Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Telugu Language Day Honors Gidugu’s Push for Simple Telugu
Telugu Language Day is celebrated every year on August 29.
The day remembers Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, who was born on that date in 1863.
He wanted Telugu writing and teaching to be easier for ordinary people to understand.
He supported the use of everyday spoken Telugu instead of very formal written Telugu.
Gidugu was also a teacher, scholar, and researcher.
He worked to help Savara tribal communities and created tools for learning their language.
Telugu is one of India’s 22 scheduled languages and belongs to the Dravidian language family.
Schools and universities mark the day with poems, debates, competitions, and other cultural events.
Telugu received classical-language status in 2008.
Telugu Language Day is observed annually on August 29, Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy’s birth anniversary.
Gidugu promoted spoken Telugu over Sanskrit-influenced written Telugu to make education and literature accessible to ordinary people.
Born in 1863, he worked as a teacher, scholar, educationist, orator, and researcher of history and inscriptions.
He supported Savara tribal communities, developed a script and lexicons for their language, and advocated linguistic and educational reforms.
Telugu is a Dravidian classical language, one of India’s 22 scheduled languages, and an official language of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam.
- Who
- Telugu-speaking communities commemorate Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, a Telugu writer, linguist, teacher, and educationist.
- What
- Telugu Language Day honors Gidugu’s contributions to spoken Telugu, education, literature, tribal-language work, and linguistic reform.
- When
- Every year on August 29, Gidugu’s birth anniversary; he was born in 1863.
- Where
- The observance is held in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Yanam; Gidugu was born in Parvatalapeta in present-day Srikakulam district.
- Why
- To recognize Gidugu’s efforts to make Telugu simpler and more accessible and to promote the language’s cultural and educational importance.
Spoken Telugu Advocates
Formal Telugu Tradition
How Telugu should be written and taught
Spoken Telugu Advocates
Gidugu argued that everyday, spoken Telugu, or Vyavaharika Bhasha, should be used to make education, examinations, and literature accessible to ordinary people.
Formal Telugu Tradition
The existing Grandhika Bhasha was a more formal written variety heavily influenced by Sanskrit and had traditionally been used in Telugu literature and education.
Language and regional identity
Spoken Telugu Advocates
Gidugu promoted linguistic reforms and opposed the proposed transfer of Telugu-speaking Parlakimidi to a separate Odisha province.
Formal Telugu Tradition
The British government proceeded with the creation of Odisha province in 1936, according to the article, while Parlakimidi’s status was a point of opposition for Gidugu.
- Observance
- Telugu Language Day
- Date
- August 29 annually
- Honoree
- Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy
- Birth
- August 29, 1863, in Parvatalapeta, present-day Srikakulam district
- Language family
- Dravidian
- Official status
- Telugu became the official language of Andhra Pradesh under the 1966 Andhra Pradesh Official Language Act
- Classical status
- Telugu was granted classical-language status in 2008
- Events
- Schools and universities organize literary events, poetry recitations, competitions, and debates
