Telugu Thalli

Female personification of the Telugu people

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Telugu Talli (IAST: Teluɡu Talli; lit. 'Mother Telugu') is the female personification of Telugu people and their culture.

Statue of Telugu Talli (తెలుగు తల్లి)

She holds the harvest in her left hand portraying that the Telugu land is always filled with greenery (prosperity and happiness). In the right hand, she holds the kalasam which signifies that she brings all good to the people's lives. The goddess is dressed in the traditional Telugu style. Since language is considered one of the most necessary skills to the mankind and our Telugu Talli has provided us with that, she is given utmost priority in our lives.

Maa Telugu Talliki (Telugu: మా తెలుగు తల్లికి) is the official song of the state Andhra Pradesh, India. It was written by Sankarambadi Sundaraachari for the Telugu film Deena Bandhu (1942) which starred V. Nagayya. The song gained popularity and was ultimately made the official song of Andhra Pradesh.

Maa Telugu Talliki is a composition in which the greatness of Telugu culture is depicted. For the various versions on the etymology of Telugu, see Telugu language. The image of the mother is used as a metaphor for all the prosperity and culture of the region. She is the one who has bestowed us with fertile lands; she is the one whose compassion protects the people; she is the one whose praise is sung time and time again. She is the embodiment of various aspects of cultural legacy like the beautiful architecture of Amaravati; the classical music immortalised by Tyagaraja; the lyrical beauties of Tikkana, who rendered the Mahabharata into Telugu; the physical bravery of Rani Rudrama Devi of the 13th century Kakatiya dynasty; the 'devotion to husband' of Mallamma; the sharp intelligence of Timmarusu, who was the Prime Minister of Krishna Deva Raya; or the fame of Krishna Deva Raya. She is our mother, and will forever reside in our hearts. It may be seen that while invoking the cultural legacy of the Telugus, the song covers all the three important regions: Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra and Telangana.

## Original song lyrics[edit]

తెలుగు తల్లి (in Telugu)  | Telugu talli (In Latin Transcript)  | Mother Telugu (In English)

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మా తెలుగు తల్లికి మల్లెపూదండ
మా కన్నతల్లికి మంగళారతులు,
కడుపులో బంగారు కనుచూపులో కరుణ,
చిరునవ్వులో సిరులు దొరలించు మాతల్లి.

గలగలా గోదారి కదలిపోతుంటేను
బిరాబిరాక్రిష్ణమ్మ పరుగులిడుతుంటేను
బంగారు పంటలే పండుతాయీ
మురిపాల ముత్యాలు దొరులుతాయి.

అమరావతినగర అపురూప శిల్పాలు
త్యాగయ్య గొంతులో తారాడు నాదాలు
తిక్కయ్య కలములొ తియ్యందనాలు
నిత్యమై నిఖిలమై నిలచి వుండేదాకా

రుద్రమ్మ భుజశక్తి మల్లమ్మ పతిభక్తి
తిమ్మరసు ధీయుక్తి, కృష్ణరాయల కీర్తి
మా చెవులు రింగుమని మారుమ్రోగేదాక
నీపాటలే పాడుతాం, నీ ఆటలే ఆడుతాం
జై తెలుగు తల్లి, జై తెలుగు తల్లి ...

Mā telugu talliki mallepūdaṇḍa
mā kannatalliki maṅgaḷāratulu,
kaḍupulō baṅgāru kanucūpulō karuṇa,
cirunavvulō sirulu doralin̄cu mātalli.

Galagalā gōdāri kadalipōtuṇṭēnu
birābirākriṣṇam'ma paruguliḍutuṇṭēnu
baṅgāru paṇṭalē paṇḍutāyī
muripāla mutyālu dorulutāyi.

Amarāvatinagara apurūpa śilpālu
tyāgayya gontulō tārāḍu nādālu
tikkayya kalamulo tiyyandanālu
nityamai nikhilamai nilaci vuṇḍēdākā

rudram'ma bhujaśakti mallam'ma patibhakti
tim'marasu dhīyukti, kr̥ṣṇarāyala kīrti
mā cevulu riṅgumani mārumrōgēdāka
nīpāṭalē pāḍutāṁ, nī āṭalē āḍutāṁ
jai telugu talli, jai telugu talli...

A garland of Jasmines for our Mother Telugu,
Veneration to the great Mother that birthed us,
With gold in thy belly and grace in thine eyes,
O Mother, from whose smile wealth doth flow!

Full of life and vigor, the river Godavari
Flowing excitedly, the river Krishna
Crops like gold shall they yield bountiful
Gems glinting and shining shall roll forth.

Until the exotic sculptures of Amaravati
The riveting voice of Tyāgayya in his songs
The wondrous writings of Tikkayya have
Truly and gloriously withstood the test of time.

Rudramma's strength and Mallamma's fidelity
Timmarasu's courage and Krishnadevaraya's glory
Until our ears ring with the pleasantries
Thy songs shall we sing, thy games shall we play
Victory to our Mother Telugu, Victory to our Mother Telugu.

## Popular culture[edit]

Telugu Talli Flyover in Visakhapatnam

A remix of the original song was used in the 2010 film Leader, composed by Mickey J. Meyer.[1]

## See also[edit]

* Telangana Talli
* Tamil Thai
* Siam Devadhiraj

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Telugu Cinema News | Telugu Movie Reviews | Telugu Movie Trailers - IndiaGlitz Telugu". Archived from the original on November 17, 2009.

*[lit.]: literal translation