HYDERABAD: Like a much cliched one-man army, his blog is a ‘single-professor university’ through which this retired teacher has been working tirelessly to revive and popularise the Telugu literary form of padyam (metered poetry).
Kandi Shankaraiah, a former teacher from Warangal who has not taken a single day’s break in the last ten years, took on himself the responsibility of keeping padyams alive and teaching this poetic form, that is unique to Telugu literature, to as many people as possible. His students include engineers, honorary doctors, retired income tax officers and other professionals -- not just from India, but from across the globe.
Post retirement, Shankaraiah read an article in a Telugu daily in 2008 on how to start a blog and became a blogger. Then, he chose his favourite subject Telugu and started giving “Samasya Puranam”, a kind of problem-solving using metered poetry that is popular in Avadhanams.
Shankaraiah started his own blog “kandishankaraiah.blogspot.com”, named his blog “Shankarabharanam” and gave first Samasya Puranam on June 2, 2010. Till now, he has posted more than 3,000 Samasyalu, including Datta Padi. He has been doing this on a daily basis without taking a single day’s break. So far, his blog has attracted over 21 lakh page visits.
“I have started it as a pastime. I correct the answers and give suggestions to the participants. The participants are from US, UK, Australia, Singapore and other countries,” Shankaraiah told Express on Sunday. Telugu people from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and other states too are actively participating in the Samasya Puranam activity.
Not just Telugu teachers or professors, his blog has been attracting people from all sections of the society.“Several retired engineers, economic professors too are now interested in Telugu Padyam. The younger generation are keen to learn Chandassu and write Telugu poems now-a-days,” said Shankaraiah, who is now based in Hyderabad. “Telugu Padyam lives forever”, he averred.Shankaraiah admitted said that he never thought he will become so popular among Telugu people across the globe.
“Now, I cannot sleep without giving Samasyalu and correcting them,” he said.
Besides the blog, Shankaraiah also attends Avadhanams as a Prucchaka (questioner) and his followers fondly call him “Samasya Prucchaka Chakravathi”. Earlier, Shankaraiah worked as a Telugu teacher in Duttons High School in Warangal. Later, he worked as a Grade-1 Telugu Pandit in Mahabubia Panjetan High School in the same city and retired in 2008. Post retirement, he learnt how to operate on a desktop and the DTP work. Shankaraiah’s latest book “Telugu Prahelikalu (Telugu riddles)”, seventh in Shankarabharanam series, was launched on Sunday in Hyderabad. Asked about his favourite writers, he said: “Viswanatha Satyanarayana and all old Telugu poets.”