Poems of Aduri Satyavathi Devi
Poem-5
The Convent Bus
Telugu Original: Aduri Satyavathi Devi
English Translation: RS Sudarshanam
With noisy activity the kids rush into the schoolhouse.
Likewise little words hasten into my thought.
Moments later they quietly stand in a row
To say the prayer.
Oh, the little ones do make such poetry!
My heart is thrilled with joy.
When I am afloat on that intoxication happily,
Memory holding my little finger
Walks into my childhood,
And then runs along with a hill-stream.
A bright-coloured picture on porcelain,
In close proximity, the imperial grandeur of innocence
Flutters in a wave-like vision.
When the school-bell rings
Rabbits-in-uniform disperse
To turn into lessons on the class-room benches
Then I cover my vision with a blue veil
And I remained in an unfinished poem.
Of an evening, where the four roads meet,
I stand confused amidst traffic,
While the breeze turns me into a piano,
At the very moment arrives the convent bus
Like a musical box.
Little Christ’s, Krishna’s, Allah’s
And Guru-maharajas fill the bus,
Which moves along like mini-India.
In a flash it is gone.
I pick my hopes from its treads
And bring home my dream tightly bound,
And through the night
I sleep serene
Sucking the thumb of heavenly future.
*****
Telugu Original : ‘Aakaasam Kinda’
Aduri Satyavathi Devi was born in Guntur in the year 1948 and settled in Visakhapatnam after marriage in 1969. She began her literary career as a lyricist at the age of 13. She wrote a variety of lyrics numbering about 300 — light, classical, devotional, patriotic, children’s and others. More than 50 songs of Satyavati Devi were broadcast over All India Radio. Eventually she made forays into various other literary genres like Poetry, Short story, Essay, Radio Play, Musical Feature, Books, Film reviews, Forewords etc..She created a substantial corpus of poetry with more than 180 poems included in 4 anthologies of poetry. She received accolades from readers, scholars, critics and litterateurs for her sensitive rendering of poems. She participated in many Poetry Meets, Festivals conducted by All India Radio, Doordarshan and the Sahitya Akademi. She was widely translated into English and Hindi. Some of the translations appeared in renowned journals like Indian Literature (English), and Samakaaleen Bharateeya Saahitya (Hindi).
She published her first volume of lyrics Vennello Venugaanam in 1988. Her first volume of poetry Rekkamudavani Raagam was published in 1992 followed by Jalapaata Geetam in 1997 and Veyirangula Velugu Raagam in 2006. Hindi translation of Rekkamudavani Raagam came out in 2008 as “Pankh an Modnevaalaa Raag” and a miscellany of various facets of her literary endeavour Vennela Paarijaataalu was published posthumously in Dec 2008. She received many prizes and awards for her literary pursuits and accomplishments like STVD Kalasamithi Award for Rekkamudavani Raagam in 1993, and Telugu University’s “Pratibha Puraskaram” as “Best Poet” in 1994, “Krishna Sastry Award” from Andhra Lalita Kala Samithi (Secunderabad) in 1998, UNESCO Literary Award in 2000, and “Ramavruksha Benipuri Janma Sataabdi Sammaan” from Jaimuni Academy (Panipat) in 2002. An English translation of her poem, “Veyirekkala Pavuram” (Myriad Winged Bird) has been included in the syllabus of English texts in the poetry section of Degree year students by the Common Core syllabus Committee in AP from 2008.