Lata
RAO@FCRFV1.NCIFCRF.GOV
Thu, 11 Dec 1997 7:55:19 -0500
Hi, I am saddened to hear the demise of Tenneti HemaLATA. In the golden
days, in the late fifties and early sixties, I was intorduced to Lata
through Andhra Prabha. She used to contribute a column called UhaagaanaM.
It used to be down-to-earth and yet poetic. Later on, in the sixties, during
my stay in IISc, I read most of her books by borrowing them from the Ranade
Reading Room and Library. I can call her a mix of Bucchi Babu and Chalam.
She fought for the one half of the oppressed in society, viz., the women.
On one hand she was devout (she dedicated some of her novels to Lord
Venkateswara) and on the other hand one can find frankness in man-to-woman
relationships. She always used to write with a certain enchantment and elan
that is not easy to surpass or imitate. Lata reminds me of my youth, my
return to Telugu literature (particularly novels) after a break, and my
rethinking about women, relationships and a sense of poetry in many
activities of our daily lives.
May her soul rest in peace! - Om shaantiH Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao