Tripuraneni Ramaswamy
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Tripuraneni Ramaswamy (January 15, 1887—1943) Tripuraneni Ramaswamy was a lawyer, playwright, and reformer active among the Telugu-speaking people. He was part of a growing movement in India to reassess the culture of India. Beginning at the dawn of 19th century, this movement included such people as Ram Mohan Roy, Eswara Chandra Vidya Sagar, Ranade, Dayananda Saraswathi, Kandukuri Veeresalingam, and Gurazada Appa Rao.
[edit] Childhood and early years
Tripuraneni Ramaswamy was born on January 15, 1887 in Angaluru village in the Krishna District of the present day Andhra Pradesh in a family of farmers. At the age of 23 he passed Matriculation Examination and in the same year he wrote two plays "Karempudi Kadanam" based on Palanadu battle and also "Kurukshetra Sangramam" based on Mahabharatha war. He joined the Noble College at Bandar in 1911 to study for Intermediate Course. In those years he displayed his literary skill and prodigious memory in his Avadhanam.
In 1914, he went to Britain and studied law in Dublin. He also studied also English Literature and the modern European culture. When he was studying law at Dublin he wrote to Krishna Patrika, a Telugu weekly appealing to Indians to support the Home Rule movement started by Annie Besant. He pleaded for India's independence. Ramaswamy wrote many patriotic songs during the independence movement.
After returning to India, he practiced law for some years mostly in Tenali town. But his main activity was directed towards social reform. He launched a full scale attack on the caste system and the social injustice which were propagated by Smritis and Puranas and the institutionalized religion.
[edit] Literary career and public life
He chose literary writing as the vehicle for expressing his rationalist thought. His famous work 'Sutaparanam' in four cantos was a fierce attack on ancient Puranas which were instruments to the caste system. His poetic work "Kuppuswamy Satakam" reveals the theme of Social Revolution and talks about social evils, blind faith and indignity to man.
In all his other works such as "Sambhukavadha", "Suthashrama geethaalu', 'Dhoortha maanava', 'Khooni', 'Bhagavadgita', 'Rana Pratap', 'Kondaveeti pathanam', he made a rational analysis of dogmas prescribed by ancient classics and the injustice done to people belonging to lower social order, attacking discriminating standards.
He was against the procedure of Hindu marriage resulting in burdensome expenditure, especially among the poor. He prepared a simple procedure in Telugu called,'Vivaha Vidhi". He officiated as priest and conducted many marriages. When he was the Chairman of Tenali Municipality he did not permit animal sacrifice to appease Devatas. He fought against the idea of untouchability.
Ramaswamy was an ardent patriot even when he was a student, he wrote a patriotic play "Rana Pratap", which was proscribed by the British government. He was an ardent lover of Telugu language and culture and was proud of their history. He was an educationist and was a member of the senate of the Andhra University for three terms. He was recipient of many honors and was popularly known as 'Kaviraju', a title conferred on him.
Ramaswamy died in 1943 but left his imprint on the development of Telugu speaking people.
[edit] His Children
His son Tripuraneni Gopichand has left his own mark on the Telugu literature. One of Gopichand's most famous and outstanding works is in the form of a drama, reflecting the drought of Bengal in the 1950s.
Ramaswamy's eldest daughter Sarojini Devi married Subba Rao Kanumilli, an officer of Indian Administration Services known for his ethical standards.
Pitcheswara Rao Atluri, a Royal Indian Navy mutineer, during the Indian Freedom movement, married Ramaswamy's youngest daughter Choudarani. She is perhaps the first woman, to run a bookstore exclusively in Telugu language in Tamilnadu the land of Tamils, in the peninsular India.
