[Reader-list] President Patil meets tea vendor who’s also an author

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

President Patil meets tea vendor who’s also an authorJuly 23rd, 2009 - 7:53
pm ICT by IANS

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) A tea vendor with a literary passion, Laxman Rao
is the author and publisher of more than 15 books, all in Hindi. On
Thursday, when he was invited to meet President Pratibha Patil at
Rashtrapati Bhavan, she was curious to know why Rao, a Maharashtrian,
prefers to write in Hindi than in his mother tongue.
“Marathi is my mother tongue, but Hindi is my national language. That’s why
I prefer to write in Hindi,” replied Rao.

Rao has been writing for over two decades, but his literary pursuit has no
financial aim.

“I have not really made much money from my books. But writing is something I
enjoy,” he said.

>From political satires to novels, Rao has a range of books on different
genres under his belt. He sells tea by day near ITO crossing (income tax
office) - in fact, on the pavement right opposite Hindi Bhavan - and churns
out his literary works at night.

However, it has not been easy for Rao to find someone who would publish his
books. Refusing to give up, he therefore publishes his own books under the
banner ‘Bharatiya Sahitya Kala Prakashan’.

On Thursday, the president invited him along with his family to Rashtrapati
Bhavan - a rare honour the 55-year-old says he will not forget for the rest
of his life.

“It was a great experience. I was overwhelmed by the fact that the president
had invited me and given me such a great honour. Since she also invited my
family, I went there with my wife and two children,” Rao said.

Talking about their interaction, Rao told IANS: “She appreciated my work,
saying that I am a brilliant writer and that my work was excellent”.

He also presented copies of his books to the president.

“I sell my books in schools and colleges everyday. But the love for Hindi
which is our national language has gone down among students,” he said.

Rao is now working on his next novel, “Abhivyakti” which is based on social
causes.

“My last book, ‘Ram Das’ sold 222 copies. Because of the big demand I am
going to publish it again,” he said.