Kongara Jaggayya, born December 31, 1928, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India, was an Indian actor, political leader, poet, and broadcaster who was a leading performer in plays and films Telugu-language.
At the age of 11, Jaggayya made his stage debut. Jaggayya attended Andhra Christian College in Guntur while pursuing his act career. In 1944 he took break from college to become a journalist for the Telugu newspaper Desabhimaani and returned a year later to complete his degree. Post graduating, Jaggayya took up teaching for a short period in the high school at Duggirala, in his home district. Thereafter, he worked as a broadcaster with All India Radio for three years , during which time the sonorous voice that was to become his trademark earned him a large fan following among listeners.
Kongara Jaggayya’s got his first screen role was as the hero in the film Priyuralu in 1952, which made a disappointing showing at the box office. When his other two films Ardasham (1952) and Beedala Aasthi also fared poorly, Jaggayya decided to return to his home village. However, his career began in earnest with the success of his next two ventures, Bangaru Papa in 1954 and Ardhangi in 1955. Over the next several decades Jaggayya acted in hundreds of films.
Jaggayya was active in politics from his student days and himself allied with the socialist group within the Congress party. When the group was disbanded, he joined the Praja Socialist Party, but heeding the call of Jawaharlal Nehru, he returned to Congress in 1956. In 1967 Jaggayya was elected to the Lok Sabha, where he served one term as the member from Ongole, Andhra Pradesh.
Kongara Jaggayya was celebrated for his translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali into Telugu. Jaggayya also translated Sacrifice. In 1992 Kongara Jaggayya was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the arts.
