Chapter 1: chapter 1

About the AuthorSubrabharathi Manian is an established Tamil writer... He is a recipient of the prestigious Katha award from the President of India and has written more than 200 short stories and 15 novels. He is the editor of the literary magazine Kanavu and is bringing it out successfully single handed for more than thirty years. Focussing on the trials and tribulations of the downtrodden and on the migrations of people who go in search of jobs, particularly of the young girls, his writings question the stubborn silence of the society about their pathetic conditions.Manian’s Oh! Hyderabad! is different from his other books. It is a collection of reminiscences. They tell usabout the people he moved with during his stay in Secunderabad. Usually autobiographical sketches are boring by nature as they mainly focus on the writer himself. But, Subrabharathi Manian is an exception. In these sketches, he puts himself in the backstage and allots the characters the front stage. That’s why the book is never boring and demands repeated reading. Now and then, he, with dexterity and diligence, sprinkles his personal touches be they his book exhibitions or the unavoidable quarrels between husband and wife. It seems he suggests a way to escape from these inevitable incidents, temporarily of course, to run away! There is a paradoxical pathos when he returns back every time to face the subdued wrath of his wife! (Don’t we all destined to do the same?). Each anecdote begins with a ‘personal’ touch and then soon enlarges to sketch different types of people with their positive and negative sides. The result is every anecdote becomes colourful, bubbling with life!If you ever visit Secunderabad’s Monda market your eyes voluntarily and instantly look for Ranganna amidst the buffaloes there or if you visit the VisaBalaji temple, you will immediately remember Balathiripura Sundari. Whenever you eat chicken, if you have already read the book, you can’t help remembering N.T. Rama Rao the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and who also acted as Lord Maha Vishnu- the guarding god according to Hindu mythology- in many films. On seeing him in films as god, thousands of people worshipped him in their real lives as Maha Vishnu, the Saviour incarnate. But the real N.T.R.?Oh, he was feasting on three chickens every day for his breakfast at the odd hour of 3 a.m! There lies the lively magic of Subrabharathi Manian in caricaturing. No doubt, as an autobiographical sketch Subrabharathi Manian’s Oh! Hyderabad! Is a unique piece of good literature!