Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman quoted Gurajada Apparao, the rebel Telugu poet in her speech, but the larger import of his poetry has been lost on people in today’s politics
While presenting the 2025 Budget in the Parliament on Saturday (February 1), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman quoted the famous verse by Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao: ‘Deshamante mattikadoi... deshamante manushuloi...’ (A nation is not just its land... a nation is its people). Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, had quoted Apparao during the launch of the nation-wide COVID-19 vaccination programme in Hyderabad in 2021: “Sontha labham kontha manuko, porugu vadiki thodu padavoy. Desamante mattikadoi, deshamante manushuloi (Think beyond your own gain, stand by others in need. A nation is not just its land; a nation is its people,” Modi had recalled the famous line of Apparao.
In 1910, when Gurajada Apparao — also a playwright and dramatist, seen as the architect of Modern Telugu literature — wrote the now-iconic lines “దేశమును ప్రేమించుమన్నా (Desamunu Preminchumanna, love your country)”, he ignited a revolution. His literary career, spanning poetry, plays, and essays, was defined by his radical departure from traditional Telugu literature. Before him, Telugu writing was steeped in ornate classical flourishes, confined to the elite. Apparao shattered that mould, dragging the language into the 20th century with vigour and immediacy.
The play that shook a society
In 1892, Apparao’s play, Kanyasulkam (one of the earliest modern works in an Indian language, and the first Telugu play to dive into social issues, and the greatest in the language) hit the stage. A slap in the face of social hypocrisy, the drama exposed the brutal practice of ‘bride price’, in which young girls were married off to decrepit old men in exchange for money. Written in sharp, conversational Telugu instead of the conventional literary dialect, Kanyasulkam was as entertaining as it was scathing. The protagonist, Gireesam, far from being a righteous hero, was a cynical, smooth-talking rogue. And yet, through his wit and trickery, the play unmasked corruption, misogyny, and superstition. Over a century later, Kanyasulkam remains as biting as ever, still performed, still relevant.
Also read: Budget 2025 | Poet Gurajada gets mention, radio silence for Andhra Pradesh
At a time when Telugu literature was drowning in Sanskritised excess, Apparao championed Vyavaharika Bhasha — everyday spoken (colloquial-style) Telugu. His works pulsated with the rhythms of the streets, the markets, the people. It was literature for the masses, not just for scholars. Perhaps Modi and Sitharaman would not know that his poetry, particularly Desamunu Preminchumanna, preached a nationalism that transcended religion and caste. He envisioned a country built on social justice, not just empty patriotic fervour. His words rang with a new Telugu consciousness that spoke to the common people, urging them to think, question, and reform.
A social crusader
Apparao wasn’t content with revolutionising literature — he wanted to change society itself. He was an outspoken advocate of women’s rights, education, and social equality. A professor by profession, he taught change. His association with the social reformist movement remained central to his existence. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he saw literature not as an escape, but as a weapon.
Also read: How Varavara Rao shaped Telangana’s sociopolitics: N Venugopal Rao interview
His essays, letters, and speeches were sharp, unflinching critiques of feudalism, caste oppression, and outdated traditions. He belonged to a rare breed of intellectuals who didn’t just write for applause but to unsettle, to provoke, to force introspection.
The legacy of an iconoclast
Gurajada Apparao died in 1915, but his influence never faded. His ideas shaped the Telugu literary renaissance, inspiring generations of writers, reformers, and artists. The echoes of his rebellion can be heard in the works of later literary greats — from Sri Sri’s revolutionary poetry to the progressive writings of the Telugu Navodaya movement. His push for Vyavaharika Bhasha paved the way for modern Telugu literature, liberating it from its rigid classical confines.
Today, in an era of hyper-nationalism, his call to love one’s country feels eerily prescient — not as blind allegiance, but as an obligation to challenge injustice. If Telugu literature stands tall today, it is because Gurajada Apparao gave it a spine.