> anTE, katha-ku, kalpitamu anna viSEshaNAnni vADaccani kadA! anTE
> nijamaina kathalU, kalpitAlU ani renDu rakAlu unDaccu. cinna kathanu
> kathAnika anI, kalpitamaina kathAnikanu 'kalpika' (shortened version)
> anTE?
>
> I thought it may be obvious, but as no one has said it, it is either
> not, or is so obvious that it isn't worth mentioning. There are words
> that suggest their meaning themselves. (There is a word for such words)*.
> I thought that 'galpika' is such a word.
>
I always thought of the 'ika' in galpika to denote its short
length, and interpreted galpika to mean an 'ultrashort fantasy' or
'ultrashort fiction'. But, the question always remained why galpika for this
free standing word in stead of kalpika?)
> If koDavaTiganTi coined the word, does he mean that it is short enough
> to be taken in a gulp? Several posts have mentioned that these short
> stories are usually the kind that make you think, ponder,
> uncomfortable,... Does a gulp fit that description! Isn't it close to
> 'biting more than you can chew'? Would anyone who had a 'big gulp'
> verify?
koku is not known for coining telugingleesh words like that (muLLapooDi
is a different matter, of course), particularly one with such a
convoluted etymology.
More over, almost every single piece that koku wrote: whether it
was a one page galpika, fifty page pedda katha, or a 200 page novel, I
found it to be the kind that will make me think, ponder, and occasionally
uncomfortable. :-)
As I said before, I am not sure who coined this word or when. It
is my speculation that koku coined it in late 60s and early 70s for his
one page satires in the 'Yuva' monthly. 'sketch' was another term used
for such pieces.
Regards. --- Chowdary Jampala