“I grew up in a small village near Tenali called Pinapadu. Even though I attended private school and college, speaking in English was never really stressed upon. My education was important, but topping classes was never a priority. I was always fascinated by Telugu literature and was determined to make the most of it. Because I scored well in the entrance examination for my Masters degree, I managed to get into the college of my dreams. I moved from Tenali to Vijayawada with big dreams to pursue a Mass Communication course. But it wasn’t a smooth sail – the classes were irregular and the people weren’t friendly at all. This was topped by the whole stigma attached to inability to talk in English. Once, when I was asked to give a speech on stage, I fled, because I knew that if I’d freakout on stage, I’d be ridiculed for days. It happened to me again and again and I realized I was falling deeper into a vortex that had no escape. Finally one day, I sat through the orientation program for the annual literary festival of my college. I even managed to ask questions to the chief guests of the event. I felt comfortable because the people in that room were warm and welcoming. They didn’t care about how I spoke. Because of that acceptance, I began reading a lot of English books and newspapers which eventually led me to get a grip on the English language. While I was adjusting in the happy place that I had built for myself, I continued to develop my passion towards writing. I started exploring the different genres in Telugu literature and learnt that my interest lay in writing short stories. I don’t see people coming forward to encourage Telugu literature in general but I have taken it up as an alternative career now. In fact, the biggest form of validation came my way a few months ago, when I told my father that I wanted to write a book that narrates day to day life experiences and he happily said ‘do whatever interests you.'”

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