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Vasireddy Seethadevi (Telugu: వసరడ తద ) [1][2] (December 15, 1933 - April 13,2007) was aTeluguwriter of Andhra Pradesh,India. Seethadevi published around forty-two novels, ten short-story collections, and severalessays. Her novel Mareechika was banned by the state government of Andhra Pradesh.She waged a war against the government in the court, and got her book released. Mattimanishi ( Son of Mother Earth ) is one of her best novels and it was translated intofourteen Indian and foreign languages by the National Book Trust. Many universitiesawarded her honorary doctorates. Most of her novels were produced as films. She was thewinner of Andhra Pradesh Sahithya Academy Award (literary award) five times.Seethadevi worked as director of Jawahar Bala Bhavan, a government organisation for children. She was member of Cine Censor board between 1985 and 1991 Writings ã Samatha (1997) ã Matti Manishi (2000) ã Adavi Malle (2003) ã Vuri Thradu (2003) ã Vennela Manduthondi (2003) ã Maro Dayyam Katha (2003) ã Kothi Kobbarikaya (2003) ã Rabandulu Ramachilakalu (2003) ã Mrugathrushna (2003) ã Saveri (2003) ã Urmila (2004) ã Thonikina Swapnam (2004) ã Malli Tellavarindi (2004) ã Bommarillu (2004) ã Ningi Nundi Nelaku (2006) ã Haseena (2006) ã Bandhitudu (2006) ã Pratheekaram (2006) There is a time-tested statement of scholars, ‘a drop of ink creates movement to a lakh brains.’With some writers this goes very much true, as their sole aim will be to author a concept thatwould finally be helpful in leading the society and people at large towards righteousness.Dr Vasireddy Seetha Devi is one novelist who is attempting to portray and unfurl the humanrelations around her with the situations happening in the society through her products. Sheinterlaces the human relations factor with politics, social evils, problems faced by youth along withsome solutions generated through her thinking process, shift of culture and tradition in themodern times both in the urban and rural localities.She has already to her score about 39 most popular novels mirror imaging the political scenario,societal behaviour of human at various levels and the concepts of development. In addition, shecompiled over 100 stories, and keynote scripts on diversified topics. Every line she writes reflects almost all the angles of daily routines of Telugu people at large in theculture.Dr Vasireddy Seetha Devi achieved many distinctions that make not onlyher but also the total women community proud. She never studies in anycollege or university, but was conferred with Doctorate of Literature (D.Lit.) by Sri KrishnaDevaraya University and Sri Padmavathi Women University in the year 1989.Her confidence and commitment towards her obsession is evident with her one liner, ‘my journeyof life and literature are one and the same entity. She was born in a remote village of AndhraPradesh where Parda system (under this system women were restricted from free movement inthe society) was in promulgation. She managed to get through fifth standard in the village school.Then, she migrated to Chennai city lonely and started her journey. She completed HindiPracharak, Praveena, Sahitya Rathna besides BA and MA courses through correspondence andprivate appearances.Her pen stroke and thought strength was evident with Seetha Devi receiving Andhra PradeshSahitya Academy award five times and Atma Gourava Puraskararam besides many awards andrewards. Mareechika, a novel written by Seetha Devi was banned from publication and circulationby the state government in 1982 for obvious reasons. However, the ban had to be lifted later withthe massive agitations held by literary and people’s organisations.She underlines that her life started from a question and from the same point, question, literary lifetoo sprouted. Seetha Devi always tried to maintain her self-esteem walking through thorn filledpath during her walk of life for the set ideal. She never turned around nor bowed down.Her novels mirror imaged the plights of common people, and happenings in the society around usin their true colours and are graded as ‘classics’. She further maintained her strata functioning atvarious levels in the public sector. Matti Manishi, analyses the life of a farmer who is son of soil,while Samatha explains the troubles shot up the arm of common citizens by the politicians,cheats and opportunists. Vuri Thradu, Archana and Vaitharini novels not only elucidate womenproblems but also teach their duties in brushing aside all the hurdles of life. Mareechikaexplicated hippiesm and naxalism about how they are attracting the youth and spoiling their futurein the name of revolution.The trend set by Dr Seetha Devi’s writings is so, now many students of M. Phil. and Ph.D. aresubmitting theses on her books to the universities for doctorates.She started her literary activity with a question, ‘Jeevitham Ante?’ (Life Means?) and this activityis perennially flowing. Seetha Devi is walking through the life with questions and answers lifestyleand is making her impact much stronger with her ‘Marxist’ expressions. All through her life shehad a single ambition ‘quest’ and would continue with quest as her respiration. She recentlycelebrated her Literary Golden Jubilee for involvement into the literary discipline.HamaraShehar.com is presenting an interview with this Literary Golden Jubilee Andhra PearlsBuck for its browsers exclusively:Q: Now, you are uncrowned queen in literature. When and how was entry into this?A: This is most common question for writers to face and many authors immediately give responseto it. However, in my case the answer is different. I do not know when I first wrote something.Probably I should have done it during my seventh year or a little earlier. This is true. Right fromday one, I could hold my senses I had umpteen questions about life, unanswered questions andquestions from those questions. I started writing with my heart as paper and thoughts as pen. To speak about published material, it was 'Jeevitham Ante' first novel published in 1950 and myfirst story was in 1952 titled 'Sambaiah Pelli'.Q: How about your academic background?A: My student life itself would become a big story, if I start narrating it. Anyway, I studied up tofifth standard in Chebrolu. Parada system was being implemented those days in our village. Anunwritten law was in force that girls above 10 years should not go to school. I have strong desireto study. Elders never consented to continue academics. Therefore, I wrote Hindi examinations inmy house and completed courses like Praveena, Pracharak from Hindi Prachar Sabha in our village in addition to Sahitya Rathna from Hindi Prachar Sabha of Prayag. At the same time, Icompleted BA and MA courses from Nagpur University sitting at Chebrolu.Q: You are awarded doctorate twice. What were your feelings on receiving them?A: I cannot express my joy for those doctorates, as I never studied in any college nor know theface of any university. In 1989, two universities awarded me honorary D. Lit. Sri PadmavathiWomen University and Sri Krishna Deva Raya University felicitated me with those doctorateswithin a span of six months from each other. On receiving them, I had a small satisfaction that Iachieved something in life.Q: All of your scripts are close to society and almost reflect a common person’s life. What inspiresyou to write so?A: Simple, I select topics from people living around and from the real incidents.Q: What approach do you adopt for selecting a plot?A: In general, plot selection will be in two styles. Photography, this will be adopted by some for presenting and daily happenings around us in almost their srcinal colours. If Photography style isinterlaced with some fiction, then it turns into Creativity writing. Every time I get a feeling of watching the system and societal problems in a different light then I will select one lacuna of society and knit various situations to it. Characters and narration will be directed to the extentpossible reality and a specific goal. My aim is to compile with a belief that literature has a explicitimpact to create on the society. Good novels are recognised when a reader thinks at least for 10minutes about the theme of the novel or story after closing the book.Q: How did you get an inclination towards literature?A: I think, every person with talent and creativity will mostly be wondering in the dream world.Right from early childhood, I had a question boiling in my mind, what is life? On analysing I had astrong feeling that life does not mean by just what is around us, there is something beyond. Astruggle is in me on contradicting points. One is to do something and achieve something,secondly when the life is so small why should one get an inclination to do and achieve something.My writings, I believe, started from this internal struggle.Q: You gave a shock to politicians, bureaucrats, and middlemen through Samatha. How did youdo this daring attempt?A: I faced all the characters in Samatha in daily routine. I know all those persons. I depicted howa common citizen longs to foray into politics shedding self-esteem and basic morals in this novel.I also tried to portray how a person with ideals and discipline drops on getting an opportunity andpower. Q: Samatha was awarded Sahitya Academy Award. Was that?A: Yes. Samatha and Vuri Thradu novels were given Sahithya Academy Awards. Both weretranslated into Kannada and Hindi languages.Q: What about the ban on Mareechika novel?A: Mareechika was banned in 1982 by the state government. Later, in the same year ban waslifted. After Malapalli, this is the first one to be banned by the government. Mr Arudra wrote abeautiful essay. He said, “Mareechika was banned showing a pretext that this novel was drivingyouth towards extremist philosophy. The government stated that the novel was containingobjectionable matter in about 20 pages.In fact, the novel explained the failure of naxal movement. However, the author rightly pointed outthe police role in the society that the department was favouring landlords. During those times,both Hippieism and naxalism were attracting youngsters and were taking them onto the wrongpath. Writer’s intention was to change the burjuvah feudal system in the society. Eventually, thegovernment should explain how it would become encouraging naxalism, when the content wasabout failures of naxal philosophy.”What ever it was, the Andhra Pradesh High Court verdict was against the state government andthe ban was lifted.Q: Do the literature influence persons?A: Definitely Yes. Literature always shows some influence and impact on the thought process of persons. I was removed from service with my story ‘Rathamma Kashtaalu’. They thought that Iwrote this story keeping the then Hindi Prachar Sabha Organiser’s wife. Similar was the impact of another novel, Rabandulu – Ramachilakalu. In this novel, I exhumed the atrocities of men onwomen village assistants. One Panchayat President Rami Reddy resigned from his position after reading this novel. Any writer will be very happy, if at least one person is changed through his or her good publication. The impact of Mareechika was that my designation was scaled down.Q: Do you think there is a difference between popularity and greatness?A: Difference? It is very huge. There is a clear distinction between a popular and great novel. For example, we will take two dancers. One Yamini Krishna Murthy and the other Jyothi Lakshmi. If we organise programmes of both at the same time, higher collections will definitely be for thatJyothi Lakshmi programme. The rush here might lead to a lathi charge also. Based on this, canwe grade Jyothi Lakshmi as a great dancer? Yamini and Jyothi Lakshmi both are dancers,however great classical dancer is Yamini Krishna Murthy. None will have any hesitation to statethis. Similar is the case about books. Can we call a novel that sold maximum copies by throwingreaders into fantasy world, to be great?Q: Your publications show communist opinions while speaking about people’s problems. What isyour opinion about Communism?A: I write one such with Marxist way of thinking. Any script on people’s problems without Marxistviewpoint cannot be called a comprehensive one. For me politics and literature are not twodifferent entities. The key problem to all the social evils in the society is the factor of economics.One person will be enjoying the fruits of a hundred persons’ hard work in the conditioned room.Hunger is a great power. One with filled belly can never understand what it means to be hungry.
