Famed Telugu poet and short story writer Kalipatnam Rama Rao breathed his last at his Srikakulam residence today.
Famed Telugu poet and short story writer Kalipatnam Rama Rao, popularly known as Kara Master, breathed his last at his residence in Srikakulam today. He had reportedly been suffering from some age-related health problems for the last couple of days.
Rao, who was born in 1924 in Murapaka, in Srikakulam, worked as a teacher at St Anthony's High School in Visakhapatnam till 1979. He wrote many pieces in this period.
His writings became popular for their sensitive and often incisive portrayals of the trials and triumphs of the life of the middle and lower classes in Indian society. He was also able to vividly bring alive in his stories the socio-political and economic realities of life in India. In the late 1960s, the author penned many works including 'Yagnam', 'Mahadaaseervacanamu', 'Veerudu-Mahaveerudu', 'Adivaram', 'Himsa', 'No Room', 'Sneham', 'Arthi', 'Bhayam', 'Santhi', and 'Kutra'. These works have been translated widely into Russian, English and many Indian languages.
The nonagenarian's stories garnered much popular and critical acclaim, and he went on to win many awards, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in Telugu in 1995 for 'Yajnam To Tommidi'.
Rao set up the Katha Nilayam, a research centre and library, in February 1997 with the aim of passing on the rich heritage of Telugu literature to the younger generations. This rich archive of Telugu literature, located in Srikakulam, houses more than 5,000 weeklies, monthlies, and special editions, as well as a wide variety of Telugu magazines.
Actor Chiranjeevi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy were among those who expressed their grief over the passing of the famed storyteller. AP Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan also took to Twitter to convey his condolences to Rao's family.