Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao

Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao (October 28, 1909 – August 17, 1980), also known as Ko Ku, was a prolific Telugu writer. He believed that literature which criticizes and enriches human life and ultimately reforms the human thought of its time is the only relevant form of literature.

Life

Ko Ku was born in to a middle class brahmin family in Tenali, Guntur district. His schooling until 1925) was in Tenali. He lost both his parents early: his father in 1914 and his mother in 1920, and grew up with his uncle. He was very familiar with village life.

His elder brother Venkatasubbiah (out of touch since 1921) was a poet-writer and Ko Ku was introduced to the literary community early through him. He was introduced to western literature too during this time. His early experiments, at the age of thirteen, included an unfinished thriller and poetry, which he would soon abandon. He married eleven-year-old Padmavathy in 1925, before he graduated from high school.

After Intermediate education (1925 to 1927) at A C college, Guntur, he studied for Bachelors Physics at Vijayanagaram Maharajah college. He started his serious attempts in writing during this time. Towards the end of his undergraduate education, he also became an atheist. He went to the Benaras Hindu University for his Masters in Physics. During this time, he published his first works: an essay called "Cinema" (1930) in the oriental weekly and "Pranadhikam" (1931), which won him the first prize in "Gruhalakshmi". His masters was cut short in the second year due to the economic depression.

Later, he worked in several places from Simla to Bombay to Madras, in such positions as a clerk, teacher, factory foreman and a film writer (including music direction for a film), before settling down in the field of journalism. After a stint in some papers, a few of which he founded himself, he was with "Chandamama", a popular children's magazine, as its editor in 1952 until he died in 1980.

Works

Novels

*Varasatvam
*Aiswaryam
*Endamavulu
*Arunodayam
*Jeevitam
*Gaddu rojulu
*Anubhavam
*Savati talli
*Panchakalyani
*Anamika
*Aadajanma
*Neekem kavali
*Preminchina manishi
*Kuroopi
*Bedirina manushulu
*Bratuku bhayam
*Bakasura
*Graha shakalm
*Chaduvu
*Kulam leni manishi
*Saritadevi diary
*Saroja diary
*Kotha alludu
*Kotha kodalu
*Maaru perlu
*Taara
*Timingalam veta
*Maarina jeevitam

Short stories

*Kottha paddhatulu
*Peeda katha
*Niridyogam
*Adde kompa
*Daivadheenapu jeevitham
*Kalisi ravali
*Attadugu
*Sadyogam
*Nuvvulu - Telakapindi
*Ashtakashtalu
*Udyogam
*Nirudyogam
*Manamu memu
*Manushulaku gala swetcha
*Shavukaru Subbaiah
*Paiki vacchina vadu
*Daliguntalo kukkalu
*Seela pariseelana
*Parisodhana buddhi
*Bahukudu
*Panakam lo peechu
*Kottha jeevitham

Non-Fiction

*Cinema vyasalu
*Science vyasalu
*Charitra vyasalu
*Samskruti vyasalu

Philosophy

Quotes

*The 'attempts' to save people from literature, literature from politics and politics from people amuse me much

*It is foolish to say that only the politicians, but not the artists, have the right to express themselves clear opinions on dictators, unemployment, lock-outs, wars, etc. Exploitation-mongers encourage such stupidity

*That which cannot reveal the secrets of nature is no science; that which cannot alleviate the drudgery of life is no 'invention'; that which cannot illuminate every nook and corner of life is no literature

*We need to create our literature for our own times … Fixation to the literary standards of the bygone ages is nothing but deceit

See also

* Telugu