NELLORE: Gangisetty Sivakumar, a distinguished Telugu poet in the realm children’s literature, has devoted over five decades to enriching young minds with imagination, values, and history through storytelling. With more than 400 published stories and numerous accolades to his name, he remains a guiding light in the literary world.
Born on February 28, 1954 in Rapur village, Nellore district, Sivakumar was inspired early by the power of storytelling. The son of Anjanidevi and Chiranjeevi, he pursued higher education with a strong literary inclination, completing an MA, MEd, and earning a PhD in 1984 from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.
His doctoral thesis focused exclusively on children’s literature — a rare and pioneering effort at the time.
His first published story, Kaburla Devatha, appeared in Balanandam in 1970. He gained wide recognition in Chandamama magazine, where his story Yatharaja Thathapraja was published in 1973. Since then, more than 100 of his stories have featured in the iconic magazine.
Between 1980 and 1982, Sivakumar served as an Assistant Editor of Chandamama, before transitioning to a teaching career. He eventually retired as a headmaster in 2012. His published works include Evaru Goppa, Thanu Theesukonna Goyyi, Mana Kattadalu, Bhethala Kathalu (Volume 1 and 2), Bodi Salaha, Yukthi, and Idi Nellore — a historical account. Several of his other manuscripts, including Oorlu-Perlu, Inti Perlu, and works on temple histories, remain unpublished, along with nearly 100 children’s stories awaiting release.
He has presented around 50 research papers on children’s literature at various seminars and authored approximately 20 articles on the film industry, which appeared in publications such as Vijaya Chitra.
Stories like Kashta Nashtalu, Asooya, and Matallo Theda have been included in school textbooks by the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Sivakumar has been honoured with several titles, including Bala Sahiti Ratna, Bala Sahiti Bhushan, Bala Katha Ratna, Bala Bandhu, and Bala Mitra.
He has also been felicitated by numerous cultural and literary bodies, including Andhra Pradesh Bala Akademi (Hyderabad), Satyavati Foundation (Parvathipuram), Samskruti Sammelanam (Gudur), Kalidasa Kala Niketan (Gudur), Rotary Club (Nellore), Vasavi Seva Samithi (Gudur), and the Nellore Writers’ Association.
His stories have been published in nearly every major Telugu children’s magazine, and some have also appeared in English magazines such as Gokulam and Champak. Notably, his English storybook Moon Beam was published in China by I Dream Publications and distributed in the United States, featuring illustrations by Karunakar.
In recognition of his contributions to education, the Andhra Pradesh government awarded him the Best Teacher Award in 2005.
Speaking to TNIE, Gangisetty Sivakumar said, “I am a devoted disciple of Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao. Like him, I believe children’s literature should inspire thinking and discernment in young minds — not magical spells or rituals, but literature that nurtures rationality. That’s the kind of work I’ve written.”
“Children who read good literature should be able to improve themselves and contribute to society. Literature that doesn’t enable this cannot be considered good,” he felt.