Hyderabad: Anishetty Rajitha, the celebrated Warangal writer known as the “Rudrama” of literature, died of a heart attack on Monday night at 67. She built a career as a poet, author, editor, and social activist, consistently advocating for Telangana identity and women’s empowerment.
Rajitha entered politics in 1969 during the Telangana agitation, when she was only 11. Influenced by public poet Kaloji Narayana Rao and academic activist Kothapalli Jayashankar, she wrote against every perceived threat to Telangana’s culture and rights.
Anishetty Rajitha honoured for fearless voice
Her literary debut came in 1973 with Chaitanyam Padagalethindi and continued without interruption. She confronted critics of Telangana’s language and culture, warning that anyone calling Telangana a sub-region would be “salted down.” As a feminist, she criticised the commodification of women under market forces.
In 2017, the K. Chandrashekar Rao government awarded her the Vishishta Mahila Puraskaram for literature. That same year, she served on the organising committee of the World Telugu Conference. Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University later honoured her with the Pratibha Puraskaram. News of her sudden death sparked widespread tributes from writers and poets across the literary world.