Tripuraneni Gopichand

Tripuraneni Gopichand, who adorned Telugu literature as a writer, novelist, dramatist, essayist and cine script writer, was born on 08.09.1910 in a family rich in Telugu literary and cultural heritage. His father Shri Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chowdhry, popularly known as Kaviraju was a freedom fighter, nationalist and a great poet, and his mother was Smt.Punnamamba.

He authored ten novels, twelve plays, numerous essays, sketches, letters and a hundred short stories. His stories fall into four broad categories i.e. political, social, domestic and autobiographical. Social problems and gender conflict are the favorite themes ‘Apadbandhavyam’ is one of Gopichand’s best stories which depict the psychology of a woman on a flight. An innovative technique used by Gopichand is to present the stories of non-human beings as soliloquies as if they are human. An element of satire and a delicate sense of humor run through his stories. Though Gopichand read many European writers, he was not a blind imitator of any of them. His stories have a purpose: they are meant to educate. He had the courage to attack age-old traditions, to expose self-deception and to condemn tyrannies of every sort.

All his writings reflect a purpose and are thought-provoking. Shri Gopichand was presented with a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1963 for his work “Panditha Parameshwara Sastry Veelunama”. He rendered invaluable services to the Telugu literary heritage for nearly 35 years.

Shri Gopichand passed away on 02.11.1962. However, his literary creations continue to inspire generations of readers.