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ENGLISH

TWO BOOKS IN ONE VOLUME (Concise Dictionary of Current English and Better your written and Spoken English)
Editor: Mudunuri Venkateswara Rao; Associate Editor: Dr. R. Janardana Rao; Rs. 150/-; Santhinilayam, Vidyanagar - Nuzvid

It is a concise Dictionary of current English providing simple meanings to words in English and Telugu. Instead of dealing with all the 616500 words which comprehensive dictionaries contain, this book offers a selection of words which are in current use. The bi­lingual approach adopted by the editors facilitates easy and effortless learning. Short phrases prominently shown in the boxes will be of particular help to the user. The different grammatical forms of words are included.

Book II deals with ‘Better your written English�. The value and immense usefulness of this section can be gauged in the context of the New Education Policy Document in which we find a significant comment that today a preponderant percentage of students who leave the portals of universities and colleges are deficient in productive skills of ‘Writing� and ‘speaking�.

Some additional features of the book which are of great use to the learners are - Synonyms and Antonyms, Words commonly misspelt, prepositions, Words often confused, Abbreviations, Computer Code, Popular Proverbs and Translation - Telugu to English. There are many more interesting things which will make this book indispensable to the students of Andhra Pradesh, particularly those who appear for competitive examinations conducted by the A.P.P.S.C. and other agencies. I am hopeful that it will find its place on the shelves of school, college and public libraries.

- Y. Satya Sree

THE WHITE GALLOPING HORSE by Dr. Sarbeswar Samal; The Book world, Cuttack, Orissa; Rs.70/-(India); 4£(U.K.), 5$(U.S.); pp. 53

The book contains 44 poems penned by Dr. S. Samal, a poet whose works are widely published in India and abroad.

The title ‘The White Galloping Horseâ€� is a prophetic symbol found in revelation. In Hindu mythology, ‘Kalkiâ€�, the last incarnation of Lord Vishnu rides a white horse to wipe out the evils and wickedness from the earth. Indra also rides a white horse called ‘U³¦³ó²¹¾±²õ°ù²¹±¹²¹â€�, a symbol of purity, which takes birth during ‘K²õ³ó±ð±ð°ù²¹²õ²¹²µ²¹°ù²¹³¾²¹»å³ó²¹²Ô²¹â€�. The poet says “The white horse is symbolic of man’s upward thirst and thrust of spiritâ€�. The poet rightly declares, “In my poems, poetry is an attempt to understand life and reality in earnest a sensitive sympathising, cry and bleeding to share othersâ€� joy and anguish, otherwise my poetry is vague wishâ€�.

In the poem ‘Roses againâ€� the roses whisper to humans: ‘Let us smile and resume life againâ€�. In ‘W²¹¾±³Ù¾±²Ô²µâ€� he says “wait for fulfilment in some other birth or lifeâ€�. In ‘The Magician Readerâ€�, the poet expresses that ‘everything awaits the magician reader, to tap the hidden source, lift the veil and stir the secret with the magic wand of his/her empathy and imaginationâ€�.

In refusing to be History, the poet says “I don’t want to be a part or annal of history, a prologue or epilogue to it� - It shows the humility and loftiness of the poet’s thinking that it is an Artist’s business to illumine others� paths. In ‘If desire is bad� - “Life unfolds in desire and efflorescence not in withdrawal or negation�.

In the poem ‘Metaphysics of Language� the poet opines ‘Though words communicate meaning much depends upon feeling - The choice of words depends on meaning for meaning is the master, the sole monitor and arbiter.

There are many interesting and philosophical pieces in the book which is very interesting, giving glimpses of the deep insight of the poet into Nature, philosophy, metaphysics and the world of reality.

It is recommended for the readers with an appetite for stimulating yet soothing poetry.

-Y. Satya Sree

THE ULTIMATE SATORI by Sri Kanhai Joshi

The Ultimate Satari, the English rendering of Sant Jnaneswar’s Amruthanubhav by Shri. Kanhai Joshi is indeed a beautiful and rare offering to all those thirsting for the realisation of the TRUTH, the Truth which is the origin of the whole creation. This poem, though it is mostly the essence of the Vedas already brought to light through the Upanishads and well explained by the Bhagavadgita etc., its specialty consists in the way it is presented.

His first song, “Union of Shiva and Shakti� repeatedly in an easy and enchanting style extolls the truth that purusha and prakriti are never different as viewed to be by the ignorant. Though this is not a new realisation, but is already known, the way in which it is repeated in each verse entices the hearts of the readers and makes them experience a little bit of the ecstatic bliss as the poet might have done when he got at the truth.

According to him, the Guru is greater than God. In truth, Guru is no other than God, and unless there is Guru’s grace, all spifitual sadbhavanas are of no use and this Truth is stressed in the book.

Each of the poems sings the glory of the Truth and brings out the great values of devotion and surrender. Surrender to the Guru (God) is the easiest way for the sadhaka to attain immortality.

The translation of Shri Joshi reflects the beauty of the original in all regards. His style is so easy, beautiful and interesting as to make the readers grasp the essence of the Truth. This translation is a mirror to the original. This, I am sure, will adorn the various Libraries.

- B. Indirakumari, Anantapur

TELUGU

RASASRUVU (Poetry) by Prof. V.L.S. Bhimasankaram, Rtd. Professor of Geophysics

This is an admirable poetic creation of Prof. V.L.S. Bhimasankaram the pioneer in Explorative Geophysics in the Osmania University who made a mark in his field, even after his retirement as an Emeritus Professor. He also makes an equally valid claim for his place along with other great names with his RASASRUVU, which has been rightly compared with the works of Sri Krishnadevaraya’s Amuktamalyada and Viswanadha Satyanarayana as a proudha kavya. The author employs a much varied and rarely used poetic forms while most other poets since Nannaya very rarely used more than 15 or 16 forms. His style very aptly ranges from the most simple to the highly scholastic, depending on the narration. He also indulged in literary gymnastics such as garbha kavitva. He employs a very wide spectrum of the different forms of prosody and one is awestruck with the richness and the profound command the author has over the language and its usage.

As admitted by him there have been instances where the poet takes liberties with the rules of prosody and grammar, but these are overwhelmed by the force of his poetic thought and masterly grasp over the language, and sweep of narration.

RASASRUVU has unveiled the giant of a poet in Prof. Bhimasankaram. Some of the verses can easily fit into beautiful lyrical songs, as has been demonstrated by Sri Kanna Rao. Dr. Nanduri Ramakrishnamacharya has aptly put his talents as a poet in the form of an equation, as scientists generally do. Prof. Bhimasankaram = (Sri Krishnadevaraya + Viswanadha) /2.

The printing and production has been lavishly done, on a scale comparable to any in the West and the title has been artistically devised and is instantly appealing.

Prof. Bhimasankaram has lifted this sketch of his ancestral lineage into a masterly piece of poetry, comparable to any of the prabandhas, old or new. He richly deserves the congratulations for this remarkable and outstanding achievement.

–V±ð³¾²¹°ù²¹Âá³Ü Narasimha Rao

KALINDILO LO VENNELA (Short Stories) by Gidugu Rajeswara Rao; Snehalata Publications, 6-102, Pochamma bagh, Saroomagar, Hyderabad-35; pp. 144; Rs.35/-­

A good writer is not only one who entertains but also makes his readers think, as does a good painter on the canvas. A short story does not cover the whole gamut of life, but certainly focuses on the lives and incidents of individuals. Though the style does help to hold the reader in the grip, there are any number of stories without embellishments of style that can grip the reader from the beginning to the end.

Sri Rajeswara Rao’s narration in this compilation of short stories is one such. He is a good story teller. His style is simple and devoid of gymmics. But the narration is smooth like a clear stream flowing gracefully over the plains and ends like a rain without thunder and lightning.

The book has 22 short stories, in which one empathises with the characters, which appear refreshingly to have come from real life, and exhibit intricate personal relationships and affection and come out alive with natural glow. Very few able writers have the capacity to do this and certainly Sri Rajeswara Rao is one such. And, he deserves praise for this.

This book makes an interesting reading and will certainly adorn any good library.

- Dr. Vasa Prabhavathi