His small verses in vernacular Telugu are so
popular in Andhra and Telangana States in India. They are simply not poems but snippets
of wisdom.
There is an adage in Telugu that a 'bhogi is
bound to become yogi' in course of time. Vemana's life mirrors
this transformation.
Vemana originally known as Kumaragiri Vema Reddy was the third and youngest son
of Gaddam Vema, the then king of Kondaveedu in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
Much of the credit for bringing Vemana's literature to light goes
to Britisher C.P. Brown who estimated the year of his birth as 1652 AD
based on some of his verses. Some other sources say, he was born in 15th
or 16/17the centuries.
His poems contain four lines and the last line is his signature line ' Viswadhaabhi
Raam, Vinura Vema. A large section of his poems are part of present
high school curriculum in the two Telugu
speaking States of Andhra and Telangana. There is a University in
his name in Kadapa city, Andhra Pradesh called 'Yogi Vemana University'
established in 2006.
The popularity of Vemana in the cultural life of Andhra Pradesh can be emanated
from the fact that two feature films were made on Vemana, one in 1947, directed
by Kadiri Venkata Reddy and other in 1988, directed by C.S. Rao.
With his remarkable wisdom translated into lucid poetry, Vemana continue to
inspire generations of Andhraites.
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