Kosaraju Raghavayya (23 June 1905 – 27 October 1987), known mononumously by his surname Kosaraju, was an Indian

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income de ...

and poet known for his works in

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

. He wrote about 3,000 songs in 350 films. His lyrics are steeped in Telugu folklore and rural idiom. He was awarded the prestigious

Raghupathi Venkaiah Award The Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award is an award issued by the Indian state government of Andhra Pradesh, to recognise lifetime achievements in Telugu cinema. The award was introduced in 1981 in honour of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a pioneer of t ...

by the

Government of Andhra Pradesh Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 MLAs elected to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh f ...

for his contribution to Telugu cinema in 1984. He wrote memorable songs like "Eruvaka Sagaro", "Niluvave Vaalu Kanuladhana", "Illarikamlo Unna Maza", "Chethilo Dabbulu Poyene", "Anukunnadokkati Ainadi Okkati", "Ye Nimishana Yemi Jaruguno", "Jayammu Nischayammu ra", "Maa Voollo Oka Paduchundi".

Early life

Born in an agricultural family in

Appikatla Appikatla is a village in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Bapatla mandal of Tenali revenue division. Geography Appikatla is situated to the northwest of the mandal headquarters, Bapatla, at . It is sp ...

village,

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...

, Kosaraju studied Telugu literature, epics and puranas. Kosaraju was influenced by a Telugu scholar Kondamudi Narasimham Pantulu in whose play based on the ''

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...

'' he acted when still in his teens. Initially, he worked as a journalist in the ''Raithu Patrika'' where he met the famous writer

Samudrala Sr. Samudrala Raghavacharya (19 July 1902 – 16 March 1968), also known as Samudrala Sr., was an Indian screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, director, and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. Samudrala Senior made his screen debut in ...

and the director

Gudavalli Ramabrahmam Gudavalli Ramabrahmam was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Telugu cinema. He is known for directing critically acclaimed social problem films like ''Mala Pilla'' (1938) and ''Raithu Bidda'' (1939). At a time w ...

. He published his first poetry anthology, ''Kadagandlu''. He died in 1987.

Film career

Kosaraju acted in the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

film ''

Raithu Bidda ''Raithu Bidda'' (''English:'' Farmer of Common Origins) ( ''Telugu'': రైతు బిడ్డ, lit. Farmer-Son of the Soil) is a 1939 Telugu social problem film directed by Gudavalli Ramabrahmam. It is a social reformist film during the ...

'' (1939). Later, he shifted his focus to writing lyrics for films. He penned humorous lyrics for

K. V. Reddy Kadiri Venkata Reddy (1 July 1912 – 15 September 1972) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who primarily worked in Telugu cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest directors in the history of Telugu cinema. He d ...

's '' Pedda Manushulu'' (1954), followed by one of his most famous songs, "Jebulo Bomma Je Jela Bomma" (in

B. A. Subba Rao Bugata Venkata Subba Rao, better known as B. A. Subba Rao (died 1987), was an Indian film director and producer who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for his lifetime contribution to Telugu cine ...

's '' Raju Peda'', 1954). He was well known for his earthy poetry, often referring to popular tales of morality and ethics. Kosaraju wrote about 3,000 lyrics for 350 Telugu films. He wrote memorable songs like "Eruvaka Sagaro", "Illarikamlo Unna Maza" and "Chethilo Dabbulu Poyene".

Filmography

Awards and honours

*He was awarded the prestigious

by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh for his outstanding contribution to Telugu cinema in 1984. *He was given the titles ''Janapada Kavi Sarvabhouma'' and ''Kaviratna''.

References

External links