Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday appealed to BJP leaders and Union ministers G Kisan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar to confer Padma Sri on Telugu poet Ande Sri, who passed away yesterday.
He said that the state government would write to the Centre urging it to confer the award on the poet who inspired the statehood movement with his numerous songs, particularly the state anthem “Jaya Jayahe Telangana”.
The chief minister, who participated in the last rites of the departed poet, lamented that the state government had written to the Centre last year too but received no response.
Participating in the funeral at Ghatkesar, he carried the bier in the last journey of the poet. Later, he announced a memorial to be built in memory of Ande Sri and promised a government job to a family member.
He recalled the significant role played by the great poet during the statehood movement through his songs and poems. He even appealed to the two Union ministers for their cooperation to recognise his contribution. “Let both the state and Central governments strive for the Padma award to the great Telangana writer,” said Reddy.
The chief minister reminisced about his close association with the poet and said his demise was an irreparable loss for him personally and for the Telangana society. He added that every song written by Ande Sri or rebel poet Gaddar was an inspiration to the people of the state. That is the reason why the Congress government had adopted the song as a state anthem.
Reddy also promised to include the late poet’s songs in the school curriculum and distribute his anthology of poems, “Nippula Vaagu”, to state libraries. Although “Jaya Jayahe Telangana” had been adopted as the unofficial anthem by the Telangana people, former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao failed to grant the status of the state anthem to the song. It was only after the Congress came to power that the song was adopted officially.