The rich verse poetry and popular lyrics of Jaladi Raja Rao, popularly known as Jaladi would be remembered for a long time, said Minister for Home and Disaster Management, Mekathoti Sucharitha.
Addressing a meeting organised by Ambedkar India Mission at Jaladi’s 10th death anniversary held here on Thursday, the Home Minister said that Jaladi’s verse mesmerised generations of filmgoers. It was unfortunate that Jaladi, who hailed from a marginalised community, never got proper recognition from the film fraternity, she said.
Additional DG, CID, P.V. Sunil Kumar lavished praise on the poet.
“Jaladi’s writing reflected his simple upbringing and the influence of a rustic rural life. His use of everyday subjects and popular dialect made him extremely popular. Yet, he was left out when it came to major awards like the Padma Shri. While writers and actors of lesser talent have won awards and recognition, Jaladi had never been recognised,” Mr. Sunil Kumar said.
Jaladi Vijayamma, writer and daughter of Jaladi, in an emotional speech, said her father had faced discrimination throughout his life but had never showed hatred towards anyone.
Stating that she had been with him throughout his life, first in Chennai and later in Visakhapatnam, Ms. Vijayamma said that Jaladi’s love for his country was perfectly captured in his famous song ‘Punyabhoomi Naa Desam Namo Namami’, which was sung by S.P. Balasubrahmaniam for the blockbuster movie Major Chandrakanth. She lamented that her father never got his due.
Recounting a poignant incident at one of the functions organised to celebrate the success of Major Chandrakanth, Ms. Vijayamma said that the organisers mentioned all the names associated with the film, but failed to mention her father’s name, leaving him in tears.