“But because I tried to extend your liberties,
Mine was curtailed.
Because I tried to rear the temple of freedom for you all,
I was thrown into the cell of a felon’s jail.
Because I tried to give you voice of truth,
I was condemned to silence.
You may say this is not a public question,
But it is!”
-Remembering Dr. Ramanadham
It was a late evening. Walking up and down talking over the phone, inside the small flat at Lakshmi Apartments near Malakpet, Prof. Varavara Rao was giving his response on the ‘Million march’ by Telangana activists on March 10. The old disorganized flat with loads of books, magazines and newspapers confirmed the fact that I was at the right place.
Varavara Rao is a communist, activist, naxalite sympathizer, renowned poet, journalist, literary critic, and a well known public speaker from Andhra Pradesh. He has been writing poetry for the last four decades. He is considered as one of the best Marxist critics in Telugu literature and has taught Telugu literature to undergraduate and graduate students for about 40 years. He is commonly known as an orator and had addressed hundreds of public gatherings. He had founded Srujana (creation), a forum for modern literature in Telugu, in 1966 as quarterly and later turned it into a monthly and successfully brought it out till 1992. He was associated with many a progressive and revolutionary journal in Telugu.
Varavara Rao was born on 3 November 1940 into a middle-class Telugu Brahmin family in a village called Chinna Pendyala in Warangal district. He did his Bachelors in Telugu, Political science and Science. And later he completed his Masters in Telugu literature from Osmania University. He has been publishing his poetry since 1958. After MA, he registered himself for Ph.D. to pursue research on poetry, but later left research to join a private college at Siddipet, Medak district as a lecturer. From there he switched over to Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, New Delhi to work as a Publication Assistant. Soon he left the job to join as a lecturer in another private college at Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar district. He joined the government C.K.M. College in Warangal in 1968 and taught Telugu literature till 1998, when he took his retirement. He completed his post-doctoral research in ‘Oral traditions’ in Naxal movement literature based on Jananatya mandali songs, from University of Hyderabad in 1994.
He is well known for his poetries, literary criticisms and social commentaries. He has been writing for news dailies apart from fighting cases against him in courts, and openly supporting the Naxal movement in the country. He has published 11 anthologies so far, which are Chali Negallu (Camp Fires, 1968), Jeevanaadi (Pulse, 1970), Ooregimpu (Procession, 1973), Swechcha (Freedom, 1978), Samudram (Ocean, 1983), Bhavishyathu Chitrapatam (Portrait of the Future, 1986) was banned immediately, Muktakantam (Free Throat, 1990), Aa Rojulu (Those Days, 1998), and Unnadedo Unnattu (As it is, 2000),Baghdad Chantravanta and Mounam Yudhaneram (during Iraq war,2003), Anthasuthram(2006). He published his prison dairies named ‘Sahacharulu’ or ‘Captive Imagination’ with the help of The Indian Express daily in 1990. ‘Sahas Gadha’ is another collection of anthologies by Prof. Rao. His 50-years collection of anthologies is also available.
Varavara rao was born into a financially dying family. He was one among the ten children. He recollects that the eldest of the two brothers were full time activists of Pre-independence Congress party and fought against the Nizam of Hyderabad. So, reforms like anti untouchability and anti caste system existed in the family though they were part of the forward castes. He was highly influenced by the writings of Srirangam Srinivasarao, popularly known as Sri Sri. His writings were mostly contemporary and issues affecting the day to day life of common man. Rao was greatly carried away by his book Maha Prasthanam (The Great Journey)
Transformation towards revolutionary ideas started in Varavara Rao's mind during his tenure in Mahabubnagar district. He thought of publishing a journal to be a forum of modern Telugu literature. He founded a group, by name ‘Saahithee Mithrulu’ (friends of literature) in Warangal and started bringing out the journal from November 1966. Srujana initially was totally devoted to modern literature, scientific thinking, progressive outlook and experimenting, without any outspoken commitment towards any particular philosophical outlook. But it was the time the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution on the international arena and Naxalbari on the national scene was happening. Warangal was one of the earliest centers in Andhra Pradesh to have responded to the call of Naxalbari. By that time Varavara Rao returned to Warangal to join CKM College as a lecturer in 1968. In 1969 Warangal witnessed the sprouting of a literary group, ‘Thirugabadu Kavulu’ (Rebel Poets), who associated them with the armed struggle going on in Srikakulam then. Naturally Varavara Rao was the moving force behind this group and openly called for an armed struggle against the state through his poetries and public speeches.
A number of young writers and artists openly came out with their solidarity to the fighting masses.Some illustrious figures like Sri Sri and Kutumba Rao from older generation joined hands with the young blood in the cause of the people. Under the influence of the three-year old people’s armed struggle in Srikakulam, a yearlong effort in the literary field brought Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Revolutionary Writer’s Association) into existence. Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Vi-ra-sam) declared that the martyred revolutionary poet Subba Rao Panigrahi as its source of inspiration. Varavara Rao was one of the founder members of Virasam. Since its inception he has been on its executive committee.
As a spokesperson of Virasam, Varavara Rao toured whole of Andhra Pradesh and addressed several meetings. He had to convert Srujana into a monthly to enable it to carry the revolutionary message far and wide. He never relinquished writing poetry throughout this hectic period of teaching in a college, speaking at public meetings and editing a highly respected literary monthly.
Varavara Rao’s literary and political activism prompted the Government of AP to book him under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) in 1973. The High Court judgment asked the government not to resort to such actions against writers unless their writings have an immediate and direct bearing in a physical action. Soon the government booked all the revolutionary poets under a conspiracy case called the Secunderabad Conspiracy Case in 1974, and the trial went on for a long 15 years. Rao was released on bail in April 1975. He was again arrested on 26 June 1975, on the eve of proclamation of Indian Emergency. Though all the prisoners were released on the day when Emergency was lifted, Varavara Rao was arrested and was kept behind the bars for a week more on a fresh MISA warrant. He was released only when the new Janata Party government repealed the Act itself.
In July 1985, he undertook an all India tour visiting Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, New Delhi and Tamil Nadu to make the people aware of the repression that was going on in Andhra Pradesh. His close associate Dr. Ramanatham was killed by Warangal police and He was not able to move freely in Andhra Pradesh. Warangal has become a forbidden place for him. Armed and unarmed anti social elements and police in civil clothes attacked his house on several occasions. Harassment against his friends in the movement was also mounted. Taking into consideration all these developments, Varavara Rao chose to cancel his bail in Secunderabad Conspiracy Case. On his request, his bail was cancelled and he was sent to jail on 26 December 1985. While he was in jail, he was booked under another case called Ramnagar Conspiracy case in 1986 and the trial went on for 17 years. In 2003 he was acquitted.
In 2001, the TDP Government accepted a proposal to have peace negotiations with the Naxalites and the then Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Peoples War announced the names of Varavara Rao and Gaddar as its emissaries to work out modalities for the proposed talks. The Naxalite party was under ban at that time. The talks were a failure. The Congress came to power in May 2004 and initiated the talks’ process in June. This time around the then Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Peoples War named Varavara Rao, Gaddar and novelist G Kalyana Rao as its emissaries. But after the encounter killings of some naxalites in January 2005, the Naxalite parties withdrew from the process on 16 January. The peace process ended with the imposition of ban on CPI (Maoist), Virasam and some other people’s organizations on 18 August 2005.
He had to face a lot of mental harassment and physical assaults throughout his life. He survived several attempts on his life by mercenaries of landlords, the state as well as anti-social elements. He has been living in Hyderabad since 1990. He was in an exile from AP due to severe life threats during 2001-04. He is married to Hemalatha who has been a strong support and a true partner throughout his life. They have three girl children and all of them have been on the same path as their parents.
A class-less society with social equality and justice for all is a dream that he carries in his heart. Prof. Rao says his sympathy and support for naxalites who are the real patriotic citizens will continue until death, and that is a right provided by the constitution. “I am a citizen of this land even if I don’t enjoy being one, and I have all the rights that a normal citizen of the country could enjoy,” concludes Prof. Rao.
