In the meeting by Telangana Sahitya Akademi to pay literary homage to Madiraju Ranga Rao on 24 Jul 2025 [L to R: 1. K Prabhakar. 2. Roop Kumar Dabbikar. 3. Cheekolu Sundaraiah. 4. Velchala Kondal Rao. 5. Bhamidipati Kasi Viswanath. 6. Devulapally Haritha. 7. Madiraju Charitha. 8. Naleshwaram Shankaram. 9. Madiraju Santhosh Kumar. 10. Namoju Balachary. 11. Konka Yadagiri. 12. Uppaluri Atreya Sarma. 13. Lanka Siva Rama Prasad.]

Poesy with grace of art within
Every poet with their own distinction
Identity with imaginative dexterity
Delivers well-balanced success.

(1st verse from the poem ‘Kotta Vijayamto’. Poetry collection ‘Svecchaa Payanam’
by Madiraju Ranga Rao. Rasa Dhuni (2025). Page 59)
 

The idea of bringing out a Special Feature “Prolific Telugu Writer cum Academic Prof Madiraju Ranga Rao”  came up on 13 July 2025 when I attended his memorial meeting at CESS Auditorium, Hyderabad organized by Viswanatha Sahitya Peetham. After the launch of Dr Ranga Rao’s collection of free verse poetry ‘Swecchaa Payanam’ (2025) (A Travel of Freedom), on listening about his unique literary worth from the speeches of a galaxy of invited erudite persons, I thought aloud that Madiraju Ranga Rao deserved a Special Feature in Muse India, and gave the gathering my word.

Muse India, established in 2005, has so far brought out 9 Special Features/Focuses on Telugu Literature, 7 of them edited by me (Atreya Sarma U), including those on four famous literary personages—Adivi Bapiraju (Issue 52: Nov-Dec 2013); Viswanatha Satyanarayana (Issue 67: May-Jun 2016); Dr C Narayana Reddy (Issue 75: Sep-Oct 2017); and ‘Padma Shri’ Dr Asavadi Prakasa Rao (Issue 118: Nov-Dec 2024).

Prof Dr Ranga Rao (07 Dec 1935 - 21 Jun 2025) was an ardent fan of ‘Kavi Samrat’ & ‘Jnan Pith’ recipient Viswanatha Satyanarayana. It’s a coincidence that while Viswanatha was featured in the May-Jun 2016 issue, Ranga Rao who was personally blessed by Viswanatha is featured in the May-Jun 2026 issue, exactly a decade in between.

Coming to Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s 36-chapter mega novel ‘Veyi Padagalu’, it was translated as ‘Thousand Hoods’ (2015) into English with the initiative and leadership of Dr Velchala Kondal Rao. Here too, Madiraju Ranga Rao is connected in the sense that his poetic appreciation of the translated version decks the underside of the back cover. By the way, I was privileged to be a part of the 5-member translation team, myself having translated 6 chapters (9 to 14).

Exactly 11 days after the 13 July 2025 memorial meeting, I attended another meeting—on 24 July 2025 at Ravindra Bharati organized by the Telangana Sahitya Akademi to pay literary homage to Prof Dr Madiraju Ranga Rao. The main speaker Dr Naleshwaram Shankaram dwelt on the life and literature of Dr Ranga Rao. Both the meetings were attended by Dr Ranga Rao’s children—Dr Santhosh Kumar, Haritha, and Dr Charitha—and other close kin.

The above two meetings provided the necessary impetus to conceive and present this Special Feature dedicated to Prof Dr Madiraju Ranga Rao. Can you imagine that during his 72 years of literary odyssey, he produced a large quantity of oeuvre with matching quality—including an incredible quantity of 5,100 pages of free verse poetry (1953-2025)! This testifies that Madiraju Ranga Rao breathed poetry and soaked in poetry with no break.

We learn a distinct lot from the life and work of Ranga Rao, an exemplar of holistic, harmonious, and amiable perspective of things, an ideal blend of tradition & modernity. Ranga Rao, despite his literary and poetic profundity, kept away from glare, blare, and awards—justifiably so in an ecosystem not uninfluenced by lobbying and other external factors. Prizes and awards themselves are not the sole parameter for the worth of one’s work. It’s the readership, and the impact the work creates across generations that matter. Time is also a major deciding factor, as Samuel Johnson observes: “What mankind have long possessed they have often examined and compared; and if they persist to value the possession, it is because frequent comparisons have confirmed opinion in its favour” (Johnson’s Preface to Shakespeare).

Thanks to this Special Feature, I have gone through almost every line of every writing it is made up of, and I honestly feel I am fortunate enough to get acquainted with Ranga Rao’s life and literature. It strikes me that his inspirational spirit is hovering around us, though he is physically no more. May he attain Sadgati! Aum Shantih!

As things appear, Acharya Madiraju Ranga Rao’s lineage is sure to continue through his children, who very recently reproduced his free verse poetry through as many as 9 large volumes. My heartiest wishes to his progeny— Dr Santhosh Kumar, Haritha, and Dr Charitha—who are as sincere and as dedicated with personal, family, cultural, and patriotic values as much as their illustrious father. My special thanks to the threesome who have been in regular touch with me, to ensure the firming up of this Feature.

My grateful thanks to every writer and translator involved in this memorable Feature. My special thanks to the evergreen nonagenarian Dr Velchala Kondal Rao, founder of Viswanatha Sahitya Peetham and the genial and devout Dr Konka Yadagiri for their initiative in bringing out ‘Sahitee Vaijayanti’ (Dec 2025), a festschrift in memory of Prof Dr Madiraju Ranga Rao, and for their editorial role.

Now, dear readers, please peruse the writings in the Feature at your leisure..., but without skipping them, and your valuable feedback is welcome.