Gidugu Venkata Ramamoorty

Sri Gidugu Ramamoorty is the grandfather of “colloquial telugu language movement a.k.a vyavaharika telugu bhasha”. He has brought literary prose to the colloquial language. He explained the beauty and ease in the colloquial telugu.

Early life

Gidugu Venkata Rammurty was born on 29 August 1863 in Parvatala Peta village which is located towards the north of Visakhapatnam. His father is Sri. Verraju and mother is Smt. Venkamaa. Verraju worked as a revenue officer in Parvataala peta. His father was transferred to Chodavaram and died there with Viral fever in 1857. Gidugu studied in Parvatala peta till 1857. After his fathers death, he moved to Vizianagaram to his uncles place. He attended Maharaja's English school. He passed Matriculation in 1879. Sri Gurajada Apparao was his classmate. Gigudu was married in 1879. He got a school teacher position in Parlakimidi raja' school to teach sixth grade History. He started taking care of his mother and two sisters. He continued studies privately. He completed F.A. in 1886 and B.A. in 1896. He took history major and achieved distinction. When Raja's high school became a college he became a lecturer.

Services to Savara Language:

Savara is a Munda Dialect. Gidugu is one of the few people to analyze Munda dialects in a scientific manner. Savara people are referred to as 'Sabara' in Iteraya Brahmanam.

In his earlier days, Gidugu started learning the language of 'Savara' (A tribe who mostly lived in Forrests). He accommodated a Savara translator in his house and learnt the language after spending some years on that effort. He wrote books in Savara language. He opened schools with Savara as a medium of instruction and paid teachers from his own pocket. Madras government recognized his services and gave him the “Rao Bahadur” title. He studied linguistics. He spent 35 years to develop Savara Grammar book in English and Savara-English dictionary.

Teaching career
Gidugu also learnt the language carved on stones in Mukhalingam temple. He researched on history, mainly on Gaanga dynasty and published articles in “Indian Antiquary” and Madras Literature and Science Society Journal. After 30 years of service Gidugu took a voluntary retirement in 1911. His focus shifted to Modern telugu language reformation a few years before.

Prose reformation

In 1907, an English gentleman named J.A. Yates came to North khosta districts (Srikakulam,Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam) as a school inspector. Yates did nor understand the way telugu pandits are teaching the elementary school pupil. He questioned the Vast differences between the colloquial language and Prose. Yates was bothered by the same problem in Tamilnadu also, earlier. When he asked this question to the A.V.N. College principal Sri P.T. Srinivasa Iyengar, He was pointed towards Gurajada Apparao and Gidugu. Gidugu started concentrating on this issue and realized that there is a problem in the Telugu teaching. Telugu prose reformation movement started with the thoughts of these four people (Yates, Iyengar, Gurajada and Gidugu). Gidugu is already lecturing on the importance of living language (jeevadbhasha).

In 1912-13, the school final board decreed that composition(essay-writing) exam can be written in either prose of colloquial language. Charles Phillip Brown's telugu reader and Enugula Veeraswamayya's Kaasi yatra charitra are quoted as references to colloquial language. Conservative telugu pandits started worrying by these reforms.. Sri Jayanti Ramayya (been elected as head of Andhra Sahitya parishat), Sri Vavikolanu Subbarao, Sri Vedam Venkataraya sastry led a public outcry to remove this freedom of colloquial language in this 'composition examination'

Prose was exhaustively used in School and College textbooks. Sri Kandukuri Veeresalingam 's 'light prose' was also used in some of them. Gidugu started speaking in public in many places. He proved that there are no established standards for Prose. He started a monthly newspaper called 'Telugu”. He fought with his Scientific essays and Lecture styled lessons. Unfortunately, that monthly was closed after a year.

Distinguished pandits like Sri Chellapilla Venkata Sastry, Sri Tallavajjula Sivasankara Sastry, Sri Veerasalingam, Sri Panchagnula Adinarayana Sastry, Sri Vajjula Chinaseeta Rama Sastry supported the reformation towards colloquial language. On 28th February 1919 “Varthamaana Andhrabhasha pravartaka samajam” was established with Veeresalingam as President and Gidugu as secretary. In 1924 Andhra Sahitya Parishat lifted the ban on Colloquial language.

On 15th January 1940, Gidugu addressed some editors as his last request. He was glad to see the colloquial language use was spreading. He lamented the fact that the Government's education department and the Universities are still using the Prose.

Madras government recognized Gidugu's services and awarded his 'Kaizer-e-Hind' medal.

Gidugu Rammurty died on 22 January 1940.