Melting Point

It is perfectly normal to feel bogged down by the seemingly endless stream of hardships thrown at you. What is not normal is giving up the will to live, blaming God or anyone else for your suffering.

Whatever troubles you face are all tests imposed by the Supreme Being, only to gauge your mettle and determine what you deserve in life. We all know it is a sin to quit living just because the tests get too tough. But what many don’t realize is that it is an equally appalling sin not to learn the right lessons from the suffering.

                                       

Metal has to be heated till it becomes malleable, because only hot metal can be hammered and forged into something useful. The degree to which a metal needs to be heated depends on what the metal is. Copper melts at 1000°C and Platinum melts at 1800°C. If platinum starts melting at 1000°C because it cannot take any more heat, it is betraying its own nature and defying Mother Nature, making it an aberration, and aberrations are unceremoniously and apathetically eliminated from this world, all thanks to survival of the fittest.

If there is an unexpected, vehement blow to your life that shakes not only your faith but also your beliefs, it is only logical to rethink your beliefs and prioritize accordingly. But if you keep sticking to the same beliefs with an obstinate ego, thus refusing to yield to a better logic and accepting a higher belief, your life will continue to receive such blows. You have to realize this is your and only your fault. This realization is the only necessary step to finding enough inner strength.

It is only at the melting point that a person finds the courage to change. It is also at the melting point that life gives you the last chance to change. Embrace that prospect and grab the chance to change. It only makes it all the more simple to face whatever blows are in store for you ahead. And as a bonus, it also makes life infinitely happier. You have nothing to lose in trying something new even if holds the promise of just a glimpse of greener pastures. Once you try it and find that green is not really your color, you will at least gain a new perspective to look at the world.

It is imperative to quit complaining to self and to God about how hard and blistering it is at the melting point. God too is not interested in whiners. So use the melting point to change – not only because change is the only constant in the million years of evolution and history but also because change is the only guarantee of happiness we are given.

Rough Seas Are For Few Ships

Every ship sails well on calm waters. If one were to know the true strength and quality of a ship, he has to look at how it handles rough waters in a storm.

Every person puts on a smile and acts nice when he is happy. Which is why while judging a person’s character, it is important to know how he behaves when angry. No emotion rocks a person’s balance and façade like anger does. Anger brings out the true beauty or beast within a person. All the pretenses a person is capable of putting up will be blown away like dead leaves in the wake of a gust. The act breaks down revealing the true slang. And if the person was indeed putting up a decent façade just to impress others, he leaves a trail of destruction so painful for the victims that even a lifetime of repentance may not clean up the garbage he dumped on them in that one instant.

When we decided to get married against our parents' will, I and my wife were left with only one choice - we left our homes and got hitched. Neither side had any inkling of what we had planned. When the news broke out on the D day, it did create the chaos we expected but it also wreaked a havoc we couldn't foresee. Parents on both sides were more angry than hurt.

My mother retreated into her own cocoon and didn't talk to anyone for a couple of days. She didn't talk to me for a month. She never spoke a word even of how badly hurt she was. She had chosen her way of dealing with her anger.

Her family, on the other hand, hurried over to our apartment as soon as they got the news of our marriage and made a ruckus at the building. Venomous words were hurled at my mother – someone who had always been respected by thousands of students and revered by hundreds of teachers. She was blamed of being the orchestrator of the whole thing – that my mother had meticulously planned everything to defame their “respectful” family and trap their girl.

It was easy for my mother to retort with similar accusations and defamation because she too was in the same predicament. It was easy for her to use wretched and loathsome words back on them. But she did not. Not because she couldn't but because she chose not to.

Not everyone understands this difference. Just because one realized what kind of beast he turns into when he is angry doesn't right the earlier wrongs. Some wounds cut too deep. Some scars etch for life. What one says and how one reacts in anger is a deep reflection of the self. If that reflection is vile, the aftermath is not a mistake but a sin.  And there is no pardon for sins. Not in this world.

More than ‘1’ disappointment

Imagine this: Everything is set for the 400 meter dash. Every single spectator is cheering for their champion and hoping for him to win it. The champion starts off like a bullet, leaving every other participant with a very good view of his ass. Midway into the race, the others are more than a few seconds away from him. Then it happens. The champion glances at a very beautiful (read hot) girl in the stands. He is distracted though just for a couple of seconds. Result - he has to scramble across the finish line just as one another athlete overtakes him.

Now whose mistake is it? Is it the spectators who were expecting the best from a pool of incredible talent? Is it the girl who unknowingly spoiled the big moment? Is it the champion who failed to stick to his training? Or is it the coach who maybe did not train him in basic concentration or rather failed to comprehend that the athlete is not oblivious to petty temptations?

As one of the audience expecting nothing less from the genius that Sukumar is, I must confess it was frustrating at times to watch ‘1’. There is more than an instance where you feel like Sukumar is confused with the priorities (maybe he was forced to imbibe some “commercial” elements). And these few instances actually jar the entire experience, thus ruining the effect of an otherwise brilliant script.

Yes, Mahesh looks his best and does his best. And Kriti Sanon actually holds up very good opposite him - be it the looks or the dialogues (‘coz now-a-days expecting a heroine to lip-sync Telugu properly is a big ask) or the emotions. She definitely made the best of the opportunity. Yes the photography is excellent and the locations are beautiful. But the songs don’t leave an impact - not expected from Sukumar + DSP combo.

For a complicated script as 1, Sukumar did a commendable job in keeping the mystery elements in tact while still being able to communicate the conflict point quite clearly to the audience. But if you are aiming for the best, you can’t ignore even the smallest details. And sadly, irrespective of the motive behind, the script is punctuated with unnecessary scenes and songs which are very irritating given how good the rest of the movie is. Just like how irritating it is to see the athlete give in to momentary temptation and throw it all away.

It is just as disheartening to see an intelligent movie spoiled by the forced but expected-by-fans commercial masala as it is joyous to see someone with the caliber to execute such a story and screenplay. While I am disappointed with the overall movie, I am not disappointed with Sukumar and hence will wait for his next movie, hoping his creative genius is not too bothered by the critical or popular feedback. That is because there are more than enough moments in the movie which did satiate my expectations to an extent. The climax - case in point - is a very brave attempt and very aesthetically done. That’s the high point of the movie for me. It almost made me forget my complaints about the movie.

The day I watched Arya-2, I told my wife that Sukumar is a talent well ahead of the times in Tollywood. If he can keep himself insulated from the retards populating the Telugu movie industry, I am sure there are more like me who will love his work and look forward to it. And am sure there will come a day when his movies will find the actual praise they deserve. But for that to happen, he needs to stay away from making his script populist and concentrate on making it right.

A Man Of Steel

I know a Superhero. I have known him since childhood. I have played with him, ate with him, argued with him and learned from him. I have witnessed his transformation from a normal human to a superhuman. I have done all that without ever realizing the true meaning of it until the superhero called timeout and decided to move on. He was my uncle.

I have heard hordes of childhood stories from my mother about how my uncle used to make umpteen trips for water every day, each time carrying two big water-pots from the community pump a few yards away from home to cater to the needs of a family of eleven; also about how my uncle used to have a ravenous appetite, easily downing ten jowar rotis with equally astonishing amounts of curry in a single meal. I have never been able to eat more than three of those. All this activity groomed him to grow a tall and sturdy frame perfectly suited to a person of sports. My mother, being the eldest daughter, helped my grandmother raise her younger siblings and so considers them her sons. No wonder she brags about how my uncle got chosen into the state hockey team and traveled the length of the country playing countless opponents, winning matches and accolades. He used to wear one of his gold medals all the time.

Maybe being an avid sportsman gave my uncle his never-surrender body and mind which were able to withstand the flurry of hardships life threw at him. His transformation into a superhuman germinated from an unfortunate event when the vehicle carrying him and few others back from the holy Sabarimala shrine met with an accident in 1991. Quite a few friends were consumed by the accident considering which it was a miracle my uncle survived the crash albeit with crushing wounds. He suffered multiple cranial fractures among other major injuries. After the accident he had to go through a brain surgery and an open heart surgery among a few other major medical procedures which demanded regular hospital visits and constant medical attention at home. I guess that was when he found his inner strength. He quit smoking but he also had to stop any rigorous physical activity. The amounts of time he had to spend in the hospital beds made him stronger and resilient and also oblivious to life's petty troubles which otherwise could easily consume a happy family.

Amidst those countless bills and medical frustrations, I have never seen him complain or cry about the injustice that God had meted out upon him. He had the same smiling, warm and a slightly arrogant demeanor as before, never wavering from his routine and never failing his duties. He never missed his daily walks. He even walked to office everyday. Although his brain surgery meant that he suffered seizures every now and then, all they could ever do was pause his routine for a couple of days and he was up and about again, new as ever.

It would only befit his story if there was a happily-ever-after ending around now. But in another twist of fate, his son met an untimely end to his fruitful life in an accident. That was the first time I saw my uncle sit eerily silent for a long time. I thought he was mourning his son silently, afraid of letting the tears out. My mom thought he was suppressing his sadness which may not be good for his health. Others thought he was unable to digest the fact that his son was no more. We never knew what storm was brewing behind his silence but now I like to think that he was mustering all his strength to face a rather void life, which otherwise would have centered around his son. He still went about his routine without much change except that his gusto was slightly missing.

Punctuated by his daughter's academic achievements, her wedding and the birth of his grandson, my uncle's life was almost back to normal which itself by my standards is nothing short of heroic. He never missed a family gathering or an event. But his boat was yet to withstand more jolts. His wife was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. Although she valiantly fought it off and is better now, I couldn't fathom how my uncle was going through pain after pain without much ado. I, with the umpteen "unsurmountable sufferings" of every day such as traffic, tasteless food in the office cafeteria, bangalore's base auto-wallahs, not enough salary hike, and what not, can't help but quetch at every opportunity. And that I think is why I take my uncle to be a superhuman. 

Perhaps he was fed up with fussy people around him; Perhaps he decided this world is no longer a worthy place for a fighter like him. Or maybe he just wanted to move on to greener pastures. Further to all the extraordinary days he had lived through, my uncle chose the festival of lights and victory as the day to stop living. For all the tough nuts he had cracked over the course of his life, he let a fever and seizure to overcome him.

You need not be a saint or filthy rich to inspire people. You need not climb mountains or move governments to be deemed successful. And you need not be able to fly or crush aliens to be a superhero. Things as simple as not giving up in the face of life's adverse challenges and going about your duties and responsibilities without blaming and complaining are attainments enough. Everyone hopes for the best, few prepare for the worst and fewer face the worst without flinching. And for that, I am proud to say, I consider my uncle to be a man of steel.

The Fourth Kind

There are Alien movies and Alien movies. The Fourth Kind is the latter.

This is a movie which needs to be watched without referring to the IMDB summary and if does so, it does pack a pleasant surprise. Obviously it is not up there with the alien classics by James Cameron or Spielberg or even Ridley Scott because if it were, one would have already watched this movie or atleast heard of it. But nonetheless, it is a riveting thriller, adequately paced and leaves in its wake a brooding mind in the viewer.

The movie is interspersed every now and then with supposedly real audio and video clippings of the happenings which lend an eerie chill to the plot but also disturb the pace more than once. The narrative itself is pretty good and doesn't fail to intrigue the viewer right from the beginning, building up the element of suspense quite well. While one is indeed left with a feeling that an abler director could have taken the movie to a higher level, it does not hinder the mood of the film in any way. In fact, the director did a good job in not trying to take a firm stand for or against the belief that is the persona of the movie. He just presents the happenings in an objective way and that's about it. This movie is definitely not to convince the viewer to believe.

As a thriller, The Fourth Kind has ample moments that do their best to shock the viewer, and it does so not by showing insane amounts of blood and violence but via simple but powerful visuals of individuals' experiences of the fourth kind. If only a glimpse of the aliens was shown, the kid inside everyone would have been satisfied! There are no shoddy CG effects and the acting is good. For what the movie was supposed to be, it does a fine job and nothing more.

Man Of Steel

Irrespective of the box-office outcome or the critics' approval ratings, this movie warrants certain amount of attention apart from the viewing time. Well, it caught my attention the day Zack Snyder was signed on as the director. And it caught my acute interest the day Mr.Nolan got himself associated with it. Two of the most talented directors today, IMHO.

First impressions do count... well, most of the times. When I first heard the sound track of the motion picture, it was a rather disappointing déjà vu no thanks to Mr.Zimmerman. It sounded like the unlicensed lovechild of Mr.Nolan's trilogy. The news about the add-on of 3D did no good either. In fact it surprised me that Mr.Nolan agreed to add the extra dimension given that he is a vehement opposer.

The movie starts off (and ends) in a very Nolan-ish style. With no nonsense prepended to the movie, it jumps right into the thick of the (thin)plot. Enough time is spent in establishing a rational foundation to the legend during which the thin plot is completely unravelled leaving not a lot to look forward to, story-wise that is. But I think Mr.Snyder deserves a bit of leeway for he surely does make up for most of the shortcomings in the form of the fantastic razzmatazz that follows. The combat scenes are freaking extraordinaire albeit redundant.

A popular concern that might arise is that this Man Of Steel is too serious to be enjoyed by kids. And also that the lengthy fights are childishly conceived (but, I repeat - superbly choreographed and VFX'ed). I never really took Superman to be a superhero exclusive to the kids. And because his heroics in the latest offing do convincingly appeal to the kid in me, it is sufficient to say that the function did follow the form rather well. And if you are one of those who still expect the most powerful man (he is more of earth than of krypton now, isn't he?) ever to wear his red underwear over his pants, well, all I can say is catch up to the times.

All said and done, Man Of Steel may not do to Superman what the Dark Knight trilogy did to his frenemy. But it is too early. With ample hints of an impending sequel thrown in the movie for the fans, I will look forward to it with the same unwavering vigor. And I will look forward to how Mr.Snyder solves the "magically appearing blue-n-red suit" problem on the masked Clark Kent and what Mr.Luthor is going to do to unsettle him. I assume Mr.Luthor won't get cross with the Man Of Steel just because a couple of his trucks (and maybe a few buildings, and a few satellites, and a few factories) were destroyed by Superman fending off Zod and his army!

So as a fan having seen the most eagerly awaited movie of the year, I honestly do rejoice. The 3D was good and thankfully not over the top, the acting was good, the plot was simple, the fights were good. So what if none of them were "Super"... at least it is not an "ass", it stands for hope and I will hope for a better sequel.

Time for a Decision

No, this has nothing to do with the ‘new year resolution’ thing. I guess it has just been there on my mind for some time. While the inception of this decision owes its thanks to more than a single name, the final push, however owes its thanks to Mr V. V. Vinayak and his latest outing narcissistically named “Nayak”.

Yes, I did have the ‘privilege’ of watching this movie yesterday evening. I went into the theater with no expectations, thanks both to a slew of earlier Telugu films I had endured in theaters and to the earlier debacles of movies made by Mr. VVV. But the absence of expectations did not really invoke any positive thought in my mind about the movie, partly because the theater was almost empty in spite of it being the first day of release and mostly because the movie itself is so lack luster, so blatantly replicated and so shamelessly devoid of any sensible and good emotions.

I have, right from my adolescent years, been a self-proclaimed “fan” of the Megastar. I used to get as incessantly happy when I got to watch his movies first day-first show as I used to get sullen when something or someone stopped me from watching that first show. And my inability to cut myself away from that devotion at the first warning bell is the only thing to blame for the inevitable shift of a part of that ‘fan-loyalty’ to his successors. As you sow, so shall you reap! Chirutha was more of an overzealous video resume for Mr. Ram Charan. And Magadheera is as much a hit due to Charan as Obama is the president of the USA due to me. Orange promised a lot through the music and disappointed a lot more through Mr. Ram Charan. Racha was a nightmare better forgotten (even the “mega fans” were whistling more at Tamanna’s over-the-top but enticing gyrations than anything else). And now Nayak lives up to that trend.

I do agree that there are those characteristic dances and bloody one-man crusades in the movie that might be liked by the intended audience. So do all of Mr. Rajamouli’s movies. But that is not the reason why Mr. Rajamouli is sans a hard-hit failure till date. He imbibes a certain amount of sensible emotions that every person can relate to, or at the very least, sympathize with. Be it the mother-son longing in Chatrapathi or the helplessness of a normal citizen against a powerful and corrupt reign in Simhadri and Vikramarkudu, he has always catered to 99% of the audience classes. I do not love any of his movies but I don’t hate them too. And even today, if I don’t have anything else to do, I do like to watch any of his movies playing on the cable.

Ok, enough of the ramblings now. If you are a person who is happy and content in life and have no better things to do or learn in life than to spend some money and family time in navigating the omnipresent traffic mazes and the hordes of irresponsible human faces just to go watch a mediocre feature film that will, in no manner benefit you or for that matter anyone in the society except make those already insanely rich film people a bit richer, well, then what are you waiting for? You are as welcome to go watch the movie just to warp your mind as much as you are welcome to get drunk just to barf. Actually, for a single ticket, you will be treated to a mish mash of all such movies as Krishna, Tagore, Chathrapathi, Simhadri and Adurs.

And no, I didn’t forget about the “decision”. I have finally come to a decision to prune myself off of Tollywood just as I had pruned myself off Bollywood. Not completely of course! Just as I still do look forward to the movies from the houses of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Anurag Kashyap, I will wait for the movies from Trivikram and Rajamouli with the same hopes and expectations as a child promised to be taken to a zoo or an amusement park. And I don’t blame Nayak or Vinayak for this. In fact, I honestly thank Vinayak for giving that final push to knock me back into my senses to save my nous faculties and money.

The perpetual question: Full Frame or APS-C?

The web already has a huge number of "expert" opinions on this. I had tough time figuring out what the heck most of them were talking about when I started off in the fascinating DSLR world.

Just to make things easier for people like me, and also to keep a record for myself, this is by far the best illustration of what exactly is the hullabulloo all about:

Full Frame Vs APS-C Cameras

Travelogue – Coastal Andhra

9 Days. 2900kms. Toyota Innova. Meagre planning. Exuberant elan.

In a gist:

Bangalore -> Kanipakam -> Nellore -> Ongole -> Guntur -> Rajahmundry -> Araku Valley -> Vizag -> Kakinada -> Bhadrachalam -> Kurnool -> Bangalore.

The gist elaborated:

CHAPTER 1: ONCE UPON A MORNING

20^th October, 2012:

Started @5:45AM from Bellandur. Route to Kanipakam via Hoskote – Kolar – Mulbagal – Palamaner. The road is good all the way except a few very bad patches from Palamaner to Kanipakam where we had to take a diversion from the highway.

Reached Kanipakam @8:30AM. After a visit to the temple, had breakfast at ‘Bans- The Hotel’ on the highway en route. Although the hotel looked decorous from the outside, it is not well maintained and the food is a waste of time and money.

As we proceeded towards Nellore via Tirupati and Gudur, the wipers started acting up and the AC too started making funny noises. So we had to stop at Harsha Toyota, Nellore to get these fixed. They made good their promise and fixed the problems (new wipers and a cleaning of the blower for 750/-) and delivered the vehicle in an hour.

The service manager threw in a hint that the clutch assembly was at the end of life and the sooner it is replaced, the better. We chose to ignore that for now (with dire consequences later!) and proceeded to Rajahmundry. But the clutch assembly did indeed fail completely within the next 100kms and the Harsha Toyota guy said he can only send someone over the next morning.

So we called a cousin in Ongole for help. He came soon enough and we towed the Innova with a Bolero to Ongole which was 40Kms away. Honestly, I was surprised to see the Bolero being able to drag the heavy Innova laden with 4 people and loads of luggage in it. We reached Ongole and called it a night. Route map from Kanipakam to Ongole.

CHAPTER 2: OPERATION INNOVA

21^st October, 2012:

The next morning, Radha Madhav Toyota in Guntur sent in an Innova and the guys were able to tow our vehicle the next 100kms in an hour, in pouring rain, to the service center. The repairs took a couple of hours during which the clutch assembly was changed. The service guy remarked that he had never seen the clutch plate burnt to ashes in his seven years of service. Nevertheless, they did a remarkable job of fixing the issues in time and the Innova was raring to go.

So we started off to Rajahmundry after a quick lunch stop at a dhaba (nothing to talk about the food except that it was super spicy). Reached Rajahmundry at 8:45PM via pretty good roads and a couple of tollgates.

We had reservations at The River Bay which is an APTDC undertaking. The resort sits right on the banks of the Godavari and is very well maintained, with good food. For 2000/- per night and complimentary breakfast thrown in, the stay was a very good bang for the buck. The manager Mr. Satish was well versed with the places around and was warm enough to help us fix our itinerary.
A view from our room at The River Bay:

CHAPTER 3: GORGEOUS GORGES OF GODDESS GODAVARI

22^nd October, 2012:

We went on a day-long boat trip to Papi Kondalu and back. The place is a must visit although I didn't like how the boat trip was arranged - It was too loud and disturbing for me. Nevertheless, the breathtaking views and the majestic peaks of the Papi hills were a welcome respite to the otherwise blase psyche.

A few glimpses of the enchanting landscapes:

CHAPTER 4: THE EXQUISITE VISAGE OF THE EASTERN GHATS

23^rd October, 2012:

We started off to Araku Valley after a hearty breakfast at The River Bay. The last 40kms towards Araku Valley took us through some of the most scenic roads and the weather too was very cordial to us with clouds blocking out Mr. Sun who seemed to be hell bent on having a vendetta on us for exploiting the AC to cheat him all along the route.

Owing to our last minute planning, we could only get a reservation in Vasishta Inn in Araku Valley and though reasonable priced at 1200/- per night, we had hard time digesting the décor of the hotel. The less said about it, the better. But what made the visit to Araku Valley really worthwhile:

CHAPTER 5: GOA OF THE EAST COAST

24^th October, 2012:

After a night’s stay at Araku Valley, we started to Vizag @ 6AM to catch a glimpse of the valley in the early morning mist and we weren’t disappointed. The beautiful valley was bathed in fog and mist and made for a spectacular view all along.

The ~110km to Vizag took us almost 4hrs after multiple stops at view points. Once in Vizag, we succumbed to a Mr. Google to suggest a beach front resort and ended up at Sai Priya Resorts near Rushikonda beach. The property isn't bad - situated right beside the beach and with oodles of space. The rooms too are very... well, roomy. That said, the place is not worth the 4100/- they charge for a double executive room. The room service is pathetic at the best. 

Well, with nothing much to do, we whiled away our evening in the beach. This beach is very notorious for regular mishaps as the water descends to unfathomable depths after just a few feet in. As we were warned in advance by the beach guards, we didn't venture  into the waters.

Post a luscious sunset on the beach, we went out to roam around the city and after driving around for an hour, found ourselves super hungry. With the tele-advice of a friend, we went to Heritage Restaurant and filled our tummies to the brim (after a waiting period of 20mins @10:15PM!). We were so impressed with the food that we went back for breakfast the next morning and had the privilege of tasting THE best ‘MLA-Pesarattu’.

CHAPTER 6: A PENCHANT FOR THE PENSIONER'S PARADISE

25^th October, 2012:

The scrumptious breakfast delayed our start to Kakinada by almost an hour! Nevertheless, the roads were very good, giving us no reason to slow down and lose time except for the few inevitable idiots omnipresent on Indian roads. We made a detour to a small place called Mallam (25kms from Kakinada) to visit a temple of Lord Subramanya. It was a very small village with just about 40 families but the warmth they showed us strange visitors was phenomenal. After spending a couple of hours there, we reached Kakinada at around 3PM and were desperately hungry. Thanks to a bit of home work done the previous evening, we had already reserved suites at “Arka” and hence drove straight to Subbayya Hotel for lunch. And even at that late hour, we had to wait for 20 minutes to get a table in the AC dining hall. Although we had heard the laurels of the place from various sources, we were knocked clean out of our senses by the food and the service. Any number of adjectives and blog pages would not do justice to the experience we had. It is hard to comprehend how they have been able to manage such high levels of customer satisfaction for so long.

Tummies overloaded to dangerous levels with food, we crawled back to the car and drove to the hotel with a great effort to keep our eyes open. Arka was another surprise in store for us. Kakinada was the last place I would have expected to see a hotel so well maintained and with features like Wi-fi, modular bathrooms, impeccable room service and above average food – all for 2000/- per night including taxes. We had a quick nap and raced to Yanam, trying to beat the setting sun. The sun did disappoint us but Yanam had another surprise in store for us. Since it was the last day of the Brahmotsavams, there was a procession of Lord Balaji for “Theppotsavam” on Godavari. The atmosphere along the beach road was galvanic, with multiple stages showing Hari Kathas, dances, dramas, etc. Even for me, given my aversion to crowds, it was a very satisfying visit.

CHAPTER 7: DIVINITY

26^th October, 2012:

A very hectic day planned ahead of us, we started early to Annavaram which took us through Pithapuram which is one of the Shaktipeethas, where one can seek blessings of deity Puruhutika Devi alongside Sri Kukkuteshwara Swamy. After the pooja and darshan at Annavaram, we were back in Kakinada, raring for another go at the lunch in Subbayya Hotel. Although it may seem improbable, our experience of previous day’s lunch was blown away with what we were now served. The special curd we were given still makes my mouth water! After lunch, we had a brief stop at the hotel’s shop to purchase some of their pickles and powders and headed back to the hotel. We vacated the rooms and started to Bhadrachalam at 5PM but had to head back to Kakinada and take up the same rooms after multiple warnings from kith and kin that the forest ahead was a naxal prone zone and travel through it in dark is not advisable.

CHAPTER 8: TRYST WITH THE WOODS

27^th October, 2012:

Eager to get into the forest, we started off to Bhadrachalam early in the morning @6AM. The route took us through Alluri Seetharama Raju forest and it would be a gross understatement to say that the forest was breathtakingly beautiful. The route presented us with sceneries that could rival those at Araku Valley, with regular pockets of deep forests thrown in and streams trickling beside the road all along. With multiple stops (again!) to admire the forest, we reached the destination at 10:30AM. After a gratifying darshan of Lord Rama, we were back on the highway by 11:30 to Kurnool via Hyderabad. With just two stops, one for lunch at AP Tourism’s Haritha hotel at Wyra and one for fuel, we were able to reach Kurnool by 8:30PM, covering 540kms in all. We also chanced to travel along the outer ring road at Hyderabad and the petrol head in me had only one word to describe the road – Gorgeous:

CHAPTER 9: BACK TO THE BASE

28^th October, 2012:

After the night stay at home town Kurnool, we were back to the same old routine in Bangalore.

Not to belittle the other locales but Kakinada was the pick of the tour for us - warm people wherever you go, excellent food and lots of places to visit around. We made a note to return there as soon as we could to cover what all Kakinada had to offer! Although inadvertently our 'poorly-planned' road trip did turn into a bit of a "theerth yatra" owing to the whims of lady bosses, it gave us copious amounts of surprise, satisfaction and recreation.