Boyi Bhimanna

Dr. Boyi Bhimanna (19 September, 1911 - 16 December, 2005; also transliterated as Bheemanna, Bheemana and in other ways) was a famous Telugu poet.

Early life

Bhimanna was born in a poor Dalit family in Mamidikuduru village, East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. He participated in the Quit India movement and worked as a journalist.

Writings

He was influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar. His writings reflected the angst of the down-trodden. He wore several hats such as writer, poet, journalist and academician. He was a member of the senate of Andhra University. He was the director of the Andhra Pradesh state translation division for some time. He wrote in English as well and his "Seventh Season," a collection of his English poetry was well received. He wrote over 70 books in total, with his "Gudiselu Kaalipothunnaayi" (literal translation: "the huts are burning") being the most popular.

Awards

He won several awards including the "Sahitya Akademi" award for "Gudiselu Kaalipothunnaayi" in 1975. He was honoured by the Government of India with the fourth and third highest civilian awards in the country, namely the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and 2001 respectively. He was awarded the title Kalaprapurna (honorary doctorate) by the Andhra University. From 1978 to 1984, he was a member of the Andhra Pradesh state Legislative Council. In 1992, the Telugu University conferred a special award on him and in 1996, the state government awarded him the "atma gauravam puraskaram" (literal translation: Self-respect award). He received the prestigious Raja-Lakshmi Literary Award from Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation, Chennai for the year 1991, and the Loknayak award are among the other awards he won.

Death

He suffered from Parkinson's Disease and after ailing for some time, died at The Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences at Hyderabad.

References

* Cover story from Eenadu (Pages 1 & 2) and editorial (Page 4) dated 17 December, 2005.
* [http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=2300 News item about his death]