The Great Train journey (A Collection of stories)

  A beautiful short story collection authored by Ruskin Bond. There are thirteen stories, all are filled with train journeys. It is not only about journeys. It's all about what makes a journey for children and adults alike. Sleepy and small railway stations, tunnels, surrounding forests, small towns, people with their usual errands and an enchanting tale telling would make us linger in those places. All stories created from everyday happenings. Yet, we see something witty and life around us. Time stops at Shamili is the lengthy story comparing to other ones.

How a lone watchman who guards tunnel railway tracks amidst the dense forest is portrayed in the story of Dragon in the tunnel. Felt mesmerized and enjoined with him in his works. His salary is meagre but he does it out of love towards the work. Sometimes, wild animals like leopards would take rest in the darkness of tunnels, but the watchman with the help his lamp drove them out because the leopards would be run over by the train. As they both see each other regularly, leopard behaves also friendly.

And all other stories like Snake trouble, The night train at Deoli, Belting around Mumbai, going home, the long day, the woman on the platform no:8 are enjoyable while reading. We become children in some situations and happier about our past incidents. Ruskin Bond's style of writing is unique in everyway. His microscopic view makes us amazing while insects, animals and other creatures were portrayed in a simple yet realistic way. Weaving an interesting story out of a small incident or no incident needs a masterful mind. I constantly draw inspiration from Ernest Hemingway and Ruskin Bond in this regard.

----- Murthy Kvvs

#Blogchatter Blog Hop

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(Submitted to The Blogchatter for  "Best thrillers you have read" prompt)

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Creative ways to involve kids with you

 Story telling is the best way to involve kids with us. Deep down, every one of us a story teller with some stories to tell. But very few people has ability to make it an interesting one. What makes a story interesting in the first place ? Clarity and no confusion in a teller. That's what the important quality needed. See, all enchanting story tellers are confident in their work. With that every thing follows, like making it gripping and thrilling in nature. The easier the language , the better. We need to be down to earth. Then only the listener ,importantly kids get connected.

And next, drawing is also the best way to get kids involved. Picaso once said that every child is a painter by birth. It sounds unusual but which will be proved correct if we do a small experiment. Provide color pencils and papers to some children. They grab them without any second thought. And start drawing whatever they have in their minds. With great conviction, they do it. All their drawings have some beauty as they are their brain children. With that habit, they will grow in imagination richly.

The both creative ways mentioned above are my all time favorites in the matter of kids to involve with.

----- Murthy Kvvs

Note : This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop ( Prompt : Creative Ways to involve kids with you)    Blogchatter link 

An Enchanting Story collection

 " Koraput and Other Stories" a collection 15 stories written in Oriya by Gourahari Das and it turned into English language by Saroj Mishra and Gopa Nayak. Indeed an able translation to have stirred the chords of the heart. The first story (eponymous) based on the backdrop of Koraput. Nature's bounty along with a set of problems like extremists and poverty ridden people encompassed in it. Gourahari Das showed his adept in telling the story and made the reader comfortable at the same time. It's all about kidnapping a woman while she traveled to Koraput to teach a lesson to a corrupted officer. Who...the kidnappers were extremists. They became successful in getting ransom and the woman got freed with no harm done. In this story we can understand how beautiful Koraput area with its high rising mountains, lush green forests and people with their problems.  

The second story "Once the sky was blue" described the blues of a street vendor. How his small makeshift outlet in a busy road of Bhubaneswar was uprooted by a powerful Mall owner has portrayed and the small players have to be innovative and adoptive with changing times otherwise livelihood would become difficult. "Mirage" story tells us how a dreadful goon Panu Jena lost his valuable life by taking the words of a beautiful dame serious and prestigious. Everybody has a weakness however lethal they were. This is what the message in this one. "Compensation" story described how a flood hit area get filled people with different agonies on the time of floods. Even in that time, some people would try to cheat public money.

There were other stories all let us know about different problems of rural background and urban based also. Writer Gourhari Das showed prudence in selecting themes. He took characters from Bangladesh migrants and flashy media life and household problems and what not. English translation is also crispy and reader friendly. More of like this should come out from every state to get known to other people. Interestingly Ruskin Bond wrote a couple of appreciative words about this collection and they were truthful. This book is available with amazon. 

----- Murthy Kvvs

#TBRChallenge2023

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Rela Pandum (Tribal Cultural Festival)

 Adivasi cultural festival (Rela Pandum) is going on in the grounds of Junior college, Bhadrachalam . and Tribal artists came here to showcase their skilled performances. Places like Adilabad and other districts sent their representatives. Padmasri Awardee Sakini Nageswara Rao inaugurated the event. Gussadi, Rela, ChochoDi like dances are being performed by various artists. Tribal arts lagging behind and have given cold shoulder in these days but the foundation of all arts are laid in itself only said by Padmasri Awardee Sakini Nageswara Rao. Dappu, Dolu, Flute and other instruments are used in the festival. Rhythms of the instruments and voices which are singing made the town music soaked. Green robes everywhere in the grounds were beautiful to behold. TAGS state leaders and local leaders participated in the event.

   

3 Ways you can add diversity to your stories

 #Reality

To add diversity to my story, I prefer reality. Why should we add reality..? to make others believe us. Yes, in one sense, it may sound hyperbolic and too good to trust. But when we go to have real thrust or make sincere effort the thing of reality give us moral courage. By which only our story become reliable to the world outside. Reality could change person to person, yet, which has some relatability to all.

#Imagination

Imagination is the key to open any door. As of now, we all might have heard or listened some hundreds of stories. If we see it keenly, there were very few important elements but each one could have influenced us in its own way. That's what the power of imagination. All popular writers have this unique quality immensely. Even they used to say the same story in different colors and that will make us feel differently.

#Newness

Some new things to add is inevitable to make our stories diverse. Reader should not fed up with our age old techniques. There must be variety of things to intrigue with. Be it story telling way or factual collection or whatever, it should have some newness to appeal. Diversity is important in all things of life, then only adding it to our stories is possible.

----- Murthy Kvvs

Note : This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop ( Prompt : 3 Ways you can add diversity to your stories)    Blogchatter 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.

A Writer who penned about Sri Bhadrakali sametha Veerabhadra Swamy temple at Thegada

  There is a considerable bondage between "Bhadrakali sametha Veerabhadra swamy" and respected Dr. Chintalapudi Venkateswrlu garu,who is also like a mentor for us. He penned Veerabhadrasathakam in 2010, on the request of m son Chi.Bhanuprakash. In fact,he studied M.A (Telugu).,Ph.D and has been working as a drawing teacher at Sri Seetharama Aided high school,located at Satanaraanapuram.where I also got educated as well.

It made me very happy that he had penned Sathakam with a crown of "VinuthaThegadeccha Veerabhadra". As a chief priest , I would say our Veerabhadra Swamy (Tegada) is a God of serenity filled face. Like Bhadrachala Rama, our God also has his consort on his left thigh , which is so unique and never to be seen in an other place in the world. In general, he gives darshanam in standing posture. Our Veerabhadra Swamy's uniqueness is evidently seen.  

Sri Chintalapudi Venkateswarlu garu was an erudite scholar , researcher and he liked to be a learner forever. Forward written for this book by him is a rare privilege. Having shouldered the work of the Lord and preface written b Dr.Chintalapudi garu, nothing short of fulfillment of my pious deeds in the past birth. I always feel so.

I am the fourth son of my parents, Sri Yallamandala Bhadrayya garu and Bhadramma garu. Without any effort from m side, Priestly duties came to me and which is a boon for me. Our Mangalasaasanams to my parents for this.

In the ninth poem of Veerabhadra sathakam,Dr.Chintalapudi sir described the glory of Tegada Ceerabhadra Swamy so vividly. And 10th poem portrayed how immensely Veerasaivas devoted to the Swamy.

He also urged Swamy to show the solutions to the present day problems, be it sociological, political or social whatever. It his good nature, to have personified written this sathakam. We can observe it in 107th poem.

Ma the blessings of our Tegada Sri Bhadrakali sametha Veerabhadra Swamy be with Sriman Chintalapudi Venkateswarlu garu always..!

----- Yallamandala Sravan Kumar

Manager, Bhadrakali Sahitha Veerabhadra Swamy vari Devasthanam.