Saalabhanjika

Saalabhanjika by Kuppili Padma is a collection of 11 stories which had appeared in various magazines over the period of 1997 to 2001. All the stories portray women - strong and independent, even as they jostle against the circumstances. Loved the writing style. "Athani Kalalu", the first story in the collection, seemed abstract and poetic. It describes the desperation of a woman to seek divorce from her husband. The title story "Saalabhanjika" is about the life of 'escorts'. Other stories too are set in varied backdrops, dealing with the usual aspects such as love, family, marriage, betrayal, and sex.

Each story is different in its own and still has a connecting thread to the rest of the collection. "Saalabhanjika" is a gratifying read.

From Anuradha, With Love

This is a collection of 23 short stories by Ampasayya Naveen. More than a few stories deal with naxalism - how it lures young minds to their doom and how it adversely impacts the common man.A few stories are about the subtle and not so subtle abuse women face and the need to question it and get out of the situation. There are also stories about general married life, which strike a chord or two for many. Bonded labor too gets mentioned in many stories and makes the readers to acknowledge the atrociousness of it. Some stories also talk about the fragile and impermanent relationships between people. All in all, it's an engaging mixed bag.

Table for Four

Table for Four by K. Srilata was an impulse pick but I was not disappointed. It delivered what the book cover promised. It's a racy book about 4 people sharing a house, and their respective stories. Each one of us, like the "four" in the novel, has a story to tell - our past - with our own share of secrets. Our present is shaped by our past and the struggle with oneself - one's own past - is the greatest struggle one can go through. Letting go, is perhaps, the most important lesson of life.

The fashion-savvy Sandra has a traumatic childhood behind her, the silent journalist Derek is infatuated by an Afgan boy, the composed Maya is scared of the sea and the otherwise charming Uncle Prithvi seeks recluse. Each has a story to tell, which surely captivates the reader's interest.

This book had been long listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2009.

Ampasayya

Ampasayya by Naveen had been in my "to-read" list for a long time. Naveen was recommended to me by a literary friend a while back and I've been keen to read him ever since. Ampasayya was his first novel and was so popular that Naveen became Ampasayya Naveen after that.

It's the depiction of a student's life, caught up in restlessness. It portrays the inner turmoil of a student fighting various emotions and ideals. It was dated back to later '60s and it's interesting to see that many of the issues are still relevant to today's students.

The narration is of a different style and flowing, just like the thoughts seamlessly whirling around in one's mind. It had been quite a good reading experience. The book has the same comfort pace throughout and there never was a dull moment. I look forward to read more of the author,most of whose works are supposed to be based on youngsters.

Mullapoodi Venkataramana Katha Ramaneeyam - 2

This is a real treat. It is a collection of short stories categorized into sections like

• Rasa Ramaneeyam
• Sarasa Ramaneeyam
• Runa Ramaneeyam
• Jana Ramaneeyam
• Lokaabhi Ramaneeyam
• Saradaa Ramaneeyam
• Koutilya Ramaneeyam
• Baala Ramaneeyam.

The wit and wisdom of the author are evident in each and every story. The puns and sarcastic observations are both amusing and enlightening. One can easily perceive the romantic nature of the author by the artful and subtle way he deals with the subjects. The story "Kaanuka" is about Gopanna who strives to make the perfect flute to gift to Lord Krishna through 25 years unable to be satisfied with any of his innumerable outputs. This is  such a beautiful story that I fell in love with it right away. Sarasa Ramaneeyam, where he speaks about love-stricken men and their mostly assumed predicaments and troubles is worth to be marveled about. The wisdom and quips  ingrained in Runa Ramaneeyam demands outright commendation. Not that anything is ground-breaking, what I meant to convey is that you can't help admiring the way the author has laid out things. Did you know that Mullapoodi is the one who created the famous character "Apparao", who lives only on loans, and a special lingo associated with the art of taking loans? It's amazing to read about the apparent talent of such people, albeit in fiction. :-) All the other stories too deserve to be mentioned for their awesomeness.

I read the Volume 1 of Katha Ramaneeyam almost 4 years back. Though I don't remember much of what I read from it, I remember relishing the collection. I guess I enjoyed Volume 2 more but it may be only because I evolved more as a reader since back then and not because that Volume 1 was any less appealing.

Vishalandhra Publishing House

Price: Rs. 150

Hamsaavali

Written at least a few decades earlier, this set of short stories by Pulicherla Subbarao reflect the sentiments and values of those times. I couldn't help observing that at least a few stories are old-fashioned in terms of the subject matter. Not that the inherent sentiments and emotions don't hold true now, but the sheer fact that we've read in literature, watched on screen, and even observed in our lives a lot about an ungrateful son ignoring his parents in their old age, a wealthy brother ill-treating his less fortune sibling, relatives abusing the orphaned kid etc. made these stories seem common. Moreover, the tragedy involved in almost all the stories wrung my heart so much that I couldn't bear it.

I couldn't help reacting to some of the sentiments described in a couple of stories though. An excerpt:

"Inke mundannayya! Mana vamseekulu ika talettuku tiragaleru. Daani pelli kaavatam alaa unchu. Ika Suguna batiki maatram em laabham? Appude chachi poyinaa baagundedi."

These are the feelings of the cousin of the rape victim. I don't want to get started on this but the stupidity, unfairness of it all makes my blood boil. In the end, the family and the society succeeds in killing the girl - she commits suicide.

I agree that society thinks like this, but the author made no attempt to let the readers realize that this is atrocious and unfair.

Another example is about the dowry issue. The story is about the inner struggle of and burden felt by a father, who is unable to marry his daughter off due to lack of enough money. The dominant sentiment in this story is - a girl not married at proper age is doomed. But the author did better for this story by making the girl stand up for herself and her family.

The writing and narration are good and the 15 stories cover varied aspects of society. This collection makes a good read for Telugu short story lovers.  Despite all, there is no doubt it's a good literary treat.

Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani Books Online

HERE  is a collection of books by Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, who was a very popular (fiction) writer catering to my mom's generation where girls used to just wait for a new release from her.  There were quite a few movies made out of her books in Telugu.  She happens to be my friend's grandmother and my first serious Telugu novel reading was through her books thanks to my friend.


Thanks Chaitali for the link!