Renowned poet Ande Sri dies at 64

• Renowned poet Ande Sri passed away in Hyderabad on November 10. He was 64.

• He was the author of Telangana's iconic state song ‘Jaya Jayahe Telangana’.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Union Ministers condoled the demise of Ande Sri.

• Ande Sri, whose real name was Ande Yellaiah, was born on July 18, 1961 in the Rebarthi village of Telangana’s Jangaon district

• He became popular after writing the song, ‘Maayamai Pothundamma Manishanavadu’, featured in the 2008 film, ‘Erra Samudram’, and went on to write hundreds more, especially for socially conscious and revolutionary films. 

• This also made him an important part of the Telangana movement, with his powerful composition, ‘Jaya Jayahe Telangana Janani Jaya Ketanam’.

• In recognition of his immense contributions to the state and services to the arts, Ande Sri was honoured with a cash award of Rs 1 crore by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy during the Telangana Formation Day celebrations, where the song, composed by musician M.M. Keeravani, was officially released. 

• He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the Kakatiya University.

• He is also the recipient of a long list of awards, including the Nandi Award in 2006 for a film named ‘Ganga’ and the Lok Nayak Award in 2025.