Bhargavi Rao

Bhargavi Prabhanjan Rao (14 August 1944 – 23 May 2008), a Sahitya Akademi awardee, was an eminent translator in Telugu Literature. She was actively involved in translating various works of author and playwright Girish Karnad. Her most famous works include Noorella Panta, a compilation of one hundred short stories by women writers of the twentieth century. She died due to a heart attack on 23 May 2008 in Hyderabad. Bhargavi Rao was born to Santhy and Narahari Rao Tagat in Bellary, Karnataka into a Kannadiga family. She was the eldest of 5 siblings, two brothers and two sisters - Venkatesh and Prasad, Gayathri and Padmaja. She also appeared as a child actress in two regional films, and lent her voice to radio as well. She then married Prabhanjan Rao, and continued with her studies in the field of English Literature, before achieving a master's degree from Osmania University. She went on to do her PhD in Osmania University, thus earning the title of Dr. Bhargavi P. Rao. She then taught English at Osmania University (first at Women's College, Koti and then at Nizam College), till her retirement in 2004. After retiring, she was appointed Honorary Professor in the Potti Sriramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad. She married Prabhanjan Rao in June, 1960 at Tirupati. She has 3 daughters: Mithravinda, Sharvani, and Sushmitha. She has 6 grandchildren: Vaishnavi, Pradyumna, Maya, Mukund, Vaikunt and Saaketh. She has been living at Santoshnagar, Hyderabad since 1977.