“Any act of creation is an expression of one’s learning and experience. I understood this when I first visited Chennai in the late 60s and interacted with the stalwarts in popular Telugu literature like Kosaraju, Devulapalli, Pingali, Atreya, Arudra, Dasarathi,
Sri Sri
and

others,. It was the peak of Telangana movement and we just lost an academic year. I was a budding poet and writer at that time and these gentlemen were kind enough to appreciate what I was doing. But I realized very soon that I was no match for their workmanship and that I had to learn a lot. I started with the good old epics of Mahabaratha and Ramayana and slowly graduated down to the latest trends. This odyssey of mine is still on and every time I dip into the well of others’ creations, I come up refreshed and get ready to offer mine to the world.

Over the years, I wrote several books and even translated quite a few in Urdu and English. I also teach and it gives me a great joy. Teaching helps me stay connected
with
current generation and their way of doing things. I am amazed how girls and boys alike work so hard and
stay goal-focussed. They inspire me to go on and keep contributing in the field of literature.

I have had my share of ups and downs in life. But I don’t give it much of a thought. I feel an obstacle is just like a writer’s block and it bothers you only till you overcome it. As words start falling into place, so does life”.