A celebration of poets of Kopparapu lineage is being held by Kopparapu Kavula Kalapeetham in association with Sahiti Samakhya here at Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram on Saturday evening. The programme is being organised to mark the 130th birth anniversary of Kopparapu poets.

The programme is being billed as a tribute to the contribution of the poets — Kopparapu Venkataramana (1887-1942) and Kopparapu Venkata Subbaraya (1885-1932) — to Telugu verse poetry. Born at Kopparam village in Narasaraopet mandal, the poets were said to have pioneered one of the most difficult forms of verse poetry- reciting verses extempore (‘asukavitwam’).

The poets were believed to have recited more than 500 poems extempore, only some of them have found their way in printed form, while most others have been lost.

Maa Sharma, founder president of Kala Peetham, and S.V.S. Lakshminarayana, secretary of Sahiti Samakhya, said that the celebrations were being held to rekindle interest in Telugu verse poetry.

Siddeswara Bharathi Swamy will inaugurate the celebrations. Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, former editor Potturi Venkateswara Rao and Collector Kantilal Dande are the guests. Kopparapu Venkata Subbaraya Sharma, a scion of Kopparapu dynasty, is a special guest of honour.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News>Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Guntur – November 29th, 2014