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ANDHRA - 50 Years of India's Independence - #4

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PALANA

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Feb 27, 1997, 3:00:00 AM2/27/97

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More on Garimella Satyanarayana - Telugu Poet - Freedom Fighter
---------------------------------------------------------------

One may wonder (are wondering) why Garimella had to
write such poems like the on amRtAnjanam. It is simple. My understanding from
the authentic works on Garimella is that he, who can be compared with
Subrahmanya Bharati of Tamilnadu (that is what Telugu scholars say), had to
literally BEG. He led a downtrodden poor life and finally died in Madras in
1952. This is an isult to the entire Telugu Community. Mother India, who was
free at last, could not take care of Garimella.

(From the memorandum submitted by Vavilala Gopalakrishnayya, Mahidara
Ramamohana Rao, and Parakala Pattabhiramarao, 3/1/1990, Vijayawada).

For writing such a popular song, "mAkoddI telladoratanam" and other songs
of freedom struggle, the British Government imprisoned him for 3.5 years.
As a matter of fact, on 9th of February, 1922, Braken (sp) asked Garimella to
come to his office, asked him to sing his 162 line mAkoddI telladoratamu
song, arrested him after he sang the song, and sent him to Kakinada. The
Kakinada magistrate sentenced him to prison for 1 year.

The Hindu on 5/4/1922 published that Garimella's imprisonment had been
reduced to ....."Long before the conviction, he was arrested under section
108 Criminal Procedure Code and sentenced to one year by the Dist Magistrate
of Coconada on 9-2-1922".

When was he arrested for the second time? Sri Challa Radhakrishna Sarma
mentioned the following in his "garimeLLa sAhityam" book:

"Even though he was imprisoned, patriotic songs revolved in Garimella's mind.
As soon as he was released, he used to sing those songs in groups. Those
songs attracted people. In turn, people started singing those songs. Seeing
all this, the government officers got scared of him as he was posing danger
to their rule. Again he was accused as an anti-government activist. As a
result he was presented before the magistrate of Kakinada. "What do say for
the crime that you have allegedly committed?" asked the magistrate looking at
Garimella. A gifted poet Garimella did not look for words to give an answer
to the magistrate's question. That freedom fighter did not give his statement
in ordinary words. He denounced the British rule and instantaneously he sang
an extempore song (composed de novo):

kUlipOtunnadi kUlipOtunnadi
mUlamaTTamutOTi
kUlipOtunnadi praButvam
kUkaTi vELLatO KulipOtunnadi
para praButvam
---(From Challa's Garimella Sahityam).

The magistrate declared that Garimella was sentenced to 2.5 years of
imprisonment. The total added upto 3.5 years of imprisonment that Garimella
experienced.

There is a controversy with the second time imprisonment. It was published in
the Andhra Patrika that Garimella was arrested in Madras the second time as
he was about to read his statement (the magistrate did not let him to do so).
(Andhra Patrika 7/28/1922). Therefore, where did Garimella actually gave the
statement "kUlipOtunnadi" in a song-form? Was it in Madras court or in
Kakinada court?

In fact, Garimella sent a message in English from the jail to people of
Andhra and that was published in the Hindu paper (I presented in the very
first essay of this series - from Mamidipudi Venkatarangayya gAri books)
entitled "Garimella Satyanarayana's Message to the Andhras" (Hindu,
2/11/1922). Sri Madduri Subbarao presented this message in his book (telugulO
jAtIyOdyama kavitvam - 1982) and Challa Radhakrishna Sarma borrowed it from
Madduri's book. If Garimella was actually sentenced on the 28th of Juyl,
1922, for 5 months he probably was a trial prisoner. Probably Garimella sang
his song in retaliation to the objection by the Madras magistrate not to read
his statement. Or Garimella might have been sent to Madras after his arrest
in Andhra to be presented in the court of law. This is a matter of further
research.

Garimella was an alrounder. In addition to Freedom Struggle Songs, he wrote
several patriotic songs, revolutionary songs, and songs with social justice
for the untouchables. He translated famous tamil books like tirukkuraL and
nAlaDiyAr and famous Kannada plays like taLLikOTa into Telugu. He also wrote
the famous english poems like Hearts of The Nation and Mother India.
Garimella translated several English books. Above all, he established his
literary mastery by publishing numerous songs, poems, and essays in
Gruhalakshmi, Krushna Patrika, Bharati, Trilinga, and Andhra Prabha.
Garimella's service to the Telugu Literature is outstanding.

Garimella was given equal status in the field of literature that was given to
Subrahmanya Bharati of Tamilnadu. But, Garimella had a terrible ending.
(As mentioned by Vavilala, Mahidara, and Parakala).

The one I always like among Garimella's songs is the one he wrote on Gurajada
(after Gurajada's death) which was published in the Krishna Patrika
(12/4/1915). Portions of it are presented below:

Title: vADuka telugu
-------------
garimeLLa satyanArAyaNa
kRshNA patrika, 12/4/1915)

svargalOkamu pOyinAvA!
saragunanu kannILLu doralucu
nAdu cittamu kaliyabeTTaga
nAyanA! O apparAvU!

...........

komDu BaTTI yambaTamcu, ka
limga dESa caritra mamTU
pomgi yumTivi gAni vAni ga
namga BAgyamu nOcanaitivi

mAru vEshamu tIsi vEstivi
ramgulellanu tuDici peDitivi
sahajamuna saumdaryamumdani
cATi cepitivi lOkamamtaku

amdamamtayu gramdha bhAshala
naccunottiri, yimka yekkaDa
numDavaneDi durUhalIBuvi
numDakumDA tarimi vEstivi

narula nOLLanu naligi vumDina
nANemaina padAla lOpala
ADucumDunu prakRti yamTU
amdariki telipitivi gadarA?

........................

Uta padamulu sATi nItulu
nOTi keppuDu vaccu mATalu
gAga cEstivi nannu, kanyA
Sulka munu bracurimci koDukA

...........................

nIvu cEsimdi cAlunu
SAstravamtulu kaLLu teracaka
paThiyimcinADA?
sAramellanu telusukomTivE
gramdhabhAshaku nAku kOsula
grAmamulu peTTEru madhyana
puNyamamtA nIdi sutuDA

.........................

okari nokaru kaugalistU
suKamu SuBramu telisikomTU
kalasi melasi carimpa BAgyamu
kaligi nAkunu gramdha BAshaku

vaddu vaddani kEkalEsina
pedda padamula nenni krukkina
mammu viDadIyamga jAlaru
mamata tIrina kaugalimtala

gramdha bhAshaku prANamitturu
dina dinamunaku mArpu tettunu
gramdha mamduna samcarimtunu
tOsi vEyaku DannalArA
---garimeLLa (kRshNA patrika, Dec. 4, 15)

With a few lines from his emotional "mAkoddI telladoratanamu" I would like
to conclude this essay:

brAhmaNA brAhmaNa
pamcama - brAhmaNa bhEdapu tegulu mI kEla?
mI BEdAluvaDi kAlparEla?
ceDDa bOdhalaku lomgirEla?
yI mAdhukarapu vRtti mariginAradiyEla? ||mAkoddI telladoratanamu||

evarenni ceppinA himdUdESavAsu
lEka sOdarulE sumDi
pApamamTU cATudAmuramDi
ii kumTi vAdanalu gUTilO peTTamDi ||mAkoddI telladoratanamu||

In Garimella's words casteism was a disease that was draining the nation.
He urged people to bury their differences.

----pAlana

Tablaguy

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Feb 27, 1997, 3:00:00 AM2/27/97

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