Trend-Setter in Modern Telugu Poetry-

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Padmabhushana Devulapalli Venkata Krishna Sastri (1897-1980) is a poet who held in his firm grip every other contemporary Telugu poet.  The poet Sri Sri, later to become a trendsetter himself in the Telugu poetry confessed that he was so carried away by Krishna Sastri’s poetry that he found it impossible for nearly 10 years not to imitate of Krishna Sastri’s style.  Only when he stopped imitating it, Sri Sri could find his own voice.

The hallmarks of Krishna Sastri’s poems are anguish, lyricism, sweetness, harmony and elegance.  G. V. Chalam, a very distinguished writer, once remarked that Krishna Sastri’s pain is the world’s pain; and that the world’s pain is Sri Sri’s pain.  It is a sharp observation, no doubt.  While one poet transmits his personal pain to the reader, the other poets makes the suffering in the world his own, and transmits it to the reader.  However, this over generalization is fair neither to Krishna Sastri not to Sri Sri.

Krishna Sastri was a many splendoured personality. He taught in a college, was a social and religious reformer, wrote Telugu prose with distinction and was a highly esteemed critic of Telugu literature.  Whether he recited his own poems or lectured on some topic, he kept his listeners spellbound with his powerful oratory.  Whether he produced plays for the All India Radio or wrote songs for the movies, whether he translated, or adapted the classics from Indian literature, the artist in Krishna Sastri was very much visible.  So was the influence of Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Byron, Valmiki, Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti and of course, Rabindranath Tagore.

Krishna Sastri led a very enviable life, a life to be envied by any poet, anywhere with the possible exception of Tagore.  No literary gathering was complete without him. He was the star attraction at any meeting.  People flattered him imitating his style in life and literature.

When he burst on the literary scene with his Krishna Pakshamu, traditional scholars ridiculed it.  Ramalingaswami wrote a parody entitled Sukla Pakshamu, Umakantam argued that it was not poetry at all.  But the general public received Krishna Pakshamu with enthusiasm. Krishna Sastri took poetry to the people.

He was an effective teacher abored by his students. He tried his hands at several forms of literature and distinguished himself in every one on of them. 

He was considered a major writer, whether he revived the traditional Yakshagana literary form-or reviewed the contribution of the other writers.

He wrote very moving songs on India and its heritage. The patriotic fervour comes out clearly in songs such as Jaya Jaya Priya Bharatha Janayitri. His love of Telugu he celebrated in his Paadama Telugu pata. His depiction of every-day life as he knew it in the Telugu land – had memorable sketches – in lyrics and cinema songs, whatever the medium.  He loved the land his heritage and its people.  His love of nature, of freedom, of anguish and of the human quest – he celebrated them all in his poems.

That he was a perceptive writer becomes obvious as one notices in his writing a gradual change in diction and style, accepting contemporary Telugu usage, a change from the neo-classical to the modern.

He was not a poet living aloof but involved himself in several social and religious reform movements.

His poems about the Supreme in its form-full and form-less aspects reveal his knowledge of our scriptures and epics and his pursuit of Truth.

Research scholars studied his writings and produced dissertations in Universities. His translation of Tiruppavai makes the Tamil classic in Telugu, too.

Krishna Sastri held Tagore in very esteem.  He says:

There comes your immortal voice
wafted on a lovely breeze
my songs shed
all its jewels
and bowed its head
at your feet.

As in Tagore’s composition, the thought, the text and the tune are all important constituents in Krishna Sastri’s composition. He had an untrained and yet an unerring ear for melody.