- The state government has declared September 21, the birth anniversary of renowned Telugu poet and social reformer Gurajada Venkata Apparao, as a state festival.
- The government has issued a GO officially recognising Gurajada Jayanti as a state festival to be observed every year.
- Gurajada Appa Rao was a pioneering Indian playwright, poet, and social reformer who fundamentally transformed modern Telugu literature by championing the use of everyday spoken language over rigid classical dialects.
- Born on September 21, 1862, in Rayavaram, Andhra Pradesh, he dedicated his life and literary genius to exposing deeply entrenched social evils.
- His 1892 masterpiece, Kanyasulkam, is widely celebrated as the greatest play in the Telugu language, using sharp satire to fiercely criticize child marriage and the exploitative practice of bride price.
- Revered as Mahakavi (The Great Poet), Gurajada also revolutionized Telugu poetry with his innovative rhythmic stanzas in Mutyala Saramulu, and inspired generations with his legendary patriotic anthem, Desamunu Preminchumanna, which emphasized that a nation is built by its people rather than its geographical borders.
- Alongside fellow reformer Gidugu Rama Murti, he successfully fought to make the colloquial tongue the standard medium for literature and education, leaving behind an enduring legacy of progressive human values and gender equality before his passing on November 30, 1915.
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