Smt. Madduri / Kasturi Rajya Sri was born and brought up amidst books. She is the youngest daughter of Smt. M. Leelavathi Devi and Sri M.N.Rao. Her mother was a graduate in Maths in the days when women were not much educated and she was a censor board member in Chennai for more than a decade. Her father, Sri M.N.Rao was one of the Founders of M.Seshachalam & Co., Andhra Pradesh Book Distributors, Home library Plan, Emesco Pocket Books, Emesco Sampradaya Sahithi, India Book Exports, Pragbharathi Publications. He served as the President of Federation of Book Publishers and was an international figure.

            Smt. Rajya Sri, being brought up in Telugu publishing family and having been a post-graduate in English Literature, seized the beauty of both the languages by both hands. She showed her creative talents in both and in rendering a translation of one from the other. She has been working as Head of the Department in English, in Nagarjuna Junior College, S.R.Nagar, Hyderabad for many years.

            Smt. Rajya Sri, edited many Telugu novels, wrote the back cover matter for them, wrote many short stories and articles for Telugu magazines. She prepared a Grammar book in English through her experience in class room teaching for more than two decades. She translated from English to Telugu, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, A Cry from the Heart, many issues of Varka (Children’s magazine). She translated short stories of famous writer Smt. Govindaraju Seetha Devi from Telugu to English.

            Her present translation ‘Food and Thought’ of Sri Mantena Satyanarayana Raju’s ‘Aaharam-Alochana’ makes you wonder whether she is a science graduate. So clear is her description, especially of the structure of a cell.

            Smt. Rajya Sri’s style is simple, clear, lucid, striking-forceful and argumentative. That’s how she was able to convey the forceful thoughts of the famous Naturopath as effectively as he has done.

            The simple sentences like “The curve of success is in favour of sugar rather than jaggery’, the poor mind was weak-hearted, he wanted to yield unconditionally. “The situation is tense but under control’ speak about her lucid style.

            The chapter on ‘Miss Chilli’ is the highlight of the book. It starts off on a mischievous note and ends in a very touching way!

            Her argument is so forceful, there is no counter argument to it. See if you can do so for this - “The reverse law is not always good. From Christmas to New Year it is only one week. But from New Year to Christmas, it is almost one whole year.’

            She has supplemented Dr. Raju’s ideas with a few interesting and adept quotations like

            “To get his wealth - he spent his health

            And then with might and main

            He turned around and spent his wealth

            To get the Health again.’

            This is only to state that Smt. Rajya Sri has put in every effort to make the work ‘Food and Thought’ the most interesting subject to be digested and pondered upon!

            She has translated Sri Mantena Satyanarayana Raju’s Aarogyame-Anandam from Telugu to English. He is a pioneer in Natural Life Style and his books on health are like Bhagavat Geetha to Telugu readers.