Noted story writer with a farmer’s soul Singamaneni Narayana (77) breathed his last here on Thursday after a prolonged age-related illness.
He is survived by wife, three daughters, and a son. The last rites will be performed on Friday morning.
Born in 1943, Narayana had a deep understanding of the farmers’ sufferings in the drought-prone district. His first story had been published in the ‘Krishna Patrika’ (1960) when he was 17 years. And there was no looking back for him since then, as he went on to pen 43 heart-touching stories that delved into the sufferings of the farmers of the district, who, in the face of recurring drought, water scarcity, and resultant crop failures, were forced to take the extreme step. Hailing from a middle-class family in Bandameedapalli, Narayana had completed his schooling in Anantapur and pursued higher studies in Tirupati. Later, he worked as a Telugu Pundit in various high schools before retiring from service in 2001.
Some of his well-known stories and compilations were ‘Joodam’ (1988), ‘Singamaneni Narayana Kadhalu’ (1999), ‘Anantham’ (2007), and ‘Singamaneni Kadhalu’ (2012). He had also written a novel titled ‘Yedari Gulabilu’.
In 2017, the government had honoured him with Kala Rathna Award. He was also a recipient of numerous other awards. CPI(M) leader V. Rambhupal and Anantapur Urban MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy paid floral tributes to Narayana and consoled his family members.
