TELUGU
Social maladies
AMBIKA ANANTH
AMMAKU ABHINANDANALU — An Anthology of Short Stories: M. Hemalatha; Visalandra Publishing House, 4-1-435, Bank Street, Hyderabad-500002. Rs.120.
IT IS important that writers keep up with the times by taking up social issues. It is admirable the way Hemalatha weaves a whole lot of her narrative around social problems.
This collection is a compelling exploration of many social-familial-medical issues relating well to the sensibilities of readers, generating their response and empathy. Almost all the stories in the collection are worth a read and some are worthy enough to remember for their message. There is hardly an emotion that does not find an echo or expression in her stories.
The story “Ammaku Abhinandanalu” deals with a lesser-known problem of autism. The sense of futility and frustration the mother of an autistic child feels, how she gets guidance from a child psychiatrist, how that makes the mother act positively is well brought out by the author. Other impressive stories like “Chakrabandham lo Chinnarulu”, “ Karuna”, “Chivaraki Migalanidi” “Needa” deal with a wide range of themes like Alzheimer’s disease, corporate colleges and their impact, and parent-child relations.
The collection is a must read.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Book Review
