 Seshendra Sharma, better known as ‘Seshendra’ was a Telugu poet, critic and litterateur. He was a colossus of Modern Indian poetry. His literature is a unique blend of the best of poetry and poetics. Seshendra Sharma is well known for his works "Naa Desam, Naa Prajalu" and "Kaala Rekha". His scholarship and command over Sanskrit, English and Telugu languages has facilitated his emergence as a huge personality of comparative literature in the 20th Century. He has authored over 50 works which have been translated into English, Kannada, Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Nepali and Greek languages.
Early Life of Seshendra Sharma Seshendra Sharma was born on 20 October 1927 to his parents, G. Subrahmanyam Sharma and Ammaayamma. He spent his childhood in his ancestral home in Totapalli Guduru, Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh. He had three siblings; two younger sisters Anasuya (died in 2007) and Devasena and a younger brother Rajasekhar (died in 2003). Seshendra Sharma graduated with a B.A. in Literature from Andhra Christian College affiliated under Andhra University. He also obtained his Law degree from the Madras University. In 1949, he worked as Deputy Municipal Commissioner in the State Government of Andhra Pradesh for 37 years. He retired as the Municipal Commissioner of Hyderabad.
 Works of Seshendra Sharma
Seshendra Sharma’s first work in print appeared in 1952 which was a translation of Matthew Arnold’s "Sohrab and Rustum". In the beginning, he focused mainly on poetry and occasionally worked on literary criticism. His first collection of prose-poems was entitled "Sesha Jyotsna" which was published in 1972 in Telugu and English. It was also translated into Hindi and Urdu separately. Seshendra Sharma got prominence as one of the outstanding poets of India with his magnum opus "Naa Desam, Naa Prajalu" (My Country, My People). This led him to his nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004. He was the second person to have been nominated for the Nobel Literature Prize for his exceptional contribution to literary field from India, only after Rabindranath Tagore.
 Seshendra Sharma’s works of literary criticism are "Shodasi", tantric commentaries on Ramayana, and "Swarna Hamsa", the study of Harsha Naishadhiya Charita. In 1994, "Kaala Rekha" is a collection of 25 essays on various subjects like Ancient Sanskrit Drama and Ancient Greek Drama, Comparative Literature, Classical Poetry and Aurobindo’s Savitri. In 1976, "Neerai Paaripoyindi" (Melted Away) is a collection of poems which was published in bilingual editions. Diversity and depth of his literary interests and his works are perhaps hitherto unknown in Indian literature.
Poems by Seshendra Sharma A poem written by Seshendra Sharma is given below: Rivers and poets Are veins and arteries Of a country. Rivers flow like poems For animals, for birds And for human beings- The dreams that rivers dream Bear fruit in the fields The dreams that poets dream Bear fruit in the people- Another poem written by Seshendra Sharma is as follows: Achievements of Seshendra Sharma The following are the awards and accolades received by Seshendra Sharma for his immense contribution to Telugu Literature:
Personal Life of Seshendra Sharma Seshendra Sharma was married to Janaki. The couple had two girls and two boys; Vasundhara, Revathi, Vanamaali and Saatyaki. Later in 1970, he entered in a romantic relationship with Indira Devi Dhanrajgir, an Indo-Anglican poet. Death of Seshendra Sharma Seshendra Sharma died on 30 May 2007. He lived with Indira Devi Dhanrajgir at her Gyanbagh Palace till his death. |
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