Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 29. Banjara Whenever I see Banjara hills Sturdy, stunning I’m reminded of Banjara baby Monie Who hasn’t a spoon of muscle On her bones She may not contain A pint of blood in her body Her honeyed talk is enough To infuse energy Into the body Of her […]
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Tempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 28. Persons Outwitting Time If ten words strum the lute of the heart, ten notes reach the pages of history. Essence accrues with ripeness and struggles with readiness. Like a brook of oneness,let us become writable songs and heal the wounds! I am a lone army […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 28. The Pyre of Khairlanji Oh, Babasaheb Ambedkar, To whom but you Can I relate this sad episode? This minimal nation turned into A male organ Frightens me! Look at this incestuous Generation of vipers! Was there ever a brother On the face of the globe So heinous […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 27. Balu Everywhere When solitary birds suspend their waiting glances from nests hiding fruit bunches of pain behind smiles… When someone wants to swim in the sea of sense slipping into deserts or jungles, then Balu, the shower of your sweet notes gives solace. In our […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 27. Mother Earth I declare this land is mine And cattiest serpents hiss furiously I till my land And it crawls around me, This Anaconda of caste and Crushes my frame. If we beseech them And not the waters Village-lakes would overflow with Our blood. Have you ever […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 26. Vine with No Leaves Knowledge is turning into a forest amid hard times, animosities that are moving as waves. This city with burning trees is akin to a coffin; it’s like a cistern filled with silent dark melancholic songs. A traitor it is: when asked […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 26. Song of the Hunter It makes me twist inside Twist hard This fateful statue! Seeing it I don’t get a wink of a sleep. I feel like one Whose crown has been snatched And dashed to the ground. That pointing finger Aims at our loins Hidden behind […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 25. ‘Re’public Day All the beautiful occasions of hoisting the existence flags open as festivals. A victory drum sounded at the midnight of Fifteenth August, Nineteen Forty- Seven; the sky of national feeling blossomed in the form of hubbub everywhere. It stood in front of us […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 25. Corn Picker I only know how to lose But never to gain again My womanhood an affliction. I gather troubles at every step As each heaves himself up To his palanquin By stepping over my head. I am Soopanakha Who ensured Rama stayed monogamous The queen Prameela […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 24. Lamp of Hopes This is the introduction from my philosophy landto the tone of life when the future excesses are taking shape. As if passing days in the calendar with balance, you pushed some memories into oblivion! Selfish thoughts as your attires, thirst for power […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 24. Mother Curry You’re the consumers of Ghee-mixed food, my lords. Till now, none has taught us, Sirs, That food has caste And gruel, religion. I swear on my mother In our abject poverty It was this curry, Sirs, That saved our race From hunger pangs And filled […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 23. Learned Masters He ties new swings to the twinkles of your eyes; wraps with ropes of teaching, exercises. Fixes you as a pen or book on the tool of time, puts you on track. When exams are your ultimate aim he sculpts your brain, carves […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 22. Home Dwelling I am deeply immersed in thoughts My mind has now become a newspaper; it cannot fill my fist. New light is being transmitted to the kitchen! I salute this strange free time; it doesn’t allow to stir the curry while cooking, how much […]
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Bruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 23. Love at Chennai Though my visits to Madras Maybe just once in a blue moon To run some errand― yet An unknown blood bond Makes the town always my own, Walks me through, holding my hand! Madras metropolis Is a splendid pot of hot food Catering to […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 21. New Mirror Taunting words at home turn into embers even before childhood isn’t over and age is not ripe for responsibilities. The age difference between brothers is played up, yet wounds of sex determination are born. School precincts are not those of heart. Tender branches […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 22. The Sacrifice A perennial sacrifice On the sacrifice pillar Who made This being stand thus? Frightened Just like me. Breathless The heart stifled I am startled By the bullet on my plate When I sit down to eat. Once again The Bhagavat Gita1chases me With a lathi […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 20. Nature of Shadows The whole night is falling as drops; the imbibing method is becoming symbolic. Some thoughts are printing cosmic rays, wayward moments, and stars not reaching the retinal sky, fascinating in the perspective. Some harsh delicate silent notions on either side of life’s […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 21. Bruised Childhood Whenever I read of a pleasing pretty childhood Complete with teeny-weeny fluffy frocks Chubby cheeks My childhood ― A book of tables bereft of pages and Pressed down in an old trunk box ― Stretches out its leafy hands to be turned into poetry. If […]
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A Firefly in the Garden of Venus (Translated By Sri Nanduri Rama Chandra Rao and Hima Bindu T) Me, a refugee Firefly enslaved in your garden of love! A stepping stone to your mansion in the sky! A flower in the garland you wear ! A small part in your episodes of your life story! […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 19. P.V., You Are the Renown of Telugu A huge natural wall stood as a revolution The whole story of the steps is a war field. Many have set traps but couldn’t catch the lion, your intelligence that is! When truth, virtue had no value, were […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 20. The Filthy My mother is an ogre She neither bathed me fondly Nor cajolingly fed me Neither stitched me a silk skirt Nor braided flowers in my hair. My mother Sun-burned, soot-faced With hands Eroded in the cleaning. When other mothers stealthily Gave their children pocket-money, For […]
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Replay -Kiriti Vundavilli Why is it in our nature to drink nature bone dry To risk our future, to plunder her to the sky Why do we set tomorrow alight In the name of today’s profit plight Why does no act of green affection Seem to slow our self-destruction Is the answer with these old […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 18. Poet Some people just scribble Some toil and some have illusions. The others own magical feats, humility; turn into musical instruments, ragas, beatsor lyrics. Some have artistic outlook, streams of poesy. Some have selfishness, others repulsion for lucre. Some bank upon or sell away flowers, […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 19. Wild Lily I am a piece of black flesh Formed into sculpture How could I have a heart when I am all flesh? In the mirrors of my inadequate blouse Hang reflections of Conspiracies, across time, which You have plotted against me. I know that The sound […]
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CAGED BIRD -Manjeetha Kumar Where are those days When life was full of joy Wings waved at blue sky Dreams landed just true Where am I now Weeping at the wounds Whispering to myself The world turned upside down My boundaries are declared by selfish men Their greeds dominates my needs Their wishes surpasses my […]
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LIFE IS LIKE THAT -Ramachandra Rao Nanduri Nothing is permanent nor ‘nothing’ ever shall be Passes over the moment of glee or gloom in one beThe clouds give rain to become clouds againLife rolls on day and night till the curtain is drawnNo encores no repeat performances, it’s all one act showSome shine some drown and […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 17. Time to Grow The sky is torturing. Let alone guarding the infinite universe, it’s crushing under its foot, the endangered faith. It is useful neither for dried coir nor for fire. How tiny your heart is amidst your henchmen, how senseless your conceit, is not […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 18. Child Sacs Leading a hand-to-mouth life The day before yesterday We sold our drudgery Yesterday we pawned the pitcher and winnowing pan. For a gulp of gruel we sold The blood in our body Our kidneys, for a handful of space We pawn our hearts every day. […]
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Cup of tea -Sasikala Thanneeru They always look at my cup and began to search it’s speciality They always wonder about rhythm of my sips and music of my thoughts They always curious about the news I share with my tea They want to utilize that ten minutes miracle for their own It’s time for […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 16. Bonalu – Dazzlers of Art When devotees pour ‘five syllables’ in the vault of the heart and intelligence becomes a firmament of piety, they place faith on heads, turn themselves into a carnival. Hunger, food… they are not recent ones, but came into existence when […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 17. Black Mother While all sons became mother’s sons And all daughters, father’s daughters Just so to garland their fame with poetry, You never got any respect in life, Mother Only crowns of hardship. When I think of you, The stream of humiliation that you swam across Breaches […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 15. In this Battlefield She is a flutter that made virility smoulder in the field of war; the lustre of gems she is. She kindles the light of erudition, and the flourish of hard work. So she is not a policewoman, but a policeman! She completes […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 16. Postponement of Love Love poetry! What do you mean, my writing it? My lips have been trembling for ages With the fear of death To even utter the syllables of love, How can I write poems on my love! Who after all acknowledged There beats a heart […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 14. The Song of the Present It’s a song; it embraced a long silence, crossedthe tombs of hatred near the bonds of affection. A dwelling erected in our life struggle. It has seen not only the stars In the firmament, the ripples in the sea, and […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 15. Step Mother My Hindu step mother! When you excommunicated my touch To a nowhere place, the trisanku heaven* Tied a muzzle to my mouth Hung a broom down my backend made A strange animal out of me I became an alien in my own land. With not […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 13. Book is our Flag Like a mother who directs a crawling child Like the father who teaches his son how to run Like the teacher who dispels fear from the mind Like the temple that tells God is present in the heart of one and […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 14. The Black Sun Although he did not learn the alphabet He was a farmer who grew affection By churning life Although he did not know ideology and debate He was a true materialist who did not argue But made me write the alphabet with my left hand… […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 12. Monopoly It’s an indoor game that fell into the hands of tiny tots. Irrespective of the season it gives a yield of bucks unseen earlier. A nice game it is… that of e-business No great fascination or rapture in the distribution of intellect. Only a […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 13. Prohibited History Even as I took shape in My mother’s womb I was labelled untouchable Stamped low-caste Before I was born. The day I was born I bore the imprint of an unchaste woman Cast into the drainage of tradition The dustbin of custom. I became the […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 11. Corona, We Aren’t Afraid! We wage war individually, and fight the same single battle. We lie in wait separately. You are a microbial bomb, not an atomic one! So why do we fear you? We won’t tie you to stop you from touching us. We […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 12. Muddy Hands With the music of washed vessels. She wakes up the house. When the early cockcrows Piercing through thick darkness She lights the hut Feeds the children grains of rice. She arrives in the fields, porridge-vessel in hand The landlord welcomes her with abuses. As she […]
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THE UNTIRED English Translation: Penugonda basaveshwar Telugu Original : Sarasija Penugonda She’s been trying to erect a pillaras a mark of her self identity denied for decades by community Bricks of self-confidence are continuously kept wet with relentlessly shed sweat Sacrifices like a matchstick to ignite ,fire particles, a million n continue […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 10. Bell of Virtue In the flux of a scene where silence overflows, render your brain formless a bit. Meanwhile, it is not just your dreams, but heart’s burden that is emptied. In the darkness where fireflies emit light, inordinate sound brooks keep flowing. Many are […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 11. New Syllabus The same age-old stale lessons In all the leaves of the same old book White sheets blacken from The soot that is in his mind. Children’s rhymes go thus Rama is a good boy Sita is a good wife Come on my daughter! Grind the […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 9.Scissors Whena flame rages beneath the pan of half-cooked rice, I feel the pain of besieging taunts. Like the stories of paltry grains for hungry stomachs, in the shade of subject, object, verb amidst the disparities between rich and poor, I feel as if I got […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 10. Buffalo Nationalism A void at home The minds speak no words On the day when we sold Our pet buffalo A pet is not an animal But one of us, more than kith and kin We have no separate homes. She is my parents’ child, Along with […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 8.Homage of Syllables Whenever occasions don’t revert halfway, all the experience should listen, say, see the words of known people, things worth knowing, deeds to be divulged and become a journey not waited. When answerless questions come near, immerse in NEWS, play the game of four […]
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At the end of Index Finger English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Dukhapu Minnagu” by Dr K.Geeta For every intolerance The index finger Maneuvered at Only one side You rascals At last Hung us naked At the end of the index finger! Vengeance of […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 9. Need to Speak My dumbness reveals No human is seen to speak It took a long time Even to speak to myself True interaction with a man Is possible only after Leaving all inhibitions. It is indeed For the union of true souls The interaction between you […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 7.Farmer Couple He becomes a plough to till the land in sowing season; she transforms into a basket of cold food in the red hot sun. He becomes the toil of the tilling harrow in his field; she walks behind him to sow the seeds dexterously. […]
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Music of the heart(poem) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury Handicapped -blind You need not sing songs of sympathy You need not play violin’s piteous sigh With sad note – Of all the senses eyes are primary One cannot have life without eyes Don’t push them into the wells of depression They have to […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 8. Morning Star Rising with the morning star Sweeping darkness away with a broom That girl draws patterns of brightness… As she washes dishes the sun rises from her beads of sweat. Amidst the chirping of birds. As she cleans everyone’s filth with her tender fingers That wonderful […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 6.Special Soldier He is a picture of opulence on the retina; a sacred figure without many hues. He won many a million hearts. Wherever his sweat falls, there germinates mother’s love, blesses. In the nights and afternoons when mud blossoms, at a time when the branches […]
Continue ReadingDeath Warrants (poem) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury An endless joy it is After the head-bath, washing the hair For some the body feels comfortable Moves freely in the swing For some the head-bath itself is A ritual, that sends one to lands More comfortable, then it is an explosion! Yes, Hunger is […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 7. Mankena Flower Caught in bramble and thorn I am a struggling palapitta** Whichever way I move The thorns prick me These are not thorns of today But shackles of slavery That have bound me for generations. Caught between the devil and the deep sea Danger hisses about […]
Continue ReadingLet me be ME -Manjeetha Kumar Let me write Let me muse Let me be ME Just me for me I am a Girl Not a Caged bird To obey commands To just live a living Let me be free Let me feel the breeze Till my heart stops beating Till my soul feels soothing […]
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The City of my Life -Nagaraju Ramaswamy The songs are deep; multi-layered; word over word; A trilogy of memoirs; diffused lines; page over page. Hyderabad is the book of my life. Today I tread the streets; my gazes gauge the tides’ crests and ebbs my thoughts […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga 5.Osmania, the Glowing Lamp Always, I throw a couple of old dreams in front of me. When searching for similarities, Osmania emits the echoes of peace songs and those of valour from its rocky walls. Conceiving spirit, shaping expression it keeps filling the voids of my […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 6. Untouchable Assault This is ‘untouchable Sunitha’ speaking: From long ago ― Forgotten by you all In this country, just as there is ― untouchable hunger untouchable exploitation, untouchable suicides untouchable rape too exists. I swear by my love for Yogeswar Reddy That mine is certainly an Untouchable […]
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The Soldier’s Mother -Mohan Das The phone was ringing and it was a regular feature Calling Doctor Parimala, disturbing her short leisure ! This time it was not for her treatment to a person suffering But to injure her with saddest news causing herself suffer ! It was from Army […]
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I wanna walk… -Jhansi Koppisetty I was flying like an angel.. But a great fall broke my ankle..! Till then I was fulfilling everyone's wishes.. Had to wake up to my senses with all the stitches..! Ankle broke three ways.. Added bonus dislocation sideways..! Plates and screws were all used.. Doctors pinned and stapled bones […]
Continue ReadingPeacock of the Rain (poem) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury As when a poem that has not taken shape In the mind since long, emerges suddenly Opening the fan of raindrops, The peacock of the rain, breaks into a dance. As when some unseen goddesses Rain jasmines with cupped hands, Like the pearls […]
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Neem tree murder -Kandepi Rani Prasad Gives a flower to every Ugadi Neem tree of my house was cut down In time to brush your teeth in the morning Bending the branches improves health Subhakrit Ugadi gave me agony They killed my golden neem tree Cut into pieces with a […]
Continue ReadingDistress English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Dukhapu Minnagu” by Dr K.Geeta A viper lurking beneath life Unaware whenever it wakes up Nor slithers away no one knows Yet when it blows out It spews out The remnant hushed up woes Though slept under […]
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Sedative Serenity – Ramalakshmi Avasarala As I closed my eyes, I perceived the perpetual woods, Where the sound is dumb, Where even the taciturn, Searches curiously for words. Where only faint rustle of leaves, Enunciate the presence of life, Moonlight laying in patches that’s busy in […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga Translator’s Note I have been trying to take some good Telugu literature into English for a long. In that process, I translated the stories of VattikotaAlwaruSwamy, Dasarathi Krishnamacharya, andKalojiNarayanaRao. Besides rendering such good fiction, I translated modern poetry as well. However, […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 5. Explosion Though every cell craves for sanctity of a filled pot incessant blasts only embrace me. My only desire to live like a pure, new born person innocently like a faint green sprout ― the concrete diplomacy that piled up around freezes it by the day. To […]
Continue ReadingOn the Morning It Rained (poem) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury Early morning With sleepy eyes As soon as I come to the front door Lo, a wonderful visual poem I see That mesmerises the mind The hurried jobs of morning, job-related Drudgery of house and kitchen work forgotten, Relaxing in the green […]
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Bhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-29 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 29.Birth I watch this sky and these waves just before dawn— A bow like branch of tree if bent at one end, springs up the other side way lost at dusk searches dawn. Not everywhere is bright nor all is […]
Continue ReadingOh my Gold… English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Bangaramanti” by Dr K.Geeta Shh…Baby! Don’t disturb Dad Let him sweat toiling on Meetings and chattings The Herculean tasks At home Morning a cup of coffee A fistful breakfast A meal in lunch time Some […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga I Go Along with Time Has my observation of society increased since poetry writing became a fond habit for me?I am unable to tell whether I am turning myself into poesy only from the observation of society. Yet I have no habit […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 4. Prohibited Dream My memory does not carry Colourful dreams that converse with my eyelids. In my dream, someone chases me, Always, as I keep running Insecure And towards an unknown destiny. In fact, life too is like a dream! I bundle up my identity and toss it […]
Continue ReadingOnce in a Month (poem) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury The permanent address for my ATM card is always my husband’s pocket I forgot the pin numbers long time back Like the memory of ancient life In the days when the salary was Given in hand One day at least The salary baby […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-28 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 28.Highway As one writes on sea having become a sea as one walks on rivers having become a river which boat should I board on Godavari highway? What I saw was a mature lady like new water as I lay […]
Continue ReadingThe house without your presence English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Nuvvu leni Illu” by Dr K.Geeta The house without your presence Sobered by evening Ears stick out attentive to receive When will be the garage opens And when your footsteps audible from office […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga Lustre of Erudition Surrounds Her If people born in a family of great tradition hold the flag of defiance, it causes some surprise. If they follow the same path of rationalism and struggle throughout their life without retreating to the destination, it […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 3. Water Just as water knows the ground’s incline, It knows the generations-old strife Between village and wada Like dampness on the well’s edge that never dries, It knows that untouchability never disappears. Water knows everything. It knows race The difference between the woman from Samaria and Jesus, […]
Continue ReadingHorsely Hills (poem) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury Like a Hurricane lantern Hung to the hook of the sky Slowly climbing the ladder of the Peaks of mountains, the morning Sun Like the bright red hibiscus Like a yellow chrysanthemum Like a fully blossomed jasmine This Lotus lover Is cool handsome god of […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-27 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 27.Marina Beach Marina beach, Marina beach how beautiful you are how many people are cajoled in your lap and charmed by you, falling in love with you as we walked to see you the coach we came by left leaving […]
Continue ReadingTempest of time (poems) -Kondapalli Niharini Translated by Elanaaga ‘A preview ‘ Poetry mirrors life. It’s a true reflection of life in discernible hues. Therefore, it is aptly said that poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash(Leonard Cohen). Covid-19 pandemic […]
Continue ReadingIn the Desert sans words (poems) Telugu Original: Mandarapu Hymavati EnglishTranslation: Syamala Kallury After a day of stressful pressures, many and varied After I return home on lifeless evenings Like a dried branch of Amaranthus I intend to lean on your shoulder and rest Washing my limbs in the still waters of a quiet pond […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 2. An Ethnic Dream The criss-crossed entangled forest seemsTo have gathered its hair neatly into a knot.Swallowed by a corporate whaleThat spits them out in the centre of Shilparamam*Small huts in deep sleep amidst green treesAppear doll houses with lime patternsAlluring. Nose studs, beaded necklaces, mirror blouses ofThe […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-26 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 26.Visakha! Oh my Visakha! You are a city like a hut beneath a hill What is so special about you Visakha to stay with you? Except Surya Sikha’ room in R.S.Hostel where we stayed what is so great about you? […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani 1.Rain Rain means Memories – Flying termites That shed their wings from The wet anthills of the mind Rain means A paper boat that I fasten To plunge into the pond of infancy When I look at this rain I remember my damp thatched house That woke us […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-25 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 25. Wild Dance of Waves When visiting sea at Kothapatnam won’t new thought germinate? No wonder when Koteswar Rao’s car halts at Kothapatnam is it a horse to swim in sea ? Those that land from car compose poetry but […]
Continue ReadingGift of Mom English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Amma Bahumati” by Dr K.Geeta Oh, my sweetheart! Walking away from infancy Now flourished into a mature girl! I just bless you on your 18th B’day With my ever-longing spirit Of letters of my […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani ‘ Memory as an Ideology ‘ Challapalli Swaroopa Rani uses memory not only as a technique but also as an ideology. Her selective memory carefully constructs the people and the milestones in her life and collates this personal memory with her memory of […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-24 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 24. Marine Congregation Oh my Visakha Sea! To extend to the sky how long you did tapasya,meditation like a maharshi? Absorbing great rivers of processions frighteningly massive public meeting today. But for enormous depth, immense capability, total transformation, how can […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani ‘ THE PAIN OF BEING A PART APART ‘ This collection of 35 poems written by Prof Challapalli Swaroopa Rani now translated in to English, are eye-openers into the unspeakable experiences of Dalits not only in Andhra but all over India. These poems […]
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Nothing like a so-called failure -Sri sreya kurella They speak a lot When you are at the lowest point of your life. They comment a lot about your past actions,And try to form the reasons for the pain you are facing, They try to depress you with their words,To make you feel low at the hardest phase of […]
Continue ReadingAfter meeting my childhood friend English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Chinnanati Mitruralni Chuseka” by Dr K.Geeta Meeting childhood friend After a long time I recalled those carefree dragonfly days Slept happily tucked in bed Closed under blanket overhead Whenever wished, how long […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-23 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 23. River Bhima Placidly flows like blood in arteries Bhima river, a perennial river till the other day that was like a snake that shed skin crawls like an earth worm today. Where is water for oars to steer a […]
Continue ReadingBruised, but not Broken (poems) -Challapalli Swarooparani My Word By and large the feminist movement in India has been about patriarchal oppression, experienced by dominant castes and middle class educated/urban women – gender discrimination: unequal man-woman relationships; undemocratic family system; burden of child-rearing and hardship of domestic chores as women […]
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Dayee-Papayee English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Dayee-Papayee” by Dr K.Geeta Both of them Live in their world as if they have just emerged Like a baby garden lizard clutches the trunk of a tree That kid always hangs on Dayee For baby […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-22 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 22.My Man Green shoots sprout on earth rain dances down from sky sprouts never look at heavens drops of rain reach not earth. East and west never meet not known why friends turn into foes for feuding groups in legislature […]
Continue ReadingLITTLE PUPPY -Kandepi Rani Prasad “Little Puppy ! Little Puppy ! Where have you been ? “ “I have been to Ramoji Film city “ “What have you seen in Ramoji Film City ?” “I have seen film shootings there. “ “What have you done after Seeing the shootings ?” […]
Continue ReadingFour-legged room English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar Telugu Original : “Nalugu Kalla Gadi” by Dr K.Geeta A four-legged room around me Displayed scenes after scenes Setting sun gulping rocks Heavy rain never smacks Series of retreating trees Scorching summers turned cool breezing sprees Shivering colds […]
Continue ReadingBhagiratha’s Bounty and Other poems-21 English Translation: T.S. Chandra Mouli Telugu Original : Kandukuri Sreeramulu 21.My Path I listen sleeping on this ground breathing the same air on ground inside earth so many reverberations nothing is clear. I am also advised to sleep blissfully in a trice earth covers me at once whirl wind wakes […]
Continue ReadingYESTERDAY – TODAY Singing -Kandepi Rani Prasad “Come chandamama ! come Jabillee !”When mother feeds riceChinni refuses to eat –“I don’t want Amma ! ““See there ! in the dark demon coming !”When says Amma“oh ! i am afraid !” saysAnd gulps down the rice at once…Chinni of Yesteryears. In the […]
Continue ReadingBaby’s Birthday -Kandepi Rani Prasad Parrots ! oh Parrots !Draping yourselves in green sareesPainting your beaks redCome to our house today !It’s our baby’s Birthday !Bless our golden girlWith your sweet words. Cuckoos ! Oh cuckoos !Drink warm black – peppered milkFill your voices with honey today !It’s our baby’s Birthday […]
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