M. S. Rama Rao (3 July 1921 – 20 April 1992) was an Indian singer and composer. He was the very first playback singer in the Telugu filmdom and popular for his devotional songs.
Singing career
Rama Rao debuted at
World Telugu Conference
The World Telugu Conference (WTC) is a conference for the furtherance of the Telugu language. Literary luminaries attend and share their views on spreading and preserving the language and advocating a Telugu language policy.
History
The first WT ...
held in Hyderabad in 1975.
He became popular for his
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 ...
version of
Hanuman Chalisa
The ''Hanuman Chalisa'' (Hindi: हनुमान चालीसा) (Sanskrit: हनुमान् चालीसा) (; '' Forty chaupais on Hanuman'') is a Hindu devotional hymn ('' stotra'') in praise of Hanuman, and popularly recited ...
. He also narrated
Bala kanda, Ayodhya kanda and Sundara Kanda (some parts of the epic ''Ramayana'') in form of Songs in Telugu. He gained fame for singing the devotional songs and was awarded the name of 'Sundara Dasu' in 1977.
He wrote Hanuman Chalisa and Sundarakandamu of
Valmiki Ramayana
The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
in Telugu during 1972–74. He sang Sundarakanda in the form of Telugu songs.
Tollywood
His movie singing career spanned 1944–64 in
Madras
Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
.
He also sang "Ee vishala prashantha ekanta soudhamlo" for O. P. Nayyar's Telugu movie ''Neerajanam''.
Personal life
M.S.Rama Rao married Lakshmi Samrajyam in 1946 and had three children P.V.Sarojini Devi, M.Babu Rao and M.Nageshwar Rao.
He was inspired to write Hanuman chalisa because of his elder son Babu Rao who was a pilot in the Indian Air force whose whereabouts were not known for a long time during the Indo-Pak war in 1971, so he dedicated himself to lord Hanuman for his safe return and composed and sang the Hanuman chalisa in Telugu.
His only lineage to carry his surname is capt Moparti Anil Rao (grandson) and then his son Moparti Aman Rao (great-grandson). All of them being three generations of pilots. M.S.Rama Rao's second grandson is taking forward his legacy by continuing to perform his songs.
Awards
Rama Rao gained fame for his singing the above two works and was awarded the name of 'Sundara Dasu' in 1977.
Rao's inspirational songs still provide incentives to follow the path of singing, even a decade after his unfortunate death.
Songs
* Sundarakandamu
* Hanuman Chalisa
* Bala Kandamu
Filmography
References
External links
Official site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramarao, M.S
1921 births
1992 deaths
People from Tenali
Telugu playback singers
20th-century Indian singers
Singers from Andhra Pradesh
Film musicians from Andhra Pradesh
Male actors from Andhra Pradesh
Male actors in Kannada cinema
Indian male film actors