| Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastri | |
| Native Name: | రాచకొండ విశ్వనాథ శాస్త్రి |
| Birth Name: | Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastri |
| Birth Date: | 30 July 1922 |
| Birth Place: | Srikakulam, India |
| Occupation: | Lawyer, writer |
| Years Active: | 1952–1975 |
Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastri (Ravi Sastri) (1922–1993) was a Telugu writer who published several novels and more than 60 short stories in six volumes. Often praised for his unique style, Ravi Sastry supported marginalized communities.[1] Professionally, he was a lawyer.[2]
Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastry graduated with honours to obtain his B.A. from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. In 1946, he completed his B.L. degree at Madras University. Having gained professional expertise in law by working with Taatha Sriramamurthy, an established senior lawyer, he started his own law practice in 1950. He began his career as a dedicated congressional leader. In his later years (1960) he was influenced by Marxist theory.
In 1947, he observed the lifestyle of the inhabitants of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, as well as major changes in urban lifestyles at Visakhapatnam. The perceived inhumanity in these new ways of life caused much distress, and Sastry was the first, after Gurajada Apparao and Sripadala, to employ dialects in writing about the effect of these changes.
Written in 1952, the novel [3] was an experimental foray into the world of Telugu literature. It was very well received and went on to become one of the most successful Telugu novels. Raavi Sastry was among the first authors in the region to write novels with syntactic similarity to the novels of James Joyce. was the first novel with stylistic similarities to .
After the novel, he wrote two unfinished novels, and . Near the end of his career, he wrote the novel . is considered his best work among the several novels that he wrote during his career. But "Raju Mahishi Prema Manishi" delved deep into the social fabric of the then-middle class, lower class and upper class society and brought out the structural weaknesses plaguing those classes very articulately. In fact, it was compared to the beauty of the unfinished statue of Lord Visweswara at Varanasi.
He wrote six stories which analyze the effects of the Liquor Act in Andhra Pradesh and also about the misuse of this act. These stories are now famous in Telugu literature.
In 1983, he was honored with the Kalaprapoorna Award by Andhra University. He refused this award. He received a Sahitya Akademi Award in the 1960s. Sastry returned in 1975 as a mark of protest against emergency and his incarceration during that period, though he came out on parole.(he did not receive kendra sahitya academy award. List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Telugu)
After completing his degree at AVAN College in Visakhapatnam, he pursued an honors degree in philosophy from Andhra University and later joined the Madras Law College in 1942. For some time, he practiced under the prominent lawyer Shri Ramamurthy, and in 1950, he settled in Visakhapatnam after completing his legal studies. He relentlessly fought for justice, representing criminal cases and defending the rights of underprivileged sections of society.
He spread his influence with his writings, bringing prominence to the Uttarandhra region. Ravi Sastry's works resonated with clients, lower castes, and the lives of common people, becoming the essence of his storytelling. He composed many creative and poetic works that provided solace to the suffering of the downtrodden. Ravi Sastry's contribution to Telugu literature was comparable to a sculptor, as he skillfully crafted each sentence. He was the one who introduced the unique narrative style in Telugu literature, exemplified by his novel "Alpajeevi." He is considered the architect of concise and impactful sentences in Telugu literature, following the era of Buchi Ramamurthy. This is best exemplified by his novel "Alpajeevi."
Ravi Sastry's literary works became the voice of the people. For the sake of fame, accolades, and recognition, he did not compromise his ideals. The admiration of the common people mattered the most to him.
He was not only a writer, but an actor. He played the role of an artist in the playlets and . had over 100 performances. Ravi Sastry said, "Every writer should think that my writings are neither harmful to the good nor helpful to the bad."
Ravi Sastri died on 10 November 1993.