> How many of you have heard of a literary form (sAhitii prakriya) called
> "galpika"?
>
> I have a collection of _KuTumbaravu sAhityam_ edited and compiled by kEtu
> viSwanAtha reDDi and publishhed by viSAlAndhra Publishing House. In the
> introduction to the first volume, sodum rAmmOhan writes that there is a
> difference between short stories and galpikalu: short stories improve
> one's civility (samskAram) while galpikalu increase one's knowledge
> (vij~nyanamu). In this sense a galpika aims to educate the reader. May
> be Sree Vemuri's short stories should be called galpikalu?
>
Ooops. I already broke one of the ground rules. But the Reply
command sometimes has its uses.
I too read those comments by sodum raammOhan. I didn't agree with
them when I read them the first time. I still don't. I think, in his
efforts to distinguish betweens kathalu and galpikalu, raammOhan came up
with this explanation, which has no relationship with koku's galpikalu.
Most of koku's galipkalu are short and less than a printed (Yuva
monthly size) page. One of my favorites, uddharimpu, is only about ten short
lines long. Almost all of them are satirical in nature (one may argue that some
of them are allegorical). All of them use exaggeration as a common device.
I think it is these qualities of exaggeration and brevity that led koku to
call them as galpikalu.
As far as contributing to civility versus knowledge, I do not see
much distinction between koku's kathalu and galpikalu.
See the following galpika (p 430 of the vol -1 of kutumbaraavu
saahityam) titled uddharimpu
"cinnapallilO padahaarumandi harijanulanu bhoosvaamula goonDaalu."
"paapam!"
"peddaprrulO enimidimandi harijana streelanu mugguru bhoosvaamulu.."
"paapam, paapam!"
"madhyakunTalO naalugu vandala harijana guDiselaku nippu peTTagaa
ayiduguru harijana vRUddhuloo, iravai iddaru harijana baalabaalikaloo..."
"daaruNam1 daaruNam!!"
"bhoosvaamula meeda koDavaLLatO tiragabaDi, iddaru bhoosvamulanu
campi, mari muggurini gaayaparici..."
"vaaLLandarikee uri siksha paDETaTTu coostaam! dEnnayinaa
sahistaamgaanee araacakaanni..." (Yuva December 1977)
Now, tell me if this galpika fits with sodum raammOhan's
distinction between civility and knowledge. (Note: I think Sri Ari
translated this galpika during one of the discussions with KTN).
I do not think that Sri vEmuri's stories can be called galpikalu.
I can live with vaiJanika kathalu or vaiJanika kathaanikalu.
Regards. --- V. Chowdary Jampala