Who was Gurajada Apparao, the Telugu poet Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned in Budget speech?

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Union Budget for the financial year 2025-26 in Parliament earlier today.

She quoted Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao when speaking about the government’s plan for the next five years.

According to the Finance Minister, India’s economy is expanding at the fastest rate among all major economies. The government’s performance and structural changes have garnered international attention.

“Confidence in India’s capability and potential has only grown in this period,” she said.

Calling the next five years as a “unique opportunity” to realise ‘sabka vikas’ (development for all), she said, “The great Telugu poet and playwright Gurajada Apparao has said, “Desamante matti kaadoyi, Desamante manushuloyi (roughly translated: ‘A country is not just its soil, a country is its people’).”

“In line with this, for us, Viksit Bharat encompasses zero poverty, 100 per cent quality, good school education, access to high-quality affordable and comprehensive healthcare, 100 per cent skilled labour with meaningful employment, 70 per cent women in economic activities and farmers making our country the food basket of the world,” she added during the session.

Catch all the live updates here:  Union Budget 2025

Who was Gurajada Apparao?

Gurajada Apparao was an eminent playwright, poet, social reformer, and a pioneer of colloquial Telugu literature during the pre-independence era.

He was born to Gurajada Venkata Ramadasu and Kausalyamma at Rayavaram, Andhra Pradesh, on September 21, 1862.

Apparao is known for his plays in Telugu, notably, Kanya Sulkam, a remarkable play on evil traditions of child marriages and the dowry system in those days. Even today, many people still enjoy the play’s powerful words, particularly those of the character Girisham.

His masterpiece was adapted into a 1955 movie in which NT Rama Rao, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, played the lead role.

Asianet News claims that Apparao pioneered a conversational poetic form with Mutyala Saralu, bringing a new wave of literature to the world. His writings criticised Western culture’s cultural limitations and highlighted the value of educating pupils in their own languages.

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Desamunu Preminchumanna, his most well-known poem, encourages people to cooperate for the growth of the country.

Additionally, he was an avid supporter of women’s empowerment and education.

He became an expert in Telugu, Sanskrit, and English after pursuing further education at Vijayanagaram.

He worked at MR College in Vizianagaram as a lecturer. Kanyasulkam.

While writing poetry, performing arts, and short stories, he began researching the history of Kalinga (Orissa) and Telugu country in preparation for writing about them.

He was married to Appala Narasamma, and they had three children.

Apparao participated actively in the 1887 sessions of the Indian National Congress and developed close ties with the Pusapati royal family.

He joined the Visakha Voluntary Service and was the vice-president of the Anand Gajapati Debating Club, among other social service efforts.

The official website of the Vizianagaram District says that he passed away on November 30, 1915, at the age of 53.

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Sitharaman and her poetic touch in Budget speeches

Sitharaman frequently makes poetic references in her Budget speeches, which demonstrates her love of reading and poetry.

She thanked India’s taxpayers in the 2022 budget presentation by quoting a passage from the Mahabharata’s Shanti Parva Adhyay.

“dāpayitvākaraṃdharmyaṃrāṣṭraṃnityaṃyathāvidhi | aśeṣānkalpayedrājāyogakṣemānatandritaḥ ||,” cited the Finance Minister.

This phrase translates to “The king must make arrangements for Yogakshema (welfare) of the populace by way of abandoning any laxity and by governing the state in line with Dharma, along with collecting taxes which are in consonance with the Dharma,” according to Deccan Herald.

Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned Kashmir’s Shalimar Bagh and Dal Lake in 2020, quoting poet Pandit Dina Nath Kaul.

“Humara watan khilte hue Shalimar bagh jaise, humara watan Dal lake mein khilte hue kamal jaisa, nau jawanon ke garam khoon jaisa, mera watan tera watan, humara watan duniya ka sabse pyara watan," she said.

Sitharaman cited Urdu author Manzur Hashmi in her 2019 speech, which focused on India’s ambitious goal of reaching a $5 trillion economy in the next several years.

“Y_aqin ho to koi rasta nikalta hai hawa ki ot bhi le kar chirag jalta hai_,” cited Sitharaman.

Union Budget 2025

FM Sitharaman tabled the Union Budget for the financial year 2025-26 in Parliament earlier today.

The Budget focused on women, farmers, and youth with a big tax relief for the middle class.

The major announcements included a change in income tax slabs, PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, Makhana Board, Nuclear Energy Mission, BharatTradeNet for international trade, and more.

From the current threshold of taxable income of Rs 7.5 lakh, Sitharaman has proposed to raise it to Rs 12 lakh. With the standard deduction of Rs 75,000, the effective minimum taxable income of salaried individuals is Rs 12.75 lakhs.

With inputs from agencies