A legend called Dwa Na Sastry

Dwadasi Nageswara Sastry, popularly known as Dwa. Na. Sastry is no more. He was born in Lingala, a village near Machilipatnam on June 15,1948, one year junior to me. He did his graduation from Sir.C.R.Reddy College, Eluru, P.G from Andhra University, M.Phil, from Nagarjuna University and Ph.D  from  Potti Sriramulu Telugu University. He served in SKBR College Amalapuram since 1972 and was known to me as a poet, critic and an essayist.

He left Amalapuram in 2004, for good and his good too. Since that day he had been writing articles, poems, reviews, etc. “Telugu Sahitya Charitra”, History of Telugu Literature, is his magnum opus. It is voluminous, and authoritative work on Telugu Literature. This book got reprinted for over 10 times, and still used as a reference book by all the students appearing for Civil Service Examinations,  with Telugu as optional subject.

His poetry collections include 1.Samadhi lo Swagatalu; 2.Dwa.Na.Kavitalu; 3.Hush Kaki etc.Vangmaya Lahari; Sahitya Vyasa Dwadasi etc. are his books on Literary Criticism. “Naa Nee La Lo Ci.Na Re”, and more than 100 books are to his credit. He penned hundreds of book reviews. He produced a beautiful compilation of “Telangana Sahitya Ratnala Veena”, in which some 115 ports of Telangana region are introduced to the literary society.

He had several records to his credit in marathon lecturing-despite his disability of stammering, which he overcame by will power and great determination. Dwadasi Nageswara Sastry passed away on the 26th.February , leaving an indelible record in Telugu Literature.

R R Gandikota, Kakinada