In a touching ceremony held on Saturday, leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gathered in Tirupati to honor the revered poet ‘Kavikokila’ Gurram Jashuva on the occasion of his birth anniversary. Dignitaries present included Vijayawada West MLA Y.S. Chowdary, TTD trust board member G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, and several notable BJP State figures like N. Madhukar, Ramesh Naidu, S. Muni Subramanyam, official spokesperson Jalli Madhusudhan, and Tirupati district president Samanchi Srinivas. As a mark of profound respect, they collectively carried a portrait of the esteemed poet on a palanquin to the event venue.
During their addresses, Mr. Chowdary and Mr. Madhukar spoke passionately about Gurram Jashuva’s remarkable life. They highlighted how, despite receiving his education in a Christian missionary school, Jashuva remained deeply rooted in his Hindu traditions, upholding ancient customs and fostering strong nationalistic principles throughout his life.
The BJP leaders also took the opportunity to reflect on a persistent challenge in the literary world: the tendency of some to narrowly categorize Gurram Jashuva solely as a ‘Dalit poet.’ They emphasized that such a limited perspective fails to fully appreciate the vast breadth of his philosophical insights and the profound depth and universal appeal of his extensive literary works.