# Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (సిరివెన్నెల సీతారామశాస్త్రి)
**Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry** (సిరివెన్నెల సీతారామశాస్త్రి), born Chembolu Seetharama Sastry, was an Indian lyricist who wrote for [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema) from 1984 until his death in 2021, producing more than 3,000 film songs and winning the Nandi Award for Best Lyricist eleven times.[1](https://telugulyrics.com/lyricist/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry/) • [2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html) He took the prefix "Sirivennela" from the 1986 film whose songs made his reputation, and he received the [Padma Shri](https://www.edgepedia.org/padma-shri) from the government of India in 2019.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Chembolu Seetharama Sastry, known after 1986 as Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) |
| Born | 1955 at Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh, India[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) |
| Died | 30 November 2021, of lung cancer, at a hospital in Secunderabad, aged 66[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) |
| Output | Over 3,000 songs for Telugu feature films[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) |
| Debut | Janani Janmabhoomi (1984); breakthrough with K Viswanath's Sirivennela (1986)[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) |
| Major honors | Nandi Award for Best Lyricist eleven times (first for Sirivennela); Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Telugu three times; Padma Shri, 2019[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html) • [1](https://telugulyrics.com/lyricist/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry/) |
| Notable songs | "Vidhatha Thalapuna", "Aadi Bhikshuvu Vaadu", "Jagamanta Kutumbam Naadi", "Saamaja Vara Gamanaa"[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) • [4](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240) |
## Early life and education
Sastry was born in 1955 at Anakapalli, in the [Visakhapatnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/visakhapatnam) district of [Andhra Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/andhra-pradesh), to CV Yogi and Subbalakshmi.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html) He did his secondary schooling in his hometown, completed his Intermediate education in Kakinada, and earned a BA from Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) According to a Times of India profile, he enrolled in the MBBS course at Andhra Medical College but discontinued it because of financial difficulties and instead took a [Master of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-arts) at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-6-lesser-known-facts-about-the-noted-telugu-lyricist/photostory/88015885.cms)
Before entering films he worked at the BSNL branch in Anakapalle, where he wrote and sang his own songs at local events.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) • [5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-6-lesser-known-facts-about-the-noted-telugu-lyricist/photostory/88015885.cms) His brother Sreerama Sastry recognized his talent and encouraged him to pursue a career in the film industry.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html)
## Career
**Debut and the Sirivennela name.** Sastry's first film as a lyricist was *Janani Janmabhoomi* (1984), directed by [K. Viswanath](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-viswanath).[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) The break in his career came with Viswanath's *Sirivennela* (1986), a music- and literature-centered film whose songs won both critical acclaim and popular appreciation and brought him his first Nandi Award for Best Lyricist from the Andhra Pradesh state government.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html) It was Viswanath who suggested that Sastry attach the film's name to his own, and the prefix stayed with him for the rest of his career.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) The songs of that film ranged from the philosophical "Aadi Bhikshuvu Vaadu" to the melodious "Vidhata Talapuna" and the breezy "Ee Gaali Ee Nela".[4](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240)
**Volume and range.** In the first five years of his career he worked on at least ten films a year, and he continued to supply lyrics to both music-centered films under Viswanath and commercial cinema.[4](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240) Over his career he wrote more than 3,000 songs for Telugu feature films.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) His later film work included *Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo* (2020) and *Sita Ramam* (2022), credited posthumously.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781683/)
## Style and themes
Sastry's lyrics drew on classical Telugu vocabulary while remaining singable in commercial films. In a widely circulated speech at the Maa Music Awards in 2012, the director [Trivikram Srinivas](https://www.edgepedia.org/trivikram-srinivas) said that the song "Pragdisha Veniya Paina Dinakara Mayoogha Thanthrula Paina" from *Sirivennela* made him realize that Telugu dictionaries existed, and that he had bought one to understand the words.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/when-trivikram-called-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-a-sun-who-rises-at-midnight-7650195/lite/) Commentators noted that his songs piqued listeners' curiosity to look up meanings, raising the literary register of film lyrics.[4](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240)
**Social verse.** Alongside love songs and philosophical pieces, Sastry wrote songs of social criticism. The song "Niggadeesi adugu ee sigguleni samajanni" was not written for a film; he composed it after observing conditions in society, and [Ram Gopal Varma](https://www.edgepedia.org/ram-gopal-varma) noticed it and made the film *Gayam* around it.[4](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240) In *Sindhooram* he asked whether half a century of ignorance should be called freedom, and in *Mahatma* he wrote "Indiramma intiperu kaadura Gandhi".[4](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240) An academic survey of Telugu film music places him, with Veturi Sundararama Murty, among the lyricists who became prominent after the older generation of poet-lyricists such as Devulapalli Krishna Sastry, Sri Sri, and [C. Narayana Reddy](https://www.edgepedia.org/c-narayana-reddy).[8](https://www.ijar.org.in/stuff/issues/v8-i11/v8-i11-a005.pdf)
## Awards and recognition
The *Sirivennela* songs brought Sastry his first Nandi Award for Best Lyricist, and he received ten more Nandi awards over his career.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html) Songs cited as Nandi Award winners include "Vidhatha Thalapuna", "Telavaarademo Swami", "Andela Ravamidi Padamuladaa", "Surajyamavaleeni Swarajyamendukani", "Chilaka Ee Thoodu Leeka", "Jagamanta Kutumbam Naadi", and "Mari Anthagaa".[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) He also won the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Telugu three times.[1](https://telugulyrics.com/lyricist/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry/) The government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2019.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html) Beyond India, he was the keynote speaker at the Telugu Association of North America's celebrations in Chicago held between 2 and 4 July 2009, and he was later felicitated by the Bay Area Telugu Association.[1](https://telugulyrics.com/lyricist/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry/)
## Death and legacy
Sastry died on 30 November 2021 at a corporate hospital in [Secunderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/secunderabad), of lung cancer, at the age of 66; he had been admitted on 24 November after complaining of uneasiness, and was survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) Obituaries described him as a lyricist known for versatility and nuance, and one noted that he was regarded as the best poet in the film industry by his competitors as well.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html) In 2022 the Sakshi Media Group posthumously honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.[9](https://www.sakshipost.com/news/entertainment/sakshi-media-group-honours-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-lifetime-achievement) A comprehensive collection of his literature, its first volume, was made available to fans in the United States through the Telugu Association of North America in 2022.[10](https://telugu.samayam.com/latest-news/nri/lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-comprehensive-literature-first-volume-available-in-us-says-tana/amp_articleshow/94313890.cms)
## References
1. [Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Telugu Song Lyrics (lyricist profile)](https://telugulyrics.com/lyricist/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry/)
2. [Telugu film lyricist Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry passes away, Cinema Express (30 November 2021)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2021/Nov/30/telugu-film-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-28138.html)
3. [Telugu lyricist 'Sirivennela' Seetharama Sastry passes away, The New Indian Express (30 November 2021)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/telugu/2021/Nov/30/telugu-lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-passes-away-2390068.html)
4. [Sirivennela: 'సిరివెన్నెల' సాహిత్యాన్ని విశ్లేషించడమా!? వినడమా!? ఏం చేద్దాం??, ABP Desam Telugu](https://telugu.abplive.com/entertainment/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-and-his-lyrics-are-irreplaceable-and-inseparable-from-telugu-people-lives-the-specialty-of-sirivennela-12240)
5. [Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry: 6 lesser-known facts about the noted Telugu lyricist, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-6-lesser-known-facts-about-the-noted-telugu-lyricist/photostory/88015885.cms)
6. [Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781683/)
7. [When Trivikram called Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry 'the sun who rises at midnight', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/when-trivikram-called-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-a-sun-who-rises-at-midnight-7650195/lite/)
8. [Importance of Music in Telugu Film Industry, International Journal of Academic Research Vol. 8, Issue 11 (2021)](https://www.ijar.org.in/stuff/issues/v8-i11/v8-i11-a005.pdf)
9. [Sakshi Media Group Honours Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry With Lifetime Achievement Award Posthumously, Sakshi Post](https://www.sakshipost.com/news/entertainment/sakshi-media-group-honours-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-lifetime-achievement)
10. [Sirivennela literature first volume available in US, says TANA, Samayam Telugu](https://telugu.samayam.com/latest-news/nri/lyricist-sirivennela-seetharama-sastry-comprehensive-literature-first-volume-available-in-us-says-tana/amp_articleshow/94313890.cms)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › South Asian scenes › South Indian film music: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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