thatsme

Bizarre Encounters- Part 1

2011-06-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Bizarre Encounters- Part 1
In this series, I am going to narrate few of my experiences which were rather puzzling, bewildering and sometimes inexplicable, which have left me pondering over concepts like life after death, the Aliens, The New World Order, UFOs and Crop circles…:). Okay, I was kidding about concepts’ part, but believe me, the episodes were nonetheless interesting.

The Movers and Shakers -

It was the monsoon of the first year of my marriage. On a warm Sunday Evening, Kavitha and I have started out to do some shopping, on my Honda Activa. It was business-as-usual at the Lumbini Jewel Mall in Jubilee Hills, with hordes of people entering in and going out of the Mall. As many of the customers do, we have parked our Activa in a street beside the mall, where there were at least 50 other bikes.

It was almost twilight by the time we entered the mall. It was not important to know what we have bought there, nor is it something that I remember, anyhow. But what we saw by the time we have come out of the mall was almost, incredible.

Just as we came out, we saw a rather familiar shiny “mid-night blue” hued two wheeler, standing on the middle stand by the side of Banjara Hills Road No.2, as though greeting us with a mocking grin!! It was no time that we have identified, that it WAS, my own Honda Activa. But then, my sanity argued that it couldn’t be mine, as I remember parking it in the street beside the mall. On a closer look, the number plate, the minor scratches, the seat cover, everything looked the same!!! What was more conspiring was that the place where I have found my bike was at least 100 meters, from where I have parked it in the first place!!!!

I have checked if I have locked it properly. Perfect. The handle was locked. The key was safely pouched in my pocket. I double checked everything, the number plate, the identification marks and color (though I would not like to take any credit for identification of colors). It was unreal, unbelievable and most importantly unsettling. I could not think of any logical reasoning to what happened at that moment.

Although, we have started back home on the bike(Although the "Macho" section of the crowd would not qualify a Hond Activa as a "Bike", i will still use it, for the heck of it), I could not stop my thoughts from wandering all over, in quest of finding a fitting elucidation of the event that just happened. I thought of the possibility of a Traffic Crane lifting. But, I knew it was perfectly alright to park it where I have parked it, as there are no visible “NO Parking” boards. Even if was a case of Crane lifting, why on earth did they leave it??

I could not rule out the likelihood of a bike lifter, although I could not justify anyone “lifting” the bike which was handle locked, more so in front of a full audience. And even someone dared it, why would he leave it in the middle of the road, of all other places???

With so many thoughts spinning around in my head, like fleeting images from a Crime Thriller movie, I suddenly applied brakes, much to the bafflement of Kavitha. I have asked her quickly to get down from the bike, and to get away from it. I tried to look under the bike for any “wired” explosives that they usually show in movies. Nope. I could not hear any sounds of a clock ticking either.

While it might sound a bit farfetched and paranoiac, bit I really did that, thanks to the steady input of loads of “news” channels and movies.
After that, I think we went to a restaurant or something on our way to home, where I have tried hard to assuage my qualms about our safety amongst other things, but one thought was constantly unsettling me.
“Are we in control of our own lives?”

Galli Cricket

2010-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

As someone rightly said, Cricket is a religion in India.
This religion is all pervasive in India. The smallest manifestation of this religion is called the Galli Cricket. This form of cricket is in fact the most atomic of all the forms of cricket. This game usually is played in small lanes, between houses, backyards of houses and virtually anywhere they can find enough space to play.

The game itself has derived most of its rules from its bigger counter parts, but has a set of rules of its own. For example, the bowler can “Throw” the cricket ball; the batsman can be “Out” if caught on one bounce, a provision for a “Joker” who can bat and field for both the teams etc. Some more variations of the rules can be like, a batsman will be declared out if he hits the ball into a neighbor’s compound, more so if the neighbor is cantankerous.

Contrary to popular belief, that it is all too simple in Galli cricket, it is in fact far more complex than the original forms of cricket. You have to bear so many things in your mind apart from the normal techniques of playing, like restraining your instincts to hit the cricket ball as hard as you like, but hard enough to get some runs, avoiding any glass panes of windows in the neighborhood. You have to bat with utmost care, not to offer a one-bounce catch to a closing fielder and the runs won’t come easily, with even vehicles finding a place in the field.

The otherwise mandatory stumps are not really mandatory. Three lines drawn on a wall with coal/ green leaves will do fine. If your “Ground” doesn’t have a wall, three bricks laid side by side would do just fine.
Usually there will be no Umpires as such, but if required batsmen from the batting side don the role of Umpires and it’s a no-brainer that they invariably support the batting team, after all, the bias is mutual.
Even with so much complexity ingrained in it, Galli cricket still forms the primary love of every kid in the streets, who aspire to become the next Sachins and Dhonis of the world.

CSR team@Intelligroup visit MNJ Hospital and Nachiketa Tapovan on Christmas

2010-01-07T05:36:00.000-08:00

"They say there are two types of people in the world.

Givers and takers. Takers eat well and Givers sleep well."

Most part of our lives, we fall in the first category.

This christmas, I consider to be lucky to be a part of the second category.

I can only say, very little could have matched the satisfaction that we derived out of the little acts of kindness that we did on that day.

It was not just a package of colorfully packed goodies that brought the smile back on the lips of 15 odd Cancer affected children at MNJ/Cancel hospital and 150 odd under privelieged children at Nachiiketa tapovan, but the fact that there are a few good samaritans still left in this world, who have shown that they cared for them.

The happiness was mutual. Infact, we felt more happy looking at the children who were pleasantly surprised by the Santa Claus' visit and the presents.

I'm so glad that I am a part of a company which believed in the philosophy of giving.

I am so thankful to each one of CSR and HR teams who made this event possible and bringing back the smile to its rightful abode: i.e. On the lips of children.

Medical Concepts and South Indian Thrillers

2009-12-21T02:10:00.000-08:00

If you have been following the South Indian movies , say , from about 3 years, one good trend that you must have noticed must be , the frequency of so called non-commercial formulaic movies has been on the rise. Every now and then you get to see a movie , that's doesn't follow the conventional "Framework".
One interesting aspect that I observed was the uncanny use of some Medical Concepts in each of these movies. Take for example
Multiple- Personality Disorder in ANNIYAN/APARICHITUDU and CHANDRAMUKHI,
Short-term memory loss in Ghajini,
Visual hallucination in Gopichand starrer Ontari,
Organ Transplantation in Bhoomika starrer Anasuya,
Rohypnol usage in Charmi starrer Anukokunda Okaroju,
Atrificial insemination and Hypnotism in director Ravi Babu's AMARAVATHI,
Psychosis in the latest release from Just Yellow, Genelia D'Souza starrer Katha.

The trend has not caught just the south indian director's imaginations, but also the national directors' too. The story of a dysletic kid in Taare Zameen par and a 13 year old suffering from Progeria in Paa are two examples that i remember off hand.

So, future thriller director aspirants, the right place to get your story ideas is not International Movie databases and novels, but your Medical Dictionaries!!!! Go for 'em..:)

సాఫ్ట్వేర్ మగధీర..

2009-08-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

అనగనగా అమీర్పేట్ లో "రేపో మాపో టెక్నాలజీస్ " అని ఒక చిన్న సాఫ్ట్వేర్ కంపెనీ. దాని CEO గుర్నాధం..

ఆ కంపెనీ ని టేక్ ఓవర్ చెయ్యడానికి అమెరికా నుండి ఒక పెద్ద సాఫ్ట్వేర్ కంపెనీ ప్లాన్ చేస్తుందని మన అమీర్పేట్ కంపెనీ వైస్-ప్రెసిడెంట్ వెంకటప్పయ్య గుర్నాధానికి చెప్పాడు..

గుర్నాధం మొహం మీద చిరు చెమటని చూసి వెంకటప్పయ్య , "ఎందుకలా ఉన్నారు సార్?మనం టేక్ ఓవర్ ని రేసిస్ట్ చేద్దాం " అని సలహా పారేసాడు..

గుర్నాధం దీర్ఘంగా నిట్టూర్చి, "నీకు ఆ పెద్ద సాఫ్ట్వేర్ కంపెనీ గురించి ఐడియా లేదు.వాళ్లకి ఈ రిసెషన్ టైం లో కూడా బోలెడంత హాట్ కాష్ ఉంది. ఇప్పటికే మాదాపూర్ లో మూడు, అమీర్పేట్ లో ఏడు కంపెనీ లను మెర్జ్ చేసుకున్నారు.." అని చెప్పగానే వెంకటప్పయ్య విషయం సీరియస్నెస్ ని అర్ధం చేసుకున్నట్టు తల ఆడించాడు..

అప్పుడే అతనికి ఒక మెరుపు లాంటి ఆలోచన తట్టింది..

ప్రోగ్రామర్ భైరవ్..

ప్రస్తుతం జూనియర్ ప్రోగ్రామర్స్ కి ట్రైనింగ్ ఇస్తున్న అతను, కనీసం వంద ప్రోగ్రామ్స్ క్రాష్ చేయ్యనిదే కంపెనీ నుండి ఫైర్ అవ్వని "శతక్రాష్" వంశం లో పుట్టాడు..

ఇదిలా ఉండగా, అమెరికా నుండి వచ్చిన కంపెనీ పేరు, "ఎంతైనా కొంటా సొల్యూషన్స్ ".దానికి CEO షేర్ ఖాన్..

షేర్ మార్కెట్ లో ఇన్వెస్ట్మెంట్ చేసి చేసి , అతనికి ఆ పేరు వచ్చింది.

"రేపో మాపో టెక్నాలజీస్" బిల్డింగ్ బయట కార్ దిగి, షేర్ ఖాన్ , తన మార్కెటింగ్ వైస్ ప్రెసిడెంట్ తో, "డీల్ క్లోజ్ చెయ్యడానికి ఒక రెండు గంటలు చాలేమో?" అన్నాడు..

దానికి, వైస్ ప్రెసిడెంట్ ఏకాంబరం, "సర్ ,మీరు రేపో మాపో టెక్నాలజీస్ ని తక్కువ అంచనా వేస్తున్నారు సర్.., మనకి డీల్ కి మధ్య మనకి అడ్డుగా ప్రోగ్రామర్ భైరవ్ ఉన్నాడు.."

"కనీసం వంద ప్రోగ్రామ్స్ క్రాష్ చెయ్యందే , కంపెనీ నుండి ఫైర్ అవ్వని "శతక్రాష్" వంశం లో పుట్టిన భైరవ్ కి , ప్రోగ్రామింగ్ విస్కీ తో పెట్టిన విద్య.." చెప్పుకొచ్చాడు ఏకాంబరం..

శత్రువుని పొగుడుతున్న వైస్ ప్రెసిడెంట్ ఏకాంబరం మీద అసహనం వ్యక్తం చేస్తూ షేర్ ఖాన్,

"ఎంత భయంకరమైన ప్రోగ్రామరైనా , డీబగ్ చేస్తే కనిపించేది కోడె కదా " అన్నాడు..

"కాని, దానిని డీబగ్ చేసే మగాడు ఉండాలి కదా.." అన్నాడు ఏకాంబరం..

ఏకాంబరం మాటలకు చిర్రెత్తిన షేర్ ఖాన్, కోపం తో ఊగి పోతు , "వంద ప్రోగ్రామ్స్ క్రాష్ కాకుండా ఫైర్ అవ్వని వంశం లో పుట్టిన ప్రోగ్రామర్ భైరవ్ చరిత్ర అంతా ఒక బూటకం అని ప్రూవ్ చేయ్యనిదే తను అమీర్పేట్ మైత్రివనం వదిలి వెళ్ళను.." అని శపథం పూనాడు..

సీన్ కట్ చేస్తే, రేపో మాపో టెక్నాలజీస్ మెయిన్ డెవలప్మెంట్ సెంటర్ లో , ఒక పాత కంప్యూటర్ ముందు విండోస్ నెట్ మీటింగ్ లో భైరవ్ , షేర్ ఖాన్ తో యుద్ధానికి సన్నధం అయ్యాడు ..

ఆ చాట్ భారతం ఏమిటో ఇప్పుడు చూద్దాం..

ఎస్.కే.(షేర్ ఖాన్): "మిస్టర్ "శతక్రాష్" భైరవ్..నువ్వు అన్ కండీషనల్ గా మా ప్రొపొసల్ ఒప్పుకుని, నీ హిస్టరీ అంతా ఒక స్పాం మెయిల్ అని ఒప్పుకుంటే, మీ రేపో మాపో టెక్నాలజీస్ ని అక్వైర్ చేసుకున్నాక కూడా నీ పోసిషన్ కన్ఫరం చేస్తాం..కాదు కూడదు అని వెధవ ప్రోగ్రామింగుతెలివి తేటలు చూపిస్తే మాత్రం, నీకు రిలీవింగ్ లెటర్ కూడా దొరకదు.."

పీ.బీ.( ప్రోగ్రామర్ భైరవ్ ): "నేను కూడా నీకు వార్నింగ్ ఇస్తున్నా, నువ్వు కూడా వచ్చిన దారినే..ఐ మీన్, ట్రాఫిక్ ఎక్కువ ఉంటె, వేరే దారిలో అయినా , తిరిగి వెళ్ళిపోక పోతే, నీ కంపెనీ న్యూ యార్క్ స్టాక్ ఎక్సేంజ్ నుండి డీలిస్ట్ అయ్యినట్టే అనుకో.."

ఎస్.కే.: "నాకే వార్నింగ్ ఇస్తావా..బిల్ గేట్స్ తర్వాత బిల్ గేట్స్ అంతటి వాడిని నేను.."

పీ.బీ: " నీ ప్రాజెక్ట్స్ లో మోస్ట్ కాంప్లెక్స్ ఆబ్జేక్ట్స్ వంద స్పెక్కులు పంపించు.."

ఎస్.కే. " నా స్పెక్కులు రివ్యూ చేసేలోపు రిజైన్ చేస్తావ్..."
ఎస్.కే: "వంద స్పెక్కులకి ఒక్క స్పెక్కు తక్కువైనా ఓడినట్టే లెక్క.."

పీ.బీ: " ఎక్కువైనా పర్వాలేదు , లెక్క తక్కువ అవకుండా పంపించు.."

ఎస్.కే : " డెలివరీ మేనేజర్ దివాకరం..స్పెక్కులు తీసుకురా.. .."
పీ.బీ: " ఒక్కొక్క స్పెక్కు కాదురా, వంద స్పెక్కులు జిప్ చేసి పంపించు..."

అని ఇంకో విండో లో గూగుల్ వెబ్సైటు కి దణ్ణం పెట్టుకున్నాడు..మెయిల్ లో పంపిన వంద స్పెక్కులు ఒక్కోటి గా ఓపెన్ చేస్తూ, హల్లీవుడ్ మూవీస్ క్లైమాక్స్ థీమ్ సాంగ్స్ ప్లే చేస్తూ, కోడింగ్ స్టార్ట్ చేసాడు..

...............
int v_value1=0;
int v_value2 = 100;
int v_result = v_value2/ v_value1;............
Running program ZDGJHNL....divide by zero error..program aborted...

ఎస్.కే: "ఒక్కటి.."

for(int i =0; i>0; i++){//Do nothing....}
........................
while(1){////}........................
function xyz(int a){int b= xyz(a);}......................
function abc(int a){int b= def(a);}
function def(int a){int b= abc(a);}............................
circular references encountered...program terminated...
crashed..
unparesable errors..cannot proceed...
the program has performed an incorrigible error...
!@#$%^&*(^&*()_

ఎస్.కే: "పదకొండు.."

#$%^&*uhwrivfn

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!@#$%!!!!!!!!!ggufbweln567798
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1 9 '139 348819318 ftf'lp'kfp

ఎస్.కే: "ముప్పై రెండు , .."

పక్కనుండి ఏకాంబరం, " సార్, ముప్పై నాలుగు.." అని కరెక్ట్ చేసాడు..

అలా చూస్తుండగానే..యాభై...డెబ్బై...తొంభై..వంద!!!!! ప్రోగ్రామ్స్ క్రాష్ అయ్యాయి..

భైరవ్ అతి భయంకరమైన ప్రోగ్రామింగ్ పాటవాలు అది దగ్గరగా చూసిన షేర్ ఖాన్ కేఐ నోట మాట రావడం లేదు .."ఇంత కాలం, నేను అక్వైర్ చేద్దాం అనుకునే లోపు, మాలో మెర్జ్ అయిపోయే స్టార్ట్ అప్ కంపెనీలనే చూసాను..ఈరోజు నీద్వారా, ఒకపక్క ఫైర్ అవుతామని తెలిసి కూడా ప్రోగ్రామ్స్ ని ఫైర్ చేసే ప్రోగ్రామర్ ని మొట్ట మొదటి సారిగా చూస్తున్నా... నీ కోడింగ్ స్కిల్ల్స్ కి దాసోహం అయ్యాను..మీ కంపెనీ ని అక్వైర్ చేసుకుని, నిన్ను భరించే అంత కెపాసిటీ మా కంపెనీ కి లేదు..."అంటూ అమీర్పేట్ మైత్రివనం నుండి కార్ ఎక్కాడు...షేర్ ఖాన్...

ప్రదీప్ గాడి పెళ్లి..

2009-04-13T02:59:00.000-07:00

సమయం : 19:05 ఏప్రిల్ 07 2009 ( ఇరవై ఐదు నిముషాలు ఫాస్ట్ గా ఉన్న నా సెల్ ఫోన్ లోని టైం)

ప్రదేశం: మాదాపూర్ దగ్గర్లో మా ఆఫీసు లో కాన్ఫరెన్స్ రూమ్..

వైబ్రేషన్ మోడ్ లో ఉన్న నా మొబైల్ ,టేబుల్ మీద "బ్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ బ్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ బ్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్ర్" అంటూ ఒక మెసేజ్ మోసుకొచ్చింది.. ఓపెన్ చేసి చుస్తే, చైతన్య నుండి "ట్విస్ట్ ఇన్ ది టేల్" అని మెసేజ్..డిటైల్స్ చూడకుండానే అర్ధం అయ్యింది, చైతు గాడు ప్రదీప్ గాడి పెళ్ళికి డ్రాప్ పెట్టాడని..నాకు పెద్దగా ఆశ్చర్యం వెయ్యలేదు..ఆశ్చర్యం వేసే స్టేజి దాటి చాల కాలమే అయ్యింది మరి..

సమయం: 7:45 PM (PM అంటే ఈవినింగే కదా??)

ప్రదేశం: హైటెక్ సిటీ క్రాస్ రోడ్స్ , ఈదురు గాలికి రోడ్డుకి అడ్డంగా పడి ఉన్న ట్రాఫిక్ పోస్టు పక్కన..

ఆటో వాడు నా IT రిటర్న్స్ జిరాక్స్ కాపి అడుగుతున్న సమయం..నా ఫోన్ మళ్ళి మోగింది..

లిఫ్ట్ చేస్తే సునీత..లింగంపల్లి లో తను అప్పుడే MMTS లో బయలుదేరానని చెప్పింది...అప్పుడే వెలిసిన వాన నీటిలో కళ్లు చెదిరే కాంతితో మరో మెరుపు ప్రతిబింబం...

కొద్ది సేపాగాక ఆటో వాడు ఫేర్ చెప్పినప్పుడు నా గుండె గుభేలుమన్నంత సౌండ్ తో ఒక ఉరుము...

సమయం : 20: 15 , (ఇలా ఐతే కంఫ్యూజన్ ఉండదు..) IT పక్షులు గూళ్ళకు చేరుకునేందుకు MMTS స్టేషన్ కి చేరుకునే టైం

ప్రదేశం : హైటెక్ సిటీ రైల్వే స్టేషన్

హైటెక్ సిటీ లో రవి కిరణ్ని చైతన్య డ్రాప్ చేసాడు..(డ్రాప్ చెయ్యడం చైతు గాడికి ఫావెరేట్ హాబీ) ....

రవి కి సేఫ్టీ కొంచెం ఎక్కువ కదా, ట్రైన్ లో కూడా హెల్మెట్ పెట్టుకుని మరీ సునీత ఎక్కిన MMTS లో ఎక్కాడు..(కానీ వేరే బోగీ లో, ఎందుకంటే, సునీత ఎక్కిన బోగీ లో అమ్మాయిలు పెద్దగా బాగోలేరంట..;) ) ఇంత జాగ్రత్త పరుడు, టికెట్ ఎందుకు తీసుకోలేదు అని అడిగితే, మేం మాత్రం ఎం చేప్తాంమండీ...బద్ధకం.. ;)

సమయం: 20: 30,

ప్రదేశం: IDPL Colony

ఆటోలు దొరకడం పెద్దగా కష్టం కాని ప్లేస్ అయినప్పటికీ, కవిత వాళ్లకి ఇంకా ఆటో ఏమి దొరకలేదు(For the uninformed, Kavitha is my wife)..నాకు ఎప్పటిలాగానే పెద్దగా ఆశ్చర్యం అనిపించలేదు..కారణం, అసలు మేమంతా వెళ్తున్నది ఎవరి పెళ్ళికని మరి??!!వర్షం , హోరు గాలి ఇంకాస్త ఎక్కువయ్యాయి..కవిత టెన్షన్ తో పాటు...

సమయం:20: 50

ప్రదేశం:నాంపల్లి రైల్వే స్టేషన్

రవి కిరణ్ , సునీత కలుసుకున్నారు..ట్రైన్ స్టార్ట్ అయ్యేది నాంపల్లి అని తెలియక, నేను, కవిత సికిందరాబాద్ కి ఆటోల్లో వెళ్తూ ఉన్నాం..

సమయం: 9:15 PM

ప్రదేశం: సికిందరాబాద్ రైల్వే స్టేషన్..

నేను, కవిత కలుసుకున్నాం..రవి కిరణ్ వాళ్లకి ఫోన్ చేసి, ట్రైన్ నాంపల్లి లో స్టార్ట్ అవుతుందని తెలుసుకుని, 10:15 PM వరకు రైల్వే ADs చూసుకుంటూ కాలక్షేపం చేసాము..

సమయం: 10:45 PM , నా సెల్ ఫోన్ లోనే, (ఈసారి టైం కరెక్ట్ చేసుకున్నాను)

ప్రదేశం: అనవసరం..ట్రైన్ లో ఉన్నాం..:)

నలుగురం ట్రైన్ లో ప్రదీప్ పెళ్ళికి వెళ్తున్నాం ..ఈ విషయానికి మాత్రం నాకు ఆశ్చర్యం వేసింది..

సమయం: మేము నాన్ స్టాప్ గా వేస్తున్న సొల్లు భరించ లేక పక్క బెర్త్ లో ప్యాసింజర్ ,"టైం ఎంతయ్యిందో చూసారా?" అని అడిగేటంత...

ప్రదేశం: మళ్లీ అనవసరమే...ఇంకా ట్రైన్ లోనే ఉన్నాం..

ఇంకా చేసేదేమీ లేక, పడుకున్నాం..

సమయం: మిడిల్ బెర్త్ వాళ్ళు బెర్త్ మడిచి లోయర్ బెర్త్ వాడి నిద్ర చేడగోట్టేటంత..

ప్రదేశం : కరెక్ట్ గా ఏ ఫ్లెసొ తెలియదు కానీ, కొబ్బరి చెట్లు చేపల చెరువులు చూస్తూ ఉంటె మాత్రం, కోనసీమ అని తెలుస్తూంది..

మేము అనుకున్నది కరక్టే అని చెబుతూ, పాలకొల్లు రైల్వే స్టేషన్ రానే వచ్చింది..మాతో పాటు ట్రైన్ లో సగానికి పైగా జనం అక్కడే దిగిపోయారు..స్టేషన్ బయటకి రాగానే, తాటిపాక RTC బస్సు రెడీ గా ఉంది..కాసేపు కుస్తీ పట్టాక, బస్సు లో సీట్లు దొరికాయి.. లెక్కలేనన్ని సినిమాల్లో కోనసీమ అందాలని బ్లాకు అండ్ వైట్ కాలం నుండి చూస్తూనే ఉన్నా, మొదటి సారి చూస్తున్నందుకో ఏమో తెలియదు కానీ, మమ్మలనందరినీ తన పసిడి వన్నెలతో ,పచ్చని పొలాల పైర గాలులతో కట్టి పడేసినట్టు మా అలసటనంత తన చెంగుతో తుడిచివేస్తున్నట్టు, అనిపించింది..కనుచూపు మేర అంటా కూడా అందమైన కొబ్బరి చెట్లతో , ఆ చెట్ల మధ్య వరి చేలతో కోనసీమ అందాలు , చూస్తేనే తప్ప, రాసి వివరించలేనంతగా ఉన్నాయి..ట్రేడ్ మార్క్ కొబ్బరి చెట్లతో..దారి పొడవునా తోడు వచ్చే పంట కాలువలతో...మన రాష్ట్రాన్ని అన్నపూర్ణ గా అభివర్నించడానికి కారణమైన ఉభయ గోదావరి జిల్లాల శోభ నిజంగా దేదీప్యమానం .అలా ఒక 2 గంటలు ప్రయాణం చేసాక గోగులమఠం చేరుకున్నాం.

సమయం: నిద్ర మత్తు , ఆకలి, నీరసం, ఆయాసం కలిసి వచ్చే సమయం..మధ్యాహ్నం..

ప్రదేశం: పెళ్లి ఇల్లు..
ప్రదీప్ వాళ్ళదే అయినా, ఇంట్లో పెళ్లి కాబట్టి N.V ఐటెంస్ లేవు..అయినా మా ఆకలికి..(రవి కిరణ్ గాడి ఆకలికి అని చదవండి) అప్పుడు ఎం పేట్టినా తినేసేలాగా ఉన్నాము అనుకోండి..;)అలా ఆత్మారాముణ్ణి శాంతింప జేసి.. వెంటనే పడుకుంటే, ముత్యాల ముగ్గు సినిమా లో రావు గోపాల రావు గారి డైలాగ్ ఎవరన్నా కొడతారేమో అని, బద్దకంగా ఉన్నా, అలా ఊరి బయటకి వెళ్ళాము..కాసేపు అలా కళాపొషన చేసాక తిరిగి పెళ్ళింటికి చేరుకున్నాం..తర్వాత పెళ్లి వారితో కలిసి పాలకొల్లు బయలుదేరాము..

అన్నట్టు భోజనం విషయం లో పడి ఒక ఇంటరెష్టింగ్ విషయం చెప్పడం మర్చిపోయాను.

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.నిజంగానే మర్చిపోయాను..;)

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.యా..గుర్తొచ్చింది..ప్రదీప్ గాడి సింగిల్ ఫోటో సెషన్.. ఈ ఫోటో సెషన్ ప్రతీ పెళ్లికొడుక్కి శిరోభారం..ప్రతీ ఫోటొగ్రాఫర్ కి తులాభారం..(ఏదో ప్రాసకోసం వాడను..మీనింగ్ అడక్కండి..)

ఫోటొగ్రాఫర్ తను తీసుకున్న ప్రతీ రూపాయికి న్యాయం చేకూర్చడానికి పెళ్లి కొడుకుతో చిన్నపాటి సినిమానే తీసదంటే నమ్మండి..(కావలిస్తే పెళ్ళయిన ఇంకెవరినైనా అడగండి..)పెళ్లి మండపం కి వెళ్ళే దారిలో పెళ్లి బళ్ళన్నీ గోదావరి గట్టు దాటడమనే ఘట్టం గురించి మనం ఇక్కడ ప్రత్యేకంగా చెప్పుకోవాలి..గోదావరి మీద వేసిన వంతెన దాటడం అనే ఈ తంతు ఫోటోగ్రాఫర్ ప్రత్యెక శ్రద్ధతో తీసాడు..ఆ కార్లన్నీ వరసగా వెళ్తుంటే ఆ ఫోటో గ్రాఫర్ కళ్ళల్లో ఒక VV వినాయక్ , ఇంకో B. గోపాల్ కనిపించారు నాకు...;)

ఈ హడావిడి మధ్య మేమంతా కళ్యాణ మండపం చేరుకున్నాం..పెళ్లి కొడుక్కి ఇచ్చే విడిది గదికి మమ్మల్ని పంపించారు..ఆ గది నిండా ఎటు చూసినా పెద్ద పెద్ద లడ్డూలు , పూతరేకులు, జాంగ్రీలు మొదలైన స్వీట్స్ కనిపించాయి.. అప్పుడు రవి కిరణ్ గాడిని చూస్తె నాకెందుకో "తంతే వెళ్లి బూరెల గంప లో పడ్డాడు" అనే సామెత గుర్తొచ్చింది..అఫ్కోర్స్ , రవి గాడికి నన్ను చుసినా అదే సామెత గుర్తుకు వస్తుంది అని చెప్తాడనుకోండి..అది వేరే విషయం..అన్ని స్వీట్స్ చూసాక, ప్రదీప్ గాడు పెళ్లి మండపం కి వస్తాడో రాడో అని ఒకపక్క మాకు టెన్షన్ .ఒక వేళ రాను అని మారాం చేస్తే, పెళ్లి మండపం లో గ్రిల్ల్ద్ చికెన్ పెడుతున్నారని చెబితే సరి అని ఎవరో సలహా ఇచ్చారు..;)కాసేపటికి మేమంతా ఫ్రెష్ అయ్యి పెళ్లి మండపానికి చేరుకున్నాం..

సమయం: తాళి కట్టు శుభవేళ..

ప్రదేశం: పెళ్లి పందిరి..

ప్రదీప్ గాడు ఇంకా చేసేదేమీ లేక, తాళి కట్టడం తప్పదని తెలుసుకుని, ఇంత దూరం ఎలాగూ వచ్చాం కదా అని మనసులో అనుకుంటూ...

తాళి కట్టేసాడొచ్..

(ఎక్కడో దూరంగా "ఒనె మోర్ వికెట్ " అని రవి శాస్త్రి కీచు గొంతుకు తో అరిచిన ఫీలింగ్..)

ఇరు వైపుల వాళ్ళందరికీ నీరసం వచ్చేదాకా ఫోటోగ్రాఫర్ ఫొటోస్ తీసాక మేము భోజనానికి ఉపక్రమించాము..ఆ తరువాత గోగులమఠం కి తిరుగు ప్రయాణం అయ్యాం.ఆల్మోస్ట్ మేమొచ్చిన టైం కి పెళ్లి కొడుకు వాళ్ళ కార్ కూడా ఇంటికి వచ్చేసింది ..వర్జ్యం వీడే వరకు ఇంట్లోకి రానివ్వకుండా వరండా లో ఒక అరగంట వాళ్ళిద్దరిని ఆపేసారు..ఆ తర్వాత లోనికి రానిచ్చారు..అప్పటికే బాగా నిద్రని ఆపుకున్న మాకు, మాకు తెలిసే లోగానే నిద్ర వచ్చేసింది..

Baxogens welcome 2009

2009-01-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

If there was anything that was certainly uncertain about Baxogens, it should be the uncertainity about the uncertainness that they impart into every "Plan" they make...
Still trying to understand it?
So am I...:D
Well, all I wanted to say is that....
.....
wait,....
forget it...
This summarizes it all..
Our plans falter even before they are conceived...
The sum total of the magnitude of insane satisfaction that we baxogens derive out of our "Plans" going haywire, is greater than the Overall satisfaction of doing something as planned...
Coming to the point, Our Ideology (Or the lack of it) has reached its Zenith point, when We have planned to go to a "Beach" Party (Beach in Hyderabad???sounds crazy???Thats what attracted us too..) somewhere near Medchal Highway, on the New Year's eve, took a unexpected turn when the whole party was cancelled ,due to infrigement of some GHMC Law...
5 Years after the inception of the "Cream batch" and "Baxogens", the feeling that we got was that of "What-else-do-you-think-is-gonna-happen"....:D
Being the never-say-die types, we always had a Plan B...
Eat...
Although we 4(Mahi,Pradeep,Ravi Kiran and me) were representing altogether different weight groups, we had one thing in coming...
A great appetite..:)
We quickly slipped into a Dominos' and gorged a Cheese Burst Piza with Spicy Chicken topping and a Veggie one with a similar crust...Believe me, it was a sumptuos dose of Indianised Pizza at its best...After taking the Atmarams to rest, Our next venture was, well, As a matter of fact, we had no real idea...
We aimed our bikes in every freaking direction and surveyed the Jubilee Hills' roads to perfection.
It was already 10 O Clock in the night and we could see all the creatures of the night, slowly reaching the choicest of the Pubs in the town.
We rode aimlessly till we reached the city center mall. We ambled across the rather sparsely crowded corridors of the mall and moved out of it after a few minutes.
Our next whim to go to Necklace road to welcome the new year when it strikes 12.
We reached the eat Street by 10:30 and found that it was closed for public entry.We spent some time basking in lap of the Necklace road landscapes.
"How is a Hyderabadi celebration complete without a Biryani?" is the unanimous thought that striked us and we were off in a moment and reached the Authentic Biryani Capitol of Hyderabad, Paradise.
We have ordered a Family pack of Hyderabad Biryani, along with an egg biryani for our lone Eggitarian, Mahi.On our way back to Pradeep's room, we parked our bikes on the KBR Park Road, to revel the new year moment by raising a Toast to our friendship, using Icecreams for a change...
We watched an invisible clock striking 12 amidst merriment of the quintessential Nawab of a laidback city, which stood resilient to the test of the times, which gave a testimony of the optimism of the Human race, that everything gonna be alright, in the end...
On that note, we came back to the Room, resumed our Plan B(Read: eat...:D ) and then, tried to compensate the Royal Pampering of the senses with a 3 KM Walk in the midnight, from Krishna Nagar to the Poison Pub.
After returning to the room again, we welcomed the New Year's Thursday, by watching the Movie " A Wednesday"...It was 4 of the Clock in night then, and we no longer had the temerity to wage the war with the closing eyelids and gave into the slumber that was to follow , very soon....

నా దారి ..రహదారి ..

2008-09-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

భారత దేశాన్ని దర్శిద్దాం అనుకునే వారి , భారతీయ రహదారుల పై ప్రయాణిద్దాం అని సాహసించే వారి మనుగడ కోసం , నేను ఈ టపా రాస్తున్నాను. వాహనం బయట ఉండటం అంతగా క్షేమం కాని బీహార్ లో తప్ప ఇది భారత దేశం లో అన్ని ప్రాంతాలకి వర్తిస్తుంది..భారత రహదారుల నియమాలు కర్మ సిద్ధాంతాన్ని అనుసరిస్తాయి..అంటే, మీరు చెయ్యవలసినది చేసి, మిగతాది మీ ఇంషురన్స్ కంపెనీ కి వదిలెయ్యాలి అన్నమాట...ఆ ఉద్దేశ్యం తోనే ఇవిగో!!! కొన్ని సలహాలు, సూచనలు...

1) మనం రోడ్డుకి కుడి వైపు నడపాలా ఎడమ వైపా?

జవాబు , రెండూ అనవచ్చు..

రూలు ప్రకారం ఎడమ వైపు నడపాలి..ఒకవేళ ఖాళీ లేకపోతే, కుడి వైపు..అదీ ఖాళీ లేకపోతే ఎక్కడ ఖాళీ ఉంటే అక్కడ నడపాలన్న మాట..చదరంగం లో లాగా..మీ మనసు చెప్పింది విని , దిస ను అంచనా వేసి ముందుకి సాగిపొండి..అంతే..చాలామంది తమ బళ్ళను నడపరు..కేవలం తము వెళ్ళాలి అనుకునే దిశలో ఎక్కుపెడతారు ..అది చూచి మీరు మానసికంగా క్రుంగిపోనవసరం లేదు.. మిమ్మల్ని మీరు తక్కువ అంచనా వేసుకోడం కూడా అవసరం లేదు..పునర్జన్మ మీద నమ్మకం ఉండటం తప్పితే, మిగత డ్రైవర్లు మీకంటే మెరుగైన స్థితి లో ఏమి లేరు కాబట్టి..

ఎవడో వెదవ రోడ్డు దాటడం కోసం మీరు జేబ్రా క్రాసింగ్ వద్ద మీ బళ్ళను ఆపకండి ..మీ బండిని వెనక నుండి ఇంకో బండి చేత గుద్దిన్చుకోడం మీకు ఇష్టం ఐతే తప్ప..పాదచారులకు , ట్రాఫిక్ మెల్లిగా వెళ్తున్నప్పుడు కానీ, ఎవరైనా మినిస్టర్ వెళ్ళే కారణం చేత పూర్తిగా ఆగిపోయినప్పుడు తప్ప , రోడ్డు దాటకూడదు అని పక్కా ఆదేశాలు జారీ అయ్యాయి.. అప్పటికీ ఎవడైనా దాటాలి అనుకున్నాడనుకోండి.....

ఎందుకులెండి, ఈ లోకం లో లేని వాళ్ల గురించి చెడు గా మాట్లాడటం అంత బాగోదు...

చాల దేశాలలో లాగా హార్న్ కొట్టడం నిరసన వ్యక్తం చెయ్యడానికి ఒక సంకేతం ఎంత మాత్రం కాదు..ఇక్కడ హార్న్ కొట్టడం అంటే ఆనందం, ప్రేమ లేదా శుద్దమైన కామం కూడా అవ్వొచ్చు..మీ కోపాన్ని , చికాకు ని , లేదా రోడ్డుకి అడ్డంగా పడుకున్న ఆవుని అదల్చడానికి ఐనా హార్న్ వాడొచ్చు..

కార్ లో మంచి పుస్తకాలు నిలవ ఉంచుకోడం ఉత్తమం..ఎవరైనా మంత్రి గారి బందోబస్తు వెళ్ళేంత వరకు , లేదా రోడ్డు మీద వాన నీరు అడుగంటే వరకు మీకు మంచి కాలక్షేపంగా ఉంటుంది..

ఇక్కడ రాత్రి పూట బండి నడపడం చాల ఉత్తేజకరమైన అనుభవం..అప్పుడప్పుడు రోడ్డుకి అడ్డంగా బండ రాళ్ళు తప్పితే పెద్దగా ఆటంకాలు ఏమి ఉండవు..ఇంక ట్రక్కు డ్రైవర్ల విషయానికి వస్తే , వీళ్ళు సాక్షాత్తు యమకింకరులే !!అప్పుడప్పుడు మీకు ఒక తేజోవంతమైన ఆరడుగుల ఎత్తున్న కాంతి పుంజం తారస పడవచ్చు..అది ఒక అసామాన్యమైన మహా ద్విచక్ర వాహనం అనుకుంటే పొరబాటే..అది ఒక లైట్ పని చెయ్యని ఒక పెద్ద ట్రక్కు అనమాట..ఆ పని చెయ్యని లైట్ సాధారణంగా ఎడమ వైపుది అయ్యి ఉండొచ్చు..కొన్ని సార్లు కుడి వైపుది కూడా అయి ఉండొచ్చు...మరీ దగ్గరగా పరిశీలించడానికి వెళ్ళకండి..మీరు కీర్తి శేషులయ్యాక మీరన్నదే నిజం అవ్వొచ్చు..!!

రాత్రి కంటే పగలు ట్రక్కులు కొద్దిగా "కనిపిస్తూ" ఉంటాయి..కానీ డ్రైవర్లు సిగ్నల్స్ ఇవ్వరు..పక్కనుండే క్లీనరు మాత్రం పూనకం వచ్చినవాడికి మల్లె చేతులు ఊపుతూ ఉంటాడు..
కొన్నిసార్లు మీకు ఏదో పర గ్రహం నుండి భూమి మీదకు వచ్చిన అంతరిక్ష నౌక లాంటి వాహనాలు తారస పడుతూ ఉంటాయి..అవి భక్తబృందాలను దైవ దర్శనం కోసం తీసుకువెళ్ళే వాహనాలు అన్నమాట..కళ్లు చెదిరే వేగం తో వెళ్ళే ఈ వాహనాలు తరచుగా భక్తులను దేవుడి దగ్గరకు తీసుకువెళ్ళడం లో సఫలీకృతం అవుతుంటాయి అనడం లో ఎటువంటి అతిశయోక్తి లేదు..
P.S: This post is a free translation of an article written by Coen Jeukens,a Baan Professional from Netherlands, in 2004. I have written this post purely for fun. I do not mean to hurt the sentiments of anyone.

Keesara- A walk back in the memory lane....

2008-04-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Going to Keesaragutta on a Sunday morning would not need any prior planning, especially if you are not a Baxogen. But for a Baxogen, Plans are as imperative as the trips themselves. In fact, plans are more important than the trips for us. So, it was planned that Pradeep, Murali, Mahi and I would start to Keesaragutta at 6:00AM, on the night before the day of the trip. If not for the dubious distinction of missing double the number of trips that were planned, the night would have been a normal one for all of us.
Although 6:00 AM on a Sunday morning was rather too ambitious, we set our alarms to 5:30Am, as we have told you; we were very particular about planning.

The clock was not as lethargic as we all were. It was prompt and started ringing on time, as though it was very excited about the trip. Mahi was the first one to wake up. After 20 minutes of passing the alarm to one another, we finally woke up.

It was all going perfectly as planned, much to our surprise. We have started on 2 bikes, from Kukatpalli and picked up my Handy Cam at my home in IDPL Colony. We could not believe the whole thing, going to a place where we have planned was going to be historic given our record, and the excitement was quite evident in all of us. The reason might be a notion that taking chances with Lord Shiva was not all that a great Idea.

Nothing unusual happened until, Pradeep and Murali took the flyover at the Tarnaka chowrasta, instead of taking a left. Mahi and I called them up only to find that, Pradeep’s Pulsar broke down owing to a malfunction in the Clutch cable. Quite surprisingly we almost had a sense of eerie satisfaction, when this happened. It was 8:30 Am then.

We managed to get the bike to a mechanic shop, but only to find it closed. When we finally found one, the mechanics were not in yet. Finally when the mechanics were in, the automobile spare parts shops were not open.

After a painstaking 30 minute search, we found a shop where we bought the cable for Bajaj Pulsar only to know that it was not meant for DTSI. Finally, the mechanic fixed the cable with the same cable, somehow.

The sun was not beating hard at us, and as we moved out of the city limits, the breeze became cooler. The road made us slightly nostalgic, as we remembered our first trip to Keesara almost 5 years back, with our Engineering classmates.

For the first time in Baxogens’ travel history, a Handy Cam was used to capture the moments. In fact it is worth mentioning here, the gradual improvement in technology that we have employed in our trips. It was a Kodak analog photo camera to start with, which was later replaced by the K-Series Sony Ericsson mobile cameras. Later we have used some digital photo cameras. We have captured some videos on the road to Keesaragutta.

It was about 11AM by the time we reached the temple. The memories of getting down from the excursion bus were still afresh when we first saw the premises and faintly remembered all our old friends and memories associated with the place. The familiar feeling of nostalgia greeted us warmly as we entered the sanctum sanatorium. It was not just the nostalgia that welcomed us, but a good number of monkeys welcomed us with brotherly love…J although they were slightly disappointed to miss all the rest of J(a)NTU(s)..

The temple was spotted with a good number of pilgrims, at least enough numbers to say that it was not sparse. We could almost visualize the scenes of our previous visit looking at the interiors of the temple. We had the Darshan and customarily sat down to let the feeling of piousness of the surroundings sink into us. We then moved out of the temple complex to the other side of the temple. The hill, although not the tallest, gave a wonderful 360-degree-view of the surroundings. We have captured the view of the landscape and after a brief photo session at the temple’s steps, went on to have our lunch at Punnami, the restaurant.

After the light lunch, we went into the park that looked like newly renovated by HUDA. The huge Banyan Tree, under which we have played Tambola and other games, in our earlier trip, was one of the few things that were unchanged by the renovation. We have left nothing, the see-saws, the swings and the wave shaped slides and what not!! We played to our hearts’ content and I must say, the pick of them all was the amazing feat by me... :) And the skit that preceded the feat. The feat was to walk over the semi circular arch without the use of hands..:D..Do not dismiss this feat as childish, even the mighty Mahi couldn’t do that.. :)….

After a hearty laughing session in the park, we headed back to the city for the 40 Km journey back to KPHB, with a tired pair of legs but an invigorated spirit of the traveler in all of us.

Pelli Sandadi

2008-03-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

"Violence...is a passion ...Violence is a fashion.."
ఎంటి వీడు ఇలా హింస ను ప్రబోదిస్తున్నాడు?? అనుకుంటున్నారా??
ఖంగారు పడకండీ బాబు...ఇది జగడం సినిమా లో పాట.
ఐతే ఇందులో కొత్తేముంది అని తెల్చేయ్యకండి..ఈ పాట నేను విన్న సందర్భం లో ఉంది అసలు విషయం..పెళ్లి మండపం లో పచ్చని పందిట్లో జరగుతున్న పెళ్లి కి background లో ఈ పాట వినిపించింది...
నా సామిరంగా, రాహుల్ ద్రావిడ్ కవర్ డ్రైవ్ లాంటి టైమింగ్ కదూ??..పాపం ఈ విషయం గమనించ లేదో ఏమో కాని , పెళ్లి కొడుకు మాత్రం హ్యాపీ గానే ఉన్నాడు...పెళ్లి కూతురు మాత్రం ముసి ముసి నవ్వులు నవ్వుకుంటూ ఉంది..ఎందుకో మరి!!!
ఇంతలో మొహం మీద "ధబ్బ్" మంటూ ఒక ఆకారం వచ్చి పడింది..అదే నండి మన బలూన్ ...
పెళ్లిల్లో ఎవరు ఎంజాయ్ చేసిన చెయ్యకపోయినా, వానర సైన్యం లాంటి పిల్లల మూకలు మాత్రం పండగ చేసుకుంటున్నాయి ...
ఒక పక్క కళ్లు జిగేల్ మనిపించేలా నగా నట్రా పెట్టుకుని ముస్తాబైన అమ్మలక్కల హడావిడి , మరో పక్క వీధిలో లో గొడవలు నుండి ప్రపంచ రాజకీయ సమీక్షల దాక చర్చించేసే "పెద్ద" మనుషుల గడబిడ, ఇంకో పక్క టీనేజ్ కుర్రకారు కొంటె చేష్టల సందడి , మరో పక్కన పెళ్లి ఈడు వచ్చిన అమ్మాయిల చిరునవ్వుల విరిజల్లులు...వెరసి తెలుగింట్లో పెళ్లి...అంటే, కృష్ణవంశీ సినిమా లాగా కళకళ లాడుతూ ఉంది .. .

వాళ్ళబ్బాయిని చేసుకోనందుకు బాధ పడే లక్ష్మి ఆంటీ తో వాళ్ల అమ్మాయిని చేసుకోనందుకు బాధ పడే రావు గారు ఏదో మాట్లాడుకుంటున్నారు..పెళ్లి కొడుకు నాన్నమ్మగారు పెళ్ళికూతురు వాళ్ల అమ్మ గారి పైన ఎందుకో అలిగింది...పెళ్లి కూతురి మామయ్య వాళ్లు పెళ్లి కొడుకు తండ్రి తో ఏదో మంతనాలు జరుపుతున్నారు..ఇదిలా ఉండగా..ఖద్దరు చొక్కా లో ఉన్నా ఏరియా లీడర్ మల్లేష్ యాదవ్ గారు రానే వచ్చారు...ఇంత పెద్ద ఫంక్షన్ ఏర్పాటు చేసింది ఇతనేనా? అని అనిపించేలా కనిపించే పెళ్లి కూతురి తండ్రి వెళ్లి యాదవ్ గార్ని సాదరంగా ఆహ్వానించారు.. ....

మండపం లాస్ట్ వరస లో కూర్చున్న బ్యాండ్ పార్టీ వాళ్లు మధ్య మధ్య లో తీసుకున్న డబ్బులకు న్యాయం చెయ్యడానికి ప్రయత్నిస్తున్నారు..పెళ్లి కొడుకు ఫ్రెండ్స్ బ్యాచ్ రానే వచ్చింది. మండపం లో ఉండే అందమైన అమ్మాయిల పైన వినిపించీ వినిపించకుండా చిన్న చిన్న కామెంట్స్..పెళ్ళికి నెక్స్ట్-ఇన్- లైన్ మేమే అన్నట్టు గా తయారైన అమ్మాయిల పని ఉన్నా లేకున్నా తెగ హడావిడి గా ఫంక్షన్ హాల్ అంతా తిరిగేస్తున్నారు.....

ఇదిలా ఉండగా, పెళ్లి లో ఎవ్వర్ని వదలకుండా, తమ అదుపు ఆజ్ఞ్యలలో ఉంచుతూ పెత్తనం చలాయించేది మాత్రం videographer బ్రహ్మం ...తన పనితనాన్ని వివిధ యాంగిల్స్ లో ఆవిష్కృతం చేస్తూ...ముక్కు కారే పిల్లోడి దగ్గర్నుండి... పార్క్ చేసి ఉన్నా డొక్కు కార్ వరకు అన్ని కవర్ చేస్తున్నాడు....కాటేరింగ్ వాదు లంచ్ టైం కి మొత్తం arrange చెయ్యగలడో లేదో కనుక్కొమ్మని పెళ్లి కూతురి తమ్ముడికి పని పురమాయించాడు ఇంటి యజమాని...."అన్ని పనులు నేనే చెయ్యాలి.." అంటూ గొణుక్కుంటూనే బయలుదేరాడు పెళ్ళికొడుకు బ్రదర్-ఇన్-లా......ఇంతలో పెళ్లి కొడుకు వాళ్ల ఫోరెన్ అత్తయ్య మామయ్య వచ్చారనే వార్త చింటు గాడు మోసుకొచ్చాడు......ఆవిడ కట్టుకున్న కొత్త చీర వైపు అక్కడున్న ఆడ వాళ్ల కళ్లు అన్నీ తిరిగాయి..కొన్ని "ఎంత బావుంది" అనుకుంటూ...మరి కొన్ని.."పొద్దు బడాయి..ఎవరికీ తెలియదు ఈవిడ గొప్పలు.." అనుకుంటూ..."ఓరోరి యోగి నన్ను కోరికేయ్ రో.."...ఈ పెళ్లి ఫంక్షన్ లో నేనే డి.జే. అని ఫిక్స్ అయిపోయిన అహ్మద్ భాయి "మంచి" నంబర్స్ ప్లే చేస్తున్నాడు....

ఇంత హడావిడీ లోను తమక్కాబోయే జీవిత భాగస్వామి పక్కనే ఉన్నారనే భావన లో గొప్పదనాన్ని తనివి తీరా ఆస్వాదిస్తూ కొత్త పెళ్లి జంట పెళ్లి కూతురి బుగ్గన పెట్టిన చుక్కంత అందంగా ఉందంటే రాసినోడి భావుకత కాదండీ..ఇది నిజంగా నిజం...

Falling in....

2007-12-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

పడ్డాను ....
ఎక్కడ పడితే దిమ్మ దిరిగి మైండ్ బ్లాక్ అవ్వుద్దో...
అక్కడే పడ్డాను...
పెద్దలు చెప్పిన మాటలు పెడ చెవిన పెట్టి మరీ పడ్డాను...

ఒక పది రోజుల కిందటి సంగతీ...
బ్యాంక్ ఆఫ్ అమెరికా దగ్గర తనని చూసాను..
అంతే ..
నా మనసు నా మాట వినడం మానేసింది..
తను వెళ్ళే దారిలో నన్ను లాక్కెళ్ళింది..
నా మనసు తో పాటు నన్ను కూడా ....
తను ఎక్కడ మిస్ అవుతుందో అని పరుగందుకున్నాను....
ఐస్ క్రీమ్ బండి వెనకాల పరిగెత్తే పిల్లాడిలా...
తను ఆగింది...
నా గుండె కూడా ఆగినంత పని అయ్యింది...
నేను పరుగాపలేదు...
తను నా కోసమే ఆగింది అని నా మనసు చెప్పింది..

అంతలో ...
కాళ్ళకి ఏదో తట్టుకున్నట్టు నాకు తెలిసే లోగా...
...పడ్డాను...
బొక్క బోర్లా పడ్డాను...
తారు రొడ్డు మీద మోకాళ్ళు ఒరుసుకు పోయేలా పడ్డాను..
ఎక్కడ పడితే దిమ్మ దిరిగి మైండ్ బ్లాక్ అవుద్దో....
అక్కడే పడ్డాను....
బస్సు వెనకాల పరిగేత్తద్దు అన్న పెద్దల మాట పెడ చెవిన పెట్టి మరీ పడ్డాను.....

P.S: Issued in public interest by Just Ravi..

ఈ వర్షం సాక్షిగా ...

2007-11-21T20:01:00.001-08:00

KPHB ఎలైట్ బేకరి దగ్గరికి వచ్చేసరికి నల్ల మబ్బు ముసుగు లో నుండి సూర్యుడు కనిపించీ కనిపించకుండా ఉన్నాడు.
సమయం నాలుగున్నర అవుతున్నా చీకటి బాగానే కమ్ముకుంది ...
ఎక్కడో దూరంగా ఒక మెరుపు...
ఒక నాలుగు సేకన్ల వ్యవధి లో ఒక ఉరుము........
" 1324 మీటర్లు..."
మస్తాన్ ఏదో కాల్యుకులేట్ చేస్తున్నట్టు అన్నాడు....
నేను ఏమిటన్నట్టు సైగ చేసా....
"మెరుపు వచ్చిన దూరం" అంటూ నవ్వాడు మస్తాన్ ....
వీడు మారడు అన్నట్టు నితిన్ తలాడించాడు....
రెడ్డి చికెన్ సెంటర్ దగ్గరికి వచ్చేసరికి చినుకులు మొదలయ్యాయి ...
చేతిలో ఉన్నా పుస్తకాలని తలపై అడ్డు పెట్టుకుంటూ మస్తాన్ వాళ్ల బిల్డింగ్ కి చేరుకున్నాం.
ఫస్ట్ ఇయర్ తర్వాత మస్తాన్ , నితిన్ , రంజిత్, జీవి ఈ రూం కి మారారు...
రెండు బెడ్రూమ్స్ మరియు ఒక చిన్న కిచెన్ తో గొప్పగా కాకపోయినా , ఫస్ట్ ఇయర్ లో ఉన్న ఇల్లు కంటే బావుంది..
డోర్ నాక్ చెయ్యగానే రంజిత్ తలుపు ఓపెన్ చేసి మళ్లీ తన రీడింగ్ చైర్ మీద వాలిపోయాడు ...
జీవి యదావిధి గా ఎలేక్ట్రికాల్ టెక్నాలజీ పుస్తకం తొ ఏదొ కుస్తీ పడుతున్నాడు...
ఒక ఇరవై నిముషాలు గడిచింది.....
"అసలు ఏందీ వీడు??" తల పట్టుకుంటూ బ్లాకు ప్యాడ్ మిల్ల్మన్ అండ్ హల్కియాస్ బుక్ మీద ముప్పై రెండో సారి మస్తాన్ తన చికాకు ని వెలిబుచ్చాడు....
ఫస్ట్ ఇయర్ అయ్యి నాలుగు నెలలు అయినా మస్తాన్ కి రోజుకు కనీసం ముప్పై సార్లైనా మిల్ల్మన్ ని తిట్టుకోనిదే పొద్దు కుంగదు..:)
దిక్కులు దద్దరిల్లేలా తూరుపు వైపు నుండి మరో ఉరుము రూం లో ఉన్న అందరి ద్రుష్టి డోర్ వైపుకి మరల్చింది ....
ఆకాశం నుండి భూమికి ఏదో సందేశాలు పంపిస్తున్నట్టు వర్షం మాక్కూడా ఎందుకో చాలా అందంగా కనిపిస్తోంది ఆరోజు....
అంతలో మస్తాన్ వాళ్ల బిల్డింగ్ కి కొద్ది దూరంలో మరొక టెర్రెస్ మీద ఒక అమ్మాయి...
కాదు కాదు..
ఇద్దరు అమ్మాయిలు ....
సుమారు పదిహేడు లెదా పద్దెనిమిది వసంతాల అచ్చ తెలుగు అమ్మాయిలు....
ఇందులో వింత ఏముంది అని అడగకండి....
పైనుండి కురుస్తున్న వానకి సహజంగా స్పందించే నెమళ్ళ లాగా...
గాలికి కదిలే చిగురాకుల సవ్వడికి బెదిరే జింక పిల్లల లాగా...
తొలకరి వానకి నిండిన పిల్ల వాగు ప్రవాహం లా....
అవధుల్లేని ఆనందం తో...
నాగరికత బంధాల మధ్య ఇన్నేళ్ళుగా తమలో ఇరుక్కుని ఉన్నా స్వేఛ్ఛా విహంగాన్ని విశాలమైన ఆకసమంతా మీదే అంటూ వదులుతున్నట్టుగా ...
నర్తిస్తున్నారు...
అలుపు లేకుండా..
బిడియం భయం వంటి మానవీయ భావాలకి అతీతంగా ...
రూపులేని రేపటి గురించి ఆలోచించకుండా...
తిరిగిరాని నిన్నటి గురించి బాధలేకుండా ...
నిష్కల్మషంగా..నిర్మొహమాటంగా ...
చినుకుల సంగీతానికి లయబద్ధంగా నర్తిస్తున్నారు...
ఆ సమయం లో మాకు నిన్న జరిగిన మిడ్ టర్మ్ ఎగ్జాం కని రేపు సబ్మిట్ చెయ్యాల్సిన అసైన్మెంట్స్ కాని ...
ఏమి గుర్తుకురావడం లేదు...
అలా ఎంత సేపు చూసామో మాకే తెలియలేదు...
ప్రతి మంచి విషయానికి ఒక అంతం ఉంటుంది అనే నానుడి గుర్తు చేస్తున్నట్టు వర్షం తగ్గుముఖం పట్టింది.....
కాని ఆ ఇద్దరమ్మాయిలు, ఆకలి తీరని అతిథుల్లాగా మరో జల్లుకై వేచిచూస్తున్నారు....
నిజానికి మేము కూడా మరో జల్లుకోసం వేచిచూసాం అనాలేమో!!!

Om Shanti Om........

2007-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

It was a cloudy saturday evening in Sunnyvale, California.
Srini was relentlessly browsing through the Television Channels for the umpteenth time, but with no success ,to find a watchable show. Raj kept trying to keep the boredom out, by talking to his friends, over the phone.

I was aimlessly surfing through the Indian websites,and suddenly came across the review of the recently released Bollywood flick "Om Shanti Om". Most sites rated that it was watchable. If not for the rather dull mood, we wouldn't have decided to go for a movie. We quickly booked the tickets for the earliest show available,unfortunately, it was a 10'o Clock show for us. It really did not mattered for us as such, anyway, afterall it was saturday night.

In no time, it was 8:30PM and we started in Srini's car from Sunnyvale, in order not to end up seeing the movie from one of those front seats. The plan was to quickly grab a Pizza from a local Pizzeria and take the print out of the online tickets from my Office. It started drizzling slightly and on the way to our office, we stopped at the Pizza-Hut on the El-Camino Real. As we are about to enter the Pizza-hut, we noticed this wonderfully lit, new restaurent called "Dosa Place" managing to entice us to change our option from Pizza to Dosa. After a round of a few good South-Indian delicacies, we came out satisfied. It was 9:15 PM and it took 10 more minutes to get the print-out for the tickets. The drizzle transformed into a rain,by the time we took the 880. Even going at 60mph, it was 9:45 by the time we reach the NAZ8 theatre in Fremont.

Srini hurried and parked the car, Raj and I got ourselves of the car and scampered towards the theatre entrance while Srini took the print-out to the counter, only to find that .............................
.....................................
the ticket was booked for the Sunday and not Saturday..........:(

ఇంటర్ లో వింటర్ మార్నింగ్

2007-11-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

గమనిక: ఇది కేవలం నా జ్ఞాపకం కి బ్లాగు రూపం మాత్రమె. ఇందులో ట్విస్ట్ లు ఎక్స్పెక్ట్ చెయ్యకండి :)
"కి కి కి కి...""కి కి కి కి..""కి కి కి కి" అంటూ అసేండింగ్ పిచ్ లో ఒర్పాట్ గడియారం మోగడం ప్రారంభించింది ."ఒరేయ్ రవి లెగరా టైం పావు తక్కువ అయిదు అయ్యింది..బస్ మిస్ అవుతుంది మళ్లీ.." రెండు దుప్పట్ల లోనుండి కూడా లోకేష్ వాయిస్ స్పష్టంగా వినిపిస్తుంది .."ఒక్క ఐదు నిముషాలు తర్వాత లేస్తా లేన్తాక్"(నేను లోకేష్ ని అలాగె పిలిస్తా అనమాట ..) అంటూ బద్దకంగా చెప్పాను..కాని వెంటనే 272 మిస్ అయితే మళ్లీ ఎంత ప్రాబ్లం అవుతుందో అనుకుని అయిష్టంగానే లేచాను. తొందరగా మొహం కడుక్కుని బ్రష్ చేసి కెమిస్ట్రీ, ఫిజిక్స్ బుక్లెట్స్ పట్టుకుని బయలుదేరాను..జనవరి చలి అప్పుడప్పుడే మొదలవుతుంది అనుకుంటా, నేను వేసుకున్న కాటన్ చొక్కా చలి ని పెద్దగా ఆపడం లేదు.. ..వీధి చివర గోపీ మిల్క్ బూత్ ముందు స్వరాజ్ మజ్డా నుండి పాల కార్తన్స్ లో దింపడం పూర్తయినట్టు ఉంది , అంటే, ఆ రోజు 272 మిస్ అయినట్టే అనమాటఅని మనసులో అనుకుంటూ కొంచెం త్వరగా నడవటం స్టార్ట్ చేశాను..ఒక 100 మీటర్ల దూరం నుండి చూస్తుండగానే 272 ఒక 5 సెకన్ల లో బస్ స్టాప్ లో ఆగి వెళ్ళిపోయింది..
బస్ స్టాప్ లో ఒక ముగ్గురు మనుషులు మినహా అంట ఖాళీ గా ఉంది .బహుశా అమీర్పేట్ వైపు వెళ్ళే వాళ్లు అనుకుంటా...272 వెళ్ళాక ఒక 10 మినుట్స్ లో 230A అన్నసంగతి కొంచెం టెన్షన్ తగ్గించింది . గాలి కొంచెం ఎక్కువవ్వటం స్టార్ట్ అయ్యింది....అనుకున్నట్టే ఒక 10 మినిట్స్ లో 230a రానే వచ్చింది. లాస్ట్ సీట్స్ ఉండే ఏరియా లో అంతా కూరగాయలతో నిండి ఉంది..ఒక మూలలో ఖాళీ సీట్ కనిపించింది..లాస్ట్ సీట్ కావడం వల్ల చలి మరీ ఎక్కువగా ఉంది..అప్పటిదాకా ఆ సీట్ ఖాళీ గా ఉన్నా, నా ముందే నిల్చుని ఉన్నా వ్యక్తి యెన్దుకు ఆ సీట్ లో కూర్చోలేదో అప్పుడు అర్ధం అయ్యింది నాకు..:)సండే తెల్లవారి సమయం కాబట్టీ, డ్రైవర్ ఎక్కడ కుదిరితే అక్కడ 55 KMPH కి తగ్గకుండా తీసుకువేళ్తున్నాడు...ఇంకో గంటన్నర లో జరిగే వీక్లీ ఎగ్జాం కోసం ఏమైనా రివిజన్ అవుతుందేమో అని వెంట తెచ్చుకున్న బుక్-లెట్స్ ఓపెన్ చేశాను..కని పెద్ద ఇంట్రస్టు రావడం లేదు..కైనమటిక్స్ లో ఎగ్జాం అన్నమాట...పెద్ద కష్టం ఏమి కాకపోఇన, ఫోర్ములాలు అవీ బట్టి పట్టడం నాకు కొంచెం చిరాకు...ఇలాంటి ఆలోచనల మధ్య సికింద్రాబాద్ రానే వచ్చింది ...దూరంగా బర్కత్పుర డిపో కి చెందిన ఆర్టీసి బస్సు సికింద్రాబాద్ రైల్వే స్టేషన్ ముందు నుండి బయలుదేరడం కనిపించింది ...ఎంత తక్కువ అనుకున్నా, నేను ఉన్న బస్సు కి ఆ బస్సుకి కనీసం 200 మీటర్ల దూరం ఉంది....సాధారణంగా రద్ది గా ఉండే స్టేషన్ ట్రాఫిక్, ఆదివారం ప్రోదున్న కావడం వల్ల ఖాళీ గానే ఉన్నాయి..ఈ లెక్కన నేను డైరెక్ట్ గా ఆ బస్సు ఉన్నా వైపు కి వెళ్తే, ఆ స్పీడ్ లో బస్ ని క్యాచ్ చెయ్యడం జరగని పని .....రైల్వే స్టేషన్ ఘంట స్తంభం ఆల్రెడీ 6:10 అని టైం చూపిన్స్తునది, అంటే ఈ బస్సు మిస్ ఐతే, ఎగ్జాం కి లేట్ అవ్వడం ఖాయం..అదే టైం లో చిన్నప్పుడు చదువుకున్న ప్యతోగోరాస్ తియోరం గుర్తొచ్చింది...వెంటనే, మనోహర్ థియేటర్ పక్క సందు లోనుండి రేతి ఫైల్ బస్ స్టాండ్ కి కలిపే షార్ట్ కట్ లో పరుగందుకున్నాను..ఎంత పొద్దున్న టైం అయినా , ఆ రూట్ లో మినిముం కొంత ట్రాఫిక్ ఉంటుంది అన్నా నిజం ఒక్కటే బస్సు అందుతుంది అనే నమ్మకం ఇచ్చింది... ఆతర్వాత బస్సులు లేవా? అని అడిగితే నా దగ్గర సమాధానం లేదు...బహుసా ఆ వయసు లో చాలేన్జేస్ అంటే సహజంగానే ఉండే ఇష్ఠం అనుకుంటా....దారి మధ్య మధ్య లో బస్సు నాకంటే ఎలా కాదనుకున్న 100 మీటర్ల దూరం మెయిన్టేన్ చేస్తుంది...రేతి ఫెయిల్ బస్ స్టాప్ దగ్గర రైట్ టర్న్ తీసుకోడానికి బస్ స్లో అవ్వడం ఖాయం...అనుకున్నట్టే స్లో అయ్యింది కూడా...నేను వేగం పెంచా .....గుండె వేగం ఒంట్లో వేడి పెంచి చలి మాయం చేసింది... ఇప్పుడు బస్సు నాకు చెయ్యి చాపితే టచ్ అయ్యే అంటే దగ్గర్లో ఉంది..డ్రైవర్ కి రేర్ వ్యూ అద్దమ్ లో నేను పరుగెత్తడం కనిపిస్తూనే ఉండొచ్చు...అలా కనిపిస్తే మాత్రం నాకు బస్సు దొరికె చాన్సేస్ తక్కువ అవుతాయి...అదేంటో మరి, హైదరాబాద్ బస్సు డ్రైవర్స్ కి బస్ చేసర్స్ అంటే ఒక రకమైన కసి ..ఈసారి ఇంకొంచెం వేగం పెంచాను...చేతికి ఫుట్-బోర్డు పక్కన ఉండే రాడ్డు దొరికింది....ఆ సమయం lo బస్సు నన్ను లాగడం నా కాళ్ళు గాలిలో తెలిపోడంనాకు స్పష్టంగా తెలుస్తున్నాయి...పట్టు విడవకూడదని ఒకపక్క మనసు చెబుతుంది...., ఇంతకు ముందు పడిన దెబ్బలు మాత్రం వదిలేయ్యు అని చెబుతున్నాయి....భయం గెలిచింది...ఆ సమయం లో బస్సు లోనుండి కండక్టర్ ఏమన్నాడో తెలియడానికి మీకు పెద్ద జనరల్ నాలెడ్జ్ అవసరం లేదు...నేను ఆల్మోస్ట్ చిలకల్గుడా బస్ స్టాప్ వరకు వచ్చేసన్న సంగత పక్కనే ఉన్నా సికింద్రాబాద్ రైల్వే స్టేషన్ బ్యాక్ సైడ్ ఎంట్రన్స్ చూస్తే అర్ధం అయ్యింది...నా గుండె వేగం గమనిస్తే బస్సు వేగం ఎంత ఉంటుందే కాలికు లేట్ చెయ్యొచ్చు.. వెనక్కు తిరిగీ చూసేసరికి 2J రానే వచ్చింది..ఆ బస్సు బస్ స్టాప్ లోకి చేరేలోపల నేను బస్ స్టాప్ కి చేరుకోవాలి ఊపిరి కొంచెం కుదుట పడేలోపే మల్లి పరుగందుకున్నాను...ఈసారి నేనే గెలిచాను... ర్త్క్ క్రాస్ రోడ్ దగ్గరికి వచ్చే సరికి నేను ఉన్నా బస్సు 1K ని ఓవర్ టేక్ చేసింది ..క్రాస్ రోడ్ లో దిగి ఆ బస్సు క్యాచ్ చేసి నారాయణ గూడ లో దిగి గబా గబా టిఫిన్ చేసి స్పెక్ట్రా చేరుకునే సరికి ఒక పావు గంట లేట్ అయ్యింది ...
Inka undi..

Point-Reyes

2007-10-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

I had this feeling of the traveler in me getting a bit fidgety, as it was a long time since he was treated with what he loves.
Travel.
The gap may be only 2 months in time, but the stress levels we have passed through, will tell you a different story.
It was a very refreshing feeling that we eventually got ourselves away from the Run-of-the-Mill activities we were doing for the past 80 days or so.
There are few moments in your life, when you just want to close your eyes and just let the experience take over you. It was one of so many of such moments when you had the first look at this amazingly awesome Place called “Point Reyes”.

Point Reyes, also known as Point of the Kings, is about 35 Miles north of SanFrancisco Downtown, on the Pacific coast. This sylvan peninsula, which is precariously joined to the main land North-America due to the movements of Tectonic Continental Plates, probably millions of years ago, is said to be continuously ‘Drifting’ north over the ages, will interest you in the mysteries that has intrigued the humans and will probably continue to do so in the future as well. Point Reyes has been declared as a National Seashore, by the Government of US in the late 1940s, and is under the protection of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, from ever since.

We (Srini, Raj and I) started the from Srini’s home at 8:00AM in the morning from Sunnyvale, after packing up the essentials. We took the I-280 instead of the regular I-101, for the fact that it was much ‘free’ than I-101. The drive was as magnificent as it gets, which lead us through a contorted maze of the splendid shoreline Highway # 1. We had brief photo sessions at the various Vista Points, on our way to the destination.

We have reached the Point Reyes Visitor’s center by 11 O’clock in the afternoon. The visitor’s center had all the information about the place, its history, its geography and the traditions of the inhabitants who lived there in the past, in the form of exhibits, brochures and Documentaries. After going around the Information Center, equipping ourselves with the knowledge about the to-dos and not-to-do’s in the park, we started the exploration.

En-route to the McClure Beach, there were these expansive grass lands called ‘the Historic Ranches’, with life stock grazing idly in the sun. The pastoral panorama of the green lands was a treat to the eyes. The cherubic landscape that spread itself in thousands of acres untouched by the ‘Civilized’ world would only make you wonder in awe, about the aesthetic sense of The Creator Himself. Each of these Ranches had a section of its area, allocated to the people who take care of the cattle and the place itself. It was 12 in the noon, by the time we have reached the McClure beach.

To go to the beach, one has to pass through the 1 mile trail, in between the hills that separated the beach from the pastures. The trail leads us into the sandy beach, where the high tide of the pacific was already catching up, as the Officer at the information Center already told us. It is amazing to see the shackles that hold us back in the name of civilization and ‘being dignified’, were immediately broken by the urge to unleash the kid in you, when you see such a thing of beauty. The silence of the place was only disturbed by the lashing of the Cold Pacific waters on the Rocky cliffs that looked over the ocean. After a photo session with some action packed episodes of chasing the Sea Gulls and racing with the waves, we returned to the parking lot and moved on to our next destination, the Mountain Vision.

After a 30 minute drive from the McClure beach, we have reached, what was the highest point in the peninsula, which almost gave us the bird’s eye view of the whole area. We quickly had a sumptuous lunch, with whatever we brought from home. Then we moved on a trail that led us into the woods, which showcased a wide variety of life forms, mostly trees and birds, though we were a tad unlucky to spot any bigger mobile life forms (Or should we say lucky???). After basking in the sunlight for a while, we moved on to the last of our destinations, The Light House.

The Light House was another 30 minutes away from the Mount Vision through the Francis Drake Boulevard, which was named after the great British Sailor, who according the relics, is the first to go around the world on a ship of his own. It is believed that the Legend has stayed for a brief period of some 60 days in this peninsula, on his voyage around the world.

As we approached our destination, we have observed something which you do not see on a regular basis. The change in the weather was rather abrupt and the shroud of the cloud of fog was something we did not even think an hour ago. The fog intensified as we move towards, what could be called a different world in itself. It’s not exaggeration when I say, “A different World” for it indeed looked like a different World from the one we had seen just an Hour Ago. The Hazy surroundings were reminiscent of one of those Hill Stations back Home in India. The wind was strong, though not strong enough to spoil the fun of visiting the place. It was 4:30 in the evening and looked rather too dark for that time. The foggy cold winds, which we later learnt, were due to the phenomenon of hot landward winds hovering over cold blue waters of the pacific. The local weather station claims to have recorded an annual average of 2000 hours of fog. For this very reason, they say that the Hollywood thriller ‘The Fog’ was shot in its entirety in this place.
It was rather unfortunate for missing the visit into the Light House, as it was already closed by the time we reached there. The Light House was set up in the mid eighteenth century to beacon the oncoming ships, which could otherwise easily be wrecked, due to the poor visibility through the fog. The history states that almost a 100 ships wrecked at this very point due to this reason.
Apart from being the windiest point in the whole of the Pacific coast in North America, it also provides the visitors an opportunity to look at the Great White Whales, which migrate from Baja to Alaska every year during the winter. The water bed of this place is clamed to be one of the richest, with a wide variety of the Sea Lions and other Sea mammals.

We took some snaps at the premises of the light house, before we started back home, with an intent to comeback to this amazing place which indeed was a 'Point of the Kings'.

P.S: Find the photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ravikanth.talagana/PointReyes

People and You

2007-10-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about this for quite sometime and I thought I would blog it before I forget it. The first question that one asks you after you tell them that you have watched a movie, is “How was the movie?”
Let me tell you, ideally, the question should be, “How did YOU like the movie?”
Because, there are a number of movies which are very good but YOU do not like it or you like a movie but is not “GOOD” though.
The problem with people (Or may be, I have a problem with people..:D…) is that they give a definition to the so called “GOOD” movie as the one which is liked by many. But as you can see, “many” is not all.
Ultimately it is you and only you, who should be satisfied when watching a movie and it doesn’t matter anymore than a zilch, that a movie is GOOD or not. It boils down to a choice that you make, that you either be happy seeing a BAD movie and liking it or feel sad watching a GOOD movie and not liking it.

Sangam- Mekadatu Bike Trip

2006-11-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

"It’s not the Destination that matters. It’s the Journey that does" - Anonymous
The Baxogens have rediscovered the meaning of this phrase when they have set to conquer the Kanakapura Highway., on the 11th of November 2006. What accompanied us on this trip were the two jazzy Bikes, which were raring to get out of the jammed roads of Bangalore. We managed to get out of the city by 10 O’clock and headed towards Kanakapura after having a light Breakfast in a Hotel by the road.
The road to Kanakapura was not the smoothest, but the speedometer constantly touched the 80 K mark whenever possible. The whiff of the air slashing across our faces as was refreshing as the view of the Gorgeous Suburbs of Bangalore. Mastan and I acted pillions to Ravi and Pradeep respectively. We have taken a few snaps in the green fields of the small hamlets that we passed across. The view of the mountains and the Coconut trees somehow brought the memories of our own Konaseema.

The clock ticked past 1O’Clock in the afternoon by the time we reached the Bustling town of Kanakapura. It was a small busy town with a lot of activity happening even in the afternoon. Our destination was still separated by 35 Km on a not-so-good-road, which meant that we still had to travel a good 1 hour on the bikes. We picked up the speed, not paying any heed to our senses which were warning about the dangers of traveling at higher speeds on a bad road. The road from Kanakapura to Sangama was a tortuous stretch of dilapidated Bituminous Road, probably laid about 10 years ago. The road almost had every that a RTA Test Driving center would have probably loved to have. The Hair-Pin bends, the U turns, the ‘S’ curves and what not. It was at one such Hair Pin bends that we happened to see something that our premonition has already warned us. The Unicorn that Ravi and Masti were riding went out of control and headed towards the rock-strewn flank that shouldered the road, had it not been the last minute adjustment of Ravi, to veer the Bike from ramming into the rocks. The Bike crashed into the hard ground with a thumping noise, as Pradeep and I watched that happen, in utter disbelief and horror. We quickly rushed to the spot and helped them to get out from underneath the bike. Miraculously, nobody was hurt. The Bike too was in good shape even after the mishap. This incident brought us to back to sanity again. We drove with utmost caution for the rest of the road and we eventually reached Sangama at about 2 O’clock in the afternoon.

Sangam is actually the confluence of Rivers Kaveri (Cauvery) and Arkavathi. Water is not so deep at Sangam, which lets people to cross it on foot. We can even take a small boat to cross the river, but we preferred to take the option of crossing the river on foot. The water at any point, was not deeper that our chests. We packed our luggage into the bags and carried them along with us to the other side of the river. We then had some very good amusement time in the river. There were a considerable number of people holidaying at that spot and that added to the fun of being there. Although the water was not so deep, Mastan has some problems for keeping himself afloat, for obvious reasons..:P. It was very hard for us to get out of the river and to go further, but we had to go at last.
Mekadatu is a place where the River Cauvery flows through a very narrow and deep Gorge, which makes it to rampage along the Rocky valley. The Gorge is very deep but the width is as small as 10 feet at some points. The name “Mekadatu” has its roots from the Kannada Words “Meke”- Goat, and “Datu”-Leap. It means that even goats can leap over the gorges at that place. We have to go by a State Run Special Bus through a 4 Km Jeep track in the Cauvery wild Life Reserve. The area is fully covered by thick flora and hills, though it is rather unlikely to spot any fauna. We reached Mekadatu at about 4 O’clock in the evening. There were strange rock formations due to the ravaging Cauvery all over the place. The rocks bore holes and other shapes due to the torrential water lash. The flow of water through the Gorge created a bizarre noise which echoed deep into the mountains. The Rock formations provided us a good opportunity for Rock Climbing, Trekking and a few other Mountain terrain activities. We engaged ourselves into some hard core “Do-The-Dew” kind of actions on the rocky banks of the Cauvery. We had a sumptuous photo session, with some Directorial flamboyance that is possible only to the Mani Rathnams and Farhan Akhtars (Remember Lakshya??). After the heavy duty activity, we returned to the point where the bus will pick us back to Sangam. We reached the Inner bank of Cauvery at 6:30 PM.meaning that we had to cross the river in the dark, which made the walk through the river all the more dangerous. Do not ask us if there were no boats available. They were available, but you can blame it on the Baxogens Ideology of “Do it, when you think that you can’t”.

We repacked our luggage into respective bags and got onto the Bikes at 6:45. The road back to Kanakpura was doubly dangerous not just due to the fact that it was very very dark, but also due to the fact that travelers get robbed on the highways by dacoits. Our first aim was to get to Kanakapura as soon as possible and think about the Plan of action from there on. Pradeep and Ravi drove the bikes very carefully, swerving dexterously to avoid the pot holes. In spite of the neon head lamps of the Bikes, there was a lingering feeling of eeriness in the scheme of things, which looked rather Gloomy. The same roads which looked beautiful in the afternoon looked eccentric in the night. But the most important thing is that we had actually enjoyed every bit of the thrill, which only a traveler can experience.

The street lights of the Kanakapura town blinked from in between the branches of the trees welcoming us back into its threshold. After the day long amusement and traveling, we badly needed an early dinner (Or should we call it a late Lunch??). We asked for a few directions to the best Dhaba around the Town and got into one very soon. We had a lavish (Not quality, but quantity wise) dinner and then decided not to travel anymore in the night. We booked a Hotel room in the town and quickly settled into the bed. We had the usual Cream batch chatting session before we got into a deep slumber.

We got up in the morning and started back to Bangalore with not just the Luggage we carried but also the fond memories of Sangam and Mekadatu.

JNTU Student

2006-11-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to the college to collect my TC, Bona-fide certificate. The infrastructural changes in the College campus are quite obvious and needs no mention here, but the most striking aspect of the college even today, are its students.7years have passed by since we first entered the campus but amazingly the mental makeup of the JNTU student is still the same!!!
You can still find the Smiling Archanas, the bubbly Sriharshas, and the studious Madhavis all over the campus. You can still find the Chirpy Muralis, the Sturdy Rajasekhars and Little Nitins across the corridors. You can still find the Chubby Arunas, the Gentle Farhas, the charming Srilakshmis and the shy Rajanis on the way to the Girls Hostels. You can never miss the Geeky Praveens, the naughty Chandus, and the Stylish Nagapavans, eating their lunch boxes in the classroom. Neither can you miss the energetic Nagaiahs, the diligent Mastans and the Intelligent Phanis with Stick-file lab reports in their hands, in front of the tronix labs.
You move along the corridor and you could see the Cheerful Samatas, the elegant Swathis and the suave Sireeshas discussing the last mid’s question paper. You go to the library and you can see the Gentlemanly Rajasekhars, the Humble Hem Prasads and the Wise Venkata ramanas deeply immersed in some reading.
You come out of the library and you can see the reserved Kishores, the lackadaisical Mohan raos, the unassuming Mahis, the lovable Premnaths, the laid back Prabhus and the comical GVs returning to the college after the Lunch. You go to the Academic section and you would find the simple Gaythris, the bold Sravanthis, the serene Krishnapriyas and the Silent Madhuris waiting for the LDC Veeraiah to return.You go to the Ecorner and you can see the prankster Pradeeps, the Cool Ravi Kirans and the authoritarian Chaitanyas chatting about their last prank.. You come to the first floor and you can see the composed Ranjits, the hilarious Rama raos and the Jovial Shika Praveens laughing heartily over the last joke cracked. You come out of the college and you can meet on the way, the intellectual Ramdoots, the Vivacious Sureshs and the merry Srinaths hurrying to the HOD’s all important class. At about 4 O Clock in the afternoon, you can see the self-effacing Sudhas, the soft-spoken Pavanis and the down-to-earth Srujanas ambling towards the bus stop.

There is so much change externally, but deep down, the JNTU Student is still the same and who knows, they may still remain the same in the years to come and somebody might write a similar blog 7 years down the line…..

Variety thitlu..

2006-04-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

kotta thitlu....
Next time meekevarimeedaina kopam vaste , ee thitlu try cheyyandi..:)

99Rs ki Money Order teesukune face...
Car lo Helmet pettukune face..
Bike meeda seat belt kattukune face..
Moogodiki cell phone gift chese face...
Balayya cinemaki Black tickets kone face..
Remake ayyina cinema ki dubbing rights konukkune face..
Full toss ball lo LBW ayye face..
MS Word lo back side use chese face..
Enraan Hashmi movie ki family ni teesukelle face..
Devadasu ki Ramadasu ki teda teliyani face..

The Ice Candy Boy

2006-03-29T05:17:00.000-08:00

The far end of Platform number 3 in Kacheguda was spotted with a good number of passengers who were waiting
for the door of the unreserved compartment to be opened. There was enough time for the Bangalore express to depart,
but people were already waiting in large numbers to get into the general compartment.
It was 6’O clock in the evening and the door was opened and within no time all the seats were occupied by the passengers.
I got myself into one of those single seats, keeping in my mind that I haven’t have to share it with anybody else.
The seat opposite to me was occupied by a boy, about 13 years old.
He was lean, had unkempt hair and wore dirty clothes. He kept spitting out of the window with an élan only few people can have.
He looked reckless and kept humming some peppy mass numbers from the tollywood.
“Ekkadki pothunnav anna?” was something I did not expect.
“Bangalore.” I replied in very short sentences in order not to continue the conversation.
“Poddunna enta timeki eltam aadki?” he kept the conversation going.
“Poddunna 7 avutundi” This time I replied more inattentively.
He had a worried look at his 30Rs electronic watch and bore an expression of calculating something.

The train left Kacheguda by 7’O Clock and the general compartment was already teeming with passengers.
A few of them settled in the aisle and a few others, who felt it rather undignified to do the same, tried to ask for a share in the seats.
I saw one such passenger, an obese 45 year old man, approaching my seat. I tried not to look at him, fearing that I have to share my seat with him.
The boy in my front did not think twice before offering his seat to him. I pitied the boy, for the man, almost occupied the whole seat.
The boy then slipped underneath the seats, to get himself into a sleep. He struggled to get any sleep as it was not so comfortable.
He returned into his first position, this time almost on the edge of the seat, for the man already occupied the whole seat.
I somehow felt bad on part of the boy, but he did not even have an iota of such feeling towards the man he shared the seat with.
“Ye oorra needi?’, The obese man queried the boy.
“Madi bengulooru. Nenu Hyderabad lo pani jesta” replied the boy.
“Yem panira?”, the old man continued.
“Ice cream ammuta saar.” The boy announced proudly.
“Yentostundira rojuki??” the old man kept asking questions like a lawyer.
“Rojuki yaabhai roopayalostai” the boy told him with a sheepish smile.

“Water bottles…aa water bottles..aa thanda thanda water bottles..” the water vendor managed to maneuver the crowd in the compartment,
shouting in a typical railway Jargon. I was not particularly impressed with his management skills but was forced to buy one water bottle for having not planned
to get my own bottle from home. The boy bought a bottle for himself.
“12 rs per liter”, I felt like cursing the finance minister for such outrageous price tags for commodities which we can’t live without.
“Babu, konchem neellu istava??” I was brought back into this world by some voice.
Before I could say yes or no, the Boy offered him, his bottle.

The train stopped at Mahbubnagar and they said that it won’t stop for more than 2 minutes. The train will not stop for the next 2 hours and anybody who had to have something for dinner had to quickly run along the platform and get some Tiffin. The boy wanted to eat something too. I agreed to get him something and managed to scurry across the platform to get us two plates of Idly.
I wan hungry enough to ignore the quality of the Idlies. It was when a few more people entered the bogie there were a few kids in them. The Ice candy boy ate one idly and when he saw the kids looking at the Idlies avariciously, offered them the rest.
I was shocked to see his action, because he knows that he will not get anything to eat for sometime.

Even after the obese man got down at Mahbubnagar, he did not stop offering his seat to the kids around him.
He chatted with them and joked around with everybody.
The boy smiled at every other person and shared whatever he had.
He did not think about anything beyond one day in future.
He did not complain peevishly about anything.
My opinions about the boy started to change rapidly.
I suddenly realized that we have to learn so many things from this young Ice candy boy.
He looked like a young Buddha to me.

He taught many of us who earn a 1000 times more than him and yet find it difficult to be happy for even one minute.
He taught many others who search for happiness everywhere else in the world, that it is within us.
He taught me the true meaning of life is to love everybody and to share whatever is possible for you.

I sincerely thank the Ice Candy boy for the lessons he taught.

The Greatest ODI ever.....

2006-03-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

When most of the cricket fans were busy extrapolating England’s total that would challenge the Indian batting to avoid test defeat blushes on Day 5 and some more relishing the Success of a unsung hero’s 501 wickets and few others savoring the worlds most controversial bowler’s 600 wickets, 22 men were on a mission to script one the most scintillating cricketing epic in the history of the game, somewhere else in Johannesburg.
It was one of those days when even the greatest bowlers would ever think of making their son a bowler anymore and cry out in agony, “It a F***ing Batsmen’s game...”.But the 32000 capacity crowd gathered to watch the game live, and the millions of cricket fans world over, obviously did not complain, for it was the most stunning display of powerful hitting by the batsmen, carting the cricket ball to all parts of Johannesburg. The match in which, 872 runs, 87 boundaries and 25 sixes scored in a day was probably the best One –Day match one could ever imagine to see, when two of the best cricketing nations engaged in a war of the willows.
Never ever would you see two dashing players with almost similar batting style bludgeoning their way to mammoth centuries, matching shot to shot. Never ever would you see bowlers treated with so much disdain to make Centuries. Never ever would the scorers need to use a ‘4’ in the hundreds place, twice within 5 hours. Never ever could you use the clichéd phrase, “Anything is possible in a game of cricket until the last ball is bowled”, with so much conviction.
It was a day when records broke like the bowlers hearts, a day when the best of punters faltered in guessing who’s going to win, a day when a record which has been unruffled for 10 long years has been broken twice within a span of 8 hours, a day when the World Champions would feel embarrassed to talk about their highest one-day total ever.
Full credit to the Proteas for whom this match was not only a series decider but also an answer to the humiliation they suffered in the Down under, earlier this year.

http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/cricket_newsdetail_1668855.html
http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/cricket_fullscore_matchId=1664688&po=1.html
http://www.espnstar.com/cricket/cricket_fullscore_matchId=1664688&po=2.html
http://sify.com/imagegallery/gallery/index.php?hcategory=13709681&hgallery=14161002&sort_idx=

When McMIlan met Wright Brothers...

2006-03-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

The vast expanse of barren land between Naseer Cycle Taxi and the place where we live is almost covered in its entirety with some thorny bushes and rocks, but for some long stretches of naturally formed lanes due to the flow of rain water downhill.
The moor was slightly sloped towards our place and the regular use of cycles on those lanes ensured that no grass grows on the stretch.
It was a bright sunny afternoon, with the sun lashing hard on everything under it. Weird it may appear; I wanted to practice cycling in the meanwhile, finding some company in my sister. We never owned a cycle then and we had no other option but to hire a Bicycle on an hourly basis. The Naseer Cycle taxi offered a wide variety of cycles, ranging from the very small ones to the regular ones.
My sister asked me to get the cycle. I went there and chose a medium sized one and did not ride it until I was completely sure that nobody else was using the road, in view of their safety..: D
The sight of long road downhill, did not warn my not-so-grown-up brain, about the possible accidents it may lead into. I started pedaling and the cycle was very well oiled and I could already feel the gaining impetus. I never forget my uncle's golden rule about Bicycle riding viz. "you will never fall off a Cycle, as long as you continue pedaling". I did the same. I never stopped pedaling. The cycle whizzed past the bushes and the small rocks and I had enough confidence to veer the vehicle conveniently, avoiding small hindrances.
The cycle now caught up enough speed to spur a slight fear down the spine. It was when i feebly checked if the brakes were working or not.
Gosh.....They weren't...
I did not know what to do and I cannot explain why I continued pedalling even after that. It was the fastest ride of my life and worst thing about it was that I had no control over it. Little did I know that I was rapidly approaching a naturally formed Rock ramp, inclined at about 35 degrees with the horizontal, abruptly ending into a ridge!!!!?
It didn’t take long for the speeding bicycle to reach the ramp and to take off the ramp. I had my heart in my mouth while the cycle was in the air. I clung to it like one of those AXN extreme bike riders and almost understood what Einstein theory of relativity is meant, practically. The time of flight seemed like an eternity. I can now correlate that scene to one of those scenes in the MATRIX Movie trilogy, wherein the time comes to a stand still with only thing that is moving is, you. I watched the ground moving beneath me as fast as I am moving forward in the air.
As the famous saying goes, “It’s not the fall that kills you. It’s the sudden stop at the end that does.” the flight was not the most fearsome, but the thought of the fall was as damaging as the fall itself would be.
I lost hold on the handle in the mid-way and somersaulted over the Bicycle to reach the ground like a Plane landing over the runway.
I nose-dived into the silt accumulated during the last rainy season, and glided along the ‘runway’ for about 6 feet before coming to a grinding halt.
My Cycle followed me and was over me. I’ve then learnt what role-reversal really meant.
Thankfully for me, the saving grace was the accumulated sand which provided the much needed cushioning effect for the crash landing.

Timepass palli-bataani..

2006-03-01T04:30:00.000-08:00

How do i sneeze?
"Airtel...."..:P..
coz I don't have a "HUTCHH...."..

We were travelling in a cab last nite and we had this Hindi speaking girl in our cab,who had to get down at her place.
She said, "Bus, yahee rok deejiye.."
Main bola.."Yeh Bus nahi hota.."...
yikes...I know it stinks..:D

What is the best tourist destination for lovers?
LV Prasad Eye Institute...coz love is blind...:D..

Aaj keliye itnaahi..keep visiting for more K-stuff..Have a nice day..:)

The Sangfroid Konark - A love story.

2006-02-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

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Maa oollo maa pedanaaanna gari abbayi pelli attend ayyi Palasa lo train ekkanu.
Srikakulam lo Rambabu gadu nannu join ayyentavaraku konchem bore kottina, tarvaata
vaadi non-stop nonsense vinadam kante aa boredom ye better anipinchindi...:D
...
Rambabu.
Emani cheppanu veedu gurinchi??
Veedi daggara anni questions ki answers untayi.
avi correctaa kaada annadi vere vishayam anukondi...
vaalla nannagariki unde rice mill laga eppudoo veedi noru run avutune untundi...kani veedu one of my best friends..
choodadaniki konchem mass ga kanipinchina manishi manchodu...
Konark express Vizag vachhesariki sayantram 5:25 ayyindi.appatidaaka maa mundu seats khaalee ga unnayi.Vizag lo evaranna manchi ammayi vaste bagundu manasulo anukuntu unnanu..:P
Rambabu, Ethiopia lo average rainfall ki ammayila andaaniki unde connection gurinchi
edo chebutoo unnadu...vichitramemitante, nenadi vintunnanu....:D
Train aagina oka 10 nimushalaki oka family maa mundu seats loki vachharu..
Uncle ki oka 45-50 years madhya untundi. Baaga height undi chaala dignified ga unnaru.Pedda nuduru tanu chaala telivaina varu ani cheppakane chebutundi.
Aunty kooda 40 or there abouts undochhu. Chaala simple ga unnaru.Okka maatalo
cheppalante cotton cheera kattukunna Kanakamahalakshmi laa , choodagane dannam
pettelaa unnaru.
Ikapote third member. Nenu anukunnatte, ammayi..:).
Andamaina ammayi.
Oka 18-20 madhya lo undochhu.
Maanchi color. Pedda pedda kallu, sharp ga unna mukku , kavulu varninchetanta
andamaina pedaalu...vaati pakkane dishti chukkalanti chinni beaty spot...choodagane
evaraina malli inkosaari choodalanipinchelaa undi aa ammayi.
Veetinannintiki minchi aakattukune amsam emitante, thana attitude.Chinna chirunavvu chedaranivvakunda unna "evarni pattinchukonu" ane carelessness,
Jeans-T Shirt lo unna kooda Telugutanam uttipade some mesmerizing feature and to top it all ,Udayistunna sooryudi tholi vekuva kiranam laanti chinni 'Mukku Pudaka'.
Maavadiki ivevi pattaledu sarikada, vadi geography knowledge gurinchi inka chebutune
unnadu...
Naku theliyakundane , ee family ni impress cheddam ane chinna aalochana already naa
mind loki vachhhesindi.
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"Evandi, neella bottle khaleega undi station lo konchem teesuku rakoodadu??" ani aunty
garu cheppagane, train kadile time ayyindi, next station lo pattukovacchule ani uncle chepparu.
Naku ventane aa situation lo oka oppurtunity kanipinchundi.
Nenu testaanu ani cheppelogaane, tane adigesindi , konchem water teesukostara babu
ani.
Danidemundandi, ila ivvandi, teesukuvasta ani bottle teesukuntunna time lo,
maa Rambabu gadu, "Yera indaaka nenu water teesukurara ani adigithe kaallu noppi ani
cutting ichhav?? Ippudemo......"
vaadi sentence poorthi ayyelopu already poina paruvuni salvage chesukodaniki,"Ippudu taggipoindi lera.."ani covering ichhanu...
Postcard ki sarigga atukkoni stamp gurtochhindi, naa covering technique chooste...:)**************************************************************************************
Nenu neellu testoo undaga maa vaadu suddenga na cell ki missed call ichhadu.
Cell bayataki teese prayatnam lo bottle cheyyi jari pattalameeda padindi,Vachhina avakaasam cheyyi jaarindi ane vishayanni symbolic ga chebutoo...
Nenu inko Mineral water bottle koni teesuku vachhi Jarigindi cheppanu..Edo mohamaatam
kosam 'Parledu babu, ippudu malli enduku konnav?' ani annaru.Daaniki maa vadu sarle aunty, "ippude return chesesi vastam.." ani annadu.Naku navvalo edavaalo ardham avvaledu.
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Idilaa undaga, train bayaluderindi..aa ammayi edo crossword puzzle solve chestoo
magazine lo nimagnam ayipoindi.
Tanato conversation elaa start cheyyalo ardham kavadam ledu.
Intalo aa ammayi vaalla naannagaritho, "Fidel Castro evaru??" ani adigindi.
Vaalla naanna garu konchem aalochinchi ,"emo ra, teliyadu.Meekemaina telusaa?" ani
mammalni adigaru.Maa vadu anavasaram ainappudu adakkundaane yadava information antaa istuntadu, ilaa avasaramainappudu matram bellam kottina rayalle silent ayipoyaadu.
"Adi, maremo, Fidel castro ante Belgium ki chendina fidel vaadakude kadara??"ani naku question divert chesaadu.Naku teliyadu ani chepte already coffin lo kappettina naa impression ki final meku kottesinatte.Nenu neellu namulutoo, em cheppalo ardham kaaka aalochistundaga,
"Fidel Castro, the dictator of Cuba, transformed his country into the first communist
state in the Western Hemisphere." antoo venukanundi oka voice ,google lo kottina
request ki reply laa vachhindi.Venakki tirigi choodagane, oka iravairendella Kurradu chinnaga navvutoo tananu introduce chesukuntunnadu...
"Sorry guys, ilaa sudden ga entry ichhinanduku,by the way, naa peru Hemanth. Vizag lo
train ki late ayyi inko compartment lo ekkanu, If you don't mind naa place
nakistaara??" ani nannu adigaadu.Veedevadraa babu ani manasulo anukuntoone pakkaku Jarigaanu.Ippudu aa ammayi aa abbayiki exact opposite ga undi.
Ika ee abbayi vishayaniki vaste, choodataniki baaga chaduvukuntunna vadila unnadu.Jebu lo Shades, Red color T Shirt, Blue Jeans lo manchi built tho Cinema Herolaa
unnadu...Anta tough ga kanipinchina atani face lo edo chinna amayakatvam tanani
marikaasta attractive ga kanipinchelaa chestundi.
Entry thone Hero garu mana Heroine daggara manchi markulu kottesaadu..:(
Tanichhina Jawabuki aa ammayi Konchem aashcharyam marikoncham appreciation tho oka
choopu visirindi..Adento kani Jeevtham lo chaala yella tarvaata chinna J e a l o u s feeling...
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Train Samarlakota daatindi. ee madhyalo mana hero gadi vivaralu koopi laagamu.REC Warangal lo CSE lo final year student. Sonta ooru Vizag. Ippudu college ki return
avutunnadu.
Timepass kosam edo discuss chestoo unnam.Maatala sandarbham lo Govt employees gurinchi
topic vachhindi."Ee govt employees antaa intey, assalu pani cheyyaru. Time dorikite dabbulu
nokkataniki choostaru. Assalu badhyata undadu..." antoo nenu modalupettanu.
Daaniki Hemanth, "Alaa kadu Ravi, alaa generalise cheyyadam correct kadu.Vaallallo
majority alaa undochhu kani andaru alaa untaru anatam samanjasam kadu" ani annadu.Tarvaata nakenduko oka doubt vachhi, Uncle ni adigesaanu."Meeru em chestuntaru?" ani.
"Roads and Bulidings shaaka lo General Manager." ani cheppadu.Naaku naa moham ekkada pettukovaalo ardham kaaledu..Appativaraku ardham avvaledu, aa ammayi naa statement ki response ga ichhina look ki meaning kopam ani...
chasss..Jeevitham..
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Ilaa prati discussion lonu mana Heroki manchi markulu padutoone unnayi..naa Duradrustaniki naa meeda naake jaali vesindi..:(
maa Rambabu prastutam, Hitler ki battatala rakunda undataaniki em chesevaadu, ane
thokkalo vishayam meeda lecture istunnadu.Nenu virakthigaa navvukunna..
Naa J factor pakkana pedithe, Hemanth ni third person ga undi Judge cheste, Tanu chaala Sensitive and sensible ani cheppochhu.Modern ga unna, peddalaku tanu ichhe gauravam chooste tana samskaram ento telustundi.Ade vishayam Uncle and Aunty faces lo kooda reflect ayyindi.
In the meanwhile Night avvadam valla challagali start ayyindi. Kitiki close cheyyadaniki aa ammayi try chestundi.Chaala rojula nundi close cheyyakapovadam vallaanta easy ga kitiki moosukodam ledu.
Hemanth, "nenu help chesta undandi" ani munduku bend ayyi window ni close cheyyatanikitry chestundaga, aprayatnamga vaalliddari choopulu kalisayi. aa fraction of second lokonni vela lakshala messages transfer ayyinattu iddari kallalo chinna merupu.
aa okka choopu vaalliddarijeevithalani yelanti malupulu thipputundo chooddam...
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Dinner time ayyindi.Vaallu intinundi prepare chesukunna food items open chesi dinner start chestoo, meeru kooda share chesukondi babu ani offer chesaru Aunty.
Nenu, mohamaatam kosam, "Vaddulendi , memu next station lo tiffin edaina chestaam."ani annanu.
Maa Rambabu matram, "OK aunty naku pettandi, maavadu okkade tarvati station lo tiffin chestadu." antoo aunty chetiloni items ni andukunnadu.Naku maa vadi chinnapilladi manastatvam choosi ela react avvalo react avvalo teliyani paristithi.
Maa vadu continue chestoo, "Ravi gadu alaage antadu kani aunty, aa Chapathi ilaa andukondi, nenu pedatanu vaadiki." antoo migata rendu chapaathilu kooda teesukunnadu.Aa ammayi matram, "Naku aakali veyyadam ledu.Chaala heavy ga undi.nenu tarvaata tintanu." ani cheppi Kitiki vaipuki tirigi poindi.Appude Hemanth tanakosam techhukunna Fruits aa ammayiki offer chesadu.Vaalliddari Body language lo teda gamaninchadaniki meeku aatte samayam pattadu.
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Konark express matram ivevi pattinchukokunda ala munduku sagipothonne undi...
Nenu maa vadu middle and upper berths lo padukunnam.
Lower berth lo Hemanth, and exact ga opposite berth lo aa ammayi padukunnaru.
Vaallidariki elaa undo teliyadu kani, naku matram nidra pattadam ledu.
aa nalugu jatala kallu madhya messages traffic ki etuvanti addankulu levu.Eppudo inter lo chadivina soothram,"annitikante balamaina forces Nuclear forces" farce la thochindi.ammayi choopuki minchina force ee viswam lo inkoti ledu annadi physics oppukoleni vaastavam...
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Morning 5 ayyesariki Khammam vachhindi.Warangal ravataniki inka 2 hours pattochhu.Anduke Hemanth kooda fresh up ayyi middle berth close chesesadu. Rambabu matram gurru petti pai berth lo padukune unnadu.
Summer kaavadam valla Sunrise tondaragane ayyi aa ammayi and migata vaallu kooda nidra lechaaru.
kitikeelonundi veechhe gaaliki atu itu egurutunna tana kurulani control cheyyataaniki kastapadutunna aa ammayikesi chlipi ga choostoo, allariga vekkirinchadu Hemanth.Antey elegance tho hair ni alaa free ga vadilesindi aa ammayi..
intalo tana hair clip cheyyi jari kinda padindi.Adi andukodaniki mundu vangina aa ammayi hair adetime lo munduku vachhina Hemanth medalo vesukunna Locket ki chikkukundi. aa galiki podavaati tana hair, atani face ki rasukundi. Ee sari vaalla choopula sangamam lo marintha lothu undi. Iddariki kaasepu baahya prapancham tho sambandhalu tegipoyaayi.
aa position lo iddaru, okari swaasa inkokaru feel ayyenta daggara lo unnaru.
Sudden ga aa maikam nundi melakuva loki vachhi iddaru vaari vaari places loki sardukunnaru.

Idilaa undaga, ee story ki mugimpu elaa untundo anna aatram naalo marintha ekkuvayyindi.Iddaru choopulu aithe exchange chesukunnaru kani, phone numbers lantivi emi exchange chesukoledu. Karanam vaalla vaalla parents paina vaallaki unde gauravam/bhayam anukunta...
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Intalo train Warangal station loki raane vachhindi.
Tana bag sardukuni ready ga unnadu Hemanth.Iddari faces lonu vidipothunnam ane feeling valla vachhe baadha kanipistundi.
Railu prayanam lo modalayye chaala parichayaallagane veella parichayam kooda end aipothundi anna feeling naake badha kaliginchindi...
Train aagindi.
Hemanth face loni Dejection kanipettadaniki meeru Pyschiatrist avvanavasaram ledu.Andariki bye cheppi digipothunnadu.
Train digaaka kooda kitiki daggariki vachchi maato kaasepu matladadu.Train kadilenduku sidhhanga undanna Railway announcement vinna aa ammayi face lo desperation.
Kallalo sannati neeti pora karigi buggameedaku jaaraka munde tudichesukundi.
Train kadilindi.
Platform paina undi train kanipinchenta varaku Hemanth chetini wave chestune unnadu.Konark express matram ivevi pattinchukokunda ala munduku sagipothoone undi...
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P.S: Induloni patralu (Nenu minaha) Sannivesalu anni kalpithalu.Any resemblances with any character living or dead is purely coincidental.

The 'X' mark.

2006-02-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

Samayam: 02:20 hrs
Place: Peru teliyani chinna Railway Station
Frame sarigga fit avvaka addadiddanga tirugutunna fan shabdham,train aaginappati nissabdhaanni chedinchindi...
Middle berth tho padukunna nenu, Station peremito choodataniki kitiki sandulonunditongi choose vifala prayatnam chesaa..
Nenu padukunna vaipu antaa cheekati gaa undi. Chinna Railway station avvatam vallaitu vaipu platform emi ledu.
Nidra lechaaka, fan shabdham ekkuva anipinchi malli nidra pattatledu..Train loni migata 71 mandi maanchi nidralo unnaru.
Sahajangane kutuhalam ekkuva motaadulo unde naku, train ee station lo asalenduku aagindi ane anumaanam vachhindi..
Plaform meediki digaanu., akkadakkadaa naalaage nidrapattani kontamandi platform meedanunchuni cigarette tagutunnaru...
30-40 metres yedam maintain chestunna vidyut deepalu platform ni illuminate cheyyataniki, bollywood heroine ontini cover cheyyataaniki try chestunna dresses laa, try chestunnayi.
Evaro maatallo train engine lo edo fault undi, repair cheyyadaniki inka 15 minutes time padutundi ani anukuntunte vinnanu.
Sarele ee time lo alaa okasari tirigi vaddam ani melliga train ki dooranga nadavatam start chesaa...
anni chinna railway stations laagane, ee station kooda main ooriki konchem dooranga kattabadi undi.Dooranga, akkadakkadaa minuku minuku mantoo chinna chinna lights kanipinstunnayi...
Pedda pedda cities ki dooranga unde vaalla lifestyle ela untundo anna aalochanala madhya kaasepu nannu nenu marchipoyaa...
intalo sudden ga train horn vinipinchindi..venakki tirigi chooste, train ki baagane dooranga vachhesanu...
Train kadilindi...
Train ki anta dooranga vachhina nannu nenu tittukunenta time kooda ledu...
Shakthinantaa koodagattukuni train vaipu parugettatam start chesaa..appatike train konchem speed andukundi....
chaala yella kindata kattina platform kanna train dwaaram chaala height lo undi...
choostunnantalone last bogie nannu cross chestoo vellipoindi..train venaka unna 'X' mark, danger signal choopistunnattu anipinchindi...
Train lo unna maa vaallaki call cheddamani cell bayataku teesanu...
Damn it..eppatilaagane no signal....
Okksaarigaa bhayam, naameeda naake kopam tarvaata em cheyyalo teliyani ayomayamlaanti emotions tho kallalo neellu tirige samayam lo oka oohinchani sanghatana jarigindi...
"Ravi", antoo bhujam meeda oka cheyyi...Ulikki padi venakku chooste .."Yentasepu moddu nidra????" antoo maa amma kanipinchindi...:D...

2006-02-22T05:04:00.000-08:00

So, I'm tagged.And they say i have to list out my pet peeves.
Here we go..
1) I hate people who talk bad about my country.
2) I hate people who smell a rat in almost everything(You know, that "daal mein zaroor kuch kaala hain" types)
3) I hate people who copy stuff.
4) I hate attention cravers.
5) I hate pessimists.
6) I hate people who think that using swear words is cool.
7) I hate extremists.
8) I hate gays and lesbians.
Thats it for now.I don't have anybody to tag.

The night the snake got in...

2006-02-20T01:30:00.000-08:00

It was a warm summer night of '97..We were living in a small Suburb just in the outskirts of the city.The colony was scarcely populated and it looked like it was just another night, till this happened...
Usually, all of my family members used to sleep in the same room.My dad sleeps on the bed and all others sleep on the floor, as it was cooler than the other beds in the house.Dad had a habit of covering himself with a blanket from head to toe, no matter what the season was..On that night, he suddenly felt something scampering over his head and quickly going towards his feet.
Dad, a bit scared, assumed that it was a snake and the next thing that came to his
mind was to avoid the creature from reaching us.He thought of capturing the creature in the blanket, by quickly covering it within the blanket,and did exactly the same, jumping on to his feet.In the process, he not only wanted to warn us about something, by shouting in some incomprehesible language, but also stomped on my Sister's feet, who was sleeping on the floor just beside the bed.My sister, obviously shocked, shouted on top of her voice expressing a mix of emotions ranging from agony, apprehesion to panic...
Hearing the sudden pandemonium, I woke up from my sleep, and as with the case of many other guys, i wanted to assure everybody, that everything was under control and there is nothing to worry, even though i had absolutely no idea of what was happening. But what i actually did, was to shout louder than my dad and sis, resulting in total chaos in the room.
In the meanwhile, my mom, the bravest of us all, took my brother away from us, and watched us in utter disbelief and horror...
When sanity returned, we tried to figure out what has happened, that triggered such a furore.It was when we saw this little mouse , seemingly scared, witnessing all the uproar, with the
innocense of a new born, from the corner of the room....

Graffiti...

2006-02-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

Valentines day roju ye vedhavaina propose cheyyagaladu..Rakshabandhan roju propose cheyyagaligevaade Romantic fellow..

Why can't you propose to a Oriental Commerce Bank Girl?Because at OBC, "Every Individual is committed.."..

Why can't you propose to a ICICI bank girl?Because her boyfriend will say, "Hum hain naa.."...

The strongest?Titanium???..no...Sri Anjaneyam..:D

The Baxozens in God’s Own Country

2006-02-08T04:27:00.000-08:00

The Baxozens in God’s Own Country
"So, let’s confirm 12th and 13th for our trip", we said in unison. Finally we made it on 25th with just one postpone. People who have known us for long, would definitely rate it as an achievement, considering the kind of people we are. It was a hiatus of 5 months for the Baxozens. They knew it was going to happen and lo!! They were at it again!!! This time they have chosen Kerala to get the privilege. It all started with an online conference with some of our class mates a few weeks back. At last 5 people agreed upon the idea of Kerala trip. Things took a real turn around when Mahender opted out of the trip on some personal reasons. This was when Murali agreed to come in the place of Mahender for the trip.So it was all set for the trip extending from 24th to 27th March with Myself, Mastan, Murali, Pradeep and Ravi Kiran as the final confirmations.
The Coimbatore Connection
Mastan, Murali and I started to Coimbatore on 24th March in Sabari Express @ 12:30. We have reached Coimbatore on the morning of 25th March. Ravi received us in the Railway station and took us to his hostel room. We had the honor of giving bumps to the Birthday Boy from Bangalore.
Ernakulam- The Lazy City
Then, we have started our journey to Ernakulam by Dhanbad-Alleppey express at 2:00 in the afternoon and reached Ernakulam Junction by 6:30 in the evening. We took a room in a Hotel nearby (Ceylon Bake House) with the help of Pradeep’s ex room mate.The Hotel room was compact if not cozy. We refreshed ourselves with a shower and went out into the city.
For the information, Ernakulam and Cochin are twin cities. Cochin is also known as Kochi. It has the title ‘The Queen of Arabian Sea’. Cochin was a lazy city with roads occupied scarcely by people and traffic. It is surely a get-away for people who live in the hustle bustle of busy cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore. The shops in the hotel premises did not open till 10: 00 in the morning confirming the fact that it was indeed a Lazy city even by JNTU Hostel Standards!!!
We went to a place called the Marine Drive in the night. It was actually a stretch of road on the banks of the harbor waters of the Arabian Sea. We strolled along the road till we were really tired. We had the privilege of accessing the India’s first ATM on Water. The SBI ATM was totally floating on water with a wooden passage to reach it.Then we returned to the Hotel where we have boarded and Pradeep treated us at the restaurant for Dinner. We went to the Room and quickly fell asleep following an exhaustive day’s travel.
Baxozens at the Back Waters
The day started at 7 O’ clock for us and we were out of the hotel room by 9:00 AM. We reached Alleppey by bus at 10:00 AM .Alleppey is the anglicized name of Allapuzha. Alleppey was a medium sized town which ahs close resemblances of a typical Andhra town. The notable feature of this town is its greenery and the canals which connect the backwaters. Back waters of Alleppey are actually a collection of naturally formed water bodies created due to the tidal effects of the Arabian Sea on the low lying plains of the land. The backwaters act as a vital waterway for the transport of goods, people and their produce are often the only link between isolated villages and crowded towns. In Kerala, the total expanse of backwater stretches over 1500 kms, with a network of 44 rivers, lagoons and lakes from north to south. Alleppey which forms the main part of this network has the peculiar geographical feature of having the water in level with the land. This gives the advantage of getting a closer look at the village life on shore while on a backwater ride. A glide in a "Kettuvallam" (Houseboat) through the enchanting backwaters of Alleppey is sure to rob your heart. Palm fringed narrow canals winding through the vast expanse of paddy fields and the neat tiny hamlets lined up along either side of the canals are panoramic sights one can never forget. The Chinese fishing nets, the reminiscent of our past trade links, are also found on the way. Flocks of ducks swimming around the banks and tiny birds flying across the sky remains as enduring pictures reflecting the charm of this unique land.
The sparkling water and the caressing cool wind is a temptation too strong to resist. Country boats of various types crisscross the path with passengers from all walks of Kerala's rural life ranging from milkman and newspaper boy to local politicians, priests and wedding parties. It is a unique experience as this is as close as one can get to feel the vibrant life in the countryside of god's own country.
We have hired a motor boat for about 3 hours to go around the back waters. The ride was amazingly refreshing with the boat maneuvering through the labyrinth of the water ways. The back waters were interspersed with pieces of land all over. The inhabitants of the place cultivated whatever land is available and also built houses. Almost every house had at least one boat. Coconut trees and fishing tools are almost mandatory for them. A government run Ferry service transports people in and around the backwaters.
The small boats carried vegetables which are grown in the lands surrounded by backwaters, drinking water and other items. We had our Lunch at a restaurant which was served us some typical Kerala dishes much to the delight of the Baxozens. We started again in the boat to cover some more places in the backwaters and returned to the place where we started by 2:30 PM.
Back to the Backwaters
We were ready to start to the Alleppey beach, but God had plans otherwise. We forgot our bag at the restaurant where we had our lunch. We hired another motor boat to go there and get back our bag.

The Baywatch boys at the Beach
We then took an Auto to reach the Alleppey beach. It was the first sight of the Sea for some of us. The Arabian Sea was the only thing that we could see, with the horizon separating the blues of the sky and the water. The feeling of the sand and water under the feet was unforgettable for us. We shed all our primitive inhibitions and unleashed the kid within us. We played with “catches” and had a photo session. The sight of the sunset at the west coast was one of the beautiful sights one would ever see. The sun slowly slipped into the sea with our spirits still soaring high. The body was very tired and we felt that we badly needed a shower. We walked to the Alleppey railway station and got the “Intercity” train to Ernakulam. We reached the hotel room and quickly had a shower. Then we went to a restaurant nearby and had our Dinner.
The last day
We woke up in the Sunday morning and came out of the Hotel room at 9AM. The city was still in a slumber by the time we strolled around the sleepy city. We went to the Marine Drive again and spent some time there watching the Big Cargo ships stationed at the Harbor. Then we checked out of the Hotel room and walked back to the Ernakulam Railway station. The train was already on the platform ready to depart to Hyderabad. We already had a wee bit of agonizing pain of departure from the beautiful state. Pradeep and Ravi Kiran got down at Coimbatore at 4PM. Mastan, Murali and I continued our journey in the same train. The journey was a long one especially after so much of travel, at least that’s what we felt. We reached Hyderabad by 1:30 on the Monday afternoon.

Srisailam Trip

2006-01-25T01:51:00.000-08:00

Prologue
It was as uncertain as the Indian Monsoon…
I’m not talking about Indian batting…
It was as thrilling as a Hitchcockian whodunit…..
I’m not talking about the current Ashes series…
It was just pure adrenalin rush…
I’m not talking about any of those AXN programs…
Its real…
Its raw…
Its wild…
Its fun….
3 weeks of planning…
2 postpones…
1 cancellation…
2 candidates dropping at the last moment…
One full day of nerves….
And to top it all…the trip hasn’t yet started then...and yet we’ve done it again…all over…
The story
It was not till Friday morning, did we come to know that Mastan and Mahender would be missing the trip, as both of them had some high priority work at hand, in the weekend. That didn’t dampen our spirits...We still had good company In Murali and Pradeep...Murali and I started from MGBS at 9:30 in the night. The journey was not the comfortable of all, with some bumpy roads and a cacophonous bunch of girls right behind our seat...Not at least till we got a glimpse of what could be called as one the few visuals that can be worth watching even at 3:30 AM in the mid-night. The bus took us through a labyrinth of Ghat roads with a spectacular view of the water falling from the Dam gates.
That visual almost drove our sleep away and it was 5 O’clock in the morning by the time we reached Srisailam. We immediately booked a room in a chowltry for ourselves and got into a nap very quickly.

Pradeep’s phone call woke us from the deep slumber. He joined us in the Chowltry and we refreshed ourselves with a shower and started off from the room. We reached the Sanctum sanatorium of Lord Mallikharjuna Swamy by 10 O’clock .The temple can be approached by two ways, each of which is flanked on either side by the customary Hawkers trying to lure the pilgrims into buying their wares. The temple complex was approximately of the size of a cricket ground with the temples of Raja Rajeswara Swamy, Raja Rajeshwari Devi, Vinayaka, Bhramaraba Devi and Lord Mallikharjuna. The temple complex also had a Mirror hall where the Lord is believed to have his sleep every night. We had the “Darshan” and bought “Prasadam” afterwards.

We then had our lunch at the chowltry and moved to the next phase of the trip, i.e. “site seeing”. We got ourselves into the State run RTC Site Seeing special bus and the first stop was the “Saakshi Ganapathi temple”. It is believed that Lord Ganesha himself maintains a record of the devotees visiting srisailam. We moved on to “the Hatakeshwara temple”, where Lord Shiva is believed to have blessed a potter and enlightened him. The Siva Lingam was symbolically represented on a potter’s wheel.

The next stop was the ‘Phaaladhara-Panchadhaara’. It was a steep valley-like geography, which could be accessed by a stairway. Small streamlets of water ooze out of the rocks, creating an Ideal ambience for meditation. It is believed that the legendary Saint “Shankaracharya” himself constructed a shrine here and used to meditate there.

We then reached the “Sikharam” by the evening. The “Sikharam” is the highest point of the Nallamala hills. It is believed that anybody who gets a glimpse of the “Garbha Gudi Gopuram”, from the Sikharam from in between the horns of Nandi, will have no re-birth.

The last of the stops was the “Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Project” also called the “Srisailam Dam”. The dam stood tall against the background of lush green forests of the Nallamala hills, providing a spectacular panorama of beauty, glory and grandeur of Mother Nature. The view of the water flowing down from an astounding 800 ft and ricocheting to almost 700 ft with a horizontal range of approximately the same distance as the height and transforming into a gigantic misty wave of frothing water, left us spell bound. We managed to get a view from the top of the dam by bribing a person there. The sun already slipped beneath the western horizon, when we started strolling along the road towards the base of the dam, against gusty wind filled with the torrent of mist rising from the river water, slapping right across our faces. As we moved nearer to the base of the dam, the sound of the flow of water reverberated in our ears creating in us, a strange feeling of Euphoria mixed with apprehension. The view of the crescent moon disappearing intermittently in the clouds of the mist, only added to the beauty of the whole backdrop. We felt like we really had a sumptuous treat for our senses, satisfying us thoroughly. We returned to the boarding point, rather reluctantly and got into a bus, which took us back to Srisailam.

The small temple town’s streets were still awake and we had a quick dinner at a small hotel. We returned to the chowltry, after booking the tickets for our return journey. Our discussions went long into the night, covering a gamut of topics ranging from World politics to International Cricket, before we slipped into a reasonably good sleep.

thatsme

2006-01-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

thatsme

My Hampi Trip

2006-01-18T04:40:00.000-08:00

The Hampi Trip
The Rayalaseema express was coasting through the dry lands of the Deccan plateau. The darkness of the night was the only witness to what was happening. The cold breeze of the northeast Karnataka was ripping through the bogies of the train. Three sets of eyes were looking eagerly at the on-coming Railway station.
It was Hospet Junction.
They got down there.
The three silhouettes asked something at a shop near-by and started walking towards the Bus-Stand along the newly laid tar road.

Mean while, somewhere else, in the State Run RTC bus, One Guy in a dark jerkin was thinking deeply about something...

The three travelers from the east were restive. One of them tried to call somebody through his Orange colored cell-phone. The action was unsuccessful.

There was something in the air. A sense of strange feeling was quite evident in the three
Travelers.

"Uyire Uyire..Uyire.." ..It was the ringing tone of one of the travelers' cell phones. There was at last some happiness in the faces of the travelers.

After some more time, the wait ended, the man in the Jerkin found the three travelers.

Yes, they were indeed old friends. Mahender, Ravi Kanth and Mastan were the three travelers from the East. The gentleman in the Jerkin is Mr Pradeep!!!!!

Yes Guys..That’s how our Hampi trip started.

Day One

Hampi was about 15KM from Hospet Junction. We took a Bus to Hampi and got there by 8:30 in the morning (30-10-2004). We took a room near the imposing 'Gopuram' of the 'Viroopaksheswara' temple.

We refreshed ourselves and started for sight seeing. We have visited the Viroopaksheswara Temple and walked on to the Banks of the Tungabhadra River. We have spent some time at the bank. The sound of flowing water in combination with the picturesque visuals of the Surroundings was spectacular to watch. Then, we bought a camera. We've hired an Auto to take us around Hampi. They say it was about 24 miles in all.

The first stop was at the Ganesha-Temple. A huge Ganesha was enshrined in an equally huge temple. It was badly damaged though. We took some snaps there and went forward.
We then went to the YogaNarasimha swamy temple and the Shiva temple.

On the way to the Lotus Mahal, we have seen the Sister stones, and the Under Ground Shiva Temple. The Lotus Mahal was also called the "Chitrangini Meda". The construction style of the Mahal was a medley of the Islamic and Vijayanagara styles.

There were a team of actors and actresses doing rehearsal of the drama they were going to play in the 'Hampi Utsav', which is due that week. After seeing the Elephants Stable, we moved onto the deserted 'Hazararama' Temple. The Hazararama temple has Ramayana in the form of carvings on the walls of the temple.

The next stop was at the Royal "Mahanavami Dibba". It was a huge pedestal standing about 8 meters tall, Covering an approximate area of 250 square mts. After seeing the Pushkarini baavi, we've returned to the auto wallah to move on to the next destination.

We've reached the 'Vitthala Temple’ at almost the dusk hour. We were quite lucky, actually to get a look at the temple in the specially arranged lightings, thanks to the guard on duty there. The Vittala temple was splendidly magnificent in all its elegance, in the lights. The "Saptaswara" pillars and other musical pillars were the pick of the day. It was an amazing experience, to see those stone structures giving out enchanting musical tunes, when tapped upon. The "Stone chariot" was another special attraction of the Vitthala temple. We have taken
Some more snaps there.

Then we have returned to Hampi through an adventurous shortcut, after being dumped in the middle-of-no-where by the Auto-wallah, thanks again to the guard who helped us reach Hampi safely.

We felt tired after the daylong travel. We had a bath in the hotel room and after moving around in the Hampi main street for some more time, we've had dinner in a hotel and returned to the hotel room.

Day Two

The next day started at 7:30 in the morning. We checked out of the Hotel room at 9:00AM.There were two options for us to go to the "Hanumantuni Metta"-The birthplace of Lord Hanuman. One was to go around a de-tour by road for about 50 KM, or to cross the Tungabhadra river on a "Teppa" to cut short the journey. Obviously we have chosen the second route.

After crossing the Tungabhadra River, we have seen the Stone Bridge. It was a huge stone structure, damaged in parts, possibly due to earthquakes of the past. We reached the Hanumantuni Metta by Noon. It was a steep hill, which had steps to reach the Top. After the darshan we had some snaps there and started down hill.

We caught a Bus to a place called 'Vuligi' about 13KM from "Hanumatuni Metta". The bus went along a bumpy road to reach Vuligi at about 3:00PM. We had a mini lunch in a roadside Dhaba and took a bus to Tungabhadra Dam.

The Tungabhadra dam was indeed an engineering marvel, built about 50 years ago, covering a whopping 280 square KM. The view of the Tungabhadra River from the dam was simply awesome. The Dam also had some additional attractions like a Deer park, an aquarium and an Aviary. We had some snaps at some more places and then left for Hospet at about 7:00.

We guys from Hyderabad got a Rajahamsa to Hyderabad. Pradeep had to wait for 2 more hours to get his bus to Bangalore.

I'm sure our experience bored u all!! But what to do… You'll have to bear with all these and more, as the "Trailblazers" will come up with more of such trips.

Hampi Snippets

One could not stop wondering, seeing those young 10 year-old local children speak fluently in almost all of the prominent foreign languages along with all of the south Indian languages.

The helping nature of the Kannadigas needs to have a mention here. The trip could not have been easy without the hospitality and the helping nature of the locals of Karnataka.

One more important observation that one cannot miss is the presence of foreign tourists all over Hampi. They form a major proportion of the total tourists and indeed a good sign of the improving tourism in India.

The omni present Indian Monkey is one thing you cannot miss. They were there at almost all the places, jumping from one place to another, snatching eatables from the tourists. It reminded us of you all people!!!

My first blog

2006-01-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

Jai Ganesh!!!!!