Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today paid rich tributes to well-known Telugu poet, critic, scholar and lyricist Dr C Narayana Reddy on the latter's death anniversary.
On the occasion, the CM credited Reddy with spreading the "literary fragrance" of Telangana all over the world, and with developing the field of Telugu poetry.
He described the scholar, a Jnanpith awardee, as a pioneer who excelled as a poet, writer, researcher, educationist, and film lyricist who in his inimitable style used the Telangana idiom to tell stories of human nature. He also lauded the scholar for his creative prowess.
KCR stated that Reddy had become a symbol for the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the syncretic fusion of Hindu cultural elements with Muslim religious elements prevalent in northern India, by pioneering the Telugu ghazal form which saw the jugalbandi (interplay) of the Telugu and Urdu languages.
"The efforts of Cinare to put Telugu and Telangana on the world's literary map are eternal. As long as language and literature exist, Cinare will continue to live on," he added.
Reddy penned many works through his long literary career that began in the 1950s and came to an end only in the 2000s. His works garnered both critical and popular acclaim. In addition, the talented poet also penned more than 3,000 film songs.