Kasturi Aliveni: Between the music of words and the words of music

Metro India News | AMARAVATI : For Kasturi Aliveni, creativity did not arrive as a grand revelation. It grew quietly, first as a childhood fascination with stories, then as poetry, and eventually as a life lived between literature and music. There were no shelves of literary classics or a family legacy of writers waiting to guide her into the world of letters. Instead, there was the simple pleasure of reading Bala Mitra. The stories she encountered as a child awakened a curiosity that stayed with her. Much later, that young reader would begin creating stories of her own.

The first significant chapter of that journey unfolded in Visakhapatnam. The city became more than a place of residence; it became the setting in which Kasturi discovered her literary voice. She began writing poetry, putting into words thoughts and emotions that had until then remained within her.

Her association with Visakha Sahithi brought her into the city’s literary circles. Meetings with writers, discussions about literature and participation in literary activities gradually gave shape to what had begun as a personal interest. Then came a moment of encouragement that she remembers as an important turning point, she participated in a literary competition and won.

That recognition gave her the confidence to believe that writing could be more than a private passion. It could become a continuing conversation with readers.

When Kasturi moved to Hyderabad, the literary journey travelled with her. Her canvas expanded from poetry to columns and essays, giving her the freedom to engage with a wider range of subjects. She began looking at everyday life with the eyes of a writer—finding stories in people, relationships, experiences and the world around her.

That evolution eventually led to books. “Addam” and “Pratibimbalu” brought together her stories, while even comedy has become her genre and became another part of her literary journey. Her writing reflects an interest in the many layers of human life, the visible world and the quieter reflections beneath it.

But Kasturi’s creative world has another equally important dimension, music. Her connection with music began through her mother, who sparked her interest at an early age. What began as an attraction gradually became a serious pursuit. After marriage, she immersed herself more fully in learning music, developing her knowledge and practice with greater dedication. In time, she moved from learning to performing, and gave kachcheris, allowing music to become not merely something she appreciated, but something she could share with an audience.

In her life, therefore, literature and music have never existed as separate worlds. They have complemented each other. One gave her words; the other gave those words rhythm. One allowed her to observe life; the other allowed her to experience emotion through sound.

Her journey from the pages of Bala Mitra to poetry in Visakhapatnam, from literary circles and a winning competition to columns, essays and published story collections, runs parallel to her journey in music, from an interest nurtured by her mother to dedicated learning and performances after marriage.

Perhaps that is what makes Kasturi Aliveni’s story distinctive. She did not set out with a grand declaration that she would become a writer or musician. Instead, one interest led to another, one opportunity opened the next door, and a series of seemingly small moments gradually shaped a creative life.