Telugu Leaders Applaud Budget Speech Reference to Gurajada Apparao
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have praised Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for referencing Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao during her Budget speech, highlighting the importance of people in a nation.
Key Takeaways
- Union Finance Minister quoted Gurajada Apparao
- Pride for Telugu community emphasized
- Importance of people over land highlighted
- Goals for poverty reduction and education outlined
- Gurajada's legacy in Telugu literature acknowledged
Amaravati, Feb 1 (NationPress) Leaders from the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have expressed their appreciation for Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman citing Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao during her Budget address on Saturday.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation K. Ram Mohan Naidu remarked that the Finance Minister's reference to Gurajada Apparao signifies a moment of pride for the Telugu community.
The leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) noted that Sitharaman highlighted Apparao's renowned lines 'Deshamante Matti Kaadu, Deshamante Manshulu' (A nation is composed of its people, not merely its land).
During her speech, FM Sitharaman quoted the Telugu poet while outlining the government's vision for the upcoming five years.
"The illustrious Telugu poet and playwright Gurajada Apparao stated, 'Deshamante Matti Kaadu, Deshamante Manshulu' meaning a nation is not just its land, it is its people.
"In this context, our goal for a Viksit Bharat includes zero poverty, 100 percent superior education, access to high-quality affordable healthcare, complete skilled employment, 70 percent female participation in economic activities, and farmers transforming our nation into the food basket of the globe," she elaborated.
Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Steel Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, who is from Andhra Pradesh, alongside G. Kishan Reddy (Minister for Coal and Mines) and Bandi Sanjay (Minister of State for Home), both from Telangana, expressed their gratitude for the Finance Minister's acknowledgment of Gurajada Apparao.
Born on November 30, 1861, to Gurajada Venkata Ramadasu and Kausalyamma in Rayavaram, Andhra Pradesh, Gurajada Apparao was a distinguished writer and a forerunner in colloquial Telugu literature during the pre-independence period.
He is celebrated for his Telugu plays, especially 'Kanyasulkam' and 'Desamunu Preminchumanna'.
The play 'Kanyasulkam' tackled the detrimental practice of child marriages and was adapted into a film in 1955 featuring the legendary actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao.
Apparao pursued advanced studies in Vijayanagaram, becoming a scholar in Telugu, Sanskrit, and English. He also worked as a lecturer at Maharaja College, where he studied. While creating dramas, short stories, and poetry, he began exploring the history of Telugu land and Kalinga (now Odisha) with the intention of documenting their histories.
He passed away on November 30, 1915.
