There can only be one
Oka Bhargavi delves into the life of a multifaceted doctor, her interesting interactions with famous personas, and her many cultural interests
It is a book from an ardent lover of music, literature, cinema, and friends and combines all these spheres seamlessly. A book with 101 pieces about her life experiences, her musings, and in depth analyses of the famous personalities she came to know, about books she has read, the songs and ragas she relished. “Oka Bhargavi” is a Telugu book penned by Dr. Bhargavi, a medical doctor who lives in Pamarru, Andhra Pradesh where she runs a hospital.
But that’s just the physical world she inhabits. Otherwise, Dr Bhargavi is known to immerse herself in a world of music, literature, plants and friends with a remarkable zest for life and love for people around. Her friends view her distinctiveness, making her “the only one” or (oka) Bhargavi of her kind.
This book is a compilation of 101 of her personal and spontaneous Facebook posts. They are accompanied by wonderful illustrations by the famous artist Giridhargoud Rayana. Dr. Bhargavi has earlier translated Tagore’s “Geethanjali” into easy flowing and lyrical Telugu, again with illustrations by Giridhargoud.
Her book looks at her personal life, the home of her childhood, her growing up years and experiences and a lot of nostalgia too.
One remarkable section includes her in-depth articles analysing the lives of actors such as T. Krishna Kumari, Sowcar Janaki, Meena Kumari, Geetha Dutt and Guru Dutt. In fact, Dr. Bhargavi very recently appreciated and reviewed a biography of T. Krishna Kumari, written by her daughter Dipika V. Maiya “My Mother T. Krishna Kumari.
Details of the book on actress Krishna Kumari can be found here.
Dr. Bhargavi, in her book also pays her tribute to stalwarts like Bala Murali Krishna, Balanthrapu Rajanikantha Rao, M.S Eelapata Raghu Ramayya, the famous folk singers Seetha and Anasuya, and also John Higgins Bhagavatar. She talks at length about singers like Balasaraswathi and her most admired singer Mohammad Rafi. She is quite knowledgeable about Carnatic music and is an accomplished singer too. Her articles on some classical ragas with examples go into great detail and allow even a novice to appreciate music.
Also featured in the book are outstanding people in Andhra Pradesh who are doing sincere work without craving publicity — like the doctors of Challapalli village, the knowledge bank Lanka Suryanarayana Chalasani Prasad, internationally renowned artiste S.V. Rama Rao and L. Vijayalakshmi a dancer of great caliber, her own mother, mentors and teachers.
Dr. Bhargavi has also reviewed several books in some of these Facebook posts and that adds to the variety of writings in her book Including biographies of Duvvuri Venkata Ramana Sastry, Shaukat Azmi, and Kaifi Azmi. She also reviews films like “Citizen Kane”, “Amar Bhoopali”, “Pink” and, “Mahanati”.
The language is easy and can be enjoyed by novice and young readers as well as those who are well-established and comfortable readers of the language.
What is interesting about Dr. Bhargavi is that she has also facilitated the publishing of other books by several authors, which she believes need to be brought to light – a collection of articles of V.A.K Ranga Rao, a connoisseur of music and dance called “Alapana 1”, followed by another series called “Alapana 2”. Her interview with V.A.K Ranga Rao brings out his personality, prowess and knowledge. In addition to these, she has also published “Madhukanya” a translation of Omar Khayyam’s “Rubaayat” by her teacher Kastoori Narasimha Moorty.
The book Oka Bhargavi can be bought here.