Hyderabad: Renowned poet, writer, and columnist Nellutla Ramadevi has been selected for the 2025 Kaloji Literary Award, instituted annually by the Telangana government to honor the legacy of Padma Vibhushan awardee Kaloji Narayana Rao. The award will be presented on Tuesday, September 9, during the Kaloji Jayanti celebrations at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad. Alongside the felicitation, Ramadevi will receive a cash prize of ₹1,01,116. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Minister for Culture and Tourism Jupalli Krishnarao extended their congratulations to the awardee.
The selection was made by a jury committee chaired by the state’s Commissioner of Endowments, which announced Ramadevi as the recipient on Sunday. Hailing from Shivunipalli village, Station Ghanpur Mandal, Jangaon district, she retired as Senior Manager from Andhra Bank. Writing under the pen name Ram Kalam, she has gained recognition as a poet, cartoonist, and author, with notable works including Manasu Bhasha (2011), Ramaneeyam (2011), Manasu Manasuku Madhya (2011), Chinukulu (2021), Talli Veru (2021), a monograph on D. Kameshwari’s stories (2023), Ashruvarna (2024), and Ramayanam-1 (2024).
Over her career, Ramadevi has received numerous accolades, including the Sushila Narayan Reddy Award (2004), Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University Keerthi Puraskar (2015), Telangana Government Best Writer Award (Warangal), Pratibha Puraskar, National Literary Council awards, and several memorial awards in literature and cartoons, highlighting her multifaceted contribution to Telugu literature and arts.