Ramakrishnaiya

Korada Ramakrishnaiya - First work of Literary Criticism in Telugu

Korada Ramakrishnaiya was a pioneer in Research in 'Telugu literature', 'Telugu language', and 'Dravidian linguistics'. He published works of fundamental importance on all these branches of study. The areas in which he extended the borders of Research are the following:

• Literary Criticism
• History of Telugu language
• Philological interpretation of Telugu grammar
• Cognate Dravidian vocabulary
• Comparative Dravidian grammar
• Comparative Dravidian prosody

ANDHRA BHARATA KAVITA VIMARSANAMU: LITERARY CRITICISM:
Ramakrishnaiya established a new line of literary criticism based on modern methods in his monumental work Andhra Bharata Kavita Vimarsanamu. Herein he compared the Telugu text with that of the Sanskrit original. He confined himself to Virata Parva - "as no authorized version for other parvas is available so far".

This work published in 1929 received the highest appreciation in literary circles. The Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society, October 1931, said "... we think that literary criticism should flow hereafter on the lines suggested by him...".

Tekumalla Achyuta Rao commented "Excellent exposition of the subject which is new in the field of Telugu literary criticism."

The review in Hindu dated 18 June 1930 said "... The work is scholarly without being pedantic, and interesting without being too popular. The Pre-Nannaya period in Telugu is traced with great skill... The author has chosen the right passages and his method of treatment is exceedingly interesting... the enumeration of artistic qualities of Tikkana's verse shows rare insight and critical acumen in the author..."

HISTORY OF TELUGU LANGUAGE:
Ramakrishnaiya was the first to write a Historical Grammar for the language of the pre-Nannaya inscriptions of the first millennium A.D. and for the subsequent ages, for Nannaya, Tikkana, Errana, and Nannichoda.

PHILOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF TELUGU GRAMMAR:
Ramakrishnaiya's 'Sandhi' is a monumental work - the first attempt in Telugu to introduce the Historical method into the field of Telugu grammatical studies. He detailed how when considered from a historical point of view the sandhi changes explain themselves in a more consistent and rationalistic manner.For example puvu + remma becomes pu-remma. Why? Because pu was the earlier form of puvu, and it survives in compound construction.

COGNATE DRAVIDIAN VOCABULARY:
Ramakrishnaiya studied and collected vocabulary common to the major Dravidian languages in 'Dravidian Cognates' (published by the Madras University, 1945), and paved the way for the comprehensive work 'The Dravidian Etymological Dictionary' of Burrow and Emeneau.

COMPARATIVE DRAVIDIAN GRAMMAR:
Robert Caldwell's 'Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian languages of South India' - suggesting an independent origin of these languages - appeared in 1854. For a number of decades scholars did not show much interest in Dravidian studies, although there were many erudite scholars of their mother-tongue among Tamilian, Keralan, Kannadiga and Andhra people. It was Ramakrishnaiya who continued the work of Caldwell in a systematic manner and contributed to the advancement of the subject, forming a mile-stone, as it were, in the development of comparative Dravidian studies.

COMPARATIVE DRAVIDIAN PROSODY:
Ramakrishnaiya pointed out, for the first time, that there is a common literary and prosodial tradition for all the South Indian languages. The ner-nirai system of Tamil prosody is comparable to matra ganas in Telugu and Kannada. Desi chandassu (indigenous metres) in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada are generally two or three-line formations and set to music. He published numerous papers bearing on comparative Dravidian literature, and the book 'Dakshina Desa Bhasha Saraswatamulu-Desi'