Telangana state song poet Ande Sri dies at 64, PM Modi, CM condole

Hyderabad, Nov 10 (PTI) Renowned poet Ande Sri, the author of Telangana's iconic state song 'Jaya Jaya he Telangana', died here on Monday. He was 64.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and leaders condoled the demise of Ande Sri.

In a post on 'X', PM Modi said the passing of Ande Sri leaves a deep void in our cultural and intellectual landscape.

"His thoughts reflected the soul of Telangana. A prolific poet and thinker, he was the voice of the people, articulating their struggles, aspirations and undying spirit. His words had the power to stir hearts, unite voices and give shape to the collective pulse of society. The way he blended social consciousness with lyrical beauty was outstanding. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti," Modi said.

In his condolence message, Kharge said the demise of Ande Sri leaves a deep void in Telangana's cultural and literary soul.

Ande Sri's death is a huge loss to the Telangana literary world, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said in an official release.

Ande Sri's funeral would take place at Ghatkesar near here on October 12 and the CM would pay his last respects to the departed poet, an official release said.

Reddy instructed the officials to ensure the funeral of the poet is conducted with police honours.

Kishan Reddy and several other leaders paid homage to Ande Sri at the indoor stadium at Lalapet here where his body was kept.

Ande Sri was found lying on the ground at his residence by his wife this morning. Family members rushed him to the state-run Gandhi hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

He may have died about five-six hours before being brought to hospital and his body had stiffened, a senior doctor said at the hospital.

"He (Ande Sri) had blood pressure for the last 15 years. He was not taking treatment for it since the last one month. He had complained of chest discomfort and others since the last three days. It seems he neglected it. He started taking tablets for BP one-two days ago," the doctor told reporters.

The poet may have suffered a heart attack before being found lying on the ground, he added.

Ande Sri, whose real name was Ande Yellaiah, played a key role in the Telangana statehood agitation with his songs.

The Congress government declared Ande Sri's 'Jaya Jaya he Telangana' as the state song after it came to power in December 2023.

'Maya mai pothunnadamma,' a song expressing concern over declining human values in society brought fame to Ande Sri.

Beginning his life as a cowherd in a village near Warangal, Ande Sri lacked formal school education.

He worked as a mason and later acquired knowledge of Ramayana and other ancient texts and subsequently started writing poetry with the motivation from a spiritual guru and others, according to an interview.

He was conferred an honorary doctorate by Kakatiya University and received the prestigious Nandi award presented to film personalities during undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Ande Sri was writing a major book on rivers after touring a number of countries across the world, one of his friends told mediapersons. PTI SJR SJR KH