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Poet / translator Challapalli Swaroopa Rani (b. 1968), Telugu / Uma Bhrugubanda
Her works Neeli Meghalu, Chikkanavuthunna Pata
Form free verse, first person, Dalit woman's voice
Key idea water as witness, movement, destroyer and commodity
Caste references village vs wada; panchama waiting for a shudra; leather (cobbler) and spool (weaver)
Outside India Samaria woman and Jesus the Jew - difference of race
Struggles Mahad struggle at the Chadar tank; Karamchedu Suvarthamma vs the kamma landlords (16 July 1985)
Memories thirst all day; weekly bath vs village's twice a day; miles to the big canal; Malapalle burning
Destroyer drought, floods, the killer tsunami wave; "the poor are but playthings"
Commodity Bisleri bottle, the Pepsi man's bottle, "mineral water", a multinational market commodity
Closing line "water is omniscient. It contains the world."

[Exam Tip] — For the 3-mark memory question, give four memories: the day-long thirst, the weekly bath against the village's two baths a day, the walk to the canal with heavy pots, and the Malapalle burning for want of water.