Oggu Katha performer, who brought national recognition to the traditional Telangana folk art and in the process earned a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and a PhD (honoris causa), Chukka Sattaiah passed away at his native Manikyapuram village in Lingala Ghanpur in the district on Thursday.
Born on March 299, 1935, Mr. Sattaiah learned his art from his father Agaiah and started performing at the age of 14. He toured the length and breadth of the country popularising the art form and gave over 12,000 performances. Though unlettered, Mr. Sattaiah was instrumental in disseminating information on government programmes and schemes and made millions think.
While Oggu Katha traditionally narrates ballads in the praise of Veera Bhadra the son of Lord Siva, Mr. Sattaiah was instrumental in using the art form for narrating social messages, starting with the 20-Point Programme launched by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Having got the opportunity, Sattaiah went ahead conquering what all he could. He adapted the ancient folk art form to create awareness among the masses on the need for adult education, family planning and more importantly on social evils such as dowry system, superstitions and bad habits.
Mr. Sattaiah was presented Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award in 2004 and honorary doctorate by Kakatiya University in 2005. He was a visiting faculty in Potti Sriramulu Telugu University for two years. He was awarded Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the university.
“It gives me immense pleasure receiving the degree with many other youngsters. I did not get it the usual way, still I feel very happy,” he told The Hindu during one of his interviews some time ago.
Oggu Katha is a traditional folklore narrating the tales of Hindu gods Mallana, Beerappa and Yellamma. It originated among the Yadava (Golla) and Kuruma communities, who devoted themselves to the singing of ballads in praise of Lord Shiva.