Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Telugu, School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad, has been conferred the Telugu Bhasha Puraskaram – 2026 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in recognition of his contribution to the Telugu language and literature.
The award was presented on 29 August 2026 at Vijayawada, as part of the official programme organized on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy, a distinguished scholar and an important figure in the history of Telugu language reform and education.
Sri Kandula Durgesh, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinematography, Government of Andhra Pradesh, presented the award to Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar. The award comprises a cash prize of ₹25,000 and a memento.
The award ceremony was attended by Sri S. S. Ravath, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Dr. G. Lakshmisha, IAS, District Collector, NTR District; Smt. Tejasvi Podapati, Chairperson, Andhra Pradesh State Creative and Cultural Committee; Sri Gummadi Gopalakrishna, Chairman, AP Nataka Academy; and Sri Poola Trivikrama Rao, Chairman, AP Official Language Commission, among other officials and representatives.
Appreciation from the University of Hyderabad
On the occasion of the conferment of the award, Professor J. Anuradha, Vice-Chancellor (In-charge), University of Hyderabad; Dr. Devesh Nigam, Registrar; Professor Sunita Mishra, Dean (In-charge), School of Humanities; Prof. Pillalamarri Ramulu, Head, Department of Telugu; faculty members and students congratulated Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar.
The University of Hyderabad congratulates Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar on this recognition and acknowledges his contribution to the academic and scholarly activities of the Department of Telugu and the School of Humanities.
Academic Profile
Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar is currently serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Telugu, School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad. He is a native of Pedaparimi village, Tulluru Mandal, Guntur District and has over 24 years of experience in higher education and intermediate education .
Prior to joining the University of Hyderabad, he served as Head of the Department of Telugu at the Central University of Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur, Silver Jubilee Government College, Kurnool, and Government Arts College, Anantapur.
Dr. Vijaya Kumar completed his M.A. in Telugu at the University of Hyderabad and secured the Gold Medal. He subsequently joined the University as a faculty member and has continued his academic and research activities in the field of Telugu language and literature.
Teaching, Research and Academic Contributions
Dr. Vijaya Kumar has been involved in teaching, research, academic content development and student mentoring. He has particularly contributed to the preparation of students for competitive examinations through Telugu language and literature instruction and academic guidance.
He has presented research papers at more than 100 national and international seminars and conferences and has organized seven national seminars. He also undertook the responsibility of organizing a national seminar in Kurnool District as part of the programmes associated with the World Telugu Conferences, under the directions of the District Collector.
His areas of academic engagement include modern Telugu poetry, literary criticism, Telugu linguistics, traditional and modern Telugu literature, Telugu language pedagogy, contemporary Telugu cinema language and literature, ethics and human values.
He has completed and submitted a University Grants Commission (UGC) Minor Research Project entitled “Neti Telugu Cinema Bhasha Sahityam – Vibhinnadhoranulu” (Contemporary Telugu Cinema Language and Literature – Diverse Trends).
Publications and Academic Content Development
Dr. Vijaya Kumar has published more than 10 books relating to Telugu language, literature, literary criticism, language pedagogy, ethics and human values. His publications include works on modern poetry, literary criticism, Telugu linguistics, traditional Telugu literature, contemporary Telugu cinema language and literature, Telugu teaching methods, and the literary contributions of eminent writers.
He has also served as an editor and textbook author for five books associated with the Degree and Intermediate Education Departments of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
As part of academic content development initiatives, he prepared video lessons for Telugu students at Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT). He also participated in more than ten video-lesson programmes broadcast through Mana TV under the Government of Andhra Pradesh’s educational initiatives. In addition, he has delivered more than 25 radio talks on Telugu language and literature.
He has served as a Board of Examiners for the University of Mysore and has undertaken various academic and examination-related responsibilities.
Contribution to Telugu Language and Literature
For more than 12 years, Dr. Vijaya Kumar has contributed articles and academic material on Telugu language and literature to Telugu newspapers and periodicals, including Andhra Jyothi, Eenadu and Telugu Velugu.
His academic and literary work has received several recognitions. These include the Ugadi Puraskaram 2018 by Government of Andhra Pradesh, Gurajada Literary Award (2017), Vennela Literary Award (2017), ATA National Award (2017), Kurnool District Youth Literary Award (2017), State-level Best Telugu Teacher Award conferred by the Higher Education Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and the Best Research Paper Appreciation Award (2014).
At the district level, he has received the Telugu Language Distinguished Service Award from the District Collector, Kurnool, as well as the Ugadi Poetry Award.
The conferment of the Telugu Basha Puraskaram – 2026 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh recognizes Dr. P. Vijaya Kumar’s sustained engagement with Telugu language and literature through teaching, research, publications, academic content development and wider dissemination of Telugu scholarship.