Gudipati Venkatachalam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GUDIPATI VENKATA CHALAM
Born GUDIPATI VENKATA CHALAM
May 19, 1894(1894-05-19)
MADRAS(NOW CALLED CHENNAI), INDIA
Died May 4, 1979 (aged 84)
ARUNACHALAM, INDIA
Years active 1920–1972
Spouse(s) RANGANAYAKAMMA

Gudipati Venkatachalam aka Chalam (1894 – 1979), a Telugu writer and philosopher, was one of the most influential personalities in the modern Telugu literature. Telugu is a language spoken by more than ten crore people and the literary interest of the people was at its height during first half of the 20th century.

Most of his writings were regarding Women, especially the kind of difficulties women encounter-physical as well as psychological-in the society, families from their near and dear ones. Chalam discussed how the women should encounter them. the themes of his writings, philosophical tinge in his writings blended with his writing style earned him unenviable place in Telugu literary world.

Contents

[edit] Life

Chalam wrote a book in the year 1972 on himself and put a title 'CHALAM". This was his autobiography. In his Autobiography, Chalam wrote about his father beating him in his childhood days, but did not mention his father's name. He wrote about his mother staying in her parents' household along with her Children and Husband even after marriage (In India generally, after marriage, girls go to the Husband's house and live there) and he also wrote the insults she had to face. But he did not write the name of his mother therein. For this Autobiography, he himself wrote a "FOREWORD". This foreword reveals the feelings of Chalam about writing Autobiography.

I hate Autobiographies. By writing an Autobiography, I am admitting to myself and indiretly telling everybody that I am an important person, I made lots of good things to help people and society and If I do not tell about myself, there is great loss to the world and by not knowing about me, the world is losing something. For a person like me who always thinks and feel that why was I born and OK I was born but why I did not die immediately without polluting my surroundings, writing an autobiography and telling my story shamelessly is not a matter to be execused

[edit] Birth and childhood

Well known as 'CHALAM' Gudipati Venkata Chalam was born on 18th May, 1894 in Madras(now called Chennai)in India. His mother was Venkata Subbamma and Father was Kommuri Sambasivarao. In his childhood days, his grand father (mother's father) adopted him and by that his surname was changed to "Gudipati" from "Kommuri" and ultimately, he became very famous as "Gudipati Venkata Chalam" He was used to practice all Hindu rituals like "Sandhya Vandana"(it is a religious worship of Divine Power three times a day performed by Brahmin Caste Males afterter getting preaching and blessing from father) very religiously. Before he completed his High School, he studied all the Hindu Mythologies. The way his father was to pester his mother made an indelible impression on his young mind. Besides this, the manner in which his sister "Ammmanni" was madrried off against her will also made him to concentrate on the difficulties women were facing in the soceity in those days.

[edit] Education, marriage and employment

Chalam joined Pithapuram Maharaja College in 1911. At that time, he was attracted by the preachings of Raghupati Venkata Ratnam Naidu-a Social Reformer-founder of Brahma Samaj in Andhra(Initially Brahma Samaj founded in Bengal. Afterwards, Chalam went to Madras for studying Bachelor of Arts (BA). Before joining the College itself, he was married with Chitti Ranganayakamma(in those days, in India Child Marriages were quite common). While he was studying for Degree in Chennai, he got his wife admitted into Convent for her Education and he was used to drop her at School on his bicycle. This was a spectacle for the people to see-Husband dropping Wife on his cycle for her school-as in those days Wife and Husband going together on the Road itself was a social taboo, while Chalam and his wife were riding on the same cycle. Not only this, Chalam stopped wearing the Sacred Thread (Yagnopaveetam), started eating Non Vegetarian (Brahmins were strict vegetarians) and was used to mingle with all castes. This infuriated all his relatives and more so his father in law. His father in law banished him from entering his house. By that time, Chalam's wife's age was merely 13. When his mother in law died, Chalam with his friends went to his in-law's house for the funeral. But they were not allowed to come inside the house and they were served food outside the house.

After completing his studies in Madras, Chalam joined in a job as Tutor in Kakinada. Again, he started participating in the Brahma Samaj activities. He also became busy with his friendship with a beautiful girl named "Ratnamma" who happened to be his friend's wife. He worked as Teacher in Hospet also. Then he joined in a job with Teachers' Training College in Rajahmundry. Afterwards, he became Schools Inspector. About his job, Chalam wrote in his famous book "Musings" (in Telugu language) (Page 72, 5th Print in 2005) as follows:

I am a Stone, Slave of Government, School Inspector and for the poor mice like Teachers, I am the Cat

[edit] Works

Novels

Maidanam, Sasirekha, Dyvamicchina bharya, Jeevitadarsam, Brahmanikam, Bujjigadu

Short story collections

Jealousy, Aa rathri, Prema paryavasanam, Satyam Sivam Sundaram

Non-Fiction

Musings, Papam, Prema Lekhalu

[edit] Philosophy

Chalam was a strong critic of the fundamental societal architecture of his time. He believed that the barriers created by the society precluded love and mutual understanding from human relationships.

In a society that believed in the children being indebted to their parents, he proclaimed caring for and bringing up of children as the fundamental duty as parents.

He was widely shunned during his times especially for his advocacy of women’s rights and his total rejection of the family system.

[edit] Quotes

  • From Brahmanikam: to be verified

Stri oka mata valla,chupu vallaa purushuniki sandichhindaa....ika atani adhikaraniki,korikalaki,vinnapalaki antam undadu. Asalu paryavasanam akkarleni stri modatininchi vimukhamgane undali......nippu vale undali,kaalanu kudadani chala mandi moorkhula aasa...

స్త్రీ ఒక మాట వల్ల,చూపు వల్లా పురుషునికి సందిచ్చిందా....ఇక అతని అధికారానికి, కోరికలకి, విన్నపాలకి అంతం ఉండదు. అసలు పర్యవసానం అక్కర్లేని స్త్రీ మొదటినించి విముఖంగానే ఉండాలి......నిప్పు వలె ఉండాలి, ...

[edit] See also

 This article about an Indian writer or poet is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.


Languages