Katti Padma Rao

Katti Padma Rao
Born (1953-07-27) 27 July 1953
Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupation Dalit activist; publicist and leader of the Dalit Mahasabha in Telugu-speaking land.
Language Telugu
Nationality Indian

Katti Padma Rao (born 27 July 1953) is a prominent Dalit poet, scholar and activist from Andhra Pradesh, India. He is the founding general secretary of Dalit Mahasabha, a people´s organisation that spearheaded the Dalit movement in Andhra Pradesh in the aftermath of the 1985 Karamchedu massacre in the coastal region of that state. A scholar in both Telugu and Sanskrit, he has published several volumes of poetry, and books on sociology, religion, philosophy, history, and women's studies. He is a regular columnist in major Telugu newspapers and magazines.

Early life

Katti Padma Rao was born on 27 July 1953, in Etheru, Ponnur mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh. His parents, Katti Subba Rao and Manikyamma, belong to the Mala community of Dalits.

Academic career

Rao began his academic career in 1975, working as a Telugu lecturer in Pamulapati Butchi Naidu College, Ponnur. He went on to serve as lecturer in Sanskrit and Telugu, and as vice-principal of Bhavan Narayana Sanskrit College, Ponnur.

Poetry and scholarship

Rao gained recognition as a poet and scholar, publishing several volumes of poetry and books on literature, sociology, religion, philosophy, history, and women's studies. Prolific in Telugu, he also authored some of his works in English.

Social and political activism

Following the Karamchedu massacre of Madiga Dalits in 1985, Rao emerged as a significant socio-political activist. He was the founder General Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Dalit Mahasabha[1] organisation, which mobilised not only the Dalits, but also the Adivasis and the Backward Classes against caste-based atrocities and oppression. The Dalit Mahasabha believed that the oppressive caste culture can be changed by "replacing it with an alternative Dalit culture, a culture that draws from Charvaka’s materialism, Buddhist Sangha philosophy and humanism, and thus, recognising fundamental human 'equality, fraternity and dignity'".[2]

Electoral politics

Rao launched the Peda Prajala Party (Poor People's Party) in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, he was part of the Bahujan Samaj Party. In the late 2000s, he joined the Praja Rajyam Party. His forays into electoral politics were largely unsuccessful.

Awards and honours

Rao is recognised as a Dalit ideologue,[3] intellectual,[4] writer and socio-political activist.[5]

A list of awards and honors received by Rao:

Books published

Titles in English

Anthologies

Sociology

Dalit history

Alternative Dalit philosophy

Women's studies

Dalit literature

References

  1. ↑ "Dalit Mahasabha to launch movement". The Hindu. 13 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010.
  2. ↑ Rao, Katti Padma (1995). Caste and Alternative Culture. The Gurukul Lutheran Theological College. p. 143 – via blog of Sam Gundimeda.
  3. ↑ Ghosh, Anita (2006). "Dalit Feminism: A Psycho-Social Analysis of Indian English Literature". In Prasad, Amar Nath; Joseph, S. John Peter. Indian Writing In English: Critical Ruminations 2. Sarup & Sons. p. 276. ISBN 978-8-17625-725-1.
  4. ↑ "Events and Workshops, 2007". Anveshi Research Centre for Women's Studies. 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Caste and Alternative Culture". Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
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