US-settled Telugu woman converts Bhagavad Gita into poems

Settled in Washington DC, USA as a gynaecologist four decades back, her love for native language, Telugu literature and tradition nudged Pudipeddi Seshu Sarma to contribute to the literary field.

It is the same urge that made the doctor to compile Bhagavad Gita into the version of poems.

Starting from authoring short stories, Seshu Sarma forayed into converting the Bhagavad Gita into a simpler version of poetry and thus reaching out to the younger generation through her translation work in Telugu.

The Gita has 700-plus verses. Of them, Seshu Sarma selected 250 slokas to convert into poems and they can be read by any community members irrespective of their caste and creed. Her work 'Vijaya Gita' was launched recently in a literary meet organised by Visakha Rasagna Vedika in Visakhapatnam.

Most of the poems composed in her book come in handy in our day-to-day life as they are centred towards personality development and self-help. "If the verses of Lord Krishna could be composed as a Non-Detail text book for the Classes IX and X, it will certainly bring in a complete transformation among the students and their attitude," the writer opines.

A lot of effort and dedication has gone into compiling 'Vijaya Gita'. Setting long hours a day aside, Seshu Sarma practiced reciting Bhagavad Gita along with her friend Vijaya Lakshmi. To gain a grip over the subject, she had gone through the holy book in English initially. Later, under the tutelage of Seer of Sri Lalithambika Peetham Swamy Sampoornananda Giri, Seshu Sarma was able to bring out Bhagavad Gita in a poetry form.

Forayed into the Holy book in 2021, Seshu Sarma completed Vijaya Gita which is close to her heart in a year. Soon, she intends to distribute the book free of cost to various sections of readers.

Earlier, Seshu Sarma bagged several prizes and awards in story-writing and poetry composing contests held in the US. Some of her Telugu works that brought recognition for her include 'Agadam', 'Yenda Mavulu', 'Musuru Cheekati', 'Merupu Kiranam', 'Chiru Deepam' and 'Merisina Kiranam'. Earlier, she also authored a book titled 'Pravasaandhrula Asha Kiranam'.

A majority of her literary works revolve around psychology of men, women and children. "Family's support played an imperative role in encouraging me to focus on my passion, especially my husband oncologist Ravi Sarma, who contributes to society generously. Drawing inspiration from him, I decided to do my part by composing Bhagavad Gita into a poetry form. Despite coming from a highly respectable Brahmanical background, our ambition is to reach out to all sections of people through our service and work irrespective of the caste, creed and religion," she adds.

Apart from being a gynaecologist and an author, Seshu Sarma also excels in various fields of art and music. As a Classical dancer and a Veena artiste, she also contributed significantly to the field of performing arts.

In future, Seshu Sarma aims to translate Patanjali Yoga Sutras into a simpler format.