HYDERABAD:A part of the success of Telangana movement is attributed to its poetry, folklore and local art forms. One such poet, writer and activist whose writings have influenced majority of people to voice out in the movement was Vattikota Alwar Swamy. As part of his birth centenery celebrations, a session was conducted at the Hyderabad Literary Festival 2015.
“We are happy to be talking about a poet of his calibre on this platform that has a global audience,” said Sanghishetty Srinivas, noted activist and writer who moderated the session. Those unfamiliar with the activist got some insight into the conditions he was born in, his interest in reading, encouraging others to read and his role in actively participating in the Indian national movement and Telangana movement. “The poet was born in an low-income earning household. But that is only a mention. What he did despite his poor economic conditions is what we want people to know,” said Sujatha Reddy, another noted writer from Telangana. Elaborating on how his love to learn was not just limited to himself she said, “He left home at a young age because he wanted to study. While he took up odd jobs to meet his daily needs, he also took up English classes. He then moved on to write books. But he didn’t stop there. He went from village to village, encouraging people to buy and read books, also offering them a discount.”
The Telangana state government decided to include the same writings in the state curriculum in November 2014. It is said that the writer gave up his personal library to set up the City Central Library that is also now been named after him. His most famous books include, ‘Jailu Lopala’, that has been translated into English as ‘Inside the Prison’, ‘Prajala Manishi’, ‘Gangu’ among many others.
Talking about Alwar Swamy’s writing style and his ability to influence people, translator of his book ‘Jailu Lopala’ Elanaaga said, “The words that Alwar Swamy used were collquial ones during his time. Though I found it challenging, I was keen on doing it because all the stories are real. The characters are not fictional. Also, each story is different compared to the other. I was determined to translate it so that more people get a chance to read it.” Alwar Swamy’s books are under the process of going to print which will be done by Telugu Akademi.