Hello, Annamayya
Tallapaka Annamacharaya was a 15th-century philosopher-musician. Known to have composed 32000 sankirtanas in Telugu, out of which 12000 survive today.
I am not a Telugu. And I get that Tulu and Telugu can be confounding. I have been to Telangana/Andhra thrice in my life. Once in 2007 and then in 2016 and again last year (2019). Barring 2016, the other visits were firmly restricted to Hyderabad. It won’t be a surprise to know that I don’t speak the language, forget fluency. Yet my 2016 stay was long enough, say about two months to familiarise myself with an overall Telugu ecosphere. Still, to speak, Annamayya’s (as he is popularly known) compositions didn't get introduced in any of these visits.
Though his statue did. I recall my last visit to Hyderabad coming across Annamayya’s statue facing Hussain Sagar. I wasn’t even aware then that it was him. More than a year later, I listened to his composition called ‘Brahmam Okate’.
Some excerpts (with transliteration and translations):
కందువగు హీనాధికము లిందు లేవు
అందరికి శ్రీహరే అంతరాత్మ
ఇందులో జంతుకుల మంతా ఒకటే
అందరికీ శ్రీహరే అంతరాత్మ
[kanduvagu hīnādhikamu lindu lēvu
andariki śrīharē antarātma
indulō jantukula mantā okaṭē
andarikī śrīharē antarātma]
There is no difference between high and low.
All the beings created are one.
Srihari is the indwelling spirit in one and all.
నిండార రాజు నిద్రించు నిద్రయునొకటే
అండనే బంటు నిద్ర — అదియు నొకటే
మెండైన బ్రాహ్మణుడు మెట్టు భూమియొకటే
చండాలుడుండేటి సరిభూమి యొకటే
[niṇḍāra rāju nidrin̄cu nidrayunokaṭē
aṇḍanē baṇṭu nidra — adiyu nokaṭē
meṇḍaina brāhmaṇuḍu meṭṭu bhūmiyokaṭē
caṇḍāluḍuṇḍēṭi saribhūmi yokaṭē]
The land on which the King and a servant sleep is the same.
So also, the land on which a Brahmin and a Chandala (untouchable) walk is the same.
Credits: Chith Foundation’s rendition which literally introduced me to this composition and additional help of Chivikulas to help understand the lyrics better.
