Tripuraneni Ramaswamy
Encyclopedia
Tripuraneni Ramaswamy (January 15, 1887–1943) was a lawyer
, playwright
and reformer active among the Telugu
-speaking people. He was part of a growing movement in India to reassess the culture of India. This movement included such people as Ram Mohan Roy
, Eswara Chandra Vidya Sagar, Ranade
, Dayanand Saraswathi, Kandukuri Veeresalingam
and Gurazada Appa Rao.
(present day Andhra Pradesh
) into a family of farmers. At the age of 23, he passed his Matriculation Examination
. In the same year he wrote two plays: "Karempudi Kadanam" based on the Palanadu battle and "Kurukshetra Sangramam" based on the Mahabharata
war. In 1911, he joined the Noble College at Bandar
to study for the Intermediate Course. In those years he displayed his literary skills and prodigious memory in his Avadhanam
.
In 1914, he went to the Britain
and studied law as well as English Literature
and modern European culture in Dublin. During this time, he wrote to Krishna Patrika, a Telugu
weekly appealing to Indians to support the Home Rule
movement started by Annie Besant
. He pleaded for India's independence. Ramaswamy wrote many patriotic songs during the independence movement.
After returning to India, he practiced law for some years, mostly in Tenali
town. However, his main activity was directed towards social reforms. He launched a full-scale attack on casteism and the social injustices resulting from it.
In his other works such as "Sambhukavadha", "Suthashrama geethaalu', 'Dhoortha maanava', 'Khooni', 'Bhagavadgita', 'Rana Pratap' and 'Kondaveeti pathanam', he made a rational analysis of dogmas prescribed by ancient classics and the injustice these dogmas did to people belonging to the lower social orders. Moreover, he attacked discriminatory practices and fought against the idea of untouchability.
Sambhuka Vadha created lot of controversy . Sambhuka was a character , who did tapassu to go heaven with live body before death. That was considered as adharma and was killed by Lord Rama. This story was interpreted that Brahmins do not like doing tapassu by non - brahmins , that is why Sabhuka was killed.
He was against the traditional Hindu marriage ceremony which resulted in burdensome expenditure, especially among the poor. He prepared a simple procedure in Telugu called Vivaha Vidhi. He officiated at many marriages. When he was the Chairman of Tenali Municipality, he did not permit animal sacrifice to appease Devatas.
Ramaswamy was a patriot even when he was a student. He wrote a patriotic play "Rana Pratap", which was proscribed by the British government. He was an ardent lover of the Telugu language
and culture and was proud of their history. He was an educationist and was a member of the senate of the Andhra University
for three terms. He was awarded many honors and was popularly known as 'Kaviraju', a title conferred on him.
Ramaswamy died in 1943, but left his imprint on the development of the Telugu
-speaking people. The Indian government honored his legacy by issuing a commemorative postage stamp with his picture in 1987, his centenary year.
has left his own mark on the Telugu
literature. His younger brother Gokulchand's most famous and outstanding work is a drama about the drought of Bengal
in the 1950s. Ramaswamy's eldest child was the daughter Sarojini Devi. She married Subba Rao Kanumilli, an officer of the Indian Administration Services, who is known for his high ethical standards. Pitcheswara Rao Atluri, a Royal Indian Navy
mutineer during the Indian freedom movement, married Ramaswamy's youngest daughter Choudarani. She is the first woman to run an exclusively Telugu language
bookstore in Tamilnadu, the land of Tamil
s in the Indian peninsular.
http://gopichand-tripuraneni.blogspot.com
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and reformer active among the 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...
-speaking people. He was part of a growing movement in India to reassess the culture of India. This movement included such people as Ram Mohan Roy
Ram Mohan Roy
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian religious, social, and educational reformer who challenged traditional Hindu culture and indicated the lines of progress for Indian society under British rule. He is sometimes called the father of modern India...
, Eswara Chandra Vidya Sagar, Ranade
Ranade
Ranade is a family name, common among the Chitpavan Kokanastha Brahmin community in Western Maharashtra, India.-Famous personalities:*Mahadev Govind Ranade Indian scholar, social reformer and author....
, Dayanand Saraswathi, Kandukuri Veeresalingam
Kandukuri Veeresalingam
Rao Bahadur Kandukuri Veeresalingam , also known as Kandukuri Veeresalingham Pantulu , was a social reformer of Andhra Pradesh. He was born in an orthodox Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family...
and Gurazada Appa Rao.
Childhood and early years
Tripuraneni Ramaswamy was born in the village of Angaluru in the Krishna DistrictKrishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...
(present day 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...
) into a family of farmers. At the age of 23, he passed his Matriculation Examination
Matriculation examination
The term matriculation examination refers to educational qualifications in many countries. Usually this has to do with student's transfer from secondary to tertiary education. For more detailed information, see "Matriculation"....
. In the same year he wrote two plays: "Karempudi Kadanam" based on the Palanadu battle and "Kurukshetra Sangramam" based on the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
war. In 1911, he joined the Noble College at Bandar
Bandar
Bandar or Bunder is a Persian word meaning "port" and "haven". Etymologically it combines Persian بند Band and در dar meaning "an enclosed area" . The word travelled with Persian sailors over a wide area leading to several coastal places in Iran and elsewhere having Bandar as part of their names...
to study for the Intermediate Course. In those years he displayed his literary skills and prodigious memory in his Avadhanam
Avadhanam
Avadhana is a literary performance popular from the very ancient days in India, cultivated by the Telugu speaking community. It involves the partial improvisation of poems using specific themes, metres, forms, or words....
.
In 1914, he went to the Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
and studied law as well as English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and modern European culture in Dublin. During this time, he wrote to Krishna Patrika, a 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...
weekly appealing to Indians to support the Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
movement started by Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
. He pleaded for India's independence. Ramaswamy wrote many patriotic songs during the independence movement.
After returning to India, he practiced law for some years, mostly in Tenali
Tenali
Tenali , is a town and a mandal in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It has a population of 149,839 . It is located 16 miles east of Guntur City. Three canals of the Krishna River flow through Tenali making it a part of the rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh. One of the canals is...
town. However, his main activity was directed towards social reforms. He launched a full-scale attack on casteism and the social injustices resulting from it.
Literary career and public life
Ramaswamy chose literary writing as the vehicle for expressing his rationalist thoughts. His famous work 'Sutaparanam' in four cantos was a fierce attack on the ancient Puranas. His poetic work "Kuppuswamy Satakam" reveals the theme of social revolution and talks about social evils, blind faith and indignity to man. He was against Congress and its fight against independence. He advocated British Rule is more suitable for India .In his other works such as "Sambhukavadha", "Suthashrama geethaalu', 'Dhoortha maanava', 'Khooni', 'Bhagavadgita', 'Rana Pratap' and 'Kondaveeti pathanam', he made a rational analysis of dogmas prescribed by ancient classics and the injustice these dogmas did to people belonging to the lower social orders. Moreover, he attacked discriminatory practices and fought against the idea of untouchability.
Sambhuka Vadha created lot of controversy . Sambhuka was a character , who did tapassu to go heaven with live body before death. That was considered as adharma and was killed by Lord Rama. This story was interpreted that Brahmins do not like doing tapassu by non - brahmins , that is why Sabhuka was killed.
He was against the traditional Hindu marriage ceremony which resulted in burdensome expenditure, especially among the poor. He prepared a simple procedure in Telugu called Vivaha Vidhi. He officiated at many marriages. When he was the Chairman of Tenali Municipality, he did not permit animal sacrifice to appease Devatas.
Ramaswamy was a patriot even when he was a student. He wrote a patriotic play "Rana Pratap", which was proscribed by the British government. He was an ardent lover of the 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...
and culture and was proud of their history. He was an educationist and was a member of the senate of the Andhra University
Andhra University
Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
for three terms. He was awarded many honors and was popularly known as 'Kaviraju', a title conferred on him.
Ramaswamy died in 1943, but left his imprint on the development of the 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...
-speaking people. The Indian government honored his legacy by issuing a commemorative postage stamp with his picture in 1987, his centenary year.
His children
His son Tripuraneni GopichandTripuraneni Gopichand
Tripuraneni Gopichand was a Telugu short story writer, novelist, editor, essayist, playwright and film director. Gopichand's writings are remarkable for interplay of values, ideas and 'isms' - materialism, rationalism, existentialism, realism and humanism...
has left his own mark on the 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...
literature. His younger brother Gokulchand's most famous and outstanding work is a drama about the drought of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
in the 1950s. Ramaswamy's eldest child was the daughter Sarojini Devi. She married Subba Rao Kanumilli, an officer of the Indian Administration Services, who is known for his high ethical standards. Pitcheswara Rao Atluri, a Royal Indian Navy
Royal Indian Navy
The Royal Indian Navy was the naval force of British India. Along with the Presidency armies and the later British Indian Army it comprised the Armed Forces of British India....
mutineer during the Indian freedom movement, married Ramaswamy's youngest daughter Choudarani. She is the first woman to run an exclusively 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...
bookstore in Tamilnadu, the land of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
s in the Indian peninsular.
Sources
http://tripuranenis.org/default.aspxhttp://gopichand-tripuraneni.blogspot.com