streevaada kavitvaM

Olgaa

Olgaa (pOpoori lalita kumaari) hails from guntooru. For some time
she worked as a lecturer in telugu in tenaali college. Without a 
doubt, she is one of the pioneers of the streevaada politics. She was 
drawn to revolutionary politics when she was in college. 

Olgaa is more renowned as a novelist, shortstory writer and essayist, 
than as a poet. She has to her credit several novels, 'sahaja,' 
'swEcca,' 'aakaaSaM lO sagaM' to name a few. 'raajakeeya kathalu' is a 
more recent collection of Olgaa.

For 'neeli mEghaalu,' a collection of feminist poetry, Olgaa wrote a 
powerful introduction entitled, 'saMkeLLu tegutunna saMgeetaM,' in 
which she ably responded to arm chair critics who have the temerity to 
brush aside feminist poetry as 'blue poetry.'

(details collected from postings of Sri Veluri Venkateswara Rao on telusA)


gRha lakshmi
rubbuDu potraMlaa tala tirugutoonE vunnaa aalOcanala pappu medagadu iMguva vaasanalO munigi tElE mukku oopiri peelcukOvaDaM marci pOtuMdi cetula ceepurukaTTalu eDateripi lEkaMDaa soonyaMlO dEvutoonE uMTaayi kalala alala tuMparalu hRdayapu penaMpai cuyyimaMToonE uMTaayi rOkaTi baMDa kiMda paccaDi, paccaDavutoonE uMTuMdi naDuM baMDakEsi baadinaa kaaTuka kaMTineeTa jaDiMcinaa manasula muriki vadalanE vadaladu aasulO kaMDeMlaa nityaM kadultoonE calanaM erugani kaaLLu pillars^laa unnacOTanE paatuku pOtaayi alugguDDala peetibaTTala parimaLaMlO puneetamavutunnaa jeevitaM endukO eppuDoo kaaTu vaasanE vEstuMTuMdi ( aaMdhra patrika daily, #Oct. 9, 1989# )
The following is a 'transcreation' of the above poem by Sri S. S. 
Prabhakara Rao who has, selected and edited "Post Independence 
Telugu Poetry,"(1993) a collection of over 100 poems spanning a 
period of 50+ years. Prabhakara Rao is a Professor of English 
at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. 
He obtained his Ph.D in American Studies from Andhra University. 
This collection is published by Writers Workshop Books, Calcutta, 
under the general editorship of P. Lal.
The Lady of the house
Even though the head revolves like the pestle, the pulses of thought aren't pulverised. The nose full with the smell of asfoetida passes up the act of breathing. The broomsticks of hands seek out ceaselessly the expanses of vacant space. The droplets of waves nof dreams fall upon the frying pan of the heart and burn out noisily. Under the ruthless rod the chutney is crushed relentlessly; the waist is dashed against the stone continually and the tears trickle from the dark eye; and yet the dirt of the mind isn't washed out. Like the spindle in the spinning wheel the legs are ever on the move and yet somehow static and will stay put where the pillars stand. Although getting sanctified by the stench of soiled clothes -full of shit all over- life somehow emits the smell of an overburnt dish.

saavitri (1949 - 1991)

Had she lived longer, she would have written more, and certainly more 
brilliant poetry. saavitri was born into a highly feudalistic family, 
married off into a more feudalistic and cruel family! During her short 
but very productive lifetime, she fought and fought against male chauvinism. 
She wrote about two dozen poems, a few essays and came to be known as 
'radio saavitri' for her talks on the AIR. She died of tuberculosis, and 
after her death, a few of her friends brought out a volume ('saavitri') 
of her writings, under the editorship of araNyakRshna, in 1992.

Some critics recognize (rightly so!) that her poem 'baMdipOTlu,'
written in 1984 became an early and positive catalyst for the
current upsurge of feminist poetry. baMdipOTlu was translated into 
english by C. Rama Rao and Arlene Zide as 'Dacoits' and was published 
in "In their Own Voice," the Penguin Anthology of Contemporary Indian 
Women Poets (1993), edited by Arlene K. Zide. 

Prof. Chekoori Rama Rao publicized this poem, read it at several 
university meets, reviewed it, and wrote an appreciation of it!
He even included it as a must-read for B. A. Telugu candidates!!

(details collected from postings of Sri Veluri Venkateswara Rao on telusA)


baMdipOTlu
paaThaM oppaceppaka pOtE peLLi cEstaanani paMtulu gaarannappuDE bhayamEsiMdi aafeesulO naa moguDunnaaDu! avasara moccinaa selavivvaDani annayya annappuDE anumaanaMEsiMdi vaaDikEM maga mahaaraajani aaDaa mogaa vaaginappuDE arthamai pOyiMdi peLLaMTE pedda Siksha ani moguDaMTE swEccaa bhakshakuDani mEM paalicci peMcina janaMlO sagamE mammalni viBajiMci paalistOMdani! (AMdhra jyOti vaara patrika #March 23, 1984#)
Dacoits
When the teacher said: I'll get you married off if you don't recite the lesson I was afraid. When my brother said: My 'husband' is my boss who never grants me leave even when I need it most I grew suspicious. When the neighbours said: But, he's a man, a 'maharaja' so what could he be missing? I understood. That marriage is a huge punishment, that a husband gobbles up your freedom, and that half the population that we nourished at the breast divides and rules.

koMDaepooDi nirmala

illu khaaLee caesinappuDu
uniki aanavaaLLannee cerigipoetaayi peTTae baeDaa sardeyya gaanae okaTreMDu baadhagaa oMgina maekulu minahaa pedda maarpaeM uMDadu. addaM laeni goeDa tala maasiMdani ceppadu. sabbu laeni snaanaala gadi kiTikee parimaLaanni paavuraMlaa egaraeyadu flAsk laeni vaMTinTi gooDu kappeDu kAfee ivvadu. ikkaDae vunnaa eToe naDicipoetunnaTTanipiMcae citta bhraaMti paradaeSeetanaM nannodalavu. paTTaa maarcina paDakkurceelaa nae vunna illu kotta SareeraM koesaM eduru coostuMdi. bhayaanikee oeTamikee eDaari tanaanikee meesaalu diddee huMdaagaa kanipincaeMduku karaDu kaTTina svaardhaanikee, purivippina asooyakee tellaTi laalcee toDigee jeMTil^mAn vaeshaM kaTTaeMduku illu anabaDae #Rehearsal Greenroom# laekapoegaa daacaTaanikaemee laedani daacaeMdukaemee laeni bahiraMga jeevita mippuDu nagna sadRSyamai voNakagaa noppi teleeni #Chloroform# vaasana vaestunna #Concrete# carmaannodili #forceps# toe paTTukunna guMDe kaayalaa roeDDekki------