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) |
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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. |
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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)
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