Matti Manishi by Vasireddy Sitadevi is a remarkable novel and undoubtedly one of her best. It is about land and fuedalism. The story is mainly about Sambaiah, who is a devout farmer and his love for land/earth. When he gets his son married to the daughter of a feudal lord in decline, everything changes. The daughter-in-law, Varudhini, separates the father and the son and gradually disposes off the family wealth. Upon the tragic demise of Varudhini and of everything she stood for, her son comes back to Sambaiah to learn the ways of land and share his grandfather’s love for it.
I found a few traces of Buck’s classic The Good Earth in this novel, especially while reading about Sambaiah and his steady growth to richness. Matti Manishi is a riveting read of conflicting emotions and beliefs.
