Gadwal: District Collector B. M. Santosh paid glowing tributes to People’s Poet Kaloji Narayana Rao on the occasion of his 111th birth anniversary on Tuesday, describing him as a visionary who wielded his pen as a weapon to awaken society.

The commemorative programme, held at the Collectorate, began with the Collector garlanding Kaloji’s portrait and lighting a lamp in his honour. Several district officials and staff joined the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Santosh said Kaloji was not only a poet but also a freedom fighter, social reformer, and crusader against injustice, who relentlessly fought for an egalitarian society. “Kaloji lived as the very breath of the Telangana movement. Through his poetry and writings, he inspired people and filled them with courage,” he observed.

Quoting Kaloji’s famous line — “Your birth is yours, your death is yours, but your entire life belongs to the nation” — the Collector remarked that the poet dedicated his entire life to resisting injustice and corruption. “For Kaloji, poetry achieved liberation only when oppression and inequality ended,” he added.

Mr. Santosh recalled that Kaloji consistently opposed discrimination and raised his voice against exploitation. He said it was a matter of pride that Telangana celebrates his birth anniversary as Telangana Language Day. “Kaloji was uncompromising in his commitment to Telangana’s identity, language, and culture. He warned that betrayal of Telangana, whether by outsiders or insiders, would never go unchallenged,” he noted.

Urging everyone to follow in Kaloji’s footsteps, the Collector called upon officials and citizens alike to dedicate themselves to public service and uphold the values of justice and equality.

Additional Collectors Lakshmi Narayana and Narsinga Rao, AO Bhupal Reddy, BC Welfare Officer Akbar Pasha, and officials from various departments participated in the programme.