Noted Telangana folk artist 'Oggu Katha' Chukka Sattaiah passes away

Noted Telangana artiste, Chukka Sattaiah, who practised one of the state’s oldest traditional art forms called Oggu Katha, passed away on Thursday morning. He was 82. 

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao condoled the death of the artiste. 

“Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao has expressed his deep condolences over the death of famous ‘Oggu Katha’ artiste Sri Chukka Sathaiah. The CM said that Sathaiah became a proud artiste not only for Telangana, or the country, but also the world over. The CM said the Oggu artiste's death has created a big void. The CM has conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family,” a statement read.

According to reports, Chukka Sattaiah was born on March 29, 1935 in Manikyapuram village in Jangaon district, and had been performing the Oggu Katha since he was 14, and had learnt the art form from his father.

Oggu Katha is a traditional style of narration, that is part of Telangana’s folklore, and involves a song cum dance performance. The songs usually tell a story and artists dress up vibrantly for better story-telling.

Chukka Sattaiah had won several awards over the span of his lifetime, receiving accolades from former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former presidents Abdul Kalam and Pranab Mukherjee. His efforts were also recognised by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NT Rama Rao.

Sattaiah used to tour and preach about Lord Shiva, until he met then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, following which he took the folk art form to the villages, and spread awareness among the masses on education, family planning and also ills like dowry and superstition.

In 2005, he received the coveted Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) from Potti Sriramulu Telugu University for his contribution to folk art.

The Telangana Department of Language and Culture and also made a documentary on him titled ‘Oggu Chukka’.