[2][3] Siva Rao's analyses and critiques of British colonial rule drew the attention of the rulers—some of his books and pamphlets were proscribed, and he was accused and tried for sedition in the 1930s.
Digavalli Venkata Siva Rao was born on 14 February 1898 to Venkataratnam and Suryamanikyamba in Kakinada, a town in what was then the British-occupation authority administered Madras Presidency.
His grandfather, Digavalli Timmarazu (1794-1856), was the English Record Keeper from 1828 at the District Collector’s Office in Kakinada.
Siva Rao lost his father at a very early age and lived with his sister, Seetha Bai, and brother-in-law, Boddapati Purnayya.
He studied at Calicut and Bangalore before joining, from 1910 to 1916 in Rajahmundry, the Hithakarini School which was founded by Kandukuri Veeresalingam (on whom Siva Rao was to later write a book).
He also received the Bourdillon Prize (including a cash reward of twenty rupees) of Presidency College for 1919-20.
In 1922, he received the Powell and Morehead Prize (including a cash reward of 120 rupees) instituted by the College for his essay "Pothana-Vemanala Yugamu".
1922-1930: After he receiving his law degree in March 1922, Siva Rao set up a legal practice in Vijayawada while continuing his literary work.
[6] Siva Rao contributed to the Indian Independence Movement as a writer and historian, as well as professionally as a lawyer.
In 1933, he published Sahakara Vastu Nilayamu (Cooperative Stores), Bharatdesa Stithigatulu (Comparative Statistics in India), and Adhinivesha Swarajyamu (Dominion Status).
[7] These, and his other books written during this time, were intended to educate the public and Congress workers on political, economic and Constitutional matters.
He translated into Telugu the bye-laws and rules of Cooperative Society for Andhra and Gujarat which were printed and circulated.
Three other well-noted books by him published during that period were British Rajyatantramu (1938), Enugula Veeraswamayya's Kasiyatra Charitra (1941), and Kadhalu-Gadhalu (in four parts, 1944–47).
Prajamitra, Korada, Amrita Sandesham, Samadarsini, Grandhalaya Saraswamu, Vasumathi, Prabhatamu, Matrubhumi, Vijayavani, Jaminrytu, Samalochana, and Andhra Law Journal are some of the magazines which published his articles.
Under his chairmanship, the Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi formed a three-member committee for microfilming of manuscripts with Siva Rao as a member.
But soon Siva Rao resigned, first from Translation Committee protesting impositions of Hindi terms into Telugu.
Andhra Pradesh archives sent emissaries to Siva Rao to collect a few rare documents, some of which were on palm leaves.
Kavisamrat Dr. Viswanadha Satynarayana dedicated his novel Pralayanayadu (1960) which he wrote based on Siva Rao's study of the First War of Indian Independence, 1857 Poorvarangamulu.
The historian Bangorey dedicated his book Brown Jabulu (1973) and Thatachari Kadhalu (1975) to Siva Rao.