JALAGANDAM AND OTHER NARRATIVES

I had ambitions of literary writing right from my school days, originated, driven and developed by my involvement with the Panchayathi Board Library at my native place (detailed in one of the narratives here).  However much I tried I could not put a few lines together.  During my SSLC time, I was reading the humorous plays by Shree Bhamidipaati Kaameswara Rao, a very popular Thelugu writer.  I read almost all his works in the library.  One day I picked up one of his plays, copied it and modified to the best of my ability.  I worked on this for some days more, adding bits and pieces, some from his other plays.  After a few days I picked up some courage and took it to the class and read it to my classmates.  Everyone was quite impressed and praised me.  But there was one ‘idiot’ who said, ‘This is not yours.  Most of it is from the plays of Bhamidipaati Kaameswara Rao’.  The balloon was pricked and I was crestfallen. Then it was a case of ‘once bitten, twice shy.’