Manasu Oosulu - D. Satyavani

 My student Madhavi gifted me this signed copy from her mother, writer D. Satyavani, and it was such a pleasurable read in so many ways.  One, the honesty and subtlety of the thoughts and two, for what that same parts that it evoked in me. 'Manasu Oosulu' is collection of 50 articles and essays - about the musings of one's mind and heart (manasu probably is a combination of both), each one profound and honest and filled with deep insight. Many of the articles have been published in the 1990s in Andhra Prabha. Its a time I can relate to very much as a college going youngster then. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the thoughts are very relevant - shows that the mind and heart do not become irrelevant with time and tech.

It starts with an examination of the many things the heart holds, the many shelves we have in our heart (which is such a visual, evocative thought), one for each role, for each experience. She mulls over the pleasure of reading works of great authors, of poets, of singers and the way each one has occupied a shelf in her heart. She wonders about time and how we are constantly stuck either in the future or the past - never in the present which is where life waits for us. She wonders about the small wonders of life - roses, songs, values - and that's where they say god lies (I had thought Arundhati Roy's 'God of Small Things' would dwell on this subject but it was different). She quotes Browning who says 'Grow Old With Me' - there's much to explore in life yet..the best is yet to come. Or Harindranath Chattopadhyay who insisted that the heart is always young (he was such a delight). So many wonderful writers and books and poems she refers to and I could not help but be swept away in the romance of the times, of the thoughts.

There's stuff about sharing a coffee, small joys and then she quotes Wordsworth and his 'The Still Sad Music'. She wonders about the paradoxes of life and how they are all so necessary to make life what it is. The sweet pain of struggle is what makes the journey so much more satisfying. She enters the dark world of cockroaches which step out at night to go about their lives freely. She insists that we look up at the blue skies every now and then - and not forget to breathe when life overwhelms us. She worries about the role models we have and whether they are good enough (if it was bad then, its worse now). She talks about the pleasure of reading books - filled with stuff that they are waiting to share with us. She wonders at the loud and explicit and the whether it could be done subtly, through a natural path of self discovery - especially ideas related to sex. I loved that bit of a reference to the Beatles (I made the connection for myself as it is one of my fav songs) in her article 'From me to you' - which is about going from the me to you - or rather opening our hearts to the world so we discover an entire universe.

Samuel Beckett, Descartes, Raja Rao, Chalam, Devulapalli ...Satyavani garu refers to many great people and their thoughts that influenced her. Reading the book took me back to a time when I was young and growing up in Eluru and Telugu books were being read at home - I read them too tucked away in the corner room away from prying eyes, or under the huge dining table or on the rooftop in the shade of the mango tree glancing at the blue skies every now and then. It was a time that was secure, optimistic, open, compassionate, dreamy. And it's a special shelf in my heart that opens when I read good Telugu literature. I am so glad that I read this book. Thank you Satyavani garu and thanks Madhavi for the thoughtful and wonderful gift. I really cherish it.