"We have heard about the birth of five sons to old Brahma! But Savitri, who is this wretched son whose life was bottom-most, even compared to an animal."
These powerful lines which expose the birth of caste were penned by legendary Telugu poet Gurram Jashua, whose writings are often seen as a bright spirit in the anti-caste and humanist movements. On September 28, 1895, Gurram was born to an inter-caste couple. His mother was Madiga (categorised as Scheduled Caste) and father was Yadava. Gurram grew up like any other ‘untouchable’ child in Vinukonda in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district; in poverty. Troubles of humiliation, caste discrimination by students and teachers were a regular affair, besides poverty and alienation due to his parents' inter-caste marriage.
Many literary figures and critics say that he has drawn Telugu literature in a new direction with his style of writing. Over the span of 38 works of poetry, he wrote about what he wanted to see in society. Gurram was one with extraordinary scholarship and there are several tales about how he used to counter caste with his writings and speeches. He shut many who pointed to his caste, stating that he is a "cosmopolitan human and no one can bind him by caste and religion."
Gurram Jashua's metaphors, language and style had even caught the attention of ‘pundits’ of Telugu literature during his time. Weaving poems from life experiences with a narrative tone were unique in his writing. At a time when romanticism and patriotism were ruling the roost in Telugu literature, Gurram stood out differently. He even took potshots at his contemporaries for not being able to write about the tears of the poor while writing reams about the beauty of nature.
Gurram was given titles such as 'Ubhaya Bhasha Praveena' (Scholar of dual languages), 'Poet of the Millennium' and ‘Kavi Kokila’ for his literary works. He got the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for his work titled Kreesthu Charitra (Christ’s History). In 1964, Andhra University honored him with the ‘Kala Prapoorna’ honorary doctorate. The government of India gave him a Padma Bhushan in 1970.
A unique writing style
Gurram has written scores of timeless long-form poetries, which include works like Firadausi (A Rebel) and Kandiseekudu (A refugee).
In his long piece titled Gabbilam (The Bat), Gurram talks about the experiences of agony of being oppressed caste person and personifies the bat as messenger between him and Lord Shiva of Kashi, using the bat, which is generally considered undesired or unpleasant, as the object to express himself. It was a path-breaking piece of work in Telugu literature.
In the timeless piece, he questions the rich by writing, "They will spend hundreds and thousands for the marriages of toys but don't drop a grain in the empty vessels of poor and migrants.” At another place in the same piece, he wonders about the poverty and hunger of peasants saying, "He would feed the world with his sweat and labour, but for him, there is no feed."
His Akhanda Gouthami highlights his conversation with river Godavari, praising its beauty and shishuvu (infant), in which he beautifully expresses the musings of a toddler and the affection a mother expresses to her child.
In Smashana Vaati, he talks about the day of death and a person’s last journey; it was incorporated into the famous mythological play, Sathya Harishchandra.
With his versatile writing skills, Gurram set a trend in Telugu literature. Many observers and critics of Telugu literature feel that the perspectives and ideals of Gurram were not explored enough due to historical biases towards his contributions.
Kendriya Yuva Sahithi Awardee Dr Pasunuri Ravinder, a Telugu poet and writer, in conversation with TNM, said that there was an immense need for Gurram's literature in contemporary times.
"Jashua used his pen as a weapon to fight the unequal caste society, though there was a lot of research on his work by scholars, there are many facets and perspectives to be explored. His poetic subjects and labels laced with worldly views are still relevant. The spirit of questioning and empathy for the oppressed can act as pathfinders to the current generation," he said.
Gunturu Lakshminarasaiah, a well-known poet and literary critic, said that each of the literary pieces by Gurram Jashua are different from each other and highlights the range of issues between birth, death and every other aspect that has significance in human life.
"He has explored the different layers of life with his sharp expressions and emerged as a complete poet. He did not take the existing path, but chose an alternative literary line," Lakshminarasaiah observed.
He further opined that Gurram infused life into poetry by using simple language and words spoken by people.
Talking about Gurram's Geejigadu poem where he describes the architectural skill of a weaverbird, Lakshminarasaiah said, "Though he wrote ‘padyams’ (pre-form of poetry), he used modern poetic techniques in writing. In the poem, he writes, ‘You will make a hanging swing-like house for you, impossible for any human being.' This is the defamiliarisation technique in which he presented something which is already known and ordinary, as if it is something new, by describing its beauty."
Gurram Jashua died on July 24, 1971 in Guntur. As he once said, when a king dies, he will live in stone busts, but when a good poet dies, he lives on the tongue of peoples. Gurram’s writings continue to reverberate in the Telugu literary world and his work continues to be celebrated and debated much after his death.