Reading Malati Chandur’s ' Sadyogam' and 'Vaisakhi'

 

Women writers, particularly women novelists in Telugu excelled in depicting social conditions which affect the development of individuality of women . Reading their fiction would really educate and enlighten the readers more habituated to read fiction by male writers for one reason or other. A sort of prejudice that women novelists bother more about domestic affairs  also is the reason for the negligence of women writers in literary reviews.    

In her novels, Malati Chandur  portrays women characters as independent in decision making in various stages of their . In the first novel Sadyogam , the heroine Sumitra joins as a junior lawyer to Venkat Raman, who is famous, shrewd, and master of lawyering. He looks stern and unforgiving externally and has compassion inside. She slowly gains experience and tactics to find out evidence to win cases. Her initial skepticism melts but when she comes across a person who has cheated her earlier, her courage fails to argue for him. Venkat Raman chides her for her negligence , comes to know of her past and still asks her to argue the case. The novel shows the author’s deep knowledge about the lawyering profession and cleverness needed by lawyers to succeed in their profession and work as mentors to juniors. The young lawyers would learn a lot from this novel which elevates the heroine  Sumitra who rises herself in her chosen profession with self-esteem.

In the second novel, Vaisakhai the novelist captures  the evolutionary movement once rocked the state. A third year medico Nirupama  is kidnapped by revolutionaries to render medical aid to one of their comrades. Her anxiety  fears vanish in the course of her stay and interaction with those in the Movement. She herself  gets drawn in to the movement in the course of time , stays for a year with them , observes their actions in providing summary justice to the affected   and also sees brutality done  by them and to them by the State. She feels agony over the death of Subhash whom she treats as her brother and Swami who sacrifices his life to enable the escape of Nirupama and Reddy .  She and her lover Reddy escape the site of  encounter , flee to madras and live incognito. Reddy who comes from landlord  slowly drifts and becomes a gambler and smuggler but hides the fact. Nirupama who has been working as a nurse develops concern for Ramchandran , a Customs Officer recuperating from his illness. Both of them become good friends and Ramchandran even intends to marry Nirupama. But  in the course of his job, Ramchandran captures Reddy , finds out the latter’s  criminal activities and also gift he has given to Nirupama in their house. When asked,  Nirupama reveals her past life and asks for saving Reddy from torture and punishment. Ramachandran reluctantly does so , leaves her for another place advising  her to confess in court and finish her medicine course. Nirupama understands the escapism of Reddy given to luxurious life  and avoidance of responsibility by Ramachandran and decides to live on her own . The novel shows Malati Chandur’s grasp about the social  conditions of those turbulent  times and psychology of different characters in a realistic manner. More than all, she delineates the evolution of Nirupama as an independent woman who learns from  her experiences and charts her own path.