Vemuri Anjaneya Sarma


Vemuri Anjaneya Sarma was an Indian writer in the Telugu and Hindi languages. He was active in literary and cultural fields in the Indian independence movement, and became an important figure in the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, a Hindi-language movement in South India.

Birth and early years

Shri Vemuri Anjaneya Sarma was born to Shri Vemuri Venkateshwarlu and Smt. Raghavamma in Edumudi village, six miles away from Uppugunduru railway station in Prakasham district, Andhra Pradesh state, India on 24 October 1917, on Maha Navami.
Shri Vemuri Anjaneya Sarma had two brothers and four sisters. His grandfather was a merchant with agricultural land of around 300 acres. Due to losses in business, they lost everything and had to move to Kuchipudi Village, 3 miles near to Tenali, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. Due to business losses the family went through extreme poverty.
As he grew, Seshaiah Garu made Anjaneya Sarma to realize that for a poor Brahmin family to survive, he had to practice paurohitya. To learn Sanskrit, Anjaneya Sarma learnt "Raghuvamsham" from Shri Venkatappayya Sastry Garu, "Smarthamu" from Seshaiah Garu. He later joined Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Sastry Garu in Varahapuram as a disciple for three years. He also traveled to Vemuru village near Varahapuram to learn "Tarka Shastram" and "Nishada Kavyam" from Shri Kuruganti Venkata Ramana Sastry Garu. During this period, Anjaneya Sarma Garu used to eat with one Brahmin family each day of the week to survive.

Education

Anjaneya Sarma studied for 'Ubhayabhasha Praveen' of Andhra University Oriental Degree at Sanskrit College, Tenali, Andhra Pradesh. After leaving college he participated in National Movement, and subsequently studied 'Sahitya Visharada' Hindi Literature at Naini Hindi Vidyapeeth, Allahabad.

Achievements and recognition

Computers in Indian languages

Working with the Department of Electronics, Govt. of India, Anjaneya Sharma contributed to developing computer keyboards for all Indian languages, and was instrumental in taking up developmental projects in software and hardware.

Propagation and development of national language

Anjaneya Sharma sought to propagate of Hindi as the national language in the former dominions of the Nizam of Hyderabad, comprising Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. He took part in the literary movement in Hyderabad, and organised and coordinated Kavi Sammelans and Nataka Sammelans in fourteen languages.
He joined the DBHP movement in 1938 and established a postgraduate department within it. He introduced M.A. in Functional Hindi at Hyderabad in 1978, the first of its kind in India. He also introduced M.Phil., Ph.D. and D.Litt., and postgraduate diploma in Translation and Journalism. He founded two more colleges, at Ernakulam and Dharwar, and introduced Hindi Teacher Training Colleges offering B.Ed., & M.Ed., Courses at Hyderabad and then in Madras, Dharwar and Ernakulam. Finally he helped to design DCA and MCA courses through the medium of Hindi.

Awards

Positions held

Anjaneya Sarma began to teach Hindi in 1935 at Bheemavaram and Eluru, West Godavari District. Within the DBHP he was appointed as organiser in Andhra in 1940, and as Chief Executive successively of Hyderabad Hindi prachar Sangh, Hyderabad, of DBHP Sabha Andhra Pradesh, of DBHP Sabha, Kerala Eranakulam, and of DBHP Sabha, Delhi. He served as its Chief Secretary at the Madras headquarters 1974-79. He was Registrar, DBHP Sabha at Hindi University from 1978 to 1991 when Sri P.V. Narasimha Rao was Vice-Chancellor. He was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor of Post Graduate and Research Wing of DBHP Sabha in 1999.
He worked as General Secretary of Federation of All-India Voluntary Hindi organisations, Delhi, sponsored by Govt. of India, for a period of six years.

Committee memberships In various ministries

Books written on Literary Integration

Anjaneya Sarma participated in theatre movement as a means to propagate nationalism from the age of 20. He acted as "Devadas" and in other lead roles in many dramatic performances, and wrote and directed plays and dramas in Hindi and Telugu.

Library movement

Anjaneya Sarma was instrumental in establishing 'National Library' for Research in Hindi at Madras. He established many other libraries and reading rooms, and organised literary and cultural activities using libraries as a common place of meeting to arouse nationalism among the lawyers and other elite groups of towns and cities.

Educational activities

Anjaneya Sarma served as advisor of teaching South Indian languages for Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He also taught Hindi and Telugu to parliamentarians in the Central Hall of Parliament.

Cultural activities

Anjaneya Sarma was in contact with Sri Prithviraj Kapoor and other leaders in the cultural field. He held many posts of responsibility in Andhra Nataka Kala Parishad, and organised cultural activities involving artists in Delhi, Madras, Hyderabad and Ernakulam.

Broadcasting

For many years Anjaneya Sarma taught Hindi through radio lessons on All India Radio. Through All India Radio he also broadcast over 100 speeches in Hindi and Telugu, and participated in more than 50 panel discussions and interviews. On Doordarshan he presented reviews of Telugu films, and appeared in national telecasts connected with Hindi Day.

Institutions Associated with

On 6 May 2003, Shri Anjaneya Sarma died. To remember Shri Anjaneya Sarma and to take forward his legacy, his entire family came together to create "Shri Vemuri Anjaneya Sarma Smarak Trust" and since then on each anniversary of his birth they have recognised people with their contribution in the field of Hindi literature, Telugu literature and theatre. Over the last decade around 40 achievers have been recognized for their contribution in these fields.