Letter featured in a daily

 Today, after so many days... no so many years, my letter has been printed in a daily. The daily's name is Telengana Today and it is published simultaneously from 8 district units apart from Hyderabad. In fact, my letter writing habit is much older. During my college days, I used to write number of letters to both vernacular and English publications. With that unflinching habit, my name became a household one. After that gradually, started writing poems,essays and other items. And on  that promotion to writing serious stuff, I stopped letter writing. No big reasons at all.

Now I have almost 7 books to my credit. I should thank my initial days of letter writing, with which only came to understand the power and joy of being printed something in a magazine. That habit evolved me a lot more in terms of reading and writing, of course blogging too. Just for a fun, yesterday, I wrote my response on Angela Merkel's statement on apology expression. And the letter carried out today itself. Here is the image of it sharing with you all. Feeling turned back to the past. 

 

Colonial Tombs

Way that leads to the burial ground

 Back to our colonial story. As I entered the place where zombies,spirits and ghosts are expected, by the grace of Almighty nothing of the sort encountered us. Well, let me present my collected facts. Last time I have posted some pics and info about the residential blocks of British officers and employees. As you already knew that the place is nearby Dummugudem, to be exact work shop location. Bygone days are always enchanting and packed with some mystery. And this time I am here with posting multiple pics and interesting details.

Details engraved on the tombs

This is all about a burial ground. Yes, you heard it right. There we can find tombs of British people. Some were of missionary teachers like Ms. Sarah Cain, Ms. Dorothy and others. And Mr.Angus alstair Fernandez was died young at 29. Interestingly he was an ICS officer. All they were buried during 1917 to 1921. And there was a tomb of an young girl named by Charlotte Henritta. Her father worked as a superintendent of medical department, Madras. But it's clueless how come she buried at this interior corner. 

A View from Outside

There was also a tomb belonged to one George Henry Walter Shelverton, served as a superintendent of .G.T. Survey and he buried on 26th January 1871. This is the oldest tomb according the details noted by me. In fact, almost 15 years back I visited this place on the tip off provided by some friend. I found that a clear difference now. Most of the tombs are collapsed, dug out and dilapidated. Really in a bad condition.

Maybe, they were from other nation but these tombs are signatures of a valuable history. Very few people knew the importance of this burial ground. We don't know where these souls were born and grew but they had served the colossal machine of imperial government as nuts and bolts and slept here in this corner. A place of solitude. In this age of information explosion, who knows, it could attract  a couple of readers to come over and to have a glance.

                                             -----Murthy Kvvs

A Colonial House

 

(Towering trees welcomed us)

Recently, I have visited two unique places along with our friend B.Sudhakar garu. The two were quite opposite to each other in nature but there was a link between them. First one was a building which was almost on the verge of its last phase and started ruining in parts. Yes, It was the place where some British officers lived in the part of their duties to be discharged. Constructed before the freedom ,yet got face lifts in course of time but gave in to the onslaught of odd conditions. Be it climatic or hooliganism or something else.

(Inside...)

It's situated in the vicinity of Dummugudem, particularly work shop area. Once this place housed the office of navigation works. River Godavari  just flows via this place and in those days, steamers and launches busy travelling this way loaded with people and commodities. Some buildings had been constructed for the purpose of running office, work shop and to provide accommodation for living. And with passing years, most of the constructions ruined except our present one to which we visited.

(Upstairs way...)

Detective Conan in us got active. We have had number of photographs in and outside of such old building. Here I am giving you all of them and feel the ambience with your intuition. No names engraved was available but hardly one or two families were residing in the vicinity. They have given us info to get into it. Well, are you guessing about the second spot apart from it..? That's really a bit frightening one. Yes, it was a burial ground. Have found some tombs with real English names engraved,  just keep fingers crossed. Let's have more of it in our next post.   

----Murthy Kvvs

Blooming Time

Here I would like to share an enchanting spectacle that I have ever received in the recent past and it's all about growing a garden in the school. It happened to me by seeing on whatsapp status. And a beautiful sight of colorful flowers made me write this piece. All these flower plants got from Kadiyam nursery with the initiative of its head mistress Mrs.BPRL Kumari. I was really elated to see the elegant  ambience with fresh greenery and of course added exquisite premises. Yes, Nannapaneni Mohan ZP high school is one of the best equipped schools in our district and which deserved all appreciation.

I should say one more thing, of course it could sound a bit nostalgic but worth remembering on the occasion. Mrs.BPRL Kumari, HM of the school was my class mate during the graduation days and she is there in my mind as a devoted Christian soul besides a compassionate human being. Right now, turned an hard working and able executioner of the good deeds for the renowned school. It made me happy and I expressed my desire to share this wonderful thing in my blog. Thanks for the bonhomie and congrats to the entire staff.

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 )

"Stories We never Tell" a novel by Savi Sharma

Being clogged with some e-books that were gratis and libre on internet, trust me, I wanted to read a story that was never told. After once I got finished with it, remained smirked for the reasons, perhaps, you would accept mine, at least even remotely. Savi Sharma is a millennial writer with a clear cut idea of new age problems, for what many of us aware like pros and cons of social media and its effects. And of course, the stress, disturbance and complicated life style are added in pursuit of  happiness. She woven  it with four principal characters such as Jahnvi,Ashray,Kavya and Rishi. 

Let's get into the story. Jahnvi is a budding social media influencer. She is leading her life to have it all together, underneath some missing feeling. On the call of Burn promotions, she went to Goa and there busy with her work like capturing pics and posting on her social media platforms for a huge bunch of virtual friends. Boozing is a ritual like phenomena. Already she cracked with her boy friend Gourav and the reason was damn natural like flirting with some other girl. They both were there and Jahnvi was jealous and angry over it. She took to uncontrolled booze and uneven eating habits. Her parents were living in Delhi but she was to live on her own life with the work she liked.

Ashray is an orphan, brought up by a single mother Akshita. He is determined to succeed and give a cozy life to his fostered parent. What made his life misery is also love like Jahnvi. He slithered into depression but came out with the support of his mother's kind words and care. He bought a posh villa from his earnings to live a peaceful and enriched life, along with his mother. Unfortunately his mother collapsed in the new house and died eventually. Ashray got a blow unexpected and which led him to the psychiatrist where Jahnvi was also a visitor as a patient. The two were now of same wavelength in their minds and empathy grew turned into  love and caring.

There were two other characters such as Rishi and Kavya. They were of great help to their respective friends when needed. Like that , the story of new love reached the happiest shores at last. It's a not a never told story in nature but back drop of mental health issues among the youth was a bit new and well crafted. What these young writers are doing is analyzation of surfacing problems in a very simple way at the same time incompetent of depth regarding what they have taken up to tell. Savi Sharma has a magical writing style and with more experience of concerned technicalities she would be a much more readable one. 

---MURTHY KVVS