Hyderabad: About 20 kilometers away from Karimnagar, there is a small tributary of the Manair River called Mohi Tummeda. This stream deeply inspired one of the great Telugu poets, Viswanatha Satyanarayana.
Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s friendship with a talented musician named P Narayana Rao also had a significant impact on him. This connection led him to write a unique novel of nearly 600 pages titled Mroyu Tummeda (The Humming Bee).
Mroyu Tummeda is considered one of Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s best works. In this novel, he and his friend Narayana Rao explored the origins and development of Hindustani music, sound, and its connection to consciousness.
The novel, although broad in scope, largely revolves around the characters and places in Karimnagar and its rural surroundings. According to Ayyadevarla Anand, a retired librarian from S R R Government Arts and Science College in Karimnagar, where Viswanatha once served as principal, the novel takes Telugu readers on a unique literary journey.
During his brief time as the college principal, Viswanatha was also captivated by another beautiful stream called Kinnerasani in the Khammam district of Telangana. While Mohi Tummeda has an intellectual depth, his work Kinnerasani Patalu (Songs of Kinnerasani) reflects the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions, much like the poetry described by the famous English poet William Wordsworth.
In addition to these works, Viswanatha Satyanarayana also gained recognition for discussing the dance tradition of Kuchipudi in his novel Eka Veera. In his famous work Veyipadagalu (Thousand Hoods), he portrayed the struggles of love through the character of Girika, a devout and divine dance girl.
Viswanatha was highly respected for his writings on various subjects. His Purana Vira Grandha Mala series, which consists of 12 novels, narrates the battle between good and evil throughout history. This series also introduces readers to the social, historical, and political aspects of different periods in Indian history from the perspective of the natives.
Known for his strong stance on traditional poetry and literature, Viswanatha Satyanarayana was a poet and novelist with a resolute spirit. His contributions to Telugu poetry and literature can be best summarized by the words of William Wordsworth: “Life is divided into three terms—that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.”
