Andhra Pradesh declares Gurajada Jayanti on September 21 a State festival
Andhra Pradesh has notified September 21, the birth anniversary of Mahakavi Gurajada Venkata Appa Rao, as a State festival through G.O. Ms. No. 193.
The Andhra Pradesh government has notified September 21, the birth anniversary of the Telugu playwright, writer and social reformer Mahakavi Gurajada Venkata Appa Rao, as a State festival.
The decision was given effect through G.O. Ms. No. 193, according to a statement issued by MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas.
Mr. Srinivas thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for agreeing to the request that Gurajada Jayanti be observed as a State-level event. The Minister, who belongs to Vizianagaram district — also the writer's birthplace — described the decision as personally satisfying and pointed to Gurajada Appa Rao's contributions to the Telugu language and its literature.
Literary and cultural programmes are to be organised alongside the observance, with the aim of introducing younger generations to his writings and ideals. The Minister cited the writer's well-known line, "Desamante mattikaadoy – Desamante manushuloy," as an expression of his humanist outlook and his engagement with social issues and human values.
According to the statement, the coalition government has also moved to preserve the house in which Gurajada Appa Rao lived and has sanctioned a pension for his descendants.