A sumptuous treat to book-lovers

HYDERABAD:
Books are still popular and sought after even in this age of Internet.
Visalandhra Publishing House, a leading publisher, has proved it by bringing out around 50 new titles every year. And, all of them are selling like hot cakes.

As part of the National Book Week, they are organising a book exhibition at the Narayanaguda YMCA and the response is overwhelming.

Inaugurated on Saturday, it will be open from 10 a.m to 8.30 p.m everyday till November 11.

Apart from Visalandhra’s own publications, books on varied subjects- science and technology, literature, history and religion, brought out by other popular publishers including Oxford, Cambridge, Jaico, Rupa, Telugu Akademi and Sahitya Akademi are on display. “Books on Telugu literature are fast-moving,’’ says senior salesman P Narasimha.

Visalandhra Publishing House is doing yeoman’s service for literature by publishing books on a variety of topics continuously.

No other publishing house in the state has been bringing out general books so consistently and for such a long time.

“We have brought out 35 new titles so far this year and intend to bring out ten
more by the end of the year,” says Visalandhra Publishing House assistant manager
S Raju.

GIGANTIC TASK

VBH is undertaking a gigantic task. It will soon bring out a 1,000-page anthology on Telugu plays written by around 100 writers. All the plays will be in the dialogue form. The book will be released in Vijayawada at a week-long festival on drama to be held in association with the Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.

TOP 10 BEST-SELLERS


KATHALU - GATHALU
All of us have heard of Muslim ruler Hyder Ali. But has any of us ever heard of a Hyder Siva Lingam? Do you know that a Muslim ruler performed Hindu rituals and pujas to win over his enemies?
Another Muslim ruler performed tantra Maranahomam to eliminate his enemy. If you are interested to know who these Muslim rulers could be, read Kathalu-Gathalu of Digavalli Venkata Sivarao. The book was a collection of such interesting history facts published in the Andhra Patrika and Bharati during 1944-1947. The articles were published in the book form and brought out in four volumes in 1947. Now, after so many years, the Visalandhra Publishing House has re-printed all the four volumes and brought them out in a single book. Digavalli Venkata Sivarao was an advocate and historian of repute, and was held in esteem by the then President Babu Rajendra Prasad. The book, one of the top-sellers among Visalandhra titles, is worthy of adorning your book-shelf.


KOTI KOMMATCHI
The fifth reprint of Mullapudi Venkata Ramana's Koti Komatchi, published by Hasam Prachuranlu, is also much in demand. In this work Mullapudi describes poverty in a romantic manner. This is a modern humorous collections. But, it is also equally disturbing.



NERAMU-SKISHA

This is a Telugu translation of Crime and Punishment, a novel by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. Published by Visalandhra, this book too is attracting the attention of a majority book-lovers.

KARUNASRI-UDAYASRI

The popular poetry on Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Alluri Sitaramaraju and Andhra Kesari is back on the market after several years. Thanks to Visalandhra, the five-part work was reprinted this month. The collection of poetry by Jandhyala Papayya Sastry deals with varied topics including festivals.

AKUPATCHANI GNAPAKAM

It is a collection of stories by Vamasi. Even in the era of Telugu TV serials, the good story has its relevance. Buyers are evincing keen interest in buying books written by Vamsi.


MAHAPRASTHANAM

In spite of innumerable new titles and reprints of other classics, Sri Sri's Mahaprasthanam holds its place and is ever green. The 30th reprint of the poem, which gave new direction to Telugu poetry and inspired many later poets, was a leader among all the titles.


THE SECRET

Want to get control over thoughts and taste success in life? Then this book is a must for you. The book, written by Australian TV writer and producer Rhonda Byrne, motivates and inspires you. Take a sample:
"Learn to become still, and to take your attention away from what you do not want, and all the emotions change around it, and place the attention on what you wish to experience...... Energy follows where attention goes". - by Michael Bernard.


OKA CHARITRA-KONNI NIJALU

Who cares when a politician speaks? But, people really care a politician, when he pens a book.
Within a short span of time of its publication this year, Congress MLA Daggubati Venkateswara Rao's Oka Charitra and Konni Nijalu has gone into reprint. All the 10,000 copies of first print have gone out of stock. The book provides an insight into TDP's internal politics as perceived by Daggubati. Buoyed by its success, Daggubati now plans to pen another book, Telugu Vaari Charitra-Verpatu Vadam.


VALMIKI RAMAYANAM

Nowadays, the best-sellers are religious books. A classic example is the Valmiki Ramayanam by Srinivasa Siromani, which was serialised in newspapers some 50 years ago. It has been reprinted recently. The original essence of Valmiki Ramayana is presented in terse and chaste Telugu without distortion. If you are really interested to read Ramayana in Telugu prose, this is a worthy collection.


VEDAALU

Among the present-day writers on religion, Dasarathi Rangacharya is the most popular. His Vedalau (all four Vedas in Telugu in one collection) is also a most sought-after book which the Vedas are explained in the prose form. This book is recommended to those who cannot read and understand Sanskrit but want to know the essence of the Vedas.