How many novels is it possible to write in a lifetime? 100 novels? 200 novels? Or even a 500 novels may be? Well, how many of you know the fact that we had an author who had written about 1001 novels in Telugu? Kovvali Lakshmi Narasimha Rao is the man from Andhra Pradesh who is the only Telugu Novelist till date to have achieved this colossal feat.
About the man
Kovvali Lakshmi Narasimha Rao was born in Tanuku of West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh in 1912. He turned into a writer with the ambition of making the habit of book-reading much easier. Contrary to the high-level language used those days, he used the much simpler, common language to write his novels. This made his books popular among the masses but also encouraged many to take up to book-reading.
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Kovvali predominantly wrote on the then prevalent social issues and was a pioneer in addressing women’s issues. He opposed many social evils such as child-marriage and encouraged rational thoughts such as widow-remarriage. His rebellious thoughts were, however, not welcomed in the conservative households and many even banned his books from their houses. But Kovvali didn’t give up and the man went on his course to eventually champion the cause. As a matter of fact, he wrote script and dialogues for many famous Telugu movies such as Ramanjeneya Yuddham, Talli Prema, and Maa Gopi.
A Champion of his Cause
A true advocate of his cause, Kovvali never went after the commercial benefits of novel-writing. Thanks to his grit, despite all the hurdles, he went on to accomplish his goal of increasing the readership among the masses, especially household women. He passed away in 1975.
At an unfortunate stage where Telugu is being neglected, it’s imperative that we are aware of our folklore heroes and pass on their legend to our future generations and safeguard our heritage.
Recently, the Bangalore University has initiated a research on this great novelist. Many Telugu scholars have even initiated research on Kovvali Lakshmi Narasimha Rao.
His two sons, Kovvali Nageswara Rao and Kovvali Lakshminarayana, along with many literary stalwarts, have been putting in a lot of efforts over the past decade or so to revive their father’s glory.
Their efforts have started reaping fruits as Kovvali’s novels are once again available in the market today.
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