Devulapalli Krishnasastri (1 November 1897 – 24 February 1980) was a

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

poet,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and translator known for his works in

Telugu literature Telugu literature includes poetry, short stories, novels, plays, and other works composed in Telugu. There is some indication that Telugu literature dates at least to the middle of the first millennium. The earliest extant works are from the ...

and

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 ...

. He is known as ''Andhra Shelley''. In 1976, Krishnasastri was honoured with

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, third highest civilian award in India. In 1978, he received

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 literary works.

Early life

Krishnasastri was born on 1 November 1897 in Ramachandrapalem of

East Godavari East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru d ...

, India. He was brought up in

Pithapuram Pithapuram (also spelled as Pitapuram) is a Town and municipality in the Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh, India. With a history spanning over 1,500 years, it is one of the oldest towns in the state. Pitapuram served as the capital for vario ...

in a family of court-poets.Krishnasastri
He grew interest in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

while he was in his high school.

Career

Krishnasastri started writing poetry from a very young age. Krishnasastri's works changed significantly after he met

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

Santiniketan Shantiniketan (IPA: Help:IPA/Bengali, �antiniketɔn is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendra ...

in 1929. Krishnasastri joined

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

in 1945 and wrote a number of plays for it. He also translated Goda Devi's Tamil

Tiruppavai The ''Tiruppavai'' () is a set of Tamil Hindu hymns attributed to the female poet-saint Andal. The ''Tiruppavai'' consists of thirty stanzas referred to as ''pasurams'' in praise of Perumal. It is a part of the ''Nalayira Divya Prabandham'', ...

into Telugu Keertanaas. Other translations of Tiruppavai are available - but they are all word for word. His translation is unique because he had taken the central idea of each Pasuram, made it into Pallavi and wove around it the rest of the paasuram into anupallavi and charanam(s). They were set to pure

carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

, even as they were composed, by Amruthavalli Sundaram. The publication with notation, is Orient Longman. He died on 24 February 1980.

Literary works

Some of Krishnasastri's famous works include: *''Amrutha Veena'' (1992) *''Appude Putti Vunte'' *''Aruna Ratham'' *''Badarika'' *''Bahukaala Darshanam'' *''Dhanurdasu'' *''Gorinta'' *''Mangala Kahali'' *''Sri Vidyapathi'' *''Krishnapaksham - Urvashi pravasam'' *''Sharmishta'' *''Vyaasavali - Kavi parampara'' *''Sri Andallu Tiruppavu Kirtanalu'' (1993) * ''Meghamala'' (1996) *''Krishna Paksham'' (The Darkening Fortnight), *''Pravasam'' (Alien Residence), *''Mahati'' (The

Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

), *''Urvasi''.

Films

Krishnasastri entered the film industry by scripting the 1951 Telugu film '' Malliswari''. He gave lyrics to about 160 songs in over 70 films during the 1950s to 1970s. They include '' Malleswari'', ''

Naa Illu ''Naa Illu'' () is a 1953 Indian Telugu-language film produced and directed by V. Nagayya. The story was written by Devulapalli Krishnasastri. The film had two dance sequences and full-length Hindi songs sung by Meena Kapoor. The film was simul ...

'', ''

En Veedu ''Naa Illu'' () is a 1953 Indian Telugu-language film produced and directed by V. Nagayya. The story was written by Devulapalli Krishnasastri. The film had two dance sequences and full-length Hindi songs sung by Meena Kapoor. The film was simult ...

'', ''

Bangaru Papa ''Bangaru Papa'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language film produced and directed by B. N. Reddy on Vauhini Productions banner. The film stars S. V. Ranga Rao, Jaggayya, Krishna Kumari, Jamuna. It is based on the 1861 English novel ''Silas M ...

'', ''

Ekaveera Ekaveera (Telugu: ఏకవీర) is an Indian novel written by Kavi Samrat Viswanatha Satyanarayana in Telugu language. It was penned between 1929–31 and was published in Bharathi magazine in 1935. Originally written in Telugu, it has since b ...

'', ''

Bhagya Rekha ''Bhagya Rekha'' () is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by Ponnaluri Brothers under the Ponnaluri Brothers Pvt. Ltd. banner and directed by B. N. Reddy. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Jamuna and music composed by Pendyala Nage ...

'' (1957), '' Rakta Kanneeru'', ''

Bhakta Tukaram ''Bhakta Tukaram'' is a 1973 Indian Telugu-language biographical film based on the life of the saint-poet Tukaram, produced by P. Adinarayana Rao under the Anjali Pictures banner and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nages ...

'', ''

Karthika Deepam Karthika Deepam () is a Hindu festival of lights. It is mainly observed mainly by Tamils in India, Sri Lanka and other regions with significant Tamil diaspora. The festival is celebrated on the first full moon day of the month of Kartika coi ...

'', '' Gorintaku'', '' Megha Sandesam'', '' Sri Rama Pattabhishekam''.

Awards

;

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

(in

) * Best Lyricist - ''

Seetamalakshmi ''Seetamalakshmi'' is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Talluri Rameswari (in her Telugu debut) and Chandra Mohan. It was released on 27 July 1978. It won two state Nandi Awards and a F ...

'' (1978) * Best Lyricist - ''

Meghasandesam ''Meghasandesam'' () is a 1982 Telugu-language drama film written, directed and produced by Dasari Narayana Rao under his Taraka Prabhu Films banner. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Jayaprada, and Jayasudha, with music composed by Ra ...

'' (1982) ;Other Awards *

Andhra University Andhra University is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. It is graded as an A++ institution by NAAC receiving a score of 3.74 on a scale of 4. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Mah ...

has conferred the title ''

Kala Prapoorna Andhra University is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. It is graded as an A++ institution by NAAC receiving a score of 3.74 on a scale of 4. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Ma ...

'' (The complete artist) on him in 1975. * He was awarded the

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of the Indian government. Its off ...

Award. * Krishnashastri also won the

Award in the year 1976.

References

External links

*
Krishnasastriyam
is a novel musical interpretation of some songs written by Sri Krishnasastri. Excerpts available at the linked site. * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Krishnasastri, Devulapalli 1897 births 1980 deaths Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education Telugu-language lyricists Telugu poets Hindu poets Writers from East Godavari district Indian male poets 20th-century Indian poets Poets from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian male writers Tamil–Telugu translators