Ande Sri, poet who penned iconic ‘Jaya Jaya He Telangana’ state song, dies at 64

Renowned poet Ande Sri, the author of Telangana's iconic state song 'Jaya Jaya he Telangana', died here on Monday. He was 64.

Ande Sri was found lying on the ground of his residence this morning. Family members rushed him to the state-run Gandhi hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, officials said.

Heart attack is suspected to be the cause of death, they said.

Ande Sri, who was known to be hypertensive, had experienced an episode of sweating two days ago.

Ande Sri, whose real name was Ande Yellaiah, played a key role in the Telangana statehood agitation with his songs.

The Congress government declared Ande Sri's 'Jaya Jaya he Telangana' as the state song after it came to power in December 2023.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, state BJP president N Ramchander Rao, BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and several other leaders condoled the demise of Ande Sri.

Ande Sri's death is a huge loss to the Telangana literary world, the Chief Minister said in an official release.

He instructed the officials to ensure the funeral of the departed is conducted with official state honours.

Telangana BJP President N. Ramchander Rao on Monday expressed deep sorrow over the demise of renowned poet Ande Sri, whose literary contributions and powerful songs played a vital role in inspiring the Telangana movement, as per a release by BJP PRO.

In his message, Ramchander Rao said, "Ande Sri garu was not just a poet but a people's voice. Through his words, he awakened the spirit of Telangana and gave poetic expression to the emotions of the people. His passing is an irreparable loss to Telugu literature and Telangana's cultural identity."