HYDERABAD: At 92, when most people find it challenging to write without a small tremble in their unsteady hands that come with ageing, Perepi Mallikarjuna Sharma beat the odds by writing hundreds of pages of the Ramayana.
Although the Ramayana has been translated innumerable times into numerous regional languages since Sage Valmiki first wrote his epic, Sharma explicitly used the "Dwipada Kavyam" or couplet metre to narrate and recreate the saga in his own words from Lord Rama's birth to his pattabhishekam.
At his desk in his Borabanda residence in Sanathnagar, Sharma would pour over books without needing a magnifying glass while making remarkably well-organized notes in his writing pad, which he would later feed into his desktop computer. He might be a little slow, but he doesn't complain.
“My mother Perepi Rajamma first told me the Ramayana story at home while I sat on her lap and listened attentively. I've spent much of my life being enthralled with the Veda Vyas Adhyatma Ramayana and Valmiki Ramayana. Many of the interconnected stories piqued my interest. I learn something new and fascinating every time I read and reread the Ramayana,” says Sharma.
The nonagenarian had always wanted to write the Ramayana when he was younger, but he had to put off his dream project since he had to care for his family and ensure that his children —two of whom are in East Africa—got the best education possible.
Writing a few couplets every day for 15 years, Sharma finished the ‘Sri Brahmasutra Ramayanam’, which he began at the age of 77 after he retired from the state forestry department . For the past 15 years, his daily routine has centered on getting up at 5 am and his dedication to finishing his book has kept him at his computer for several hours each day, usually well into the wee hours.
In "Sri Brahmasutra Ramayanam," Sharma shows how the morals of the epic are still relevant today and how everyone can gain from learning about Lord Rama's life. "Sri Brahmasutra Ramayanam spans into 557 pages, contains 13,167 couplets in Dwipada metre, and is divided into six kandas (parts), from Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda to Uttara Kanda, each of which focuses on the epoch moments in Lord Rama's life. Each couplet in the Dwipada metre is connected by prasa (alliteration)," he explained.
Having a purpose and a goal is critical at any age, but as one ages, it becomes even more essential because some activities demand more effort, focus, perseverance, and dogged determination, all of which Mallikarjuna Sharma possesses in spades.
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