Former Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad on Sunday said that Telugu people should start celebrating the success of their luminaries who have brought laurels in various fields.
Addressing the gathering of writers and other walks of life here on Sunday, Mr. Buddha Prasad said that the Telugus ought to realise the need to draw inspiration from their luminaries. He was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the three-day drama competitions and 29th-anniversary celebrations conducted by Kakinada-based Appajosyula-Vishnubhotla-Kandalam Foundation (AVKF) and the Young Men’s Happy Club.
“Compared to any other State, Telugus would not celebrate achievements of their people. It’s in every field including politics, administration and science and technology, and environmental activism,” said Mr. Buddha Prasad.
“The State is in need of scores of environmental activists, given the speed at which the destruction of the coastline and rivers is in progress. Many destinations including confluence points of river Godavari and Krishna are under threat of calamities,” he said.
The foundation presented Lifetime Achievement Award to renowned Telugu story writer T. Patanjali Sastry. A native of Pithapuram town in East Godavari district, Mr. Patanjali Sastry has written 75 stories. He waged a legal battle for protection of Kolleru Lake. “I am a writer by mind and heart. I never see myself as an environmental activist as society recognises me. My environmental activism is part of my journey as a writer,” said Mr. Patanjali Sastry.
Chinuku Magazine Editor Nanduri Rajagopal, writer Bethavolu Ramabrahmam, Rentala Venkateswara Rao and other literary people spoke on the Telugu stories of Mr. Patanjali Sastry.