Devulapalli Krishnasastri (1 November 1897 – 24 February 1980) was a Telugu 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, third highest civilian award in India. In 1978, he received Sahitya Akademi Award for his literary works.

Early life

Krishnasastri was born on 1 November 1897 in Ramachandrapalem of East Godavari, India. He was brought up in Pithapuram 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 ...

at Santiniketan 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 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 of

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'', '' En Veedu'', '' Bangaru Papa'', '' Ekaveera'', '' Bhagya Rekha'' (1957), '' Rakta Kanneeru'', '' Bhakta Tukaram'', '' Karthika Deepam'', '' 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 Telugu) * Best Lyricist - '' Seetamalakshmi'' (1978) * Best Lyricist - '' Meghasandesam'' (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'' (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 Padma Bhushan 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