‘Kashilo Assi’ portrays transformation of Assi Ghat

Vijayawada: A book review function of ‘Kashilo Assi’ was held on Sunday morning at the Vijayawada Book Festival Society Library Hall. The meeting was presided over by retired Hindi professor Dr Venna Vallabha Rao. He stated that ‘Kashi Ka Assi’, the novel written by Dr Kashinath Singh, Hindi professor at Banaras Hindu University, is a remarkable work that can be regarded as an epic.

Sashri explained that the author aptly portrayed transformation of Assi Ghat and lives of locals connected with the Assi ghat area with the arrival of foreigners, influence of technological changes, and political developments.

Arasavilli Krishna, President of Virasam, said that Kashi possesses a unique culture that respects the last phase of human life and even death.

Dr Sri Visweswara Varma Bhupathiraju, who translated the Hindi novel ‘Kashi Ka Assi’ into Telugu as ‘Kashilo Assi’, said that this novel is unlike the common belief that a novel must be a love story. He also said that the book has no elements of romance, fantasy, or thriller; instead, it reflects real-life situations. He also said that Kashinath Singh, who came to Kashi in 1953, incorporated his fifty-year association with Varanasi into this novel. Varma said that the novel led to many discussions and controversies, making it a sensational work, and it has gone through 18 print editions.

In this programme, Bever Umamaheswara Rao, President of Astra; Addoori Venkataramana, President of Avera Sahitya Peetham; B Anjaneyaraju, General Secretary of X-Ray; and several others participated.