Gurram Jashuva

Gurram Joshua (or G Joshua) (September 28, 1895 – July 24, 1971) was a Telugu poet. A Legendary figure in the Telugu literary world. With his immense wisdom and through the struggle he faced due to the Caste-based discrimination Joshua has written the poetry with a Universal approach. For his contribution to Telugu poetry and Society, he was called the "Poet of the Millennium" for his timeless pieces of poetry and Literature.
Early life.
Joshua was born to Virayya and Lingamma in Vinukonda, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India to a community of leather workers. His father belonged to the Yadav caste and his mother belonged to the Madiga caste. Due to poverty and the intercaste marriage of his parents, his childhood was difficult in a society in which some castes were considered "untouchable." Joshua and his brother were raised by his parents as Christians. In order to fulfill the requirements of higher education, Joshua obtained the diploma "Ubhaya Bhasha Praveena" as a scholar of Telugu and Sanskrit languages later in his life.
Career.
Protests against "untouchability," Dalit rights, and segregation have been common themes in all of Joshua's works.
Some of the more notable entries into his literary canon include "Gabbilam" (A Bat), "Firadausi" (A Rebel) and "Kandiseekudu" (A Refugee). A number of verses from Joshua's work have been incorporated into the popular mythological play, Harischandra, most notably during a scene set in the midst of a cremation ground.
Dalit communities in Andhra Pradesh consider Joshua to be the first modern Telugu Dalit poet, and actively protest his erasure from Telugu and Indian literary history. In 1995, Dalit communities in Andhra Pradesh began to organize various centennial celebrations for Joshua's birth, and have recently begun efforts to revive the remembrance of his literary contributions.
Literary works.
In one stanza, Joshua writes,
"To this friendly bat he began telling his life-story
with a heart scorched by sorrow. In this senseless and arrogant world,
other than lowly birds and insects, do the poor have any intimates or neighbors,
any noble swans to explain his warm tears?"
The man in the poem muses at the irony of his situation, wherein a bat is allowed inside a temple, yet not within a human being, requesting that the bat convey his message to Siva with caution. As the bat travelled to Lord Siva in Kasi, Joshua utilized the feeling of patriotism, another theme significant to his work, through vivid descriptions of various historical locations throughout India from the perspective of the bat.
Critical studies.
Endluri Sudhakar researched Gurram Joshua's literature and published a book on his outlook and impact.
Awards instituted in his memory.
The Joshua Sahitya Puraskaram was established by the Joshua Foundation to distribute an annual prize to poets from varying Indian backgrounds for enriching Indian literature with their contributions. The founder and secretary, Hemalatha Lavanam, is Joshua's daughter. Nilmani Phukan, an Assamese poet, received the award in 2002.
Padma Bhushan Dr Gurram Joshua Research Centre of Telugu Akademi distributes three awards to poets and writers for contributions to Telugu literature. These are the "Joshua Jeevita Saphalya Puraskaram" for male poets aged sixty or above, the "Joshua Visishta Mahila Purasakaram" for female poets aged fifty or above, and the "Joshua Sahitya Visishta Puraskaram" for any contributor to Dalita "sahityam" (Dalit literature). The first of these awards was presented on September 28, 2013, during the one-hundred-and-eighteenth anniversary of Gurram Joshua's birth. A payment of two-hundred-thousand rupees are included with each award. Dasaradhi Rangacharya was awarded the "Joshua Jeevita Saphalya Puraskaram" award, Kolakakuli Swaroopa Rani the "Joshua Visishta Mahila Purasakaram" award, and Kaluva Mallaiah the "Joshua Sahitya Visishta Puraskaram" award.
Damodar Raja Narasimha, Deputy Chief Minister of India, Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad, Minister for Rural Development of India, Kaki Madhava Rao, former Chief Secretary of India, and Medasani Mohan all either hosted or participated in various award-related functions. A commemorative book on the poet was released during one of the functions.