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DIARY OF AN ORDINARY INDIAN By Desiraju Sitarama Rao

This book covers a span of fifty years from 1936 to 1986, recounting in minute detail various events that influenced the growth of the author’s personality. He belongs to a generation in which even ordinary persons exemplified the traditional values that used to combine into an individual - a dutiful son, a devoted student, a faithful friend, a rational thinker- ever aware of the obligations, yet yearning to march forward, cultivating strength and fearlessness to reconcile contradictions and to resolve paradoxes - a true karma yogi in the making. His path of life was guided by the modern Trinity: Vivekananda, for courage and manliness; Nehru, for vision and broad poetic sweep; and Visweshwariah, for a practical vision of hunger-free India. Such sustained awareness and commitment, which enabled him to success and self-­satisfaction, has become a rarity in the contemporary India. What gives unity to the vastly disparate happenings is the underlying ever-alert creative consciousness of the author. Perhaps the diary, more than the history, brings to the reader a greater insight into the inwardness of the event.

Mr. Rao calls himself, out of modesty, an ordinary Indian, but he belongs to a period when extraordinary things were happening - the struggle for national freedom, the sense of achievement into the early years of Independence, and the growing disenchantment with the new breed of politician-bureaucrat-businessman ­criminal nexus. Mr. Rao’s impressions are genuinely painful when they reflect the anguish of the nation over the deterioration in the moral temper.

As the ‘conscious present is an awareness of the past,� the diary dramatises the stimulating encounter the author had with the eventful decades of the recent Indian history. It is no ordinary task to be able to do that and do well.

Dr L. Adinarayana

“REFLECTIONS ON THE MAHATMA� (An anthology of poetry in free verse by Ms. A. Satyavathi)

This is a book published by �Triveni Foundation� and released on 8.10.�95 by the honourable Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Krishna Kant, in connection with the 125th Birth Anniversay of Gandhiji. It has its Foreword written by Prof. I. V. Chalapati Rao, and preface by Sri A. Srikrishna; Scientist, DLRL.

The poems are characterised by profound thought and noble sentiment. The, reference to the keen insight of Gandhiji “that saw success in a pinch of salt� is an exalted thought.

In poem No. 4 the poet says; “What penance of ages, must have carved a man like him.� The aesthetic sense of the poet combines with mild sarcasm in the following lines, “His memory is no life-giving light, but golden thread to adorn the pages of our history.�

The deep and overwhelming pride of the poet is reflected in the lines,

“The great one of our age,
was born in my Land �
­Praise flowed from distant shores
and my country was a star.�

Gandhiji had tremendous courage in his weak and feeble body.

“the lonely traveller, plods on
the thought of self forgotten.
No joy is his, no grief is his,
No suffering and no fame,
What matter the stormy winds
that are wild, what matter the
fearsome darkness around.�

The poet’s expression of Gandhiji’s greatness that transcends all joy, grief, fame and suffering widens the heart of every Indian as he belongs to the land where Gandhi was born. The Mahatma had indeed a mysterious power that shook the world to its roots.

Indeed “Reflections on the Mahatma� is one of the sincerest tributes paid to the Father of the Nation. I am confident that the book will find a place on the shelves of our public libraries and college libraries.

Mrs. Madhulatha Singh

SACRED AND PROTECTED GROVES OF ANDHRA PRADESH (Publishers: World Wide Fund for Nature (India) A. P. State Office; View Towers, Lakdikapool, Hyderabad-4. Price: Rs. 200)

This well-got up book provides valuable information about the sacred and protected Groves of Andhra Pradesh. Besides it is an effective plea for protecting the trees which constitute the rich legacy handed down from ages immemorial. It is unfortunate that today our forests are disappearing with the unplanned expansion of cities and construction of projects. This criminal desecration of forests has produced ecological imbalances and disastrous consequences to environment. Trees are cut down in cities to make way for concrete structures and shopping complexes.

It is in this context that the publication of this work is timely. It gives authentic information to show that the various species of trees were held sacred and venerated in our country. In recent years the concept of sacred groves has gained greater currency and efforts are being made towards conservation of some of the species of trees. It is gratifying to note that the W.W.F. has been doing socially desirable and useful work with missionary zeal. Besides furnishing factual information, this book presents district-wise particulars of the sacred groves in Andhra Pradesh. Sri R. K. Rao and Sri R. Rajamani and their colleagues deserve to be congratulated for successfully completing the project and producing the book with attractive pictures.

I. V. Chalapati Rao