Kalyanam Raghuramaiah, popularly known as Eelapata Raghuramaiah (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...

: కల్యాణం రఘురామయ్య) (b: 1901 - d: 1975) is famous Telugu drama and film actor and recipient of Padmasri Award.

He was born in Guntur district

Guntur district

Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...

 and named as Venkata Subbaiah. He was popular during childhood days in playing Raghurama, hence named as Raghuramaiah by Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao

Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao

Kasinadhuni Nageswararao , better known as Nageswara rao pantulu was rare combination of a journalist, nationalist, politician, a staunch supporter of Khaddar movement and an enthusiastic pioneer in library movement in Andhra. His participation in Indian independence movement and in Indian...

.

He was famous for the roles of Sri Krishna or Dushyantha, Bhavanisankar, Narada etc. He performed those roles for about 60 years. He indulged in elaborate raga alapana, based on different Raga

Raga

A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...

s while rendering padyams.

He had the extraordinary ability to sing padyams and songs through whistle, by putting his finger in mouth and producing the whistle

Whistle

A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...

 or flute sound (It means Eela in Telugu). He has acted in various dramas and gave more than 20,000 stage performances. Many eminent personalities held Mr. Raghuramaiah's talent at highest regard. Nehru, Tagore

Tagore

Tagore is the name of a prominent Bengali family of intellectuals, writers and artists, generally known as the Tagore family.People - Jorasanko branch of the Tagore family...

 and Sarvepalli Radhakrisnhan are known to have appreciated Mr. Raghuramaiah. He has been named as "Andhra Nightingale" by Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...

 

He entered Telugu cinema

Telugu cinema

The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...

 in 1930s. He acted as Sri Krishna in many films including “Sri Krishna Rayabaram

Sri Krishna Rayabaram

Sri Krishna Rayabaram is a popular Telugu drama written by Tirupati Venkata Kavulu in the early 20th century. It was made as a Telugu film in 1960. Many actors and companies have staged this production throughout Andhra Pradesh, India, and abroad.-The plot:The plot is based on the story of...

” and in the film “Chintamani

Chintamani

Chintamani is a town in the Chikkaballapura district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located at a distance of 75 km north east of Bangalore and 25 km east of Chikballapur city.-Geography:...

”.

He has toured Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore with the drama troupe in 1972.

He died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 75 years.

Filmography

1. Prithvi Putra (1933)
2. Lanka Dahanam (1936)
3. Pasupathastram (1939)
4. Apavadu
   Apavadu
   -The plot:Prakash is a revenue inspector happily lives with his wife Kamala, sister Kantham and son Kittu. Venkaiah and his wife Anasuya are their neighbours. Prakash has a friend Kamaraju. Anasuya has a crush on Kamaraju, but he refuses her advances. Anasuya plots a revenge with the help of a...
   
    (1941)
5. Talliprema (1941)
6. Madalasa (1948)
7. Maya Rambha (1950)
8. Mayapilla (1951)
9. Prapancham (1953)
10. Sati Sakkubai (1954) .... Lord Krishna
11. Shri Krishna Tulabharam (1955/I) .... Sri Krishna
12. Chintamani
    Chintamani
    Chintamani is a town in the Chikkaballapura district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located at a distance of 75 km north east of Bangalore and 25 km east of Chikballapur city.-Geography:...
    
     (1956)
13. Shri Krishna Maya (1958)
14. Sri Krishna Rayabaram
    Sri Krishna Rayabaram
    Sri Krishna Rayabaram is a popular Telugu drama written by Tirupati Venkata Kavulu in the early 20th century. It was made as a Telugu film in 1960. Many actors and companies have staged this production throughout Andhra Pradesh, India, and abroad.-The plot:The plot is based on the story of...
    
     (1960)
15. Nagarjuna (1961/I)
16. Usha Parinayam
    Usha Parinayam
    Usha Parinayam was taken as a Telugu film in 1961 by Kadaru Nagabhushanam under Rajarajeshwari films. It was starring Tadepalli Lakshmi Kanta Rao as Anirudha, S. V. Ranga Rao as Banasura and Jamuna as Lady Usha. Rajanala Kaleswara Rao, Kannamba, Mukkamala, Relangi Venkataramaiah and Peketi Sivaram...
    
     (1961) ... Lord Krishna
17. Dakshayagnam (1962/I) .... Narada
18. Valmiki (1963/I)
19. Mohini Bhasmasura (1966)

Awards

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
  Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
  Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
  
   in 1973
• He was awarded ‘Padmashri’ by Government of India.