The Invincible Moonsheen – Author’s Foreword

The Invincible Moonsheen

(Telugu Original “Venutiragani Vennela” by Dr K.Geeta)

English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar

Behind the Novel “The Invincible Moonsheen”… -By Dr K.Geeta  

          My mother K. Varalakshmi is a popular author. She is a prolific writer who has written extensively about the lives of rural women and their plight and continues her writings even now. I have read extensive literature in various languages ​​since my childhood following in the footsteps of my mother. Although I read both Prose & Poetry alike, I’m very passionate about poetry. That’s why perhaps I first wrote only poetry and became virtually a poetess. Although I have tried many genres, writing stories is still a tough ordeal for me! The credit goes to  Kaumudi Kiran Prabha Garu and Smt. Kanthi Garu who gave rise to me wrote a novel. They encouraged me to write a novel based on a synopsis of a story heard on one occasion and published it as a monthly serial in Kaumudi for 72 months. The story galloped into hundreds of pages, episode after episode inspiring many readers was even more encouraging to me.  90% of people recognize me as a poetess, but after this novel, I was acknowledged 100% as the author of “FORBIDDEN MOON”. Those who are not acquainted with me, met somewhere and when they said excitedly, “I am reading your novel, I am looking forward to your novel every month, We read Kaumudi only for your novel,”  I felt rather elated. For the past two and a half years, I  brought up this novel as a monthly audio novel at the request of the readers through the monthly online magazine ‘Neccheli’, of which I am the founder editor.  The novel has also been aired weekly on ‘Tori Online’ radio recently, as part of my talk show ‘Audio Gita Madhaviyam’.  

          In a way, this novel has become an important part of my life during the six years from January 2015 to December 2020 when it was serialized in Kaumudi every month.  It took me  alf a month to write each episode. The same thought solely gripped my mind every moment and the personifying of the characters caused a great deal of agony.

          Tanmayi’s character in particular, and the events going on around her shook me tremendously. I had to bear that anguish for six years while writing the novel and it was also a big challenge to keep my regular life intact without being overpowered by those emotions. I was greatly relieved once I finished it.  

          The fact that the readers of these episodes were also greatly moved when they read it like me, and when I was affirmed by their correspondence, it made sense to me.  However, with each episode, a kind of suspense overwhelmed the readers, and they came soliciting me to say “We can’t wait for the next episode, and tell it all at once.”  Readers still appeal the same. In fact, the story goes on with me as this novel is still going on as an audio series.  What gives me the most satisfaction is that on so many occasions, many women have told me that they are “able to repossess the strength by reading and listening  to these series at a time when life feels depressive.”  

          Perhaps, with this novel, I may not be able to show precise remedies to the problems that come in everyone’s lives. But there’s at least a small chance of gaining motivation by correlating it to the small line next to the big line, which will be a great solace to them. Relating the circumstances in the novel, they can be aware of their real-life situations and amass the knowledge of remedies. ‘I wrote with the small motive to distinguish what the problem is and what not’.

          In the modern world, the pressure on women inside and outside has increased tremendously. Troubles are intensifying day by day. At the same time, self-sufficiency, validity, and discernment are also growing well.  But with so much positivity also comes speedy decisions and negativity. People who take unfair things as issues are growing more and more. We can save ourselves by exercising restraint in not making momentum decisions when we face troubles, big or small. To confront them at every turn men or women should have an adaptable mind. Particularly womenfolk can make their lives beautiful without sacrificing their liberty and shape differently as they aspired to. We see girls every day at their prime age take extreme decisions of ending lives on trivial issues. Truly, the life of any woman is disturbing. Full of whirlpools of troubles. Every woman on the earth had her own distress it seems.

          Tanmayi’s character in this “Forbidden Moon”  says, “humiliations, disgraces, downfalls whatever the woman encounters in day to day life, if vanquished, there is no looking back”.  Tanmayi has constantly torn between marriage life, lofty ideals, and the dream for a great family future, she struggles all along to harmonize her life, and she’s an inspiring character who faced problems with restraint, fought with a depressing life, and won by all means. Tanmayi not only faced a lone issue in her life but a series of problems coming and going one after another. I don’t know how many hardships may prevail in a woman’s life! That’s unpredictable. Tanmayi is a typical girl, a girl who never even visualized that problems would come at any point in her life. Born and brought up in an insignificant typical village, like any other average girl who yearns for a formal life of marriage and children, Tanmayi also dreamed of the most emotionally beautiful life. However, along with that, she aspires to higher education from her childhood and accomplishes her ‘Doctorate’. The same comes to be abysmal towards her.  Setbacks arise at every step. To pursue her education, she boldly met every drawback face to face. She endured pains, extreme mental stress and put up with the vigor to move forward.  Nowhere did she give up. At the same time, she didn’t rebel against anything. She encountered life like a conventional woman who did not even know that the hardships would be aggravated if women did not defy them.  She took everything as it is from time to time and went ahead. That’s what is depicted in this novel. Moreover, no wonders happen in ordinary lives. Whatever difficulties come to theinay of their lives they have to withstand them.  Tanmayi’s story proves that success can be acquired if one perseveres, even if it implies grieving and forfeiting.  

          In this story, for Tanmayi, family is both a strength and a weakness. With that strength, she rises to higher elevations. It’s with that weakness she agonizes. She’s a sweet-natured, kind-hearted woman who assists many, no matter how tough, she tries to restrain her tears for the contentment of others. She adores her husband, children, and family.  No matter how much she overcomes the pain of being hurt, she always has a strong presumption in her that good days will come again. Most importantly she gets herself in trouble without her involvement and takes the blame and suffers from the most miserable conditions in life.  Surprisingly she experiences exemplary prestige by winning the best position in the world against all the odds that have opposed her.  Despite the many complications she endured along the way on her journey, she finally evolves into a decent soul without giving up her passion for human relationships.  

          Not only Tanmayi “Why isn’t any ordinary woman resistant to terrible circumstances? Perhaps presuming that the life she was leading might be disturbed and the apprehensions already rooted in them may deter them from building a new life. Moreover, the future of their children constrains them to unavoidable restraints and a lack of freedom of thought.  A formal husband, a family, and everything in life though seemingly getting on smoothly ahead, but it’s a quickie indeed. Women didn’t hesitate to stay in that quickie without giving much thought to it, not willing to come out of it  at any rate. Though the outsiders say that the situation is changing, the women in it are being deprived of support from the family, kinship, and society. It’s coming to be more and more troubled, a complex of deficiency snatching its legs like an opposite force dragging down to the void. 

          The stories of the most miserable women in the world literature I read always dipped me into sorrow.  Especially when there are deadly disasters like wars around the world, the injustices and exploitation of women, in particular, are outrageous compared to the rest of the world.  There is no such thing as a woman who’s not physically and mentally robbed.  Women succumbed to the thirst of cruel emperors like Chengiz Khan.  Modern society has not been rectified at all. Everywhere and in every home there are Chengiz Khans, At every corner there is insecurity, there is exploitation.

          However, in this novel, I unveiled the injustices that happen to women who want to live safely in ordinary family life. How many friendly hands are offered when they are in trouble? Leave alone the men, what about women?

          The admirations, the honors, and the appreciation that are bestowed upon women folks when they reach certain heights in life are given when they are crestfallen, they will surely become glorious and prosper and reach ten times higher than usual.  

          Tanmay is a young courageous woman who went ahead in her life.  She vents her emotions either by putting them down in a book or staring into the skies at an invisible mate of her fancy.  This distinctiveness in her thinking style brings her a great deal of solace.  Many a woman suffer from depression and commit suicide lacking such understanding.  If we go into space and watch this earth and learn that mankind is a tiny part hardly more than a pin, perhaps there wouldn’t be any forced deaths on this earth!  I wrote this novel to make all the young women stand up like Tanmayi. I wrote this novel to ignite the brains of the women in trouble not carrying away with the frustrations and even to share the positivity amongst others. I believe this story embodies a meaningful edge for many young women who are toiling like Tanmayi  transmitting the value of life.  

          This is like an anthology of autobiographical sketches of numerous young women like Tanmayi. I strongly hope all young women should face the challenges of life like Tanmayi with vigor and restraint.  

          I humbly owe my gratitude to my mother, K. Vara Lakshmi, who not only gave birth to me and also traveled all along the journey of my literary career like a soul mate; and to Sri  Kiran Prabha Garu who published and promoted the novel in Kaumudi’ online magazine; and also to my affectionate friend, Kanthi Garu, for reading it first and leading me ahead holding by hand; and to Nagraju Ramaswamy Garu, my most beloved and respectable fatherly image, poet, translator, who blessed me with his forward; and to my dearest friend and most adorable Sweetheart Olga Garu for her amazing influence with her feminist writings and for her great foreword to this novel; and to Hon’ble Chitten Raju Garu, head of the Wanguri foundation, also my favorite humorist writer as well who made this novel possible, publishing through his foundation; and to  Sai Rachakonda Garu Wanguri Foundation Co-Chairman, who helped a lot in bringing up the novel exquisitely; and to Jyothi Valaboju Garu. My most profound thanks to every reader and listener who has been encouraging me from time to time.

*****

(to be continued…)