Telugu is the most widely spoken language of the Dravidian family which consists of 24 languages spanning the entire South-Asia, from Baluchistan to Sri Lanka. In terms of population, Telugu ranks second to Hindi among the Indian languages. Telugu is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, a state in India. This language is described by C.P. Brown as the " Italian of the East ". It has been influenced by Sanskrit. The prominent poets of Telugu include Nannaya, Tikkana, Sri Nathudu, Tenali Rama Krishna, and Sri Krishna Devarayulu.