The art of storytelling is much more than just a means of entertainment. It can bring people out of poverty, make dreams come true, bring out compassion in people and connect them. Mallikarjun experienced not one but all of it from this art.

Born and brought up in Nalgonda, Telangana, Mallikarjun spent a big chunk of his life there. Until his graduation, he didn’t need to step out of his hometown. The writer was always a topper in his school and college. He holds the title of ‘Nalgonda Town Topper.’ It was a boon for him as his family did not have the money to spend luxuriously. Taking us back in time, Mallikarjun told Hatke’s Story about why his life was shaped in the way it is today.

The Birth Of The Storyteller – Mallikarjun

Mallikarjun’s father fled from his home, a village near Nalgonda, to escape from his abusive family. Ever since then, he had been making a living doing odd jobs. He’d work as a helper in someone’s house or as a sweeper at the movies. He even worked as a watchman at a hospital. Despite his difficult financial situation, he never let Mallikarjun or his siblings feel the pain of it.

While his siblings settled in the village, Mallikarjun came to Hyderabad for his engineering. The financial constraint in the family was such that nobody was educated until his generation. Only he and his siblings had the privilege of going to school and later to college.

Mallikarjun’s childhood pictures

From An Engineer To A Writer

After getting a degree as an Electrical Engineer, he didn’t want to do a regular job. The art of storytelling always compelled him to do something that would allow him to narrate stories and capture the audience’s attention. He thought of films. He loves the idea of scriptwriting. One day, he wishes to make it to the movies. The art of storytelling was ingrained in him since childhood. He wrote his first story as a 16-year-old. It was also published for people to read. It is when he realized that storytelling is his passion. After that, he channeled his career choices towards that.

Passion Meets Profession

Mallikarjun’s first job was in alignment with his passion – the art of storytelling. He worked in a film production company. He wrote the screenplay and took care of YouTube updates. Meanwhile, he also wrote the screenplay as a freelancer along with dialogues for small films. Gradually, he teaches the habit of reading. He made use of the opportunity he never had as a child. It further enhanced his writing skills, and he started writing more often.

On a sad day in 2017, He suddenly collapsed when he was working in his office. Later, he found that he had developed a small lung disease. It took him a good eight months to recover from this condition. Mallikarjun was at home all this time, reading a lot of books and watching many movies.

The best part of his time at home, He says, is the conversations he had with his mother. In this time, his dreams and his perspective towards life changed. He no longer looked for happiness only in movies and scriptwriting. The new Mallikarjun was equally happy to do any form of storytelling. This phase in life gave him the philosophy he sticks to even today – to love everyone unconditionally.

At his writing desk

Mallikarjun is very clear about what he wants to do in life. He wishes to exhibit the art of storytelling in one form or the other. If he can’t make movies, he’ll write a book. If that doesn’t work either, he’s happy to narrate his stories to the people around him. With this fantastic clarity, Mallikarjun stepped into the world of Telugu literature.

However, the journey towards the art of storytelling was not an easy one. The eight months that gave him a new perspective on life robbed him of his job. Life was going back to its difficult times for Mallikarjun and his family. The debts that were clearing up gradually were piling up again.

Luckily, Mallikarjun got a job in Sakshi. He worked on the literature section of the firm’s Sunday magazine. Gradually, he was promoted as the editor of the Sunday magazine. This job brought many more stories to Mallikarjun’s life. He enthusiastically edited and published stories written even by children. While the job itself gave him a lot of joy, it also gave him time to work on his own stories. He started writing for websites, and this earned him a good name as a writer.

Finally.. The Debut

The turning point in his life came in 2018 when he decided to write his book and publish it. So, his first book, Irani Cafe, was published in his publication – Aju Publications. Two days after the book was released, the Hyderabad book fair was announced. Here, Mallikarjun’s Irani Cafe was declared the bestseller. He was under the impression that not many people would buy a Telugu book, but the book fair gave him a pleasant surprise. To add to his joy, Irani Cafe was sold out one year of its release.

First Book

Motivated by the success of his first book, Mallikarjun wrote his second book Kagitham Padavalu, a collection of love stories and stories in other genres. It was released in 2019, again by his publication. The second book, too, was loved by Mallikarjun’s audience.
There was no stopping him after this. The art of storytelling within Mallikarjun was at its peak.

The next book, Nalgonda Kathalu, is very close to his heart. It’s all about his hometown and his parents’ lives. In this book, Mallikarjun didn’t want to write about the struggles of his parents. He wanted to celebrate their lives. While writing, he got so involved that Mallikarjun decided to leave his job and give undivided attention to this book.

In the process of writing Nalgonda Kathalu, he learned a lot about his parents. Mallikarjun always thought he knew his parents, but this book was a revelation to him. 10 days before publishing this book, He realized that his father had a younger sister who died when she was 16. This incident changed his view of his parents. He points out an interesting aspect of the human mind. We may think that we know our people, but there is a lot we don’t know. That is the reason why we shouldn’t judge.

In six months, he published the book, but this time with a different strategy. Mallikarjun first published a limited edition and told his buyers that they could own the book for any price from Rs. 300 onwards.

His other books

This book brought much more success to its author. He sold out all the books of the limited edition, even before the book was released. It earned him a profit of more than a lakh rupees.

It was the story of the writer in Mallikarjun. Talking about his personality, the author said he’s still evolving as a person. He’s never been someone who dreamt of making a lot of money. Whatever money he makes, Mallikarjun intends in art, especially the art of storytelling. He believes that art has a journey and a destination of its own. An artist can only produce art but how it interacts with society and its reactions is under no one’s control.

The reward that Mallikarjun got from his book was more significant than any material returns. Mallikarjun says he is overwhelmed when he receives calls of appreciation from his readers. One such reader called from the United States to tell Mallikarjun how much his book supported and encouraged him to stay positive during the lockdown. Another reader called and told him that he had been bedridden for a while now. The author’s Irani Cafe was the sick man’s best friend during the tough time. Such calls are the real wealth that an author earns.

A Storytellers Best Reward

The reward was further enhanced for Mallikarjun when another author Dr. Ravi Chandran translated all stories of one of his books into English.

While his stories are singing the success saga, Mallikarjun is constantly working on himself. He is conscious of how he was living. Mallikarjun needs to ensure that he is always living by the principles he set for himself.

Whenever he meets people, Mallikarjun wants to give them faith in humanity. He wants them to believe that there is no harm from one human to another. If this can be achieved, there’s nothing like it.

Talking about his parents’ reaction to him as a writer, Mallikarjun narrated an exciting story. When one of his stories was published in a magazine along with a photo, his mother identified it because of the photo. It was the same with his father. Since both could not read, the photo became their medium of identification and filled them with pride. The release event of his first book Irani Cafe gave a similar feeling to Mallikarjun’s mother. She was moved by the fact that so many people came to read her son’s book, although she didn’t know what was written.

With his parents

Mallikarjun’s father, on the other hand, was a silent observer and appreciator. During the launch of his first book, his mother got all the attention. It hurt the old man a little. Mallikarjun realized this much later. So during the launch of his second book, Mallikarjun got his father to launch it. When he was asked to speak on stage, Mallikarjun’s father only had tears. He couldn’t say a word. It is his way of expressing his love for his son.

With his mother

A loving son to his parents, a favorite author to his readers, and a fantastic personality among humans – Mallikarjun lived all these roles to perfection while evolving every day.

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