Central Sahitya Academy Award for Volga

Hyderabad: Noted Telugu writer and feminist Popuri Lalitha Kumari, who uses the pen name Volga, has been selected for the prestigious Central Sahitya Academy Award for 2015 for her compilation of short stories titled Vimuktha.

Speaking to DC over phone, Volga said, “It is a great honour for my work. According to the policy of the Sahitya Academy, my book will be translated into all Indian languages, and it is an opportunity for my work to reach readers across the nation.”

On Vimuktha, she said: “It is a compilation of five short stories which are based on Sita’s interactions with other mythological female characters Surp-anakha, Ahalya, Renuka and Urmila and how their feelings and experiences influenced Sita to get ‘vimukthi’ by going into the lap of her mother bhoodevi.

The fifth story is on how Rama got influenced by Sita and how he became a victim of Raja Dharma by clinging on to his ‘Simhasanam’. Volga, who was born in Guntur in 1950, completed her MA in Telugu literature from Andhra University and worked as a lecturer in Tenali. She has also written for 15 films produced by Ushakiron Movies. She joined NGO Asmitha and worked for women’s rights.

Her Telugu novels Swetcha and Aakasam lo Sagam had won her laurels. She had also received a Nandi award from the AP government for her story for the movie Thodu, and was also named best writer by the Telugu University.

Sahaja, Sveccha, Kanniti Keratala Vennela, Manavi, Aakasam lo Sagam, Gulabilu (novels), Rajakiya Kathalu, Prayogam (short story collections), Vaallu Aruguru (play), Atadu, Ame, Manam (literary criticism), Agnes Smedley's Stories, Daughter of Earth, Alexandra Kollontai's Three Generations, Oriana Falacci's Letter to a Child Never Born, Ariel Darfman's Widows (translations from English to Telugu) are few of her works besides articles dealing with feminism and literary criticism. She also translated Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi in Telugu and authored TV and films scripts.