Born in 1939 to poor Scheduled Caste parents in Vejendla, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, KOLAKALURI ENOCH, a prolific Telugu writer, has contributed more than hundred works as a poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, critic, researcher and translator. A master craftsman, he writes with clinical precision about the lives of Dalits, women, backward classes, tribals and religious minorities. From his early works like Oorabavi (Village Well), considered a modern classic translated into several Indian languages, to Asprishya Ganga to Ananta Jeevanam, he has written about basic needs like water that affect the lives of Dalits. His works bring to the fore the caste-related pain of the Dalits in its varied manifestations and their struggle to survive. Depicting the lives of Dalits that are intricately connected with those of other castes in Indian society, he lays bare the inherent contradictions which arise from the upper caste dependence and intolerance.Among his significant works are Adi Andhrudu (Poetry), Randhi (Novel), Munivahanudu (Play), Adhunika Sahitya Vimarsa Sutram (Research), Janapadula Sahitya Vimarsa (Criticism) and Awakened Soil (Translation). He has won many prestigious awards including Padma Shri, Moortidevi, Central and State Sahitya Akademi Awards. His works have been translated into English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Manipuri and Oriya. Having taught Telugu for four decades in the University system, he rose to the position of a Vice Chancellor. Most recently, he held the position of Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi.