Poems of Aduri Satyavathi Devi
Telugu Original: Aduri Satyavathi Devi
About the Translators
RS Sudarshanam
Late RS Sudarshanam was a poet, novelist, short story writer, critic, and translator.He published around 10 literary books including ‘MadhuraMeenakshi (Short Stories), Nishantam (Poetry), SamsaaraVruksham (Novel)and many more literary works. Received many awards includingNutalapaati Gangadharam Award, AP Sahitya Academy Award etc.
For some time, he was an Advisor for Central Sahitya Academy andthe Telugu University.
Munipalle Raju
Winner of Central Sahitya Akademi Award, 2006 in Telugu for “Asthitvanadam AAvali Teeraana”… his collection of stories on magical realism, late Munipalle Raju wove his life experiences as a civilian military officer into benchmark short stories. Many of his short story collections went into reprint and were rendered into English and other languages. He published more than 5 volumes of his short stories: ‘Pushpaalu-Premikulu-Pasuvulu’, “Divoswapnaalato Mukhamukhee”,and some of them baggedprestigious literary awards like, Noothalapati Sahiti Satkaaram, Ravi Sastry Memorial Award, Jyeshta Literary Trust Award….. to mention a few.
He also had two collections of his poetry in Telugu: “Vere Aakaasam – Verenno Nakshatraalu” and “Alasipoyinavaadi Aranyakaalu”.
Ramateertha(1960-2019)
Ramateertha was a poet, translator, a literary critic and an excellent public speaker. He published poetry anthologies: “Tella Miriyam” (1993), “Kanyasulka Kavitotsavam” (2012), “Nirbhaya Jyothi (2013).
He brought out a commemorative issue on Ken Saro Viva observing the decennial year of his martyrdom. He translated Tagore’s ‘Post Office’ into Telugu, Dr. Rachakonda Narasimha Sarma’s English poetry as “Annapoornaaksharam” and composed lyrics to two musical albums observing the centenary of National Anthem, Janaganamana, and a poetic tribute to SRISRI on his birth centenary. He translated over 100 poets from Telugu to English. His articles on literary criticism appeared in various Telugu and English dailies and periodicals.
Dr. CLL Jayaprada
Dr. Jayaprada, former Professor of English at Andhra University, is a bilingual translator in Telugu and English.
She has to her credit:
He Conquered the Jungle (Macmillan,1998), Stories of Tenali Raman (CBT 2001),
Purushahankaraniki Sawal (Hyderabad Book Trust, 1999)
and Yagnam and Oher Stories (Sahitya Akademi 2006 reprinted 2007).
She won Jyeshta Literary award for Translation in 2000. Her articles also appeared in Australian, African, West Indian and Indian literatures.
Dr J.Bhagyalakshmi
Dr. Bhagyalakshmi, is a journalist and media consultant based in New Delhi for some time, is a well-known poet and short story in English and Telugu. She is also actively involved in translation and made notable contribution to children’s literature. She has to her credit over fifty publications which include eleven poetry collections, five short story collections and one book on literary criticism.
As an officer of Indian Information Service, Dr. Bhagyalakshmi edited reputed magazines like Indian and Foreign Review, Communicator, and Yojana, and several other books on varied themes including volumes of selected speeches and writings of eminent people. She headed the Department of Publications and taught at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. She also held the post of Director (Media) in the Union Ministry of Rural Development. She is a regular contributor to publications and magazines in English and Telugu as a columnist as well as a creative writer.
Dr. Bhagyalakshmi got several awards and honours from reputed literary organizations and the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Some of the major awards she received include, Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Prize, P.S. Telugu University Keerti Puraskaram, Jyeshta Literary Award, ’Katha’ (New Delhi) Award, R.K.Narayan Award from Authors Guild of India, Pratibha Puraskar by Delhi Telugu Sangham, Visishta Vyakti Puraskaram by Siddhartha Kalapeetam, Grihalakshmi Swarna Kankanam by Kesri Kuteeram, and the Best Writer Pratibha Puraskaram by P.S. Telugu University of Andhra Pradesh.
Dr. Syamala Kallury
Dr. Syamala Kallury, former Professor of English at IIT Delhi, is a reputed bilingual translator. In addition to publishing her doctoral work on Sri Aurobindo titled ‘Symbolism in the Poetry of Sri Aurobindo’ (Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, 1988), she authored a number of books including Godavari Tales (Viveka Foundation, New Delhi, 2008), Twentieth Century Telugu Poetry — a translation of hundred Telugu poets (Shipra Publications, New Delhi 2006), Women’s Voices (Short Stories), and An Inner Voyage 1910-2000 (Asian Publication Services, 2001). Her short stories in Telugu appeared to various literary journals like Andhra Prabha, Rachana, and online magazines like Koumudi.net etc. Swagathalu is her collection of poems in Telugu. She won Katha national award for translation in 1998 and Jyestha Literary Trust Award in 2001.
NS Murty
Mr. Murty is a bilingual poet and translator. He has to his credit “Incidental Muses” – a collection of hispoems in English, “Nuvvoo-Nenoo, Gaanamoo-Galamoo” a collectionof Telugu poems with well-known poet Sowbhagya, commemorating two hundred years of Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge. Along with his maternal uncle late RS Krishna Moorthy, he planned and brought out a tetralogy… ThePalatte (1997), The Easel (2015), The Canvas (2019) and The Painting (2021) … select collectionsof Telugu short stories rendered into English. They together won the Katha-British Council South-Asian Translation Award 2000 for the translation of Late Allam Seshagiri Rao’s short story ‘Mrigatrishna.’ 008)
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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.