Re[2]: Chandas
Rao Veluri (rveluri@smtpgate.anl.gov)
Fri, 28 Feb 97 13:54:08 CST
Sri Ramana in response to Sri Srinivas ( 2/28/97 11:12 AM)
says:
[snip gaNa vibhjana]
"---There is no well defined way to break words in Telugu. ...
there was never a need for defining the boundary of a word
very pecisely. Back in the days when classics were written
on tAlapatra granthAlu, it depended on the scribe where to put
blanks. In the modern day it depends on the proof reader.
Perhaps this qualifies as the poetic freedom Subba Rao is
referring to.---"
Even today, some old people write without spaces between
words, as we 'moderners' were trained to do! It is known as
'golusu kaTTu' raata, and it is pretty difficult and
intriguing to read. I can provide samples of my grandfather's
and uncle's postcards, written as late as in the 80s.
The spacing between the words was an off-shoot of the
Telugu printing press. You have rightly identified
this as dependent on the proof reader!
Even now, some of the strotraas and danDakaas which are
printed as late as in the nineties, are printed without
spaces between the words. A vestige of the golusu kaTTU,
writing, I believe!
BTW, even this topic seems as de ja vu to me! Didn't some
one addressed this on Telusa some time ago in reference to
punctuation marks in Telugu? May be, I am wrong!
"--- Coming back to the point, Potana would have meant
vitatArthaj~nAna as one word. ---"
I feel totally inadequate even to guess what Potana meant!
Regards.
Venkateswara Rao Veluri
Ramana