THE DIRECTOR OF A GOLDEN PERIOD

“I have been a regular reader to Andhra Pathrika since 1947. Then I learnt about Bharathi monthly and I began to study its back numbers also. Now I imagine that the reader in me might have transformed into a writer in the due course very much like the old patient getting metamorphosed into a doctor. We have a proverb in Telugu that the story goes to Kanchi and then we return to our house. But by the time I began writing stories most of the stories which were written at that time were reaching 17, Thambuchetty Street, Madras. Thus I deem it a privilege to be a product of the experiment of creating and molding a writer  conducted by the Journalistic family of Andhra Pathrika by illustrating what a good story is through the publication of good stories, rejecting some to reflect how should not be one is, requesting the writer to send his contribution soon as the readers are imploring for, selecting the story which was sent to the weekly for the monthly, soliciting the stories for the special numbers and then specially writing to the writers that the journal got honored and glorified by their contributions, ” acknowledged my father (Madhuranthakam Rajaram) in his address to an elite audience after receiving the Central Sahithya Academy award in New Delhi.

My journey in this world began in a small cottage by the side of a petty rivulet in a small hamlet and from then onwards books have been the most precious things of our house. My father used to preserve them in an old wooden chest and majority of them were Bharathi monthlies and Andhra Pathrika Ugadi specials. He used to make a jacket to all of them with news paper or some brown paper and write the important contents of them on it. I do still remember how he used to read many of his favorite stories to all of us. When he had to write many articles on various literary topics- majority of them on Telugu short story- and edit many story anthologies after 1980s they became his major reference sources. Even now some of them are there in my library and I donated many of them to the library of Kathanilayam, Srlkakulam so that many people can have access to them.

 When Bharathi and Andhra Pathrika were published under the editorship of Sivalenka Sambhuprasad Modern Telugu literature attained its golden period. As a person belonging to the next generation of the literary world I often wondered how great a son in law could be by looking at Sivalenka Sambhuprasad and often surmise that Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao was a very much fortunate to get a son in law who realized his dreams. Recently a souvenir which was brought about to mark the  Birth Centenary of Sivalenka Sambhuprasad provided some information about the otherwise reclusive workaholic who put his heart and soul in the editing and publishing of Bharathi and Andhra Pathrika.   When Sambhuprasad studied and got degree in Santhinikethan during 1930-32, Rabindranath Tagore was very much there and his literary taste and liberal humanism reflects the obvious influence of the great Indian seer.  He married the daughter of his maternal uncle Kasinathuni nageswara rao and took over the editorship of Andhra Pathrika daily and weekly and Bharathi, three journals founded by his uncle in 1938. As his uncle was in debts due to his philanthropic nature, he had to repay many of those debts and provide financial stability to the journal. Though he sent his family to Vijayawada during the Second World War as there was a bombing threat to Madras he stayed there to run the journals without any interruption. He was an avid reader who read most of the classics of the east and west. He was also fond of music and he used to play sitar.

In one of his editorials to an Ugadi special of Andhra Pathrika he wrote, “Literature may deal with the politics but it is not meant for politics. Literature is a wider field which cannot be confined to limited, temporary and contemporaneous values as it amounts to servitude.”  He was known for his docile and amicable nature but he used to become furious when anybody criticized and denounced Bharathi. He designed the weekly as a forum to shape the refined taste of the common readers and molded Bharathi and Andhra Pathrika Ugadi specials as   journals par excellence.  Besides literature importance was given to various issues related to other arts, culture, history, economics and other sciences.

Many great novels like Thenneti Suri’s  Chengizkhan , translations of the novels of Mark Twain  and the novels of Sarada were published in Andhra Pathrika and  Bharathi published most of the great stories and novels of that period. It is not an exaggeration to say that we couldn’t have such great masters of short story like Buchibabu and Vasundara Devi without Bharathi.  To a writer Sambhuprasad humbly wrote, “Every month it has become a problem to get every kind of material for Bharathi. At times I feel   I am not the right person to be the editor to Bharathi. Then in the other journals too I do not find much good stuff.”  A connoisseur can only say that.

Vallampati Venkatasubbiah, the critic, used to tell me that R S Sudarsanam is the last important original critic of Telugu literature and that his magnum opus is Literature and Points of view (Sahithyamlo Drukpadalu).  In a tributary essay on Sambhuprasad R S Sudarsanam wrote that it was Sambhuprasad who gave the topic, repeatedly asked him to write a series of essays, and encouraged him till the end. After the publication of the first essay he wrote to him, “I am very happy to tell you that your articles on Viswanadha are very much appreciated and highly spoken of, for objectivity and balance.” But when Sudarsanam asked him to send a copy of Bharathi in which his essay on Chalam was published to Chalam he retorted, “If Mr. Chalam does not read Bharathi, he is poorer for it and neither you nor I should draw his attention to it. One of his friends may bring it to his notice.” I heard that the same Sambhuprasad requested Chalam to send a story to Bharathi Silver jubilee number and then Chalam replied, “Why should Bharathi think of Chalam whom it neglected hitherto?” Then Sambhuprasad said, “Yes, Now Bharathi does want your contribution.” Then the story that Chalam sent to Bharathi was none other than O Puvvu Poosindi.

R S sudarsanam wanted to dedicate his book Sahithyamlo Drukpadalu to Sambhuprasad but he wrote to him, “I do not think I deserve that much of honor because apart from Bharathi I am nobody. So you may dedicate to Bharathi, if it looks proper.” Can we think of an editor who says, “My profession is begging   for good literature.” That is Sivalenka Sambhuprasad and it is impossible to have a person like him again.

My first story was published in Andhra Pathrika and a story, two poems and a novel were published in Bharathi. Like my father I also deem it a great privilege to be a member of Sambhuprasad’s literary family.