Harish Rao Hails 40-Year Journey of Manjeera Writers’ Association

BRS leader and former Telangana Minister T. Harish Rao praised the Manjeera Writers’ Association (Marasam) for completing 40 years of literary and social activism. Speaking as the chief guest at the association’s 40th anniversary celebrations at the Basheerbagh Press Club in Hyderabad, he said sustaining a writers’ organisation for four decades despite various pressures required commitment and honesty. He recalled Marasam’s involvement in social issues such as prohibition, starvation deaths, farmers’ suicides and the campaign against gutka, besides its contribution to the Telangana statehood movement.

Harish Rao also highlighted the contribution of poet and writer Nandini Siddha Reddy and said his song “Naageti Sallallo Na Telangana” played a significant role in the Telangana movement. He credited former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao with reviving the Telangana Sahitya Akademi after the formation of the state, while alleging that the present Congress government had not appointed a chairman. These were political claims made by Harish Rao. He further spoke about the importance of encouraging children to read books in the digital era and said that while AI can generate poems and books, it cannot replace the personal experiences, emotional depth and authenticity of a writer’s original work.