Veteran writer and founder of Kathanilayam, Kalipatnam Ramarao passed away at his residence in Srikakulam on Friday morning. The 97-year-old breathed his last due to age-related ailments.
Born on November 9, 1924 in Murapaka village, Laveru Mandal, Kalipatnam Venkata Surya Rama Subramanyaswara Rao was recognized as a Kara Master. He received Kendra Sahitya academy Award for his Yagnam novel which is related to social reform in India. He has won several central and state awards for his work. He holds honorary doctorates from various universities.
Rama Rao had established a special library called Kathanilayam in Srikakulam where he collected Telugu stories published since 1930. This unique library has over 80% of all the short stories penned in Telugu in the last ten decades. As a policy, the library doesn’t charge a fee.