoomi ''Maa Bhoomi'' () is a 1979 Indian Telugu-language social problem film directed by Goutam Ghose in his debut. The film is produced by B. Narsing Rao, who also wrote the film with Goutam Ghose. The film is based on the novel ''Jab Khet Jage'' by ...

'' (English: Our land) and other movies including '' Raguluthunna Bharatham'' (English: Raging India) and ''Pallaki'' (English: Palanquin). His versatility in themes across his works had him be compared with classical Telugu writer and poet Sri Sri. He had also produced a full-length English language documentary, ''Music of a Battle,'' based on the life of balladeer and activist

Gaddar Gummadi Vittal Rao (31 January 1949 – 6 August 2023), known as Gaddar, was an Indian poet, singer, and communist revolutionary. Gaddar was active in the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, as well as the Telangana movement, movement for Telangana' ...

. He was awarded the

in 2017 for his collection of poems ''Gaali Rangu'' (English: Color of the Wind). He also received a

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

award for his documentary film script for saving the girl child.

Personal life

Priya was married and had a son and a daughter. He died on 21 November 2020 at the

Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) is a public hospital located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India and is named after its founder – the 7th Nizam of the erstwhile Hyderabad State– and was inaugurated by Princess Durreshehvar. It is an ...

in Hyderabad after a brief illness. He was aged 69. He was suffering from

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and had one of his legs amputated earlier in the month after a

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

infection.

Works

Books

Source(s): * ''Gaali Rangu'' * Running Commentary * ''Aranya Puranam'' * ''Poornamma'' * ''Adhyakshaa Mannichandi'' * ''Inko Appudu'' * ''Amma Chettu Chepa Chiluka'' * ''Neeti Putta'' * ''Chepa Chiluka'' * ''Tuphanu Tummeda'' * ''Gareebu Geetaalu'' * ''Samajananda Svaami''

Movies (as a lyricist)

Source(s): * ''

'' * '' Raguluthunna Bharatham'' * ''Rangula Kala'' * ''Pallaki''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Priya, Devi 1951 births 2020 deaths Writers from Guntur district Telugu poets Telugu-language journalists Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu