Editorial, March 2011.
The articles in this issue are significant in a couple of ways. Bhandaru Acchamamba’s works
have come to the fore in the discussions of Telugu scholars in recent years. Mr. Sangisetti
Srinivas, a research scholar I believe, has undertaken the laborious task of collecting
Acchamamba’s short stories and publishing them under the title Bhandaru Acchamamba, toli
Telugu kathalu [Bhandaru Acchamamba: Early Telugu stories].
Other articles on Acchamamba on this site:
http://www.thulika.net/2007January/ACCHAMAMBA.html
http://www.thulika.net/2010March/dhanatrayodasi.html
http://www.thulika.net/2007January/ABstory.htm
I got a chance to read the stories, thanks to S. Narayanaswamy. I found the stories interesting
for their place in the history of Telugu fiction and women’s writing. I hope my review of this book
would be interesting to those who share my interests.
P. Saraladevi is an acclaimed writer without the fanfare that accompanies some privileged
writers in our times. She is a quiet writer with strong convictions. The comprehensive article on
Saraladevi’s fiction by another equally prominent writer, P. Satyavathi is a treat to us. A story
by Saraladevi “Long awaited moment” [eduru chusina muhurtham ]is on this site and also
included in the anthology, From my Front Porch, published by Sahitya Akademi (2009).
The author P. Satyavathi is a prominent writer in her own status quo and has been publishing
stories for over 4 decades. Those who can read Telugu may visit her Telugu blog,
http://satyavathi-p.blogspot.com/
About the story “The Enemy” by Sripathi, the translator, Dr. B. Indira comments, “The story is
set in rural Andhra Pradesh where we still find injustice meted out to the underdog by a handful
of feudal lords flaunting indiscriminate power” and the story tells us what can happen next.
People in the lower strata of society may put up with the atrocities of the rich yet a time may
come the rich have to fear the men and women in the lower strata. .
On a somber note:
Mullapudi Venkataramana garu, who took Telugu humor to new hitherto unheard of heights in
his stories for over seven decades, passed away on February 2011 in his home in Chennai.
Venkataramana garu has developed an inimitable style in humor writing from everyday scenes
common in Telugu homes and by playing upon Telugu idiom.
I translated his story “Middle Class Complex” [Janatha Express]. In that context, I fondly recall
my contacts with him. First, I called him to ask for his permission to translate his story. He said
kindly, “When a senior person like you ask ...” [peddavaaru meeradigite …]. He did not
complete the sentence and I was dumbstruck. By any standard, I am so far away from being
senior to him. All I can think of is “That is the kind of person he is - gentle and polite”. After
translating the story Janatha Express, I sent him a copy for his comments.
Venkataramana garu read the translation meticulously and offered a couple of suggestions.
Then he added, “People say my stories are untranslatable. Yet you succeeded in translating
them.”
That his stories are untranslatable is very much true. Part of the reason is his verbiage is so
deeply rooted in our cultural nuance, it is practically impossible to import it into another
language. That he was happy with my translation reflects again the kind of generous person he
is.
The relevant links are as follows:
http://www.thulika.net/2006April/TelHumor.html
http://www.thulika.net/2006April/RadhaDEBT.html
http://www.thulika.net/2003March/mccomplex.html
My sincere condolences to his wife Sridevi garu and family.
On a different yet important note:
Thulika.net completes ten years in June of this year. Over the years, some of the files got
corrupted and links are broken. I have tried to fix them but found it hard to do so. Also, I am not
able to do a few other things such as creating a forum for discussion with current server.
For all these and a few other reasons, I decided to switch to another server and start all over
again. I will upload all the files gradually. In this context, I would like to inform you that you may
download articles you are interested in. However, please note that copyright continues to be in
place. Permission is granted only to download for your own reading pleasure and archiving.
Thanks.
Malathi Nidadavolu
February 28, 2011