It has been a long time since I have read anything in Telugu and it gives me the right push to complete reading three - four other Telugu books i have borrowed ambitiously - Kanyasulkam, Darga kathalu, Himajwala, a compilation of short stories Sagar gave, a bio of actress Savithri etc. Harshavardhan has been my neighbour for a long time and I met him and his wife recently at Chandu's son's housewarming ceremony. We discussed our writing and he told me about his books and his blog and was kind enough to send a couple of them across - this and a humorous piece on his days as a Commercial Tax Officer that I am currently reading.
'Sahrudya Sangathyam' is a compilation of profiles the author wrote about people - those he knew, those he did not, those he admired and met. As always what we really are comes through when we write about others - we can see the good in them or the worst aspects in them. Harsha belongs to the first category.
Each piece is about one personality in whom Harshavardhan has found a fascinating insight into human psyche. They include his guru Jinnuru Nanna garu, his uncle, his father who was a sub inspector, the people behind Paramahansa Netralaya, the Padala Charitable Trust, even his watchman Yesu and his hard working family. K Vishwanath the film director and Padmasri Nageshwara Rao are others who feature.
Throughout the book Harshavardhan reveals himself as he writes about others - his curiosity about people, his interest in everything around him, his kindness, his understanding and fascination of human nature, his sense of humour, his empathy. It is a wonderful read. Many congratulations to Harshavardhan on this fine effort.
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