Renowned Telugu poet Cingireddy Narayana Reddy passed away in Hyderabad in the early hours of Monday. The 85-year-old was reported to be battling a long-term Illness, and passed away in a private hospital in a city. Born in 1931 in Hanumajipet village in present day Sircilla Rajanna district, Reddy was known to have penned several anthologies in Telugu.
His poetic work, Viswambara, bagged him the Jnanpith Award in 1988.
Reddy started writing when he was young, and was also known to have shined a light on the Telugu folk tradition of Burrakatha, an oral story telling technique.
He also wrote several songs for Telugu films, besides his poetry, prose and critical reviews of Telugu literature.
After reportedly graduating with an MA and PhD in Telugu literature from Osmania University, Reddy started his career as a professor in the same university's Arts college, and then moved to Nizam college. He also bagged many prestigious literary awards during his tenure as a teacher.
He was the second Telugu writer to win the Jnanpith award after Viswanatha Satyanarayana. He also served as a Rajya Sabha MP in 1997.
One of his most famous songs was Nannu Dochukunduvate from the movie Gulebavali Katha, which starred NT Rama Rao.
His songs were also widely translated into several regional and foreign languages. Chief ministers and senior political leaders of both Telangana and Andhra expressed their condolences on Reddy's demise. Many from the film industry also expressed their grief.
(This article has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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