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Need of the hour is Narayanayya's therapy

S. Harpal Singh

SESSION IS ON: B. Muralidhar (extreme right) reading out from Nemali Nara to an audience at the Kala Ashram in Adilabad.

ADILABAD: Serious writers tend to reflect society's anxieties as has been done by B. Muralidhar of Adilabad through his prize-winning short story `Nemali Nara' (Telugu name of a commonly found tree with medicinal value in Adilabad).

The concern over extinction of knowledge of old forms like the system of medicine is weaved intricately into the story of Narayanayya who straddles the old and the new generations. Narayanayya is a `vaidyudu' in the older mould whose three sons do not take even the least interest in his profession. When time comes for division of property, all the medicinal trees grown by the father are felled by the sons.

Eventually, a day comes when one of the son who is in dire need of Nemali Nara tree for treating his only bull, realises his mistake on not finding even a single tree. The realisation of the loss certainly dawns upon the sons but it fails to save the life of the bull. "The present generation tends to ignore such knowledge. The loss of such knowledge can lead to critical situations. I have tried to depict the connected horrors through the life of Narayanayya," said Muralidhar, who is an Agriculture Extension Officer.

Nemali Nara, written in local dialectic Telugu, has won the Vattikota Alwaraswamy memorial prize for 2006 instituted by the Manjira Rachayitala Sangham. The story was first published in Navya magazine and subsequently in Telugu Paluku magazine of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) in Telangana Katha and Katha in 2005.

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