Book Reviews

ENGLISHtc "ENGLISH"
tc ""
INITIATION, Michael Miovic, M.D., Shri Aurobindo Society, Hyderabad, xxviii + 296 pp

INITIATION is an unusual and extraordinary book. Authored by Dr.Michael Miovic, M.D., an American by nationality and a psychiatrist by profession, the book deals with contemporary Indian spiritual philosophy. Genuinely enthusiastic from a very early age, of spirituality, as practiced and professed by the saints of  modern India, in particular by Shri Aurobindo Ghosh, and driven by his professional studies in allied fields….. psychology, parapsychology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, theology, telepathy, ESP… etc., Dr. Michael was determined to take a plunge into the realm of the spirit. That brought him down, all the way from USA, to the places where these saints had actually lived in the physical body… Shri Aurobindo’s Ashram at Pondicherry, Shri Ramana Maharshi’s Ashram and Arunachala at Thiruvannamalai, Shri Satya Sai Baba’s Ashram at Puttaparthi, Shri Ramakrishna Mutt at Belur, and Shri Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan at Kolkata. It was at Shri Aurobindo’s Ashram at Pondicherry that he eventually attained, by the divine grace and blessings of the great Master and the Holy Mother, what he was so very earnestly seeking…. INITIATION into spirituality. That was indeed a grand lifetime fulfillment for an earnest spiritual seeker.

Indian Spiritual Philosophy:
Over the centuries, Indian spiritual philosophy had its tremendous influence on the rational mind, both eastern and western alike. In fact, with deeper understanding and appreciation, its influence is now growing at a rapid pace. The reasons for this phenomenal appeal are many. There are no religious dogmas to blindly accept, no religious rituals to practice, and no personal Gods to worship. The transformation of the self from the conscious material plane comprising the body-mind-ego complex, obviously with its own inherent sensory limitations, to the super-conscious blissful plane (sat-chit-ananda) of freedom and fearlessness, a plane devoid of body-consciousness and ego…. is the crux of the philosophy. This elevation of the self from a state of creaturely survival to  a state of joyful divine existence is open to all earnest spiritual aspirants to attain here and now through renunciation, self-discipline, and meditation, irrespective of one’s nationality, religion, language, caste, creed, and colour. Super-consciousness or Pure-consciousness (samadhi) wherein one merges with the self or soul (atman), one’s own ultimate real divine nature, is a state of the mind that one can actually practice (sadhana) and realize for oneself in this very life.

Shri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga:
Among the saints of modern India, Shri Aurobindo occupies a unique and special place in that he had his formal education at Cambridge, subsequently turned into a staunch freedom fighter (for which the then British Government sent him to jail several times), and eventually was blessed with divine spiritual revelation…. The glorious turning point in his dynamic life. He then developed, over the decades, typically his own theory of liberation based on psychodynamics and consciousness. According to Shri Aurobindo’s theory of cosmic salvation, the paths to union with Brahman are two-way channels; enlightenment comes from above(thesis), while the spiritual mind (supermind) strives through yogic illumination to reach upward from below (antithesis). When these two forces blend, a gnostic individual is created (synthesis). This yogic illumination transcends both reason and intuition and eventually leads to the freeing of the individual from the bonds of individuality, and by extension, all mankind will eventually achieve liberation (moksha). Thus Shri Aurobindo created a dialectic mode of salvation not merely for the individual but for all mankind.

Integral Yoga Vs Psychotherapy:
In the chapter ‘Integral psychology’, Dr. Michael dwells on a detailed analysis of Shri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga that revolves around consciousness and its evolution. There he identifies the unique eastern wisdom, and foresees its invaluable contribution and mani-fold applicability to the already well-developed western techniques in the areas of psychiatry and psychotherapy. That indeed would be a remarkable blend of the great spiritual wisdom of the East and the mighty technological power of the West.
- Kambhampati Krishna Prasad

An Exotic Tree: Abdul Rashid Bijapure; Writers Workshop Reddbird Book, 162/92, Lake Gardens, Kolkata, 700 045; pp 57; HB Rs 100/-; Flexi    Rs 80/-.

This Redbird Book of the Writers Workshop has its distinct mark imprinted on it. It is extremely elegant to look at, very rare printing errors, and high quality production with handmade cloth binding. Its claim to provide visual beauty and intimate texture of book feel and a hand drafted artifact is quite justifiable. ‘The Exotic Tree’ is the first published work of Sri Bijapure of Gondia(Maharashtra), a compilation of his poems published in different journals including the TRIVENI. He is a highly promising poet and is presently a Lecturer in English.

Sri Bijapure extensively uses symbols to convey the main idea through the medium and the piece The Exotic Tree is one such. Indeed the book  makes an absorbing reading.
- Vemaraju Narsimha Rao

War A Heart’s Ravage: Seela Subhadra Devi (Translation of Telugu poem Yudham Oka Gunde Katha)

According to Wilfred Owen, “All a poet can do today is warn. That is why true poets must be truthful.” No doubt the poet Seela Subhadra Devi had been truthful to what she wanted to say to the global human spirit in the book, “War A Heart’s Ravage”. Amidst the  mad catastrophes created by political power maniacs and the mindless revenge tactics conceived by religious fanatics, the innocent human child and the mother are the worst sufferers. In this drop of Pralay Tandav of war nobody questions life’s purpose any longer. The poet has been successful in creating heart a wrenching emotional picture as captured by her sensitive mind. Images hurl at us with the speed of missiles, jolting us to the reality. By reading the poem, not only do we visualize the inhuman butchering but also we feel the actual fear felt by those who had been haunted by sudden attack of war and gory death. One simple example is “legs slide like lifts, stairs as skates slither”.

The poet’s clarity of thinking is laudable at such places as when a mother is shown as an independent being separate from religion with inherent power to wipe out war tendencies. In a moving appeal- the poet exhorts all mothers to nurture the children in such a way to earn their names themselves after birth totally unlinked to religion.

War poetry always had its impact on poetry reading masses. But there is a marked difference between the earlier war poetry, which was a tribute to the brave soldier who sacrificed his life and this book. Here there are no war sung heroes. No patriotic feelings aroused. Only the mother and the child untouched by religion emerge as the victims of cruel schemes of the likes of Laden and Bush etc.

On the poetic canvas, we find not only war paintings such as “missile seeds sprout smoke trees” but also find a solution towards the end. The poet appeals for “a healing balm of fellow feeling”, for hatching one integral human offspring. There is a touching message to all the mothers “to lend their wombs to re-consecrate this planet with human touch—.”

A special mention of the translators P. Jaya Lakshmi and Bhargavi Rao should be made whose painstaking efforts resulted in giving the impression that the poem is originally written in English. Words and characters from Hindu mythologies give a taste of Indianness revealing the True Indian Spirit. Telugu words such as “Puli Judam”, retained as they are, make a curious reading.
- Lakshmi Turlapati

TELUGU

Vyasa Gouthami (Literary Essays): Prof. Bethavolu Ramabrahmam; PS Telugu University, Bommuru, 533 124; pp 228; Rs. 120/- US $ 15.

This masterly compilation of Literary Essays on various topics by Professor Ramabrahmam, an eminent literateur in Telugu is an anthology of the various articles as wide as the special individuality of Telugu Literature, Telugu grammar, critiques of the works of Nannaya, Srinadha, Madhunapantuala, Viswanadha, Tenali Ramakrishna and others, a highly useful one on translations, from Sanskrit to Telugu; and the art of composing poems in Avadhanas, a particularly special exercise prevalent only in Telugu.

Prof Ramabrahmam speaks with authority on both Sanskrit and Telugu as he is proficient in both the languages and critically analyse the values of works in either language. This is evidently clear in every essay in this volume. Indeed one is struck with the vast range and depth of his knowledge in these languages.

His essays on translations are masterly. He notes that most of the Telugu writers have followed the original work in Sanskrit but deviated or elaborated when they felt necessary thus imparting a new flavour to the product. One had to be particularly careful to avoid the construction of sentences in passive voice, as it is alien to Telugu usage, while at the same time ensure that nothing important in the original is left out. For example, in Sundarakanda of Ramayana, Hanuman consoles Sita Devi saying “Antam Drakshyasi”. Which means that she will see the end of the miseries. In Telugu this usage of “seeing the end” implies that one would fight and win against the other. The translator has thus to ensure that the translation does not lead to a different meaning from the original. To ensure that one has indeed to be an authority in both the languages.

Another great asset to this highly useful book is that it has a highly erudite and scholarly preface by Sri Kovela Sampathkumaracharya. In his observation on the translation of Bammera Pothana’s Mahabhagavata, he critically analyses that the episode of Hiarnyakasipa has been made into an episode of Prahlada by Pothana. Thus while the centre of the episode was Hiranyakasipa in the Sanskrit version, it is Prahlada in the Telugu version of the Bhagavata.An eminently readable work by both scholars and the ordinary.
- Vemaraju Narsimha Rao

Manoj Das Kathalu: Manoj Das (Tr) Upadrastha Anuradha; Smt. V.Bala Tripurasundari, 3^rd street, Badri Raj Nagar, Gosani Nua Gaon, Berhampur, 760 003; pp 97;Rs.60/-

Padmashri Manoj Das is a great writer in Oriya and English and a master story teller. 14 of his short stories are translated by Smt Upadrastha Anuradha in this compilation. She does the job ably in simple style and without affecting the original. In fact one feels the stories are original Telugu stories.

Manoj Das weaves his stories so that the reader empathises with the characters. In the story ‘Vigraham’, Yogeswar Mishra,   the local luminary is distressed to find that in the town even remembers his name or his greatness of yester years. Mishra is very much worried that inspite his statue he got installed when in power, he does not get due recognition in the town. One night, thieves destroy his statue as it obstructs their view. He feels mighty happy that at last his name got due recognition.

Narendra Choudary a young zamindar, offers Krishna Chand, a good actor who portrays Rama in his court, a gold medal but everyone knows he has fallen on bad days and waits to see how his promise is kept. But the zamindar not only gives away his gold ring for  making the medal but also has to borrow some more money and presents it to the actor. A moving story well told.

In another moving story on Theft, (Dongathanam), the ground is the famine-stricken Orissa of the Nineteen-Forties. Brindavan gets 20 seers of rice, and it is the first time in his life to have seen so much rice at a time. He gives some of the rice to his daughter who comes to his house for succour and keeps away some rice and tells her that  it belongs to others. The daughter goes to her place and in the night re-enters her father’s house to steal the remaining quantity for her hungry children. People wake up and chase the thief who disappears near Brindavan’s house, where they find only the father and the daughter. The conclusion moves one to tears.

Stories like Nuyyi (well), Topi (cap) make interesting reading. The vaingloriousness of the politician is brought out in Topi. A Minister visits a village and when he is resting, his cap is taken away by a monkey. The organiser learns the truth from a boy, but bluffs the Minister that the cap was taken by a fan as a memento of his visit and as a mark of respect. The Minister’s ego is tickled and he sanctions some grant too. A political satire that does not miss its aim!

All other stories are also well sketched and leave their impression on the reader. Manoj Das establishes himself as a master story teller.

Kudos to Anuradha for her gripping translation, and efforts to bring some good Oriya short stories to the Telugu readers.
- Modali Arunachalam

Rekkala Satakam: (poetry) ; Dr.C.Narayan Reddy; Varenya Creations, Plot No. 48, Filmnagar, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad 500 033; pp 111;   Rs. 100/-.

Dr. C. Narayan Reddy, is a great Telugu poet, who has won several prestigious awards, including the Jnanpeeth Award, India’s prestigious literary award. He is a prolific writer and an eminently popular speaker. This book has a collection of 52 poems and 6 ghazals. The title itself is poetic and carries one on the wings of muse. True to the title, all the lyrics are of a high class and contain the stamp of CINARE, as he is popularly called.

He is unique in his ghazals. He is one of the few that popularised this form of poetry in Telugu. In his poetry the words acquire wings and fly with ideas, such a one titled “Rekkala Santakam”. In ‘Paruchukuntu” he says that if one goes on measuring the distance, one does not reach the goal; only by a vigorous thrust does one reach the destination. It is indeed a great exhortation and a verity. There is a great philosophical truth when he says that the leaves vacate the tree that has outlived, making way for reentry on a young and sprouting plant. In ‘Ila endukantunnanante’ he exhorts men to bridge the differences.  In another piece, a really learned man never indulges in self-praise and the applause heard in a meeting not the yardstick of one’s greatness but only the approval of the wisemen is the real honour. An eminently readable book.
- Modali Arunachalam
tc "BOOK REVIEWS"