THE IDEA OF FREEDOM THROUGH TIME: A LITERARY STAKEON THE THEME OF FREEDOM IN TELUGU LITERATURE

The concept of freedom is critical in understanding the political and intellectual movements of various societies. The two Telugu-speaking states of India, i.e., Andhra Pradesh and Telangana underwent such movements critically during the post-Independent Indian context. Prominent Telugu writers such as Srirangam Srinivasa Rao, Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastry, and Pendyala Varavara Rao had extensively produced their literary works on the concept of freedom by contextualizing it in different political and intellectual movements. This paper draws on their idea of freedom, their literary presentation of this theme enveloped in various forms, its implications, and reception by the readers. The paper comments on their reduced view of freedom that addresses issues of only particular sections of the Telugu-speaking society.