# P. Lalita Kumari

Popuri Lalita Kumari, popularly known by her pen name Volga, is Telugu poet and writer well known for her feminist perspective. She won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015 for her short story compilation 'Vimukta Kadha Samputi' in Telugu. Along with being a writer, she has also been a professor and head of scripting division in Tollywood. Her work initiated debates across the country about feminism, in times when the idea was hardly accepted. The Library of Congress has a collection of her most popular published works, including the English translations of selected short stories.

## Early life and education

Volga was born in Guntur on 27 November 1950. She completed her MA in Telugu literature from Andhra University in 1972.

## Career

Volga after her MA joined as a Telugu professor at VSR & NVR College, Tenali between the period 1973 to 1986. Later, she worked in scripting division as a senior executive at Ushakiran Movies during 1986–1995. She later in 1991 joined Asmita Resource Centre for Women, a Telangana-based NGO which addresses women's issues, as its President and presently serving as the Chairman of the organization. She is also the member of the publication, Vamtinti Masi (Soot from the Kitchen), an editorial of Asimita Organization, which is an active member of Telugu Advisory council for National Book Trust of India.

### Author

Volga had chosen her pseudonym because it was both the name of her deceased elder sister and the Volga river, which according to her was the 'perfect mix of the personal and political' because of her self-described 'Leftist leanings'. Volga is known for her feminist literary works. Her novels, articles, poems portray women with modern, progressive ideologies. She while keeping the quality of work maintains the reality of characters, intact. All of her novels were written while she was a full-time employee, rather than fully dedicating her time to the novels. She published her first novel, Sahaja in 1986. The novel was a debatable topic among the newspaper columns. The immediate next year, 1987, her second novel Sveccha was published. These two novels speak how marriage binds a woman and shackles her freedom.

## Literary works

Lalita Kumari has penned and translated around 50 publications. The most popular ones are listed below:
| Year | Name | Type of work | Notes |
| 1983 | Athadu, Aame, Manam | Literary Criticism | A review of a novel by Uppala Lakshmana Rao on nationalist struggle |
| 1984 | Agnes Smedley's Stories | Translation to Telugu | |
| 1985 | Daughter of Earth | Translation to Telugu | |
| 1986 | Sahaja | Novel | |
| 1987 | Sweccha | Novel | |
| 1988 | Kanneeti Kerataala Vennela | Novel | |
| 1989 | Three Generations | Translation to Telugu | Short story by Alexandra Kollontai |
| 1989 | Maanavi | Novel | |
| 1989 | Maku Godalu Levu | Edited Work | Collection of essays |
| 1990 | Letter to a Child Never Born | Translation to Telugu | Novel by Oriana Fallaci |
| 1990 | Aakasamlo Sagam | Novel | |
| 1992 | Rajakiya Kathalu | Short story collection | |
| 1993 | Gulabeelu | Novel | |
| 1993 | Neeli Meghalu | Edited Work | |
| 1993 | Neeli Meghalu | Edited Work | |
| 1994 | Nurella Chalam | Edited Work | Critical essays on the works of Chalam, whose centenary was celebrated in 1994 |
| 1994 | Saramsam | Co-edited work | A report about the struggle of the women in Andhra Pradesh against liquor. |
| 1994 | Widows | Translation to Telugu | Novel by Ariel Dorfman |
| 1995 | Sarihaddulu Leni Samdhyalu | Co-edited work | Collection of essays |
| 1995 | Prayogam | Short story collection | |
| 1995 | Vallu Aaruguru | Play | |
| 2001 | Charitra Swaralu | Play | |
| Not known | Woman at Point Zero | Translation to Telugu | Arabic novel by Nawal El Saadawi |
| 2016 | The Liberation of Sita | Novel | |
Lalita Kumari wrote articles that were published in journals and newspapers, mostly regarding feminism. She became the first person to introduce western feminists, Feminist Movement, First-Wave Feminism and Second Wave Feminism to Telugu readership.

## Awards and honors

| Year | Title | Category | Notes |
| 1987 | Sweccha | Best Novel Award | |
| 1990 | Aakasamlo Sagam | Best Novel Award | |
| 1993 | Sweccha | Award in recognition for effort in women's causes | |
| 1998 | Todu | Nandi Award (Best Story Writer) | Awarded by the Government of Andhra Pradesh |
| 1999 | NA | Best Woman Writer | Awarded by Telugu University |
| 2009 | NA | Suseela Narayana Reddy Award | |
| 2013 | NA | Kandukuri Veerasalingam Literary Award | |
| 2014 | NA | Lok Nayak Foundation Award | |
| 2015 | Vimuktha | Sahitya Akademi Award | |