Author Interview | Chedarina Paadamudralu: Tale of a historical exodus
Sudhakar Unudurti’s Chedarina Paadamudralu chronicles the harrowing journey of Telugu-speaking workers who trekked from Burma to India during World War II
Sudhakar Unudurti
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Many might be surprised to learn, as author Sudhakar Unudurti was, about the sizeable Telugu-speaking population in Burma (now Myanmar). Over time, while they gradually assimilated into local culture and blended their language with Burmese, they managed to preserve certain cultural traditions and folk forms from their ancestors. Tidbits like this and many historical anecdotes are featured in his latest Telugu novel, Chedarina Paadamudralu (Faded Footsteps), which won a prize in the competition held by the American Telugu Association (ATA) this year.
Prize winner in the competition held by the American Telugu Association this year
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Chedarina Paadamudralu (published by ATA) explores the often-overlooked plight of labourers who walked home to India from Burma during the Second World War. The narrative highlights the exodus of Telugu-speaking people, a subject that has not received significant attention from academic researchers or fiction writers. Through the novel, Sudhakar sheds light on this, contributing valuable insights and perspectives on the experiences of these labourers.
Visakhapatnam-based Sudhakar belongs to a family of freedom fighters and activists. His schooling in the Srikakulam district, where he witnessed an armed struggle by peasants and tribals in the 1960s, inculcated his interest in people’s movements. His career as a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy led to an abiding allure for maritime history. He began creative writing post-retirement and has carved a niche for himself as a writer of historical fiction in Telugu.
The writer has been acclaimed for his short story anthologies Toorupu Galulu (2018) and Chalicheemala Kavaatu (2021). He also co-authored Tathaagathuni Adugujaadalu (2019) on Buddhist sites. His novels Yarada Konda and Chedarina Paadamudralu won awards from the American Telugu Association (ATA) in 2020 and 2024. His short stories have been translated into English as an anthology titled East Wind (2023).
Excerpts from an Interview:
What inspired you to write this book and focus on the connection between Burma and the Telugu people?
I read Sheela Veerraju’s novel Maina during my school days. The story begins with the voyage of a ‘Coolie Ship’ returning from Burma amid a raging storm. Ever since, the plight of the labourers travelling to and from Burma caught my imagination, and I learned that the Srikakulam district, where I had spent most of my childhood, was a major source of the labour force that chose to work in Burma. My hometown, Visakhapatnam, has a locality called the Burma Camp. I often wondered about its origins and its residents. My years in the Merchant Navy led to a keen interest in South India’s maritime history. My area of special interest has been the impact of the colonial rule.
Can you share a brief overview of your novel’s plot and main characters?
The novel narrates the trials and tribulations undergone by a family from the Kalinga-Andhra region (in the present-day borders of Northern Andhra and Southern Odisha). The human drama captured by the novel unfolds in the backdrop of the Second World War, the Japanese occupation of Burma, India’s freedom struggle, the march of the Indian National Army raised by Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the Bengal famine, rebellion by sailors of the Royal Indian Navy, the Partition of India, and the legacy of the Communist movement in an era of high idealism and personal sacrifice. It is indeed a vast canvas that I tried to cover in this short novel.
While the novel’s backdrop of historical events is based on unassailable facts, the characters and the human drama that drive the narrative are fictional. They represent the working class, primarily the agricultural labourers of the north Andhra region, in terms of their roots and the dialect they use.
How did you come across the historical details and events that form the backdrop of your story?
The large-scale evacuation undertaken by lakhs of people— without notice or preparation — received little attention from research scholars and military historians. The reason, perhaps, was that this exodus had no military significance, as in the battles for Singapore, Rangoon or Imphal. On the other hand, historians have covered the Burma War extensively. Senior journalist Mukund Padmanabhan, in his recent book, The Great Flap of 1942: How the Raj Panicked over a Japanese Non-invasion, deals with the panic that gripped British India over what was foreseen as an imminent attack by the Japanese from across the Bay of Bengal. The book does not, however, address the consequences of the Japanese occupation of Burma, such as the exodus of migrant labour or the great Bengal Famine triggered by the callousness of the British administration. These catastrophic events are central to my novel.
The existence of ‘White Road’ and ‘Black Road’ is well-established and documented in articles and papers published in English. Treading along the treacherous Black Road, which was ‘reserved’ for the Indians, led to untold suffering, unspeakable tragedies, and loss of lives. A few memoirs are available in Telugu, which I have acknowledged in my book.
What kind of research did you undertake to ensure historical accuracy in your novel?
This novel involved focused research into the tumultuous decade of 1941-1951. The memoirs written in Telugu, especially the writings of Bhisetti Lakshmana Rao — himself a successful screenplay and dialogue writer for Telugu movies — poignantly captured the tragic journey his parents undertook. I also accessed the references to travails in Rangoon from the folk songs of the North Andhra region. For the ending of my novel, I used an actual event narrated by a friend. The details in the book about the role of the Burma Oil Company are based on stories narrated by a friend and merchant ship captain, Lawrence Nathaniel (Lawry), whose father served in Rangoon during the war. The character of Richard in my novel is based loosely on Lawry. He was a terrific storyteller, originally from Bheemunipatnam but settled in Bombay. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, and I have dedicated the novel to him.
Did you encounter any surprising or lesser-known facts about the Burma-Telugu connection during the war?
Yes, I did. A sizeable Telugu-speaking population exists in Burma (present-day Myanmar). While they have gradually assimilated the local culture and their language is increasingly mixed with Burmese, they retain some cultural aspects and folk forms from their forefathers. I came to know that the Burmese refer to Telugus as ‘Korangis’ in a derogatory manner, a term that the Telugus resent. Korangi, incidentally, was an ancient port and trading and shipbuilding centre near Kakinada. Devastating cyclones destroyed it in 1789 and 1839. The Telugus of Burma, living in a Buddhist nation, find no difficulty worshipping Buddha, who finds a prominent place in their households along with the Hindu Gods.
Did you incorporate personal experiences or family history into the narrative?
The local dialect of Srikakulam district and geographic details come directly from my childhood spent in the region. My experience in shipping also helped me appreciate and incorporate the significance of logistics and the role of supply chains. While working on this novel, I also completed my thesis in maritime management and obtained a doctorate from the Indian Maritime University.
How does the story of the Burma-Telugu people during World War II resonate with contemporary issues?
As discerning readers, reviewers and critics have already noticed, quite a few contemporary issues resonate with the events described in the novel. To me, the past per se holds little interest – unless it is linked effectively with the present. I firmly believe in the words of E.H. Carr, who pointed out that ‘History is an ongoing dialogue between past and present’. In other words, understanding of the past is determined by the historians’ social, political, and cultural factors. Writings of D.D. Kosambi and K. Balagopal also influenced me to a great extent.
To answer your question, I would like to say that the descriptions relating to the exodus from Burma and the suffering of the labourers bring to the readers’ minds the travails of the migrant workers during the nation-wide lockdown clamped in the wake of the pandemic in 2020. The long lines formed in front of the gold shops by workers in Rangoon hopefully remind the reader about demonetisation. There are many more such examples that I would like the reader to discover.
Do you have plans to write more historical fiction or explore other untold stories from history?
Journeys undertaken by the Buddhist monks from the East Coast of India to the South Asian countries in ancient times always fascinated me. Hopefully, I will write about them in my next novel!
Any plans to translate this book into English?
This particular novel is rooted in the nativity of Kalinga-Andhra. At the same time, it unfolds in a decade that is informed by major global and national events and upheavals in a highly charged decade. Some of the important characters in the novel include the English colonial rulers, and it also refers to the top leaders of the freedom struggle and the early years of the Communist movement. Therefore, I believe it has the potential and scope to be translated into English and other Indian languages. I am currently exploring these possibilities.
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