A Church built by Jabaraj Ji

 Some places always beckon us . Be it of nostalgic or whatever it's called by. With a journo friend James Edwin ji visited a small village Dummugudem in the last month on the mission of procuring details about some British era constructions. Apart from it, we get intrigued to stop at a tiny church. It was named as Garden Church. Full of colorful flowers, plants and trees were found there. An eye feasting scene. Furthermore lullaby like breezing all over. With no pre-plan, we have stopped and entered it and many memories lingered in me.

It was almost more than thirty years back, I happened to meet the founder of this church. His name was Jabaraj ji of Tamil origin. He was a lone crusader in gathering a small group of people and was always seen  toiling his way to dig for laying foundation stones and planting different kinds of saplings. He had no workers and no helpers in the mission. Always indulged in the physical work with shovel, spade and other tools. His body was filled with soil and sweat. At last ,after some years, there was a little shelter appeared in the name of Church along with a beautiful garden.

As he was a lonely person with no family or relatives , he was going to surrounding villages in the remaining time to do prayers and in course of time people started to come here and in the process, he had his own set of enemies to make hurdles. Surprisingly he had gained supporters as well. However, decades passed by. Jabaraj ji died some years back and his people are running it successfully. Present pastor is Vinny with whom I talked for some time about Jabaraj ji. They felt happy being remembered that noble soul. I have never seen such a persistent and hard working man in my life. 

Why are some books so nostalgic?

 

We read many works. The story in them takes us to place somewhere. Be it a city, a town, a village... and even after reading it once and putting it away, those places do not leave us so quickly. 

We keep mentally traveling there. Unless the author is writing with a great imagination , we don't really feel it. Is this an art..? if it is so, we don't find it in all writers equally ! 

There should be some magic converting the scene into letters that would invoke to see pictures with our mind's eye.  

For instance, if we read Charles Dickens, we will go to London, if we read Thomas Hardy, we will go to Wessex, if we read Mark Twain, we will go to Mississippi, if we read William Faulkner, we will go to the inland areas of the southern part of America. 

Jane Austen has lived in a rural area all her life, and all that beauty can be seen in novels like Pride and Prejudice. Of course, all these are meant to be virtual purely.

Where does all that beauty come from? Any place, has a color and a taste. It is embedded in the surroundings, people and atmosphere. 

When it is painted as it is without any judgment, an honesty emerges. There lies the true beauty in the words. The right and selective words sometimes show a picture in front of us.

 We can't say, every time, a great writer would do such wonder but sometimes that happens and then a reader can't forget all along his life for that quality of description. 

One more thing, if we read Joseph Conrad, we feel like we are sailing on the sea. Because he lived like that. It is doubtful that whether all those who sailed on the sea wrote like that or not. 

It seems that the art of visualizing a feeling very skillfully is something like meditation deeply and in such people that blooms smoothly for reaching the people. In every unforgettable classic , we find more and more of such portrayal characteristics to enhance the emotional imageries. 

I think Somerset Mom and Graham Greene's stories are influenced by their travels, the characters are in various places with living creatures.

 There is something special to say about Ruskin Bond who lives in Mussoorie in our country. While reading his works, the hills, ants, trees, ants, animals, insects, etc. in the Himalayan slopes just keep lingering in our mind's eye.

--- Murthy Kvvs

Cattle lingering

 The cattle was just being gone outside. Some were drinking water in a feeble stream. After that, they would go to further deeper into the forest. No people were there except the shepherd and so they were at their freedom. Have clicked it around the place of Venkatapuram mandal, Mulugu District. Once upon a time it was in the part of Bhadrachalam division. 

Saturday Critters Link

Goats in search of food

 

Clicked the goats at Parnasala. They were busy with grazing and after a few yards ahead, there was Godavari river.

Saturday Critters Link

Raise voice against the cruel hearts

 

The other day surprised with the spectacle of horses at the Ambedkar Center. Our temple town is busy accommodating cows, oxen and stray dogs here and there on the roads. But our folks are so patient to cope up with all these innocent creatures. Leave stray dogs aside, that has become a universal problem. Cows and Oxen seemed to be pity. What happened to their human masters ? Why would they be penalized as  responsible for leaving them on to the busy roads and caused accidents..? The are the real culprits. Not the innocent creatures. They could have been exploited when those creatures were able to do field work and give milk to sell.

Now, they were thrown to outside to their fate. How is it correct ? that too in a country where a cow is treated like Holy creature. Are our values only to be uttered and not to be practiced ? That's why all this punishment should be given to the masters of these ones. Sometimes, those innocent creatures meet accidents and remain wayside. And keep walking in a difficult way. This is not the problem of local bodies, every human being should come forward to address it and to raise voice against the cruel hearts.

Subhas Chandra Bose and Deja vu ambience

   

After so many days, stepped into a village Dummugudem. It has its own uniqueness and background. Once, before our independence, the village staged a lot of action but remained serene now due to its destiny or whatever you say. Then here was a navigation centre nearby Godavari river for the convenience of colonial administration needs. Because of 1986 floods and its wreak havoc many government offices have been shifted to Lakshminagaram an adjacent village, almost 5 miles away.

Now the place looked calm and deserted but the statues erected long back were gentle and glorious to look at. Subhashandra Bose statue is the trade mark of this place. Many times it was damaged by hooligans and vehicles but the villagers never tired in keeping it intact. Be it by repaired or painting or something ,always they got it right and maintain its dignity. As it is in the heart of the village, whenever visitors come here, would get connected with it at once.

There were also statues like Gandhi ji, Nehru ji and Potti Sriramulu in he same village. All they got erected long back, eased many odds like floods and natural calamities. Apart from it, newly constructed temple was also seen at the entry point. In the canal, some people were fishing after the floods got receded. Greenery was everywhere to see. This is something with a sense of Deja vu. I will give some pics here for you all. See and imagine how nostalgic all about it.

  

Vizag seashore

 

A throwback memory. All I wish to have written a few lines about Visakhapatnam or Vizag. And along with a picture that was taken very long back but remained unpublished anywhere. It could have been changed a lot by now. Because this one is almost 7 years old. That beautiful Bay of Bengal, surrounding  picturesque location and high mountains from where I have had clicked it. Moments captured have surfaced here again.  

Sea is just like a monster, sometimes, it threatens like hell

Sea is just like a passion, sometimes, it soothes heart like an angel

New Life Unexpected

 

Here I wish to present two saplings. Both two have spouted up on their own. I have never sown the seeds. That's what the amazing part here. Sometimes ,we take extra care to feed the seeds to grow up into the form of plants. But, they mightn't have come up with our expectations. Due to many reasons , we can not see them grow as we thought of. Recently ,in one pot, I have planted Aloevera and which grew into very good size. But in the second pot, I left it without planting anything.

But surprisingly, with the onset of recent monsoon, two small plants came up. No idea of its kind indeed. Seeds might have somewhere in the pot and all of a sudden sprouted up in a sapling form. As days are going by, the two saplings got bigger and one of my friends spotted them with their  original names. All I want to say is without expectation and sowing, nature takes care to nurture nameless greenery. Every new life is a new entity. All they have their  own days and die calmly with leaving seeds somewhere just like humans.

Waiting

 

Both sides , a vertical lane of lush greenery comprising of  different trees and a road amidst. And two people with a kid were perhaps waiting for a bus or auto to reach their destination. This pic was taken before the village of Kannaigudem. The lens man in me woke up to capture the moment. With the onset of monsoon , entire area would come into green ambience, but before two months, there was a scene  with leaving its leaves unto the ground. A barren look all over. How season transforms everything with the movement of time is something wonderful, all it happens on its own.

With the outbreak of Covid pandemic , scanty rush of people and vehicles is evident. This road leads to Parnasala upwards and Bhadrachalam downwards. As it's in the hours of early morning, air felt afresh apart from the shining new leaves. Nature soothes every heart. No wonder it is a time for having a click to keep the moment in tact for ever. Ancient scriptures say all these are parts of Dandakaranya but now the forest turned other way notwithstanding the claims of those times.

Animals do feel Cold

 I don't have any particular idea about how the cattle feel during the season of winter until I have seen this picture. Just it was taken a couple of days back by a friend. And the place is nearby our town, i.e., at the village of Charla, in the vicinity of bus stop. Some good human being helped out a fire for warming the cattle. Very carefully gathered around the fire and warming themselves. Just like the humans as well.

This village is around 50k.m. away from the temple town. And of course, usually our winters are not that bone chilling but this year a little bit real winter that we are going through. So that animals do feel as we are. On some days, temperatures dip below 10-15 degree celcius. So, what could they do..? quite naturally warming up themselves like this. it seems calves needed more heat as they forwarded a bit towards the fire. 

Stopped by the woods in memories

The neglected and dilapidated ruins here you are seeing in the pictures was once a Rest house built by British officials before the days of freedom to our country. Situated at Tunikicheruvu village of Dummugudam mandalam. In that time, transportation facilities were scarce and travel means a hectic affair through dense forests. When they had taken up their journey Visakhapatnam to Rajamundry, they got halted at some points with their elephants and horses. To serve their purpose of taking rest, they built some rest houses even in forest ridden areas. This is one among them.

Salked lime,Stone,Teak,Guttertiles were used in the construction. It was strong once but with the onslaught of odd times got given in and remained like this as of now. Valuable assets made of rich timber were stolen by people. Before coming to Bhadrachalam, officials halted here with their stocks at Tunikicheruvu. Elephants and horses were taken rest at Enugula bangla situated at Bhadrachalam. In 1980s' my father Late Pamaraju Venkatesara Rao garu worked as a superintendent in the office of Forest department. Chilukuri Venkata Subba Rao garu,Madeti Veerraju garu,Yadlapalli Appa Rao garu and others were working as other employees like rangers,foresters,watchers etc. All these were kith and kin of my friends. And they were also happened to be at the rest house during their working time.

At the behest of my friend Basha,I used to visit this place as a picnic spot, along with other friends like Chilukuri Udayabhaskar,Bosu,Gorremuchu Srinu,Ravi,Yugandhar,Imthiyaz,Mohan,Decembaro and so on. We enjoyed seeing different animals and birds such as spotted deers,slender lorises,chowsingas,langoors,monkeys,rabbits,peacocks,brachyura pitta,water ducks,pelicans,falcons and eagles etc., Some of them could have migrated from Madhya pradesh as it's the adjacent area. Forest looked rich green during winter and rainy seasons but in summer all looked barren as the trees were shedding its leaves. However all seasons were having their own enchanting beauty.

I have learned so many things by wondering in the woods, the traits like adoring life,courage,appreciation of nature are some of them.By the way, I visited this place yesterday , of course purely unplanned. I stopped my bike aside. Filled with nostalgic spree of yester years. I was literally high with the thoughts of the past. Friends and other elders who accompanied me once are not now with me but their lingering memories only.  I felt tearful and unhappy for sometime. I have taken some pics of dilapidated construction and bid adieu to the place with heavy heart.

I wish to share one more experience here. In the year of 1990, back then I visited this same place with Basha,Udayabhaskar,Baro,mohan and other friends  and which was really a scaring one. It was a starry night with dead calm. All of a sudden we heard a hooting of she-bear perhaps it was in search of her mate in the night. That sound resembled like a high pitch moaning of a female human. At that time,we had taken shelter in this very building.  

       (--- Written in Telugu by Pamaraju Thirmal Rao garu and English translation rendered by none other me, Murthy Kvvs )

Countryside, One Morning

 

I happened to visit this place after a long time. No, it's not such a great one to identify with any hall mark. A simple village like any other among thousands of villages in our state. But each village has its own ambiance with the trees, shrubs and the cattle out there. Wind blows freshly. Green paddy fields aside. The cattle just roaming perhaps for green pastures. This is Kesavapatnam village in the mandal of Dummugudem.

submitted to http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

When the school's long bell rings

The above picture which I have taken was portraying several things,of course,the time was around 5'O clock in the evening.School kids came out and waiting for their autos and buses.It's a small village Narsapuram. Around our temple town to be specified.Some parents were picking their kid and moving ahead on the scooty. Before that,you see,A temple was under construction.Behind that,palm trees and other ones.The Sun was going down in the western horizon with a weak presence of rays.On top of all,He is the Sun of 2018 last week.

A Bird Man...!

As I entered into the house of Rambabu garu,he was busy giving grains to the birds , mostly sparrows.In fact,he has a small garden with a conglomerate of different plants ,trees and creepers.First I didn't believe that the birds would come as faster as he expected.True,after a couple of minutes he finished laying grains,the small birds started to flock and kept eating the grains with chirping,maybe out of happiness.He said that the food grains would be given almost everyday.And the birds were so happy coming here to eat.A different bird was flashed a couple of days back apart from these usual sparrows.These would drive that away first but later on all these became amicable with that queer bird.That's an amazing thing of their own style of life.

I asked him whether he would receive the birds everyday like this.Amazing to myself,he revealed great things about the birds.Sometimes birds would come to him as he was starting poring the grains.They felt no fear of him and treat him like their friend.In case,even his children or any other come here,they would hesitate to come nearer until they have gone away.That means the birds could identify their food givers.And also treat them friendly.He also has some other flower plants.

The above is said to have turned their leaves into red in some particular months and all rest of the months,remain as green as we are seeing here.Sorry,I forgot the name.A plant of transformation in brief.It looked like a shrub,not tall.Here under,is called powder puff  flower,as our friend said.Anyway,visiting his house made me aware of birds and their bonhomie.Along with some beautiful plants.Have a NICE DAY.

Mating Season...!

The reptile we're seeing here in the picture is called Thonda in Telugu.And known as garden lizard in English.It has been surfaced during my visit to our local park.What so special about it..? This could be seen almost everywhere in Asia and other parts of our Earth.Yes,I am coming to the point.

I was sitting on a cement bench in leisure.And staring at it's activities as I have no other work on the day.It was very interesting.After moving in precision for some minutes,another garden lizard was found in a nearby bush.They came together.It should have been like wooing.I think so.

The final moment came up.This male garden lizard (assuming  so as it has bright red throat) mounted the other one and kept wriggling a few seconds.Assignment for creation finished.They got separated at last,and this one posed like this when I started to capture it.  

Our local Columbus found it...!

A New Exciting place found.It was there for years.We have been watching it from the bus and it looked so feeble in size since the view was distant but one of our friends Baddi Srinivasa Rao has gone there recently with his interest of exploring the falls closely.It is a bit deep in the forest though appeared close from the ongoing bus. 

In fact,one has to walk into the forest to reach the falls we're watching here.That's why its surroundings looked clean and fresh with untouched beauty.This exotic site located nearby Bhadrachalam.That means almost more than 60 k.m.s by bus journey.You have to get down at Veerabhadraaram while you're going to Venkatapuram mandal headquarter.Recently this mandal adjoined to Bhupalapalli district,Telengana state.

Try it if you're interested in seeing the newly found falls,There may be chance for trekking too as there were plenty of hills all around.At your own risk of course.The place could get focus and have amenities for rushing travelers in future.Who knows,might be happened.But surely then we will never get the eerie silence,solitude coupled with gushing falls that what is prevailed now.