What is so charming about Andhra Pradesh? Is it famous due to the mouth watering taste of Hyderabadi Biriyani? What is there so appealing that we feel glued to the place and share a journey at least once in a year? We heard from the talks of our guardians who used to go on official trips to Hyderabad and stay in the official guest house. As we belonged to the eastern region, we waited with our fingers crossed for the return of our people and anticipated that they would come back fully fed up with the meals and hospitality of the local Telugu people. Our logic was our people who spoke Hindi and were mostly unfamiliar with the complex dialect of Andhra, would feel bored in the absence of a proper language for communication. As one fails to understand the mode of communication, what would he appreciate from courtesy and hospitality of the natives of the place?
But it was a total bolt from the blue! Our people returned only to lavish praise on the things they saw and the foods they ate. One woman in the group remained mesmerized for days in the spectacular sights and buildings of Ramaji Rao film city. The other buxom claimed the credit that she was completely at home with the modes of preparation of Sambar, Rasam, Idli and Dosha. We were swept off our feet to know that one young girl from our place without any prior experience of knowledge of Telugu homeland had learned so much about their language.
We looked at her with our eyes spread wide open in amusement when she uttered one after another words of Telugu.
“Telugu is a very sweet language”-She said to a few of us who listened to just the contradiction of our previous knowledge in baffling silence.
“Just see, how they said “rendi kurchendi’ with so good polite gesture”-She added.
“What is that”-One from our group asked without being able to understand slightest purport of the words?
“It means please come in and sit down”- She added to the discussion with pride and enthusiasm.
Destiny played amazing tricks on us. We saw the photo of our Guru from very early childhood. Clad in white robe, with both hands up and smiling beatific smile, his mien and curly hair were always inspiring for us. As and when our life tumbled into serious crisis, we sought to his feet, seeking relief. He is very liberal and never returned us empty handed.
Oh! It was very pleasing to know that he was from Andhra Pradesh. When our own land had plenty of spiritual heads, it can not be explained that how he incarnated in our lives taking lead in every twist and turn of fate.
He is our adorable Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba.
In Hyderabad, we always find modernity and antiquity sharing a ride. If from the top of Birla mandir, you can see the sprawling beauty of the supine city, the grace of Charminar and the adjoining lanes and by lanes will whisper greatness of past in your ears.
Once we were accompanied by our friend Ganesh-a native from Guntur in a business journey inside Andhra Pradesh. We traveled up to Poddutur-an interior township. We had to change trains and buses to reach the town basking in great prosperity due to trading in gold. While in the train we were fortunate to see a group of women from tribal Andhra and smitten completely by the ethereal beauty of one. We were speechless to see her in familiar attire of tribal clothing.
How could one of us send his compliments towards her looks?
We feared that they would flare up taking this as a clear affront. Our Telugu buddy Ganesh took the challenge and went slow paced to that particular dusky, mind-bewitching beauty and blurted out on our behalf by pointing to one of us and then keeping his hand on his heart-“Look that gentleman says you are truly beautiful. You are truly a chiseled creation of God. The gentleman wants to compliment you”.
We were anticipating a quick reprisal-moreover an outburst in rage but the whole group laughed in return. The dusky beauty smiled in bashful reciprocation and kept on stealing glances in our direction.
Courtship is not an invention of modernity and acceptance is only matter of hearts. Women living in mountains and jungles are equally sensitive while sharing thoughts of heart. She left with morsels of sadness on her face, smiling at us while the group alighted on reaching their venue. We still have regrets for not carrying our camera for getting her imprisoned forever in our heart.
Once while sharing an auto ride to the temple of Kanaka Durga, we saw the sparkling in the wide bosom of river Krishna and on reaching the top, where the temple was situated, the panorama of sprawling magnificence of Vijay Wada simply charmed us. That idyllic scenery of one of the Telugu spiritual landscape inspired poetic imagination.
Ganesh our trader buddy taught us one precious principle of Business management. He quipped-“Always take number one price in exchange of number one quality. We thought it as a valuable guidance in business deals.
But yes, the axiomatic philosophic truth of his words is still a guiding precept in life and living!
Srikant Mohanty
HIG-1/60,BDA Colony,
Old town, Bhubaneswar-751002
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