Charles Philip Brown
Encyclopedia
C. P. Brown (November 10, 1798 – December 12, 1884) was a Telugu
writer and an Englishman by descent. He worked as official in Cuddapah and Rajahmundry
during the British rule in India
. Native Telugu people
call him Brown Dora , which means Lord Brown in English
.
Telugu Literature was in dormant phase and declined in 18th century because of many social and political reasons including lack of creative Telugu poets, prevailing illiteracy and decline of empires like Vijayanagara Empire
, who were patrons of the literature. Brown being an official in the region collected the works, printed them and saved the heritage of Telugu language. In his own words, "Telugu literature was dying out; the flame was flickering in the socket in 1825, I found Telugu literature dead. In 30 years I raised it to life".
. Charles Brown moved back to England
in 1812 after his fathers' death and returned to Madras on 4 August 1817 again to get training from Haileybury College for a civil service job in India
.
In 1820 Sir Thomas Monroe, governor of Madras had ordered that every official should learn a local language. As part of the curriculum he had to learn a local language and he chose Telugu language
under the guidance of Velagapudi Kodandarama Panthulu. Charles Brown passed Telugu exam as well as the civil service exam in 1820. He joined as deputy to Mr. Hunbury, the collector of Cuddapah. He got inspiration from Hunbury's fluency in Telugu
and improved his Telugu more. He was transferred to Machilipatnam
in 1824 and again to Rajahmundry
in 1825. His administrator services at the time of the Great Guntur
famine(1832–1833) were highly appreciated.
He was relieved from his duties in 1834 and went back to London and stayed there from 1835 to 1838. Brown returned to Madras again in 1837 as a translator of Persian
for the East India Company and joined as member of the Madras College Board. He retired in 1854 because of health reasons went back to London again. He worked as Telugu Professor at London University for some more time before his death on December 12, 1884 in London.
Though he patronized Telugu He was a polyglot
and also learned Greek
, Latin
, Persian
, Sanskrit
etc.
He got interested in Vemana's literature in 1824. He studied Vemana's and other Telugu literature, and Telugu meter and grammar under the guidance of Venkatasivasastri Tippabhatla and Advaitabrahmasastri Vatthyam. Charles Brown was transferred to Rajamundri in 1825. He continued his study of Telugu literature. He collected the written scripts of Telugu Kavyas (poems) that were on the verge of extinction. He hired some copyists/writers (raayasagaallu) to prepare fresh copies. He reprinted Andhra Mahabharatamu and Andhra Mahabhagavatamu. He found a shelter for the destitute Goddess Telugu Saraswati and was able to redecorate her like a married Indian woman.
He also wrote several grammar and prosody books and learning materials for English people who were interested in learning Telugu. He created Telugu English dictionaries and Telugu readers. He authored chronicles and monographs in literary journals. He translated many poetical works. Madras Oriental Library still hosts many works of C. P. Brown.
He also collected essays, stories, poems etc. that have no written copies, but were popular among common men. Since 1824, he started collecting old books of Tikkana
and Potana and poems of Vemana
. During his stay in London around 1835-38, he collected 2,106 hand written books in South Indian Languages from the India House Library and sent them back to Chennai Library.
He edited and published several Telugu and Sanskrit books. He also hired writers and created fresh copies of the old books.Brown was also an editor of the Madras Journal of Literature and Science. He also wrote articles about the stories of the manuscripts he collected in The Asiatic Journal in London.
Charles Brown spent his own money for the development of Telugu and even took loans for the same. He saved every penny for the development of Telugu. Even in the tough financial times he didn’t give up his Telugu development programs. He retired in 1854 and settled in London. He worked at London University as Telugu Professor for some time.
Some of the publishings sponsored by him are:
He also left many press ready copies like Basavapurana, PanDitaaraadhya Charitra, Ranganaatha Ramayanam, 'Uttara Raamaayanam, Vijaya Vilasam, Sarangadhara Charitra, Hari Vamsam, Kasi Khandam, Aniruddha Charitra, Kuchelopakhyaanam, Radhika Santvanam, Vikramaarka charitra etc.
They were published by different institutions in Tamil Nadu
and Andhra Pradesh
after his death.
He also collected poems of Sumathi Satakam
and Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Academy published it in 1973 acknowledging him. This is similar to Vemana Satakam that Brown published.
He dropped Bandi Ra or the Sakata Repha(hard ‘Ra,’ ఱ) from the alphabet and used only the Sadhu Repha (soft ‘Ra,’ ర). He was also responsible for the dropping of the arasunna or the ardhaanusvaara sign (a nasalization sign, ఁ) in proper names. He used only the soft sounds of cha and ja (చ, జ), and gave up the hard ones (indicated by a mark above చ, జ).
He broke each line of poems into two at the point of Caesura (Yati Sthaana).
Hanumachchastri Janamaddi says, “minuku minuku mantunna Telugu waangmayadeepaanni snehasiktam chesi prajwalimpachesina aandhrabhashodhdhaarakudu C. P. Brown.” (C. P. Brown, the savior of Telugu Culture and Literature, rekindled the dying lamp of Telugu literature with his friendship and service.)
He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery (The General Cemetery of all Souls) in London.
Grave Number - 29517,
Section - 98, Path side.
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
writer and an Englishman by descent. He worked as official in Cuddapah and Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
during the British rule in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Native Telugu people
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
call him Brown Dora , which means Lord Brown in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Telugu Literature was in dormant phase and declined in 18th century because of many social and political reasons including lack of creative Telugu poets, prevailing illiteracy and decline of empires like Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
, who were patrons of the literature. Brown being an official in the region collected the works, printed them and saved the heritage of Telugu language. In his own words, "Telugu literature was dying out; the flame was flickering in the socket in 1825, I found Telugu literature dead. In 30 years I raised it to life".
Biography
Charles Brown was born in Calcutta on November 10, 1798. His father, David Brown was a manager of an orphanage and a missionary and scholar in many languages including SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. Charles Brown moved back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1812 after his fathers' death and returned to Madras on 4 August 1817 again to get training from Haileybury College for a civil service job in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
In 1820 Sir Thomas Monroe, governor of Madras had ordered that every official should learn a local language. As part of the curriculum he had to learn a local language and he chose Telugu language
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
under the guidance of Velagapudi Kodandarama Panthulu. Charles Brown passed Telugu exam as well as the civil service exam in 1820. He joined as deputy to Mr. Hunbury, the collector of Cuddapah. He got inspiration from Hunbury's fluency in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and improved his Telugu more. He was transferred to Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam is a city and a special grade municipality in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located south east of state capital, Hyderabad.-History:...
in 1824 and again to Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
in 1825. His administrator services at the time of the Great Guntur
Guntur
Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...
famine(1832–1833) were highly appreciated.
He was relieved from his duties in 1834 and went back to London and stayed there from 1835 to 1838. Brown returned to Madras again in 1837 as a translator of Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
for the East India Company and joined as member of the Madras College Board. He retired in 1854 because of health reasons went back to London again. He worked as Telugu Professor at London University for some more time before his death on December 12, 1884 in London.
Though he patronized Telugu He was a polyglot
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
and also learned Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
etc.
Literary service
Charles Brown established two schools in Cuddapah and two more schools in Machilipattanam, with free food for students and free education that includes Telugu. He did three great services to Telugu, his own works, recovery and discovery of old works and printing the Telugu books.He got interested in Vemana's literature in 1824. He studied Vemana's and other Telugu literature, and Telugu meter and grammar under the guidance of Venkatasivasastri Tippabhatla and Advaitabrahmasastri Vatthyam. Charles Brown was transferred to Rajamundri in 1825. He continued his study of Telugu literature. He collected the written scripts of Telugu Kavyas (poems) that were on the verge of extinction. He hired some copyists/writers (raayasagaallu) to prepare fresh copies. He reprinted Andhra Mahabharatamu and Andhra Mahabhagavatamu. He found a shelter for the destitute Goddess Telugu Saraswati and was able to redecorate her like a married Indian woman.
He also wrote several grammar and prosody books and learning materials for English people who were interested in learning Telugu. He created Telugu English dictionaries and Telugu readers. He authored chronicles and monographs in literary journals. He translated many poetical works. Madras Oriental Library still hosts many works of C. P. Brown.
He also collected essays, stories, poems etc. that have no written copies, but were popular among common men. Since 1824, he started collecting old books of Tikkana
Tikkana
Tikkana was born into a family of Shaivite family during the Golden Age of the Kakatiya dynasty. He was the second poet of the "Trinity of Poets " that translated Mahabharatamu into Telugu over a period of centuries. Nannaya Bhattaraka was the first, though he translated only two and a half...
and Potana and poems of Vemana
Vemana
Kumaragiri Vema Reddy popularly known as Vemana was a 14th century Telugu poet. His poems were written in the popular vernacular of Telugu, and are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. His poems discuss the subjects of Yoga, wisdom and morality...
. During his stay in London around 1835-38, he collected 2,106 hand written books in South Indian Languages from the India House Library and sent them back to Chennai Library.
He edited and published several Telugu and Sanskrit books. He also hired writers and created fresh copies of the old books.Brown was also an editor of the Madras Journal of Literature and Science. He also wrote articles about the stories of the manuscripts he collected in The Asiatic Journal in London.
Charles Brown spent his own money for the development of Telugu and even took loans for the same. He saved every penny for the development of Telugu. Even in the tough financial times he didn’t give up his Telugu development programs. He retired in 1854 and settled in London. He worked at London University as Telugu Professor for some time.
Works
- A Dictionary, Telugu and English, ( Brownya Nighantuvu) explaining the Colloquial Style used in Business, and the Poetical Dialect, with Explanations in English and in Telugu; explaining the English Idioms and Phrases in Telugu. with the Pronunciation of English Words. With a Dictionary of Mixed Telugu, also an Explanation of the Telugn Alphabet. By Charles Philip Brown. Three vols. Madras, 1852-54.
- A Grammar of the Telugu Language, By Charles Philip Brown, Second Edition, much enlarged and improved, Madras, 1857.
- A Dictionary of the Mixed Dialects and Foreign Words used in Telugu; with an Explanation of the Telugu Alphabet By C. P. Brown, Madras, 1854.
- The Telugu Reader, being a series of Letters, Private and on Business, Police and Revenue Matters, with an English Translation, Notes explaining the Grammar, and a little Lexicon. By Charles Philip Brown. Three Parts. Madras, 1852.
- A Little Lexicon, explaining such Words as occur in the first three Chapters of the Telugu Reader, and in the Telugu Dialogues. By C. P. Brown. Madras, 1862.
- Dialogues in Telugu and English, with a Grammatical Analysis. By C. P. Brown. Second Edition. Madras, 1853.
- The Zillah Dictionary, in the Roman Character; explaining the various Words used in Business in India. By C. P. Brown, Madras, 1852.
- Disputations on Village Business; the Original Telugu Record. Edited by C. P. Brown. Madras, 1855.
- Andhra Geervana Chandamu (ఆంద్ర గీర్వాణ చందము) (Prosody of Telugu and Sanscrit), College Press, Madras in 1827.
- Vemana Satakam (వేమన శతకము) (verses of Vemana): Collection of 693 poems by VemanaVemanaKumaragiri Vema Reddy popularly known as Vemana was a 14th century Telugu poet. His poems were written in the popular vernacular of Telugu, and are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. His poems discuss the subjects of Yoga, wisdom and morality...
along with English Translation and glossary in 1829. - Lokam Cheta Vrayabadina Subha Vartamanamu (లోకం చేత వ్రాయబడిన శుభ వర్తమానము), translation of bible stories in Telugu.
- The Wars of the Rajas or Rajula Yuddhamulu (రాజుల యుద్ధములు), being the History of Anantapur. Written in Telugu; in or about the year 1750-1810. Translated into English by Charles Philip Brown. Madras, 1853.
- Brown's grammar book of Telugu in 1840
- Telugu to English and English to Telugu dictionaries (తెలుగు-ఆంగ్ల నిఘంటువు, ఆంగ్ల-తెలుగు నిఘంటువు) in 1852 and 1854.
- Vemana Satakam (వేమన శతకము) (verses of Vemana): Second collection of 1164 poems by VemanaVemanaKumaragiri Vema Reddy popularly known as Vemana was a 14th century Telugu poet. His poems were written in the popular vernacular of Telugu, and are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. His poems discuss the subjects of Yoga, wisdom and morality...
along with English Translation and glossary in 1839.
Other publishings
He had prepared commentaries for all of the published works so that non scholars can understand them.Some of the publishings sponsored by him are:
- Tale of Nala by Raghava in 1841.
- The Calamities of Harischandra by Gaurana Mantri in 1842.
- Nannaya's Andhra Mahabharatam in 1843
- RamarajabhushanuduRamarajabhushanuduRamarajabhushanudu was a Telugu poet and a notable musician was one of the Astadiggajas .-Biography:...
's Vasu Charitra in 1844 - Peddana's Manu Charitra in 1851.
- Potana's Andhra MahabhagavatamBhagavata puranaThe Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
in 1848 along with Puranam Hayagreeva Sastry. - TikkanaTikkanaTikkana was born into a family of Shaivite family during the Golden Age of the Kakatiya dynasty. He was the second poet of the "Trinity of Poets " that translated Mahabharatamu into Telugu over a period of centuries. Nannaya Bhattaraka was the first, though he translated only two and a half...
's Andhra Mahabharatam in 1848 along with Puvvada Venkata Rao. - SrinathaSrinathaSrinatha was a well-known 15th-century Telugu poet who popularised the Prabandha style of composition.-Biography:Srinatha was born to Bhimamba and Marayya in 1370....
's Palanadu Veera Charitra in 1852.
He also left many press ready copies like Basavapurana, PanDitaaraadhya Charitra, Ranganaatha Ramayanam, 'Uttara Raamaayanam, Vijaya Vilasam, Sarangadhara Charitra, Hari Vamsam, Kasi Khandam, Aniruddha Charitra, Kuchelopakhyaanam, Radhika Santvanam, Vikramaarka charitra etc.
They were published by different institutions in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
after his death.
He also collected poems of Sumathi Satakam
Sumathi Satakam
Sumati Shatakam is one of the most famous Telugu Shatakam. It is a neeti Shatakam.-Shataka Kharta:shatakam is composed of more than a 100 poems'....
and Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Academy published it in 1973 acknowledging him. This is similar to Vemana Satakam that Brown published.
Style
He collected the stories and poems of common people and published them first. Though he was less interested in pedantic works, he also published many major Telugu works along with translations written by him or other copiers closely monitored by him. He prepared an index, a glossary and commentaries to all the works. Brown mentioned that the purpose of the commentary was to make the poems to be understood clearly without oral instructions. He also included many spoken words in his dictionary.Changes in alphabet
He had done few innovations in the Telugu alphabet to be print them easily. He changed the below-base form of ra in conjuncts, that looked like a half circle placed under the base consonant in the conjunct, into the shape of a rounded ‘L’ and placed it on the bottom left of the base. He also introduced a shape that looked like a ‘9’ placed at the bottom right of the base.He dropped Bandi Ra or the Sakata Repha(hard ‘Ra,’ ఱ) from the alphabet and used only the Sadhu Repha (soft ‘Ra,’ ర). He was also responsible for the dropping of the arasunna or the ardhaanusvaara sign (a nasalization sign, ఁ) in proper names. He used only the soft sounds of cha and ja (చ, జ), and gave up the hard ones (indicated by a mark above చ, జ).
He broke each line of poems into two at the point of Caesura (Yati Sthaana).
Death
He died in 1884 on December 12 at the age of eighty-seven. His selfless service to Telugus and their culture and literature is unparalleled even among Telugus.Hanumachchastri Janamaddi says, “minuku minuku mantunna Telugu waangmayadeepaanni snehasiktam chesi prajwalimpachesina aandhrabhashodhdhaarakudu C. P. Brown.” (C. P. Brown, the savior of Telugu Culture and Literature, rekindled the dying lamp of Telugu literature with his friendship and service.)
He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery (The General Cemetery of all Souls) in London.
Grave Number - 29517,
Section - 98, Path side.
Awards and titles
- He is respected as Andhrabhashodhadara, saviour of TeluguTelugu languageTelugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. - Andhra Pradesh State government has erected a statue in honor of him in Hyderabad and placed it along with statues of twenty other great Telugu peopleTelugu peopleThe Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
. - A Library building was constructed at Cuddapah on the very site of Brown's Bungalow known in those days as Brown's College.
See also
- VemanaVemanaKumaragiri Vema Reddy popularly known as Vemana was a 14th century Telugu poet. His poems were written in the popular vernacular of Telugu, and are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. His poems discuss the subjects of Yoga, wisdom and morality...
- TyāgarājaTyagarajaKakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...
- Arthur CottonArthur CottonGeneral Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton KCSI was a British general and irrigation engineer.Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation canals throughout the British Empire in India, however, his dream was only partially realized, but he is still honored in parts of rural...
, another beloved western by Telugu people, a civil engineer. - Tenali RamakrishnaTenali RamakrishnaGarlapati Tenali Ramakrishna , popularly known as Tenali Rama and Vikata Kavi, was a court-poet of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century. He was one of the Ashtadiggajas who belonged to the court of Krishnadevaraya in Vijayanagar....
- Potana
External links
- C. P. Brown background
- C. P. Brown history from Vepachedu research foundation
- The restless British Pandit
- Brown's Digital Online dictionary hosted at Univ. of Chicago, 2nd edition 1903
- C P Brown Academy, Hyderabad
- Extended Brown's online dictionary
- Brown's online dictionary
- Brown's Verses of Vemana
- Cuddapah's pages on Charles Brown
- An article about Brown in Popular Telugu Magazine
- Rare picture of the legendary C.P.Brown, Reviver of the telugu literature.( Image now with TTD archieves )