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{{Short description|Indian writer and social reformer (1792–1856)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = S. Muddu Narasimham Naidu
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1792
| birth_place = [[Rajahmundry]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] (now in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]])
| death_date = 1856
| death_place = Rajahmundry, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
| occupation = {{hlist|Writer|Social reformer}}
| spouse =
| children =
| awards =
| known for = Hitasūchani
}}
'''S. Muddu Narasimham Naidu''' (1792–1856) was an Indian writer and [[Reform movement|social reformer]] considered to be the first [[essay]]ist in [[Telugu language|Telugu]].<ref name="google">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTluAAAAMAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=History and Culture of the Andhras |year=1995 |publisher=Komarraju Venkata Lakshmana Rau Vijnana Sarvaswa Sakha, [[Telugu University]] |isbn=978-81-86073-07-0 |pages=254 |language=en |quote=Samineni Muddu Narasimha Naidu, the first known essayist, called his essays pramēyamulu and published them under the title Hita Sūcini in 1862.}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&dq=Muddu+narasimham&pg=PA1236 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti |year=1988 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |isbn=978-81-260-1194-0 |pages=1236 |language=en |quote=Swamineni Muddu Narasimham Naidu is considered to be the first essayist in Telugu, but it cannot be ruled out that a few essayists existed before him. Naidu's ''Hitasuchani'' appeared in 1862 from Rajahmundry. It was the first salvo fired at orthodoxy and superstition. Each of the eight essays is called a 'prameya', not vyasamu. |author-link=Amaresh Datta}}</ref> He was a pioneer of the popular language movement, the [[widow remarriage]] movement and the [[Rationalism|rationalist]] movement in Andhra through his writings.<ref name="google2">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hc5jAAAAMAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot |year=1987 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |isbn=978-0-8364-2283-2 |pages=4258 |language=en |quote=Swamineni, Muddu Narasimha Naidu (Telugu; b. 19th c.) was a champion of spoken Telugu. He worked as first class munsif (magistrate) at Rajahmundry sometime in the first half of the nineteenth century. His book ''Hita suchani'' was published in 1862 by his son Ranga Prasada Rao who was a pleader at Rajahmundry. At a time when an ornate and artificial Telugu was used by pandits like Chinnaya Suri and Viresalingam Pantulu as a model for the public, Narasimham Naidu was bold enough to assert that a more homespun diction and colloquial style of everyday life should be held as a model for prose.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=తూర్పు గోదావరి జిల్లా చరిత్ర – సంస్కృతి |url=https://eastgodavari.ap.gov.in/tourism__trashed/culture-heritage/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=East Godavari District Official Web Portal |language=te |quote=19వ శతాబ్దం ప్రారంభం నాటికి సమాజంలో కులవ్యవస్థ, కరుడుగట్టిన సాంప్రదాయ, సాంఘీక దురాచారాలు, ఫ్యూడల్ దశలో బలపడిన స్త్రీల హీనస్థితి, అశాస్త్రీయమైన విద్యావిధానం, భౌతిక జడత్వం మొదలైన సామజిక రుగ్మతలపై పోరాటం చెయ్యటం మొట్టమొదట ప్రారంభించినవారు శ్రీ స్వామినీన ముద్దు నరసింహం. ఈయన వ్యవహారిక భాషావాది, తొలి తెలుగు వ్యాసకర్త. తొలి తెలుగు వ్యావహారికభాషా వచన గ్రంథం హితసూచని (1853) రచయిత, హేతువాది.}}</ref> He was a government officer by profession and served as a District Munsif in [[Rajahmundry]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Schmitthenner |first=Peter Lee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RnvTAAAAMAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=Charles Philip Brown, 1798-1884: The Legacy of an East India Company Servant and Scholar of South India |date=1991 |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin--Madison]] |pages=304, 475 |language=en |quote=Muddunarasimha Naidu, who served as a district munsif in Rajahmundry, wrote a collection of essays on "moral instruction", entitled Hita Sucani (Madras, 1862).}}</ref>

Narasimham Naidu's essay collection, titled ''Hitasūchani'', was published in 1862 after his death.<ref name=":6" /> It is considered to be the first Telugu book in the essay format.<ref name="eenadu">{{Cite web |date=25 February 2021 |title=ప్రక్రియలు - లక్షణాలు - వివరణలు |url=https://pratibha.eenadu.net/eligibilityexams/lesson/tet/andhra-pradesh/telugu-medium/education/2-3-25-47-729-1212-5437-7155-1466-20040007224 |access-date=13 June 2023 |website=[[Eenadu]] |language=te |quote=సామినేని ముద్దు నరసింహంనాయుడు రాసిన 'హితసూచని'ని వ్యాస ప్రక్రియలో మొదటి పుస్తకంగా చెబుతారు.}}</ref> It is perhaps the earliest Telugu work promoting rational and scientific ideas predating the works of [[Kandukuri Veeresalingam]].<ref name=":10">M. L. Kantha Rao (July 1999), ''[https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/25437/ A Study of the Socio-Political Mobility of the Kapu Caste in Modern Andhra]''. [[University of Hyderabad]]. Chapter 3. pp. 101–105. hdl:10603/25437</ref> It was written in colloquial Telugu and dealt with several issues such as reforms in education, marriage among others.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rāmārāvu |first=Esvī |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E48OAAAAYAAJ |title=The Evolution of Telugu Literary Criticism |year=1990 |publisher=Pasidi Prachuranalu |pages=14 |language=en |quote=The prefaces of "Char Darvesu Kathalu" (Yerramilli Mallikarjunudu – 1856) and "Hita Suchani" (Samineni Muddu Narasimha Naidu - 1862) exhort the importance of common language and need for a wider province of spoken prose in ...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gupta |first=J. L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkgqAAAAYAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=Challenges to the Fair Sex: Indian Woman, Problems, Plights, and Progresses |year=1988 |publisher=Gian Publishing House |isbn=978-81-212-0041-7 |pages=52 |language=en |quote=Remarriage movement in Andhradesa was led by Kandukuri Viresalingam and was continued by Venkataratnam Naidu, Ramakrishna Rao and others. It had its beginnings in the writings of Samineni Muddu Narasimha Nayanivaru, a social reformer, in his Journal Hitasuchani. Highlighting the sufferings of the widow, he exhorted wisemen to eradicate such ....}}</ref> These essays were printed earlier in a Telugu journal, ''Hitavadi'', published from [[Machilipatnam]].<ref name=":10" />

== Early life ==
Muddu Narasimham Naidu was born in 1792 in an [[Velama|Adi Velama]] family<ref name=":7" /> in [[Rajahmundry]] of present-day [[Andhra Pradesh]]. He attained [[English language|English]] education with great difficulty.<ref name=":10" /> He was one of the earliest English-educated persons in Andhra.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Ramakrishna |first=V. |date=1977 |title=Pre-Veeresalingam Reform Trends in Andhra |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44139116 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=38 |pages=558–563 |jstor=44139116 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref>

His surname is variously given as Swamineena, Swamineni, Samineni, Samineena in different sources.<ref name="google" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=Kollu Venkateswara |title=Swaminina Muddu Narasimha Naidu |date=2011-01-01 |publisher=CP Brown Academy |isbn=978-93-81035-22-1}}</ref><ref name="google3">{{Cite book |last=Das |first=Sisir Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHklK65TKQ0C&dq=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu&pg=PA527 |title=A History of Indian Literature |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-7201-006-5 |volume=1 |pages=527 |language=en |author-link=Sisir Kumar Das}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 2023 |title=స్త్రీల ఆధునికతకు తొలి ఆనవాళ్లు |url=https://www.manatelangana.news/women-empowerment-essay/ |access-date=13 June 2023 |website=[[Mana Telangana]] |language=te |quote=సామినీన ముద్దు నరసింహ నాయుడు (1792–1856)}}</ref> His first name is also given as either Narasimha Naidu or Narasimham Naidu.<ref name="google2" /><ref name="eenadu" /><ref name=":10" /> Writer and journalist [[:te:సామినేని ముద్దుకృష్ణ|Samineni Muddu Krishna]] (1889–1973) was his great-grandson.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2019-01-08 |title=హిత సూచని |url=https://eemaata.com/em/library/%e0%b0%b9%e0%b0%bf%e0%b0%a4-%e0%b0%b8%e0%b1%82%e0%b0%9a%e0%b0%a8%e0%b0%bf/18589.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=ఈమాట |language=te}}</ref>

== Career ==
Entering the service of the [[East India Company]], Narasimham Naidu gradually rose in the service.<ref name="google4">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJNTAAAAYAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=The Secularist: Bulletin of the Indian Secular Society |year=2001 |publisher=[[Indian Secular Society]] |pages=5 |language=en}}</ref> He was a second grade District Munsif from 1848 to 1852. In 1853 he was promoted to a first class District Munsif.<ref name="google4" />

== Writings ==
Naidu's essay collection, titled ''Hitasūchani'', was published in 1862 after his death by his son Ranga Prasada Rao Naidu.<ref name="google2" /><ref name=":6" /> It is estimated to have been written around 1850.<ref name=":12" /> It is considered to be the first Telugu book in the essay format.<ref name="eenadu" /> These essays were printed earlier in a Telugu journal, ''Hitavadi'', published from [[Machilipatnam]].<ref name=":10" /> In his works, Naidu adopted the spoken language of the learned, deliberately in opposition to the archaic literary language used by his contemporary [[Paravastu Chinnayasuri|Chinnaya Suri]].<ref>Telugu Culture: [[International Telugu Institute]], Hyderabad, 1975, p. 74.</ref> He called his style ''grama bhasha'' (colloquial language).<ref name=":8">[[Kancha Ilaiah]], ''Muddu Narasimham's Gramabhasha''. A.P. Times, Hyderabad. 31 January 1997. p. 5.</ref>

Naidu used the word ''prameyamu'' for the essay, rather than ''vyasamu'', the more common word.<ref name="google" /><ref name="google3" /> He also gave an English title to the book {{Em dash}} ''Moral Instructor in Prose''.<ref name=":8" /> The book contains eight ''prameyas'' (subjects or issues) and discussed various issues like education, marriage, superstitions, modern medicine etc.<ref name=":9">V. Ramakrishna, ''Literature and Social Consciousness: Examination of a Lesser-known Telugu Monograph of the Early 19th Century''. Proceedings of Andhra Pradesh History Congress, 18th Annual Session, Tenali, 1994.</ref> Naidu in his book wondered if the traditional grammatical theories and classical prose writings had any relevance to contemporary society and its requirements.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1cVhAAAAMAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=International Journal of the Sociology of Language |publisher=Mouton |year=1993 |pages=225 |language=en}}</ref> ''Hita Suchani'' was republished in 1986 by Andhrakesari Yuvajana Samithi, Rajahmundry with a [[foreword]] by [[Aarudra]].<ref name=":7" />

== Views ==
Naidu in his writings protested against ''Kanyasulkam'' and [[child marriage]]s, advocated for [[widow remarriage]], marriages of girls only after the age of puberty, and pleaded for mutual consent of bride and groom before a marriage is finalised.<ref name=":10" />

He advocated for the introduction of scientific education and for the translation of scientific work from English to vernacular languages.<ref name=":12" /> He condemned popular superstitions like belief in the existence of evil spirits and the practices of [[witch doctor]]s. In order to escape from [[epidemic]]s like [[cholera]], he exhorted people to observe cleanliness and to take proper medical care, rather than engage in blind worship of village deities.<ref name=":12" /> He also criticised extravagance in wedding ceremonies. He proved with the help of [[Shloka|slokas]] that marriages in the past were performed only after girls attained proper age and maturity of mind. He thus condemned the system of child marriages and suggested a marriageable age of 12 for girls and 16 for boys.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":11">V. Ramakrishna, ''Kandukuri Veeresalingam: Social and Political Ideas.'' [[Indian Historical Review]] Vol. II, Aug 1-2, 1979-80. pp. 187–188.</ref>

== Legacy ==

Narasimham Naidu is considered to be the first [[essay]]ist in [[Telugu language|Telugu]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Nagendra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3OFjAAAAMAAJ |title=Indian Literature |publisher=[[Prabhat Prakashan]] |year=1988 |pages=90 |language=en |quote=Swamineni Muddu Narasimha Naidu was the first essayist and he published his collection of essays in 1862. They were written in spoken Telugu. Afterwards Viresalingam wrote a number of essays on various topics.}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Pawar |first1=S. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AnXaAAAAMAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=NGOs and Development: The Indian Scenario |last2=Ambekar |first2=Jayawant Bhimrao |last3=Shrikant |first3=D. |publisher=Rawat Publications |year=2004 |isbn=978-81-7033-834-5 |pages=201 |language=en |quote=Likewise, in Andhra, Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, Muddu Narasimha Naidu, Muthulakshmi Reddi, and Durga Bai Deshmukh joined the reform movement.}}</ref> He was a pioneer of the popular language movement, the [[widow remarriage]] movement and the [[Rationalism|rationalist]] movement in Andhra.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ufjWAAAAMAAJ&q=Muddu+narasimha+Naidu |title=The Humanist Way |publisher=Hema Publications |year=1994 |language=en |quote=Back in Andhra Pradesh in 1855, Samineni Muddu Narasimha Naidu, the little-known pioneer of the popular language movement, the widow remarriage movement, and the later day rationalist movement wrote Hitasuchani a book which ....}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Ramakrishnan |date=2020-10-13 |title=Andhra's Great Reformers And Writers (Part-2) |url=https://countercurrents.org/2020/10/andhras-great-reformers-and-writers-part-2/ |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=[[Countercurrents.org]] |language=en-US |quote=Samineni Muddu Narasimha Naidu, District Munsiff at Rajahmundry from 1848 to 1852 (he died in 1856), author of Hita Suchani, had earlier laid seeds of reform, that grew into a movement under Kandukuri.}}</ref> Naidu was progressive in his outlook and made his essays instruments of social change. He championed a colloquial literary style in his essays.<ref name=":1" />

As per Aarudra, in 1924 [[Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy|Gidugu Ramamurthy]] lauded Narasimham Naidu as a champion of popular language (Vyavaharika Bhasha) and a pioneering social reformer even before the advent of [[Brahmo Samaj]] in Andhra.<ref name=":7" />

According to [[Kancha Ilaiah]], Brahmanical pandits "killed" ''Hitasuchani'' with total silence.<ref name=":8" /> While writers like [[Kandukuri Veeresalingam]] and [[Gurajada Apparao|Gurajada Appa Rao]] were projected as social reformers, Narasimham Naidu and his book were not mentioned in any school or college textbook. As per Ilaiah, Naidu's text challenged the Brahmanical notions of life and its language, idiom and content were chosen to educate and reform the whole Telugu society, and not a particular caste or social group.<ref name=":8" />

V. Ramakrishna was of the opinion that Veeresalingam was influenced by Narasimham Naidu's writings.<ref name=":9" /> N. Putali Krishnamurthi also remarked in a similar fashion:<blockquote>

"It looks as if Veeresalingam was inspired by the writings of Muddu Narasimha Naidu. Veeresalingam canvassed for exactly the same reforms which were supported by Muddu Narasimha Naidu. But it is surprising that, no where in his voluminous writings did he make even a passing acknowledgement to his predecessor in this field of social reform."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Krishnamurthi |first=N. Putali |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJyGAAAAIAAJ&q=Muddu+naidu |title=The Changing Condition of Women in Andhra: From the Middle of the 19th Century to the Middle of the 20th Century |publisher=Navayuga Publishers |year=1980 |pages=16–17 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naidu, Muddu Narasimham}}
[[Category:Telugu-language writers]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Telugu people]]
[[Category:1792 births]]
[[Category:1856 deaths]]

Muddu Narasimham Naidu - Revision history

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