Miriyala Apparao
A Burrakatha storyteller from East Godavari who performed for 53 years and trained 200 students, honoured posthumously with the Padma Shri in 2025.
Burrakatha is a lively storytelling tradition of Andhra Pradesh, in which a lead performer sings and narrates with a drum-like tambura, supported by two companions. Miriyala Apparao kept it alive for more than half a century. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2025, posthumously, in the field of art, from Andhra Pradesh [1].
Fifty-three years on stage
Apparao was born on 9 September 1949 in Nadakuduru village in East Godavari district [2]. He gave his first performance at 15, at Jonnada village, and between 1968 and 2021 performed thousands of shows [2]. He took Burrakatha beyond Andhra Pradesh, including to Singapore [2].
He was a graded artist on All India Radio and Doordarshan, and trained more than 200 students directly [2]. Admirers gave him titles such as “Burrakatha Tiger” and “Gana Kokila”, and he received the YSR Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 [2].
Miriyala Apparao died on 15 January 2025 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Miriyala Apparao — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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