Veteran writer Yandamuri Veerendranath, who built his public image as a personality development mentor, has now exposed a shocking and ugly side of himself in public.
At the Avakai Amaravati programme held at Bhavani Island, he went to the disgraceful extent of saying that he would pray to Goddess Saraswati for the destruction of the families of people who did not clap during his speech.
This statement is not humour. It is not exaggeration. It is a cruel and arrogant outburst that reveals how low a so called intellectual can sink when ego takes over.
A person who claims moral authority through books on self improvement is today cursing innocent families simply because they chose not to applaud.
Applause is not an obligation. Silence is not an insult. If a speaker demands claps to feel validated, it only exposes insecurity, not greatness.
This behaviour is not new. This is the same individual who, in the past, repeatedly hurt people with his speeches by deliberately downplaying or avoiding any meaningful mention of Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, triggering unnecessary controversy and resentment. Instead of inspiring audiences, his words have often divided and offended.
When a woman from the audience courageously questioned him after the event and asked how a man she admired could pray for the destruction of her family, there was no apology, no remorse, and no accountability. He simply brushed it aside with an indifferent response and walked away.
For someone who once preached values and personal growth writing books like "Vijayaniki Aidu Metlu", this public conduct is nothing short of a disgrace. The mask has slipped. The self styled personality development writer has reduced himself in public through careless, mindless, and deeply insensitive talk.
Respect cannot be demanded. It must be earned. And when a speaker curses families from a public stage, it is not the audience that loses dignity. It is the speaker himself.
Several voices responding to this controversy are once again pointing out that Yandamoori lacks originality and has built his reputation by copying ideas from English books and presenting them as Telugu works.