Haunting Voices: Heard and Unheard Telugu Short Stories -Syamala Kallury She is a familiar sight. People who come to the beach everyday see her there. Always in the same place – on the last bench, in a corner, staring at the sea. And people wonder why there was never anyone with her. She sits silently […]
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My Life Memoirs-1 My Life, Full of Beautiful Memories -Venigalla Komala Introduction My life treated me wonderfully well. My parents raised me with love and care. They gave me all comforts of life and a good education. My three sisters and my brother showered me with lots of affection as I was their baby sister. […]
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Cineflections-11 Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) – Bengali 1973 -Manjula Jonnalagadda 2.5 to 3 million (5% of the population) died in the great famine of Bengal due to starvation in one of the worst man-made disaster of 20th century. Ashani Sanket was a film directed by Satyajit Ray based on the novel written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. […]
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Nature Photography Day! -Satyavani Kakarla It was June 15th, a day called on us to celebrate and remind many things and it should, which we would otherwise take it for granted. One of the eventful reminders among others was coined Nature Photography Day; to reminisce and bring to awareness. Speaking of Nature around (will come […]
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Urdu Poems English Translation: Nauduri Murthy Telugu: Dr Yendluri Sudhakar When you yourself are not turning up Of what use are the thoughts about you? Won’t you kindly tell them Not to take the trouble of visiting me? -Jigar Muradabadi . నువ్వే రానప్పుడు నీ ఊహలతో పనేంటనీ దయతో వాటికి చెప్పవూ వచ్చే శ్రమ తీసుకో వద్దనీ. -జిగర్ మురాదా […]
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Macro Photography (Unseen world) -Sahithi Seeing the beauty of small things invisible to naked is all about macro photography. It is a unique form of photography where the beauty of small creatures are captured through macro lens enlarging the picture. One day I was cleaning my shelf and found these mobile macro lenses which I […]
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Need of the hour -1 EFFICIENCY IN THE ERA OF TECHNOLOGY -J.P.Bharathi In this beautiful world, man has travelled a long way in almost all walks of life. If we look at the journey of a man, it’s really amazing. For his smooth and comfortable livelihood, human being made everything in nature an instrument for […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 8 The End, But Not Really -Varudhini This is the episode where we will get caught up with the present day. Exciting! As everyone knows, 2020 has been a wild year. Especially in America, the handling of the coronavirus and the political climate have been contentious. For me, […]
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Beauty of nature -Sahithi This view is captured at bhongir fort (hyderabad) It is an unrated place in telangana as it is located at the outskirts of the city hyderabad many people are not aware of it. We have to trek for about one hour to reach the viewpoint. The path towards the view point […]
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The Pandemic, 2020 -Satyavani Kakarla Well, we all know, for once, we all are sailing on the same boat. The boat holding us many together, fighting a virus called corona and Covid disease. Who would have dreamt this would happen? The world changed on us. Stalling every movement, topsy-turvying activities on earth of human race, […]
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This Night Telugu Original : Nishigandha English Translation: Nauduri Murthy Blotting the last streaks of wafer clouds, darkness congeals whether to share each other’s heartaches or, to search for coveted dreams that went astray The jasmines of the canopy start blooming one after another. Cooping the boisterous gaiety of the little butterflies Between the bangled […]
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Cineflections-10 Cineflections: Gaman -The Journey (Hindi, 1979) -Manjula Jonnalagadda It is estimated that there are 139 million migrant workers are in India. They mostly migrate to cities like Delhi & Mumbai from northern Indian states. This film is slightly different from my other films. This film has not played at any film festivals. I thought […]
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I AM A MOTHER -Lakshmi Devaraj I am a mother…….. Taller than you, sometimes you may feel as if I am touching the sky, But I am ready to bow down to you any time you want. I am stronger than you, may be more than 100 times in your weight , But ready to […]
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A Plot of Mushrooms Telugu Original : Dr K. Geeta English Translation: Nauduri Murthy A filament of white hair flashes on my forehead rather disconcertingly… Like a ripened leaf grazing against the branch, Like, say, for the first time the cruel Fall setting in rather too early… the cracking sounds of aged dry branches reverberate […]
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Travels and Experiences 3 -Satyavani Kakarla Manifestations… As I was thinking through the topic for my next post for the column, bumped into a talk with one of my friends, who wanted more from my travels from the pilgrimage aspect, especially of the holy places I had visited, Rishikesh & Haridwar. So, I put some […]
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Cineflections-9 Vanaprastham – Last Dance (Malayalam, 1999) -Manjula Jonnalagadda Kathakali is a traditional form of dance. Katha means story through kali comes from kala or keli which loosely translates to performance. It uses heavy makeup, masks and facial expressions to tell stories usually from Indian mythology. It is physically very intense art form. Vaanaprastham literally […]
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A story of Green Mango -Sahithi The above picture is Flat Laid photography of raw-mango dusted with Chilli and salt. Ever since I was little I am a huge fan girl of raw mangoes. I was an innocent kid who used to play on the roads and return home late after school. My life as […]
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Magic mirror Telugu Original-Seela Subhadra Devi Translation –Swatee Sripada We think something But wee don’t know what we are When we argued for the curry or the curd concealed for elder brother when mother serves with affection without a word we adjust with pickle only. Even now we walk in the same footsteps We […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 7 Junior Crisis -Varudhini Sophomore year was the year of adjustment, settling in, and becoming comfortable. But junior year was about to throw obstacle after obstacle in my path, relentless in its goal of taking me down. Spoiler alert: I have survived thus far. Over the summer, I […]
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Corona Disease -Sahithi This picture is clicked at “Tankbund” where no one is aware of this virus in India. The “Disaster force” of Hyderabad spraying diluted hydrogen peroxide. As we all know this is an infectious disease caused by a new virus(COVID-19). Every country now is fighting against this pandemic. As India has a population […]
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Cineflections-8 Arth Satya – Half Truth (Hindi, 1983) -Manjula Jonnalagadda “चक्रव्यूह में घुसने से पहले कौन था मै और कैसा था ये मुझे याद ही ना रहेगा चक्रव्यूह में घुसने के बाद मेरे और चक्रव्यूह के बीच सिर्फ़ एक जानलेवा निकटता थी इसका मुझे पता ही ना चलेगा चक्रव्यूह से निकलने के बाद मै मुक्त […]
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Travels and Experiences 2 -Satyavani Kakarla The 2 week completely packed trip, 1st week of immersion in Divine darshans and settings, savoring Indian soil, mountains, Himalayas, Ganga river, forests, trees, temples, deities, pilgrims, walk on Lord Krishna’s Vraj Bhoomi soil @ Vrindavan and Mathura and then a bit of capital city Delhi tour. The 2nd […]
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America Through my eyes –San Diego Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada San Diego San Diego is the second-largest city in the state and at the end of the South of California. It is 120 miles from Los Angeles and about 470 miles from our hometown. It is a continuous journey of […]
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America Through my eyes –Monterey Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada Monterey At a distance of forty miles to the south of Santa Cruz, nearly 120 miles away from San Francisco lies Monterey. With small islands, and with the natural beauty of Cyprus trees surrounding the glistening stones banks, Montero is an […]
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Cineflections-7 Maa Bhoomi (Our Land), Telugu 1979 -Manjula Jonnalagadda “For each new class which puts itself in the place of one ruling before it, is compelled, merely in order to carry through its aim, to represent its interest as the common interest of all the members of society, that is, expressed in ideal form: it […]
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Travels and Experiences -Satyavani Kakarla Who knew, we would have our lunch at the house of Sri. RamandSagar’s house (he is not the current owner, but once he was) famous for Ramayana TV series! We were on a tour recently, a short pilgrimage one can say to make our travels distinct, visiting India. Places we […]
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Mother’s Day Indraganti Janaki Bala Translation: Swatee Sripada When the phone went on ringing before it turned morning, Shakunthala took the phone lying beside her pillow, without even opening her eyes. Guessing who it might be kept the phone near the ear and said “hello” “Shaku! Good news for you! To tell you that I […]
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Childhood -Sahithi Sometimes I wander around seeing children, how lucky they are with no worries to worry about.when i was a kid i still remember playing with my friends, doing my daily school homework,little gossip,cycling,going to school trips all was fun and happy days. Now this generation in a city where i live are of […]
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An old man and The beginner -Sahithi I still remember the old man asking his grandson to bring a lighter to light his bidi. And also he lit his bidi and smoked beside his grandson after a while and enjoyed the moment. This picture is clicked at Antarvedi streets where we went to Antarvedi temple […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 6 A Change of Scenery -Varudhini I was about to undergo a lot of change following freshman year. At the very start of the summer, I sent my goodbyes to everyone in the life I would be leaving behind. Well, everyone that mattered, that is. My friends, my […]
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Power of Tribe! –Satyavani Kakarla Satsangam! Power of Tribe! Sanaatana Dharma! Power of Our Ancient Wisdom, Scriptures and Practices! The Energy and Synergy of like-minded people Groups! Thinking of our great Gurus like Sri. Adi Shankaraacharya, a recent episode of experience led me to reminisce a special serendipity moment from a past event… I happened to […]
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America Through my eyes -Lake Tahoe Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada Lake Tahoe watching snow for the first time in life is a beautiful dream. A great feeling. Incessant pleasantness. Lake Tahoe is the place of a mixture of all this. It is about 220 miles from our home to the […]
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MY DEAREST FRIEND Dr. KB LAKSHMI Translation -swatee Sripada The incessant humming of the phone! I dashed to it and lifted the receiver, “hello” “Is it Atulya?” the voice from the other side enquired. “Just a minute” without any delay keeping the receiver down, ran into the kitchen turned off both the burners […]
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Cineflections: Ajantrik (The Pathetic Fallacy) Bengali, 1958 -Manjula Jonnalagadda We all have things that are beyond their prime. They may be torn, spoilt, or broken. But we cannot get rid of them. This month’s film is Ajantrik, which means The Unmechanical. This film was directed by Ritwik Ghatak based on a short story by Subodh […]
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America Through my eyes –Mountain View-2 Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada Library Here city libraries are bigger than our central libraries. In fact, we cannot compare the libraries here to any of ours there. With two floors for kids, teenagers, and adults, for researchers with different sections, we, all the family […]
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MAHAVIRA -SAHITHI This picture is captured at “Mahavir harina vanasthali national park” this park is named after a jain saint named “Mahavir” As i saw his white statue I felt curious to know about him. I started searching about him and got to know He was the contemporary of Gautham Buddha and Gauthama Buddha was […]
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Silent heaven Muktevi Bharathi Translation: swatee sripada “Let us go on a tour for a month” Sarojini said adjusting the string of jasmines in her hair. “You go” slipping his spectacles on to the nose Ramam said. Son and daughter invite them to their homes but Ramam says it’s not possible for him to go […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 5 – The Popularity Game to High School –Varudhini The internet – especially advertising on the internet – instills a dangerous image a child’s head. The image of perfection, which is really just air-brushing and editing and altering, tends to make one insecure. The reason why none of […]
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New Year 2020! -Satyavani Kakarla Resolutions! Reflections! Visions! 2020, here we come! Its already the time of the year, the reckoning time, be it the end of a passing year or the beginning of a new. Days, weeks, months, years, decades pass away as we keep watching. We cannot catch them, but sure we make […]
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Cineflections: Nizhalkuthu (Shadow Kill), Malayalam. 2002 -Manjula Jonnalagadda Capital punishment in India is rare. It is mostly awarded in high profile cases. In India capital punishment is death by hanging. As a custom the person who is pulling the lever, recites an oath saying, “I have nothing against you, it is not personal, I am […]
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Fire furnace Original-Dr. Aluri Vijaya Lakshmi Translation –swatee sripada Janaki sat up with a startle. The lamenting of Sharwari as if a fact in dream moved like a whirlwind in her years. Pressing her cheeks with both the palms, she tried to suppress the emotion in her heart. She tossed a vexed look at her […]
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Pure soul -sahithi I was 15-year old stubborn use to go to school and think about returning home and play with Strepsy. the moment I return home that happy eyes, fast-moving tail and that excitement are always a boost. I wonder how can a four-leg little creature bring happiness in a house.its, not even my […]
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America Through my eyes –Mountain View Telugu original : K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada Without talking about our native village, whatever we say, some deficiency haunts. But it is a place worth to visit also. So, let me talk about my village Mountain View. Satya arrived here 45 days prior to my coming. After his […]
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Synchronicity Moments… -Satyavani Kakarla Now Moments! Nature on Canvas, Canvas and Artist in a Photograph in Nature, All in Nature! Prakriti! It was one of those quiet, serene, ‘Now’ moments I intercepted with… well-deserved and well received, I think. During a short vacation away from home in spring, as hubby and I stepped outdoors embracing […]
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Cineflections: Sthree (Woman), Telugu -Manjula Jonnalagadda “That night was filled by immeasurable softness and enormous femininity. In that hug I fondly remembered the tragic stories; the stories of feminine nature that soothed and nurtured men.” – Narrator in Padava Prayanam (Boat Journey) by Palagummi Padmaraju. “చెప్పలేనంత మృదుత్వం, విశాలమయిన స్త్రీతత్వం ఆ రాత్రిలో నిండుగా ఆవరించుకుని వుంది. ఆ […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 4 – Tom Boy –Varudhini When I moved in the middle of fourth grade, my whole world took an unexpected turn. Around this time in my life, I became oddly obsessed with the whole “tomboy” thing. I wore baggy clothes, pretended to skateboard, and refused to put my […]
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Congratulations! It’s a Girl. -Santi Swaroopa When a woman gives birth, the first question we ask is, “Is it a boy or a girl?”. If the answer is ‘a boy’, there are loads of congratulatory messages. If it’s a girl, I have seen, the congratulations are still there, but with a little less fervor. Earlier, […]
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Stretched wings Yaddanapudi SulochanaRani –Vippukunna Rekkalu Translation-Swatee Sripada “Rajju, Rajju” beating with fists on closed doors, her voice sounded like a thunderbolt. The closed doors didn’t open. “Rajita! Open the door.” Prabhakar’s voice thundered as a military officer’s order. No answer. “Rajji open the door! Or shall I burn the room? Turn You into ashes” […]
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America Through my eyes -Los Angeles-2 Telugu original : K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada We woke up early morning and we recalled and had a talk about our two- day trip to universal studios, Hollywood, City tour and Griffith observatory. Free breakfast is offered by the hotel so we went to the office to see […]
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Synchronicity Moments… -Satyavani Kakarla Synchronicity Moments; What are they? How do they show up in our life and timeline? What do they mean to you? Everyone of us experiences those moments, some call them ‘synchronicity’, some call them ‘by chance’ and ‘coincidence’. Some folks are intuitively more aware of such moments, make meaning from them, […]
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MY OLD TREASURE -Sahithi life is a game. Money is how we keep the score.what if that score has no value? I have strange attraction and weakness for old coins. I have a small fortune from all the coins that I have collected from my childhood,collecting these makes me happy.I found these coins in different […]
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Cineflections: Uski Roti (His Bread/A Day’s Bread) -Manjula Jonnalagadda For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. – T.S. Eliot This film is Mani Kaul’s first feature. It is based on a short story by Mohan […]
Continue ReadingDiary of a New Age Girl Chapter 3 – Books > Friends –Varudhini Making friends as a child was wildly different from how it is now. Back then, your friends were usually just the people that you ended up around the most. As long as they had toys and wanted to play with you, it […]
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Its okay to cry sometimes….. -Sahithi I was busy cleaning my camera lens and exploring the camera settings meanwhile my mother’s friend came to our home to babysit her daughter for sometime as she has some work to do. The little girl of 8 months never stays a moment without her mother. As soon as […]
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The voice of courage Abburi Chaya Devi Translation : Swatee Sripada They have been discussing seriously about the selection of a scene from “Kanya shulkam”. Members of “Mitra Samithi” organization […]
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Cineflections: Nimajjanam (Immersion) -Manjula Jonnalagadda Language: Telugu Year: 1979 Hindus believe Ganga washes away their sins. If a person’s ashes are immersed in the river Ganga, that person will be relieved form the cycle of birth and death. If a person dies in Varanasi, they attain salvation. There are several people who go there just […]
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America Through my eyes -Los Angeles-1 Telugu original : K.Geeta English translation: Swathi Sripada Los Angeles! world renowned great city. No wonder, if everyone in the world knows its name. People in India, when we say ‘we are in California,’ “You are in Hollywood then” they comment. I was so anxious to visit […]
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Garden Meditation Day! –Satyavani Kakarla Thanks to the New age movement that although most of us have become too familiar with the word meditation, the most commonly and ignorantly used term, it still remains an enigma, a paradox… Going to the etymology of the word ‘meditation’, it derives from the Latin root meditatum, meaning to […]
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Unconditional love of Meera Bai -Sahithi This is a picture of Meera bai showcase with her musical instrument ektara. As everyone knows she is well known as mystic poet and devotee of Lord sri krishna but she is also known as an incarnation of Radha (from Mahabharata). She is just an ordinary girl,who […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 2 – Silly Bandz and Silly Children –Varudhini When you’re a child, you feel the strong desire to be like “other kids”, who seem to have everything you don’t. You want all the new toys, video games, and books, and you think that you are the only one […]
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Daughter – A bridge -Dr. C. Bhavani Devi Translation -swatee Sripada No one produces a daughter willingly They take life from an illusion Of producing a son Daughters are always the bridges Throughout the country From small villages to huge cities Between everyone in families Daughters are the bridges Who cares the streams within them? […]
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The male Samatha Roshni Translation: swatee Sripada We are ten to fifteen, good friends. We meet twice or thrice a year. We discuss joys and troubles, literature; stories so on and so forth. We talk everything, eat and drink what we like the best and celebrate. I have to tell this number ten to fifteen […]
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Fabric of Life -Satyavani Kakarla It’s the story of two kind hearts, my dearest and my beloved, Amma (my mother) and husband… “Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, cognitive maps, mental models, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we explain how things work, […]
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Cineflections –Manjula Jonnalagadda “Art is a manifestation of emotion, and emotion speaks a language that all may understand” – Somerset Maugham in Moon & Six Pence Good cinema is a work of art that takes you on an emotional journey no matter what language it is in. It can amuse you, and/or make you […]
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The Manto we need, not the one we want –Azfar Rizvi ‘You get Mexican mangoes and we get the real deal Sir’, said Ammara. ‘That’s the price you have to pay for leaving Pakistan’. I was on our quarterly conference call with some of my former students in Pakistan who were ridiculing my incessant bemoaning […]
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America Through My Eyes-Santa Cruz Telugu original : K.Geeta English translation: Jagaddhatri July 4th is US Independence day, along with weekend and Monday we had three days vacation. So planned to spend two days in and around at Santa Cruz. It’s only 40 miles from Mountain View, we need not make a night stay if […]
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Diary of a New Age Girl Chapter 1 – The Beginning –Varudhini I don’t remember much of my early childhood. Much of what happened in the first few years of my life was told to me by my mother when she would reminisce about the past. But I can recall bits and pieces, short memories […]
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Beauty of Godavari -Sahithi The fisherman who knows the beauty of the sunrise is much richer than the wealthy person who sleeps till noon. Patience can be learnt only when you stay a day with a fisherman. He stays the whole day waiting with a fishing rod above the water with no idea what’s on […]
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Come let us wash the time! Dr. Naga padmini Translation swatee sripada Time … When says sweet words, Hitherto, streamed through me And made me polymorphic Do you ask how? When first introduced It stood in front of me as if a laugh took the form! On the sea shore With the touch of cold […]
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There is a way………… Sivaraju Subbalakshmi Translation: Swatee Sripada Doctor Madhava Rao, though came to that village just recently became very popular. He treated the poor compassionately. Kamala, the lady doctor, working with him in the same hospital thought in the beginning all his generosity was pretense to earn a good name, later she started […]
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Indian Classical Singer Nominated For Grammy -Suchithra Pillai Talent has no boundaries and it flourishes on its own, wherever it lands. It rightly describes the remarkable journey of Falguni Shah, the only Indian nominated for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards 2018. Bewildered at the turn of the events, Falguni is still in search of words […]
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A tribute to a soldier’s better half –Santi Swaroopa I love movies. I love everything about movies. I love my Indian movies the most. In India, a movie is not just a story being enacted. There are these wonderful sets, elaborate costumes, beautiful dances and there are songs, some of them circumstantial and others for […]
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YOSEMITE Telugu original : K.Geeta “Yosemite” English translation: Jagaddhatri In the end of May luckily we had a long holiday, and when asked children, where shall we go, in one voice they said Yosemite. “How far is Yosemite National Park & Valley from Mountain View?” before I did complete “wait I will consult my Google […]
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AMERICA THROUGH MY EYES-1 (Naa Kallatho America) (TRAVELOGUES) Telugu Original: “Naa Kallatho America” (నా కళ్లతో అమెరికా) by Dr K.Geeta English Translation: Jagaddhathri San Francisco We came to America at the beginning of 2008. Varu is in kindergarten. The place where we lived is called “Mountain View”. It was named so because it is all surrounded […]
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MY PAL -Pravallika I have you so close to my heart an’ I couldn’t guess what has separated us. May be, I was against But never felt this staid. Don’t you remember dear? We had many sweet times. I know that wasn’t so long ago An’ they are still in my memory. I only muse […]
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Behind The Scenes Of “Time” Machines -Sahithi I am a daydreamer with many dreams. Ever since I was little all I wanted to do is stop time. I know it’s impossible, but for me, clicking a photo is like freezing the moment. Maybe a camera is like a time machine. I love clicking pictures of […]
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ROCK BOTTOMS -Manollasa If I were asked to describe my childhood in one word, it would be change. I changed many schools and many houses. It was mostly because my mother hated stagnation. It gave me a lifetime of experiences. From being a person who was hesitant and xenophobic to an adaptable, open and easily blending-in-a-new-environment […]
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My First Translation Experiences “SATABDI VENNELA” by Dr K. Geeta -Vidya Palepu My mother tongue, Telugu, is one of the many Sanskrit child-languages of India, with a literary tradition that dates back to ancient times. As the American-born daughter of two Telugu-speaking immigrants, I am fluent enough to hold a simple conversation, but unable to […]
Continue ReadingDiary of a New Age Girl -Varudhini There are many things that make us distinct from one another. Our skin color, eye color, body type – every tiny variation in our genes. But there are some things that are not measurable or quantifiable, like a person’s ideas or their status in society. I think that […]
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