“Stories of the Banjara community have long lived in oral tradition, but rarely found space in Telugu literature. That silence pushed me to write.

My journey began in 2009, during the Telangana movement. That time made me question identity and belonging. I started reading, sketching, writing poems, and performing folk songs and dramas. It made me realise how absent Banjara voices were in the literary space. Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That line stayed with me.

I’m from Jakranpally, a village in Telangana. My father worked in the Gulf. My mother worked in the fields. I supported myself with catering jobs through college. Those early experiences shaped the way I write — grounded in lived struggle and quiet strength.

I studied MA in English Literature, followed by MA in Telugu at Osmania University. I started documenting Banjara life, culture, and resilience. My books include Balder Bandi (2018), Dhavlo: The Song of Lament (2021), Kesula: Flames of Forest (2021), and Chakmak (2023). In 2024, I received the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for Dhavlo.

Balder Bandi is now part of the MA Telugu syllabus at Andhra University, and one of my poems is included in the Telugu curriculum at Sri Rama Bhaktha Gentela Narayana Rao Government Degree College. I’ve also received the Chilakamarthi Lakshmi Narasimha Puraskar (2018) and the Banjara Youth Icon Award (2021).

Recently, I translated a poetry collection into Telugu. It allowed me to bring powerful voices from another language to native readers.

I now host the Aksharam programme on Doordarshan Yadagiri, where I speak with Telugu writers.

I want to preserve the songs, struggles, and stories of the Banjara people. We’ve lived without modern comforts, but not without meaning. Our stories deserve space.”

• Ramesh Karthik Nayak
  Author, Journalist and Literature Enthusiast