HYDERABAD: The life of one of the greatest Telugu lyricists has come to an end but his legacy will live on for generations to come. The doyen of Telugu literature, Veturi Sundararama Murthy, who mesmerised people for more than three and a half decades as a writer of film songs with an amazing use of Telugu idiom and Sanskrit- Telugu phrases, has orphaned not just the film fraternity but the entire Telugu world. That was the feeling of those who turned up at his residence to pay homage to him.
To catch a last glimpse of the stalwart, a large number of politicians, film personalities and his admirers gathered at his residence in Ameerpet today.
Almost the entire film industry moved out of its confines to pay its last respects to this national award-winning lyricist.
One of the first to arrive, actor Balakrishna recalled Veturi's masterly work. ``This is a loss not only to the film industry but also to the literary world. He was not only a great lyricist but also lover of the Telugu language. He had fought with the government for recognition to the Telugu language as an ancient language.'' Chiranjeevi, Chandra Babu Naidu and many others echoed the same feelings and recalled his refusal to receive the national award in protest. Noted actor and director K.Viswanath, who gave a break to Veturi with O Sita Katha, said: ``He was the greatest Telugu lyricist we had. His work was so enchanting that it can even please the divine beings. I have a very long and cherished relationship with him.'' Veturi adapted to the changing times with ease and produced memorable songs whatever the situation and the star cast.
Writer-actor Thanikella Bharani said Veturi had the potential to create any type of song.
``Be it a devotional folk song, he did it with great aplomb.'' Director Shekhar Kammula, who had Veturi write songs for Anand, Godavari and Leader, termed the death as his personal loss.
The ace lyricist, susrprisingly, lived in a rented apartment at Ameerpet and was ignored in allotment of a residential plot in Film Nagar or Chitrapuri Colony, though he had been a member of the housing society for nearly two decades. He held a press meet a few ago to express his anguish over the injustice meted out to him.
Actor Vijay Chander, grandson of the late Tanguturi Prakasam, said, ``Even though Veturi had done so much service to the film industry, he could not get a piece of land. He had applied for it long back but was denied a plot.
I appeal to the government as well as to the people of the film industry to undo the injustice and allot a site to his wife.'' In the afternoon his body was taken to the Bansilalpet crematorium in Secunderabad where his sons performed the final rights watched by hundreds of grief-stricken admirers.
Some of the prominent visitors to the residence, where the body was kept before being taken to the cremation ground, included Allu Aravind, Jayasudha, Ashwini Dut t , Keeravani , Suddala Ashok Teja, Rana, Bandaru Dattatreya, Mohan Babu, Rama Naidu, Murali Mohan, Jamuna, Ramoji Rao and Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry.