Re: gaddar's `comrade' Naajar is no more.
Sitaramayya Ari (ari@Oakland.edu)
Thu, 6 Mar 1997 18:42:29 -0500 (EST)
On Thu, 6 Mar 1997, C. Kambhampati wrote:
>
> What is the history of our culture? Can anybody give me one very good
> example of what we have achieved in the cultural field in the last 100
> years? What is it that we have achieved in the last 50 years with all this
> so called culture? WHat is it that we have learnt from this cultural
> history? Hey, if it is a sense of hopelessness, destitution, and
> humbuggery one can do without this culture. No sir, that cannot be the
> case.
Most references to culture relate to literature, music and dance among
other things. Since this discussion began with a literary item, let me
stick to literature. What is it we have achieved in the last 100 years
- is your question. If you look into the
literature up until the middle of the last century it belonged to a few.
The story line was inevitably religious.
Since then, the Telugu novel blossomed. For a language that had only Hindu
religious stories in its literature until then, look at the novel today!
It is an enviable body of culture. The same goes for poetry. It is
impossible to escape the breadth of subjects on which poetry and stories
are written today. This accomplishment was unthinkable a 100 years ago.
Without making this look like an unnecessarily personal argument, may I
ask how you concluded that this culture produced "hopelessness,
destitution and humbuggery"? Literature doesn't produce them. It reflects
them in its society. That is not literature's fault as much as it is not
the mirror's fault to reflect an ugly face.
I personally think that the last 50 years
produced wonderful works of literature for every type of interest. Those
of the last 20 years have been the most hopeful, Dalit kavitvam for
example, and most inspiring. But depending upon a personal point of view,
what is hopeful for one is depressing for another.
What do you think should have been different with this culture?
Are you unhappy with the last 50 or 100 years in particular? Or you are
just unhappy with the post-classic Telugu literature. Period.
Now, about cultural history, literary cultural history, for example.
During the last 30 years people whose only crime was writing poetry were
thrown in jail randomly. Not completely randomly of course; just the left
wing writers. That is history that should be remembered. PALANA garu has
been posting recently the poetry of prominent writers of the recent past.
That is cultural history we should remember. And many such things.
I am at a loss why you are so negative on the brightest half
century of Telugu culture.
regards,
Sitaramayya Ari.