Went to sleep by 1:30. Woke up by 6:00. About 10 people called me up and wished me on the occasion of new English year. I proactively wished two or three only. The SMS sent by my cousin Vasu from Jharsuguda in Orissa was the best of all. This early morning my father-in-law and Srijana got a cake cut by Anand in their house at K O Mallavaram. Today Srijana decorated Sagar with a new pair of clothes. He is managing to sit and making much mischief. Had four puris in the hotel by NGO Colony bus stop for 24 rupees by 9:00. My cousin Murali, his mother, his maternal aunt Lakshmi, their neighbor Prabha and I reached Dilsukh Nagar by 10:30 by bus. They bought sarees, gold and silver ornaments worth about 16000 rupees for the ensuing occasion of the marriage of Murali. I wondered at the variety and designs of sarees here. Indian women are misusing their money and time running after sarees and gold ornaments. A sensitive salesman can’t enjoy their presence and scrutiny of 100 items to buy one. Murali was upset at their spending. We two returned home by 2:00 by bus. Paid 4100 rupees to my house owner by 5:00 towards my portion rent for the last month. From 5:00 to 6:15 arranged the contents on my computer systematically. Deleted unwanted and repetitive material. Collected 24 passport size color photos from Annapurna Digital Studio by 8:30. They are of Srijana and me. They were earlier shot with our Sony digital camera. My two types of photos are looking classic. I will get one of them published on the back cover of my first book. They are highlighting our faces. Bought a parcel of Vegetable Biryani for 15 rupees. Had it by 9:15. Went to sleep by 11:00.
2 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Murali and I took a bus by 9:30 and reached Secunderabad by 11:00. He bought a pair of new clothes for the male baby of his brother-in-law Venu. We took a bus and reached Shri Ram Chandra Mission ashram at village Thumukunta by 1:00. Today Venu and his wife are organizing the cradle ceremony of their 21-day-old baby. They are celebrating it through a formal lunch to their invited guests. A local food catering agency is doing this work. Rangamani and Srinivasa Raju invited us to this function. We had our lunch by 2:00. We blessed their baby Venkat. Murali’s fiancée Ramya did not talk with him at all face-to-face. I observed their highly engaged communication through talk over phone and SMS. She is good at Hindi. She was born and brought up in North India. Her parents are still doing their jobs there. Murali is not good at Hindi to that extent. I wonder at their talk for long. I believe Ramya fell in love with Murali. She would not have enjoyed the happiness involved in intense attraction towards a boy earlier. Murali too did not maintain love with girls so far. The natural forces of mutual attraction are strong between them now. We took leave of them by 3:00. Murali showed me the independent house he rented in this ashram for their stay after their marriage. It is in its final stages of construction. We took two buses and returned home by 5:30. Murali bought a SAMSUNG television, a TV stand, two Bajaj ceiling fans, a Crompton Greaves gas stove and a V-Guard stabilizer at Sri Venkateswara Electronics by 7:00. He also bought a 25-kilo rice bag for 900 rupees. Had my supper in their abode by 8:30. Talked with Srijana for 30 minutes. Went to sleep by 10:30.
3 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Went to Murali’s abode by 8:30. His mother and maternal aunt Lakshmi are getting things ready for Murali to take to his new abode at Thumukunta. Bala and I went to the furniture shop near Ganesh Temple by 11:00 on bicycle. The owner of Aditya Enterprises arranged an auto rickshaw for us for 500 rupees to take Murali’s household items to Thumukunta because he bought furniture here earlier. We brought this vehicle to the abode of Murali by 11:30. By 12:30 we could assess that this vehicle cannot carry all the goods. Murali rushed to B N Reddy Nagar and hired a bigger vehicle for 1000 rupees. He gave the first creature 40 rupees for his wait. Murali left for Shri Ram Chandra Mission ashram by 12:45 in this vehicle. Murali wants to be there with his wife. Bala and I had our lunch here by 1:00. Returned home and spent reading dailies for one our. Rested on a cot for one hour. Sunil K Poolani emailed me asking me to send new photos with high resolution for the front cover of my first book. Bala and I reached Secunderabad railway station by 5:45 by bus. I bought a jute bag for 30 rupees. Janmabhoomi Express arrived by 6:45. We received Murali’s father, his paternal grandmother Varahaalamma and our aunt Vimala of Tetagunta. We guided them in taking a bus to Thumukunta. I took my empty bag from Varahaalamma and gave her the jute bag to keep her clothes. She brought this bag from Gollalagunta taking it from my cousin Narendra Varma. Bala went back to Vanasthalipuram. I took a bus and reached the abode of my friend Veeru in Jubilee Hills by 8:00. We had supper by 8:30. We spent talking for one hour. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 January (Monday)
Woke up by 4:00. Last night I could not sleep well. Veeru closed all the doors and windows. Winter winds managed to come in. I did not have a pillow. There were cloth cover and mosquito net around us. Nothing helped me. Veeru slept well. He took about 30 photos of the white female bust sculpture he did earlier with his digital camera. Sunil asked me to send images with high resolution for the front cover of my first book. I found this bust sculpture right for it. Though Veeru is into painting, he did this sculpture out of passion for it. Copied those photos into my USB flash drive. Reached Secunderabad railway station by 5:30 in the Qualis vehicle of his cousin. He went there to receive a guest. Took a bus at Rethifile Bus Stand and reached my abode in Vanasthalipuram by 6:30. Finalized five images from Veeru’s photos of his sculpture and emailed them to Sunil K Poolani by 8:30. By 1:30 he emailed me two cover page options done by Mishta Roy. I finalized one of them and replied to him. Mishta added a small design across the sculpture. The sculpture represents decay and antiquity of beauty. She added her modern art to it to make it contemporary. I suggested the title “Stories of Love and Beauty” for this book. Sunil accepted it. Rested on a cot from 10:00 to 12:00. It was a futile attempt to sleep. Went to a nearby eatery by 12:30 and had one Uthappam for 12 rupees. Typed out and posted a blog titled “My Book Work” on my blog site by 3:30. I updated my blog readers on the progress in the making of my first book. I am currently occupied with the thoughts of the marriage of my cousin Murali with Ramya. I cannot edit the content of my second book with this mind. Bala and I had our supper in their abode by 8:00. Talked with Srijana for 10 minutes. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Had Shakthi Malt porridge by 7:30. My friend Veeranjaneyulu liked the cover pages of my first book. He said he would send a specially stitched mosquito net for my son Anand soon. Srijana recently told me that a mosquito bit him in their house at K O Mallavaram. Power cuts are irregular and long in our villages. Advocate C S N Raju talked with me this morning over phone after my two attempts. I have to collect a bride’s photo from him and return it to her parents in Gollalagunta. He addressed me like a servant in his house. He is suffering from identity crisis. Treating me so, he satisfies his professional ego. Time must cure his psychic disorders. Took a bath by 1:30 with hot water boiled on my gas stove. Took my bicycle and reached cinema Vishnu by 2:00. Had a plate of Lemon Rice here for 20 rupees in hotel Raghavendra Bhavan. They opened this hotel very recently. Also had a glass of orange juice for 15 rupees. Bought a Balcony ticket for 50 rupees at cinema Vishnu by 2:30. Parked my bicycle paying six rupees to them. Saw the Telugu film “Maa Naanna Chiranjeevi” of Jagapathi Babu, Neelima and master Athulith. It’s a two-hour feature film portraying the attachment between a father and his innocent but mischievous son. Neelima is beautiful. Athulith is a very cute kid. Jagapathi Babu is a handsome actor. It’s a simple story. It cannot attract the present pervert audience. I saw this film for my son Anand because his father’s name is also Chiranjeevi. I found this film good. Returned home by 5:45. Had my supper in Bala’s abode along with him by 7:00. He cooked rice. We bought three curries for 26 rupees at a curry point. Went to sleep by 10:30.
6 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Had Shakthi Malt porridge by 7:00. Put my clothes in my bag by 8:30. Swept my rented house portion clean with a broom by 9:00. Dust enters all the imaginable places even if we close all the doors and windows. Put my DELL computer and the table in a room and locked it with a new lock. I did not put the framed birthday memento for Srijana to present it there to her. It is big. Its delicate glass may break in rough journeys. I will give it to her when she comes here. I am taking the two mementos meant for Shanthi in Viswanadhapuram. Pramod K Nayar emailed me stating that the title “Stories of Love and Beauty” is looking old-fashioned for my first book. Emailed him requesting him to set another title to it minding six criteria. He is a passionate lover of English literature and academic writer. This time the monthly electricity bill of my house portion amounted to 67 rupees only. Asked my house owner to pay it on my behalf this time as I am going to Viswanadhapuram for Sankranthi. Had a bath by 12:30 with hot water. Took a bus by 1:00 and reached the rented abode of my cousin Kiran at RTC Crossroads by 2:00. Waited for Naren (the elder brother of Kiran) till 2:30. He and his wife came this morning from Mumbai to go to Chennai to attend the marriage of Murali. Naren brought me lunch from Lakdi Ka Pool. Had it by 3:00. We three reached Secunderabad railway station by 4:45 hiring an auto rickshaw for 30 rupees. My cousin Murali, his parents, relatives and the party of bride Ramya already reached here in three cabs from the ashram at Thumukunta. The bride party got into AC coaches. We took sleeper coach S9. We are about 12 in all. Chennai Express left the platform by 5:26. Men sat separately from women. We male creatures spent chatting among ourselves for four hours. We had homemade Lemon Rice. Went to sleep by 11:00.
7 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 3:00. Managed to rest on my lower berth. Others, around me, got up by 5:15. This train reached Chennai Central station by 6:00. It has been a pleasant and comfortable journey. Murali enjoyed our presence and noise. We walked out of the railway station, with our luggage, by 6:15. They put a Tamil devotional song at the small Hindu temple in the vicinity of this station. I enjoyed its magnetic spell upon me. Chennai was the base for the south Indian film industry. Maestro Ilayaraja belongs to this place. My beloved singer S P Bala Subrahmanyam is living in this city. He did not like to move away from his birthplace as a singer. They hired a 12-seater TATA Winger of Murugan Travels for 800 rupees. We reached Babuji Memorial Shri Ram Chandra Mission ashram at Manappakkam by 7:00. Tamil drivers feel that they are running flights in the sky but not vehicles on their native roads. Their language is rough in speech like their culture. They engage in and enjoy hard work. Mahesh, a friend of Murali, brought Naren, his wife Kavita and me to House No. 1/149 at BHEL Nagar by Sivan Koil in an auto rickshaw by 8:15. It is a new portion in the ground floor. A woman of the upper portion dusted and washed the floor for us. I felt grateful to her internally. We three freshened up ourselves by 9:30. We had breakfast by 9:45 in the small hotel near the temple of Lord Shiva. We went back to the ashram by 10:15 in an auto rickshaw. Spent talking and walking with others in the ashram. Had my lunch here by 2:00. Rested on the floor in the dormitory D from 2:45 to 4:00. Murali attended his formalities at the wedding desk during this time. His guests from Gollalagunta made his events delightful and enjoyable here. I returned to our room by 5:15 in an auto rickshaw. Went to sleep by 10:30.
8 January (Friday)
Woke up by 5:00. Freshened up myself by 5:30. Naren and Kavita too got ready by 7:00. Naren gave 100 rupees to the woman, who cleaned this new house portion, for our temporary stay. She felt happy. We three had breakfast in the small hotel near the temple of Lord Shiva. We hired an auto rickshaw and reached the ashram by 8:00. My cousin Kiran arrived by 9:00. Took him to our allotted room. He was taking a bath. Meanwhile the marriage of Murali took place with Ramya in the meditation hall under the supervision of their spiritual master Rajagopalachari. He is God for them. I did not mind my absence there due to the late arrival of Kiran. We rushed there by 9:30. I took about 200 photos for the newly married couple and their guests. It was drizzling. Murali and Ramya had breakfast together sitting in the canteen. I took video of it. We had lunch by 1:00. It was good. Many foreigners are also spending here. They want to reform themselves through meditation. They practice spiritual internal cleaning process. They believe that their spiritual master helps them clean their past impressions, transferring his spiritual power into them, through his empowered and authorized precepts, during their collective sitting and meditation sessions. Religious and spiritual beliefs are irrational and illogical. Realities are hard to understand for common people. I joined three members heading for Gollalagunta. We reached Guindy railway station by bus by 3:30. Thence we took a suburban train and reached Egmore station by 4:00. Spent talking with my friend Naani (of Gollalagunta) for 45 minutes. Now he is working as a driver with the network of 108 Emergency Services vehicle at Jaggampeta. I took my berth 8 in the sleeper coach 1 of Circar Express by 4:50. It was cool and rainy today here. I enjoyed my time here throughout. My cousin Murali funded this marriage tour to Chennai. I am grateful to him for his love and care for me. This train started off by 5:20. I celebrated my presence by my window seat. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 4:30. Bought a copy of Eenadu and spent reading it for 20 minutes. This train was traveling via Bhimavaram, Tanuku and Attili. I seldom travel this route. Circar Express reached Samalkot Junction by 10:40. Rushed to platform No. 1 and bought a ticket for 32 rupees. Chennai-Howrah Express arrived by 10:50. Took it. Got off it by 11:30 at Tuni. My father-in-law came to the station on his bike to receive me. He bought a birthday cake at a sweet store for 130 rupees for Srijana. I contributed 10 rupees for it. I was looking sleepless and weary. We reached K O Mallavaram by 12:15. Took a bath by 12:30. Anand grew up a little. He treated me like an untrustworthy alien initially. Srijana wore one of the two sarees, which I bought for her in Hyderabad recently. She looked beautiful. Today she entered the 20th year of her life. She celebrated her birthday simply. I saw the photos and videos, which she took with our Sony digital camera here till now. Some of them lacked proper lighting and shooting quality. Its capacity and functioning are very good. The folks of Sony kept their promise. My sister-in-law Kranti and her mother Janaki came to the house of their relative Ranga Raju in this village by 4:00 from their village Tangedu. They came here to attend a function in that house. Kranti came to see me. She reached a message of my parents to me. They want me to come to their house in village Peda Gummuluru. My mother kept homemade Sankranthi sweets for me. Srijana cut her birthday cake by 6:30 along with Anand. He is considering everything as an eatable thing. It was cool and cloudy all the day. Enjoyed its spell. Spent talking with Srijana’s paternal grandfather Ramana Raju for two hours. Went to sleep by 10:30.
10 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Went to the house of Ranga Raju by 8:30. The daughter of this gentleman reached puberty recently. He invited his relatives to the function today on this occasion. He is spending about 20000 rupees for this event. I consider it irrational and stupid. My brother Sambha came to this function by 8:00 on his bike. Gave him the Annadhaatha Telugu agricultural monthly related diary. He is a farmer. He must read good books to do wonders in agriculture. We two spent talking for one hour. We had our breakfast and lunch there. He told me about the unfortunate death of police Varma. He is about 40. He has a wife and two kids going to convent. He died of diabetes. He ate and drank whatever he liked. He enjoyed his life without limits. He ended his life abruptly. He represents modern Indian youth. I pity his death. He is a handsome guy. Srijana, Anand and I reached the bus complex in Tuni by 1:30 taking an auto rickshaw from K O Mallavaram. We took a bus and reached Kathipudi by 2:00. We bought a pack of biscuits for my cousin Sirisha. We hired an auto rickshaw and reached village Durgada by 2:30. My uncle Chanti Babu (Pakalapati Venkatapathi Raju), my maternal aunt Soorya Bhaskaramma and my cousin Sirisha felt happy at our arrival. Sirisha has a two-month-old female baby. She has no breast milk to feed her baby. She is depending on buffalo milk and medicines. They have to travel 20 kilometers from this village to find a qualified doctor. Her husband Anantha Varma has no time or ability to look after his wife and daughter from this stage. Sirisha is disturbed in this environment. My uncle is engaged in getting a small house constructed in his inherited plot of land here. We spent talking about their domestic events for two hours. Went to sleep by 11:00.
11 January (Monday)
Woke up by 5:00. I brought my Sony digital camera to take photos here. I did not find people happy here. They are suffering from the disorder of poverty. The little baby is weak. My uncle has to run his family depending on the money his son is sending him every month doing a job. Srijana, Anand and I got ready by 12:30. My aunt gave a piece of blouse and 100 rupees for Srijana. I did not reject her gesture of affection. We reached Durgada Gate Halt by 12:45 on foot. We bought two tickets for eight rupees to Tuni. Every day eight passenger trains halt here. An agent sells tickets here on a contract with the Indian Railways. He gets 10% of the total income from the sale of tickets as commission. My uncle told me that this agent earns about 3000 rupees a month. I like this job. It keeps one in touch with people. It teaches one discipline and the value of money. We took Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam passenger train by 1:30. It was densely packed. We struggled to get into it and stand in it. There are about 10 coaches only to this train. There must be 20 coaches. Poor Indians cannot pay much. The Government of India wants to earn more money from the rich passengers of Express trains. We got off this train at Tuni by 2:15. We walked for five minutes and reached our desired auto rickshaw point. We took a sharing auto rickshaw and reached K O Mallavaram by 3:00. Our baby Anand slept during this travel. Bad roads give inevitable sleep to little creatures. Srijana, Anand and I reached Viswanadhapuram by 4:15 in an auto rickshaw. He took 70 rupees for it. Srijana’s maternal grandmother swept, cleaned and kept her house ready for Sankranthi. It was cloudy today. Night had sugarcane sticks after my supper. Went to sleep by 10:30.
12 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent all the day within Viswanadhapuram. A two-day get-together was started this morning in this village by Alluru Surya Narayana Raju. It is meant for gathering all the family members of Alluru Venkata Raju and Alluru Subadhrayyamma, who lived and died before 1900. Venkata Raju is the paternal grandfather of Surya Narayana Raju. This function was started by 10:00. The members of the Alluru family, who came from other places also, amounted to about 100, including the ones living in this village. They took photos and videos, introducing themselves, family after family. Everybody in this village is a guest to this celebration. Breakfast, lunch and dinner items were prepared by hired professional cooks. It’s an exclusive community party with a good purpose. I think Kshatriyas constitute two percent of the total population of Andhra Pradesh. Today I knew that there are two surnames ‘Alluru’ and ‘Alluri’. Alluri Sita Rama Raju fought with the British during freedom struggle in India. He is a legend of Kshatriya community from this state. Today Alluru Surya Narayana Raju got a family tree chart prepared by a professional, collecting details from his special invitees. It’s his desire to bridge the gap between the past and the present. They spent all the day happily. They organized programs and competitions for all age groups. I watched their spirit of unity and belongingness and enjoyed. Modernity mechanized human lives. Few have time to interact with others. Organized get-together occasions like this unite people and allow them to know about others. It was cloudy today. Srijana, Vamsy and Anand too shared the exciting moments of this celebration today. Two girls danced on stage at night to the tune of new Telugu film songs. I enjoyed watching their show. Night I had sugarcanes after supper. Went to sleep by 11:15.
13 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. They lit bonfire by 6:30. This hamlet is far from the close watch of police. Boys and men spent watching organized cock fights in the morning. I stayed away from them. Getting devilish joy from the pain and suffering of other helpless creatures is not a good human act. Srijana put a new pair of clothes on Anand. He is not going to others from his mother. He did not find me attractive. Instinctive aversion of babies towards us irritates us. We cannot pay them back in their own coin. Today Anand looked weak. He must be suffering from stomachache. Evening an RMP (Rural Medical Practitioner) came and gave some packs of powder. It is the medicine for his disorder. My father-in-law told me that this RMP serves in five nearby villages. He travels on a bike. Afternoon my father-in-law got two seats reserved in Janmabhoomi Express from Tuni to Secunderabad for 20 January spending 294 rupees. They increased bus fares during this festive season. Train journey is more comfortable and affordable now in our state. By 4:30 Srijana subjected Anand to the ritual of “Boghi Pandlu” meant for kids. She put a few little fruit, chocolates and rupee coins in a steel utensil. Her cousin Krishna held it. Those, who gathered around him, pulled him down. They wildly picked up the coins competing with others. I enjoyed watching this ritual centred on our baby Sagar. Thereafter they blessed him putting sacred yellow rice on his head. Anand watched this show without understanding it. Special guests left this village by 5:00. I did not celebrate it specially. I have no money or mood for it. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today it is Hindu festival Makara Sankranthi. I did not celebrate it. Spent it like any other common day. Srijana’s maternal grandmother prepared Lemon Rice, Sweet Rice and other dishes on this occasion. Spent most of the day watching television lying on a cot. Many of the elders in this village spent their time playing cards. I don’t like this pursuit. Girls and women wore new clothes and celebrated this festival. Three days ago I gave the Telugu poetry birthday memento to Shanthi. She said it is super. She is like my sister. She earlier saw a birthday poetry memento, which I presented to my wife Srijana Devi. Then she asked me to write one for her also. I could do it after a long time. I felt happy at her comment about it. She is about 20 and a considerable beauty. She thinks very little about the world beyond her education and personal life. She is a typical modern Indian girl. This is why she could enjoy my simple poetry and the related framed memento. One, who knows a lot about this world, cannot live happily. Pain and suffering are the main characteristics of human life. Art decorates and delights such pathetic human existence. Artists describe it from their standpoints. Shanti’s parents too liked it. Her paternal grandfather appreciated me specially. Television, Internet and films made humans lazy and crazy. Cell phones and private FM radio channels turned them into shallow creatures. Cricket killed their power of productive thoughts and sense of social responsibility. Creative writing is a neglected field now. Reading books is not being considered as a good source of entertainment and education now by youth. Went to sleep by 10:30.
15 January (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today solar eclipse occurred from 10:25 to 3:15. Srijana’s maternal grandmother and others had their brunch by 11:00. They believe that whatever eaten must be digested before the start of the eclipse. I took a head bath before the eclipse on their advice. They did it even after the end of this eclipse. I avoided it. There is friction in human life. We do many things without rationality. Science creates and wants proofs. Tradition establishes and practices many beliefs. There is friction between science and tradition. I don’t know which is more reliable and practicable. I am a minute creature in this cosmos. My life itself is a mystery to me before my birth and after my death. I think this is all creation of God. He created millions of creatures and put them in diverse habitats and settings. Spent most of the day resting on a cot and watching television. It was cloudy and cool today. I knew that my mother is disturbed at my not going to their house in Peda Gummuluru. I don’t like to go there until I can pay back 10 lakh rupees to my father. His words are harsh and egoistic. I cannot be a good son to my mother also when she is living with her arrogant husband. He can be happy when he values people more than money. Last night throat pain attacked me. It might be due to polluted drinking water here or congested air in the room when all the doors and windows are closed at night. It got alleviated by this morning. Srijana and Anand left for K O Mallavaram on a bike by 5:30. I too reached there by 7:45. Vamsy took me there on a bike. Spent talking with them. Went to sleep by 10:30.
16 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. I find the house of my father-in-law cool and delightful to stay. He built it after years of struggle. One can see greenery around from this terrace. He recently bought a buffalo for 16,500 rupees. He daily sells milk to a private milk buyer in this village. He is struggling hard to run his little family. He has diabetes. Doctor advised him regarding his diet. He is eating more rice and not engaging himself in considerable physical work. He smokes cigarettes. I heard that he consumes alchohol. He eats chicken curries frequently. He regularly attends cock fights in this village. He did not change much even after the doctor’s advice. This is what majority Indians are doing now. They cannot shun their bad food habits. Morning my mother-in-law served chicken curry with breakfast and lunch for me. Treating our guests richly means offering them non-vegetarian food in this region. My father-in-law bought fresh groundnuts today. We boiled them and had by 11:00. Srijana’s schoolmate Manga and her husband came here by 12:00. We two spent talking with them till 2:00. She recently got converted into Christianity through baptism. He does food catering business in Hyderabad. He said that he worked as a co-director in Telugu film industry earlier. He advised me a lot on many things. I silently listened to him. Later Srijana told me that he is not a good person. Today Srijana proposed me the idea of going to the hillock near the government high school and taking photos with our digital camera. We did not do it. Today it was cool and dull. Spent all the day at home resting on a cot and watching Anand play. Night spent talking with Srijana’s father and paternal grandfather. Went to sleep by 10:30.
17 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. My father-in-law brought five kilos of farm fresh groundnuts by 7:00. I gave him 80 rupees to buy them, to take to my brother Srinivas. He dropped me at the village auto rickshaw stand near temple by 7:30 on his bike. The auto rickshaw was started by 8:00. Reached Tuni by 8:30. Paid him 10 rupees for this journey. Thence took a Srikakulam bound Express bus for Visakhapatnam. Paid him 71 rupees for this journey. It was a pleasant journey in a winter morning in a window seat. He dropped me at the R & B building at Madhava Dhara by 10:45. My brother Srinivas came here to take me home. Had Chicken Biryani along with my brother by 11:45. My nephew Suhas underwent appendectomy in Queen’s NRI Hospital at Sitammadhara on the 3rd of this month. It ruptured. They did it through laparoscopy from 11:00 to 1:40 during daytime making three holes on his abdomen. They said they cleaned five litres of pus. I don’t believe it. Most of the doctors working in Indian public and private hospitals are liars and cheats now. They frighten innocent and helpless patients and demand more money. They charged 35000 rupees for this operation. Suhas is recovering from that effect. His mother is feeding him well. Evening walked to a nearby retail store along with Suhas and bought Complan, Boost and Bourn Vita powder packs for 500 rupees for him. He takes them mixing in warm buffalo milk. Tasty and energizing foods and drinks for children is the trend of the day. My uncle Rama Raju and my cousin Vasu came here by 5:30 on their bike. Night we spent talking about our domestic affairs. Slept by 11:00.
18 January (Monday)
Woke up by 5:00. My sister-in-law Sandhya Rani lost her beauty now. It is because she got rid of her excessive fat. I think moderate fat enhances one’s physical beauty. It was cool and dull outside due to cloudy weather. I could not take their photos. Took 100 one-rupee coins from my sister-in-law for Srijana. My brother left for the UCO Bank at Dwaraka Nagar by 9:00 on his bike. My uncle Rama Raju, my cousin Vasu and I started by 9:30. They dropped me at NAD Kotha Road junction by 9:40. They resumed their journey to Peda Gummuluru on their bike. Took a Guntur bound Super Luxury Express bus by 9:45. They charged 82 rupees for Tuni. The NH-5 is wide and clean now. Vehicles are moving fast and smoothly now. Spent reading Eenadu for 20 minutes. Yesterday morning Jyoti Basu died in Kolkata. He is 95. He lived and died as a gentleman in Indian politics. Communists seem to be better politicians and individuals in India than others. I like their ideals and lifestyles. Got off this bus in Tuni by 12:00. My father-in-law, Srijana and Anand were here. They came here on their bike. I reached K O Mallavaram by 12:30 on the bike of a person known to my father-in-law. My father called to my number by mistake from their cell phone in Peda Gummuluru. We ran a short talk for courtesy sake. We are not on talking terms for long. My mother also talked with me. They felt happy. My father-in-law brought sugarcanes, watermelons and papayas for me. Even today I suffered from throat pain. Vicks cough drops did not help. Winter is snowy and cold. Anand is enjoying the presence and sounds of animals and birds. Went to sleep by 10:30.
19 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 4:00. My brother Sambha called me up by 9:30. He commented politically on my not going to Peda Gummuluru to see our parents. He developed love for politics after his association with Yejarla Sudharshana Raju in this village. He is currently with the Congress Party. He became rich cheating and frightening others. I know his bad history. Such rogue is a role model to my brother. He is overweight. He has no children. He decided to adopt one from our community. I advised him not to do it. An undisciplined creature has no moral right to adopt and ruin another creature’s life. He thinks that one can defeat or attract others through words of satire and pun. He is not ready to change. He has been living in close association with my father for long. They are living in a fool’s paradise. Intellectuals and dreamers look like lunatics to fools when they are happy in their circus ring. By 2:30 reached Viswanadhapuram on a bike. Evening there was the first birthday celebration of Abhinav Varma. Spent talking with Sagiraju Viswanadha Raju from 3:30 to 5:30. He seems to be a good Indian. He talked a lot about India and Indians now. He smoked a cigarette sitting before me. I did not like it. Many Indians talk about virtues. Only 10% Indians are practicing them in their lives and professions. The birthday party took place between 6:00 and 8:00. Srijana and I had dinner here by 7:30. We returned to K O Mallavaram by 8:30. I am still suffering from my throat infection. Went to sleep by 11:00.
20 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 4:00. Srijana, Anand and I got ready by 5:00. Srijana’s mother prepared breakfast, lunch and supper items for us. Srijana, her mother, Anand and I got into the auto rickshaw, arranged by my father-in-law, by 5:30. We have seven items of luggage with us. Four of them are heavy. This vehicle has no considerably active headlight. My father-in-law rode his bike behind this auto rickshaw. I liked their idea of mutual cooperation. We reached Tuni railway station by 6:00. Rama Raju paid him 100 rupees. We moved our items of luggage to platform 1 by 6:20. Spent reading Eenadu for 10 minutes to connect myself with the present. Janmabhoomi Express arrived by 7:45. My father-in-law put our luggage inside fast. It stops here for one minute only. They bade farewell to us. We took seats 50 and 51 in reservation coach D 5. A government high school friend of my brother Sambha appeared to me in this coach. He is a Havildar in Indian Army now. He is from village Ramayyapatnam. Now he is working at the artillery centre at Golconda in Hyderabad. Spent talking with him for one hour. He is getting 22000 rupees a month after the implementation of the recommendations of the sixth pay commission in India. He is happy with this job. He is a driver there. He said there is corruption in the defence forces also. Military officers loot public money. He wants to serve more to retire with attractive pension. He has wife and three children. All are happy. He is a better patriot and earner than me. He is serving this nation. I am living in it. Anand had Cerelac rice at Tenali railway station when it halted there for about one hour. He enjoyed this train journey. We reached Secunderabad by 8:45. Today there is strike in Telangana region. My friend Veeru sent his Gypsy vehicle along with his two cousins. We reached home by 9:30. Went to sleep by 11:00.
21 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning cleared my email accounts. Pramod K Nayar suggested the title “A Passion for Beauty” for my first book. Now readers have no patience to understand and apply such sensitivity. Posted a blog on my blog site inviting suggestions from my blog readers. Played shuttle badminton with my cousin Bala from 5:00 to 6:00. Took Srijana to People’s Sanjeevani Hospital at B N Reddy Nagar by 6:30 in an auto rickshaw. Anand enjoyed this short trip. The doctor gave a typhoid preventive vaccine to Srijana charging 90 rupees for it. Had a haircut by 7:30 in my favourite salon near the bus stand. He asked for 30 rupees. I gave him 50 rupees. My gift to him on the occasion of new year is 20 rupees. I like his hair cutting skills. He is 25. He is a bachelor. He is from Amalapuram. He said that he worked as a make-up artist earlier in the Telugu television field. He earns about 5000 rupees a month. He is earning money honestly. He is a good Indian. Had my supper by 8:30. Vamsy left my house portion open before coming to Viswanadhapuram recently. He left our kitchen door open. My house owner informed me about it over phone when I was there. He finished sugar and cashew in our absence. He made our kitchen and a toilet untidy. I hate his presence. A dog on a street or a pig in mire is better than him. He knows about the behavior I expect from him. He does not care for people. Many Indians are like him now. They don’t have discipline. They don’t change on their own. Others cannot change them. They are suitable people to join circus companies or sports. Today also the folks of TRS called a strike in Hyderabad. Went to sleep by 10:30.
22 January (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent before my computer from 6:30 to 10:30. Answered about 16 questions related to writing field on the website of whohub. I got an email asking me to visit this website. These questions are meant for writers. I enjoyed answering them. Posted these questions and answers on my blog site with the title “Interview” adding the photo of Anand Sagar to it. Went to the Rythu Bazar near cinema Sampoorna by 2:00 on my bicycle. Bought vegetables worth 75 rupees. Returned home by 2:30. Rajendra and I are in touch through email communication. He seems to be a good person. We can work together to make a Telugu feature film. By 7:00 brought electrician Venkata Ramana from an electrical store by the main road. He used his holes making tool and fixed nails in the walls in our portion to set a steel dish holding stand in our kitchen, wooden key bank in the hall, mosquito net in a bedroom, soap stands in our two bathrooms and nails to hang the photos of Hindu deities in our two bedrooms. He is from Rajahmundry. He has been living in Hyderabad for long. He told me about the rough talk of a bloke with him in relation to the present separate Telangana movement. Veeru gave a large and beautiful mosquito net for my son Anand. We fixed it today. It is made for a double cot bed. This electrician took 150 rupees for his service. Today Srijana did a lot of work to keep different household items in their right places. Our portion turned more beautiful and systematic after her planned arrangement of things. Today there was power cut for about three hours. I bought tablets in a medical store for my throat pain. Went to sleep by 10:30.
23 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Had Shakthi Malt porridge by 7:30. Srijana too had it. Varahaalamma, the only surviving sister of my paternal grandfather Thammi Raju, came to my abode by 11:30. She came here from Gollalagunta to attend the marriage of her grandson Murali. She is about 75. She has two sons and two daughters. Her sons give her 400 rupees every month. The Government of Andhra Pradesh gives her 200 rupes every month as old age pension. Her husband died four years ago. She is living alone in her old house in Gollalagunta. She does not like to stay for long in the houses of others. She is happy in that village daily seeing her familiar faces. She sat here for 20 minutes. Srijana offered a banana, homemade sweets and drinking water to her. She did not touch anything. She belongs to the generation of innocent and orthodox creatures in colonial India. That great race is slowly disappearing from this holy land. They live and die simply. They always worked like honorary slaves in their dark and poor homes. They fulfilled their responsibilities. I love that generation. She has no enough money now to live happily. I am not earning now to give her some money. I am on my mission depending on the alms thrown by my father after weeks of desperate begging. By 2:30 paid 500 rupees at the Reliance outlet near Red Tank towards my postpaid cell phone bill. Evening spent talking with my cousin Bala in their rented abode for 20 minutes. It is very cold now. I took two tablets today to cure my throat pain. Went to sleep by 10:30.
24 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Srijana and I took Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh by 10:30 on foot. He is observing the vehicles and people devotedly. We wanted the Hib vaccine to be injected to him for the third time. Sagar has cold and slight fever. The doctor told us to bring him when he is free from those two illnesses. He weighed about eight kilograms. We returned home by 12:00. Professor Sudhakar Marathe replied to my email, which I sent this morning. He remembered me in connection with my classmate Colin Leslie Kelman. He recollected my plan to go to Alaska for a fish packing job. I sent a long email to him along with my CV and the cover pages of my first book by 2:15. Went to the abode of Murali by 3:00. Murali brought his wife Ramya to stay here for some days. They are living in a rented abode in the ashram at Thoomukunta. We decided to go to see a film. Srijana, Anand, Murali, Ramya, Anirudh, his sister Aishwarya and I hired an auto rickshaw and reached cinema Vijaya Lakshmi at L B Nagar by 6:45. We saw the Telugu film “Shambo Shiva Shambo” in it from 7:15 to 9:45. This is the first film for Anand. He was quiet and slept for long. When awake, he liked watching the film. I found the sound rather heavier for Anand. Srijana is feeling bored in comparison to my life of a free bird going out frequently. Going to a cinema for seeing a film allows us to mingle and enjoy with others. I enjoyed watching every bit of this film. We returned home by 10:20. Srijana prepared phulkas for us by 10:40. It is a healthy food. I like to slowly adopt the foods and lifestyle suggested by Dr Mantena Satya Narayana Raju. Went to sleep by 11:30.
25 January (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Had Shakthi Malt porridge by 7:30. By 10:30 Srijana and I went out to get our pressure cooker repaired. We found many shops closed. They said they observe a holiday on every Monday here. Anand enjoyed this stroll. He turns his head towards sounds, vehicles, animals and birds. He is a silent observer now. By 5:00 gave 32 photos at Annapurna Digital Studio for prints. Earlier they were shot with my digital camera. I did not have deep sleep during the last 20 days. I have to sleep well for eight hours to be active the following day. Recently I asked my familiar barber about the state of hair on my head. He said it is becoming less. Hair keeps one handsome. Losing it slowly is a matter of concern for me. White strands of hair are also on show. Excessive load of thoughts and dreams is heating up my brain. Black hair cannot flourish on a hot stove. Environmental pollution is adding fuel to it. Now Srijana is burdened with the responsibilities of Anand. He is always towards her. I am like an eagle to him. I catch him and take him away now and then. He can bear my attachment only if I take him on a short outdoor tour. He forgets hunger and thirst once outdoors. I requested Varahaalamma to stay with us for some days and help Srijana manage Anand. She thinks that others consider her poor if she lives with us. Gollalagunta seems to be her paradise. Had four phulkas by 8:00. Watched the weekly programme “Paaduthaa Theeyagaa” on Eenadu Telugu television channel from 9:30 to 10:30 in the abode of Bala. Balu attracts me like a magnet. Went to sleep by 11:00.
26 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 11:30 Srijana, Anand and I went out on foot. We enjoyed this walk with our darling. We got a new whistle fixed to our old pressure cooker. He took 125 rupees for it. Thence we moved to a watch repair and sale store. Srijana checked some wristwatches to buy one for her. She liked none of them. I criticized her for wasting the time of that fellow. Girls and women should stop promoting themselves as beauty show pieces possessing fashionable gadgets, ornaments and clothes. They must grow as independent and intelligent individuals appreciating others’ contribution to their safety, security and happiness. I strongly spoke with Srijana about these issues. She did not like my words. She turned angry. She maintained that stand throughout the day. We collected the photos from Annapurna Digital Studio. We returned home by 12:30. Srijana, Anand, Murali, Bala, their mother Rajeswari, their paternal grandmother Varahaalamma Ramya and I reached Rajiv Gandhi Park by 5:30 on foot. We took photos in it with our digital cameras. Srijana behaved angrily towards me. We returned home by 6:45. I could not have the phulkas prepared by Srijana. My painful throat hardened the situation. Decided to cure it immediately. Rushed to the clinic of ENT consultant Dr Kolloju Srikanth near Red Water Tank. He checked my mouth and asked me some questions. He prescribed a few tablets, a syrup and nasal drops for my throat, cough and cold. Gave him 100 rupees as his consultation fee. He looked professional and dignified to me. Bought these medicines for 148 rupees at Sri Sai Pharmacy store here. Had two bananas and warm water after taking tablets. Went to sleep by 10:30.
27 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Srijana took Anand to the Abhay clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh by 9:00. I told her to go there alone to let her realize the value of my presence beside her. The doctor did not administer Sagar the third dose of Hib vaccine even today. He said Anand is still suffering from cold. By 11:30 went to Venkateshwara Photo Frame Works near Ganesh Temple and collected the framed photo of Srijana and Anand. He took 200 rupees for it. I liked their work. Vamsy shot this photo in Visakhapatnam recently when they went to a park there from the abode of my brother Srinivas there. We did not take good photos or videos till now with my digital camera. Most of them were shot in bad weather conditions. I regret it. Increasing age paints ugliness and passivity on human life. Its vibrant youth must be recorded. History is our base as a race. Photos and videos preserve and present it realistically. Time ruins them slowly. Srijana too liked it after it was framed. Afternoon spent some time in the abode of Bala. My throat pain got completely alleviated. The medicines prescribed by Dr Srikanth could cure it. Specialists can cure our health disorders fast. Patients approach them late. I am also one of such Indians. I have no money to consult a doctor for every illness. We move to the nearby medical stores for tablets. India is a country of poor people. By afternoon Srijana’s anger with me got alleviated. My anger reduced her anger. I could not edit the remaining content of my second book during the last one week due to my health disorder and other distractions. I misused my time knowingly. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:45. By 4:30 took Anand to Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh on my bicycle. I made him sit on the saddle and rode it slowly pushing it with my legs on road. He sat silently on it throughout. I could not balance the vehicle well. I found that I put him in a danger zone this way. The doctor did not administer the third dose of Hib vaccine to him because he is still suffering from cold. By 11:30 I told Srijana that her father and paternal grandfather are not following the advice of doctors to keep their health good. I also said that those living in Viswanadhapuram have the bad habits of playing cards and organizing cock fights. She said that I should have married her only after enquiring into all these things. She also questioned me why I could not change my parents. She said that I cannot change others. This statement disturbed me a lot. My mission is to change good people. Those, who are not ready to change, remain as bad people. I believe that we can change people with love, kindness and idealism. I could not positively influence her using the words of an angry social reformer. She cried for a while. This is how the constructive criticism of an idealist works on average Indians now. They don’t like questions or responsibilities. They eat and do whatever they like. They are ready to die at any time. For them life is a silly game but not a serious pursuit. Today I edited two emails for my second book in the afternoon and at night. By 5:15 took Ramya to NGO Colony bus stop. We got her into a bus by 6:00 for Secunderabad. Srijana, Anand, her mother-in-law and Varahaalamma saw her off. My cousin Murali joins her at Secunderabad to go to Thoomukunta. Had four phulkas by 8:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 January (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Morning Anand cried a lot. It infuriated me. I thought he was crying without a reason. He made crying a habit. I did not like it. He got enough breast milk to have, Cerelac foods to eat, good clothes to wear and a considerable house to play and sleep in. A dog leaves her litter of pups on a road. They start playing soon after their birth. I don’t understand why only humans behave this way in their early childhood. They crave for others’ attention and care always. I did not like the attitude of Anand. He is not ready to lie on a cot. He wants to eat everything. He developed a disturbed and low voice today due to excessive crying this morning. I told his mother to leave him crying for long so that he can understand that it is not a good practice. I think that even a baby should develop and practice rationality. They may cry when they want something or suffering from an illness. I see many things occurring in this cosmos beyond rationality and logic. One takes human form to cleanse one’s sins. Perhaps crying is an expression of that tragic feeling. Anand is conforming to that universal phenomenon. Today I edited three emails for my second book. I felt a little disturbed with the sounds and presence of Srijana and Anand about me. An editor ruins a work if a writer gives him messy and disorganized writings. Took Srijana and Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh by 7:00 on my bicycle. They told us to bring him by 8:00. We returned home and had our supper by 7:45. The doctor advised us to resume using the medicines prescribed earlier. Went to sleep by 10:30.
30 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Srijana, Anand and I got ready by 8:30. We took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 8:45 for Rethifile Bus Stand in Secunderabad. The bus fare is 12 rupees. Till recently it was eight rupees only. They set fire to many APSRTC buses recently as part of their separate Telangana movement. The central or state governments could not control it. They hiked bus fares to face this huge loss. This is what we call anarchy. K Rosaiah is the chief minister of this state now. Manmohan Singh is the prime miniter of India now. They are dummy rulers. Sonia Gandhi is their goddess. Her goal is to make her son Rahul Gandhi the prime minister of India. India is in the hands of opportunists and businessmen now. Majority Indians are poor and illiterate. Shallow politicians flourish in a land of fools and patients. They are like sheep. They cannot be change makers or change participants but blind supporters and slaves to their manipulative and authoritative leaders. We reached Secunderabad by 10:00. We walked to another bus stop. We took 235 G ordinary bus bound to village Gowdavelli. We got off it near the abode of Mantena Jagannadha Raju in the vicinity of village Kandlakoya by 11:00. We will be the guests of Srijana’s paternal uncle for about 30 hours. Spent watching television from 11:30 to 4:00. Three warehouses are under construction here. Went into one of them by 4:15. They are laying floor using the vehicles of Ultratech Concrete. I sat here for one hour observing their collective work. They are doing it greatly using modern technology and methods. They are breathing dry concrete and cement dust particles. Indians don’t like being educated by unfamiliar creatures. Now it’s very cold here. Went to sleep by 11:30.
31 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu for 30 minutes. Srijana’s cousin Santhosh went to Medchal and brought fish by 8:30. They prepared fish soup for our lunch. Jagannadha Raju brought three kilos of dry corn by 9:00 from his familiar farmer here. I want to have them boiled every morning for my breakfast. It is rich in fibre. I gave him 200 rupees to buy 25 kilos of corn for me. Recently their owner got their little sheds moved to another nearby place to create more space for the construction of third warehouse. I wondered looking at the floors in these sheds. They removed the old cement blocks and fixed them here. He needs very little cement to make new floors in these sheds. He is spending about eight crore rupees for building three warehouses to lease them out and earn money. He did not like to spend even 8000 rupees for these people. Excessive money, creating more money, is useless compared to a little money in the begging bowl of a beggar because the latter spends that money in a right way. Rich Indians are professional cheats. They earn more money evading income tax or doing businesses immorally and illegally. Governments encourage such rogues indirectly making suitable policies for them. They live and die with disorders and demerits. Immoral and illegal wealth ruins the health of millionaires. Srijana, Anand and I took 235 G bus by 2:45 for Secunderabad. We waited for our route bus for one hour at Rethifile Bus Stand. We got one by 4:30 and reached our abode by 6:00. Srijana prepared rice and yellow dal for our supper. Bala and we had it by 8:30. Went to sleep by 10:30 for my dreams.
1 February (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Went to the ATM Centre of Axis Bank near Ganesh Temple by 7:30. Withdrew 5000 rupees. I have a balance of 10000 rupees in Axis and UCO banks now. My other bank accounts have not even minimum balances now. I could not vitalize my HDFC Bank account also despite their intimation. There is no inflow of money now to me except outflow through inevitable expenses. By 11:00 took Srijana and Anand to the rented abode of my cousin Bala. His mother Rajeshwari and paternal grandmother Varahaalamma left for Gollalagunta yesterday morning by Janmabhoomi Express. Bala returns from his school (as a teacher) in the evening. Srijana decided to spend there watching television till the evening. My cousin Murali came here by 1:10. He came to a nearby B.Ed. college to attend a class. He came here on my advice to have his lunch. We two had lunch by 1:45. Took him to Vanasthali HP Gas agency near Panama Godowns by 2:10 on my bicycle. He paid 1000 rupees there for an LPG gas cylinder in his name. He later gets it transferred to Alwal. He left for his office by 2:30 by a bus. Returned home by 2:40. Today I edited two emails for my second book. By today I completed editing 40 emails for it. Still there are 25 emails to be edited. Srijana prepared potato fry for me and Bala for our supper. We had it by 8:10. Received a call from the number 09052722242 by 8:06. He introduced himself as the fiancé of Swagata Gupta and said that he is marrying her this April. He told me to remove her photo and related blogs from my blog site. Posted a blog on my blog site by 8:50 seeking her response about it. I gave 48 hours’ time for her. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Srijana spent at the abode of Bala from 12:30 to 4:30 watching television. Anand must be enjoying that setting with his mother. I took Cerelac apple flovored powder, bowl and spoon to that place by 2:30. Anand had his lunch by 2:45. He is suffering from cough and phlegm now. He is like a sunflower. His mother is like sun. This flower always keeps its head towards the sun. I am a helpless option to him. He is crawling a little. My throat infection got cured the day after I met the ENT specialist. I continued taking those medicines for two more days. I am very happy with the treatment of this doctor. A few days ago my mother experienced dangerous level of high blood pressure. They took her to a doctor in Adduroad. She is a fool. She is among fools. I cannot go there. She does not come here. The intelligent and possessive son of a foolish and kind mother suffers a lot in India. If I have enough money now, I need not suffer like this about my mother. My father or brothers do not spend money for her because it is not profitable. They are after money and assets. I am after people and love. I am disturbed due to these realities influencing me silently. Today I edited three emails for my second book. Vamsy came here on a bike by 8:00 for a short visit. Now he is staying with his cousins in a rented abode near RTC Crossroads. He is a free bird there. He must know about his life. Time teaches him more. Night I felt giddy. I sweated for long. By 8:30 I felt like vomiting. Vamsy took Srijana and Anand to the shops by main road for buying a small rolling chair for Anand. They could not find it anywhere. Went to sleep by 9:30 with a disturbed mind.
3 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited four emails for my second book. Anand is crying a lot when left alone on a cot or mat. He wants the presence of his mother always. He made crying a habit to attract the attention of his mother. She has to prepare breakfast, lunch and supper for us and wash their clothes. It is becoming difficult for her to manage Anand in this setting. There is nobody in our familiar circle of people to come here and help us. I have to edit my writings because I must finish it fast and do something to meet our expenses. Morning Srijana advised me to do some online job for half day and do my book editing work the remaining day. I told her not to advise me in this respect. Creative works need utmost attention. We should maintain a mood and there must not be distractions. If I want my work to be perfect and good to me, I must treat it like my little baby. I should care and love it sincerely and seriously. By 7:30 deleted four blogs related to Swagata Gupta from my blog site to honor the instructions of her fiancé. He cannot be a good husband to her. She understands it late. She is a girl of misfortune. I pity such girls. By 8:00 took Srijana and Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh on my bicycle. Our allotted number in the queue was 35. He examined Anand by 9:40. He prescribed two medicines for his cough and frequent toilet disorders. We paid him 50 rupees for his consultation. I went to six medical stores to buy a teether for him. Nobody stored it. Anand is moving everything into his mouth. Teether helps him. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited two emails for my second book. Today also I felt weak and giddy. Morning I take two glasses of Shakthi Malt porridge. Srijana is taking one glass of it. Our breakfast items are either Upma or something similar. We take about six types of curries regularly. We are not consuming leafy vegetables. In boiling only our curries and soups lose their nutritious contents beneficial to man. Recently I started eating four phulkas made of wheat flour using very little oil. The accompanying curry is mostly potato fry. I am buying half a litre of buffalo milk in the morning for 13 rupees. Srijana uses it for preparing baby food for Anand and making a little curd for us. I am not consuming heavy amounts of curd now fearing cholesterol and obesity. I am using my bicycle to reduce the excessive fat in my abdomen. We are not having balanced diet. This is the case of 80 percent Indians now. The prices of fruits are not affordable for common man now. I mostly buy bananas. Celebrities and educated millionaires can maintain nutritionists. Doctors take care of their health. Others are in danger zones. Medical stores and hospitals are increasing in India. Governments are promoting private sector industries. They are producing unhealthy foods and drinks. Hotels sell stale and attractive foods. All are running after easy money. Some are trying to reform them. By 8:30 consulted Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh in his clinic. He checked my pulse. He said I am well. He prescribed Electral for me. I told him that I am a writer. He said that he read many books. He expressed his opinion about publishers. I like his passion for life. Went to sleep by 10:30 for my dreams.
5 February (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 9:30 booked two tickets at the APSRTC reservation counter by main road for Manuguru for the 10th of this month. We want to see Lord Rama in Bhadrachalam. The bus fares for Srijana and me amounted to 470 rupees. Then I bought one kilo of rice for 36 rupees. This rice is milled through single polish only. Till now we have been using rice milled many times. It is not nutritious. We want to use this brown rice minding our health. Srijana, Anand and I reached cinema Sushma by 11:45 on my bicycle. We saw the Telugu film “Adhurs” from 12:00 to 2:30 in it. It is good. Anand soiled his lower wear for six times. He enjoyed watching this film for some time. I bought 20 samosaas for 20 rupees and a Sprite soft drink for 15 rupees during interval. Srijana spotted Telugu TV artiste Chalapathi Raju and singer Gangadhara Sastry when we were coming out from this cinema after seeing the film. We met them at a sweet store. We appreciated the role of Raju in the ETV Telugu serial “Chandramukhi”. Sastry gave a sweet to Anand. We felt happy for meeting these two artistes. We returned home by 2:45. Srijana poured wheat grains on a cloth on terrace this morning for drying them up in the sun. Crows, pigeons and squirrels picked about three kilos of those wheat grains. She scolded them. Got five kilos of wheat grains into flour at the little mill near the abode of Bala. She took 20 rupees for it. Srijana’s father sent about 10 kilos of wheat grains four months ago. Only five kilos remained for us. Night got an email from those starting an online group of Hare Krishna movement. I responded to them expressing my willingness to join this group. Went to sleep by 10:00.
6 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited one email for my second book. By 1:20 had brown rice, which Srijana cooked, for a positive change. I found it tasty to eat. By 11:30 Vamsy took Srijana and Anand to RTC Crossroads on the bike of his cousin. She went there to go to the industrial exhibition at Nampally. Later she knew that it starts by 5:00 in the evening. She informed me to come to go there together. Paid 67 rupees at the nearby E-seva centre by 1:30 towards the electricity bill for my house portion for the last month. Washed my clothes by 3:00 and took a bath. Took a bus by 3:45 at NGO Colony bus stop and reached RTC Crossroads by 4:40. Srijana and Anand were in the rented abode of my cousin Kiran. I knew that Vamsy brought them here from the nearby rented abode of his cousins. Kiran’s cousin Hindu prepared Vegetable Noodles for us. Earlier her name was Haindavi. She is a beauty. She inherited it from her mother. Now her father is working as a chemical engineer in Togo. She recently joined a software firm at Madhapur as a fresher. Her husband is a software engineer at the TCS in Mumbai. Kiran gave me the pram (perambulator) of his niece Harshita for Anand to enjoy it for a while. His brother Raghupati bought it for his daughter in the USA. I found this piece strong and beautiful. It is black. They named it Trendsport. We left their abode by 6:00. We waited for 1 V route bus by the ITI at Musheerabad for 30 minutes. We reached Vanasthalipuram by 7:45. Brought rice, curries and curd from a nearby curry point buying them for 50 rupees. They are of less quantity and poor quality. They gave cold rice covering it with a little hot rice. Curd was very bad. Went to sleep by 11:00.
7 February (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I felt weak. Avoided editing the content of my second book. Editing work of fiction requires good health and strong mind to apply creativity and refine language. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for two hours. There is an interview of Hoshang Merchant by Meena Kandasamy in the Magazine section of The Hindu. He responded as a poet. Rested on a cot for one hour. By 1:30 took Anand to the Pulse Polio point by the Self Finance Colony Community Hall on my bicycle. Two girls, in white sarees, sat there beside the road with a box. They must be Chinese or Japanese girls. They administered two polio drops into the mouth of Anand. He accepted it with uneasy face. By 4:30 Srijana and I took Anand to Rajiv Gandhi Park making him sit in pram and pushing it along the road. He enjoyed this slow ride. We spent in this park for one hour. Anand enjoyed seeing children playing with excitement. We took photos and video of Anand here. We returned home by 5:45. My cousin Bala proposed me the idea of going to a film by 6:20. I too felt like going. We reached cinema Vishnu by 6:30 on my bicycle. Bala bought two tickets for 80 rupees. We saw the Telugu film “Namo Venkatesha” in it from 7:00 to 9:30. We did not feel bored watching this film but it is not made well. The story is not gripping. The songs are bad. It is a film meant for spending time. We had chapatis at hotel Raghavendra Tiffins here. We returned home by 10:10. Today Anand suffered from cold. Srijana applied wet turmeric paste (with a green leaf above it) on his head where it is soft. It helped him relieve a lot. Night he played actively. Went to sleep by 11:00.
8 February (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Srijana prepared Upma by 7:30. Today I did not edit the content of my second book considering my poor health. I have been observing a disorder for the last 10 days. My digestive system got affected. The inputs are getting crushed fast and thrown out three or four times a day. It must be due to the work of bacteria or virus inside. I want to punish them. Today I avoided Shakthi Malt porridge also. I want to stop sending jaggery inside for some days. Bacteria are eating all the valuable inputs in my stomach. I should have controlled their internal colonization in the initial stage itself. Rested on a cot for one hour. Withdrew 1000 rupees from the nearby ATM Centre of ING Vysya Bank, by main road, by 2:30. There is a balance of 9000 rupees in my two bank accounts now. Money is moving out faster. Went to the More retail store and bought a 500-gram Kween’s corn flakes pack for 75 rupees. I know for long that it is a good breakfast item. Srijana and I want to use it frequently hereafter. We need not look for more time to prepare Upma, idlies or chapatis when we have it with warm milk. Thus we can save a little time to spend with Anand. He demands more time now than after one year. Spent talking with Bala in his abode from 5:30 to 6:00. By 7:00 went to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh on my bicycle and collected token number 2. Srijana and I had phulkas by 7:30. We took Anand to this clinic by 7:45 on foot. He came by 8:10. We consulted him first. He said that Anand is well. His cold and cough disappear soon. I told him about my disorder. He prescribed FLAGYL 400 tablets for me. They cost me six rupees only. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited two emails for my second book. Srijana and Anand spent in the abode of Bala from 12:00 to 5:30 watching television. Bala returned from his school by 5:00. We two went to the branch office of Navata Road Transport at B N Reddy Nagar by 6:00 on my bicycle. Bala’s father sent seven sacks of old and new rice from Jaggampeta for his wife and two sons living here. Bala paid 804 rupees towards their transport charges. He hired a rickshaw for 60 rupees to bring them to his home. This rickshaw puller is about 70. He is from Warangal district. He has been living here for many years. I asked him about his liquor habit. He said that he consumes it every day. He earns about 300 rupees a day. He misuses part of this money to satisfy his bad habit. He carried the seven bags of rice on his shoulder from the road into Bala’s abode. Two modern youth subjected an old Indian to such task. I thought he deserves 100 rupees for this labor. Educated Indians like me receive in thousands working in companies. Uneducated and innocent Indians toil in the sun and rain and earn very little. Government employees fight for pay hikes and more perks through their unions. Poor people like this one are real Indians. They earn and live without cheating and misguiding others like many rich Indians. I liked his look, words and lifestyle. Returned home by 7:00. Vamsy came from RTC Crossroads. He talked with his sister and left by 7:30. She said he is planning to join a night shift data entry job there. I know he cannot do it. Went to sleep by 10:30.
10 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited two emails for my second book. Srijana spent in the abode of Bala from 12:00 to 5:30 watching television. Anand is enjoying this difference of place. By 6:30 bought a water teether for Anand for 65 rupees from a Marwadi toy store by main road. He brought them from the city only after I asked him for one. He showed me about six items. They are in the shapes of small vegetables and fruits. I bought one with the shape of a mango. It is Rachna’s gum soother made in Delhi. Kids feel irritating sensation in their gums when teeth are forming. Anand is in that stage now. He is taking everything into his hand and biting it. His sensitive gums get affected if he bites hard items. Water teether helps him to some extent. By 8:00 Srijana put our luggage in my black bag. We had supper by 9:00. Bought 10 B Complex tablets for 10 rupees for me and Srijana. We are suffering from vitamin deficiency. Srijana, Anand and I reached NGO Colony bus stop by 10:00. We wanted to take a bus to Panama Godowns. There were two ordinary buses but their drivers were taking more time to go to the Hayat Nagar Bus Depot and end their duty of the day. We hired an auto rickshaw for 25 rupees. We walked to the other side of the main road by 10:30. Many APSRTC and private buses were being stopped on the main road itself to take passengers. It created traffic problems. Police neglected it after some time. They were chatting beside the road. A nasty car driver picked up quarrel with an APSRTC bus driver. Hyderabad-Manuguru Super Deluxe bus arrived by 11:20. We took seats 7 and 8 in it.
11 February (Thursday)
The APSRTC bus, bearing number 8865, reached Manuguru bus stand by 7:00. I could not sleep well during this night journey. Srijana and Anand managed to sleep for two hours. We hired an auto rickshaw from Manuguru and reached Kondaigudem by 7:30. He took 50 rupees and drove it fast on the good road chasing the winter winds in the morning. Anand enjoyed this cool drive. Srijana’s father, her mother and maternal grandmother reached this village this early morning. They traveled by a bus of APSRTC from Tuni Bus Depot. The parents of Srijana’s uncle Subba Raju (the husband of her maternal aunt Madhavi) are living in this village. We freshened up ourselves by 8:30. Mandapati Venkateswara Raju must be about 70. He has one acre of agricultural farm behind their house here. Spent talking with him for one hour. I liked his innocence and simplicity of village life. His wife Anasuya Devi must be about 60. She is an orthodox homemaker. This old couple are growing vegetables and flower plants in the front yard of their house. They have a well for drinking water. They two are leading their old lives here. We had lunch by 1:00. We took leave of them by 1:30. We hired an auto rickshaw for 100 rupees and reached village Janampeta by 2:00. One maternal uncle and three maternal aunts of my father-in-law Rama Raju are living in this village now. He took us to the house of his maternal aunt Appala Narasayyamma beside the main road. He took us to the houses of his relatives from 3:00 to 3:45. Some of them are living in thatched houses. I liked their antique look. I also met a classic woman of 100 years here. She is very beautiful and lovable. Had my supper by 7:30. Went to sleep by 9:30.
12 February (Friday)
Woke up by 3:00. Srijana, her parents and her maternal grandmother got ready by 3:30. Anand and I too joined them. We six waited for a bus from Kamalapuram to go to Manuguru standing by the main road in Janampeta. It did not arrive even by 6:15. Then we took a private press jeep up to Bhadrachalam Crossroad. Thence we hired an auto rickshaw for 50 rupees and reached Bhadrachalam by 8:30. We all took a holy dip in the river Godavari by 9:00. Srijana’s father got Anand take one dip in this river. I enjoyed my bath in this river. We took photos and video of these scenes. A barber formally cut three locks of hair of Anand here. It’s part of Hindu culture in our region. His hair was offered to Lord Rama of this shrine. By 9:30 we had the dharshan of Sita Rama Chandra Swamy in this temple. It was the promise of Srijana, about 30 months ago, here, again to come and see this God. She fulfilled it now along with us. I got a 100-rupee note dropped into the collection box of Lord Rama by Anand in this temple. He held it firmly. I stood in the queue from 9:30 to 10:30 and bought two laddus and six packs of holy Lemon Rice for 40 rupees. We had breakfast in Hotel Uma Maheswari by 11:00. We spent at the house of photo maker V Mohan Raju from 11:15 to 1:00. We bought many photos of deities here for our domestic use. We hired an auto rickshaw for 250 rupees for our Parnasala Tour. We spent at the spot of the “Jute Saris (Naara Cheeralu) of Goddess Sita Devi” from 2:15 to 2:40. Prathipati Adi Narayana Chari, a sculptor, carved these artistic rocks, by a brook, by 20 April, 1983. I liked this place very much. Thereafter we spent in the nearby area of the temple of Lord Rama and the statues of the Ramayana events from 2:45 to 3:30. I kicked a sharp stone here and wounded the sole of my right foot. We returned to Bhadrachalam by 5:00. Thence took a bus for Manuguru. Thence we took another bus and reached Janampeta by 6:30. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today Mani offered breakfast and lunch for us in her house. I took the video of Vatsavayi Jagadeeswaramma from 9:30 for 16 minutes with my Sony digital camera. Srijana and her father spent talking with her in the background. She is 99. She wears white saris. She is very fair and beautiful to her age. I rarely see such great Indian women now. She answered some questions, put by Srijana and her father. Such beauty is not available in India now. Pollution is damaging our physical beauty. Children are wearing glasses due to sight problems. Adults are using hair colors. Shallow girls and worthless ladies are going to beauty parlours. We are living artificially now. From 11:30 to 12:30 we walked to the houses of the relatives of my father-in-law in this village (Janampeta) and took their photos. They are leading simple and humble lives here. In my casual interaction with them I knew that Naxalites lived in these regions and forests once. They used to collect money from the rich for their survival in forests. They are honest and kind in their thoughts and approach towards the poor. They are living and dying for others. Police are worse creatures than them. I like their movement and ideals. I enjoyed my short stay in this village. We took an auto rickshaw by 5:00 at Janampeta. We reached Manuguru by 5:40. We thought of taking a train considering the strike in Telangana region today. Meanwhile we spotted 8868 Manuguru-Hyderabad Express bus in the bus stand. Srijana, Anand and I took it. This bus started off by 5:45. Srijana’s parents and maternal grandmother took a Visakhapatnam bound bus there by 7:30 for Tuni. There were no many passengers in this bus due to the impact of strike of students in Telangana region. Srijana and Anand occupied three vacant seats.
14 February (Sunday)
The bus driver dropped us at Panama Godowns by 1:10. We enjoyed this journey throughout. Anand slept in a seat enjoying the jolts of the bus and the noise of the vehicles passing by. We had Vegetable Biryani, packed by the relatives of Srijana, in Janampeta, in this bus journey. Srijana rested for two hours. I chose to remain awake supervising my two creatures. We hired an auto rickshaw for 40 rupees and reached our abode at Self Finance Colony in Vanasthalipuram by 1:20. Our house owner K Pandurangacharyulu opened the gate for us. We rested till 6:00 in the morning. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for two hours. I missed much not reading dailies for three days. A writer must keep himself in touch with the present. Cleared my emails by 10:30. Srijana arranged vegetables, groundnuts and jaggery in a shelf in our kitchen. The mother of her uncle Subba Raju packed some items for them and us in Kondaigudem and brought those two parcels of cardboard boxes to Janampeta. Morning Vamsy came and took that parcel to the rented abode of his maternal aunt Madhavi at Ashok Nagar by bus. By 2:30 went to Rythu Bazar on my bicycle. Bought two kilos of onions for 28 rupees, four rupees of green chillies and half a kilo sweet black grapes for 20 rupees. By 4:30 typed out and posted a poem titled “Love” on my blog site. It has four stanzas. It is Valentine’s Day today. Love is universal. Today my cousin Narendra Varma took his GATE-2010 exam in Kakinada from 10:00 to 1:00. He said he did not do it satisfactorily. He can do M.Tech. in an IIT in India if he can get through it. He prepared for 10 months to take this tough examination. Had two phulkas by 7:30. Spent before my computer for two hours. Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 February (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. The inertia created by my sleepless journey from Manuguru is still there in me. By 11:30 went to cinema Sampoorna on my bicycle. Bought a ticket for 50 rupees. There was still time for the film to start. Withdrew 3000 rupees from the ATM Centre of Vijaya Bank there. Bought a white cotton handkerchief for 12 rupees. Saw the Telugu film “Kedi” of Nagarjuna from 12:15 to 2:50 in this cinema. It has a weak story with passive twists and songs. I did not feel much bored but today’s audience do not like such films. There is a boy acting as the son of the actress. He must be the son of my friend Deepthi. Mamta Mohandas is presented beautifully. I liked the beauty of the girl, who played the childhood role of the heroine. Returned home by 3:00. Had my lunch by 3:15. Rested on a cot for one hour. Went to the Reliance outlet near Red Tank by 4:30 and paid them 377 rupees towards my cell phone bill for the last month. By 7:30 my friend Sriram came here. He returned me the soft copy of the typed version of my personal diary of 2007 along with the diary. He typed it up very well. Paid him 2000 rupees for typing up this diary. His employer closed her advertising firm one month ago. He is jobless now. He decided to concentrate on his start-up Systovision Media Works. I encouraged him to do it. Srijana prepared a sweet item for us. Took him to NGO Colony bus stop by 8:30. He left for Secunderabad by 8:40. Vamsy and his cousin Chinna came here by 9:15 on a bike. Chinna asked me to lend him 2000 rupees. Brought it withdrawing from a nearby ATM Centre. We spent talking till 10:15. Went to sleep by 10:30.
16 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Vamsy and Chinna left for RTC Crossroads by 7:30 on bike. Chinna is running a distribution business of kitchen items imported from China. He said that he invested 10 lakh rupees in this business. Vamsy is staying with him helping him a little in his business. Today also inertia worked upon me. Perhaps I am not eating enough food. Recently my mother told me to give them 30000 rupees. They are planning to get a borewell dug in our mango farm investing 90000 rupees. They asked me for my share of investment in it. They think I have a lot of money now from what they gave me. I told them that I don’t have any property there to invest money for its development. My mother would have been hurt by my harsh reply. My father made me become insensitive towards them. My brother Sambha has been managing our agricultural farms for the last 20 years. He loves me purely. He has no children. He and his wife are visiting temples and consulting doctors for their blessings and advice to have children. Not having children disturbed them a lot. Many are moving to distant places now in search of jobs, business and comforts. I am also a victim of this culture. My brother Sambha did not study much. He does not like doing jobs. He decided to stay back in our village with our parents. He cannot spend anywhere for long. He has a network of friends and well-wishers there. He likes discussing local politics. He settles the disputes of his familiar ones. He often pities himself for not going away like us two brothers. Our mother does not treat him like us two brothers, living away from her, because he daily appears to her. My brother Srinivas and I go there now and then. Sambha is a symbol of pure love and care for me. I am lucky to have such brother. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. I edited one short story for my second book. By 1:30 went to the PCH retail store near Panama Godowns to meet Vijay Kumar and ask him for money for the Olympus digital camera Fe-26, which I returned to him earlier. I found it closed. I enquired there from others and knew that they closed it forever. I felt infuriated at the thought of Vijay Kumar. He should have informed me about the closure of this store. Rushed back to my abode on my bicycle by 2:00. Took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop for Panama Godowns buying a ticket for four rupees. Thence took another bus for Dilsukh Nagar buying a ticket for seven rupees. My intention was to locate another PCH store to enquire about this man. I spotted a newly opened PCH store on the right side of the main road within five seconds after taking the bus. He stopped it after two minutes. Walked back to this store. The fellow here told me that Vijay is at Somajiguda now. Returned home and called him up. He said that he would give me money within a week. I spared him with a few harsh words. By 4:30 Kiran (one from Janampeta) came and collected a DVD with the photos and videos of our recent Janampeta and Bhadrachalam tour. He is working in a bar at L B Nagar. He goes to Janampeta soon. By 6:00 bought five kilos of brown rice for 175 rupees at a rice store. By 7:00 went to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. Took token 12. By 8:00 Srijana and Anand got up to my bicycle. The doctor examined Anand and said that he is well. We returned home by 8:30. Went to sleep by 10:00.
18 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited two emails for my second book. There was power cut for three hours during daytime. They do it without notice. Winter is disappearing giving place to summer. This is the season of power cuts and drinking water scarcity in Andhra Pradesh. Villages look like hell with power cuts lasting for about 12 hours. Rich and influential people move to cities. They enjoy more comforts and facilities there. I am also one of such opportunists in India. Yesterday night I filled up a membership form of Club More at the More retail store by main road. It belongs to Aditya Birla Group. They gave me a light card bearing number 1002912760. Yesterday I bought two kilos of Select More refined sugar for 88 rupees. They offered me a discount of one rupee for this purchase. I wondered at its futility. The entry of corporate firms into retail industry is to attract rich consumers. They are selling many items at higher prices than those sold outside. They do things neatly and systematically. We enjoy that in-store atmosphere, courtesy of staff, orderly and attractive arrangement of different items and the overall shopping experience there. They sell quality items. We can touch alternatives and pick up our favorite and affordable items. I bought sugar here because it is of high quality. When I mix it in water, I don’t find even one dust particle in it. I trust Aditya Birla Group and such other brands for quality and reliability. Many fear to enter these stores thinking that they are meant for the rich only. For a common Indian, more decoration and proactive courtesy means more hidden exploitation. Had two phulkas by 7:30. Went to sleep by 9:00.
19 February (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited eight emails for my second book. I completed editing this work today. Evening typed out a foreword for this book. It has 65 pieces of writing. One is a long love letter and the remaining 64 are emails. I sent them to Deepthi in 2005. I edited its language. I retained 95% of its originality. I took intentional and inevitable breaks in between. Otherwise I would have completed editing this work even earlier. I felt very happy when editing these emails. I narrated about 50 stories to Deepthi through these emails. She is a lucky girl. I will get this work published soon. Morning typed out a one-page letter and emailed it to V K Duggal. He is a member of Justice Sri Krishna Committee constituted to research and advice the Government of India on the issue of separate statehood to the Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh. I saw their contact details in the Telugu daily Eenadu. I felt like expressing my opinion to them. I supported the idea of separate Telangana state in this letter. Politicians and businessmen ruined democracy and peace in this nation. People lost respect and trust for committees. Governments do not implement their recommendations if they are against their present interests and future plans. I wrote a letter because it is the role of an active citizen of this nation. I posted this letter on my blog site also. Evening Devireddy Akhil spent his 10th birthday. He is the younger son of my portion neighbour Narayana Reddy. His wife Rajeshwari is staying at home to care for their two sons. Srijana and I presented a magnetic chess kit to Akhil on this occasion. He is a very handsome boy. Took photos and video of this celebration. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 7:00. Morning edited the foreword of my second book. By 11:30 Srijana, Anand and I reached cinema Sampoorna on my bicycle. I bought two tickets for 100 rupees. We saw the Telugu film “Yugaaniki Okkadu” from 12:00 to 2:40 in it. Sri Raghava directed it. It is a great piece of creativity and hard work. I enjoyed watching this film throughout. The background score is soothing and inspiring. It portrays the result of enmity between a Chola king and Pandyas in the 13th century India. A Chola king migrates to Vietnam and settles there in a dense forest. He creates seven dangers on the way to his secret settlement fearing the attack of Pandyas in future. Reema Sen played the role of the heir of those Pandyas. She heads a team of expedition into this secret kingdom of the Chola king in Vietnam. They travel via dangerous and beautiful places crossing rivers, deserts and forests. The defence forces, deployed by the Government of India, attack the tribes of Cholas living in a huge cave, when they come out to fight with them using their traditional weapons. Many die in this battle. They bring the captured tribes of Cholas back into modern India. Karthi played a passive role in it. Story is the main attraction of this film. One needs a lot of patience, hard work and creativity to make a wonder like this. Director Sri Raghava created an excellent piece of art. We returned home by 3:00. Formatted the content of my second book for two hours. There are 65 items of content in this book. There are 128106 words in it. I retained 95% of the originality of the content when editing it. By 6:30 posted a blog on my blog site informing Deepthi about the progress of this work. Went to sleep by 10:30.
21 February (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent reading Eenadu and The Times of India for two hours. By 11:00 my cousin Bala and I went to cinema Sushma on my bicycle. The 50-rupee tickets were already sold. Some rogues stood there offering them to sell for 100 rupees each. We two stood in the queue and bought three 40-rupee tickets. I returned home and took Srijana and Anand to this cinema on my bicycle. My cousin Bala condemned the practice of my bringing my wife and baby to cinema on a bicycle. It costs me 40 rupees at least if we hire an auto rickshaw for our to and fro journeys. We could save that money using my bicycle. I don’t see anybody in this area taking his wife and children to a place on a bicycle. I will buy a scooty when I can afford it. I am not earning money now. This is an age of sophistication. I like to be in the present now and then. We three enjoyed watching the Telugu film “Leader” from 3:00 to 6:00. Daggubati Rana is the hero. He is a very tall guy. He played the title role well. Sekhar Kammula directed this classic Telugu film. He portrayed the character and need of a true leader to save India now from corrupt politicians and develop it. I was moved to tears when watching the Telugu song “Maa Telugu Thalliki Malle Poodhanda” presenting the tour of the hero to discover the interiors of India to understand and see real India. Now many are neglecting their mother tongues and regional cultures aping foreign culture and running after English language. We returned home by 6:40 on foot after buying vegetables in Rythu Bazar. Had my supper by 7:30. Went to sleep by 10:30.
22 February (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I started editing the typed version of my personal diary of 2003 on my computer. I am doing its pre-final level editing now. I edited it earlier once. Today I completed January and February months of it. Today there was power cut from 4:30 to 6:00 in the evening. Morning I beat Anand four times on his buttocks with my right palm. I took some photos to him with my Sony digital camera. Srijana decorated him like a female baby putting rings to his ears. He looked handsome in that dress and decoration. When I took him to be photographed by Srijana, he was looking elsewhere except towards the camera despite our signs. I bore with him for some time. Then applied my physical touch. He cried for some time. I did not mind it. I do not like his quality of crying irrationally. He is having enough breast milk every day from his mother, toys to play with and good facilities to rest in. He always wants to be with his mother. He cries immediately when put down on a mat or cot. I don’t like anybody crying without a reason. We should not cry merely to be pitied by others and attract their attention. I do not expect Anand to be such idiot. Tears should express our genuine pain or happiness. He made it into a habit. I hate bad habits. I don’t approve the casual remark by many that children cry like that. Treatment is necessary for every disorder. Irrational crying is a bad habit. Anand is looking like a hungry pup at anything we eat or drink. He must be a beggar in his previous birth. A beggar craves for more than necessary. He should not be one of the beggars in India. Went to sleep by 10:30.
23 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Wrote synopsis of 500 words for my second book. I lost it when I did not save it by mistake. Then typed out another synopsis. Emailed my details, synopsis and Microsoft word file of my second book content titled “A Dreamer’s Love Story” to them. I submitted my manuscript to Strategic Book Marketing and Whitmore Publishing in the United States of America. They may take about four months’ time to publish this book like Sunil K Poolani if they accept it. I don’t like to wait for the release of my first book for this reason. Publishers take more time to print a book than they promise. Recently I emailed some questions to Pramod K Nayar about book publishers. He wrote back stating that trust works here. I replied that trust allows others to cheat and misguide us also. He agreed with my opinion. An author does not know how many copies are sold at the other end. Creative work involves hard work and strain on part of a writer. It is enough if publishers understand this aspect of writers. Standards and values are important for writers and publishers. I emailed the manuscript of my second book to two publishers in the USA thinking that they don’t misuse it. I cannot personally go there and check their credentials. They cannot come here to check me similarly. Today I edited the content of 23 pages in my 2003 personal diary. There was power cut for four hours in our area in the morning and evening. Night prepared an international standard teacher’s résumé for my cousin Bala on my computer. Went to sleep by 10:30.
24 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of my 2003 personal diary considerably. There was power cut for 80 minutes. Afternoon spent talking with my portion neighbor Narayana Reddy and his wife in the corridor for 15 minutes. Srijana and Anand were also there. We celebrated the power cut this way. He told me that many rich parents are also living in old age homes now when their children are doing jobs abroad to earn more money. He knows that I am beating my son Anand now and then when he is crying irrationally. He satirically told me that he revenges when he grows up and when I depend on him. I said that there would be many people around me to depend on by the time he reaches that age. Parents, who love only their children, can never be happy in this world. Selfishness, expectations from children beyond their capabilities and preferences and struggle to rewrite their fates pull parents into a dark pit of repentance and suffering. By 2:30 a sales executive of Khazana Jewellery came to our abode. Srijana talked with him standing at our entrance door. He gave her two attractive bags for buying gold and ornaments in their stores. I don’t like gold. Srijana likes it. He met his right client living with an eccentric person. Night my cousin Hari of village Durgada called me up from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. He is working there as a mechanical engineer with a private power generation company. He talked with me after a long time. He is about 27 now. His parents are searching for a suitable bride for him. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. A blanket of fog covered this area in the morning. The fog lifted by 7:00. I think it is a rare occurrence in this season. Yesterday night I got an email from Tania at Strategic Book Marketing from the USA. Recently I submitted the manuscript of my second book to them by email for consideration. She emailed me four questions. I replied her with answers to those questions. I did not like their questions related to marketing techniques. They asked me to visit their website and read the information there about the marketing services they are providing to their authors to promote their books after publication. There are about 25 marketing techniques. I have to choose three of those techniques to follow for promotion of my book. I did not answer these questions well. I felt irritated. Morning typed out a blog titled “Book Marketing” and posted it on my blog site by 8:30. It’s a satire on publishers and others, who expect an author to transform himself into a marketing executive to sell his book. Today my son Anand entered his eighth month of formative age. Srijana decorated him with a new pair of clothes. We both took photos and video with him. Today I edited my diary of 2003 for about five hours. Morning we took Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. He told us to bring him this Saturday for the third dose of Hib vaccine to him. Srijana consulted Dr D Lakshmi there for her disorder. She prescribed urine test and tablets for her. It all cost me 350 rupees. Had three phulkas by 7:30. Went to sleep by 9:30.
26 February (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00 with the phone call of my cousin Bala. His mother Rajeshwari is coming this morning by a bus. She gets off it near Panama Godowns. When we were getting ready to go there, she called up and informed us that she hired an auto rickshaw to come here. She reached their rented abode by 6:30. The auto rickshaw driver took 30 rupees. She brought five items of luggage from Gollalagunta. My maternal uncle Appala Narasimha Raju (Varma) sent three kilos of rice flakes (Atukulu in Telugu) for me. I recently told him to send me six kilos of rice flakes. This is very good for health like corn flakes. Srijana mixed some rice flakes in sweet and hot milk this morning for us. It was an addition to our breakfast of corn flakes this morning. Today I edited my diary of 2003 for about seven hours. I edited it from 21 June to 31 July. By 11:30 Srijana bought a watermelon for 10 rupees from a pushcart hawker. She cut it and gave me those pieces by 3:00. I found it irritating to carefully avoid the seeds and take in its flesh managing my tongue and teeth. Editing the typed version of my personal diaries is a big work. This is a season of power cuts. My inevitable domestic chores kill some time. I told her not to bring watermelon with seeds when I am before my computer. Every minute is important for me now. I must complete this editing work as early as possible. By 6:30 went to the abode of Bala. His mother gave me two cloth pieces for a shirt and a pair of trousers. The in-laws of my cousin Murali bought them for me recently on the occasion of their daughter’s marriage. Went to sleep by 9:30.
27 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of August in my diary of 2003. By 8:30 posted a blog titled “Who edits my second book?” on my blog site. Tania emailed me from Strategic Book Marketing in the USA. She asked me about my opinion on getting the manuscript of my second book edited by others before publishing it. They don’t do it. I have to get it done spending money for it. They only print and market my book. I replied them seriously. They don’t have the qualities of a good publisher. They look like marketing executives on road. I think this content needs a modest cleanup. I don’t want to see even one grammatical or typographic error in my book. I cannot edit it again now. I want to see if there is somebody to edit it out of love for reading it. I explained them on my blog site regarding who can edit it. By 11:30 took Srijana and Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. He checked Anand. We told him that his stool is green. He advised us to bring his stool for medical examination. The third dose of Hib vaccine is due to him. This doctor is not ready to give it unless Anand is completely healthy. Anand is like a stray dog. He wants to eat and drink everything visible and accessible to him. Millions of Indian bacteria and virus attack him inside for this reason. He is being affected with cold for this reason. When a human child behaves like a puppy, the related health disorders would be of similar nature. He soiled his bottom cloth piece by 7:45. We put it in a plastic cover and took him to the doctor by 8:10 on my bicycle. The doctor told us to wait for his vaccination. We returned home by 8:30. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 February (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Typed out and posted a blog titled “Bharat Ratna” on my blog site by 9:00. Recently Sachin Tendulkar scored 200 runs in a one-day match. Indian youth celebrated it grandly. Media folks in India and other countries wrote extensively about it. Some proposed the idea of honoring him with the highest civilian award in India, Bharat Ratna, because Sachin is the builder of modern India. This blog is a satire on Sachin Tendulkar and everybody supporting him. He created a generation of Indians, who waste their time playing and discussing cricket. They don’t think about the bitter realities and burning issues of India. Watching cricket turns Indians into lazy and brainless entities. Many are suffering in India due to corrupt politicians, unethical businessmen and manipulative middlemen. Intelligent and patriotic Indians are joining Naxalism to retaliate against these bad governments and millionaires. When bad people rule a country, good people suffer silently. Scientists, social reformers, philanthropists, visionaries, idealists, dreamers and saints in this nation are being ruled by thieves and buffoons. Sports and games should not be channels of entertainment in a nation, where half of its population is in poverty, insecurity, ignorance and pain. Sachin is not contributing to the development of India. He is one of the most unwanted celebrities of India now. Vijay Mallya, Indra Nooyi, Sania Mirza and Aiswarya Rai also belong to this segment of unwanted celebrities in India. They further ruin this nation. By 4:30 Srijana and I took Anand to Rajiv Gandhi Park in the pram. We spent there till 6:15. Anand enjoyed watching other children playing. We returned home by 6:30. Had three phulkas by 7:30. Went to sleep by 10:30.
1 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. It is Holi today. Great Indian youth celebrated it throwing colors, eggs and fruits among themselves. My portion neighbor and house owner encouraged their children to celebrate it. By 1:15 my portion neighbor Narayana Reddy and I reached cinema Vijaya Lakshmi at L B Nagar on his bike. He stood in the queue and bought six tickets for 300 rupees. We returned home by 2:00. He, his wife Rajeshwari, their sons Abhinav and Akhil, Srijana, Anand and I reached this cinema by 2:45 on their two bikes. We saw the Telugu film “Ye Maaya Chesave” from 3:00 to 5:45 in it. Naga Chaitanya and Samanta are the only attractions in this film. It is a weak story. The narration is slow and passive. The dialogues are lifeless. Music is negligible. Songs are horrible. We did not find it interesting. It lacks melodrama. Nagarjuna committed a mistake. My son Anand cried irrationally around 5:00. I realized that viewers were getting disturbed by his high noise. I beat him twice on his buttocks. Srijana protected him with her hand from my work. He received my vibrations and cried for two minutes. Then he slept. We returned home by 6:00. Srijana, Anand and I spent in the abode of Bala for some time. They blamed us for taking Anand to a cinema. They strongly condemned my barbaric act of beating him. I found their view rational and justifiable. Then I talked about the trends of the contemporary society for two hours with Bala, Murali and Ramya. Now many are enjoying luxuries and comforts cheating and exploiting the poor and the innocent. Very few are interested in disciplined and sensible lifestyles. Educated and rich Indians are more spoilt and disorderly now than illiterates. India is a big mess now. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 8:30 emailed my CV, synopsis of my second book and three sample chapters to Rupa Publishers. I want to know how they respond to me. Today I edited the content of September in my diary of 2003. Recently I saw two girls downloading the content and photos related to youth culture from Internet when I went to an Internet café along with Bala to get his CV printed. I asked a girl why she was doing it. She said it was for her project work. She is studying in an engineering college in Hyderabad. Later I knew that she did it to give them to her seniors at college. It is to satisfy their ragging psychology. She felt uneasy to talk with me. She is doing what her seniors ordered her to do. She is one of the dirty girls of India. Governments cannot avoid ragging in the Indian colleges and universities as long as boys and girls think and behave like loyal and cowardly dogs and bitches towards their seniors. Many rich boys and girls join engineering and medical colleges for fun and enjoyment. Their corrupt and immoral parents give them bundles of money. They don’t have time to spend with their children. These scoundrels use their campus for their mad activities. Education is a silly game for them. India has such youth now. Attacks, rapes and murders happen against girls and women in India if they remain submissive and cowardly in difficult conditions. I hate such girls and women in India. They suffer throughout their lives if they don’t change. Reached Rethifile Bus Stand by 7:00 by bus. My friend Dantuluri Shiva Varma took that bus following my suggestions over phone. He came here from Visakhapatnam by Janmabhoomi Express. We reached my abode by 8:40. We had supper by 9:15. Went to sleep by 10:30.
3 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Went to a computer centre near Ganesh Temple by 10:00 on my bicycle. Got a sleeper class ticket reserved online for my friend Shiva for Ajanta Express for this evening. It cost him 341 rupees. He wants to see Sai Baba in Shirdi. Returned home by 10:15. Shiva Varma is 28. He is 170 cm tall. He weighs 90 kgs. He did an ITI course. Now he is working as an electrician in the Etikoppaka Cooperative Sugar Factory at Darlapudi. He gets 6000 rupees a month. He has mother and a younger brother. He wants to marry a girl. He asked me to create his profile on website idontwantdowry.com. I took his photo with my digital camera. Created his bridegroom profile on this website. I did not find him as a disciplined guy. Our domestic HP gas cylinder got emptied yesterday. Called them up 20 times to book a refill from 12:00 to 1:45. Their phone remained engaged most of the time. They did not pick it up when it was ringing. I was infuriated. Rushed to Vanasthali Gas Agency by 2:00 on my bicycle. Met its manager Sharma in his room. He expressed helplessness in responding always to the calls of their customers. He gave me an IVRS number. By 3:00 took my friend Shiva Varma to NGO Colony bus stop. He took a bus for Secunderabad. He has his train for Nagarsol by 6:10. By 7:15 my friend Sriram brought my 2006 diary and the soft copy of its typed version. Gave him 2000 rupees for typing up this content. By 8:00 took Srijana and Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. He checked Anand. He told us to bring him after two days for the third dose of Hib vaccine. Today I typed out a blog titled “Group Discussion” from 4:00 to 6:30. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 10:00 posted my blog “Group Discussion” on my blog site. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee, Mamta Banerjee, Chidambaram, Manmohan Singh are the participants. They talk about politics in India. It is a satire on Indians and Indian politics now. Today I edited 15 days of typed content in the beginning of October in my 2003 diary. By 4:30 Srijana, Anand and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop for Kothi. We reached there by 5:15. We bought six pairs of nightdresses for Anand from two sellers by main road. We bought six pants for 60 rupees at one pushcart and six matching T-shirts for 90 rupees at another place. I wondered at the prices of these clothes and the lives of those hawkers. They are standing on roads to sell their poor items for earning a little. Corporate firms are earning in millions cheating all kinds of consumers. They spend more on branding and marketing. Srijana knew about the prices of these items from our portion neighbor Rajeshwari. She advised Srijana to bargain. Even poor children are wearing clothes in India due to these good hawkers. They are cotton clothes. Anand wears them this summer. We saw retail stores selling kids’ items here. Their prices are higher. Rich people buy them. We walked to our bus stop after buying clothes for Anand. We took a bus by 6:00 and reached Vanasthalipuram by 7:00. We subjected Anand to the high air pollution in Hyderabad for two hours. Srijana cooked rice. I prepared fried sesame pickle. We had supper by 8:15. We three went to the abode of Bala by 8:20. Murali and his wife Ramya left for Thoomukunta by 8:30 in an auto rickshaw. They took two sacks of rice and an LPG gas cylinder from here. They paid 400 rupees to him. We saw them off. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 March (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited up to 20 November in my diary of 2003. Anand is making two sounds repeatedly now whenever he is happy. They are Abba and Amma. We are happy about this development. We started giving him water on the advice of doctor. He laughs even for quite negligible gestures from us. I wonder at that innocence in him. He looks at our faces before touching something. He wants to study the nature of signals from us to do it or not. If we scare him a little with an object, he hesitates to touch it later. He drinks breast milk from his mother like a little monkey on a coconut tree handling a coconut there. He is sleeping well. Bought three guavas for 10 rupees from a bicycle hawker by 11:30. Today there was power cut from 2:00 to 4:00. By 2:15 went to Rythu Bazar and bought vegetables for 40 rupees. Also bought half a kilo of grapes for 15 rupees. Returned home by 2:45. Today Srijana washed and arranged the plastic, steel and other items and containers in our kitchen neatly working hard from 1:30 to 4:30. She did it very well. This is in view of the Telugu new year day Ugadhi coming shortly. Our kitchen wore a beautiful look after her work. By 7:00 collected token 1 from the old woman in the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. Took Srijana and Anand to this clinic by 8:00 on my bicycle. The doctor checked Anand’s pulse and told us to bring him after two days for the third dose of Hib vaccine. He weighed 8.4 kgs on the machine. We returned home by 8:20. Morning Gurnoor Kaur replied me from Rupa Publishers. She wrote that they are not publishing short stories now. Went to sleep by 10:30.
6 March (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I completed editing my diary of 2003. Earlier I edited it once. Today I completed its pre-final level editing. I installed the soft copy of LONGMAN Dictionary of Contemporary English on my computer for grammar reference while editing. I have two standard English dictionaries of LONGMAN and Oxford with me. I am not good at English. These dictionaries guide me when I am editing my content. I retained 98% originality when editing this diary. I do it in other works also, which I edit. A writer expresses his feelings, thoughts and imaginations in his writings. He may not be able to maintain the standards of a given language when he is deeply involved in academic or creative writing. It is the role of a language editor to correct errors in a piece of writing. Bad editors irritate good writers. An editor must remember the spirit and perspective of the author when he is editing a given work. It is good if an author can edit his work thoroughly before sending it to others for publication or other purposes. A personal diary is a written record of the events of life of a person. He is an authority on it. He is the right one to edit it. I am editing the content of my personal diaries for this reason. I must establish its soul in it as its writer and editor. Once my English was very poor. Now it is poor. I am making a difference. Readers enjoy reading a book if it is edited well by its author itself. Editors need not struggle much if their authors are good at language. I want to be one. By 7:30 bought five kilos of brown rice for 175 rupees at a rice store by main road. It is milled once. Also bought a dozen bananas for 25 rupees. Went to sleep by 9:30.
7 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of the day reading Eenadu and The Hindu. The Sunday supplement of Eenadu is an attraction for me. The Magazine and The Literary Review are great attractions of The Hindu. It is cream of great thoughts, ideas and imaginations of highly educated and ideal people of this nation. Evening Srijana, Anand and I went to the abode of Bala by 5:00. We spent watching television for two hours. By 8:00 my mother called me up from Peda Gummuluru. They met our family priest in our nearby village Koruprolu and got an auspicious date decided for the “Anna Praashana” of Anand. It is scheduled to take place on the 17th of this month around 8:00 a.m. IST. They bought a silver dish for this ceremony of the boy. We all formally introduce cooked rice to Anand on this day to take in as food. Orthodox Hindus spend half of their lifetime thinking about and practicing their ceremonies and rituals. Srijana and I must get ready to go there soon. Recently I got emails from the folks of Strategic Book Marketing and Whitmore Publishing in the USA. SBM people asked me to pay them $ 1000 to publish my book. I found their proposal justifiable and logical for this venture. I don’t have that money now. Emailed them informing that I am not interested in it. There are many publishers in the world now. They entered this field to make money. They want to buy and sell hot cakes but not healthy fruits. Whitmore fellows wrote that my content is not compatible to their current needs. Perhaps they are not looking for short stories now. I am not at all disturbed by their replies. There is vast space in the sky for a healthy and lively bird to fly. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Went to an Internet café near Ganesh Temple by 10:30 on my bicycle and got two seats reserved for Srijana and me for Janmabhoomi Express for 329 rupees for the 14th of this month. Today there was power cut for two hours. Today I started editing my diary of 2004. Today I edited it up to 10 February. It was hot outside. I put my computer table in the hall opposite the entrance door. I don’t get the air of the ceiling fan well from this corner. The portable fan, which I bought for Anand, is serving him very well. He is sleeping for long when this table fan is on. He is looking healthy and active after a good sleep. The sound of my sneeze is very high. It shocks him now and then. Srijana puts him in my portion neighbor’s hall when she got much work. Now he is soiling his clothes five or six times a day. There is a mango tree by our veranda. Two crows come here now and then. He stares at them interestingly. His face is cute. His smiles and sounds are captivating. I enjoy his innocence and mischief a lot. He enjoys his bath. He is trying to sit in his cloth cradle also. Such enthusiasm is more than necessary but acceptable to his age. We use a different language to communicate with such babies. It is the best form of language for me. I don’t think I am recording his beautiful life well with my digital camera. The light effects are poor. There is no necessary clarity in all the photos and videos shot with it. Washed my clothes by 7:30. Today I washed five short bottom wear of Anand also. They are small stitched pieces. I loved their sizes and the comfort in washing them. Small is beautiful. Had two phulkas and buttermilk by 8:00. I am trying to be a good follower of the health advice of Dr Mantena Satya Narayana Raju. Went to sleep by 10:00.
9 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from February 11 to March 20. Felt tired and so rested for some time from 12:30 in between. There was power cut from 2:00 to 4:00. Today I stopped my editing work by 6:00. Today I edited for about six hours. By 7:00 went out and bought a watermelon for 20 rupees. We had it after our supper. It was tasty to my tongue and cool for my stomach. Yesterday night we had sapodilla fruit bought for 12 rupees from a hawker near Ganesh Temple. He gave me about a dozen fruit but eight of them are spoilt. This evening I bit the right ear lobe of our baby Anand out of excess love for him. I pat and bite him now and then here and there. This is my tender way of expression of my love for him. Today one of my undisciplined teeth bit him really. That bite must have pained him deeply. He cried for two minutes. Srijana consoled him. I pitied him. He is my great guest. I should not bother him with my angry words and unkind acts. I behaved like a beast recently beating him thrice or so. He is an innocent and vulnerable creature. My role is to protect, serve and guide him softly and kindly. He is a little moon in the desert of my life. Srijana is my sun. They brought light and beauty into my life. I must admire and guide them always in my sphere of thoughts, acts and imaginations. Anand is a sea of bliss. I play and celebrate my poor life on that rich beach of breezes and beauty. My goddess Srijana decorated my life with that jewel. I am not spending enough time with them. Diamonds look precious from distance. They are with me now. Went to sleep by 9:30.
10 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from March 21 to April 30. Morning Srijana called up an executive of Apollo Pharmacy medical stores and told him to send a Cerelac pack to our abode. She saw on their medicine delivery cover about their free home delivery service. I explained her why it is wrong on her part. I can get that pack from a nearby medical store going there on my bicycle. Free home delivery services are primarily meant for helpless people, who cannot go to a medical store. They can ask for it when they are buying medicines in large quantities, which benefits the retailer considerably. Companies sell goods and services to make profits in the process. Went to the Apollo Pharmacy store near NGO Colony bus stop and collected the pack kept ready to deliver to us. He said that he searched for our house for some time. He invested his energy, time and fuel for this trivial work. This Cerelac pack costs 125 rupees. He offered me a discount of eight rupees. I apologized to him for our mistake. There are many medical stores in this area. It means doctors and governments are encouraging such environment. More patients means more money to corporate hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. They sell cigarettes and alcohol printing danger signs on them. Now business means collecting money from dead bodies and poor huts. Evening I created my profile on Yuvah social networking site. Sheethal Varma invited me to join this set of youth on the Internet. She has many friends on this site. Today Srijana arranged her clothes in two bags. She picked out a doll for Anand from her luggage. It is a green piece with an internal key. It automatically beats its drum when keyed in. I liked it more than Anand. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Last night I could not sleep well. A dream awoke me around 2:00. I could not sleep for long. Various thoughts and the related internal conversation kept me awake. I could not control it. A sleepless body makes its brain weak. I avoided my diary editing work for this reason. Srijana, Anand and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 9:30. We reached Rethifile Bus Stand by 11:00. We walked to the other bus stop via the short cut. We took a Medchal bound ordinary bus by 11:10. We reached village Kandlakoya by 11:50. We hired an auto rickshaw for 20 rupees and reached the abode of Srijana’s paternal uncle Jagannadha Raju by 11:55. Had my lunch by 12:30. They served me highly polished white rice. I did not like it. Srijana and I have been eating brown rice for the last one month or so. They husk paddy once only in a mill for it. About 10% south Indians are only using this kind of rice. Others are using fine or super fine rice, which is milled and polished twice or thrice for beauty sake. Regular consumption of this rice leads to diabetes. Dr Mantena Satya Narayana Raju is greatly educating people in this regard. Many like his health advice but very few of them follow those principles in their lives. I want good health. I am following a little of what he is teaching, eating brown rice. It is good. Cultivating good habits is important to lead a healthy and happy life. We three spent there happily till 5:20. I watched their television for about two hours. We took a 235 G ordinary bus there by 5:30 and reached Secunderabad by 6:20. We took a 1 V Metro Express bus and reached our abode by 8:15. Got a haircut in my favourite salon by 8:40. Went to sleep by 10:00.
12 March (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from 1 May to 10 May. Srijana asked me to spend the day for me. By 10:45 Srijana’s maternal uncle Sekhar deposited 10000 rupees into my Axis Bank account in Payakaraopeta. By 11:30 got the front tyre of my bicycle replaced with a new one. He took 140 rupees for it. Thence I moved to the ATM Centre of Axis Bank near Ganesh Temple and withdrew 3000 rupees. Thence went to the nearby ICICI Bank and deposited 2000 rupees into the bank account of my friend Sriram. He is typing up my diary of 2008 now. This morning he called me up and told me about his urgent need of money. I paid him in advance for typing up this diary. Sekhar repaid the money this morning, which his mother borrowed from me earlier. Afternoon rested for some time. By 2:30 Srijana, Anand and I went out. I got my pair of shoes mended. An old woman applied gum to their soles to make them firm. She charged 20 rupees for this work. I bought this pair of black shoes from a roadside seller for 200 rupees in Mumbai when I went there to meet Sunil K Poolani last year. They pasted Reliance label on them. I don’t know if Anil Ambani is into this business also. Srijana bought a watermelon for 20 rupees. By 4:30 went out on my bicycle and bought four cloth pieces from Sai Ganapati cloth store by main road. I bought a piece of cloth for a shirt for 180 rupees, a piece for trousers for 380 rupees, a white cut vest for 30 rupees and a lower wear item for 45 rupees. I sold the two cloth pieces, which were earlier presented to me by the in-laws of my cousin Murali, to Srijana, for 300 rupees, and added my share of money for this purchase. I did not like the colors and designs of those cloth pieces but I must honor their gesture of affection towards me. Srijana may give those pieces to her father. Gave the two cloth pieces to a tailor, for stitching, for 250 rupees, by 7:00. Went to sleep by 10:30.
13 March (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Morning bought a Cello PIN POINT black pen for 10 rupees at a general store. For long I have been using Cello Gripper ballpoint to write my diary. It is very good. Its thickness of writing is affecting even the next page. I want to avoid it. I think the folks of Eagle Press are using low quality paper. By 12:00 typed out a blog to post on my blog site on the 23rd of this month. Typed it out and edited it on my computer for two hours. I got it scheduled to be automatically posted on this date on the occasion of our marriage anniversary. I wrote about some events in the married lives of Srijana and me, which took place during the last one year. It is a brief annual review. Today Srijana tidied up our living abode thoroughly. She arranged all the items in our portion in a proper order. She already made two bags ready with the luggage of Anand and hers. I too got my bag of luggage ready by 7:00. The tailor got my new pair of shirt and trousers ready by 7:30. He must be about 65. He is from Chirala in Prakasam district. He told me to give him one week’s time to stitch a pair of clothes greatly. I liked his professional ethics. Evening downloaded a few classic Telugu film songs from the Internet. I have still much Internet usage limit. It expires on the 17th of this month. This evening my brother Srinivas started from Visakhapatnam by Garibrath Express train to Hyderabad. He got some work here. Anand’s urine is yellow for two days. Srijana and Bala took him to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh on foot. He advised Srijana to give him more liquids. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 4:00. Srijana, Anand and I got ready by 4:45. We reached NGO Colony bus stop by 5:00 on foot. We took a Secunderabad bound ordinary bus by 5:15 and reached Rethifile Bus Stand by 6:15. Vamsy came here. He brought five empty tins of Asian Paints. Srijana’s uncle Subba Raju is a contractor. He takes industrial painting works on contract basis from some industries in Hyderabad. He gets those buildings painted by his team of workers. Srijana’s maternal grandparents, parents and maternal uncle use these tins for carrying water in their homes. They are stronger than the buckets we buy in the market. We took seats 38 and 42 in the reservation coach D 4 by 6:20. I went out and had two idlies in Hotel Padmaja for 15 rupees. Got four idlies packed for Srijana. The size of these idlies is small. I have to spend 60 rupees to satisfy my stomach with these items. Bought a dozen bananas for 20 rupees. Also bought the dailies The Hindu and Eenadu. Janmabhoomi Express left the station by 7:15. It was cloudy. We found this journey comfortable. This train reached Tenali by 1:10. Srijana changed the clothes of Anand for freshness sake. I bought a pack of Vegetable Biryani for 30 rupees here. Thereafter I bought two mango fruit juice bottles for 50 rupees. Anand slept thrice during this journey. We got off it at Tuni railway station by 6:06. My father-in-law came to station to receive us. Srijana gave part of her luggage to her father. Her mother gave her a small bag. They left this place on their bike. We hired an auto rickshaw for 20 rupees and reached the bus stand in Payakaraopeta. We took an Anakapalle bound ordinary bus by 6:45. We reached Adduroad Junction by 7:20. Thence we walked a little and reached our house in Peda Gummuluru by 7:30. Took a bath and had my supper by 8:30. Went to sleep by 9:30.
15 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent most of the day at home. Morning and evening my sister-in-law Kranti and Srijana went to the houses of our relatives in this village and formally invited the women there to the occasion of Anna Praashana of Anand on this Wednesday in our house. By 2:30 I went to the house of my paternal aunt Subhadra on foot. She was cooking sweet dishes for her son Ravindra Varma. Meanwhile he came. He improved much. He is a good boy now. He is helping his mother. She is happy with him now. She is planning to get him married soon. Spent talking with her for one hour. By 3:45 went to the house of my uncle Srinu. He is not there. Spent talking with his folks there for one hour. Went to the Kirana store of my friend Appala Raju in Adduroad by 5:00 on the bicycle of my father. Spent talking with him and other friends for two hours. Now he is working as a secondary grade teacher at the government high school in the nearby village Gudivada. He will marry a teacher soon. He told me a little about school education in this state in public sector. It is a big mess. Private schools are attracting students from this sector. Spent talking with Dara Konda and Ganga Raju for some time. Returned home by 7:15. My brother Srinivas returned from Hyderabad. My cousin Sagiraju Narendra Varma got 9000th rank in the GATE-2010. He checked his rank online today. He is a little disturbed about it. I told him to get through it next year. He is ready for it. Earlier I promised myself not to come here any more. I should not hurt my parents now with my unkind acts. I must be a humanitarian towards my parents also. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 11:00.
16 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:00. By 8:00 my brother Sambha and I started to our mango grove at the hills on his bike. We reached there by 8:15. There was a small pond previously. My brother got it doubled in size. He also got a wide and strong bund (embankment, dyke) made around it. He got a shed constructed in the middle of our mango grove. He recently got our lower portion of the grove leveled spending one lakh rupees. They sold the seasonal mango and cashew crop of this year to a native familiar buyer. It is not good due to lack of rains. There are very few cashew trees now in this 16 acres of arid land. We went to the thatched house of our paternal uncle Narayana Murthy Raju by 8:40. Our paternal grandparents are staying here now. Thammi Raju is looking frail due to his old age. Lakshmi Narasayyamma underwent cataract operation recently. She wore black glasses. We returned home by 9:45 via Ramayyapatnam. I found the road and ride comfortable. My brother Sambha is an active Congress activist in our area. His political guide seems to be Yejarla Sudarshana Raju. He developed a network of followers and activities around him. My brother Srinivas, my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and my nephew Suhas came here by 12:30 on their bike from Visakhapatnam. My paternal uncle Narasimha Murthy Raju came here from village Tetagunta by 1:00. He told me about the poor education of his younger son and sought my advice. From 7:00 to 8:00 we spent talking about the matter of my brother Sambha adopting a male baby from a familiar Datla family. We all happily approved their decision. My uncle Sagiraju Rama Raju came from Gollalagunta by 9:30. He brought six kilos of rice flakes for me. It is Ugadhi today. The new Telugu year Vikrutha entered today. Went to sleep by 10:30.
17 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:00. By 8:30 a priest came from village Koruprolu. Srijana and I worshipped Hindu deities formally under his guidance for 20 minutes. Thereafter Anand joined us. From 8:54 the invitees started feeding sweet milk rice to him. He did not like it much. So, they simply put a few morsels of sweet rice at his lips. Thereafter we left him on the floor to crawl and touch three items in three rounds. He touched the Bhagavad Gita, gold and sweet milk rice. This ceremony is to find out his choices from many items put before him. Many believe that he pursues those interests in his life. The Anna Praashana ceremony of Anand was over by 9:15. About 30 invitees attended this function. Some of them gave him money. It amounted to about 1000 rupees. My cousin Narendra Varma sent 1200 rupees for Anand with his father from Gollalagunta. Srijana added 200 rupees to this collection. My mother proposed the idea of buying gold with this money and getting a pendant of Lord Anjaneya made by a goldsmith for Anand. Our relatives brought clothes for him. I could not get good photos or videos taken with my digital camera covering this occasion. I was in the ceremony. There was no enough light in this room. By 3:45 Srijana, Anand, my sister-in-law Kranti and I reached Etikoppaka in an auto rickshaw. Srijana bought wooden toys for 55 rupees in the retail store of Kondayya Shetty here. Anand enjoyed this store filled with many toys. We returned home by 5:20. Night Ramana Raju, the paternal grandfather of Srijana, slept here. Went to sleep by 10:30.
18 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. My uncle Rama Raju of village Bhoopalapatnam came to our house by 7:30. He came here to attend the occasion of engagement of his niece in Gurrajupeta. Her mother died when she was a child. Her maternal grandmother brought her up with her limited financial resources. Now girls are scarce in our community to marry. This social milieu easily brought a boy to get her married to. This uncle is currently working in an edible oil factory in Kakinada at a monthly salary of 3000 rupees. He is struggling hard to run his small family. He recently got his elder daughter married off at the age of 16. He did it to see his daughter happy in the other house at least. He and I exchanged our cell phone numbers. He is a gentleman. Poverty and honest struggle for existence made him so. India needs such good people. He did not become a thief or killer for earning money easily and living happily. Srijana arranged some of my belongings in a small bag by 12:30. Took a Rajahmundry bound Luxury bus in Adduroad by 1:00. He halted it for 30 minutes at Tuni Bus Stand for their lunch. Reached Jaggampeta by 3:00. The bus fare is 79 rupees. Walked to the house of my teacher uncle K V Rama Raju in Teachers’ Colony. Spent there talking with my aunt Subba Lakshmi from 3:15 to 5:30. She offered me papaya fruit pieces and coffee. She recently came from the USA. She spent there for about three months. Their eldest son Raghupati is working there as a SAP HR consultant. She found order and happiness everywhere in this nation. She told me about her great impressions about this land and its people. My cousin Narendra Varma and I reached Gollalagunta by 6:00 on his bike. My maternal aunt Raja Kumari offered a piece of mango fruit to me. Slept by 10:30.
19 March (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 8:30 my cousin Naren and I reached the house of my teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju in Jaggampeta on his bike. Spent talking with my uncle for one hour. We discussed the idea of my cousin Shiva joining ITI. He is the younger son of my paternal uncle Narasimha Murthy Raju in Tetagunta. He failed in many subjects in his Intermediate course. He developed a network of bad friends. He inculcated bad habits. He is a spoilt son to his parents. My uncle is disturbed about the future of this fellow. He wants to save him from further deterioration. He sought my advice in this regard. I wanted to know the remarks of my teacher uncle on this issue. He told me to meet this boy and know about his character and interests. If he is interested in education and willing to change, one can do something for him. Reformation takes time. A good and patient person has to spend a lot of time to change a bad person. It is the responsibility of his parents to do it. Spoilt children turn into criminals if they are not corrected in time. Took a sharing auto rickshaw and returned to Gollalagunta by 10:00. The fare is six rupees. Spent talking with my maternal aunt Satyavathi in their house for one hour. They recently ceremoniously entered this newly constructed house. It is good. Afternoon rested for some time. My aunt Raja Kumari prepared snacks for me by 3:30. Spent talking with my maternal uncle Varma, my cousin Anantha Lakshmi and my cousin Hari from 9:30 to 11:00. We discussed current politics in this nation and corruption at all levels. India is a big spoilt nation now. Went to sleep by 11:30.
20 March (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. My cousin Naren and I started to Jaggampeta by 8:45 on his bike. He dropped me at the bus stand by 8:45 and proceeded to Aditya Engineering College at Surampalem. He is teaching Thermal Engineering subject to B.Tech. students there at a monthly salary of 14000 rupees. He wants to prepare for GATE-2011 this way. He is using the bike, which his brother Vasu bought recently. Took a bus by 9:00 and reached Annavaram by 10:00. Walked a little and reached the Prasaadham counter. Bought 10 packs of Prasaadham for 50 rupees. Bought a copy of Eenadu. Took an auto rickshaw and reached Tetagunta by 10:45. My cousin Srinivas came here on his bicycle to take me home. We went there on this bicycle. My uncle Narasimha Murthy brought his parents to this abode recently. The chronic hatred is still there between this uncle and his wife Vimala. They are leading tense and frustrated lives due to this created environment at home. Talked with my cousin Shiva from 2:15 to 2:30. He said that he is not interested in Intermediate course but ITI. His father told me that he is more wayward than appears. Had my lunch here by 2:40. This uncle and I took two lorries and reached Adduroad by 4:00. Srijana, Anand and I reached Adduroad by 4:30 in a rickshaw. We took a bus and reached Tuni by 4:45. Srijana’s father came here. He took me on his bike and got me into an auto rickshaw. I reached K O Mallavaram by 6:00. My father-in-law, Srijana and Anand came from Tuni by 6:50 on bike. By 6:00 Dr Srimannarayana administered the third dose of Hib vaccine to Anand in Talli Pillala Hospital in Tuni. Night watched television for some time. It’s cool. Went to sleep by 10:30.
21 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent all the day at the house of my father-in-law in K O Mallavaram. Today he gave a small party to his familiar ones. He got the throat of a cock cut to add its meat to Biryani. They used five kilos of rice for making Chicken Biryani for the guests. Srijana’s uncle Rama Sekhara Raju and his family also attended this party. Gave him 160 rupees and asked him to buy a reservation ticket for me to Janmabhoomi Express for the 25th of this month. They left for Tuni by 5:00 on bike. My father-in-law brought four persons from this village by 9:00. They had dinner here by 9:30. He spent talking with them till 11:00. They are somewhat politically influential folks in this village. He likes to maintain good relationships with them to get things done in this area. Recently police stopped his bike in Tuni and asked for his driving license. He does not have it. They told him to pay 500 rupees as fine for it. He called up a sub inspector at Tuni police station and the MPTC of this village. They called up those police and informed them to leave him. This is the order of things in India now. One should be politically influential or financially strong to live happily in this nation. Recommendations and gang power work here more than formal appeals and democratic procedures. My father-in-law keeps in touch with the politically influential people in this region to live better than others. Today I had papaya fruit and sweet lemon water. Ramana Raju, Srijana’s paternal grandfather, returned from village Dharmavaram by 6:30. He spent at the house of one of his daughters there for three days. Went to sleep by 10:00.
22 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent all the day at the house of my father-in-law. Played cards with Srijana, her father and her paternal grandfather for some time. Her grandfather lost 70 rupees. Spent watching television for some time. He went out and played cards with others at the rice mill to earn that lost money. He recently brought a white pup for Anand. There are crows and other domestic birds here. He is calling them. There are no mosquitoes here. Anand is sitting in his swing to scan the outer environment through the sari. My father-in-law got a shelter made in the front yard of his house with the leaves of palmyra palm tree. It is keeping this house cool during daytime. His buffalo is giving him two litres of milk a day. It is less than what he expected from it when he bought it. Currently 100-day compulsory work program is going on in this village. The Government of India is funding this scheme. Villagers don’t do any useful work as part of this program. They spend some time here and there casually. Many are interested in this easy money. They are finding agricultural work as tough and avoidable after doing this nominal work. When shallow folks rule a nation, its people turn into lazy dogs and immoral pigs slowly. Evening Srijana went to Viswanadhapuram on the bike of her father. They spent there for one hour. Anand enjoyed this short tour. Night Srijana’s paternal grandfather narrated a long story to her. He has many stories in his brain. People are after films and television serials now. There are very few storytellers now. There are no listeners. I am looking weak. My hair is becoming lifeless. I am eating and sleeping well. I don’t know why it is happening so. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent all the day within K O Mallavaram. It is our (Srijana and me) second marriage anniversary today. I wore a new pair of clothes today. The tailor stitched them well. I found them fitting for me. Srijana did not wear her new sari today. She kept it to wear tomorrow on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami. It is one of the two saris I bought for her in Hyderabad recently. Srijana’s mother prepared mutton curry and sweet milk rice on this occasion for us. Srijana, her paternal grandfather and I played cards for about three hours. I won 20 rupees. I found it interesting and engaging. We bet five or ten rupees for each game. We played it for pleasure. Today about six people called us up and wished us on this occasion. My parents did not celebrate these occasions in their lives nor made us do it. I did not earlier wish any of those, who wished us today. Does it mean that we are superior to them? This question disturbed me. I am happy with Srijana and Anand. Srijana is an inspiring beauty. Her presence delights me. She saved me marrying me without questions. I need to provide her with more secure and happy life. She is a tender jasmine in my garden of love and beauty. I am her possessive and caring gardener. Anand is my assistant gardener. Srijana is also very possessive of me and Anand. We celebrated this day staying together in the house of her father. Attachment and harmony are the beauty of married life. Evening Srijana’s paternal grandfather Ramana Raju and I walked a little through this village. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 7:30 Anvesh came from Viswanadhapuram. Srijana and I reached there on his bike by 9:30. My father-in-law brought his wife and Anand here by 9:45 on his bike. This road is better than earlier. My father-in-law said that they are developing it soon spending 40 lakh rupees. Today it is Sri Rama Navami. Hindu priests perform the marriage ceremony of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita Devi today in the temples of Lord Rama. A wife and husband conduct the marriage of Rama and Sita. I participated in this ceremony today in this village. Datla Gopala Raju put the statues of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman in his auto rickshaw taking them from the temple of Lord Rama in this village. First they worshipped their village Goddess Challamaamba in Her temple by the road. Thence we took the statues in procession for about one kilometre down the road. Namburi Sai Rama Raju and the priest sat in this vehicle. We followers shouted “Sri Ram” throughout in chorus praising Lord Rama. We returned to the temple by 10:15. They put these statues back in this temple. The priest performed the formal worship from 10:30 to 1:30 in this temple. Prasada Raju and Suguna Devi are the couple, who carried out the formal marriage ceremony of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita under the guidance of the priest. I took the photos and videos of this event with my digital camera. They felt happy about it. They distributed Lemon Rice, jaggery water and other items after this formal and collective worship. I spent my day like a Hindu today. We spent in the house of maternal grandparents of Srijana for 30 minutes. We returned to K O Mallavaram by 4:00. Today Vamsy celebrated his birthday in Hyderabad. Today cold attacked me. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:00. Freshened up myself soon. Had a plate of Vegetable Biryani by 5:30. My mother-in-law prepared it. Took an auto rickshaw and started off by 5:55. They saw me off. He stopped it on the road near the temple of Lord Rama. He went house to house and called his daily customers. He filled this vehicle with 16 passengers. He started off by 6:40. He dropped me near Tuni railway station by 7:20. Walked a little along the railway track from the over bridge. Bought a copy of Eenadu. I did not read it for some days. I missed a lot. Scanned it for 20 minutes. Janmabhoomi Express arrived by 7:45. Took my seat 42 in the reservation coach D 3. Mine is a window seat. I shot the video of passing scenery from the window near River Godavari Bridge, Brahmana Gudem, Vishnupuram and two other places using my Sony digital camera. Capturing the beauty of passing nature with such device pleases me. Train journey is even more delightful for me. This train reached Tenali railway station by 12:45. They shunted a diesel engine to it detaching the electric engine from it. It pulled off by 1:05. I had the homemade Vegetable Biryani thrice during this journey. It was oily and more than necessary for me. Threw out rest of it somewhere near Nalgonda station sensing that it was getting spoilt. Gave 10 rupees to a transvestite during this journey. Completed one litre of KENLEY packed drinking water and 500 ml Slice mango fruit drink. Reached Secunderabad by 8:20. Took a bus at Rethifile Bus Stand by 8:30. Reached the abode of my cousin Kiran at RTC Crossroads by 8:45. Slept by 11:00.
26 March (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Had a glass of warm milk by 7:00. Kiran and his cousin Haindavi left for Madhapur by 8:00. Took a bus and reached Nallakunta by 9:00. Walked to the building of Kshatriya Towers via vegetable market. My friend Sriram told me to wait here for him. Had five idlies for 10 rupees at a pushcart here by road. Bought a copy of Eenadu and spent reading it for 10 minutes. Sriram came here by 9:30. We had orange juice. He is soon going to work for Sony company. He is happy about this development. He took me to the office of Zoom Broadband in a lane here. Its owner Kishore came here by 10:00. They have a company website. There are four sections in it. They are Home, Technology, Packages and Contact Us. He collected some content from a website of his competitor. I typed out a little content for his website. Spent here from 10:30 to 2:00 doing this work. He gave me 2000 rupees for it. I felt blissful. Had two samosas for 10 rupees in Café Melody by 2:30. Got the content from my camera data card written to two DVDs for 100 rupees at Vishwakz Internet café from 3:15 to 3:30. Returned to the abode of Kiran by 3:50. Vamsy came here. Gave him my Sony digital camera. He is going to K O Mallavaram tomorrow. Took a bus and reached L B Nagar by 5:00. Thence took another bus and reached Vanasthalipuram by 5:30. Went to the Reliance Communications store at Red Tank and paid 484 rupees towards my monthly cell phone bill. Brought a poor woman from the hut in the S F Colony Community Hall premises and got my portion cleaned paying her 30 rupees. Had my supper in the abode of my cousin Bala by 8:30. I did not feel like taking a bath. Felt exhausted. Went to sleep by 9:30.
27 March (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Washed my clothes and took a head bath by 8:00. Morning Vamsy took Janmabhoomi Express from Secunderabad railway station for Tuni. He is going there to apply for a driving license. By 2:30 went to cinema Sampoorna on my bicycle. Bought a ticket for 40 rupees. Had two samosas at a roadside pushcart for 10 rupees by 2:40. From 2:45 to 5:20 saw the Telugu film “Dhopidi” of Vijay and Trisha. It has a weak story but the narration is interesting. The comedy of Vivek is very exciting. He got the looks and acting skills of a hero but he remained as a comedian. I enjoyed watching this film throughout. Returned home by 6:00. My Internet access was activated. Morning paid 670 rupees to an executive of Hathway Broadband. Cleared my emails. Cordelia Witton emailed me the results of the M Literary Residency Program 2010. Tash AW and Colie Hoffman are selected for it. Today it is the Earth Day. Many switched off their electric lights in homes from 8:30 to 9:30 (at night) to save energy. Went to the abode of Bala by 8:40. We two walked to a nearby curry point. I bought 10 rupees of rice and 10 rupees of red dal. We two had supper in his abode by 9:45. Srijana informed me that Anand is crawling now on his knees without depending much on his stomach. Till now he used his left hand much to move forward. He entered his ninth month on the 25th of this month. Today Srijana sent me two SMSes. Today I felt tired due to summer and inadequate food. Today there was power cut for two hours. Went to sleep by 10:30.
28 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Went to a nearby hotel and had Uthappam for 13 rupees. Spent browsing Internet on my computer from 10:00 to 5:00. Today I revamped the look of my blog site. Earlier I used different fonts and font sizes for my content on this site. I used blue, red and green colors for attractive appearance. Today I changed all the content into font Verdana. Made its size normal, which can be easily read by many. Changed the color of the content into black. Changed some photos also, which were attached to these blogs. There must be uniformity of content presentation in a book or website. Then readers can read it comfortably and happily. Used black and white colors in the spaces surrounding the content. Many colors disturb the eyes of readers. By today 20000 readers visited my blog site in total. My AdSense income is $19.4 till now. Recently I added a visitor record feature to it to help my blog followers. Nobody added his name there. I deleted it. My blog readers must be scared of following me revealing their identities. Now there are 80 blogs on this site. Bala and I went out by 6:15. I bought an Egg Curry for six rupees at a curry point. Cooked brown rice for me in our pressure cooker by 8:00. Had my supper by 9:00. Today the folks of Reliance Communications announced a great offer for all their customers in India. One can make any number of calls from one’s Reliance phone to other Reliance phones freely. I talked with my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani for 10 minutes in the morning. Went to sleep by 9:30.
29 March (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from 11 May to July 10. I can edit the content of two months in it every day. I am happy with this speed of editing work now. There was power cut from 8:00 to 9:00 and 1:30 to 2:30. I am using this time for reading newspaper, having breakfast and lunch. These two breaks help me relieve from the strain of eyes to some extent. I am using the small table fan of Anand for better airflow when editing on my computer. I cooked brown rice in the pressure cooker in the afternoon and evening. Brought curries from a curry point. Worms developed in my brown rice stored in a steel container. They grow more in brown rice than highly polished white rice. It is nutritious food for them also. Afternoon my friend Anil Muktavar called me up. We talked for 15 minutes. He is busy writing copy for an ad agency. We decided to meet soon at the abode of Veeranjaneyulu to enjoy time and relieve ourselves from our current pressure of work. Today it was cloudy in the afternoon and evening. It was a little cool. Yesterday Srijana came to the abode of her maternal uncle Sekhar in Tuni. Her cousin Sushma is also there now. Today Srijana had her period after a long time. It stopped when she conceived. Now she is feeling relieved. We know about its natural occurrence before and after delivery. I sarcastically congratulated her on this occasion. My cousin Murali came here by 9:15. Had his supper here by 9:30. We spent talking for 30 minutes. Went to sleep by 10:15.
30 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Murali got up and went out by 7:00. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from 11 July to 10 September. It was cloudy in the evening. My brother Sambha and sister-in-law Kranti are deeply obsessed with the idea of adopting a child. They said that they spent one lakh rupees so far for medicines and doctors. I don’t think they changed their lifestyles for this purpose. They turned into and remained as lazy creatures after their marriage. I advised them not to adopt anybody because they cannot be good parents. They don’t have the energy, patience and skills to bring up children. They recently consulted the paternal uncle of my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani for this purpose. His daughter had a second male baby recently. Her elders liked to give that baby but she refused it at the eleventh hour. This baby is six months old now. She already developed motherly attachment with him. Now my brother is considering the idea of adopting one from an orphanage. There is still caste system in our state. He faces many problems in future if he adopts an orphan. He has no time even to spend with us when we are there. He is interested in petty local politics and resolving the issues of his familiar ones. He is not listening to me. He became a fool. He is consuming alcohol. He is beating his wife now and then out of frustration. This is a bad generation of people. Many are not ready to accept their demerits and change to the better. My parents are disturbed about these developments at home. I am not happy living with this society of fools and sinners. Went to sleep by 9:30.
31 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from September 11 to November 10. Evening Sunil K Poolani emailed me the edited content of my book as a word file. I scanned a little part of it. The editing is good. It looked clumsy. They did not organize the content properly. Emailed some questions to Sunil. I asked him if I can format this content and improve it when I edit it at my end. He did not attach the blurb though he mentioned about it in his email. I felt very happy receiving this edited version after a long wait. Delay brings doubts. Many asked me about the release of this book. I have no reliable answer for them. I am financially vulnerable now. I invested money in this publication. It is the money of my father. It is adding fuel to my set of worries. Recently I searched for good ballpoints at some retail stores. The thickness of writing on one side of paper should not affect the other side of paper. Presently I am facing this problem when writing my personal diary. I used Cello Gripper ballpoint pen for long. Recently I changed to Cello PIN POINT. It is not better than Cello Gripper. I could not find a better pen than these two at any store. I like to continue writing with the black Cello Gripper pen until I get a better one. Srijana is in K O Mallavaram now. Evening I talked with her. Evening my cousin Murali called me up. He bought a car with the money his in-laws gave him. Went to sleep by 9:30.
1 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning Abhinav fooled me saying that there is a rat outside. I went out to see it. It is April Fools’ Day today. He is the son of our portion neighbor Narayana Reddy. Today he celebrated his birthday. I took two chocolates when he came to me this morning with a bowl of chocolates. Wished him many happy returns of the day placing my right hand on his head. It is the classic style. Today his mother Rajeswari told me that they are vacating their portion by the end of this month. They bought a plot of land in Vijayawada recently. They want to build a house there staying nearby. Their portion is beside ours. When told Srijana about it, she proposed our moving into that portion. She said that it is better than ours. I did not like this idea. We are accustomed to the present portion by entrance. There won’t be much difference if we go into it. It is just a relative feeling. Today fever attacked Anand. They took him to a doctor in Tuni on a bike. He is well by evening. From 3:00 to 5:30 my cousin Bala and I saw the Telugu film “Varudu” in cinema Sampoorna. Allu Arjun and Bhanu Sri Mehra acted well in it. The song between the hero and the heroine, after the first phase of their marriage, is extraordinary. They imagine it after seeing each other for the first time during this occasion. We enjoyed watching this film. We returned home by 6:00 on my bicycle. Today I edited my diary of 2004 from 11 November to 20 December. Sunil K Poolani emailed me. He informed me not to change the format of the word file, which he sent me. He asked for some inputs. Went to sleep by 10:00.
2 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 11:30 I edited the content of my diary of 2004 from 21 December to 31 December. Its pre-final level editing is over by today. Felt very happy about it. By 12:30 typed out and posted a blog titled “April Release” on my blog site. Informed my blog readers that my first book is likely to be released this month. I wrote more details about this book. Attached the finalized cover pages to this blog for my blog visitors to see. Brought 10 rupees of rice and eight rupees of red dal from Sri Durga curry point near NGO Colony bus stop by 1:15 on my bicycle. Had my lunch by 1:40. From 2:15 to 6:15 edited three short stories of my first book. They are ‘Exceptional Female Beauty’, ‘Young Admirers Association’ and ‘He is Innocent’. Sunil K Poolani said that Radhika Nair edited these stories at his end. I found that the editing quality is pathetic. She did not touch many sentences at all. She simply created spaces here and there. She is not eligible to edit my stories. Typed out a two-page letter addressing Sunil on my computer and emailed it to him by 7:00. I blasted him. I wondered to know that he can run a publishing firm keeping such freelance editors with him. Wrote to him that I want to edit it all again and send it to him. He must publish it as it is without a second look. I lost good impression about him. He smokes and drinks. He knows how to ruin his health but not how to get works polished at his end. He is not a reliable editor. The editing quality of many of their books is poor. Today he disturbed me deeply. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning read a Telugu poem, written by Abhilasha, on the current state of affairs in India. People are insecure and tense now in many parts of India. She expressed her concern over these developments. Sent an email to her appreciating her thoughts and the poem. Sunil emailed me. He apologized to me for the poor editing of the content of my book. He wrote that Radhika Nair is a new editor. He agreed to publish this book after I edit it at my end. I like this idea. I don’t think an editor can edit the content of a book better than its writer. Editing means polishing language for establishing clarity of thoughts and beauty of presentation in a given piece of work. A writer is a creative or scholarly person. He may ignore grammar while in his creative process. An editor helps him correcting the errors in his content. It is good if a writer has editing skills also. His command of language, background, character, beliefs, viewpoints and patience levels influence his writing and editing. Reading many books helps one enhance one’s vocabulary. Language is the soul of a book. Poor language damages the spirit of a book and the reputation of a publisher. I am happy for getting a chance to edit my work again thoroughly and get it published as it is. Now I beautify my baby with my hands. I vitalize it with my language and power. Today I edited the short story ‘He is Innocent’ completely and the first half of ‘The Blessed Night’. It is very hot. My eyes are getting weak very fast. This morning Srijana and Anand went to Viswanadhapuram. Went to sleep by 10:00.
4 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the remaining half of the short story ‘The Princess of East India’ and ‘An Unposted Letter’ completely. Srijana said that Anand is drinking more water now. He is trying to stand up holding support items. My brother Sambha met with a small accident this morning when he was going to our mango garden by hills on his bike along with his associate Yesu Babu. It happened near the tamarind trees by village Neeladripuram. There was a tractor traveling towards village China Gummuluru with a heavy load of this seasonal hay. These vehicles occupy the entire road and move slowly. There were a bus and a lorry going behind this tractor. When those two drivers were overtaking this tractor, my brother too followed them. An auto rickshaw came fast from the opposite direction and hit the bike of my brother. My brother controlled his bike a little but not the other fellow. Yesu Babu held my brother tightly seeing the vehicle ahead. They both fell down from this bike after the accident. My brother suffered minor injuries. Yesu Babu was not affected because my brother served as a cushion to him when they fell down. The bike was damaged considerably. The auto rickshaw was also affected a little. The tractor driver did not see back. A doctor did three stitches below the right eye of my brother. It was a dangerous accident. God saved them. My brother said that nobody is faulty in this accident. I too met with an accident in 1992 in this spot. Then too an auto rickshaw was involved in the accident. I believe that we cannot escape from our fate. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of short story ‘The Delegated Duty’. There was power cut for three hours. My friend Sriram emailed me the soft copy of the typed version of my personal diary of 2008. He came to the NGO Colony bus stop by 1:15 by bus to return my diary of 2008. Gave him my diary of 2009 for typing. Paid him 2000 rupees for this work. He showed me a rough scribbling with a black pen on a page in my diary of 2008. He said that his little daughter did it when he put it on his computer table and went away to attend his son. Advised him to avoid such things. We had a glass of buttermilk there to quench our thirst. He is unable to do the project of Sony company on his own. His partners are not helping him run his newly started company Systo Vision. He wants to dissolve it soon if he cannot run it. He has no money to do anything fast. Left him by 1:45. By 7:00 my brother Srinivas deposited 2000 rupees into my UCO Bank account from their UCO Bank branch at Dwaraka Nagar in Visakhapatnam. Withdrew 1000 rupees by 7:30 from a nearby ATM Centre and repaid my cousin Bala. Borrowed it from him this afternoon to give money to Sriram. Bala is also in a poor financial condition now. Talked with Srijana at night. Summer is hot in Viswanadhapuram also. They are sitting in their homes or under mango trees. Anand is able to sit on his own. He is playing happily. Srijana advised me on how to heal my dry eyes. Went to sleep by 9:30.
6 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the short story ‘Ninny Meets Zinmeen’. When I recently went to our house in Peda Gummuluru, I observed some changes there. They built a cement water tank on the terrace. They fixed water pipes into kitchen and toilet-cum-bath rooms. Our well in the front yard supplies water into this network. They are directing used water into an open pit beside our compound wall. Mosquitoes are developing in it profusely. They reach and live in our toilets. They did not do anything to prevent them. I brought white camphor balls and put them in water. Then put these plastic bowls in the toilets. It served the purpose to some extent. I advised them to spray bleaching powder in the open pit and close it. They got a western style toilet fixed in one room on doctor’s advice. These automated facilities draw more water from our well. Now there is no enough water in it due to summer. My mother does not wash dishes neatly. Speed of work is more important to her than the perfect hygiene of the attended things. They would rent out one portion in our house to a small family for 1000 rupees. They have no money to spend adequately for their needs. We three sons are observing their lifestyles. This is how parents suffer if they are innocent or visionary. They sacrifice many things for their children. I cannot be with them to help them and change them. My work pressures and needs keep me away from them. Many Indians are not happy now due to these distances among them. I regret this phenomenon in our family also. I am a conscious victim now. Went to sleep by 10:00.
7 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning milk flew up from the dish when I forgot to keep the flame low. Had the remaining milk adding sugar to it. Had cold rice with curd by 8:30. The curd turned sour because it was prepared yesterday with the packed milk of Mother brand. They pack and sell stale milk. It does not remain edible for long. I felt a little giddy after eating this food. I did not like to edit my work today for this reason. I am finding it difficult to edit continuously in hot room temperature inside. I need a cooler at least. I don’t have money to buy it now. A poor writer must struggle a lot to entertain others through his creative writings. Today I declared a holiday to myself. Rested on a cot for some time. By 3:30 went to the nearby Krishna Cycle Store. He advised me to change a tube of my bicycle. Paid him 60 rupees and got a new tube fixed to it. This bicycle is serving me a lot now. The two sons of my house owner are also using it frequently. I love it. Abhinav and I went to the nearby E-seva centre by 4:15. We paid our respective monthly household electricity bills here. My bill amounted to 78 rupees only. Thence we went to More retail store by main road. I bought a kilo refined sugar for 39 rupees. Evening I thoroughly washed my two bedrooms, hall and kitchen. I used a broom and a wet cloth for it. First swept the floor completely with the broom. Then dusted it with a wet cloth. I found it good after this work. I love our portion. Went to sleep by 9:30.
8 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the short story ‘Excursion’. Evening talked with my brother Sambha. Doctor advised him to stay at home. He is recovering slowly from the effects of the recent accident. His friends and well-wishers are visiting him to enquire him about his health. He informed me to search for a beautiful female baby to adopt. He and his wife want to enjoy the responsibility of bringing up a child. He wants to adopt one from an orphanage. Destitute and unfortunate children reach these asylums and grow there. They suffer from inferiority and insecurity complexes. Providing them with good food, clothes, shelter and guidance is great. Orphans represent the poverty, cruelty and immorality of a society. I believe that God builds a strong bond of relationship between parents and their children. Politicians, businessmen, film actors and other celebrities in this nation are earning and doing a lot for their sons and daughters. They are exploiting and cheating others in this process. My brother does not give even 10000 rupees to his wife asking her to buy something she likes. It shows that he loves money more than his dependents. He expects some qualities from his adopted child also. What if she or he does not grow into such appreciable individual? He is unable to enjoy his life now spending his money for his comforts. Can he transfer his assets to a third person if he or she does not meet his expectations? If he is willing to accept the fate of his adopted child, he can do it with his fate also now. His fate is to live happily without children. Went to sleep by 10:00.
9 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:45. It is getting cool by early morning. It stimulates us to sleep more during this time. The schedule of the day pushes us out of bed. My brother-in-law Anantha Varma reached NGO Colony bus stop by 11:45. He took two buses to come here. Brought him to my abode by 12:00. We spent talking till 1:30. Then we had lunch. We resumed our talk from 2:00 to 4:20. He is living at Sai Nagar (Beeramguda) near the Mandal office of Ramachandrapuram in a rented portion paying 2500 rupees a month. He said that he was recently promoted to the position of Executive with the Biological E Limited. He is working in their Patancheru unit. They increased his monthly salary from 8000 to 11000 rupees. I felt happy at this news. He can live happily if his salary is good enough to meet his inevitable expenses. He has no other sources of income. He is a disciplined, cultured and self-made individual. He told me about the present owner of this pharmaceutical firm, his three daughters and the present growth level of this organization. Starting and running pharmaceutical firms requires a lot of money now. We discussed the moral standards of some companies in this sector in Andhra Pradesh. We talked about corruption and immorality in almost every company in India now. There are organized percentage bribery and lobbying systems in public and private sectors. We talked about the attitudes and living standards of the poor and the rich in India. He left for his abode by 4:30 by bus. Went to sleep by 9:00.
10 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the short story ‘Time Management’. My brother-in-law Vamsy returned this morning to Hyderabad from his home. He could not get a driving license there because he did not test drive a car. He applied for a two-wheeler and car license. He brought 20 sapodillas, 30 lemons and five papayas for me, in a cardboard box, on a bike, by 3:00. Srijana and her father packed them for me. They collected them from their familiar ones in village Viswanadhapuram. They know that I consume more lemon juice for improving my immunity. Vamsy asked me to write poetry in Telugu addressing Saranya and her fiancé. I should also prepare a framed memento with this poetry and their photos to give it to them on the occasion of their marriage this May. He gives me money for this memento. They are treating me like an artisan, who makes pieces of art on order. Saranya is a classmate of Srijana. Vamsy is staying with his cousins in a rented portion at RTC Crossroads near his ITI. He has his annual exams this July. He said that the sons of employees of the BHEL at Ramachandrapuram are doing their Machinist courses here paying the instructors a bribe of 10000 rupees each. They eventually do their apprenticeship in this BHEL and then join it as employees. This is how they establish and continue their domination in PSUs. Underdogs like Vamsy remain at those gates. I am not giving money to Vamsy now because I am helpless. His father is supporting him a little. He went back by 3:15 after giving my parcel. It is very hot. My portion is also so. Went to sleep by 9:30.
11 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Today I edited the short story ‘Formatted Past’. Recently a small family entered the single bedroom portion in the ground floor of my owner’s house. They have a three months old baby. My cousin Hari called me up from Thanjavur this morning. He is going to their village Durgada in four days on a 14 day leave. He asked me about the progress in the publishing work of my first book. Today my parents went to Visakhapatnam by train. They stay at the abode of my brother Srinivas there and go to Kalyani Hospital for their periodical checkup and medicines, free of cost. These doctors speak Hindi. My parents speak Telugu. There is communication gap between these doctors and their patients. Many north Indian military doctors look down upon south Indian patients. They are proud of their language, culture, fair skins and tall bodies. My folks go to this defence forces hospital because they cannot afford the costs of medicines and treatment at exploitative private hospitals. The rented portion of my brother is sultry now. They are using a cooler to survive there. Evening talked with my cousin Sirisha in Durgada. Her five-month baby is well. She is developing fat very slowly on her bones. She has no breast milk from her mother. They are feeding buffalo milk to her. Evening Bala spent at my abode for 30 minutes reading The Hindu. His presence delights me. He is a good boy. Today it is very hot and sultry. Went to sleep by 10:00.
12 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. I could not sleep well. Yesterday it was very hot. Night also it was sultry. It was like sitting on a furnace in a factory and singing about the cold in Greenland. I understood that I cannot edit my short stories on my computer during daytime or sleep well at night in this atmosphere. I must buy an air cooler. Took two buses and reached the abode of Veeru at Jubilee Hills by 10:45. Spent talking with him till 4:00. He has a locally made air cooler. He said that he bought it for 2000 rupees or so about four years ago. It is functioning well. I understood that it suits my budget now. He proposed the idea of starting a charity team. Everybody should contribute 200 rupees a month. The total money would be donated to a poor and helpless person or a family frequently. I agreed for my monthly contribution but told him that he cannot manage this money collection and distribution process. By 1:00 Veeru, his friend Midhun Gupta and I went to Blu Medi Spa in the car of Midhun. Veeru wants to get rid of excess fat in his jaws and chin to enhance his facial look. He consulted the expert here. This spa is beautiful. It is opposite the UCO Bank in Jubilee Hills. Today I returned the film CDs of Veeru to him. By 3:00 my cousin Vasu deposited 3000 rupees into my Axis Bank account through electronic money transfer on my request. Started back from the abode of Veeru by 4:30. Reached Vanasthalipuram by 7:00. By 8:30 bought a Samrat air cooler for 2600 rupees from Sri Venkateshwara Electronics store by main road. Felt blissful. He said that they make them at Purani Haveli in Hyderabad. Went to sleep by 11:30.
13 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep for more than four hours. Water gushed out from one corner of the new air cooler. I put a bucket there for some time. Thereafter put off the water sprinkler and kept the fan on for air. It was refreshing, though for a short time only. Went to Venkateshwara Electronics store and brought their office boy Rakesh. He repaired it. Put it on and rested on a cot for one hour. Summer deeply affects poor creatures in this region. Many cannot afford fans and air coolers. They sleep in the open at night depending on unreliable air from nature. I have the option of sleeping on the terrace or in the open space outside my portion. It would be cool outside to some extent. I cannot do it. Thieves and burglars are looting unmanned houses in Vanasthalipuram. The only costly item in my abode now is my computer. I am afraid of these rogues. Police cannot stop crimes and sins in a society as long as poverty, corruption and immorality are there. We take precautions to save ourselves from these sinners. Today also I did not feel like editing my work on computer. I am affected by this hot and sultry weather. My eyes are getting weak due to continuous computer work in a dry environment. I wanted to heal them even today. Afternoon opened a door of the air cooler and drew the used water out. Cleaned its bottom plastic water holder thoroughly. Got it dried up. Night filled it with two buckets of fresh water. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited a little part of the short story ‘An Active Employee’. Today there was power cut for about five hours. I could not edit this short story for more than one hour being disturbed by this effect. My cousin Bala came here by 12:45. I proposed the idea of going to see a Telugu film. He did not like it. We put on the air cooler and rested on the marble floor from 1:45 to 3:45. Meanwhile it turned cooler outside. There were clouds in the sky. We expected rain. It did not occur. Cool winds continued. Powerful wind blew for a while shaking trees. Bala and I went to NGO Colony Park by 5:20. We spent there talking till 5:50. He offered me an ice cream worth six rupees. Today I got a call from an executive of Chiranjeevi Eye & Blood Bank at Jubilee Hills. She wished me happy birthday. Got an SMS to this effect even from the folks of Reliance Communications. My birthday falls on this date according to my educational certificates. These people remembered it and wished me on this occasion. I felt a little uneasy at their gesture. Today the people of Viswanadhapuram celebrated the annual festival of their village Goddess Challamaamba. They conducted a collective Bhajan at Her temple during the last four days. Today they worshipped this Goddess formally. My sweetheart Srujana Devi too participated in this holy ceremony. Informed her to come to Hyderabad by the end of this month. My nephew Suhas caught chicken pox. He has his annual exams now. They consulted a doctor. He advised them to keep him at home. Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I completed editing the short story ‘An Active Employee’. The air cooler created a cool atmosphere inside and facilitated comfortable editing. By 7:30 a technician came from Sri Venkateshwara Electronics store to repair my air cooler. He stopped the outflow of water from a grass panel and set the plastic bars in the front right. He is the mechanic of Samrat brand local air cooler unit. He said that they pay him 5000 rupees a month, apart from food and travel expenses. He came here on a bike along with the office boy Rakesh. There is a local brand market in India competing with the corporate brand market. They cater to the needs of poor people. I cannot buy a corporate company’s air cooler now spending about 7000 rupees. I bought this available alternative local brand piece for 2600 rupees. I am comfortable and happy with this piece. Many don’t know that there is an air cooler at this price. Summer tortures and kills many poor people in India with its high temperature. The rich can afford costly gadgets and facilities to save themselves from this powerful summer. Others suffer silently. India develops only when its poverty is addressed powerfully. Poor people depend on nature for their comforts and joys. The rich are damaging ecological balance for their luxuries and fancies. It affects environment. The poor and the rich remain as aliens in a society of exploitation and hypocrisy. India is such country. The poor are the worst victims here. Went to sleep by 10:30.
16 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the short story ‘An Illiterate Man’. Recently I got an email from John Arnold in England. He must have sent that email to many undisclosed recipients. He wrote that he is a widower. He wants a nanny to take care of his two children at home. They are going to school. They remain at home when he goes to his office beyond their school hours. He described the responsibilities of the nanny in response to my positive reply to him. He is ready to pay £700 a week for the services of nanny. He emailed me the information regarding the process of Visa application. He stated that I must be at his home in London within a month. I replied that I cannot cook for his children. There was no reply from him. The salary and other facilities, which he is offering to the nanny, are attractive. I don’t know whether it is a real or phishing email. He advised me to bear my Visa and travel expenses initially. He pays it after he finds me there as his nanny. I need money now. Perhaps he is searching for a fellow like me. There are no reliable sources for poor people to go abroad and get jobs. Only the rich can afford those expenses and lengthy process. US dollars and sterling pounds are very attractive to people living in developing countries. Many travel agencies and recruitment firms in India are cheating helpless candidates in this arena. Poverty and frustration lead one towards irrationality and the related pain. India is like my reliable prison. I can live here till my death. It is not allowed outside. Went to sleep by 9:30.
17 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the short story ‘A Memorable Chat’. Evening it turned a little cool. Winds blew. I write about my general daily routine here. I use my bicycle for going out for anything. I enjoy riding bicycle. I fill drinking water into my 20-litre plastic can from the tap in the ground floor. The folks of GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) supply drinking water on alternate days during morning hours. It is pure and reliable to a great extent. I think males are the right people to do such heavy works. I don’t ask Srijana to do it. Then I go out to buy the newspaper Eenadu and milk. I buy The Hindu also on Sundays. I scan Eenadu for 20 minutes or so. It is the best Telugu daily for me. I buy milk at Sri Sai Lakshmi milk centre near NGO Colony bus stop. They sell fresh buffalo milk. A litre of milk costs 26 rupees. I think they have a dairy farm in some nearby place. They sell it in the morning and evening. They pack milk in thin polythene bags. I buy half a litre or one litre of milk depending on domestic needs. I cook rice in pressure cooker for my lunch and supper. I buy curries at Sri Durga curry point near NGO Colony bus stop. They sell quality curries and soups at affordable prices. I wash my clothes frequently. I mostly bath once a day. I want my kitchen, toilets and other rooms to be neat and clean always. I enjoy the presence of disciplined, honest and sensitive persons in my abode. I need a good sleep every night. I enjoy almost every journey. Went to sleep by 9:00.
18 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep well. My air cooler is drinking two buckets of water in five hours. I put on my ceiling fan around 2:00 to reduce the work burden on my air cooler. This fan rotated hot air in the room. Meanwhile thoughts attacked me. I could not escape from that flow and sleep. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Meanwhile Aiswarya came and proposed the idea of going to see a film at Prasads Multiplex. Her choice is the Hindi film “Paathsaala”. I said I cannot see such films. Then we opted for the English 3D film “Sea Monsters”. She consulted her parents. Her brother Anirudh wanted to come despite his annual exam tomorrow. Their mother advised Aiswarya to postpone her weekend joy. Aiswarya called me up and informed me about it. Bala and I reached cinema Vijaya Lakshmi 70 at L B Nagar by 11:00 by bus. We first bought two 40-rupee tickets for us. After entering this cinema, we discovered that our seats are very close to the screen. I blamed the owner of this cinema. Bala went down and exchanged them for 50-rupee tickets paying 20 rupees more. We saw the Telugu film “Betting Bangarraju” in it from 12:00 to 2:30. The director spoilt this film infusing 30% artificial and unpleasant comedy into it. The heroine Nidhi is beautiful. By 7:00, this morning, Srijana and her father got the head of Anand tonsured at the temple of Lord Veera Venkata Satya Narayana Swamy in Annavaram. He resisted and cried a lot when the barber was doing it. He shaved it without minor cuts also. Srijana could not shoot it with our digital camera. I missed this ceremony of my darling. Evening they spent on beach near Tuni. Went to sleep by 11:00.
19 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the short story ‘A Tutor and His Disciple’. I completed editing 15 short stories by today. Many of these stories amounted to 10 pages. I could not edit more than one story a day. I wrote all these long stories being inspired by Swagata Gupta. There is a female character in all these stories, whose name carries two words starting with ‘S’ and ‘G’. I wonder at my patience and speed of typing out stories then on a computer. I did not have time also. I like the admiration and dedication, which I developed and retained for her then. Her pleasant and delightful presence, in our office, inspired me to create these stories. I thought that she was reading these stories, which I posted on my blog site for her to read. It was a blissful dreamland. I felt much impatience to carefully edit these long stories now against my declining financial condition and lack of time. I am happy with this achievement. The remaining 49 stories contain pages between two and three. Srijana and Anand went to Peda Gummuluru by 5:30 this evening. They started by 4:00 from Viswanadhapuram in an auto rickshaw. They took a bus from Tuni. They went along with another girl, who has her relatives in Peda Gummuluru. They stay there for a few days. My folks enjoy their presence. Night talked with Srijana’s maternal grandmother in Viswanadhapuram over phone. I told her to send Srijana soon against her wish to keep her there for some more days. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the short stories ‘Treasure Hunt’, ‘Sanjeevani Express’, ‘Lovely Lakshmi’, ‘Learning Swimming’, ‘Spoilt Child’, ‘Saint Appanna’ and ‘Personality Development’. By 11:00 went to a mechanic shop near NGO Colony bus stop and bought a rubber gasket for my pressure cooker for 45 rupees. It stopped blowing whistle despite cooking for one hour. I thought that it developed a disorder. Pressure cookers are dangerous appliances. Had two chapatis at Sai Ramarao hotel by 1:45 for 18 rupees. I found a piece of dry coconut in the curry served with them. Showed it to its owner there. He remembered his morning cook and scolded him. It was to satisfy me. It is not an issue as such but we celebrated it our way. Evening bought a kilo of brown rice for 35 rupees at a rice store in B N Reddy Nagar. Spent talking with my cousin Bala in their rented abode from 7:00 to 8:30. He got an appointment letter from Sri Chaitanya School at Hayat Nagar for the position of Natural Science teacher at a monthly salary of 12000 rupees. He wants to quit Sri Krishnaveni Talent School by the end of this month. There they are paying him 9000 rupees a month. He is struggling hard as a teacher in this school. Private schools exploit teachers assigning excess work to them. Students also suffer with heavy books and burdensome learning system. We spent talking about the difference between our generation and that of our parents. They are greater than us in many respects. Talked with Srijana by 9:30 over phone. Went to sleep by 10:00.
21 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I felt giddy and weak. Avoided editing the short stories for this reason. It might be because of physical weakness caused by imbalanced diet. I felt a little uneasy in my head also. The air cooler is drawing water from my body during night. The summer is very hot outside. Bought an Electral pack and added that powder in one litre of water. Drank it thrice during the day. It healed me to some extent. I did not consult a doctor. I cannot afford their consultation fees also now. Spent most of the day within my abode. Morning my father-in-law went to Peda Gummuluru on his bike. He took some items from our house and booked them at the branch office of Navata Road Transport in Adduroad. They reach here in 10 days. He paid 370 rupees for it. He visited my brother Sambha in the aftermath of his recent road accident. By 5:30 typed out and posted a blog titled “Private Schools” on my blog site. Spent watching television in the abode of Bala from 6:00 to 7:30. By 8:47 received an SMS to my cell phone from that of Srijana. She texted that she is pitying me for my being born to such worst thinking parents. She added that my mother is the first enemy in her life. My parents are superstitious, irrational and insensitive. They often talk rudely with their guests also. My mother would have scolded her indirectly. Srijana does not accept stupidity from anybody. Went to sleep by 10:30.
22 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited eight short stories. They are ‘Auction’, ‘VVIP’, ‘JIMS’, ‘Love Marriage’, ‘Naked Truth’, ‘Kibkib Mormora’, ‘AIDS’ and ‘Rojondo Neerili’. Morning Srijana and Anand left Peda Gummuluru for Tuni. They spent at the abode of Sekhar till the afternoon. Her father took her to K O Mallavaram on his bike by 12:30. Evening Bala and I spent in NGO Colony Park for 30 minutes. We talked about the negative influence of private schools on the formative lives of students. Many private schools don’t have government recognition. There are no playgrounds. A teacher teaches about 80 students. They run schools even on holidays. They bribe government officials. Student unions collect money from school managements and keep quiet. By 7:45 Bala got two tickets reserved for his parents for their journey to Uttar Pradesh by train in July. They celebrate the birthday of their spiritual master there in the ashram of Sri Ram Chandra Mission. He wants to serve his parents this way. He is spending 3000 rupees for this trip. Night questioned my mother about her recent abnormal behavior with Srijana. She talked for 15 minutes justifying her hurtful comments about her. I found her views, beliefs and practices irrational, stupid and foolish. I did not argue with her much because people without self-criticism do not change. She is not a great mother-in-law. Srijana did not like my talking with my mother about this issue. Today she bit her tongue by mistake. Went to sleep by 11:00.
23 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited eight short stories. They are ‘Gangster Diango’, ‘Infatuation’, ‘Treatment’, ‘The Fair’, ‘Familiar Tragedy’, ‘Tailor Tingu Ranga’, ‘IAS’ and ‘Inferiority Complex’. Recently I sent an email to Sunil K Poolani expressing my intention to come to Mumbai to supervise the layout work and the making of the first copy of my book. He discouraged me from it. He wrote that they are all routine works for them and that he does it all in isolation. I withdrew myself from the idea of going to Mumbai. Many artists and technicians prefer doing their creative or mechanical work in isolation. They get disturbed and irritated with the presence of other people. I felt happy knowing that Sunil does this work. It signifies his commitment and dedication for his profession. I did not like the font, which they are using in their books. It is not looking elegant and classic to my eyes. Publishers standardize certain procedures of their publication process. They don’t consider the requests of authors if they want to change them in their books. An author needs to sacrifice many of his interests and choices when he is getting his work published by a publisher. Artists produce creative and influential works minding a segment of readers, viewers, listeners and art lovers. Even others happen to come across them. They criticize those works innocently, irrationally and casually. Such shallow remarks disturb and hurt sensitive artists. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited eight short stories. They are ‘Bloggers Valley’, ‘Salesgirl’, ‘Morning Walk’, ‘Hinkiong Cave’, ‘HCU’, ‘Virginity’, ‘Interview’ and ‘Introvert’. Today I got an email from Bozza Gopi in Saudi Arabia. He wrote that he visited my blog site. He is a copywriter there. He wrote a book. He consulted Sunil K Poolani about publication of this book. He likes to publish it. He wrote that it costs five lakh rupees for him to publish it. He asked Gopi to pay 2,20,000 rupees to publish his book, as his financial contribution. Gopi sought my advice in this regard considering my present association with Sunil. I emailed him a comprehensive reply with my views about this publisher and the present publishing industry. I advised him to be cautious. Sunil charged me 1,25,000 rupees considering the word count of my book. Gopi’s content also amounts to the same but he is asking for more money from him. He did not apply the formula of one rupee for one word in this case. I don’t understand the logic of Sunil in this regard. I submitted 64 short stories to him for his consideration. He neither rejected any story nor changed the order of those stories. He is leaving that responsibility to me. A good publisher should not leave such crucial issues to the choice of an author. He must have a team of talented and experienced professionals to do such things. Otherwise he cannot become a considerable publisher. Srijana and Anand took a bus of Kaveri Travels in Tuni by 8:30 along with her two cousins. They started to Hyderabad in a private bus. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 2:30. Stayed awake on my folding iron cot till 4:00. Freshened up myself by 5:00. Walked to NGO Colony bus stop by 5:05. Took a bus by 5:10. Got off it at L B Nagar Crossroads by 5:20. GHMC women staff were sweeping roads with brooms. Vehicles were running without minding the traffic signals. Private and government buses were making roads congested bringing passengers from various districts of Andhra Pradesh. By 7:15 Srijana called me up and informed me to come back to Panama Godowns. Took a city bus and rushed back. The private bus of Kaveri Travels arrived by 7:30. I brought Srijana, Anand and Sushma to my abode by 7:40 hiring an auto rickshaw for 30 rupees. Anand is looking normal with his tonsured head. He did not grow up since I saw him last. His observation and reaction skills developed. Srijana brought eight coconuts, 20 mango fruit, 30 lemons, Mysore Pak sweets, vegetables and chicken curry. Her father repaid me 10000 rupees. By 9:00 deposited 8000 rupees to my account through the ATM Centre near Ganesh Temple to satisfy the folks of Axis Bank. Srijana and I finalized a Godrej wardrobe at Aditya Enterprises there. I paid him 3800 rupees by 10:00 for this 6x3 piece. We brought it home by 10:15 in an auto rickshaw. Paid them 100 rupees for it. Srijana bought it with her money. Vamsy came here by 1:30. He started to Ashok Nagar by 4:00 on a bike along with his cousin Sushma. Srijana arranged things in our new wardrobe and portion. She is a good homemaker. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep well. Our air cooler drank water in it by 1:30 or so. There was no water to fill it. Our house owner forgot to fill water into the overhead tank at night. The helpless ceiling fan circulated hot air inside. By 8:00 went to Rythu Bazar on my bicycle. Bought two kilos of onions and 100 grams of green chillies for us. Srijana wants to prepare dishes with coconut, plantains, mangoes and other items, which she brought from her home. This is to avoid the expenditure of vegetables for two or three days. Srijana, Anand and I reached cinema Sampoorna by 2:15 in an auto rickshaw. The tickets of higher classes were already sold. Three guys were selling 50-rupee tickets for 100 rupees in the black. Srijana prompted me to go that way. We stood there for 10 minutes. We withdrew from the idea of seeing this film. The Telugu film on show in it is “Darling” of Prabhas and Kajal. Srijana checked idly makers in a nearby store. She found those prices higher than those sold in Tuni. She did not buy it there. It was cloudy and cool. We returned home by 3:20 on foot. Went to the Reliance store near Ganesh Temple by 3:30 and paid them 420 rupees towards my postpaid monthly bill. Took photos and a video to Srijana and Anand between 5:00 and 5:15. Srijana and Anand went to a nearby park by 6:00 along with our portion neighbor Rajeshwari and her friend on two bikes. They spent there till 7:30. Meanwhile I cooked rice in pressure cooker. Night called up my cousin Anantha Lakshmi in Gollalagunta and invited her to come here to spend here for a few days. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited eight short stories. They are ‘Postcard’, ‘Silaranya Saisavam’, ‘Saratchandrika’, ‘Racharla Tank’, ‘Empty Beds’, ‘Broken Wings’, ‘Ralson Dally’ and ‘Homecoming’. Today Srijana worked hard for about six hours and arranged the items in our portion well. Now our abode got an orderly and elegant look. She removed unnecessary things from every corner and shelf of the portion. She tied a small cradle to the ceiling hook at the main entrance of our abode. It is for Anand to swing in. She brought it from Viswanadhapuram. It is light and cute. She instructed me where to put anything hereafter. We bring many things from outside. We put them here and there. They settle there permanently unless we throw them out frequently. Dust enters our home considerably. It rests on unattended places. Our portion faces the street road. Today Srijana dusted our floor with a long sweeping brush. We are the second tenant to have entered this portion after our house owner got this constructed. The first one defaced toilets and some other parts to some extent. One builds a house or office building with personal care and interest if he continues to own it. Its tenants or other users don’t have that spirit of care and concern towards such property. They deface it in course of time. One can observe it more in India. Most of the Indians think and behave like stray dogs in this respect. Evening talked with Bala for one hour about society. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Srijana and I took Anand to the nearby Government Hospital in an auto rickshaw by 8:50. Measles vaccine was administered to Anand by 9:30. He cried intensely for one minute after this injection. Today about 40 pregnant women came to this hospital for consultation. There are no adequate number of benches for them to sit on. We returned home by 10:00. I found my bicycle missing in the ground floor. I did not lock it. I thought somebody stole it. Afternoon went to my familiar bicycle mechanic to inform him about this theft. When returning home, from there, walking, I glanced at my bicycle, parked by road, in our adjacent lane. When I enquired the retail shopkeeper there about it, he said that somebody put it there this morning, giving its key to his son, who was there then. He was not there when I went there. I want to investigate this case through him. I suspect the construction workers here at a building. Its construction is at final stage. They must be observing our movements. I felt like killing that rogue. Today I edited six short stories. They are ‘Soly Miliya’, ‘Insight’, ‘Redmond Mound’, ‘Iliangu Baguraba’, ‘Practice’ and ‘Love’. Today Anand fell down from the Diwan cot in our hall. He was not hurt but cried for one minute. Srijana forgot him counting her collected new coins in a steel box along with Akhil. Then I was having my lunch on the marble floor in the hall. God saved him. Evening it turned cloudy and rained for three seconds. We enjoyed this little spell of nature. Evening spent talking with Bala for 20 minutes. Today Srijana helped our portion neighbor Rajeshwari in packing their things up. Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Typed out and posted a blog titled “Bitch Khusboo” on my blog site by 9:30. It is my satire against the recent verdict of Supreme Court of India supporting premarital sex and live-in relationships in India. They are encouraging dogs and bitches in this nation. This judgment is against the vital Indian culture. Today I edited the short stories ‘Love’, ‘Margasirsika’, ‘The Mediator’, ‘Speech’ and ‘The Conflict’. I finished the editing work of this manuscript by 3:30. Then I wrote a Foreword of 950 words, Author Information and finalized this task. I wrote about Swagata Gupta in this foreword because she inspired me to write the long stories in this set of 64 short stories. I dedicated this book to her. The word count of these stories is about 1,44,000. Emailed these edited word files to Sunil K Poolani by 7:30. I requested him to use font Tahoma and font size 10. I did not like the font they are using in their books now. I informed him to get the blurb rewritten and add my passport size color photo on the left top corner of the back cover by the blurb. Today I felt blissful after completing this final level editing work at my end. I could write (type out) the Foreword well. This is going to be my first published work as a writer. I worked hard for the quality of content. I would be happy only if Sunil does it well at his end. Today also our portion neighbor Rajeshwari packed her luggage. Srijana helped her a little. Their handsome kids Abhinav and Akhil played in our abode for some time. They sent their packed goods in a truck to Vijayawada by 11:00 at night. Went to sleep by 11:30.
30 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 10:30 a new family entered our adjacent portion. Divireddy Narayana Reddy, Rajeshwari and their two kids Abhinav Reddy and Akhil Reddy moved to Vijayawada. We enjoyed their presence so far. Akhil is a very cute kid. By 12:30 a local television cable operator gave cable connection to our color television. We put it beside our bed in our bedroom facing the road. Paid him 220 rupees. The advance monthly rent is 170 rupees and the installation charge is 50 rupees. Srijana wants it more than me for domestic entertainment after her chores. By 1:30 I brought my parcel from the branch office of Navata Road Transport at B N Reddy Nagar in an auto rickshaw. It includes a sack of 50 kilos of old rice, two steel tins, black gram dal and polished sesame dal. Srijana arranged these items well in our abode after opening the big gunny bag. Edited the outlines of my 64 short stories of the first book and posted them on my blog site by 5:00. I typed them out, one after one, when editing those short stories on my computer. It helps me also quickly recollect what I wrote in these stories. Today I emailed the necessary attachments, related to the submission of the manuscript of my second book, to the folks of Roli Books in New Delhi, enquiring them about their interest to publish it. Sunil emailed me stating that he cannot use Tahoma font for my book going against the standards of their publishing firm. They are using Book Antiqua. Today the results of second year Intermediate course were released in Andhra Pradesh. My cousin Ashwini got good marks in it. By 8:10 I took Srijana and Anand to Abhay clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh on my bicycle. He checked Anand. He prescribed two tablets for Anand to cure the little pain in his left arm. Went to sleep by 10:30.
1 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Paid 4100 rupees to my house owner by 7:30 towards rent of my portion for the previous month. By 8:15 took Srijana and Anand to NGO Colony bus stop. They are going to Ashok Nagar. Srijana wants to spend her time at the abode of her maternal aunt Madhavi for two days. By 9:30 read the email sent by Priya Kapoor of Roli Books in New Delhi. She sent me the following message. Unfortunately we will not be able to publish the proposed book. This is her formal reply to the submission of the manuscript of my second book titled “A Dreamer’s Love Story”. There are very few publishers in India now to publish works of fiction by new writers. I came across Snowbooks publishing company while reading the blog of an English writer. It is in London. I read the content on their website. It is informative and educative. They are the kind of publishers I am waiting for long. Their views and policies, as publishers, about writers and publishers, are classic. They ask to email the entire manuscript in their desired format. I emailed the manuscript of my second book to them for their consideration. I will be very happy if they publish my book because they have such standards and values which I like. By 2:20 Bala and I reached cinema Vijaya Lakshmi Complex at L B Nagar by bus. We saw the Telugu film “Darling” of Prabhas and Kajal Agarwal in it from 3:00 to 5:45. I sat in seat 8 in R box near the projection cabin. It is a pleasant love story, portrayed beautifully. We enjoyed watching this good film. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for two hours. Today I edited part of the content of my personal diary of 1995. Afternoon and night had my lunch and supper in the abode of Bala. He cooked rice. We brought curries from Sri Durga curry point. Evening got the vent pipe of our pressure cooker changed at a nearby repair store. It is not blowing whistle well. The mechanic told me that a pressure cooker may not function well despite changing its parts. He took 30 rupees for this piece. Pressure cookers and LPG gas cylinders are dangerous devices. We must check them frequently and get them repaired. Bala and I spent in NGO Colony Park from 6:15 to 6:45. Today it was cool, cloudy and refreshing. Srijana and Anand stayed back at Ashok Nagar. The pain in the left hand of Anand did not get alleviated. He is not moving it actively. He recently fell down from a cot. I beat him on his buttocks with my right palm recently disliking his nature of continuous and irrational crying when put down on the floor for play with toys. He likes to be with his mother always. He expresses his uneasiness through loud crying. I don’t like anybody crying without reason. I think he cultivated this habit of irrational crying. I scolded him thoroughly being frustrated with his constant crying. Srijana found me as unkind and villainous towards him. He developed this pain now. We need to get it cured through consultation with doctor. I am not happy with his adamant and mad behavior. He must play on his own for some time. It is good for him. Otherwise Srijana struggles more for him. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 May (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 11:45 Srijana and Anand returned from Ashok Nagar by an AC bus of APSRTC. The body of Anand turned cool due to the cooling effect in the bus. Srijana went to Maya Bazar at BHEL on the first of this month along with her aunt Madhavi and Anand. She said that they organize this shopping event during the first and last days of every month. She bought a handbag for 100 rupees, key chain for 10 rupees for me and some other items there. Anand picked up a few items from these stalls. They are hair clips of women, sticker packs meant for girls and women to decorate their foreheads, two lower wear items of 60 c.m. for him and two hair pluckings meant for girls. He played the role of a little thief. Srijana did not mind it. She bought a cotton sari for 250 rupees and two nighties for 350 rupees at another shop. The key chain, which she bought for me, has little artificial plastic Indian currency notes from 10 to 1000. They amount to 1680 rupees. It is for my bicycle key. Today I edited my diary of 1995 till 8 March. Evening it turned cool and refreshing from 5:00. It rained a little from 3:15 to 3:45. This shower turned this powerful summer into an enjoyable spell of season. I greatly enjoyed this magic of rain. Evening took Anand for a stroll along the roads near our abode. Sat in the abode of Bala for 15 minutes talking with his mother. By 8:40 Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh checked Anand. He said he is well. The pain in his left arm is lessening slowly. We returned home on my bicycle. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Took a bus by 9:45 and reached RTC Crossroads by 10:45. Hired an auto rickshaw and reached the abode of Chinna near Syndicate Bank at Ashok Nagar. It is a rented abode in the third floor of a house. There are two rooms in it. Five guys of Viswanadhapuram are staying here doing jobs at different places in the city. Vamsy is also staying here. Collected a cardboard box of mangoes from this abode. They brought it from the bus stop at Lakdi Ka Pool this morning on bike. The driver of a Navin Travels bus brought it here from Adduroad. My brother Sambha gave it to him there. He packed 60 Suvarna Rekha raw mangoes in this box. My brother Srinivas informed me to give this parcel to K S Prakasha Rao. Now he is the leader of UCO Bank Employees Union in this region. These mangoes are my brother’s gift to this gentleman. Hired an auto rickshaw and reached his house at Himayat Nagar by 11:35. He thanked me for my brother’s gesture and my involvement in this regard. He may be about 65. He said that he earlier worked with UCO Bank. He looked decent and pious. I think he is the person that took 50000 rupees from my brother as bribe during his recruitment process as an armed guard with the UCO Bank at Dwaraka Nagar in Visakhapatnam earlier. Returned home by 1:15 by bus. Evening bought a Ganga pressure cooker of five litre capacity for 750 rupees at Jagadamba Steel Palace by main road. The present one developed disorders. Also bought a bottle of Rooh Afza for 105 rupees at More retail store. Srijana wanted a drink. Evening it was cloudy and cool. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 1995 from 8 March to 10 May. Today my brother Sambha bought a bike of ‘Hero Honda Passion Pro’ at the showroom in Adduroad for 53000 rupees. He exchanged his old bike for 15000 rupees. I bought it for 12000 rupees from my cousin Kiran and presented it to him once. He decided to shun it after the recent accident near Neeladripuram. Today he formally started using it after worshipping a God in a temple. He recently sold a piece of his agricultural land to clear his debts. He must have bought it with the remaining money. This year he incurred loss from the mango gardens he bought for seasonal crop. The mango groves failed crop this year in our region. Srijana often asks me to buy a bike for us. She likes bike rides. I cannot ride bikes with gears because I always think. I will learn it in future if necessary. I am comfortable with automatic bikes (scooties). Now I don’t have money to buy a bike. It would be comfortable taking Anand to hospital and going to cinemas if we have a bike. Bicycle means muscle work and physical exercise. Bike means comfort and air pollution. Indian youth are after bikes now. They exhibit their fashion and style riding bikes fast on roads. Guys indulge in it more if there are girls behind or around them. Anand is lingering with his mother always. He is crying loudly when put down to play. A puppy is a better creature than him. It walks and plays jovially within days after its birth. Went to sleep by 10:00.
6 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 1995 from 10 May to 10 July. It was cool in the evening. Morning bought a kilo of jaggery for 42 rupees at a familiar retail store. This shopkeeper always talks with me like a perfect gentleman. He discusses contemporary society and lets me know why and how the prices of cooking items are increasing now. Today he told me that this jaggery is of very good quality and not salty at all. I cut it at home with a knife. It is salty and of poor quality. I have about eight kilos of rice flakes with me now. They prepare them heating up wet paddy grains in hot sand. We call them Atukulu in Telugu. They are nutritious food items. They turn tasty when soaked in lukewarm milk and jaggery for a few minutes. Today I bought jaggery for this purpose. I did not enjoy the taste of rice flakes soaked in warm buffalo milk because the jaggery was salty. I decided to blast that shopkeeper in the evening but forgot about it. Salty jaggery spoils hot milk when added to it to prepare a dish. Sugarcane farmers know that jaggery is used by human beings only like them. Yet they are adding many bad items to it when cooking it in large pans in their agricultural farms. When farmers think like businessmen, others eat bad foods and die soon with many disorders and diseases. Many farmers and middlemen are involved in this business now. The standards of quality and quantity are very low in foods and drinks made and sold in India now. Officials and the governments are corrupt. Innocent people are consuming harmful foods and drinks. Intelligent, educated and rich ones are searching for high quality items. Went to sleep by 10:00.
7 May (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1995 from 10 July to 10 September. By 11:30 went to Rythu Bazar and bought vegetables. I bought one kilo of sweet potatoes for 10 rupees, three kilos of onions for 18 rupees, 100 grams of green chillies for four rupees and two other kinds of vegetables. There are colorful mango fruit outside this market. They were artificially ripened using calcium carbide. They affect our health. On the way back paid our monthly electricity bill at E-seva centre. This time it amounted to 193 rupees. Evening it was pleasant. Took the cut jaggery pieces to the shopkeeper, who sold me. He said that he sold the same item to 150 customers so far. There is no complaint from any one of them. He weighed it and returned me 20 rupees. He said that he always sells the best items only. When I asked him to taste the jaggery to know whether it is salty or not, he said that he does not do it. He is a dirty rogue. He argued with me irrationally. I sensed stupidity and impatience in his words and reaction towards me. Criminals and fraudsters have such mentality. Cheats cannot express or handle refusal and rejection smoothly. Srijana, Anand and I spent in the abode of Bala from 5:30 to 6:15. His mother cut the watermelon, which I bought for 10 rupees. It was of poor quality. They target poor people to sell such trash. Many corrupt people and employees are earning handsomely now. They buy costly and quality items only. Poor creatures are easy victims of a corrupt society. I often experience such life buying these items. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Last night Swagata Gupta met me in my dream between 3:00 and 5:20. She spent with me like my close friend. She talked and played with me. I consider it as a telepathic communication. She must be married by now. Marriage is a web of relationships. It creates a feeling of alienation and distance from others. She must be in this psychic state now. I admired her. She too admired me. Communication gap prevailed between us. I tried to contact her. She did not do it. There is pain in her heart centered on me. When two persons admire each other but cannot or don’t meet in reality for some reasons, their feelings, notions and related pain get communicated through telepathy. It is metaphysical communication between two souls. I experienced bliss when spending with her in my dream. It is partly meant for satisfying my unfulfilled desires in relation to her. I forgot the sequence of events and details of our interaction after coming out of that subconscious state of my mind. I cannot sleep even one night without a dream. Some scare me. Many delight me. Swagata made me blissful with her presence in my dream. It happens beyond our conscious efforts. I cannot invite her into my dream. I always respect and admire her as a good girl. This psychic attachment gets disturbed when I know something very bad about her. She too does the same towards me. It is a mysterious sphere of psychic pains and related communications. By 10:00 typed out and posted a blog titled “Mother” on my blog site. Today I edited my diary of 1995 from 11 September to 10 November. Went to sleep by 10:00.
9 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1995 from 10 November to the end of it. I felt very happy for completing this editing work by today. By 5:00 Srijana injured her left palm while handling a coconut to prepare chutney for our supper. Then I was in Vallabhai Patel playground with Anand and Bala. Rushed back to home after her phone call. Blood flow stopped by the time I arrived. The knife pierced her soft palm. About 100 ml of blood must have flowed out. Her face turned weak. It hit her on a vein. Earlier I advised her to be careful while handling a knife. Vamsy, Srijana’s cousin Tejaswini and Phanindra Varma came here by 5:15. We six went into the nearby GHMC nursery by 5:30. We spent there till 6:15. There are four facilities for children to play. There were about 10 boys and girls playing. I found one girl beautiful. Her dress and face are inspiring. She must be 10. I regretted not enjoying such girlfriend’s love and friendship when I was her age. Her beauty and elegance of character inspire me to write a love story. I watched her playing for some time. Anand enjoyed the presence and sounds of children there. Gave him leaves plucking them from the green plants there. He tore them to put into his mouth and chew. We returned home when it was getting dark. We enjoyed our collective stay there. I advised Srijana to take an injection to protect herself from the effect of injury today. Her cousin Gopala Krishnam Raju came here by 11:00. Went to sleep by 12:00.
10 May (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Gopala Krishnam Raju tried to format my computer system and create four drives using the given software CDs of the DELL company. He could not do it despite his best efforts from 10:00 to 11:30. I checked online for their customer support contact details. They provided a lot of information there. It is so comprehensive that one feels exhausted to go through it. I filled up an online complaint submission form on their portal. Called up to their toll free phone numbers. There are many automated telephonic responses. A female executive attended my call after a long time. She asked me to tell her the number of my computer system. I never heard that term. I did not keep that number readily with me. She put the phone down on me. She must have taken me as a nut. I called up Uma. She is the salesperson, who sold me this computer once. She told me to call her later. She already sold me this computer. She wants more buyers, not useless calls from blokes like me. They all played with me. I felt like killing them. India is a bloody democratic country. Sane people should not turn into insane blokes here to resolve some burning issues on their own immediately. DELL computer is good but people selling it are bad. A rogue came here to start this computer initially. He did not do it all systematically. He cheated the folks of DELL company. Spent a disturbed day due to this issue. Afternoon rested for one hour. Srijana prepared Vegetable Biryani and chicken curry for our guests. Morning she consulted Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh about the minor injury on her left palm. He did not prescribe any medicine or ointment for her. We all spent in Rajiv Gandhi Park from 6:20 to 6:50. Srijana went out by 8:50 to see a film along with her dear cousins. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Our guests left by 10:30. Srijana presented a sari to Tejaswini. By 9:30 went to a DTP centre near Ganesh Temple to get a piece of poetry in Telugu typed up and designed into a memento style. He said that he does not do it in Photoshop. He typed it up into a PageMaker file. I did not find it useful. He took 20 rupees for it. Took a bus and reached Rethifile Bus Stand in Secunderabad by 12:30. Thence hired an auto rickshaw for 25 rupees and moved to Manju Cinema. Here the folks of Balaji Graphics told me that they don’t do typing and design works here. They advised me to go down the lane to find one. I got my 12 lines of Telugu poetry typed up and designed at a photo studio here. He did it from 1:15 to 1:45. He took 80 rupees for this work. Got it printed out on a photo paper for 50 rupees at Preet color lab here. Hired an auto rickshaw for 20 rupees and returned to Rethifile Bus Stand by 2:15. Took a bus. Got off it near Ganesh Temple in Vanasthalipuram by 3:15. Got this memento print framed at Venkateshwara Frames, paying them 160 rupees for it. This memento is for Saranya, a B.Sc. classmate of Srijana in Tuni. She marries Soma Sekhar on the 21st of this month. Vamsy gives it to her on this occasion. By 6:00 typed out and posted two blogs on my blog site titled “Marriage Memento” and “DELL - Go to Hell”. Vamsy brought my father-in-law from Secunderabad railway station on a bike by 9:45. He brought 40 raw mangoes, 40 sapodillas, eight curry bananas, a dozen banana fruit, 40 lemons, a few homemade milk sweets and six coconuts for us. Went to sleep by 11:00.
12 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. My father-in-law put mangoes in a cardboard box by 8:00. It is the natural way of getting mangoes ripen. When they are put in a hot environment, they ripen soon. They take about five days to ripen in this process. If they are left outside, they take about 10 days to ripen. By 9:30 my father-in-law and I took a bus and reached Chadar Ghat by 10:15. Thence we hired an auto rickshaw and proceeded to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand (MGBS). Thence we took a Thandur bound Express bus by 10:45. We got off it at Moinabad by 11:30. Thence we took an ordinary bus and reached Malkapur Kaman by 12:00. My father-in-law came here to personally check the venue of the job he is interested in. We walked a little and reached the spot. Kishore explained the nature of job to be carried out here. Since it is a job requiring the presence of husband and wife, he checked the facilities here. The residential abode, which they are providing for this position, looked poor. They pay 5000 rupees a month. He has to take care of the company property here. Currently the construction of a glass manufacturing factory is going on here. This 64 acres of land belongs to Sunkara Anil. I saw a small building from here by a garden. They said that it is the studio of Telugu television channel ATV. He is into making of Telugu films also. I did not like this place of work for my father-in-law. I discouraged him from this venture. They have to lead helpless lives in this isolated place. A construction laborer is earning about 8000 rupees a month in Hyderabad. This salary and facilities are pathetic for a small family to come from distant places and live here. We took three buses and returned home by 4:00. By 5:30 Srijana, her father and Anand started to Kandla Koya. Went to sleep by 10:30.
13 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Srijana, her father and Anand returned from Kandla Koya by 9:45. Last night Srijana and Anand could not sleep well in the abode of Jagannadha Raju there. They found it very sultry in the room. They cut cashew and mango trees here to build warehouses. When people are after business and money, nature would be furious with them. Recently I called up Vijay Kumar many times. He is not attending my call. He has to give me about 6000 rupees for the Olympus digital camera, which I returned to him last November. Then he was a sales manager with the PCH retail outlet near Panama Godowns. He recently left this company and joined Hitachi. Earlier I called up the folks of PCH when he was working in their store at Somajiguda. Later I lost track of this bloke. Today called up a guy of Hitachi store at Somajiguda to enquire about the presence of this fellow in their branch offices anywhere. He said nobody is working there with that name. Typed out one-page email complaint letter and sent it to the folks of PCH store at Somajiguda. Also typed out another letter and kept it ready to give in the police station at Vanasthalipuram. From 3:00 to 5:30 Mohan (cousin of Bala) and I saw the Telugu film “Simha” of Bala Krishna in cinema Sushma. It is very interesting and exciting. I enjoyed watching every bit of it. The story is mesmerizing. Srijana got her luggage ready by 7:00. Vamsy came here by 8:45. He took the memento in Telugu, prepared by me for Saranya and Soma Sekhar. He wants to give it to them on the day of their marriage. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 May (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Srijana cooked rice and banana curry by 7:00. She also prepared turmeric soup with curd. I accompanied Srijana, her father, Vamsy and Anand up to NGO Colony bus stop. They took a 1 V Metro Express bus by 7:45. They reached Secunderabad railway station by 8:30. They knew that Shirdi Sai Nagar-Visakhapatnam special summer train was running four hours late. Its number is 0868. I got two window seats reserved in the sleeper class of this train for Srijana and her father for 660 rupees at a computer centre near Ganesh Temple day before yesterday. All trains are crowded due to summer vacation related journeys. They returned to the rented abode of Chinna at Ashok Nagar by RTC Crossroads. They spent here from 9:30 to 1:00. Then they hired an auto rickshaw and reached Secunderabad railway station by 1:15. They took their window seats in this special train by 2:15. They reach Tuni around 12:00 this night. I got them reserved up to Samalkot only. Earlier they wanted to go to Peda Brahmadevam from there getting off this train around 8:00. Srijana’s youngest paternal aunt is there. Today they decided to go to Tuni considering the heavy delay of this train. I got window seats (berths) reserved for them minding summer weather. They can get air from nature and scan passing scenery well. Anand too celebrates such train journey. Morning collected the email ids of my friends and other familiar ones from the sent folder of my Yahoo Mail account. I will inform all of them about my book after its release. Spent in the abode of Bala from 3:30 to 6:15 talking with his mother Rajeshwari and cousin Mohan (son of his paternal uncle Vamana). Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Srijana informed me that they reached Tuni by 4:30 this morning. This special summer train is very late. Srijana did not enjoy this train journey. She did not express it. I could sense it. They went to K O Mallavaram by 10:00 from Tuni. Afternoon she went to the house of her maternal grandparents in Viswanadhapuram. Sunil emailed me asking me to write blurb for my book Stories of Love and Beauty. Typed it out and emailed him by 8:30. It got 58 words. I felt happy for writing it. Sunil emailed me in the afternoon. He wrote that the inner pages of my book have been sent to press for print. Earlier I wrote him to send me the final edited version of my book before printing it. He did not mind it. He does not answer me properly in his emails to me. He is not a good editor in this sense. Errors are bound to occur in a book while editing and processing it through a series of improvement stages. He has no time and patience to check it. He did not allow me to do it either. Went to cinema Vishnu by 11:15 on my bicycle to see a film. Sat in an abandoned bus stop there till 11:40 observing the traffic on road. It was very hot. Saw the Telugu film “Andhari Bandhuvaya” of Sarvanand and Padma Priya from 12:00 to 2:45 in it. It is good. Chandra Siddarth directed it. Humanitarian concern for society, civic sense and social service are its themes. The hero represents and practices these virtues. There were about 25 viewers in this cinema. Today I had 12 mango fruit. Had my supper in the abode of Bala. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Sunil emailed me the PageMaker file of my book. There are 432 pages in it. He set its price at 450 rupees in India and $18 elsewhere. There is a spelling mistake in the title of a short story in page 281. He put it as ‘Learning Swimmings’ whereas its actual title is ‘Learning Swimming’. Emailed him to get it changed. I also observed that he got the content edited. I put full stop after inverted commas. They did it the other way. I informed him about the standard format of statement of copyright information on my book. He did it the wrong way. He is impatient and indecent. I will teach him a lesson whenever necessary. Today edited my diary of 1996 up to the end of January. I felt weak and disturbed due to the mentality of Sunil. I cannot withdraw from this project at this level. He has no standards and values as a publisher. I wanted my book to be error-free. I put my first book in the hands of a drunkard and cheat. By 4:45 Bala and I went to Rajiv Gandhi Park. We spent there till 6:45. It rained from 5:00 to 5:20. Bala stood in the open and enjoyed the soothing touch of rain. I stood under a shelter there running away from rain like a thief. I did not have the mood to celebrate the spell of rain. Sunil disturbed me deeply. Paid 10 rupees to a parrot cage fortune teller and listened to his prophecy about me. I wanted to help him this way. I know about my future. We returned home by 7:00. Today it was hot. Today I had 12 mango fruit. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 May (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of February and March in my diary of 1996. Sunil emailed me the final version cover pages of my first book. Mishta Roy designed it adding the white female bust sculpture image done by my friend Veeranjaneyulu. Sunil must have added the word finely-crafted to the blurb, which I sent him. I found these cover pages good. Replied Sunil to go ahead with it. He did not answer me about the correction I suggested him to be incorporated in page 281. Again I reminded him of this correction. It rained a little by 4:30. Today I had 12 mango fruit. Srijana talked with me by 8:45. Anand is standing on his own for a few seconds. He is spending more time with his maternal grandparents. Many children come to Viswanadhapuram for enjoying their summer holidays. Srijana finds this environment delightful. Anand too enjoys their presence and affection for him. My parents and others don’t like Srijana going there frequently. She must be here and serve me greatly. It is the quality of a good wife. I am against these notions and practices. Every healthy individual likes liberty and happiness. Srijana gets them there more than here. I know how to manage on my own. Anand would be happier among many people. I cannot create them here. He enjoys the presence of green trees, animals, birds and hills in and around Viswanadhapuram. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
18 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1996 from 1 April to 15 May. Power cut occurred by 4:30 due to rain with winds. Spent in the abode of Bala from 5:00 to 7:30 talking with them. Now my cousin Narendra Varma is working as a teaching faculty member with Aditya Engineering College at Surampalem near Peddapuram. He is teaching Thermal Engineering subject to his juniors. They are paying him 14000 rupees a month. He is applying and trying for jobs in private and public companies. A noted engineering company in Kakinada did not offer him a job because he is a graduate. They recruit either diploma holders or graduates from IITs. India is a nation of mediocre companies. Corruption and malpractices are high. Labor laws and their implementation is pathetic. The control of governments on private firms is nominal. He is preparing to take a test of the Steel Plant in Visakhapatnam. He already knew that bribe is vital to get a job here, not the merit of a candidate. Now they are collecting 10 lakh rupees for the position of engineer. Many rich and corrupt people acquire these jobs paying these bribes. My cousin wants to take this test to enhance his competitive skills. He is preparing for GATE-2011. He thinks that he is not a suitable person to teach his juniors. Experienced and talented ones don’t join mediocre educational institutions as teaching faculty members. They go abroad. Fools and helpless ones stay back in India. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1996 from 16 May to the end of June. By 3:00 my brother-in-law Vamsy came here by bus from RTC Crossroads. He borrowed 500 rupees from me. He wants to go home by Godavari Express this evening. His elders advised him not to come there in view of cyclonic storm Laila in coastal regions. He withdrew from this idea at the eleventh hour. I stopped giving him money about eight months ago. He ‘borrowed’ money from me out of self-respect. He may or may not repay it. I experienced that state of living when I depended on my father completely as a student. From 6:00 to 7:30 a DELL technical executive attended my computer system from their office in Bengaluru. First he checked my system on DELL connect online interface. Then he informed me over phone how to create another drive to use the blocked space also. My cousin Mohana Krishna attended it for some time. We created drive E with 141 GB. Earlier this space remained blocked and disused due to faulty partition by Pridhvi. I am happy with the functioning capabilities of my DELL Inspiron computer. Dust is entering it. I am unable to avoid it. Afternoon informed my brother Srinivas to deposit 4000 rupees into my UCO Bank account within 10 days. This is to pay rent for my portion for this month. Now I have 2500 rupees in my Axis Bank account. Went to sleep by 12:00.
20 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Last night I had a peculiar dream. We three brothers married other girls than the present ones. Then we were thinking about our present ones. We were worrying about them. Our attraction and love for them were there. I experienced sensitive and possessive feelings towards them. Today it was cool and cloudy due to the impact of Laila cyclonic storm in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Ongole, Nellore, Guntur and Godavari districts are badly affected due to this storm. Today I edited the content of July and August in my diary of 1996 on my computer. Evening it started drizzling. Bala, Mohan and I went out and had green chilli snacks at a pushcart by road. We enjoyed ourselves walking in this cool shower. This year our mango and cashew groves failed in yielding the seasonal crop. My folks sold the mango crop of this season to a familiar fellow for one lakh rupees. He wants it next year also. People in Andhra Pradesh are not getting quality fruit to eat unless they have mango gardens. They pluck them from trees when they are unripe. They turn them into colorful and attractive mango fruit artificially applying harmful chemicals on them. Consumers buy and eat them because they like eating these seasonal sweet fruit. The government has no control on these farmers and middlemen. Some export quality mangoes to rich countries like the USA. Indians get low quality fruits and foods. Today my brother Sambha told me that he would buy mangoes for me there and send me through road transport. Went to sleep by 10:30.
21 May (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today it was cool and drizzly. Morning there was power cut for about four hours. I felt weak. I did not feel like editing my diary today. Spent reading Eenadu for 20 minutes. There are reports about the damage caused by Laila cyclonic storm. Environmentalists remarked that these calamities, caused by cyclones and storms, are due to deforestation along the coast of India. Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are the present trend. Industries are in the hands of influential, rich and cruel people. They are doing anything to earn more money in a short period of time. Governments are in favor of them. When huge loss is caused by manmade disasters and natural calamities, voluntary organizations and governments provide them with temporary relief and nominal support. Hundreds of people turn poor and helpless forever. This is common in a state of anarchy like India. Bala, Mohan and I spent in Rajiv Gandhi Park from 5:30 to 6:45. Today I saw a handsome boy there. He hesitated for long to come to us. He must have taken us as kidnappers. Somehow his friends brought him to us. His name is D K Pradeep. He must be five or six years old. He is studying at Nagarjuna School in Vanasthalipuram. I gave them 20 rupees. They went to the small canteen in this park and bought chocolates and bubble gums with this money. They treated him like a hero. They felt happy at the money I gave them. Srijana and Anand are doing well in Viswanadhapuram. Went to sleep by 10:00.
22 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 6:30 my paternal uncle Narasimha Murthy called me up from village Tetagunta and assigned me a task. Took my bicycle and reached the area of private animal husbandry in Chintal Kunta by 7:30. Gandhi Raju was there at his cattle shed. He told me to come back by 11:00 to collect 10000 rupees and cow milk for cooking cheese. My uncle sold a pregnant cow to him recently in the cattle market at Tuni. He told me to collect that money from Gandhi Raju and deposit it into his bank account through online money transfer. Went there by 10:40 on my bicycle. He did not come there till 12:30. Three fellows are working at his cattle shed now. I met a taxi driver also there. He showed us a nude recording dance of girls in his cell phone. He said that he earlier recorded it in a village in Ongole district. The girls are dancing and dropping their cloth pieces from their naked bodies very frequently. Their bodies are fair and enticing for the crazy audience around. He said that a local M.L.A. pays one lakh rupees to each of these dancers for their public show of a night. Enthusiasts pay and have sex with them later. Police guard this show from critics and reporters. It is a primitive human celebration. Gandhi Raju told me that he would pay money to my uncle tomorrow in Tuni. Bought one litre of buffalo milk (for making cheese with it) for 120 rupees at a cattle shed there and returned home. Today I edited the content of September and October in my diary of 1996. Evening it drizzled. Went to sleep by 9:30.
23 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Today I edited the content of November and December in my diary of 1996 and completed its final level editing. Today it was cloudy in the afternoon. It rained by 3:00 with winds for a few minutes. Today the results of 10th standard were released by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. My cousin Ashok got 530 marks for 600 in it. My paternal uncle Narayana Murthy is very happy about the achievement of his son. He put his son on the track of CA course. My house owner Bhagya Lakshmi prepared cheese with the buffalo milk, which I gave her yesterday. She offered me a little of it. She did it well. Yesterday night Telugu film song writer Veturi Sundara Rama Murthy passed away at the CARE hospital in Hyderabad. He is 75. He is a tall and handsome man. He wrote about 10000 songs for various Telugu feature films in a span of 35 years. He is a prolific writer. He used to take very little time to write a film song. He wrote classic songs like his contemporary stars in this field like Acharya Atreya, Arudra and Dr C Narayana Reddy. He did not run after politicians and businessmen for awards and rewards. Many of his songs are masterpieces. The central and state governments appreciated his creative excellence nominally. They did not recognize his worth as they do towards Sachin Tendulkar or Rajiv Gandhi because he is not a worthless sportsman or a brainless Congress activist. He is a literary genius made by God. I love him and his Telugu film songs a lot. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 May (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1997. I completed editing the first quarter of it. Today it was hot till 5:00. Even today there are reports about Veturi Sundara Rama Murthy in newspapers. The Telugu daily Sakshi published an interview with this master of Telugu cine songs. I did not read it. This daily was started by a criminal to promote the mad political projects of his father. I knew that the Government of Andhra Pradesh did not give a promised piece of land to Sundara Rama Murthy to build a house in it for him. Yesterday the admirers of this great artist distributed pamphlets to the attendees of his funeral in Hyderabad. They criticized the government for their negligence towards this legendary figure. He has wife and three sons when departing from this material world. I don’t know about their financial status. Every government should encourage and honor great scientists and artists. They are real contributors to the comforts and happiness of humanity at large. Unfortunately dirty politicians are honored greatly in India when they are alive or dead. Large stretches of lands are being allocated to remember them in their name. The dogs and bitches of Congress party are enjoying this artificial fame in many parts of India now. The regional political parties are also doing it in their respective states. Peoples’ representatives means public criminals in India, who live happily exploiting public money and national property. Illiterate, innocent and ignorant Indians live and die for these criminals. Artists struggle to educate and entertain these brainless blokes. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1997 up to 1 June from where I left it yesterday. Morning felt a little weak and so rested for some time. Perhaps the breakfast items, which I am eating outside, are not providing me with adequate energy. I am eating six idlies in the hotel near NGO Colony bus stop paying 15 rupees. Today I had an Onion Dosa there for 13 rupees. Today it was hot. I worked on my computer keeping my air cooler on. Srijana and Anand are in K O Mallavaram now. Recently I observed that two sparrows are bringing light and dry sticks into our bedroom to build a nest for them on the frame of the tube light in it. They are bringing such sticks, which are connected to one another with a medium like cotton thread. I wondered at their intelligence in this respect. They are flying through the window beside the toilet. I spotted them one day. They are scared of me in my presence. They are liberal and mischievous there beyond my presence. I am happy at their choice of our bedroom for building their nest. I am envious of their race and liberty. They fly anywhere and see anything. I often close this window with a curtain. They must be feeling disturbed with this obstacle. In fact it is not a right place for their nest and rest. I put on the ceiling fan frequently in this room when I am there. It hits them if they come that way. I love them. They represent beauty and innocence. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of June, July, August and September in my diary of 1997. Today I did a good deal of editing work. I felt happy about it. Afternoon my paternal uncle Narayana Murthy packed raw mangoes for me. He gave that cardboard box of mangoes to a bus travel agent in Adduroad. He is sending it through a bus of Navin Travels, which is coming to Hyderabad from Visakhapatnam. Today my brother Sambha also got ready to send me a parcel of mangoes. I told him not to send them now. I cannot eat all of them at a time. Srijana and Anand are in Viswanadhapuram now. They came here yesterday afternoon. She is feeling bored to spend in K O Mallavaram. She has a wide network of relatives in Viswanadhapuram. Today it is very hot here and there. Srijana felt giddy for some time. My two-month Hathway broadband Internet access was to expire by 4:21 this afternoon. I did not use my allotted amount of Internet access by this time. From 3:00 to 7:00 I kept on downloading Telugu cine songs from online sites to utilize my Internet access before it expires. Amaavaasya Chandrudu, Erra Gulaabeelu, Rangoon Rowdy, America Ammaayi, Neeraajanam, Thoorpu Sindhooram, Tharangini, Chinni Krishnudu, Sirivennela, Sitakoka Chilaka, Aalaapana, Yamudiki Mogudu, Shiva Puthrudu and Kaartheeka Dheepam are the Telugu feature films from which I downloaded my favorite songs. They are masterpieces. They inspire me as a dreamer and writer. Today my house owner bought a used car and brought home. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 May (Thursday)
Last night I could not sleep well. My plan to wake up early and go to collect the parcel of mangoes from the bus awoke me earlier than required. I could not manage to sleep. Called up Ahmed by 4:50. He told me to come to L B Nagar Crossroads within 10 minutes. Rushed to NGO Colony bus stop by 5:10 on my bicycle. An ordinary bus arrived by 5:15. Got into it and bought a ticket for four rupees. He dropped me at my destination by 5:34. The bus of Navin Travels reached here by 5:35. Collected my cardboard box of mangoes from them by 5:36. I wondered at these timings managed by God. If I delayed in reaching here, they would have taken my parcel to Kukatpally. It takes four hours for me to go there and bring this parcel back. My uncle paid 150 rupees there to send this parcel here. Hired an auto rickshaw for 50 rupees and reached my abode by 6:00. There are 90 mangoes in this parcel. Most of them are Suvarna Rekha mangoes. Today I edited the content of October, November and December in my diary of 1997 and completed it. I did it from 7:30 to 10:00 in the morning. Today it was very hot. Spent most of the time in my abode. By 5:00 typed out and posted a blog titled “Ruchika” on my blog site. I discussed the suicide case of Ruchika Girhotra due to molestation by IGP S P S Rathore in this blog in the form of an interview with the soul of Ruchika. It’s a satire on the status of law and order in India. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 May (Friday)
Woke up by 5:00. Last night I slept on our terrace. I took a mat and a pillow. I slept by the branches of the coconut tree of our house owner. It grew taller and reached the terrace of the house. It is sultry inside due to hot summer for all these days and nights. We are somehow sleeping inside bearing this heat. It was cool and refreshing on the terrace throughout the night. I enjoyed that air but I could not sleep for one hour also continuously. I don’t understand why it happened so. Today I felt sleepy due to it. Though I like sleeping on the terrace in the open, I do not do it fearing thieves and criminals looting houses in this area. I often read such news in dailies. They recently looted a house when its owner and others were sleeping on the terrace one night for cool air. They are snatching gold chains from the necks of lonely women walking on roads. There is no feeling of safety and security to anybody in India now. I am also one of such victims in India. I am unable to enjoy the magic of nature due to this anarchy in this corrupt nation. By 12:00 typed out and posted a blog titled “Classic Telugu Film Songs” on my blog site. I wrote about my favorite Telugu cine songs in this blog. From 3:00 to 5:30 saw the Telugu film “Golimar” in cinema Sampoorna. It is very interesting and inspiring. Puri Jagannadh directed this film being inspired by Mumbai encounter specialist (police) Daya Nayak. Today Anand suffered from fever there. Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Last night I slept on the terrace. I could manage to sleep to some extent. I think there was snow in the weather. I sneezed about 10 times after coming down. I left the latch out and locked the main entrance door before going up. I found it this morning when opening the door. Today edited the content of January and February in my diary of 1998. Today it was very hot. I worked on my computer keeping the air cooler on. Today I wrote a little content for the brochure of Sri Pavithra Bhoomi Developers. They sell plots and houses near the international airport in Hyderabad. They copied content from the brochure of another real estate firm. They happened to see this brochure somehow and told them that they would proceed legally if they don’t change this brochure. My friend Sriram got this freelance brochure design work from them. He asked me to do this little content writing work for them. I worked on it for 10 minutes. I wrote fresh content for them. Emailed it to them by 3:00. Wrote them to pay me 1000 rupees for this work. This morning Srijana took Anand to a doctor in Tuni on the bike of her father. The doctor prescribed some medicines and a tonic for him. He said that Anand has no fever. His body turned hot due to the weather of summer. Srijana and Anand are in Viswanadhapuram now. Today I had four mango fruit. Went to sleep by 9:00.
30 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of March and April in my diary of 1998. Today it was very hot. There is a mango tree to our neighbor in the premises of his house. Its branches extended into the premises of three neighboring houses. This year it produced a good number of mangoes. It may have about 1000 mangoes in it. A mango of this tree may weigh about 100 grams. Their size is small. Their juice is very sweet. It often drops its little ripen fruit in our portion of the house. Though I have big mango fruit in my abode, I go there every morning and pick up those little fruit. I would have collected about 20 mango fruit from there so far like a thief. Its owner does not come here to collect those few fruit. My portion neighbor is not picking up those fruit from there. They must be suffering from inferiority complex. We should not disuse the fruits and flowers provided by nature. These little fruit attracted me with their sweet juice. They are actually suitable ones to be held and eaten by my son Anand. I am doing this duty on his behalf. He often goes into our kitchen and throws away vegetables and onions. He does so with other available objects also. Srijana and Anand are in Viswanadhapuram now. He is consuming more liquids being affected by this hot summer. Srijana is enjoying her time in the company of her maternal grandparents, relatives and friends. By 6:30 went to the police station in Vanasthalipuram and submitted a written complaint to them against Vijay Kumar of PCH retail store. He is not attending my phone calls. Went to sleep by 9:00 on the terrace.
31 May (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of May and June in my diary of 1998. Today it was hot. By 6:00 went to the police station in Vanasthalipuram. Sub inspector G Nagaraju took me to circle inspector K Ramachander Rao. He scanned my complaint letter and found fault with the last paragraph in it. There I wrote that I would complain to the higher authorities if they don’t resolve this issue as early as possible. Those few words irritated him. He furiously stated that he would send my complaint letter to his authorities. He added that I have negative attitude. He did his best to insult and infuriate me. I controlled myself. He told me to bring any proof related to this issue. Rushed back to my abode on my bicycle and brought the slip of paper on which Vijay Kumar earlier scribbled stating that he received an Olympus Fe-26 digital camera from me for replacement. Waited here from 7:00 to 9:30 for the circle inspector to attend my issue. He was interrogating somebody inside. Told him not to register a case against him. They should trace his whereabouts through his available cellphone number and hold him that way. I don’t like if somebody irritates me not attending my call when the fault is on his part. My cousin Bala, his mother and my cousin Kavitha came by 11:30. Today Janmabhoomi Express arrived three hours late. They worried about it. Took a bath by 11:45. Went to sleep by 12:00 on the terrace.
1 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. My friend Krishna Varma came here by 9:00. Today I edited my diary of 1998 from 1 July to 8 July only. I felt dim due to sleeplessness last night. I did not like to continue my editing work with such state of mind. My friend recently went to Ramayyapatnam. Their house is in the final stage of construction. He earned and spent about one lakh rupees for it. He applied for a post of bus conductor in the Visakhapatnam region of APSRTC. There are about 900 job vacancies with them. He said that many applied for these jobs. He is 32. They fill these vacancies based on the marks in their tenth standard and age. Boys with government jobs can attract girls for marriage. Now he is earning about 7000 rupees a month as a casual employee with Vijai Electricals. He may attract a girl, to marry, if he gets the job of bus conductor, even if its salary is less than the present one. He rushed there to apply for this job for this reason. We had lunch by 1:00. We ate mango fruit. Gave him 10 mangoes to take to his abode. By 3:00 typed out and posted a blog titled “Mega Star Chiranjeevi” on my blog site. It is my satire on his political career. My friend left for village Rudraram by bus by 3:30 from NGO Colony bus stop. Evening it turned cloudy and cool. Spent in the abode of Bala for three hours. He updated me on current affairs in Gollalagunta. Srijana and Anand took a bus in Tuni by 8:15. Slept by 10:00.
2 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 4:30. Took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop and reached L B Nagar Crossroads by 6:00. Bought a copy of Eenadu and spent reading it for half an hour. The bus of Sindhu Travels arrived by 6:45. Srijana and Anand got off it by the time I reached there. We hired an auto rickshaw for 60 rupees and reached our abode in Self Finance Colony by 7:15. Anand looked weak. Srijana too found it sultry there. They got minor skin disorders due to excess perspiration there. She brought a cardboard box of mangoes, mango pickles, 20 lemons, six plantains, 40 mango fruit and a few homemade sweets. Anand slept throughout the journey. Srijana’s cousins Sushma and Sunil also came along with her from Viswanadhapuram. They moved to KPHB in this bus. Today I edited my diary of 1998 from 9 July to 31 August. Even today I felt a little weaker when editing my diary on computer. The hot summer is drawing my physical energy. Put about 120 mangoes under cot. Yesterday evening my father-in-law packed them for me in Viswanadhapuram. By 6:30 paid 4100 rupees to my house owner towards rent for my portion for the previous month. My brother Srinivas deposited 2000 rupees only into my UCO Bank account when I asked him to deposit 4000 rupees. He must be short of money like me. Srijana brought 2000 rupees from Viswanadhapuram for her casual expenses. I took that money also and paid the rent. I have 200 rupees in my bank account this evening. Today it was very hot. Vamsy came here by 10:00. Went to sleep by 10:30 for my dreams.
3 June (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Last night Anand did not sleep well. He kept crying for about three hours. I could not sleep well due to it. Srijana and Anand went to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh by 8:30 on a bike along with Vamsy. He prescribed Pedialyte for Anand to protect him from the effects of dehydration. Today I edited the content of September in my diary of 1998. There was power cut from 1:00 to 4:00. Recently the cousins of Srijana took my Sony digital camera to beach near Tuni. Water entered it when they were taking photos there. It stopped functioning. They refused to repair it without a bill. Vijay Kumar did not give me a bill when I bought it from the PCH retail store last November. He just stamped it with the seal of their company. Went to the PCH store at Kothapeta. They advised me to contact the folks at their main store at Somajiguda for a fresh bill. Went to police station in Vanasthalipuram by 6:20. Met sub inspector G Nagaraju and enquired him about the progress in relation to my written complaint against Vijay Kumar. They traced his residential address on the Internet using his cellphone number. He called up Vijay Kumar and told him to come to this police station. By 8:20 took Srijana and Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh on my bicycle. He checked Anand and said he is well. Today I bought a pack of Colgate Sensitive toothpaste and brush for my sensitive teeth. I have been suffering due to it for long. Went to sleep by 10:00.
4 June (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of October and November in my diary of 1998. There was power cut from 1:00 to 2:00. Today it was very hot. By 3:00 Sriram deposited 1000 rupees into my Axis Bank account. The folks of Sri Pavithra Bhoomi Developers paid it to me for the little content I wrote for their brochure recently. By 5:50 Srijana, Anand, my cousin Kavitha, my cousin Bala and I went to Rajiv Gandhi Park. Anand enjoyed his travel in pram. We sat on lawn for some time. I took Anand to children’s play area. He attentively watched children playing there. We got him slide on a slide bench there for 10 minutes. He enjoyed it a lot. He turned crazy for it. He is enthusiastic about children and games. We returned home by 7:15. Today I had about eight mango fruit. Today the sparrow brought some dry sticks into our bedroom again. Recently I removed their initial structure of nest from above the tube light there. I wanted to hint them about the impossibility of its nest and rest there. Today it is the birthday of singer S P Bala Subrahmanyam. I posted his photo and a little content below it, describing my admiration for him, in the banner, on my blog site. I searched for his big and classic photos on the Internet to post here. I could not find even one photo of him with these qualities. There are many photos of film actors and actresses on the Internet but not of this great singer of India. I took his photo as an actor in a mythological Telugu feature film and put it there. Now circus players are getting more attention from the media folks than real stars of India. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of December in my diary of 1998 and completed it. By 12:45 my cousin Kavitha, Srijana, Anand and I took a bus for Secunderabad at NGO Colony bus stop. We reached Rethifile Bus Stand by 1:45. Thence we walked a little and reached another bus stop. We took a 211 D ordinary bus by 2:15. He started it off by 2:45. We reached Thumukunta by 3:30. We walked along the road and reached the rented house of my cousin Murali in the premises of the ashram of Shri Ram Chandra Mission by 3:50. Now he is living in flat 55 in Phase II in this ashram in the house of Srinivasa Rao at a monthly rent of 2500 rupees. His wife Ramya arranged furniture and other items well in this house. She is a disciplined and sensitive girl. She is in her fourth month of pregnancy now. We advised her a little on this front. Murali showed me his new car, which was recently presented to him by his in-laws. It is Hyundai i10. It is beautiful and comfortable for five persons to travel. He opened it and told me to sit in it to feel it. He put on FM radio Telugu film songs for a few minutes. We came to main road by 6:00 to buy vegetables at a roadside store. He is yet to learn car driving. His car costs about four lakh rupees. He wants to buy a bike to commute to and from his office. We had supper by 9:15. Murali and his wife are comfortable and happy here. Went to sleep by 10:00 on the terrace.
6 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Slept well due to plenty of natural air. There are about five resorts around this place. Crazy boys and girls come here on weekends and enjoy themselves eating, drinking and dancing. Some supply girls for sex on payment of money. Government has no control on public life in this corrupt state. Last night I heard crazy songs at high volume from the nearby resort Alankrita. I think the people living in this ashram failed to control those creatures. They must enjoy within their limits minding the lives of people around them. Others may hate what I enjoy. People with civic sense should not disturb others. Ramya prepared pooris for us. She took us to the rented house of her sister by 8:00. We saw their baby boy Venkat. Now he is six months old. Anand found him attractive to play with. He looked aggressively and mischievously at him. I found the attitude of Anand objectionable toward Venkat. Ramya gave 100 rupees to my cousin Kavitha asking her to buy something for her. Now, Varahaalamma, the paternal grandmother of Murali, is here. She came here to spend with them for a few days. I did not find her attitude right on many things. She is a younger sister of my paternal grandfather Thammi Raju. Srijana, Anand, Kavitha and I started there by 8:30. We changed three buses and reached our abode by 11:45. Today it was hot. Anand got affected due to this weather during the bus journey. Bought vegetables for 40 rupees in Rythu Bazar by 3:15. Got a haircut for 30 rupees in my favorite hair salon near NGO Colony bus stop by 7:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
7 June (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of January in my diary of 1999. Morning felt drowsy when editing content on my computer. Rested for one hour. Went to cinema Sampoorna by 2:45. Bought a ticket for 50 rupees. Saw the Telugu film “Vedham” in it. Five stories run parallelly in this film. An ordinary guy struggling to win the love of a very rich girl, a crazy guy working hard to prove himself as a musician, an innocent Muslim being tortured by police associating him with Islamic terrorism, the poor family of a peasant farmer being exploited by a moneylender and a beautiful prostitute being harassed by cruel pimps and manipulative police. It portrays five issues of the contemporary Indian society. I was deeply touched when watching a few scenes in this film. They reflect troubles and pains related to poverty and love. It is a good film. I enjoyed watching every bit of it. Returned home by 5:30. Paid our monthly electricity bill of 184 rupees at E-seva centre by 5:45. Met G Nagaraju in Vanasthalipuram police station by 6:00. He forgot my complaint against Vijay Kumar altogether. I felt infuriated. Posted a blog titled “Cheat Vijay Kumar” on my blog site by 7:30. He disturbed me to that extent. Called him up by 8:20. He received it. He said that jaundice attacked his mother. She is at a hospital in Kolkata. Often he is going there. He could not attend my phone calls being busy with it. He said that he would pay me by 7 July. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of February and March in my diary of 1999. By evening it turned cloudy and cool. For the last few days I have been eating about eight mango fruit a day. Srijana and Anand are spending their time happily. His adamant nature to always be with his mother is making me infurious. He made crying into a habit rather than an expression of a need or pain. He is feeling uncomfortable and uneasy to sit and play for a little time also. I shout and beat him now and then if I find his behavior abnormal. Srijana gets angry with me for it. I don’t like irrationality and madness in humans. Anand looks like a mad pup when he cries without a reason. Animals behave better than him. By 8:30 (at night) an executive of Pureit came to our abode and fitted a new germ kill set in our water purifier. It cost me 365 rupees. It purifies 1500 litres of water. He took 15 rupees as request service charges. The folks of Hindustan Unilever Limited must not be paying him well. He is carrying many refills on his bike. He is keeping a huge bag on his back. It affects his back in the long run. Purification of 1500 litres of water, for 365 rupees, is a great service. Even poor Indians can afford it. Recently they reduced the price of Pureit water purifier to 1000 rupees from 2000 rupees. Many Indians have money and interest to buy cigarettes, liquor and gold ornaments but not pure water. I am very happy about getting pure water with a little money. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
9 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 8:30 Srijana, Anand and Vamsy started to Kandla Koya. They took two buses and reached there by 11:00. Today I edited the content of April and May in my diary of 1999. This morning the younger son of my house owner came to ask for the key of my bicycle. He frequently borrows my bicycle to go somewhere. Their bicycle needs repair. Today I talked harshly with him. I told him that I would give him money to get their bicycle repaired. Later I regretted it. Evening I told him not to mind those words. Afternoon talked with Chapa Manohar, the assistant sales manager of Leadstart Publishing in Mumbai. He said that my book is still at press. He explained me how they distribute their books to various bookstores in India. I felt happy with his words. By 4:30 Srijana informed me over phone that the repair of my Sony digital camera costs me 13000 rupees. The authorized technicians of Sony company reached this news to Vamsy. It means it got completely damaged. I bought it for 12000 rupees when I was in a dire need of money. I want to record the sweet early childhood of my son Anand with it. I took many photos and videos with it. The cousins of Srijana took it to a beach and ruined it. I felt infuriated about them but did not express it. Srijana cannot withstand my fury. They should buy a new piece and give it to me. Today it was cloudy and sultry. Went to sleep by 9:30.
10 June (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of June and July in my diary of 1999. Evening it rained due to monsoon. Spent talking with the mother and maternal grandmother of Aiswarya and Anirudh in their rented abode from 6:30 to 8:00. Theirs is in a lane beside ours. Aiswarya entered her 10th standard. She is an intelligent student. Her brother Anirudh must be in his 7th standard now. He is also a bright student. They got about 90% marks in their recent annual exams. Aiswarya is studying at Sri Chaitanya School. Anirudh is studying at Narayana School. Their mother recently joined a FIITJEE school as a computer teacher. She wants to see her daughter as a doctor. Aiswarya is not interested in that profession. She wants to become something else. Anirudh likes to pursue aeronautical engineering. Their mother is more concerned about the future of her daughter than her son. I advised her not to worry about either one of them. They are disciplined, intelligent and cultured students. It is enough for their improvement and happiness in their lives. Fools, rogues, criminals, fraudsters and brainless politicians are also living happily in this nation. Educated and intelligent citizens of India can live more happily and proudly than these scoundrels of India. Now there are many opportunities for learning and improving on their own for students. Parents are spending a lot of money for their education, health and comforts. It is enough if they can inculcate good habits in them from their early childhood itself. One’s character and fate decide one’s life. Went to sleep by 10:30.
11 June (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Morning I was engaged in beautifying my blog site on the Blogger of Google. They added more design features to Blogger recently. Today I saw that button of information. It tempted me. I jumped into it. I spent testing these features from 9:00 to 12:00. I changed the template and background of my blog site. I could not change the font size of blog description in the banner. It disturbed me for long. This site got closed quite frequently when incorporating changes to it applying new features. These features must be still in their beta version. They added many background features. Had my lunch by 12:30. Rested for one hour. There was power cut from 1:00 to 2:00. Today I edited the content of August in my diary of 1999. I did it from 2:00 to 5:00 on my computer putting on my air cooler. Today it was cloudy and sultry. Spent at Krishna Cycle Shop from 5:10 to 5:40 along with Anand. He enjoyed watching things and vehicles there. Morning read the email of Anna Torborg of Snowbooks in London. She stated that they cannot publish my second book. Today my cousin Bala took my cousin Kavitha for city tour. He showed Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Birla Planetarium, Tank Bund, Lumbini Park, Assembly building and Birla Mandir to her from 3:00 to 8:00. She must have enjoyed it. They returned home by 9:15. Went to sleep by 10:30.
12 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 1999 for five hours. Edited the content of September and October in it. By 5:00 Srijana, Anand, Kavitha, Bala and I went to our nearby GHMC nursery. We played on the seesaw there for some time. Anand greatly enjoyed it. Yesterday a tree fell down in this nursery due to heavy rain. There is a guard in this nursery. The folks of GHMC appointed him. He cut the branches of the fallen tree with a light axe. He must be 60 or so. He said that the government pays him 3400 rupees a month for this job. I liked his simple and happy life. A cute boy came there to play. His name is Sridhar. He is in his second standard now. He came there on his small bicycle. Bala and I interviewed him for some time. He did not take a chocolate offered by us. He must have taken us as kidnappers or terrorists in civilian clothes. Many parents teach these precautions to their children when they are going out. I do it to Srijana also. India is made into an abode of corruption and unrest. It started raining by 6:45. Bala and I rested under a little shelter for 10 minutes. Srijana, Anand and Kavitha left for our abode by 6:00. Bala and I had a green beans cutlet at a pushcart there by 7:00. A boy of 12 years did it in the absence of his father. Bala paid 14 rupees for these two cutlets. Child labor cannot be uprooted from India as long as there are poverty, politicians and uneducated Muslims in India. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of November and December in my diary of 1999 and completed editing it. Afternoon paid 170 rupees to an agent of Sai Ram Communications. He is the cable operator to our television. Eenadu television and ETV 2 channels are not available on this cable network now. Srijana watches serials on this channel. She told me not to pay the monthly charges to him until he resolves this issue. I did not like her view. Cable operators are badly affected after the introduction of satellite dish antennas by corporate firms. Entertainment is huge on television channels now. The monthly charges are very less compared to the amount of entertainment and information the subscribers are getting through many television channels. We should not bother others for minor reasons. Morning the pet cat of my house owner soiled the entrance of our abode. They call it Bittu. Earlier it soiled our abode about four times. Srijana somehow washed it not to make it an issue talking with the house owner about the acts of their dear pet cat. This time she avoided it. I found her stand justifiable. Our house owner came up and cleaned that place by 8:30. Thus he realized the intensity of this issue. Their domestic help refused to attend this work. Pets create such unwanted scenes at houses now and then. They must be in their natural habitats. Went to sleep by 10:00.
14 June (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2000 from January to February. I took about six hours’ time to edit the content of these two months. I am editing one month before lunch and one month after lunch. By 4:00 the maternal uncle of Srijana deposited 12000 rupees into my Axis Bank account at the Axis Bank in Payakaraopeta. It is the cost of the Sony digital camera bought by me and damaged in the hands of cousins of Srijana when they went to a beach recently. The authorized Sony mechanic checked it and said that it is completely damaged due to entry of seawater into it. He advised us to buy a new piece instead of getting it repaired. Alluru Gopala Krishnam Raju, the leader of this excursion team at beach, took this responsibility. His father knew about it from the maternal grandmother of Srijana. Srijana turned serious after my talk with her about the indiscipline of her cousins in this regard. She told them to deposit this amount of money into my bank account immediately. She did not like my talking badly about her folks. The father of Krishna pledged their gold ornaments at a gold merchant to get this money. I know about people, who behave with courtesy, when such things happen. They don’t collect money from their familiar ones for damage or loss of things in their possession. I am neither rich nor generous to react so in such circumstances. Now 12000 rupees is a big amount of money for me. I want a quality camera to take photos and videos of Srijana and Anand. I could not react differently in this setting. We cannot have generosity for others always. Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Sakuntala Devi, Srijana, Anand, my cousin Kavitha and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 9:05. We reached Kothi by 9:50. Thence we took a 251 N Kothi-Nanajipur ordinary bus. It started by 10:05. We got off it at Shamshabad by 11:00. Thence we took a 307 Shamshabad-Shadnagar ordinary bus. We got off it at entrance gate of Muchchintal panchayat in Madanpalli by 11:45, traveling in this bus for 20 minutes. There is a small hotel at the peepal tree there. The hotelier must be rearing two goats and some fowls there. Anand enjoyed their presence. There we took a 251 M ordinary bus by 12:05 and reached Sri Ram Nagar by 12:10. The religious abode of Hindu saint Chinna Jeeyar Swamy is here. He, his disciples and followers worship Lord Srimannarayana. We saw spectacular statues of Hindu deities in the three floors of the temple here from 12:10 to 12:20. They rang a big conch bell in it for about 10 minutes. Anand too listened to this high volume of sound. He spent happily crawling fast on the spacious marble floor here. We had holy Theerdham and Prasaadham by 1:15. We had free food by 1:30. We reached the cow shed by 1:40. We rested on a wooden structure there by cows till 2:55. We walked back to road by 3:12. We started back by 3:37 by a 251 M bus. We reached Afzal Gunj bus bay by 4:45. We waited there till 5:15 for our route bus. We reached Kothi in an auto rickshaw by 5:45. Thence we took a bus and reached our abodes by 7:00. Went to sleep by 9:30 for my dreams.
16 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of March in my diary of 2000. Felt weak while editing it on computer by 11:00. Stopped the work and rested for two hours. I could not understand why my brain became dim. Perhaps because I am not sleeping adequately and I am not eating energetic food. This editing work is consuming more energy from me. By 5:30 Srijana, Anand and Kavitha went out for a little shopping. I accompanied them like a bodyguard. They bought fashionable earrings, bangles and hairpins for 40 rupees. They are for Kavitha and her mother (my cousin Anantha Lakshmi). Thereafter we bought a pair of leggings and a latest top for 260 rupees for Kavitha. It is our gift to her. I liked the ambience around the religious abode of Chinna Jeeyar Swamy at Sri Ram Nagar. Students are learning Vedas in their academy near this temple complex. They are running an educational institution for the visually impaired. It is service to humanity in the name of religion. I knew that many such religious and spiritual organizations are being run through donations by their followers. Indians are spending millions of rupees on religion and spiritualism now. I consider many of them as blind sheep. They don’t think and work for regional and national issues like corruption, immorality and terrorism. They build walls around them and live there thinking that all are happy outside. They are more interested in expanding their cults and related literature and practices rather than present issues and their solutions on humanitarian grounds. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 June (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 8:15 and reached MGBS by 9:00. My father sent me a cardboard box of mangoes from Adduroad day before yesterday. This box has to be sent to Dilsukh Nagar from MGBS. They still kept it here. My father-in-law sent me a cardboard box of mangoes yesterday evening from Tuni. It reached here this morning. These two parcels were sent through the ANL Parcel Service of the APSRTC. They took one hour’s time to release these two parcels for me. Two helpers demanded 40 rupees from me to carry these two boxes into a nearby bus bound to Ibrahimpatnam. I can carry them on my own. The distance is very short. They talked with me like monarchs. I shouted at them and gave 20 rupees only. I did not like to encourage two filthy pigs paying them more than necessary. Easy money creates loafers and scoundrels in a society. Got off the bus at B N Reddy Nagar stop by 10:45. Hired an auto rickshaw for 15 rupees and brought these boxes to my abode. My father sent 50 mangoes. My father-in-law sent me 70 mangoes. Today I edited the content of April in my diary of 2000. By 3:30 received a letter from the office of Reader’s Digest in New Delhi. I subscribed to this English monthly recently online. Vikas Malhotra informed me about the confirmation of my subscription. This is the first letter I received after entering this rented abode. Evening we spent in the nearby nursery of GHMC for 30 minutes. Went to sleep by 10:00.
18 June (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of May and June in my diary of 2000. Evening and night it rained considerably. By 7:00 Sakuntala Devi came here along with her granddaughter Aiswarya. They brought biscuits for Anand. We spent talking among ourselves for one hour. Aiswarya called up some rogues of Telugu film industry out of curiosity and interest in them. Comedian Sunil attended the phone but did not talk with her for more than two seconds. He is a filthy pig. He must have thought that he is a wonder on earth. He is worse than a beggar. Singer Sunita responded to her after 30 minutes. She must have thought that she is next to God. I hate such careless reaction from others. I observed high levels of false prestige and psychological disorders even in some other scoundrels of Telugu film industry. I feel like hanging them publicly when they neglect calls from others. They live depending on alms thrown by viewers. They should react decently and properly when somebody calls them out of love for them. Otherwise they send a wrong message to their fans and admirers. I know about the standards and values of the blokes in film industry. They walk from door to door craving for opportunities initially like beggars. After earning a little fame, they behave like gods and goddesses towards those that care for them. When people neglect them, they live like sick dogs and dirty bitches behind the screen. Aiswarya developed bad impressions about these stinking pigs today. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
19 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2000 for six hours and completed July and August of it. Today it was cool and cloudy. By 9:30 posted a blog titled “Celebrities” on my blog site. It is my satire on the celebrities in the film industry. They mostly do not attend phone calls from unfamiliar people. I criticized this tendency in them. I typed out this blog this morning being influenced by my experiences recently with some dogs and bitches in the Telugu film industry. Recently I invited my father and mother over phone to come and spend here with us in Hyderabad for a few days. My mother said that I am jobless now and so she does not like to be a burden to us now. They think that I cannot look after them now. For them a job means financial independence and related happiness. It is not true. A jobholder means an automated money-earning machine. They did not want my presence as my parents. I need not spend money for them even if they are here. They don’t eat gold and platinum. They eat a little rice like us. My two-bedroomed rented portion is spacious enough for all of us. They can enjoy the presence and mischief of Anand now. I did not like their thinking about everything in terms of money. Now they are living without much money. They are not well now. Still I am going there because it is my vital responsibility. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
20 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 4:00. Freshened up myself by 5:00. My cousin Kavitha and I took a 1 V ordinary bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 5:20. Bought two tickets for Rethifile Bus Stand for 20 rupees. We reached there by 6:10. I enjoyed this pleasant journey in the cool morning. Janmabhoomi Express was put on platform 1. My brother-in-law Vamsy already went there and occupied three seats in a general coach. My cousin Murali brought his paternal grandmother Varahaalamma from Thumukunta by 6:15 by bus. My brother-in-law Anantha Varma arrived by 6:40 from his abode. He is going to Durgada to bring his wife Sirisha and their baby girl. A fat passenger refused to vacate a seat occupied by Vamsy. Our three folks sat in that little space being unable to tackle that stupid man. This train pulled off by 7:10. Kavitha and Varahaalamma go to Gollalagunta from Samalkot. Anantha Varma goes to Durgada from there. They reach their respective destinations by 8:00. Returned home by 8:30 by bus along with my cousin Murali. We two went to cinema Sushma by 11:30 on my bicycle. We bought two balcony tickets for 100 rupees. We saw the Telugu film “Villain” in it from 12:15 to 2:30. Mani Ratnam directed this film. I could not understand 70% of the dialogues and songs in this film. This credit goes to A R Rahman because he is the music director of this film. I did not expect such shallow film from this director. The photography and main characters are very good. Went to sleep by 10:00.
21 June (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of September and October in my diary of 2000. This morning I emailed my postal address to Gangadar Menon of Leadstart Publishing in Mumbai. He sent an email to me on the 18th of this month asking me to send my address to send me author copies of my first book. I checked my Live (Windows) email today. Sunil K Poolani delayed much in printing and sending books to me. My brothers and others felt frustrated about this delay. Some thought that he may be a cheat and that my money is gone. This is how Indians interpret heavy delay in transactions with unfamiliar people. The communication from Sunil is poor. Always I have to email him to get information about the progress of my book. He writes that he is busy. I am busier than him. He is taking much time to send my books to bookshops in India. He must be disturbed and restless now for some reasons. Many publishers are not publishing works from new writers. They are running after famous writers but not quality works. This is the result of corporate culture. They run after fame and money rather than talent and values. In this scenario, Sunil appears like a savior to new writers. The font they use in their books looks poor and outdated to me. They are obsessed with it. They don’t change. New writers want publishers like them. Went to sleep by 10:00.
22 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Typed out and posted a blog titled “Telugu Film Villain” on my blog site by 9:00. Edited the remaining content from 1 November in my diary of 2000 from 9:15 to 12:00 and completed its editing. Spent rest of the day casually. By 5:00 went to Rythu Bazar near cinema Sampoorna and bought onions and vegetables worth 60 rupees for us. Now we have about 10 mango fruit in our abode. I already gave some fruit to our familiar ones. I like sweet mango fruit. I don’t follow discipline in eating mango fruit. It is perhaps because they are available to me and I need not buy them. Apples remained as costly and unaffordable fruit to me for long. I should buy an apple farm in Jammu & Kashmir to eat them satisfactorily but ISI folks may target me there. I like dates also a lot. They increased those prices also now. I should go to Rajasthan and walk through the desert there enjoying the beauty of sand and eating fresh and quality dates. I heard that they put dates to camels as food. They are luckier than me. Evening Srijana proposed taking Anand to Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh for consultation. His body is turning a little hot now and then. I said it is not necessary. His inbuilt immunity system attends it. This doctor does not prescribe medicines to anybody for minor reasons. We need to spend half an hour to attend this work. This afternoon my friend Ramesh of HCU called me. I lost his cell phone number earlier. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of January and February in my diary of 2001. Today I got an email from Yerra Krishna Kishore, my A P Residential School classmate. I felt happy and replied to him. By 5:05 received 10 complimentary author copies of my first book Stories of Love and Beauty from a vehicle of Professional Courier Service on the main road near Apollo Pharmacy medical store. Brought that parcel of cardboard box to my abode by 5:08 on my bicycle. Srijana cut it and opened by 5:12. She inaugurated my first book simply in the presence of Anand and me. I liked the look and quality of the book. I scanned its inner pages for quality check. The title of the short story “JIMS” is wrongly printed in page 300 as “JIPS”. It is the mistake of publisher. I felt a little disturbed about it. Showed this book to Aiswarya and my cousin Bala. They liked the beauty and quality of the book. Gangadar Menon sent me an email specifying the nature and network of their marketing at Leadstart. I found it impressive and effective. Called up my brother Srinivas and my cousin Narendra Varma and informed them about getting my books from the publisher. I don’t like to give these books to everybody just like that. Interested ones should buy and read it. Books should not be in the hands of foolish and worthless creatures. My book is not for such blokes. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 June (Thursday)
Went to sleep around 1:30 (last night) after waking up from my sleep. Anand got up in the middle of the night and started crying restlessly. I think he suffered from stomachache. He twisted himself with pain. Srijana took him out of bed and walked to comfort him. He slept after suffering for a long time. Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of March and April in my diary of 2001. Vamsy brought a parcel of cardboard box by 12:30 by bus. His father sent it for us from Tuni by ANL Parcel Service. He sent 20 mangoes, milk sweets, 20 lemons and select dry red chillies in it. Anand is happily playing with water while getting bathed. He is much interested in bath and water. He is playing with toys. He is standing up with support. He is turning adamant and mischievous day by day. He goes into our kitchen and picks vegetables from the bottom shelf. He scatters them like a chicken in a garden. He plays with a ball passionately. He is taking our cellphones from our hands. He presses those buttons with force and often keeps it at his ears. He watches others playing on the road in the evening standing in our abode. He enjoys walk and journey outdoors. He does not take medicines readily. He wants to play with everything he comes across. He puts our water purifier on. He is crying frequently being impatient for everything. He is picking up little things from the floor to put them in his mouth. He wants to press my computer keyboard buttons. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 June (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of May and June in my diary of 2001. Today Srijana decorated Anand with a new pair of clothes. His birthday arrives soon. Manohar Chapa, the assistant sales manager and T Bhanuchander, a senior sales executive of Leadstart Publishing came to my abode by 2:20. Manohar brought a pack of sweets for me. Bhanuchander is recently appointed by them to attend their marketing activities in Hyderabad. We offered snacks, sweet lemon water and mango fruit pieces to them. Spent talking with Manohar till 4:00. He told me about their marketing strategy and network. They are into publishing for four years. He said that they are in the fifth position now in India in this industry. Famous bookstores take more money from the sale of books and don’t pay back to the publisher till the end of a financial year. The books of new writers seldom get reviewed and published in dailies and other periodicals. He asked me to inform them if I want to put my books at some store. I don’t like to request the blokes of any bookstore to keep my book with them. I don’t think that press meets and book reviews promote a book or a writer. We cannot decide the failure or success of a book or a piece of art. The prevalent trends in a nation influence these things to some extent. Indians are after cricket, films and cellphones now. An artist should not be crazy and craving for fame. Time settles all disputes. Went to sleep by 10:30.
26 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. My spine was affected last night while asleep. I would have slept in a wrong position. The upper part, below the neck, was affected. The pillow or uneven mattress might also be a cause for it. I am unable to freely move my neck. Today I edited the content of July and August in my diary of 2001. By 4:20 postman delivered a registered VPP packet sent by the folks of Reader’s Digest in New Delhi. There are three gift books in it. They are INVINCIBLE THINKING of Ryuho Okawa, Modern Heroes of Lucas Otto and THE BOOK OF MIND BLENDERS by Terry Stickels. JAICO BOOKS published these books for Reader’s Digest. Paid 449 rupees to the postman for this VPP. It is a great English monthly magazine in India. They cover highly relevant and insightful contemporary themes in this book. One can read it to improve one’s general knowledge and English. It is a precious book for educated and enlightened readers. I am happy and proud to subscribe to such informative and quality magazine. They award various prizes and gifts to lucky winners in their annual draws. I would be very happy if I get one of those prizes in their draw this year. Every artist needs financial stability to work better in his chosen field. Sometimes they depend on chance for money and livelihood. By 4:21 my brother Srinivas called me up and enquired me about the progress of my first published book. He told me to send one book to him. Today I had four mango fruit. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. Today I edited the content of September and October in my diary of 2001. By 7:00 my brother-in-law Vamsy brought the parcel of mangoes sent by my father from Adduroad. There are about 50 mangoes in it. He bought about 25 acres of agricultural land working as a boiler attendant for about 28 years in a cooperative sugar factory. He has mangoes and cashews to offer me. He did not study courses of education like me. I spent 17 years’ time in education. I did three jobs so far. I bought nothing to offer him. This is the difference between him and me. That generation means hard work, patience and vision. This generation is known for comforts, impatience and craze for harmful and dirty things around. Now my father is rearing a buffalo. He has no time to come here for this reason. My mother has high cholesterol. She is suffering from four chronic health disorders now. They should come here for a change of air. They are not thinking in that direction. By 4:15 my cousin Bala came here. We two took Anand to the nearby nursery. We played on a seesaw there for 30 minutes. Anand enjoyed observing boys and girls playing there. This morning, Subba Rao, a colleague of Bala, saw my first book in Vallabhai Patel playground. I liked his inspiring remarks about this book and me. Their friend borrowed it to read it at home. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 June (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Took Srijana and Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh by 8:45 on my bicycle. Anand developed minor skin disorders due to something. The doctor advised Srijana to avoid using soap for some days and apply coconut oil. By 9:30 booked the parcel pack of my book at a Trackon Couriers point near Ganesh Temple. He charged 100 rupees for it. My brother Srinivas receives it at the UCO Bank in Dwaraka Nagar in Visakhapatnam tomorrow. Today I edited the content of November and December in my diary of 2001 and finished editing it. By 3:30 went to the Reliance store at Ganesh Temple and paid 340 rupees towards the postpaid bill for my cellphone for the last month. Took some photos and videos of Srijana and Anand at my abode from 5:00 to 5:15. It is a digital camera of Kodak company. It is taking much time to save a shot photo. I did not like its capacity. Srijana borrowed it from her cousin, who paid money for my camera recently. I could not buy another camera because my father-in-law did not repay me his due yet. He owes 70000 rupees to me. I have to depend on it now. Earlier he asked me to lend him one lakh rupees. He is good at borrowing money from others but not in repaying it. His desires are more but he is financially poor. From 10:00 to 12:30 saw the Telugu film “Pappu” of Krishnudu, Deepika and Subba Raju in cinema Sushma along with Srijana, Anand and Aiswarya. It is an interesting film. Went to sleep by 1:00 on the terrace.
29 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Srijana, Anand and I got ready by 8:50. We took a 127 K/V bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 9:40. We got off it at Journalist Colony junction by 10:50. We reached house 29/A by 11:00 on foot. We took five mango fruit for Veeranjaneyulu. Meher Murali is also here. I showed my first book to them. They liked its look and quality. I did not keep it here because Veeru does not have time to read it. He is a busy and dedicated artist. Now he has a debt burden of about eight lakh rupees. He recently bought a used TATA Sumo vehicle. He bought it for hiring out to others. His cousin drives it. He is learning car driving. Many of his clients are rich Kshatriya folks. They like him as an artist and individual. One of them is going to build a spacious art studio for him soon in a place at MLA Colony. He can devote more time to art in that place. His mother is concerned about his marriage. He wants an inspiring beauty to marry. Beauties are running after celebrities, software engineers, NRIs and jobholders now. His marriage remained as a burning issue to others than him. Had my lunch by 1:45. Spent talking with Meher Murali from 2:30 to 4:00. He told me about various spiritual things. I found his words reliable and appreciable. I took five packs of Shakthi Malt powder for 600 rupees from Veeru. We took a bus by 4:40. We reached home by 7:00. Went to sleep by 9:00.
30 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of January and February in my diary of 2002. There was power cut for about two hours. It affected my editing work. I know summer as a season of power cuts in Andhra Pradesh. This time they extended this practice to rainy season also because there is no enough water in reservoirs. Power cuts disturb the work schedules of people and businessmen. Evening, three folks, related to Srijana, moved into the abode of Meher Murali at Lallaguda. Murali is living in the portion of his friend, who is working as a software engineer in the USA now. Murali’s mother passed away recently. He remained unmarried for spiritual reasons. Solitude haunts this gentleman if he stays alone in this abode. He told me to see if others are interested in staying along with him here. The cousins of Srijana are interested in this opportunity. Now they are paying high advances and rents at RTC Crossroads. Murali told them to pay 2500 rupees a month as rent. He needs it for his casual expenses. Now three guys are staying there. This rent is very affordable for them. Murali is good toward them in this regard. My brother-in-law Vamsy is also there now. His ITI exams will be conducted from the 23rd of next month. He will be relieved of this two-year course soon. His parents would be happy at this achievement by him. Today my brother Srinivas received my book parcel in Visakhapatnam. Today I had four mango fruit. Went to sleep by 10:00.
1 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of March in my diary of 2002. I often go online for checking the accuracy of some words used in my diary. Internet helps editors and writers a lot in keeping their writings correct in terms of language and information. Today it was cool and cloudy. By 3:00 Vamsy came to borrow my bicycle. Took some photos of him along with Anand. It is a Kodak digital camera of Gopala Krishnam Raju, a cousin of Srijana. Vamsy took it today to return to him. He took my bicycle also. He wants to use it for one month. He is at the final stage of his ITI course now. I could not give him pocket money every month as I wanted. My testing circumstances did not allow me to do it. This bicycle can keep him happy for some days. By 6:30 paid 4100 rupees to my house owner Bhagya Lakshmi towards the rent of my house portion for the last month. I like to pay rent on the first of every month. Others develop impressions and opinions about us based on how we look and what we do. Everybody enjoys the presence of a disciplinarian because he mostly thinks and acts minding the choices and interests of people dealing with him. Paying rents and salaries on the first of every month is a good quality of individuals and employers. Now many are suffering in India because they don’t have discipline. Went to sleep by 10:00.
2 July (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. My brother Sambha called me up by 6:30 and enquired me about the details of date and time of birth of Srijana and me. He wants to consult a familiar expert soon to know about our horoscopes. Srijana was born by 11:02 a.m. IST on 9 January, 1990, in Talli Pillala Hospital at Tuni. Anand too was born in the same hospital. I was born in the house of my maternal grandparents in village Gollalagunta. My maternal grandfather Subba Raju recorded the dates and times of births of many in our family circles. He did not note down my time of birth for some reasons. Later an expert in this field told me that I would have born by 2:40 p.m. IST on 8 September, 1976. He decided it based on my past and the details recorded by my grandfather. I accepted it. Human life is very sensitive, tragic and mysterious. Man invented various theories and concepts to predict the course of human life. Many people follow them out of beliefs and curiosity. By 9:30 collected my book from the friend of my cousin Bala. He would not have started reading it. He has a timber store. He said that he reads many English books. I have limited copies of my book with me. I want to keep up its look and quality and give to others. Today I edited the content of April in my diary of 2002. From 7:00 to 9:45 saw the Telugu film “Jhummandhi Naadham” of Manoj Kumar and Tapsee in cinema Sushma. The story, songs, music and picturization are interesting and impressive. I enjoyed watching it throughout along with Bala and his colleague. Went to sleep by 10:45.
3 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of May in my diary of 2002. Today Srijana and I opened my parcels of cardboard boxes put on shelves. There are the records of my life in them. There are letters written by others to me. There are books and other material. She liked to read some of them. Actually we opened them to see if there is any English grammar book. Srijana is interested in learning English and Hindi. She is watching Hindi serials on Star Plus television channel to improve her Hindi. She can learn English through Telugu fast because it is her mother tongue. I want to buy good books for her. Now she is spending most of her time watching television. She is following some Telugu serials also. I wonder observing her watching Hindi serials. I am forgetting Hindi because I am not using it now. Srijana does not have much work in our abode. She cooks food, washes the clothes of Anand and hers and spends rest of her time casually. She must do physical exercises to keep herself fit and healthy. She often asks me to buy clothes. I tell her that Anand and she have more clothes than me. I am not maintaining well now in terms of my clothes and look. Perhaps because I am not going out much now. I want to do it soon. Srijana and Anand are ahead of me in this race. Evening it rained and turned cool. Night it was refreshing. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Back pain affected me last night due to some disorderly handling of my body on cot while sleeping. Today I could not move my head and hands comfortably due to it. Today I avoided editing my diary due to this pain. Read the newspapers Eenadu and The Hindu for two hours. The Literary Review supplement of The Hindu is a great attraction for me. I like to read the articles and other features published in it. Today I read it thoroughly. I love the people, who write for this supplement. Their academic standards and regular contribution to literature are commendable. By 10:30 my cousin Bala and I went to Mayura Art Printers near ING Vysya Bank by main road. J Satish Kumar runs it. Told him to design and print 1000 visiting cards for me. Informed him to include my full name, cellphone number, email id, blog site id and a little photo of me on it. I gave the image of a lake to be used as background. The word “Writer” follows my name on the top right corner. My small photo must be on the top left corner. My personal details must be given at the bottom, in the middle of it. The font is Tahoma, font size is 8, font color is white. There should not be anything on the back of the card. He told me to pay 850 rupees for it. After my bargain, he made it 800 rupees. Paid him 200 rupees today as advance for it. He told me to collect them on the eighth of this month. Talked with Bala from 6:30 to 7:30 in his abode. I told him about some contemporary things useful to all. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 July (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of June in my diary of 2002. I am not happy with the attitude and behavior of Anand. We observe similar tendencies in many other children also. They want the attention of their parents and others always. They cry irrationally. They eat, drink and touch all kinds of stuff. Somebody should always watch them until they cross the age of two or three. We don’t observe this kind of nasty behavior in animals and birds. Pups live on their own within days after their birth. They would have breast milk from their mother and play among themselves in some nearby place. Monkeys don’t care much for their offspring. The same is applicable to cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep and many other creatures, which are inferior to man in terms of intelligence. Man is considered as the wisest creature on earth but if we check his early childhood in terms of his dependence on others, he seems to be a brainless and worthless creature. Humans care for their children more than necessary. I often tell Srijana to allow Anand to cry as long as he can. He cries to get his irrational demands and fantasies fulfilled. He understood that we would do anything for him if he cries. I don’t like madness and eccentricity in children because their age does not suit it. Night my brother Srinivas called me from Visakhapatnam and told me that he is transferred to Vijayanagaram. Went to sleep by 10:00.
6 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of July in my diary of 2002. Srijana, Anand and I spent in the abode of Bala, talking with his mother, from 5:00 to 5:30. By 6:00 a vendor came to our abode to buy used newspapers and other related material. My house owner Rangacharyulu brought his useless stuff out to sell to this bicycle hawker. There was a difference of five rupees between the two. They argued over it for 20 minutes. The hawker yielded and took it. Srijana brought empty cardboard boxes down from our portion. Our folks sent mangoes in them for us. There was a little hay also in them, which was used for ripening mangoes. He offered to pay 10 rupees for them. I put it at 20 rupees. He took it up to 15 rupees. I agreed for it. Hay is a costly item in cities. I can use it for some other purposes as well but such items occupy more space in our abodes. I don’t like arguing with innocent and good people about negligible amounts of money like this but this hawker looked like a dishonest bloke to me. He is buying things without weighing them on a balance. He arbitrarily announces a price for our disposable household items. We have to sell them on that basis of casual calculation. These casual and simple hawkers don’t damage our lives but they represent a bad section of poor people in India. Even honest and sensitive people cannot earn the trust and support of the privileged ones due to the bad things done by a few cheats of their class. Went to sleep by 11:00.
7 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of August in my diary of 2002. By 9:00 knew that my father-in-law Rama Raju twisted and fractured his right hand in Annavaram railway station. Today his father would undergo a minor eye operation in a hospital at Anaparthi. He started this morning to that place from Tuni railway station by Janmabhoomi Express. There was a long queue at the ticket counter in Tuni. He could not buy a ticket in that station. He got off this train at Annavaram railway station to buy a ticket for Anaparthi. He stepped on a slippery surface on the platform when going hurriedly to the ticket counter. He fell down twice and supported himself using his right hand. He is heavy. He developed his body eating chicken curry frequently attending cock fights in their village. I don’t like his eating and smoking habits. He returned to Tuni by a train. It pained him a lot. His brother-in-law Rama Sekhara Raju took him to a doctor in Tuni and got the affected part of his right hand dressed. Srijana is disturbed about it. I did not call him up even for courtesy sake. I don’t like many such formalities. I don’t like undisciplined people and their foolish acts. Earlier he hurt his eye in that order. My courtesy call cannot change his mind or fate. I am waiting for the money to be repaid by him. Today it was rainy and cool. Today I received two intimation letters from the folks of Reader’s Digest. Slept by 10:00.
8 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the content of September in my diary of 2002. Talked with my cousin Vasu from 9:30 to 10:00 over phone. He came to his house in Gollalagunta on a short leave from Jharsuguda in Orissa. He is working with a unit of Vedanta Resources there. He recently became associate officer in it through promotion. Now they are paying 22000 rupees to him as salary per month. They will soon move into residential quarters being built by their company. He got this job soon after his B.Sc. course. Then he was an innocent boy. God blessed him. He is happy now. His parents are happier now. He is going to the office of Kshatriya Seva Samithi in Visakhapatnam to give them 3000 rupees. Earlier they helped him providing financial assistance through scholarships for his education. He is expressing his sense of gratitude to them this way. I am happy about his growth as an individual and employee. By 7:30 went to Mayura Printers to collect my visiting cards. He said that he did not get them printed yet. Earlier he told me to come today to collect these cards. Today he said that he is waiting to see if I suggest any changes in it. He is transferring his mistake to me. I don’t like such rogues. They think that they are intelligent and strategic. I like to teach a lesson to him. I should tell him to print the cards now. I should make him call me. I should go there to collect them after a long time. He should wait for my arrival. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 July (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 8:30 my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani called me up from Visakhapatnam and informed me that my brother Srinivas is asked to work at the branch of UCO Bank in Devarapalli instead of Vijayanagaram. Their bank union leaders decide where they should work. He has to commute by bus from Visakhapatnam to this place. He is comfortable even with this transfer order. Today I edited the content of October in my diary of 2002. By 3:15 Srijana and Anand took an A.C. bus at NGO Colony bus stop for Serilingampally. They are going there to spend for one day at the rented abode of my cousin Sirisha of Durgada. Anantha Varma received them there by 5:30 and took them to his abode in an auto rickshaw. My maternal aunt Soorya Bhaskaramma is also there now. She is taking care of her granddaughter. I could not go there along with my folks being busy with my editing work. By 6:30 Anirudh and I collected about 16 photos of little Krishna and Lord Krishna from the Internet on my computer. Tomorrow he has to give a presentation on Lord Krishna in his class. The quality of these images is low. By 7:00 I discovered that fever attacked me. It got intensified internally during daytime and surfaced by the evening. Bought two tablets at a medical store to face it. Went to sleep by 12:00.
10 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep well. Various thoughts, related to my book, ran in my mind. I talked about my book and other things in English with the people of media. My English and ideas were appreciable. Perhaps it was my desire and subconscious effort to express my notions to others. Knowledge and information, not shared with others, remain futile. I can express my feelings and thoughts better within myself rather than with others in a formal setting. In educational institutions, where I studied, I was trained to be a silent listener but not a proactive and active speaker. Last night I had a dream also related to my book. I felt as if a person was resting beside me on cot. Felt relieved after seeing that there was nobody. I think poor health causes disturbing dreams. Today I spent passively under the influence of my low fever. Morning and evening took tablets to avoid it. It did not yield to them. By 11:30 went to the nearby E-seva centre on foot and paid my electricity bill of the last month. This time it amounted to 230 rupees. It is beyond my expectation. I have no time to run after the folks of APSEB and find out the truth. Today I talked with Srijana four times over phone. She said that Anand called for me frequently. I often take him out. He enjoys those short outdoor trips with me on foot. Last night he did not sleep well like me. Srijana said that he is craving for my presence. I felt happy about his love for me. Evening they went to the abode of Madhavi, the maternal aunt of Srijana, at Ashok Nagar there. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Even today I suffered from low fever. I bought four tablets from the medical store of Apollo Pharmacy and took them in the morning and evening. Even those tablets could not defeat my fever. It must be a viral fever. I can sense its impact in my body but I cannot feel its temperature on my body. Foods are tasting bitter on my tongue. I ate little amounts of food to keep my body active. I think fever makes our digestive system also slow like other biological functions of our body. A runner needs more food whereas a pedestrian can be happy with less food also. I am a pedestrian now. Today Srijana spent happily along with Anand at the abode of her maternal aunt Madhavi at Ashok Nagar near Serilingampally. Today I read Eenadu and The Hindu for three hours. Had my breakfast and supper in the abode of Bala. His mother served them affectionately for me. I frequently go to their abode to spend there happily talking with them. She is growing vegetable and flower plants in the premises of their rented house. I like her gardening work. From 3:15 to 6:30 typed out a blog titled “Anand Sagar” on my computer. It amounted to nine pages. I will post it on my blog site on the 25th of this month. His first birthday falls on that date. This blog is to introduce my son to my blog readers. Earlier I posted his photos only on my blog site. Went to sleep by 12:00.
12 July (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Even today I suffered from low fever. Today I stopped taking tablets for it. Now immunity in me attends it. Today I edited my blog titled “Anand Sagar” for about four hours. I put it on my blog site and scheduled its date of posting. It will be automatically posted by 4:00 PM IST on the 25th of this month. I discussed various things related to Srijana, Anand, me, children, parents, family and culture in this blog. Srijana and Anand came here by 3:00 by an A.C. bus from Serilingampally. They spent at the abode of Madhavi happily. By 6:30 went to the police station in Vanasthalipuram. Met sub inspector Nagaraju and enquired him about the progress in my complaint against Vijay Kumar of Olympus camera case. He did not attend it at all since I met him last. He treated me like a buffoon at his mercy. I controlled myself. He told his colleague sub inspector B Raju to handle this case. He called up Vijay Kumar and talked angrily with him about this issue. I liked his rough police language. He ordered him to meet him in this police station between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning to avoid arrest, loss of job and other complications. Vijay Kumar behaved like a nasty cheat for long. He felt disturbed after the ferocious talk by B Raju. He called me up. I asked this inspector to attend this case of talk also and further blast him. He did it. Vijay sent me an SMS of apology. He called me up many times later. I did not attend them. Switched off my cellphone. He is a rogue. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today also I suffered from fever. Today I spent at home casually. I felt weak. By 6:00 went to Vanasthalipuram police station by bus. Earlier I went there in casual clothes like a tramp. Today I went there with a good look in formal and attractive clothes. Our physical look matters. I know how to keep myself attractive naturally. I don’t maintain it always. It is a good quality to look attractive always. I want to practice it soon. An admirer of beauty should maintain his good looks. A few strands of white hair occupied my head, beard and moustache. I don’t like them. Srijana advised me to color them with hair colors. I did not find it necessary at this stage. I don’t think I am looking ugly due to my white strands of hair now. My black hair is still thick. It is enough if I wear classic clothes with the present size of body and level of health. Sub inspector B Raju told me that Vijay Kumar came to this police station yesterday night around 10:00. Raju reprimanded him and told him to give a cheque for the money he owes me. Now he has no money. He agreed to give a postdated cheque. I took my first book to show to B Raju. He scanned it and found it attractive. Sub inspector Nagaraju also scanned it. I gave it to them to read it and return to me later. They talked interestingly about me as a writer. Slept by 10:00.
14 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today also I suffered from low fever. Today I edited the content of November in my diary of 2002. By 4:30 postman brought me a VPP sent from the office of Reader’s Digest in New Delhi. Paid him 472 rupees and collected it. There are three books in it. They are HOW TO WIN ANY ARGUMENT of Robert Mayer, THE SUCCESS CODE of Dr Joe Rubino and Better Sentence Writing of Dianna Campbell. These three books weigh about 300 grams. Jaico Books published it. Vikas Malhotra calls them gifts because we pay money to them for these books. These are the English language skills of this gentleman. These are the standards and values of the publishers of Reader’s Digest. They sent me their online subscription ad about 20 times by email. I have to type in my details every time they email it to me. Then only they enter my name in the draw of their sweepstakes. This English monthly is a great piece but I am not happy with the methods of its promotion by its publishers. Intellectuals don’t like their approach in marketing it. By 5:00 went to Vanasthalipuram police station and met sub inspector B Raju. He said that Vijay Kumar did not bring a cheque yesterday as promised. We decided to wait for two more days to do something against him. He gave his visiting card in this police station when he came here. Now he is working at the Hitachi store in Punjagutta. Earlier they told me that he was not working there. Went to sleep by 9:30.
15 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of December in my diary of 2002 and completed its editing work. Even today I suffered from low fever. By 9:30 a Brahmin fellow came to our portion and asked me to donate him some money. He showed me the wedding card of his daughter. He said that he has to pay a dowry of 50000 rupees to his son-in-law. He chose this path to collect money for it. I asked him why he is paying dowry despite being poor. He said that it is very common now. I sensed frustration, self-pity and pain in his face and voice. I gave him 20 rupees. My house owner Bhagya Lakshmi rebuked him for going up directly. She told him about the cases of thieves entering houses like salesmen and hawkers. Brahmins acquired scholarship and special skills over the years eating good foods and reading great books. They taught standards and values to society. They lived under the patronage of kings. Now some of them are unable to survive as orthodox priests depending on society. They delay their marriages to conform to their norms of tradition. Elopements and late marriages are prevalent in their community now. Virtuous people cannot live happily in the present Indian society. Those with gimmicks and tactics can cheat others and live luxuriously. By 5:30 went to a computer centre and got three seats reserved for Janmabhoomi Express for 454 rupees for the 21st of this month. Slept by 9:30.
16 July (Friday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I had weakness caused by low fever. Avoided editing my diary for this reason. I stopped being in touch with my cousin Kiran. I called him up many times recently. He did not attend them. He does not call proactively. It is his culture. His parents brought him up that way. My teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju wanted his three sons to be good at education. They studied well and got good jobs. For them being happy means earning money and spending it for their needs. They expect others to be in touch with them. This is something I hate in them. I like Kiran for his intelligence and handsomeness. He helped me more than I could to him so far. He calls up many and talks with them for long. He cannot differentiate between reliable and unreliable people. I wasted some space in my brain thinking about him for all these days. I realized that I should love those, who care for me, than those, who don’t have time even to talk with me. Kiran inherited these qualities from his parents. They expect their real relatives, friends and well-wishers to be in touch with them proactively. They keep in touch with those, who really don’t care for them. We should not develop psychic attachment with those, who don’t have time for spending with us in any way. It is enough if we have a few good ones as our dear ones. They participate in our relationship with them interestingly. We need not struggle to sustain it artificially. I am discarding my friendship for Kiran from this day itself. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:15. Even today I sensed low fever. Spent most of the day at home. Today I knew that my friend Sriram got a job with a company in Hyderabad. They are paying him 14000 rupees a month. He remained jobless for about four months. He got ready to leave Hyderabad. He wanted to go home and live there simply along with his parents. He has wife and two children to feed. Many people in cities live depending on house rents. Tenants have to earn money every month to pay them. I wonder at those, who buy houses and sites in cities, spending lakhs of rupees. Businessmen and industrialists create artificial boom for lands and other property. It is a vicious gambling. Ordinary people cannot play this game. Powerful players in the private sector grab lands from the poor in the name of industrialization and employment generation. Many farmers turned into agricultural laborers in Andhra Pradesh due to the unethical and irrational distribution of lands to industrialists by the state government. YSR played the role of a big villain in this field. He made his son Jagan Mohan and other relatives into billionaires before dying. The Congress government ruined the vital assets of this state. The Reddy community is a curse of this state. Corrupt people are being promoted and worshipped as gods now. India is like a hell for the helpless and the virtuous. Went to sleep by 10:00.
18 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Even today I sensed low fever in me. By 11:30 Vamsy brought my maternal aunt Soorya Bhaskaramma to our abode from the abode of Anantha Varma at Beeramguda. Vamsy has his ITI exams in 10 days. He paid 4000 rupees to his course instructor. It is bribe for his theory and practical exams. The instructor gives good marks for their practical exams based on this money. They allow students for mass copying being content with this money. He told me that some parents of students pay about 25000 rupees to get a particular trade for their children. It happens more with the employees of the BHEL at Ramachandrapuram. Government employees ensure that their children only get those jobs when they are there. Ordinary people cannot get these jobs. It is a vicious network of corruption and immorality in India. By 4:30 Bala and I went to Chintal Kunta area by bus. We can find hawkers here along the main road. They sell furniture and household items in these places. They occupy large space here and establish their items permanently for daily casual public sale. We went there to buy portable rock-made appliances for domestic use. They are for my mother and my three maternal aunts. They use them for crushing items like ginger, garlic and cardamoms. We bought five items for 175 rupees. We met five sellers in this process. They put the price of each of these items at 120 rupees. They think all others are millionaires in Hyderabad. They are poor public criminals. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 July (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Even today I sensed low fever in me. Gangadar Menon of Leadstart Publishing sent me an email with the details of bookstores and online sites where my book Stories of Love and Beauty can be bought. They made it available at a few bookstores in Punjab, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Now it is available for online sale at amazon.com and a1books.co.in. They are distributing it slowly. Earlier I collected about 100 emails from my contacts. Sent emails to them informing them about the release of my book. From 1:30 to 6:00 sent about 500 emails to all those registered in the group of University of Hyderabad Alumni on LinkedIn. Most of them are in other countries doing jobs. Posted a blog on my blog site with information about the availability of this book. I did not indulge in promotional activities like book launch and book reading for it. It is misusing their time. Those interested in reading books should enquire about them and read them buying in bookstores. Advertising industry is filled with shallow fellows and unethical entrepreneurs now. I have neither interest nor money to get into it now and promote my book. My aunt Bhaskaramma, Srijana and Anand spent in Rajiv Gandhi Park from 5:00 to 6:00. Night Vamsy came here to repay 1000 rupees to Srijana and went back at once. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:15. Spent all the day casually. Today Srijana arranged our things for our journey tomorrow. She started this activity two days ago. She enjoys going home. Morning withdrew 800 rupees from my Axis Bank account. My bank balance is 200 rupees after this withdrawal. Evening postman brought third set of Reader’s Digest introductory books. Told him to send them back. They don’t have standards and values as a publishing entity. By 4:30 went to Vanasthalipuram police station and met sub inspector B Raju. He said that Vijay Kumar did not bring a cheque as promised earlier. He did not attend the call when this S.I. called him up. He is continuing his harassment against me. This inspector discouraged me from pursuing this issue. He called up the folks at Hitachi store in Punjagutta and enquired about this fraudster. They said that nobody is working with them bearing this name. I felt infuriated at their response. Earlier Vijay Kumar gave us a visiting card with this address. I won’t leave him. I should not allow this cheat to play with others also like me. He is a sinner and criminal. By 7:30 my cousin Bala brought an electronic toy for Anand. It looks like a green military vehicle. It runs with battery energy. A red light blinks on it while in motion. Bala bought it for 100 rupees. Anand started moving away from it being scared of it. I saw a coward in him. He shouts at others now and then. Went to sleep by 10:00.
21 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 3:00. Srijana and my aunt Bhaskaramma prepared food for us to have in the train journey. We three stepped out of our abode by 4:45 along with Anand. We took a 1 V Metro Express bus by 5:02 at NGO Colony bus stop. We reached Rethifile Bus Stand in Secunderabad by 5:42. We walked to platform 2 along with our luggage. We took our reserved seats 97, 98 and 99 in D-1 coach in Janmabhoomi Express by 6:00. Bought a copy of Eenadu and read it for 20 minutes. This train pulled off by 7:11. It reached Samalkot Junction by 5:30. My aunt got off it over here. My cousin Narendra Varma came to station to receive her. He bought two tickets for Srijana and me for 64 rupees from Samalkot to Tuni. I got these seats reserved up to Samalkot only to go to Gollalagunta from here to see our folks there. Later we decided to go to Tuni. I gave my book to Naren and told him to give it to my teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju in Jaggampeta to read. My aunt gave me 150 rupees asking me to buy something with it. I could not give her anything. A TTE checked our ticket and journey in a reservation coach near Tuni. He did not fine us after listening to my explanation. I felt happy. We reached the rented abode of Rama Sekhara Raju at Court Peta in a rickshaw by 6:30. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
22 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Srijana, Anand and I got ready by 9:00. Srijana’s maternal uncle sent an auto rickshaw for us. We took it by 10:20 and reached the bus stand in Payakaraopeta by 10:30. Thence we took a Visakhapatnam bound Express bus for Adduroad. It started off by 10:50. I bought two tickets for 28 rupees. We reached Adduroad Junction by 11:20. We hired an auto rickshaw for 20 rupees and reached our house in Peda Gummuluru by 11:25. My mother felt very happy at our arrival. Now my maternal uncle Krishnam Raju is here. My maternal aunt Raja Kumari is cooking and offering food for him now in Gollalagunta. She went to Lucknow to attend the birthday celebrations of the spiritual master of Shri Ram Chandra Mission on the 24th of this month. This uncle does not like to eat food in the houses of my maternal aunt Satyavati or my cousin Anantha Lakshmi. Differences developed between them when he sold his one acre of mango farm a few months ago along with mine. They thought that he would leave that piece of land for them. He sold it to live happily with that money. I encouraged and supported him in this direction. He stays here for a week. We enjoy his presence. By 2:45 my brother Sambha and I went to the paddy field of my father, under Raachcheruvu, in this village. This time rainfall is good in this region. They are getting their paddy farms ready for the crop of this season. I enjoyed greenery and breezes here till 6:30. We returned home by 6:45. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 July (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent most of the day at home. My mother has high blood pressure and diabetes. She is taking medicines, which are being supplied freely by the folks of military hospital in Visakhapatnam. A doctor is coming to our village, as part of his weekly visit, arranged by the state government. She goes to him for weekly checkup. She is unable to cook and eat tasty and nutritious food due to these two disorders. There is no considerable hygiene in and around our house. Mosquitoes and flies developed in this atmosphere. They are drinking water from our well filtering it with a cloth. It is not pure water. Anand caught cold after drinking this water. They should either boil water or buy a water purifier. They don’t do it. My father is rearing a buffalo to keep himself engaged in some daily activity. He is getting a monthly pension of 800 rupees from the Etikoppaka Cooperative Sugar Factory at Darlapudi. They rented out one portion in our house for 1000 rupees. They have to spend 1800 rupees a month for all their expenses. Srijana, Anand and I spent at the abode of my uncle Srinu from 2:30 to 3:00. We saw my paternal grandparents in the house of my uncle Narayana Murthy. My grandfather Thammi Raju is old and frail. When people are poor and ignorant, they cannot enjoy their old age. Night my brother Sambha offered supper for Srijana and me in his house (opposite ours). I slept in their abode by 9:30.
24 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 9:30 my brother Sambha and I went to Adduroad and ordered a birthday cake for 150 rupees at a bakery store for the first birthday of my son Anand. Told him to prepare one kilo of chocolate flavored cake. My uncle Krishnam Raju and Sambha played cards for about three hours. This brother is chewing tobacco products despite my warning to him. My father got a fence set up around my piece of land beside the house of my brother Sambha. He bought it for me to build a house in it. It measures about 264 square yards. They planted vegetable plants in it. My father became thin doing physical exercises and drinking more water every day. He is riding his old bicycle. By 10:30 started to the abodes of our relatives in this village and invited them to the birthday function of Anand. Spent there talking with them till 12:30. It was drizzly. My uncle Appala Raju developed hatred for my father and two paternal uncles. He is building walls around him. My aunt Vimala and this fellow are known as highly controversial and avoidable persons in our family circles. I advised my paternal aunt Subhadra on how to reform the life of her spoilt son Ravindra Varma. By 6:30 my maternal aunt Satyavati, my cousin Anantha Lakshmi and her son Vinay came from Gollalagunta. By 7:30 my brother Srinivas, sister-in-law Sandhya Rani, nephews Sujan and Suhas came from Visakhapatnam. Even today Anand suffered from cold and cough. Today it was cool and refreshing. I enjoyed it. Went to sleep by 9:30.
25 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 7:30 my father took Anand to the temple of Lord Shiva near the pond. There he cried intensely. He rebuked Srijana and me after coming back from there. He said that parents should take their child to a temple to seek the blessings of God. For him, priests are the mediators between God and humans. I don’t like it. God knows everything. He does not live in temples only. Going to temples is a formality being followed by ordinary people for long. The harsh remarks of my father hurt Srijana. She burst into tears and put a sad face for a long time. I caused it. I did not like her getting hurt by his words. She is very sensitive. My aunts Satyavati, Janaki and Lakshmi prepared Chicken Biryani and other items for our guests today. My cousin Ravindra Varma and my nephews Sujan and Suhas did decoration work for the first birthday of Anand. We made Anand cut his birthday cake by 4:45. About 80 people attended this function. My mother presented 30 steel plates to the invited female guests on this occasion. A few guests gave money for Anand. My father would have spent about 4000 rupees for this celebration. My brother Srinivas bought a birthday suit for Anand. He looked handsome in it. Anand suffered from cold and cough even today. He looked weak and inactive. I could not spend money for his birthday. I took photos and video with the digital camera of a cousin of Srijana. Today it was cold and drizzly. I remained as a guest to the birthday of Anand. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 July (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Srijana, Anand, my father-in-law, mother-in-law and I got ready by 8:00. We reached Adduroad Junction by 8:15 in an auto rickshaw, paying 15 rupees. There we hired an auto rickshaw for 250 rupees for K O Mallavaram. We reached Tuni by 1:00. We took Anand to the clinics of three children’s doctors for consultation. Doctors were not there. Anand is suffering from cold, cough and low fever. These illnesses attacked him after he drank water from our well. It gets unclean in rainy season to some extent. My folks are drinking that water filtering it with a light cloth. We reached K O Mallavaram by 10:00 without consulting a doctor. The hills and agricultural farms are green along the road we traveled. It refreshed and delighted me a lot. Spent rest of the day at the house of my in-laws. Guests gave about 2000 rupees for Anand on the occasion of his birthday. My father kept 1500 rupees with him to grow it into more money for Anand. His birthday function went on well. My father-in-law incorporated some changes into his house. He changed the kitchen into a bedroom and a bedroom into kitchen. He got a short wall constructed along the hall. He did it on the advice of an expert in this field. He has a buffalo and a calf. He bought this buffalo for 16000 rupees about 16 months ago. He said that he earned 12000 rupees, selling its milk, apart from domestic consumption. He is growing green fodder for them. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. My mother-in-law prepared the curry of goat meat for our lunch today. By 9:30 took Anand to the temple of Lord Hanuman. Today they are conducting a medical camp here to treat the patients in this village. It is a government program supported by Star Hospitals. They checked Anand and prescribed 10 tablets and a cough syrup. They gave them freely. I examined the quality of medicines, which they are supplying here. They are looking old. Many of them neared their expiry dates. They are cheating these villagers this way. They do public service for formality sake. They make patients come to their private hospitals in the nearby cities to squeeze their hard-earned money. Poor people have no access to reliable health care in India. They gave a cough syrup to Anand meant for adults. They told me to feed it in lesser amounts. These doctors did not have a decent look. They looked like paramedical staff. Today the paternal grandfather of Srijana was engaged in getting a wooden window made for his new bedroom. He spent 200 rupees for the carpenter and material. They used old wood for it. Srijana, Anand and I reached Viswanadhapuram by 4:30 in an auto rickshaw. We paid 80 rupees to him. Today it was cloudy and cool throughout. I enjoyed it. Today I showed my book to some people in this village. They liked its quality and look. Night I had three mango fruit. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today it was rainy and cool. Today Srijana, her mother and maternal grandmother prepared two kinds of dishes. They prepared Kova with buffalo milk and sugar. Preparing Kova is a long process. They boil milk in a copper pan for about four hours. They add sugar to the condensed cream towards the end. Then they make this paste into small and round cakes pressing with fingers. Today they used four and half a litres of milk and 1250 grams of sugar. They could make 100 cakes with them. I want to give some of them to Pingali Sailaja and Pramod K Nayar when I go there to meet them. From 4:30 to 5:00 Srijana, Anand and I went to the house of everybody in this village and talked a little with them. It was our formal gesture before leaving this village after this short visit. All grew trees around their houses in this village. They live in a green setting of nature breathing fresh air. Almost all folks play cards. I kept a copy of my book in the house of maternal grandparents of Srijana. If anybody is interested in reading it, it would be available for them. By 6:00 Srijana, her mother, Anand and I reached K O Mallavaram in an auto rickshaw. They fed curd rice to Anand in this short journey. He eats food without indulging in mischief while traveling. Night spent talking with Venkata Ramana Raju, the paternal grandfather of Srijana, for one hour. I enjoy his presence a lot. He talks affectionately with me. Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. I could sleep well at night in Viswanadhapuram and K O Mallavaram due to the cool and silent atmosphere here. Deep sleep at night is the best medicine for my disturbed mind. By 9:30 Srijana bought two cotton towels from Thaathabbaayi in this village. He is a weaver. He asked Srijana to pay 100 rupees for them. She bargained and paid him 70 rupees only. He told me that there are about 100 families of weavers in K O Mallavaram. Indians don’t recognize and appreciate the talent and hard work of native artists and their familiar people. They admire and run after distant entities. We buy many items at high prices in showy stores in cities. Many of them are cheats. We encourage them. We don’t encourage great people living in villages and towns because they cannot cheat us. I did not like Srijana bargaining with him to buy these two towels. A cobbler took the footwear of Srijana and me and mended them. He did good work. She gave 40 rupees for it. It is a just payment. I like the simplicity and great worth of many villagers. By 1:10 Srijana, her mother, her maternal grandmother, Anand and I started to Tuni in an auto rickshaw. We reached the rented abode of Rama Sekhara Raju in Court Street by 2:00. Spent rest of the day happily over here. Went to sleep by 10:30.
30 July (Friday)
Woke up by 4:30. Srijana, Anand and I reached Tuni railway station by 7:10 in two auto rickshaws. Srijana’s mother, her maternal grandmother and her maternal uncle Rama Sekhara Raju also came to the station to see us off. Srijana’s aunt Revathi prepared Lemon Rice for us to have during the train journey. Janmabhoomi Express arrived by 7:30. We took our seats 100 and 108 in coach D-1. Scanned Eenadu for 20 minutes. We had the packed homemade food in the morning and afternoon. Revathi did it very well. Many cannot prepare Lemon Rice deliciously. Revathi is good at this art. She prepared fish soup and prawn curry also very well during my short stay there. She is a great cook and homemaker. Anand slept for about five hours during the train journey. The pleasant weather outside and the rhythmic sound of the train lulled him to sleep. I bought a cashew sweet, a water bottle and a samosa in this journey spending 40 rupees. Vendors are cheating passengers selling low quality items at high prices. They are public thieves authorized by the Government of India. I enjoyed this train journey throughout. It was cool and refreshing. This train reached Secunderabad railway station by 7:45. Vamsy came to station to help us. We took a bus at Rethifile Bus Stand and reached Vanasthalipuram by 9:15. We had parcel meal. Went to sleep by 10:30.
31 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today Vamsy took his tenth standard certificate back from his ITI at Musheerabad. His annual exams were over. He may get his ITI certificate in a month’s time. Now his familiar ones develop good impressions about him. He kept his tenth standard certificate in a set of papers. He has no money to buy an academic file to keep his certificates. He has no money to do great things for his life but to buy clothes, play cricket and listen to songs on FM radio. He learns more lessons in future. Time changes people. By 2:10 went to Rythu Bazar and bought vegetables worth 50 rupees for us. From 3:00 to 5:30 saw the Telugu film “Maryaadha Raamanna” in cinema Sampoorna. It is a good film. I enjoyed watching every bit of it. All acted well in it. S S Rajamouli directed this film. He looks humble, simple and innocent in public appearances but one can see the wonders of his creativity and hard work as a director in his feature films. He is a handsome guy. I did not take Srijana to this film because Anand does not allow her to see it peacefully. By 5:45 went to Vanasthalipuram police station and collected a postdated cheque worth 5000 rupees from S.I. B Raju. Two days ago Vijay Kumar gave it here. He became a good boy. I chased him for weeks together to change him. Went to sleep by 10:00.
1 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Read Eenadu and The Hindu for one hour. By 8:30 my cousin Narendra Varma came to the abode of Bala. He came here to take an examination of APGENCO. He had his breakfast and lunch there. They took him as their guest though he is more related to me. He is presently working as a lecturer at Aditya Engineering College at Peddapuram. He is teaching Thermal Engineering to the B.Tech. students there. They pay 14000 rupees a month to him. He is taking competitive exams to get another good job. He came to my abode by 9:30 along with Bala. We three spent talking for one hour about common things. He took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 11:00 for Mehdipatnam. Night he left by Gautami Express from Secunderabad railway station for Samalkot. Morning paid 4100 rupees to my house owner towards rent for my portion for the last month. He did not increase the rent even after one year considering current trends of rents in this place. He is likely to increase 500 rupees. Srijana gave me 3000 rupees. I borrowed 1000 rupees from my cousin Bala to pay this rent. Today Srijana caught fever. Virus must be the cause. She did not like consulting a doctor. She asked me to buy four Crocin tablets for it. When there is no money, we become doctors. Went to sleep by 11:00 for my dreams.
2 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Took two buses and reached the small gate of University of Hyderabad at Gachibowli by 10:45. Walked to the Department of English enjoying the beauty and spell of nature on the campus. Rains turned these trees and plants green. It was cloudy. Breezes greeted me warmly. I enjoyed this stroll. First I met Professor Pingali Sailaja in her room. She is the head of this department now. I gave a copy of my book Stories of Love and Beauty to her. I gave 32 Kova cakes also to her. I talked with her for two minutes. She appeared busier than earlier. I presented one book to the library of English Department. Thereafter I gave one book to each of Professor Alladi Uma and Lecturer D Murali Manohar. I did not find Pramod K Nayar in his room there. Waited for him. He turned up by 1:15. Gave one book to him. We spent talking for 15 minutes. He looked handsome and scholarly. He advised me to keep writing. He expressed his views about the present students, teachers, books, publishers and the present Indian society. He reads much and writes a lot. He wrote 14 books so far. He is currently working on three books. He works hard as a reader and writer. I like his character and attitude. Had a plate of rice at Student Centre Canteen by 1:45. Reached Serilingampally by 2:30. Took a bus by 3:00. Returned to Vanasthalipuram by 5:15. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 10:30 Srijana’s maternal uncle Rama Sekhara Raju deposited 4000 rupees into my account at the Axis Bank in Payakaraopeta. My father-in-law gave that money to him to do it. By 11:30 went to the Abhay Clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. Still there were patients. Met him by 11:45. He checked my pulse with a stethoscope. I told him that I have been suffering from low fever for the last one month. He prescribed Fepanil tablets for me. He did not take money from me. I gave him a copy of my book Stories of Love and Beauty. He is a great reader. He read many books. He is a humanitarian and idealist. He treats his patients as helpless victims but not as money generating machines. He is a great doctor. I would be proud and happy if such a gentleman reads my book. He felt happy receiving my book. He thanked me for it. Books are for readers. All readers don’t know about the books they are interested in. A writer should reach his books to his favorite folks. Low fever did not leave me. I thought it quits me voluntarily. I am feeling sick and weak. I cannot edit my remaining personal diaries actively unless I get rid of this illness. I have to finish this work soon and do a job for earning money and running my family. Today I spent casually at home. Went to sleep by 9:30.
4 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I took three Fepanil tablets. They could not cure my low fever and weakness. I spent all the day at home casually. During my recent interaction with Pramod K Nayar, we talked about the writers and publishers now. It is not well now. Publishers are running after celebrities but not classics. Earning money is their goal. They must be able to sell more copies. New writers are finding it difficult to get their works published. Fashion and craze are the guiding principles of youth now. They want comforts and luxuries. They don’t like standards and values in their lives or professions. Corporate companies and unethical parents are promoting this culture. There is no questioning attitude in Indians now. They imitate others blindly. They follow formalities to please others. They don’t discuss realities because they are bitter and testing. They have no interest and patience to face and resolve them. Print and electronic media are involved in this mission. Many are reading it and seeing it. They think it is common in India. Writers entertain and educate readers. They cannot reach and influence all kinds of people. They think more than necessary about the contemporary people and issues. They don’t have authority to change others according to their ideals. Politicians grab it. They pollute societies through corruption and immorality. Went to sleep by 9:30.
5 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. The cool and rainy weather is making me sleep more in the morning. By 8:30 met Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh in his Abhay Clinic. I told him that I am still feeling weak and sick. I thought he would advise me to get my blood tested. It helps me detect the root cause of my weakness. He told me to take Electral for two days. I dissolved one pack of this powder in one litre of water and had it thrice today. I felt a little relieved. By 10:30 called up a Hathway Customer Service executive at Somajiguda for a bill related clarification. She said that they carried about 800 MB of Internet access forward to my broadband account from my previous bill period. Actually it should expire by the 26th of last month. They did a favor to me this way. I have no money to renew my account. Today I could browse Internet at home due to their kindness for me. By 5:00 Bala’s mother Rajeswari, Anand and I went to Panama Godowns area by bus. She did not buy small rock-made kitchen items because she did not find their prices reasonable. She wanted to buy three items for 120 rupees but they put it at 150 rupees. Anand enjoyed this short tour surveying phenomena around him. We returned home by 5:30. By 6:00 bought an RB-539 card reader for 65 rupees. Often I need it to copy photos and videos. Went to sleep by 10:30.
6 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Took a bus by 10:00 at NGO Colony bus stop and reached Nampally by 11:30. Walked into Hyderabad railway station. Bought a platform ticket for three rupees. Bought four bananas for 10 rupees and had them. Enjoyed the bustle of passengers and other activities in the station for some time. Hussain Sagar Express arrived by 12:45. It came from Mumbai. Subba Lakshmi and Kishore got off sleeper coach S 4. I went there to receive them. Subba Lakshmi is wife of my teacher uncle K V Rama Raju. Kishore is my cousin from Gollalagunta. We took an auto rickshaw, two buses and reached the abode of my cousin Bala in Vanasthalipuram by 2:00. Kishore lost the lower end of his left hand recently in a mishap. High voltage electricity hit him when he was on a long green tree under those wires in their agricultural farm. Doctors amputated part of his left arm to arrest infection. They spent about four lakh rupees on it so far. He wants to get an artificial limb to support his affected hand. He is still undergoing the related depression and sadness. I brought these two to my abode by 5:00. We spent talking about our familiar people and things for some time. Subba Lakshmi is suffering from a few chronic health disorders caused due to her laziness and ignorance. She does not take care of her health. She is in risk zone. Her husband is a disciplinarian. He could not change her in 35 years. Went to sleep by 10:30.
7 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I spent my time casually. It was cool and pleasant. Saw the Telugu film “Don Seenu” of Ravi Teja in cinema Sampoorna from 3:00 to 6:00. Malineni Gopichand directed it. I enjoyed watching every bit of this film. The story, dialogues, songs and music are very good. I bought eight small samosas for 10 rupees during interval time. They are tasty but not healthy. Now and then I cannot resist my temptation for tasty food items. Bought six corncobs for 20 rupees at a pushcart near Rythu Bazar when returning home. Corn is good for health. Night had two wheat rotis and two corncobs for my supper. We should not eat much at night. My APRS friend Krishna Kishore talked with me over phone from 8:00 to 8:53 from the UK. We talked after 17 years. He was my classmate during my education at A P R School in Bhoopathipalem. Now he is working as a software engineer there. He is living in a rented abode. He developed philosophical and spiritual bent of mind being in touch with his spiritual master for long. I liked his thoughts about many things. His relatives are in and around Tuni. He appreciated my being a writer. He said that software industry is volatile in England now. He got UK citizenship recently. He loves to be an Indian. We talked about some other familiar folks from this school. I found him as a gentleman. Went to sleep by 11:00.
8 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu and The Hindu for two hours. I am feeling sick and weak. Anantha Varma and my cousin Sirisha came here by 11:30 from Shirdi Sai Nagar near the office of Ramachandrapuram Mandal. They brought their baby Shiva Sahiti. She is seven months old now. She is beautiful and healthy. They bought and brought a pair of clothes for Anand. We had lunch by 1:30. Srijana prepared potato and egg curry for us. It was tasty. Anantha Varma and I spent talking for one hour. He told me about some bad recruitments in pharmaceutical industry. The company owners employ loyal and reliable people in key positions. Community, region and religion also impact the recruitment policies of some companies. In India, talent and hard work of a candidate don’t contribute much to his growth but avoidable things like references and impressive interview skills. Fools can satisfy the interests and egos of management of Indian firms. They assess the worth of a candidate depending on his certificates and years of experience but not his character. Indian companies identify and promote actors and liars more than idealists and intellectuals. They took a bus by 4:00 to return to their abode. By 6:00 Srijana and Aiswarya went to a nearby beauty parlor. Aiswarya had a haircut. Srijana got her eyebrows beautified. I did not find it necessary and appreciable. God beautified her adequately. This is why I married her. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I felt physical weakness. I think it’s viral fever. Srijana, Anand, Aiswarya and I reached cinema Vijaya Lakshmi Complex at L B Nagar by 2:20 in an auto rickshaw. I paid 30 rupees to him. I saw the Telugu film “Em Pillo Em Pillado” in cinema Vijaya Lakshmi 35 MM from 3:00 to 5:30. I enjoyed watching it. Praneetha is a beauty. They saw the Telugu film “Maryaadha Raamanna” in the other cinema here during this time. They enjoyed watching it. We returned home by 6:00. Typed out a letter and emailed it to the official id of K Rama Chander Rao. He is heading the poice at Vanasthalipuram police station now. Sub inspectors G Nagaraju and B Raju did not behave decently with me during the case settlement with Vijay Kumar. They did something in this regard only when I went there and begged them like a helpless buffoon. They insulted me with their words and acts. They expect patience and respect from victims. They don’t respect ordinary people but cheats and politicians. I explained these realities to this gentleman. Nagaraju and B Raju tortured me without returning my book. I went there many times to collect it. Intellectuals and visionaries don’t get respect at police stations in India. Good citizens have to go to bad police stations to resolve their worst issues. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
10 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. The intensity of fever and weakness increased in my body today. I thought that I should get my blood tested to identify the traces of villains in me. Went to Abhay Clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. He suggested complete blood picture and urine tests at my insistence. The technician collected these two samples from me by 11:30. He charged 300 rupees for these medical tests. Today I spent my time at home casually. By 4:30 postman delivered my first subscription copy of Reader’s Digest related to August. I read the content of an ad related to olive oil. I decided to use this oil soon minding our health. Went to Rythu Bazar by 5:00 and bought vegetables worth 80 rupees. Typed out a write-up titled “Incredible India” by 6:30 and emailed it to the folks of Reader’s Digest. It is my submission to the “Our India” feature in this magazine. They award a cash prize of 3000 rupees for every accepted entry for this feature. By evening my brother Srinivas deposited 2000 rupees into my UCO Bank account. I asked him to do it this morning. Yesterday Sriram emailed me the typed version of my personal diary of 2009. Yesterday Vamsy returned my bicycle. By 8:00 bought 11 small apples for 30 rupees at a pushcart for Srijana. She likes them. Collected my medical test reports from the technician of Karuna Diagnostic Centre by 8:30. I have low fever. Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh prescribed Oflomac 200 and Gelusil tablets, worth 30 rupees, for me. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I took tablets for my low fever. Evening it rained. I enjoyed it. Spent all the day at home casually. Recently my brother Sambha called me up and told me not to borrow money from anybody. Earlier the parents of my cousins Raghupati and Murali spread much bad talk about me after I borrowed money from the latter. My parents and brothers are disturbed about these developments. They did not like many talking about me that way. Now my parents, brothers, wife, in-laws and some other closely related ones are not happy with my work at home. I should get a job and receive salary every month. Writer is not a great fellow for them. Any job or work, which brings much money instantly, is what they consider great. My folks don’t appreciate me as a writer now because I am not earning money from this work. I am carrying a little stress due to these pressures from my familiar creatures. Indians love anything related to money, fame and craze but not honesty, simplicity, vision and idealism. Fever and related weakness disturbed the continuous flow of my diary editing work. If I don’t work for one day, it means that I am losing 1000 rupees. This is my present value in the job market. I enjoy editing my personal diaries. Others enjoy my job and earning status. Went to sleep by 10:30.
12 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. This time our electricity bill amounted to 84 rupees only. Paid it yesterday at our nearby E-seva centre. Today I visited the website of the Old Students Association of APR School of Bhoopathipalem. I felt happy to know about some people I was familiar with once. I sent two SMSes to my physics teacher KNV Raja Gopal. Now he is working at the APR School, at Sayampet, in Warangal district. By 10:30 went to the office of Mayura Art Printers and collected my 1000 visiting cards from Satish Kumar. Paid him 600 rupees. I spent 800 rupees for them. Their appearance is good but their paper quality is poor. I don’t think that somebody asks me for it. Writers are not in much focus now. Many read books and keep them aside. I got them printed out of intuition rather than an urgent need for them. By 4:30 Srijana, Anand and I went out to buy a few items. We walked for about two kilometres in Vanasthalipuram. She bought a book of Vara Lakshmi Vratham for five rupees and a few other items of worship at a stall near Ganesh Temple. We also bought a few pieces of cake at a bakery for 30 rupees. She plucked some little white flowers from the plants in houses by roads. We returned home by 5:30. My teacher Raja Gopal called me back by 5:38 from Warangal. He talked with me for three minutes. I felt very happy. Vamsy came here by 8:30 and left by 9:00. He brought a digital camera of his cousin. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. It is Sraavana Sukravaaram today. Hindu girls and women worship Goddess Lakshmi today formally. All the Fridays in this Telugu month are special and auspicious for them. Today Srijana too celebrated it. The birthday of Anand falls on this day according to Telugu calendar. Today we celebrated it a little. Srijana prepared special dishes for this holy occasion and the birthday of Anand. She put the photos of Hindu deities in a shelf in our kitchen. She worshipped them reading out the mantras from the book of Vara Lakshmi Vratham. She also read out the related story. I spoiled the preparation of sweet rice putting cut pieces of jaggery into it when the milk and rice were getting boiled. I collected an insight about it earlier but forgot to implement it. We went to the nearby temple of Seetha Rama Chandra Swamy by 10:30. The priests worshipped the deities there formally. We spent there for 15 minutes. Today Srijana, Anand and I wore new clothes. I took photos and videos of Srijana and Anand. Srijana took my photos. I looked weak and pale due to low fever. Anand did not look at the camera when I was taking his photos. He behaved like a monkey. I was infuriated. I touched him roughly to correct him. He cried. Today it was cloudy, cool and pleasant. I enjoyed it. Even today I did not feel well. Went to sleep by 10:00.
14 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:15. Spent most of the time at home. Listened to Telugu cine songs on my computer. By 1:30 paid 170 rupees to the cable TV operator towards charges for this month. Spent browsing Internet from 3:00 to 6:00. Visited the websites of various publishers in Canada, the USA and the UK. I found the submission guidelines on these sites complex and irritating. I visited the website of Editors and Predators on the way. They provided the details of reliable, unreliable and avoidable publishers here. There is much information useful to new writers. They are doing commendable service to creative people through this informative and comprehensive website. I came across a contest during this online journey. It is “Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw Challenge Contest” posted on the website of Harper Collins. The contestants should answer the question “What does it mean to cook food well?”. I typed out an abstract with 35 words and an essay titled “Don’t Cook” with 500 words, the word count specified by them. The grand prize winner gets $10,000 from Anthony Bourdain. The votes of readers are also important to win it. I posted the related badge and a blog on my blog site to spread this news. Met Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh in his clinic by 9:00. He advised me to continue taking the present medicines for fever for three more days. Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I took tablets twice for my low fever. It is continuing in me as a silent and decent villain. Read Eenadu and The Hindu for two hours. They enrich my knowledge about the contemporary world. They discuss social issues better than others. From 10:30 to 1:30 increased the font and size of the posts on my blog site. I used font Courier and large text version. My blog readers can read my posts easily and comfortably now. Google’s Blogger service has great features. I like the contribution of people working behind it. I could beautify my blog site easily due to their wonderful service in this regard. I cannot employ and maintain such engineers even if I have my own website. They are providing a great online platform for casual and serious folks to write something frequently and keep in touch with others. Blogging helped me write more. From 4:30 to 6:15 my cousin Bala, Anirudh and I searched for ‘To Let’ abodes in and around Self Finance Colony. We came across about 20 vacant portions of houses in this tour on two bicycles. Monthly rents are between 2700 and 5000 rupees for single and two-bedroomed portions. Bala can afford up to 3000 rupees only. He is considering a vacant house portion at Vaidehi Nagar or moving to Hayat Nagar. The owners of their present rented house informed them to vacate it soon. Went to sleep by 9:30.
16 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:20. We received a domestic HP gas cylinder by 10:00. We paid 350 rupees to the delivery man. It is a little more than what we paid earlier for it. Politicians in this nation made a fuss recently over the price hike of Liquefied Petroleum Gas. People want liquor in India more than anything else. They cannot think actively and proactively about any crucial issue in this nation as long as they are drunk. Political parties want such citizens and voters for their survival and excellence in powerful positions of India. The Government of India is spending billions of rupees every year on subsidies and for the welfare of reserved categories of people. All are not poor in India but many schemes and policies are there to satisfy the demands of a few organized interest groups in this nation. Agitations are a daily activity here. Employee unions and some other professional groups search for causes to fight for. Innocent and ideal people remain as permanent victims in this scenario. I did not find anything wrong in hiking the price of gas. I don’t want to be a nasty Indian, who always searches for ways to criticize others irrationally and illogically. Evening it rained for 20 minutes. By 7:30 my cousin Bala and I went to the house in Vaidehi Nagar, which he earlier visited. He paid 2000 rupees to its owner as advance for one portion in this house. They move into this portion soon. Went to sleep by 11:15 for my dreams.
17 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:20. Morning Srijana added a little sugar in the chutney prepared to be had along with wheat roti. I did not find it tasty. I never saw sugar getting added to it in my familiar circle. I criticized her about it. Called up my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and enquired her about it. She said that sugar won’t be added to it. Then my mother was also there. Srijana burst into tears. She remained depressive and dim for about four hours. She did not like this piece of news being reached to my folks. She felt humiliated due to my attitude. It is not a big issue for me. She need not cry about it. Sensitive people should improve their respective skills and abilities proactively because others don’t like to change them through honest and constructive remarks and advice considering their sensitivity. I advised Srijana to be ready to accept criticism to grow as an individual. Only good people criticize us minding our progress. It poured from 4:00 to 5:00 and inundated roads. I enjoyed this magic of downpour. Washed our steps with rainwater. They remained dusty for long. God pleased me offering plenty of rain. By 8:20 met Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh in his clinic. I told him that still I am experiencing physical weakness. He advised me to go for a urine test again. Went to sleep by 11:15.
18 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:20. From 11:00 to 11:30 called up the folks at the office of Board of Secondary Education in Nampally about 10 times. They printed the name of my cousin Ashok wrongly on his SSC. My paternal uncle Narayana Murthy asked me to enquire them about the progress in the correction of his name on his certificate of tenth standard. These folks don’t have a website of their own. There was no response from them. Government employees are lazy and irresponsible rogues in this state. They don’t work actively. They start unions and frequently fight for pay hikes and other benefits. Many acquire these jobs through ways of corruption and recommendations. They torture people every day. When all the systems of administration and governance are dead in a state, people turn into victims or terrorists. Now it is happening rapidly in India. By 8:15 collected my medical test report from Karuna Diagnostic Centre in the Abhay Clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. He charged 50 rupees for the urine test. The doctor checked this report and said that I am well. He did not prescribe medicines for me. He advised me to eat seasonal fruits. The prices of many of fruits are beyond my reach now. I am sensing physical weakness. I bought 10 Retalvit tablets for 40 rupees at a medical store. MHS Pharmaceuticals manufactured them. They are artificial sources of vitamins, minerals and proteins. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I took one Retalvit tablet. I felt uneasiness inside. There is something wrong with this tablet. My body is like a laboratory. It easily identifies defective inputs. Reached the office of Board of Secondary Education, by Chapel Road, in Abids, by 11:00. My uncle Narayana Murthy asked me to go there. About two months ago, the head master of Viswashanti Convent School, at Adduroad, sent the tenth standard certificate of my cousin Ashok, for name correction, to this office. They did not respond to him so far. Today I went there to know about the progress in this work. A dirty scoundrel, in room D-39, put unnecessary questions to me, about the details of application, sent by the head master, from Adduroad. He said that he did not receive anything from that place. He told me to go down and enquire about it in the Thapaal Section. They did not clear those applications for the last one month. Shyam Prasad is the main criminal here. He is a very lazy and worthless guy. I spent here till 5:00. They did not do anything. They are bastards. I visited Central Bookshop and A & A Hussain & Co. in this area to check the presence of my book here as told by the folks of Leadstart Publishing. I did not find my books in the Central Bookshop. I felt disgusted with these experiences today. Returned home by 7:30. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:20. Today Srijana performed Vara Lakshmi Vratham. She wore a new sari and prepared special dishes on this occasion. Today she prepared Lemon Rice very well. Even Anand wore a new pair of clothes. Today he fell down from a chair in our hall when Aiswarya left him there. God saved him. From 11:30 to 12:30 typed out a four-page letter on my computer addressing the Director of Board of Secondary School Education of Andhra Pradesh. My bad experiences with the folks in this office, yesterday, prompted me to write this letter. It is my severe criticism about their service to people. They are playing with the lives of students and their parents. They are known for procrastination, carelessness, laziness and stupidity. I want to awake them a little through this letter. I infused fire into the body of this letter. I advised her to file a lawsuit against me in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh or the Supreme Court of India. Got this letter printed out on Royal Executive Bond papers. Posted it by 2:40. From 3:00 to 5:30 saw the Telugu film “Happy Happygaa” in cinema Sushma along with Aiswarya. It got a weak story but interesting dialogues, comedy and music. I think they struggled a lot to develop this story. We returned home by 6:00. Today I felt weak and tired. I am observing many disorders and demerits in people around me. Many became insensitive and abusive. Went to sleep by 10:00.
21 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of January and February in my personal diary of 2003 on my computer. I am feeling weak but I must do this work. I already wasted much time. This is final level editing. Today Srijana and I washed all the parts of our air cooler and got it dried up in the sun. Srijana opened and fixed it. We will use it again in the next summer. Today my friend Krishna Varma attended an interview in Visakhapatnam for the position of bus conductor in the APSRTC. There is much competition. They inform him later if he gets this job. He can find a girl to marry if he gets this job. Employees, with low salaries, in private companies, cannot get married now. Government jobs are reliable. Krishna Varma badly needs this job now. Evening my cousin Bala and I spent talking for two hours. Yesterday his brother Murali came here. He saw the portion of house at Vaidehi Nagar, which Bala likes to enter soon as a tenant. Murali did not like this abode. He found some drawbacks in it. He criticized Bala for choosing such abode. He used offensive language and hurt Bala. I advised Bala to enter that abode only. His mother should adjust herself. Everything does not meet our expectations. We should have intelligence and patience to face tough life. Bala became furious about Murali after this event. Went to sleep by 9:30.
22 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the content of March and April in my diary of 2003. I spent six hours’ time on it. Evening Bala, Srijana, Anand and I spent in our nearby nursery for about one hour. Anand enjoyed our playing on the seesaw there. Srijana and I managed it. The plants and trees in this nursery are green and beautiful now. There are many mosquitoes also. They are greeting guests of this nursery including innocent children like Anand. He cannot drive them away. So, they are biting him. Telugu film actor Chiranjeevi celebrated his birthday today. His son Ram Charan presented a luxurious and costly car to him on this occasion. I developed aversion to Chiranjeevi observing his role as a politician in this state. Corrupt and unethical blokes joined his political party initially and left him in the middle. He lost credibility as a politician in course of time. He could not achieve anything worthy as a politician. I admire him as a film actor. He acted in many good feature films. His handsomeness, acting and achievements as an actor are commendable. He is a lucky man. I deeply love many songs and dances in his films. May God bless him. Telugu people love him as a great actor. Today I read an interview of great Telugu writer Yandamoori Veerendranath in the Sunday Supplement of Telugu daily Sakshi. His views as a writer and person are honest and ideal. Night sent an email to him expressing my sense of appreciation for him. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the content of May and June in my diary of 2003. Today Srijana put our tamarind and rice flakes on the floor of our terrace to dry them up in the sun. There were many clouds in the sky. We thought that it may rain at any time. We brought them down fearing the sudden attack of rain. It did not happen as we imagined. She cursed the sun and the clouds. Today it was pleasant throughout the day. Cool winds blew across. Now Anand is walking better than earlier. He is able to take 10 to 20 steps at a stretch. He got energy for it. He is much interested in this pursuit. He is passionate for anything eatable. His mother got enough breast milk to feed him frequently. He is drinking little amounts of water. He likes curd a lot. Srijana is cooking polished white rice for him in the morning and evening adding a few little pieces of beetroot and carrot to it. I could not buy another digital camera till now to capture the moments of his innocent childhood. Now my bank balance is 500 rupees. Four teeth developed in the mouth of Anand till now. He is enjoying playing with the kids of his age. He is dancing a little when songs are put on. He is imitating us. I mostly take him out in the morning and evening. He prefers spending with his mother always. Went to sleep by 11:10.
24 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of July and August in my diary of 2003. By 1:00 Aiswarya tied a band of sister-brother bond on my right hand on the occasion of Rakhi festival. I don’t like this practice much. It turned into a fashion now. Sisters are expecting gifts or money from their casual or real brothers after tying these stylish bands. Companies are manufacturing different kinds of bands to attract mad Indians on this occasion. Print and electronic media folks highlight it as a great occasion to celebrate because they must satisfy the interests of crazy and modern Indians also through their writings and telecasts. I did not give money or anything else to Aiswarya because I don’t like this perverted Indian culture. Srijana told me to buy a band to tie on the hand of my cousin Bala. I did not buy it because I don’t have money and also because Bala does not consider it as great. Indians are following unnecessary trends of contemporary culture forgetting the essential values of Indian culture. Happy Indians must make unhappy Indians happy through their collective efforts first. When all are living happily every day and night, anybody need not wait for a festival or special occasion to be happy then only. Yesterday my brother Srinivas paid one lakh rupees to the builder of a block of apartments in Visakhapatnam as advance for an apartment in it. Went to sleep by 9:00.
25 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of September and October in my diary of 2003. Took an APSRTC city bus bearing number 277 at a bus stop in B N Reddy Nagar by 11:00 and reached Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand by 11:50. Collected my parcel from the ANL Parcel office there by 12:00 paying them five rupees towards delivery charges. The maternal uncle of Srijana booked it yesterday evening in Tuni for us. Took the same bus and reached B N Reddy Nagar by 12:40. Took my bicycle parked by road near Hotel Raghavendra and reached my abode by 12:45 along with this parcel. There are homemade sweets, six plantains, six coconuts and two kinds of raw material needed for making Sunnundalu. The parents of Srijana sent them for us. A customer service executive of Reliance Communications called me up from Mumbai by 1:45. She asked me about my feedback about their services. I said they did not block unwanted calls to my cellphone despite my SMS to them four months ago. She advised me what to do now. By 3:00 received a letter by post from the office of Reader’s Digest. Vikas Malhotra informed me to send 449 rupees by cheque or demand draft immediately to get four entries for winning their grand sweepstakes, subscription to their English magazine for another year, membership in their Elite Group and a surprise gift. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of November and December in my diary of 2003 and completed its final level editing. I took about six hours’ time to edit the content of two months in it every day. Today it was cool and pleasant. It has been raining well every evening for the last four days. This time rainfall is good in Andhra Pradesh. Floods affected some regions. Evening Srijana and Anand brought small white flowers from a little distance plucking them from a tree at a house. She made garlands, tying them together, using a thread and needle, to adorn the photos of deities tomorrow in our kitchen. I wonder at the marketing strategies of the folks of English magazine Reader’s Digest. First I paid for one subscription to them. I paid for another subscription later to receive a few books sent by them proactively. Now I am receiving two magazines a month. They sent me a letter informing me to pay another 449 rupees to receive their magazine for one more year. They will send a CD of autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi enriched with the voices of some celebrities of India. There are many gifts to be won in their draws. I am also attracted by them. Easy money and gifts attract humans more than those achieved through hard work and intelligence. Many business entities are exploiting Indians depending on this weakness in them. I am one of those typical Indians in this regard. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of January and February in my diary of 2004. Morning Srijana performed formal worship to Goddess Vara Lakshmi on the occasion of Sraavana Sukravaaram. She read out mantras from the related small book after her worship to the photos of deities in our kitchen. Orthodox Hindus believe that gods and goddesses must be impressed, through appreciation of them, describing all their great names and achievements. Today Srijana did it thoroughly reading out those slokas. I am not going to temples now because I am not happy with the characters and lifestyles of people visiting and managing these abodes of religion. A great human being need not act before God for His special attention towards him. A sinner cannot get the blessings of God despite his acting before Him. Now many Hindus are going to temples for formality sake. I don’t enjoy the presence of such Hindus. I liked the devotion of Srijana towards God today. It is tradition that trains them in this fashion. Worshipping God is better than watching cricket and talking about avoidable things at home to spend time. By 6:00 went to Rythu Bazar on my bicycle and bought vegetables worth 80 rupees for our domestic use. Also bought six small apples for 20 rupees. Found them tasteless and worthless while eating them at home. Went to sleep by 10:30.
28 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of March in my diary of 2004. I saw the photo of an exceptionally beautiful Indian girl when searching for the photos of Amrita Arora on Google Images. I downloaded her photo and posted a blog on my blog site titled “Exceptional Indian Beauty” adding her photo to it. Her beauty impressed and inspired me instantly. She must be 16 or so. She wore a sleeveless pink top and blue shorts. Somebody took her photo when she was sitting on steps at a building casually looking to her left. It is a masterpiece for me. She is an angel of beauty. I could understand that she is a Hindu girl based on the gold pendant she wore around her neck. Her face is divine. Her eyes are magnetic. Her pose in this photo is majestic. I wrote my first book for such commanding beauties in this world. Today I was deeply influenced by her classic physical beauty. I could not know her name or whereabouts. She is a splendid creation of God. We don’t see such temples of beauty in beauty contests and films. Innocence and simplicity add more attraction to a living beauty. I found that many beauties are living in pathetic conditions in this world now. Poverty in their families and immorality in their societies make and keep them so. Admirers like me cannot reach their appreciation to their living sources of inspiration in many instances like this. Beauty decorates this earth. Went to sleep by 11:15.
29 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. From 7:30 to 9:30 helped my cousin Bala move his household items into their new rented portion in a house at Vaidehi Nagar. He hired a goods carrying auto rickshaw for 300 rupees for this purpose. They vacated the house bearing number Type1 81 owned by Datla Hanumantha Raju. They paid 2000 rupees as rent every month for it. Rajeshwari, mother of my cousins Murali and Bala, grew flower and vegetable plants in the premises of this house out of her love for gardening. I often went to this house to spend talking with them. Srijana, Anand and I enjoyed the ambience of greenery in this abode. This house is a few steps away from my present rented abode. The new house in Vaidehi Nagar, into which Bala moved, is a little far from the present one. By 11:00 my friend Sriram returned me my personal diary of 2009 at NGO Colony bus stop. We spent talking till 12:00 about our familiar things. He left for Secunderabad by bus by 12:10. Today it was cool and drizzly. Spent reading The Hindu and Eenadu from 1:00 to 3:00. Watched television for some time. Spent in the new rented portion of Bala from 4:00 to 7:00. It is good. My aunt Rajeshwari offered Vegetable Biryani to me. It was tasty. Today Telugu film actor Nagarjuna celebrated his birthday in Hyderabad. He is my platonic friend now. Went to sleep by 11:00.
30 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:15. Last night Telugu film actor Nagarjuna visited me in my dream. He was concentrating on enhancing his handsomeness and looking younger. I sensed his deep sense of love and affection for me in this dream. I consider it as a telepathic wonder. We love each other but did not meet in reality. Such separation generates more intensity in both to meet in reality. Those innermost desires get reflected and fulfilled in their dreams. The anxiety and pain of two beings, failing to express their mutual love in reality, due to some reasons, get healed in their respective subconscious arenas, to some extent. The intensity of this dream compelled me to write and post a letter to him today itself. It is my endeavor to bridge the gap between him and me. Typed out one-page letter on my computer by 9:00. Got it printed out in color and black and white, at a nearby computer centre, on Royal Executive Bond papers, by 10:45. It all cost me 16 rupees. I made a small cover with a sheet of paper and put four of my passport size color photos and my 16 visiting cards in it. I put the two versions of letter and this cover in an envelope. Cut and pasted our respective postal address slips on it, which were printed out from a computer. Went to the main post office in Vanasthalipuram and booked it there under Speed Post for 12 rupees. Today it was pleasant, drizzly, cool and cloudy. It’s a spell of cyclone. I deeply enjoyed it. Went to sleep by 10:00.
31 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of April and May in my diary of 2004. Evening Anand and I walked outdoors and enjoyed ourselves. My friend Krishna Varma came here by 10:30. He spent in village Ramayyapatnam for 10 days. This morning he took Janmabhoomi Express in Tuni railway station. It should reach Secunderabad railway station by 6:30 in the evening. Today it reached here by 9:00. It happens because there are many passenger and goods trains but not enough number of tracks to match this volume of high traffic. Every financial year, the Government of India announces and introduces new trains but does not develop new railway lines because there is no money. Special trains run late. Goods trains wait for hours in stations giving way to passenger trains. Indian Railways are being managed by corrupt ministers and helpless drivers. My friend reached my abode, on my advice, by bus, being disturbed by this late train journey. He brought 500 grams of ghee for me given by my mother. My uncle Narayana Murthy sent 500 grams of ghee for me. He brought these two doses of ghee, wheat grains and lemons for me from my village. My father-in-law sent wheat grains and lemons. Srijana uses this ghee to make Sunnundalu for us. My father and mother did not like my asking ghee from my paternal uncle Narayana Murthy. My father and his two brothers often think and behave like strangers among themselves. They are rogues as brothers. Went to sleep by 11:15.
1 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of June in my diary of 2004. It is Krishnastami today. I did not celebrate the birthday of Lord Krishna. Srijana did it a little. She prepared tamarind rice on this occasion. It was very tasty. My friend Krishna Varma and I had it interestingly. Srijana prepared Sunnundalu by 2:00. They did not meet my expectations of taste and look. The sugar powder was not smooth enough. The ghee added was also not enough. However, use of less sugar and ghee in food items is good for health. I think it is her first attempt for preparing them. My friend left for the house of his sister in the city by 4:30 by bus from NGO Colony bus stop. Today he could not spend his time well in my abode because I was engaged in my diary editing work on my computer. Paid 4100 rupees to my house owner Bhagya Lakshmi by 6:30 in the evening towards rent for my two-bedroomed portion for the last month. Srijana’s maternal uncle Rama Sekhara Raju deposited 4000 rupees into my Axis Bank account by 4:00 at the request of my father-in-law. There are no even minimum balances in my bank accounts now. My cousin Bala, Anand and I spent in the NGO Colony Park from 5:00 to 6:00. It was cool and cloudy. Anand played well in this park walking and shouting. Went to sleep by 9:30 for my dreams.
2 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of July and August in my diary of 2004. Afternoon received a marketing related card from the folks of Rose Dog Books in the USA. They are into print-on-demand publishing. I cannot get my second book published now because I have no money. Today the Congress folks celebrated the first death anniversary of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. He is the worst chief minister in the history of Andhra Pradesh. His family members, relatives, Reddy community celebrities, his well-wishers, his loyalists and party men became millionaires during his time of rule. He is a merciless dictator and worthless administrator. He ruined the economy of Andhra Pradesh. He earned many fools and lunatics as his followers and admirers in this process. The Congress party is presenting him as a God because it is the worst political party in India now. Those without individualities of their own join and promote this party. Jagan Mohan is using his Telugu daily and Telugu television channel to promote his father and his cult of politics. The Congress government is doing many mad things to establish YSR as a celebrity because it is a party of fools and rogues. Public money and natural resources get looted wherever the Congress party is ruling because it is their policy. Now Sonia Gandhi is leading such nasty and dirty political party of India to further ruin India. Loyal dogs and unethical bitches want her as their leader. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of September and October in my diary of 2004. Today Srijana worshipped Goddess Vara Lakshmi on the occasion of Sraavana Sukravaaram. Srijana, Anand and I spent in Rajiv Gandhi Park from 5:20 to 5:50. Srijana enjoyed herself swinging on a swing there in children’s play area for three minutes. She got off it observing a watchman coming that side. Anand too enjoyed himself walking on the lawn and playing with a ball actively. There were dark clouds in the sky hinting the arrival of rain. We left the park not to be drenched in the rain. They increased the entry fee to five rupees from three rupees from this August. Visitors can greatly enjoy in this park at that price. Recently I sent an email to noted Telugu writer Yandamoori Veerendranath being much impressed by his interview in the Telugu daily Sakshi Sunday supplement. He commanded the Telugu novel field with his powerful novels for about 30 years. He is a prolific writer and motivator. He visited my blog site. He wrote that he would read my first book. I felt happy about it. He is applying his knowledge, creativity and vision for the improvement of readers in his reach. He is working for social reformation silently. He is one of the intellectuals of India now. I like his emails to me. Went to sleep by 9:30.
4 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of November in my diary of 2004. Today it was cool and cloudy. By 2:15 Srijana, Anand and I took a 1 V Metro Express bus at NGO Colony bus stop for Secunderabad. There was traffic jam near Kothi. We reached Rethifile Bus Stand by 4:00. I guided Srijana and Anand to the other bus stop. Luckily they got 235 G ordinary bus. I got them into it. This route bus goes to village Gowdavelli via Kandla Koya. Srijana wants to spend at the abode of her paternal uncle Jagannadha Raju along with Anand for a few days. She enjoys tours and spending at the abodes of her relatives. Anand slept on my lap up to Secunderabad enjoying the jolts of the bus travel. I did not go up to Kandla Koya because it takes much time for me to return home from there. It is not good to send Srijana and Anand to another place beyond my presence and guidance. I did so being pressed for time. I have to complete editing my personal diaries as early as possible and do a job to earn money. Took a bus and returned home by 6:00. This afternoon my lungi slipped off my waist when trying to beat Anand for his mischief. Our portion neighbor Lokeswari was there. She quickly turned her head to the other side to avoid insult and tension to me. My middle portion had no a covering agent then. I pulled my lungi up faster but a disaster had already occurred. I decided to take it easy. Went to sleep by 10:20.
5 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of December in my diary of 2004 and finished its final level editing. I felt very happy about it. Had my lunch by 1:30. My cousin Bala came to my abode by 2:00. We reached cinema Sushma by 2:45 on my bicycle. We bought two tickets for 80 rupees. We entered this cinema by 3:00. We found that the seats allotted for this section are very near to the screen. They changed the arrangement of chairs and hall to this extent very recently. This is to increase the number of viewers choosing to buy tickets of 50 rupees. They allotted 70% of the place and chairs for the viewers buying tickets with 50 rupees. All other viewers remain as victims in this cinema because they cannot watch a film sitting in safe distance from the screen. We saw the Telugu film “Gaayam 2” of Jagapati Babu and inspiring beauty Vimala Raman. I enjoyed watching every bit of this film. Maestro Ilayaraja provided great music for this film. I give 95 marks for 100 for this film. Returned home by 6:15. Spent reading dailies Eenadu, Sakshi and The Hindu till 8:30. Sent the photos of Srijana and me to the email id provided by Sekhar Kammula, a Telugu film director. He is searching for young creatures to act in his next Telugu film “Life is Beautiful”. A beauty should act in a beautiful film. Slept by 11:00.
6 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of January in my diary of 2005 on my computer. It is the typed version of my diary. I did not edit it earlier. I spent about nine hours’ time on it. I want to finish editing my five diaries from 2005 to 2009 with one level of editing only. It compels me to edit every sentence very carefully. I am enjoying this editing work. I am not happy with the quality and usage of my English language then. Now I am taking more time to edit it because then I did not write it well. Now I am writing my diary well because my writing skills have been improved over the years and also I could learn lessons from the mistakes I committed earlier in writing my diaries. I am exploring my past editing all these personal diaries. Afternoon my house owner Bhagya Lakshmi offered aubergine curry to me. Had my cooked brown rice with it. This curry was very tasty. My friend Ramu Naidu called me up by 3:32 and talked with me for 15 minutes. I lost his cellphone number along with my stolen cellphone when living at Kakaguda. I could not contact him for this reason. Felt blissful talking with him today. Now he is working as a commercial supervisor at Nalgonda railway station. We travel via this station when we take Janmabhoomi Express to go home. He is not getting time to prepare for competitive exams. He is a self-made man. Went to sleep by 11:20.
7 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of February in my diary of 2005. Srijana and Anand returned from Kandla Koya by 2:15. They took 235 G and 1 V APSRTC city buses to come here. Jagannadha Raju gave 500 rupees for Anand as his gift for him on the occasion of his birthday celebrated recently. He gave 200 rupees to Srijana as a token of his affection for her. Srijana and Anand spent there happily. Today it was cloudy, cool and drizzly. Spent in the rented abode of my cousin Bala from 6:00 to 7:00 along with Anand. Rajeshwari, the mother of Bala, is feeling a little forsaken and lonely in this portion. Now Bala is working as a biological science teacher with Sri Chaitanya School at Hayat Nagar. They are paying 12000 rupees a month for him. He starts to this school by 7:30 every morning and returns around 6:30 in the evening. His mother has to spend her time alone in this portion during this time. Bala told me that he receives many chocolates every day in his school from his students as their teacher on their birthdays. He does not pay much attention for them. I told him to bring them for me. Rajeshwari grew vegetable and corn plants in the premises of house Type1 81, in which they lived till recently. They are possessive of them but feeling uneasy to go there and collect them. Went to sleep by 9:30.
8 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of March in my diary of 2005. I took about eight hours’ time to do it. Earlier I used to take one hour’s break for lunch and short rest. Now I am starting the editing work soon after having my lunch. Today it was cool and drizzly due to depression over Bay of Bengal. Today Srijana carefully and thoroughly dusted every nook and corner of our two bedrooms with a broom. They remained dusty for long because dust enters our abode along with air from the nearby roads. Often our ceiling fans and air cooler too get dust. Dust and noise are the assets of towns and cities now. Villages are also becoming so now. Pollution is damaging the lives of all creatures rapidly. Today Srijana neatly arranged every item in our two bedrooms working hard for four hours in the evening. I like her interest in keeping things clean and orderly in our abode. It is my birthday today according to English calendar. I enter my 34th year of life today. I did not celebrate it specially. My friend Ramu Naidu, my cousins Vasu and Narendra Varma and Srijana wished me on this occasion. My cousin Bala too wished me with pure love and affection for me. I enjoyed the day editing my diary and spending my time in the company of my beautiful wife and my innocent son. Lord Krishna is the director of my life. I am young and active as a thinker and dreamer. Time keeps growing me always. Went to sleep by 10:15.
9 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of April in my diary of 2005. Today I observed improvement in the quality of language used in this month compared to the remaining three months that preceeded. So, I could enjoy the editing work today. I am spending about eight hours’ time to edit the content of one month in this diary. By 12:30 Vijay Kumar called me up and told me to deposit the cheque today in bank because there is money in his bank account now. It is a cheque of Axis Bank worth 5000 rupees. He gave it to me about one month ago, towards the money he owed me, in respect of the Olympus digital camera, which I returned to him, when he was working with the PCH retail store at Panama Godowns. He tortured me in this case. I resorted to police station. I don’t know about his character. I don’t know whether circumstances made him behave so towards me or he is really a cheat. I don’t like to leave even 10 rupees in the hands of a miser or cheat. It means encouraging them to further cheat and harass others. I don’t behave cruelly towards good people. I wonder to know that my two digital cameras sacrificed their lives to help me greatly when I badly needed money. Deposited this cheque at the ATM Centre of Axis Bank near Red Water Tank by 1:45. Went to sleep by 10:30.
10 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of May in my diary of 2005. Morning my brother Sambha called me up and told me that they are consulting a lawyer today in Elamanchili to discuss the point of sending a legal notice to a Kshatriya fellow. He borrowed money from our folks about six years ago. He did not repay the principal so far despite many oral requests and warnings to him. Afternoon rebuked Srijana powerfully because she did not provide me with sugar added lemon water in time. She was hurt. She prepared it hurriedly and gave it to me by 2:30. Today Bala opened a savings account with the State Bank of India at Vanasthalipuram by 1:30. They issued a passbook, a chequebook and an ATM card to him today itself. I wondered at their efficiency and speed of work. This is the first bank account for Bala in his life. He felt very happy for getting these items. Evening bought a dark blue T-shirt at a roadside outlet for 100 rupees for me. Bala and Anand accompanied me to Ganesh Temple in this short journey on foot. By 8:20 Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh checked Anand and advised us to use previously prescribed medicines for him. This morning low fever and cold attacked Anand. By 9:30 I knew that my friend Dantuluri Shiva Varma got a job with the steel plant in Visakhapatnam as Junior Trainee. Now he can get a girl to marry. He is blissful now thinking about it. Went to sleep by 10:15.
11 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of my diary 2005 from 1 June to 15 June only. A school friend of Srijana came here along with her husband by 12:30. They have a four months old baby. They are living in a rented abode near Uppal. They came on a bike. They did not inform us beforehand. Their presence disturbed my editing work. I need absolute silence around me when editing my diaries because I apply my creativity and grammar to it when I am editing them. Some sounds emerge from my familiar folks and nearby places every day. I somehow manage to bear those distractions. I cursed these folks because they killed my time today. Srijana prepared lunch for them hurriedly. This girl belongs to K O Mallavaram. She and Srijana are friends at the government high school there. I sensed that her husband came here to see Srijana. He is into food catering business. We spent in Rajiv Gandhi Park from 4:30 to 5:30. Then they went home. This fellow bought six ice creams for us in the park. They brought six apples when coming here. He felt very happy when Srijana said that she would come to their abode soon along with Anand. He looked unhappy when I told him that I would bring them there when I am free. He is not a gentleman. I don’t like evil attraction in anybody for others. Went to sleep by 10:00.
12 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2005 from 16 June to 30 June. By 9:30 typed out and posted a blog titled “Evil Attraction” on my blog site. I wrote about bad boys and their behavior towards good girls in India in this blog. Rajeshwari, our former portion neighbor in this house, came here by 11:00. She is wife of Devireddy Narayana Reddy. Now they are living in Vijayawada with their kids Abhinav and Akhil. Srijana and I spent talking with her for 30 minutes. She appreciated the growth and look of Anand. She distributed chocolates to her familiar kids in this place including Anand. I gave five of my visiting cards to her. We enjoyed their presence in the portion beside ours when they were here. They are bringing up their children like modern and visionary parents. By 5:00 Bala and I went to Rythu Bazar near cinema Sampoorna on my bicycle. I bought vegetables worth 60 rupees there for us. Also bought a dozen bananas for 20 rupees. The prices of apples are beyond my affordability now. From 6:30 to 8:00 Bala, his teacher friend Subba Rao and I spent strolling along the roads around Self Finance Colony. He talked about politics in India, corruption, jobs and stupidity of people. Even today Anand suffered from low fever and diarrhoea. They attacked him yesterday. Srijana is giving him prescribed medicines three times a day. Went to sleep by 10:30.
13 September (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of July in my diary of 2005. Morning Anand fell on our hard marble floor when walking and bit his lower lip. Blood oozed from it. He often goes into the portion beside ours. There is a four-year-old boy called Pavan. He does not know how to deal with the children of his age. He tortures his mother (Lokeswari) every day because crying is his habit. Anand likes his association because he is the only creature available to him in our floor. He enjoys the presence of boys and girls around him. I take him out now and then. He is very interested in going and spending out. Srijana spends much of her time in our abode doing household chores and watching television. She does not go out alone. Thieves are snatching gold ornaments from women in public places riding on bikes. I like spending with Anand throughout the day but God did not make my life that free and rich. Parents should enjoy the mischief and innocence of their children when they are depending on them physically and financially. I regret knowing that I could not buy another camera till now. I have to take photos and videos of Anand and Srijana. Today it was cloudy, cool and drizzly due to depression over Bay of Bengal. My parents have no time to come here and spend with us for a few days. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning I read an anonymous comment against Ramoji Rao in relation to the blog I typed out and posted earlier on my blog site. He or she gave a few examples to show that Ramoji Rao is dishonest and corrupt in many ways. Typed out and posted a two-page reply to it. The systems of administration and regulation are so weak and corrupt in India now that almost every businessman has to resort to illegal and unethical ways to survive and excel somehow. Indian firms recruit CAs and lawyers to earn more money and keep most of it outside the purview of income tax. India means a nation of cheats and sinners now. Indians became selfish, narrow-minded and cruel. Innocent, helpless and virtuous people cannot live happily here. Politicians and corporate firms made them so. Indians consider fraud and corruption as inevitable parts of their lives. Indians are the best actors in the world. They stopped following the essential Indian culture, which gave India and Indians unique identity once. In this complex set of things, Ramoji Rao cannot survive as a businessman in this state if he thinks and behaves like a social reformer or saint. I decided not to edit my diary today because this creature killed my time this morning posting such comment and making me react to it. From 3:07 to 6:05 watched the Telugu film “Komaram Puli” of Pawan Kalyan in cinema Sushma. Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of August in my diary of 2005. It was cool and cloudy today. Today Anand suffered from cold and low fever. Now my brother Srinivas is in the process of buying an apartment at Sujata Nagar in Visakhapatnam for 18, 25, 000 rupees. He paid about two lakh rupees till now to that builder of block of apartments. It all amounts to 19 lakhs by the time he owns and enters it. He wants to take out a loan of 12 lakh rupees from the UCO Bank as its employee. They deduct installments from his salary every month up to his retirement from this bank. He has 144 square feet of land by NH-16 near Adduroad Junction. My brother Sambha sold it recently to a native fellow for about five lakh rupees. I don’t like my brother depending on such heavy long-term bank loan to buy an apartment in a city. We feel that burden every month when getting low salary. However, they enjoy their comfortable living in this abode for all these years. He must be getting about 6000 rupees as pension every month from the Indian Army. Their apartment is in the first floor of that block of 30 apartments. Its construction is at final stage now. It’s a two-bedroomed apartment with hall, kitchen and two toilets. Now he is spending about 20000 rupees every academic year for the education of his two children. My sister-in-law Sandhya Rani is a great wife and mother. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I read in Eenadu that there won’t be electricity supply in our region from 10:30 to 4:00 due to repair work at a substation in Vanasthalipuram. This information made me avoid my editing work today on my computer. The nervous system in my right hand got a little affected due to long and continuous editing work on my computer. Often I use mouse and keyboard when editing content. It exerts pressure on my right hand. I am feeling a little pain in my right hand due to it. Srijana, Anand and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 1:50 and reached KPHB Colony by 3:30. Thence we took a sharing travel private vehicle and reached Serilingampally by 4:00. Thence we hired an auto rickshaw for 25 rupees and reached the abode of Madhavi at Ashok Nagar by 4:15. Srijana wants to spend at the abode of her maternal aunt for a few days. My paternal uncle Narayana Murthy called me up by 5:00 and informed me that he received the certificate of his son Ashok today from the school in Adduroad. The folks of Board of Secondary School Education, in Hyderabad, incorporated the necessary name correction in it and sent it there. I think my letter to them influenced them a little. I felt happy about it. Returned home by 10:15 by bus. Today it was cloudy, drizzly and cool due to cyclone. I enjoyed it. Went to sleep by 11:00 for my dreams.
17 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night Nagarjuna visited me in my dream. We spent closely and felt blissful. This dream signified that he is one of my best friends and admirers in this world. It is a classic dream for me. Today I decided not to do my editing work. Srijana became angry with me when I told her about it. By 12:50 I knew from the folks of branch of Axis Bank at Jubilee Hills that the cheque issued by Vijay Kumar could not be cleared because there is mismatch of his signature. They decided to return it to me. I informed them that I would come to their bank to attend it in person. Hired an auto rickshaw at NGO Colony bus stop for 200 rupees and reached this bank by 2:20. They checked his signature again and cleared it. They credited 5000 rupees to my account. I thought that my signature is wrong. They told me that his signature is not well when I went there. I did not like their delay and carelessness in this regard. Returned home by 6:30. Bought two cotton T-shirts for 198 rupees at a roadside retail outlet near Ganesh Temple. Saw the Telugu film “Saradhaagaa Kaasepu” in cinema Sampoorna from 7:00 to 9:15. It is bad. It took about four hours’ time for me to format the latest list of bookstores in India, where my book Stories of Love and Beauty is available for sale, and post it on my blog site. Slept by 1:45.
18 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I did not edit my diary of 2005 because I could not sleep well last night. I did not tell Srijana about it. She becomes very angry about it. I am not supposed to waste even one day in the present circumstances. Today I utilized my day in other ways. Paid my electricity bill at the nearby E-seva centre by 1:30. This time it amounted to 133 rupees. Ironed my clothes from 4:30 to 5:00 listening to Telugu cine songs on my computer simultaneously. Meanwhile Aiswarya came. Today she spent talking with me for about one hour. She asked me to write a piece of poetry for her in Telugu and present her a framed memento. I told her casually that there is no such deep association between us and also that I don’t do such things just like that. She was hurt by my remarks. I explained her the related factors softly to educate her. Went to the abode of my cousin Bala by 6:45. We came to my abode by 7:30. We updated his résumé on my computer. I emailed his application to the folks of FIITJEE. He wants to take their selection process for the position of Biological Science Teacher. They pay high salaries. Bala decided to sleep in my abode today. We spent talking about our childhood in Gollalagunta, dreams, telepathy, ghosts and spirituality from 9:30 to 11:15. He is into Shri Ram Chandra Mission now. Went to sleep by 11:30.
19 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the content of September in my diary of 2005. Today I felt a little weak. Perhaps bacteria or virus entered my body. White blood cells are fighting against them in my body. I am grateful for their care and concern for me. When Srijana goes to the abodes of her relatives now and then, I cook rice and make curd at home boiling milk. Generally I buy curries at curry points. Our house owner Bhagya Lakshmi gives me curries, soups and dals now and then. Yesterday and today Uma gave me curries and dals. Their small family is living in the one-bedroomed portion as tenants in the ground floor of this house. Her parents are in Nalgonda. I found the food items prepared and offered by Uma very tasty. I don’t have good impression about the cooking skills of people from Telangana region because I developed a belief that the creatures of coastal Andhra Pradesh are the best in cooking food items. I did not feel so after eating the food items offered by Uma. I knew that Telangana people can also cook very well. The fact is that I did not eat those foods much. Rajeshwari, the mother of my cousin Bala, also cooks very well. Often she offers me curries, soups and pickles. I enjoy her affection for me when eating those food items offered by her. Went to sleep by 10:15.
20 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of my 2005 diary from 1 October to 15 October. Srijana and Anand returned from Ashok Nagar by 6:00 in the evening. Vamsy brought them. They went to the rented abode of Manga on the way. They are in Uppal. She is a classmate of Srijana at the Government High School in K O Mallavaram. The name of her husband is Ravinder. The name of his food catering business is CANA Caterers. They cook and supply food items for marriage and such other formal outdoor functions. Ravinder said that he worked in the Telugu film industry in Hyderabad for some years. He must be 30 now. I sensed that Ravinder admires the beauty and life of Srijana. I can compare it with the kind of admiration I have for Deepthi, Swagata and Saakshi. They offered dinner for Vamsy and Srijana. He took them to an exhibition there. He presented a sari to Srijana and a pair of clothes for Anand. He treated them like his special guests. I observed that traditional Indians don’t behave freely with married girls and women because they think that their parents, siblings and husbands may misunderstand them. I am against this tendency. Marriage should not distance a woman from her friends and well-wishers. All boys and men don’t insult and harm women. A married woman should also enjoy admiration and appreciation from others. A husband should not treat his wife like an object. Went to sleep by 11:30.
21 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited the content of my 2005 diary from 16 October to 31 October. My house owner is looking after a cat. They like it a lot. They think that it brought luck into their abode. It soiled parts of our portion about six times. They came up and cleaned that space once. Srijana did it other times. She does not like it. She is furious at them. I somehow managed to control her anger. Pavan, the five-year-old son of our portion neighbor, soiled our corridor thrice. Srijana complained to Lokeswari, the mother of Pavan, about it. She beat him ruthlessly and warned him not to do such dirty acts anymore. I don’t like Srijana getting disturbed about these things. I did not vacate this portion based on these factors. An admirer of beauty should not subject his beautiful and sensitive wife to such activities. I regret my failure in this regard. I should have cleaned those places but it is not the practice in traditional Hindu families. A wife does it as part of her regular domestic chores. Pets and little children make their owners happy because they enjoy their presence and acts. Others may not enjoy it as they think. India is a democratic country. I think Indians are poor in terms of their behavior with their neighbors. Went to sleep by 10:00.
22 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Last night I could not sleep well. Anand cried for long. It might be due to cold, fever and cough. Srijana remained awake and consoled him for some time. I don’t know when they slept. I did not like to edit my diary today with such sleepy mind. It affects the quality of editing to some extent. From 10:30 to 4:30 typed out a blog titled “Celebrities in India” and posted it on my blog site. It’s a seven-page blog. I classified celebrities into shallow and significant celebrities in this piece of writing. I put Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Gandhi, Subbarami Reddy and Daivagna Sharma in the category of shallow celebrities. They don’t contribute to the development of this nation. Some of them ruin the lives of many. Jaya Prakash Narayan of Lok Satta, Arundhati Roy, entrepreneurs, artists, common people, scientists, naxalites and those working in the armed forces are examples for significant celebrities. They contribute substantially to the development and happiness of others without craving for artificial recognition and fame in their fields of work. Indians are appreciating and following shallow celebrities now. This is why India remained backward for decades. Evening it rained considerably. We enjoyed the cool winds and cloudy sky. My cousin Bala, Aiswarya, Srijana and I spent talking for one hour about the present schools, teachers, students and parents. Went to sleep by 9:00.
23 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of November in my diary of 2005. Today it was sunny and bright. Now there are 100 blog posts on my blog site http://virahini.blogspot.com. About 24,400 creatures visited it so far. Many of them may be repeat visitors. The AdSense income is $19.98. Many visitors don’t click on the ads of Google posted on it. They enjoy reading my blogs. They educate them to a great extent. They grow as individuals reading these blogs. Very few post comments on my blogs because they don’t find them worthless and negligible. Influential blogs make them think. I answer the comments posted there by others honestly and effectively. Anybody can comment on my blogs. My blog site is presenting my life, thoughts and dreams to others powerfully. It is a statement by a visionary, dreamer and social reformer of India about humanity, standards and values. Now my blog site is looking very beautiful and organized. The folks of Blogger of Google made it very reliable and admirable. I owe them all a lot for it. Millions of people are blogging now across the world. There are no word count restrictions here. Liberty and open debate are the guiding forces here. My journey is very exciting and inspiring as a blogger and dreamer. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep well. Anand cried waking up now and then. He is suffering from cough. Avoided editing my diary today for this reason. By 11:30 I beat Anand severely on his buttocks because he was searching for his mother when I was there. I became a ruthless brute and beat him. He cried much for two minutes. His mother came down from the terrace in the meantime. She consoled him. I expected discipline from Anand. Perhaps he would not have treated me as a human being. So, he searched for his mother in my presence also. A disciplinarian is a kind of brute. He often lacks sensitivity and common sense in the ways he follows to reform others. They regret their acts later but others would have already suffered due to their ruthlessness. I pitied Anand after realizing the nature of crime I inflicted upon him today. He is an innocent and helpless child. By 2:30 I booked a mini USB/battery operated flower desk for personal computer and laptop on the portal of Bindaas Bargain. They are selling it for 149 rupees at discount. I am saving 151 rupees. I booked a blue piece. From 5:45 to 8:15 typed out and posted a blog titled “As a Blogger and Dreamer” on my blog site. Went to sleep by 10:00.
25 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited the content of December in my diary of 2005 and completed its final level editing. I felt very happy about it. By 4:30 my brother-in-law Vamsy came here from Maula Ali. He is staying in the abode of my friend Meher Murali now along with his cousin Krishna. He brought a plastic air bath tub for Anand. It seems to be a Chinese item. Its identity name is Aurus Fun. Srijana gave him money to buy an air filling pump. He bought one for 50 rupees here. He filled air into it working on it for 20 minutes. It holds about 300 litres of water in it. It is like a mini swimming pool for Anand. Much water gets misused every time it is used. Fools like Vamsy use such products. I cursed him internally for buying and bringing such product for Anand. Its use is avoidable where water is scarce. He asked me for 300 rupees saying that he repays it soon to me. He bought that item to showcase his special love for Anand. This is what we call false prestige. Indians are famous for this psychic disorder. They want to show up more than necessary. He took our partly used domestic HP LPG cylinder to Maula Ali tying it at the back of my bicycle by 6:00. He has no discipline or useful intelligence for his growth as a good individual. I regret it. Time teaches lessons to him. Went to sleep by 10:30.
26 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I took a break from my diary editing work. Today I read Eenadu, Sakshi and The Hindu newspapers for two hours. On other days I read Eenadu only. Morning Anand played in the water tub for 30 minutes. There was a hole in it. We closed it with a cello tape. Chinese goods means unreliable quality and temporary attraction. Hasini, the daughter of Uma, also played in it. By 11:00 emailed a word file to my HCU friend Yoganand. Now he is working as an art teacher with the Sainik School at Korukonda in Vizianagaram district. He emailed me four questions related to creativity. I answered two of them. Collected information from Wikipedia and a quotes website to answer the remaining two questions. He has to give a presentation soon to his students on creativity. By 12:30 created an email id for my cousin Bala on Windows Live. It is dream.valley@live.com. Google tortures one when creating an email id on it. Bala, Anand and I spent in the nearby nursery from 5:15 to 6:00. Children were playing there. Anand enjoyed watching them playing. We delighted him on the seesaw for 20 minutes. This night my brother Srinivas started back to Visakhapatnam by Garib Rath Express from Secunderabad railway station. He came here yesterday morning. He participated in a two-day meeting of the UCO Bank Employees Union as its joint secretary. Went to sleep by 9:45.
27 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of January in my diary of 2006. I spent eight hours editing it. Today my friend Dantuluri Shiva Varma joined the steel plant in Visakhapatnam as a junior trainee. He is feeling very happy about it. He told me that he paid two lakh rupees to the employee union leaders of this plant to get this job. We call it bribe. They recruited about 200 candidates for these posts. Shiva told me that some candidates offered up to seven lakh rupees to acquire these jobs. They are all young participants and promoters of corruption in India. Shiva did well in the written tests conducted by these blokes. He got through their medical test. He is suitable and capable to do this job. He offered bribe because he cannot get this job if he does not do it like others. Once no girl liked to marry him because he did not have a reliable job. Now an MCA girl is interested in marrying him. Many employees of this steel plant demand much dowry from brides. Their parents are ready to do it. It’s a competition among boys, girls and their parents. Shiva wants to marry a rich girl now because he likes to enjoy the bliss and benefits associated with easy money. He is a typical contemporary Indian youth. Went to sleep by 9:30.
28 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of February in my diary of 2006. Morning complained about the corruption, which took place recently, in the recruitment of junior trainees, in the steel plant of Visakhapatnam, using the online form, related to the Anti Corruption Bureau at Hyderabad. I got an acknowledgement email from them. I think they probe into it and punish the fraudsters. By 10:30 Srijana wore my white T-shirt and black pair of trousers. She looked very young, beautiful and attractive in that set of clothes. I don’t have a camera to shoot that beauty of her. I regretted it. Anand got up from his morning round of sleep by 11:00. He cried for some time observing Srijana in that pair of clothes. He might have thought that she is not his mother. She wears nighties, Punjabi dresses and saris generally. He developed and recorded that impression about her appearance. He took much time to accept her as his mother. I like to record the visible beauty of Srijana in the format of photos and videos in various poses, dresses, moods and places. Even others should see and enjoy it. Beauty is a concept of joy and inspiration for many but all cannot possess or record it. The facial expressions, smiles and gait of Srijana look impressive and attractive to me. My eyes cannot capture and record them for future and she does not maintain them before a camera. Went to sleep by 9:30.
29 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of March in my diary of 2006. Night it rained well in our place and made it cool and pleasant. Recently my brother-in-law Vamsy told me that he wants to pursue polytechnic course. He sought the advice of his father in this regard. He is not an expert in this field. He did not ask me anything about it. He knows that I advise him in a realistic and sharp manner. The fact is that he is not an intelligent student. He cannot complete polytechnic because it is a difficult course to his level of intelligence. He did his ITI exams copying answers from coursebooks. Their instructors facilitated it taking bribes from all the students. Generally academically poor students join ITIs in India. These coursebooks are written in English by subject experts at national level. These students cannot understand and use that level of English. They must be translated into regional languages. Now many students and their parents are running after lucrative courses without minding the difficulty levels of those courses. Corporate educational institutions are benefiting from this craze of students and their parents. All students cannot pursue all kinds of courses and careers. Went to sleep by 9:30.
30 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night my platonic friend Deepthi visited me in my dream. She expressed her deep and passionate love for me in a symbolic way. Even her relatives are very affectionate towards me. I enjoyed every bit of this dream. I am grateful to them for their love for me. Morning I felt a little weak. My eyes looked affected. I did not carry out my diary editing work for this reason. Evening Srijana, Anand and the family members of our portion mate Uma went to Rajiv Gandhi Park. We spent there happily from 4:30 to 6:30. Anand and Hasini played and celebrated their time. I gave 150 rupees to a parrot cage fortune teller. He told about the nature and characteristics of Srijana and me based on the cards picked up by his caged parrot. We returned home by 6:45. This evening the specially constituted Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court delivered its verdict on the Ayodhya dispute. It sounded ideal and visionary rather than honest and justifiable to me from my perspective as a Hindu. They are spending a lot of time and money on it. I think that a temple of Lord Rama must be constructed there. Islamic rulers destroyed hundreds of Hindu temples in the past. Lord Rama spent most of his life in and around Ayodhya. In India, Hindus are majority population. Their deep traditional, cultural, historical and religious interests must be upheld. Minorities should not control majority. Went to sleep by 9:30.
1 October (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of April in my diary of 2006. By 11:00 my father-in-law deposited 5000 rupees into my account at the branch of Axis Bank in Payakaraopeta. By 11:30 received the little fan, sent by the folks of Bindaas Bargain, paying 200 rupees, to the delivery executive of First Flight Couriers. It is beautiful and functioning well. Vamsy brought an empty domestic HP LPG cylinder on my bicycle from Maula Ali. He is looking for money. His father could not provide it. He is understanding the value of money this way. By 7:00 got a haircut in my favorite hair salon. By 7:15 paid 4100 rupees to my rented portion owner towards rent for the last month. Winter is slowly entering its space of season. I love it. I liked the predictions of parrot cage fortune teller yesterday evening about Srijana and me. He said that she is suffering from Naaga Dhosham. She behaves very angrily with me frequently. She does not really like gold and other ornaments. I am like Dharma Raju in the Mahabharata. I become angry rarely but it would be very powerful. We will own a house soon. We will buy a vehicle also. Towards the end, he asked me to give him my Reliance handset, removing my SIM card from it. He said that he should burn it after special worship but I did not give it. Went to sleep by 9:30.
2 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Last night Nara Chandrababu Naidu visited me in my dream. We talked for a few minutes like friends. I experienced his love, affection and respect for me in this dream. Today I edited the content of first 10 days in the month of May in my diary of 2006. My eyesight turned dim. I felt uneasy. I stopped my editing work by 12:30. Today I edited slowly. My health was affected a little due to eating imbalanced food or some other reason. Srijana often thinks that I look for excuses to avoid my editing work. I am a disciplinarian and visionary. I should not edit my personal diary when I am not feeling well. My present state of mind affects the quality and speed of my editing work. I should not carry out work related to language, intelligence, creativity and patience when I am feeling dim and weak. Editing great content means thinking and working like a patient saint and energetic writer. Srijana cannot understand me to this extent. She is a beauty but not an artist or intellectual. I struggle for quality in my works but she expects me to finish this editing work fast and get a job. I am determined to complete this work early but circumstances are pulling me back now and then. I get disturbed by them but I cannot avoid them. Today it was cool and pleasant. I enjoyed it throughout. Went to sleep by 9:30.
3 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. My cousin Bala, his mother Rajeshwari and I reached the ashram of Shri Ram Chandra Mission at village Thumukunta by 9:00. We had brunch here by 10:00. Today Venu and Padmini organized a small function in their rented portion on the occasion of first head tonsure to their 10-month-old son Venkat. Venu is the brother-in-law of my cousin Murali. This lunch program was started by 12:30. I enjoyed eating these food items. I gave my visiting cards to Venu, his father and his father-in-law. I am maintaining my blog site for others to read. They should know about it. Spent talking with my cousin Murali and his wife Ramya in their rented house from 2:00 to 3:30. We three discussed the need of communication, love and attachment between wife and husband. Murali is not getting time to spend with Ramya. She is expecting sensitivity in his communication with her. It was an informal session meant for discussing our drawbacks and demerits as individuals and finding solutions for them. Ramya is expecting a baby. The mother of Murali wants to stay here to help her. Bala and I started back by 4:00 and reached Vanasthalipuram by 6:00. Spent reading Eenadu, Sakshi and The Hindu from 7:00 to 9:00. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
4 October (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of May in my diary of 2006 from 11 to 31. Today Srijana talked much with her paternal uncle Jagannadha Raju at Kandla Koya over phone. The folks of LG company leased in the warehouses there. Srijana’s uncle daily meets the executives of LG company there as part of his duty as the supervisor of these warehouses. Partly disfigured and damaged goods of this company won’t be bought by customers in their stores. They sell them to interested people at low prices instead of returning all of them to their manufacturing units. Srijana likes to have a refrigerator in our abode. I explained her that we don’t need it now. She presented me some points supporting her view. Her uncle Subba Raju deposited 6000 rupees today into my Axis Bank account to facilitate this purchase. Srijana repays him later. I have no money to buy such appliances now. My cousin Sirisha also told her husband Anantha Varma to buy one for them this way. Now many are buying things comparing themselves with their friends, neighbors and relatives without applying their rationality and common sense in their purchase decisions. Advertising and marketing companies are creating these social trends and promoting this culture. Life becomes artificial when money guides it. Went to sleep by 9:30.
5 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of June in my diary of 2006. Now my son Anand is walking well. He almost avoided crawling now. He is playing with Hasini and Pavan now. I take him out now and then. He is interested in having butter candies and chocolates. He brings them to me and hints me to unpack them. Srijana started feeding warm buffalo milk to him 10 days ago. She is adding Horlicks powder and a little sugar to it. She is struggling to make him have it. He is eating a little rice in the morning and evening. He is very interested in walking fast on road. He is very angry and sensitive. He gets into mischief and cries when we try to correct him. I did not like his crying a little once. Now he is crying loudly for every reason. He is desiring the presence of his mother by him all the time. He forgets her only when I take him out. His hair needs a cut now. Srijana wants to decorate him like a baby girl soon for a photo with the dress of Hasini. Anand enjoys being with his mother when she is washing clothes outside. He plays with water there. I often take him on to my chest to lull him to sleep at night. He likes it. He looks at dailies and books like a reader. His facial expressions are great. Went to sleep by 9:45.
6 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of July in my diary of 2006. I edited it for about nine hours. By 7:30 collected my book THE WRITER’S HANDBOOK 2011 from Prabha, the paternal aunt of my friend Aiswarya. They returned from the UK recently. My friend Krishna Kishore booked it on amazon.com from the UK for me. The son-in-law of Prabha is working there. I knew about this book reading an article in The Hindu one Sunday about two months ago. It is easily available to buy in the UK and the USA than other countries. It is a complete guide for writers, publishers, editors, literary agents and broadcasters. Its editor is Barry Turner. It is the 24th edition of this book. Its price is £14.99. There are about 800 pages in it. Its quality is very good in all respects. Macmillan published it in the Great Britain. It is a useful book for me as a writer. Scanned parts of it from 8:30 to 10:50. I found the articles and other information in this book educative and inspiring. I understood that the life of a writer is very testing and difficult in the present world. Many writers are still in this domain because they love it. Many are after fashion and technology now, which keep changing rapidly. Great writers are generally thinkers, dreamers, challengers and visionaries. Technological and marketing trends are testing their patience levels now. Went to sleep by 11:00.
7 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. The sleep I had last night did not relieve me well. I did not like to edit my diary today. Went through THE WRITER’S HANDBOOK 2011 for one hour and identified six categories of prizes for which my book Stories of Love and Beauty can be sent as an entry for consideration. My publisher should send my book to these prize committees. He does not do it on his own because he is busy as a publisher promoting his business venture. I will inform him to send my book to these literary prize committees. I also scanned details about poetry and other competitions, which are held every year. By 2:00 bought vegetables worth 110 rupees at Raitu Bazar for our domestic use. Bought a ticket for 50 rupees at cinema Sampoorna. Saw the Telugu film “Robot” from 3:00 to 6:00 in it. Shankar directed it. They spent much money to produce it. Rajnikanth and Aiswarya Rai played the main roles. It is one of the best films I have seen. The story, dialogues, treatment, music, songs, graphics and technology used and discussed in this film are extraordinary. I saw a humanitarian, idealist and thinker in Shankar through this film. It is a masterpiece for me. I enjoyed watching every bit of this film. It entertains ordinary and extraordinary viewers alike. It is a wonder created by Shankar. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 October (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. When I checked my face in the mirror, I found that my eyes were red. Decided not to edit my diary today. Srijana, Anand and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 8:00. We reached the abode of my friend Veeranjaneyulu at Journalist Colony ‘A’ by 9:30. Veeru and I spent talking for much time. He is doing the portrait of Vemuri Anjaneya Sharma now. He passed away long ago. His son is getting it done. He is organizing a felicitation function in the Mini Hall of Ravindra Bharati on the 16th of this month. He chose Veeru also as one to be felicitated on this occasion. Veeru does not like such formal functions. He took me to his Maanasija Art Abode site in MLA Colony by 1:40 in his old jeep. I witnessed his driving for the first time. It is a site of 2500 square yards owned by a well-wisher of Veeru. They gave this place for Veeru to live in for some years. Its development is in progress now. It is spacious and beautiful. There are boulders in it. They are getting a residential abode and garden established here. Veeru is passionate about it. I spent in this place for one hour. Srijana, Anand and I returned home by 5:30 taking two buses. Posted a Reader’s Digest related reply envelope by 7:00. They are forms of their sweepstakes. I may win their prizes if I am lucky. Life is beautiful. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of my diary of 2006 from 1 August to 15 August. I stopped it there minding the arrival of the friend of Srijana to our abode this afternoon. Ramji came here by 3:00. He is a classmate of Srijana at Gayatri Degree College in Payakaraopeta. He left this college in the second year of his B.Sc. course and joined the Andhra Pradesh Special Police in Kakinada. Srijana often talks with him over phone. He is a good friend of Srijana. He is currently posted at the office of chief minister in Hyderabad. He is a handsome and energetic guy. We four went to Rajiv Gandhi Park by 4:30. We spent there till 5:15. He and Manasa are in love now. She is from Tuni. Her parents are against their love. She is somehow postponing her marriage with others chosen by her parents. I told him that sensitive lovers need intelligence, courage and strategy to succeed in their love. I gave him the details of a youth organization working for lovers in India. He bought a pressure cooker for his mother under the guidance of Srijana. He left for Ameerpet by bus by 6:15. Afternoon it was pleasant. Morning Srijana cleaned the floors in our bathrooms with an acid. They turned white. Went to sleep by 10:00.
10 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of my 2006 diary from 16 August to 31 August. Today Srijana cleaned every part of our abode and kept everything neat and orderly. This is in view of the arrival of my cousin Anantha Lakshmi to our abode today. She is afraid that my cousin may spread bad news about her in our circles of relatives in Gollalagunta if she is not alert in this regard. Women are powerful villains in domestic circles in terms of bothering related women on many fronts. Earlier Srijana was disturbed due to an irrational talk created and sustained by some creatures in my circle of folks. By 4:30 called up my brother Srinivas and told him to deposit 1000 or 2000 rupees into my UCO Bank account. He advised me to look for a job. He thinks that I am suffering here without money because of not doing a job for long. I know when to search for a job. I did not express my fury to him because he cannot bear it. Many enjoy our status as a celebrity but very few help us when we are helpless. I have to teach lessons to him soon. He must change a lot. Took a bus by 5:00 and reached Secunderabad railway station by 6:10. Janmabhoomi Express arrived by 7:30. My cousin Anantha Lakshmi, her son Vinay and her brother Hari came here. We reached my abode by 9:20. Went to sleep by 10:30.
11 October (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 9:00 my three cousins, Srijana, Anand and I took a bus and reached Secunderabad by 10:00. Thence we took another bus and reached Kandla Koya Junction by 11:00. Thence we hired an auto rickshaw for 20 rupees and reached the abode of Jagannadha Raju by 11:10. I carried a heavy bag of luggage during this time. Srijana put the old clothes of Vamsy and me in it. They weigh about 20 kilograms. They are for the two sons of Srijana’s uncle to wear casually at home. I felt like a donkey when carrying it on my shoulders. Srijana is my master. We had lunch here by 1:00. We spent talking with them for some time. We hired an auto rickshaw for 130 rupees and reached the rented abode of my cousin Murali in the ashram of Shri Ram Chandra Mission at Thumukunta by 2:30. Murali and Ramya are living in House 4-34/3/II/55 here now. We spent talking with Rajeshwari and Ramya till 3:45. My three cousins spend here for this night. Murali returns from his office by 9:00 every night. Srijana, Anand and I returned home by 8:00 taking two buses. Today my brother Srinivas deposited 2000 rupees into my UCO Bank account. I borrowed 2000 rupees from my cousin Bala recently to meet our inevitable expenses. Went to sleep by 10:00.
12 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. My cousins Anantha Lakshmi, Hari and Vinay returned from Thumukunta by 10:45. We spent talking among ourselves for some time eating snacks. We had lunch by 12:30. Srijana, Anantha Lakshmi and I walked along the main road from Panama Godowns to Chintal Kunta from 3:00 to 3:45. My cousin wanted to buy small domestic rock tools from the gypsy hawkers by road. They use them to crush cooking items like ginger and garlic before adding them into curries and soups at home. We went there to buy two of them. We did not find their prices justifiable. We did not buy them. I bought a red children’s chair in a nearby furniture store for 150 rupees for Anand. He likes sitting in a small plastic chair. We four returned home by 4:00. My cousin Hari received a book, sent by the folks of Reader’s Digest, from postman, in my absence. There are four English novels in it. Evening I gave 300 rupees to Bala and asked him to buy and send a demand draft worth 249 rupees to them tomorrow. We all spent in Rajiv Gandhi Park from 4:45 to 6:30. Meanwhile my brother Sambha called me up from Rajahmundry. He said that he got a newborn baby boy in a hospital there to adopt. His mother died after his birth. He asked for my opinion also on it. I approved it. Vamsy took Lakshmi and Hari to the abode of their relative at Maula Ali by 7:45 on the Scooty of his friend. Went to sleep by 9:30.
13 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 4:00. Srijana prepared Lemon Rice and I prepared lemon water with sugar by 8:45. Srijana, Anand, Vinay and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop for Mehdipatnam by 9:00. We reached there by 10:15. Anantha Varma, Sirisha, Varahaalamma (the mother of Anantha Varma), Hari (the brother of Sirisha), my uncle Sagiraju Rama Raju, his son Vasu and the baby of Sirisha already reached here. My cousin Anantha Lakshmi and her brother Hari reached here by 10:40 by bus from Maula Ali. We were 13 creatures in total. We all entered Golkonda Fort by 11:00. We enjoyed ourselves walking and talking in it. Varahaalamma too prepared Lemon Rice for us. We all had our two kinds of homemade lunch by 1:30 sitting near the anthill in the place by the eatery there on the top of it. Vasu and Hari (of Durgada) bought 11 ice creams for us spending 132 rupees. We had them by 1:35 after our lunch. We came out of this fort by 2:00. We reached Birla Mandir by 3:15. I stood near footwear stand when all went up to see Lord Venkateshwara in this white marble temple. I did not want to see God along with liars and sinners. They bought a few items at those little shops when walking down. We reached main road by 4:45. My cousin Anantha Lakshmi, her brother Hari, Vinay, Srijana, Anand and I returned home by 6:15 by bus. Went to sleep by 10:00.
14 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:00. My cousin Anantha Lakshmi, Srijana, Anand and I reached the LG products godown at IDA in Uppal by 10:45. We saw three refrigerators and finalized one. It is GL-225 FADG 5 piece with crimson modern color. There is a small scratch on its front door. They call it second sales. The folks of retail stores send slightly damaged pieces to these godowns for repair because customers don’t buy them. The actual price of this LG refrigerator is 13650 rupees. Prabhakar put it at 8010 rupees offering 40% discount on it. Srinivas, working at the main warehouse of LG products in Kandla Koya, informed Prabhakar, over phone, to sell our desired piece as per their existing rules. Jagannadha Raju, the paternal uncle of Srijana, talked with Srinivas about it. He is the supervisor of the godowns there, authorized by their owner. I gave a demand draft worth 8010 rupees to Prabhakar by 2:00 for this refrigerator. He said that they take about three days to process this sale. Returned home by 3:15. By 5:00 we all went to a nearby cloth store by main road and bought a few items spending about 300 rupees. Night sent an email to Sunil K Poolani informing him to send my book Stories of Love and Beauty as an entry for the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2011. My book is eligible for this competition. Posted a grig on craigslist of Delhi inviting folks to edit the manuscript of my second book. Slept by 11:00.
15 October (Friday)
Woke up by 5:00. By 11:30 my cousin Anantha Lakshmi, Hari, Vinay, Srijana, Anand and I took a bus to Kothi from NGO Colony bus stop. We reached there by 12:20. My folks bought a few items here in shops and by road. We took a bus to Charminar from here by 1:00. We spent here from 1:20 to 4:00. We saw this token of history without getting up to it. We wondered at the number of shops and roadside hawkers here selling different kinds of items. I bought a pair of socks for me from a hawker here for 20 rupees. Srijana put a rolled gold necklace, worth about 80 rupees, in our bag, near Charminar, beyond the notice of a pushcart hawker. She did it for thrill. It is morally wrong but I enjoyed her childlike attitude in doing it. I owe to that poor hawker. My folks bought a few items here spending about 500 rupees. They are casual footwear, bangles, tea glasses, necklaces and readymade clothes. We hired an auto rickshaw for 50 rupees and reached Kothi by 4:20. Thence we took a bus and reached our abode by 5:00. Anand too enjoyed this short city tour. My cousin Hari and I saw the Telugu film “Khalejaa” of Mahesh Babu in cinema Sushma from 7:00 to 9:45. Trivikram Srinivas directed it very well. I enjoyed watching every bit of it. The dialogues and treatment are marvelous. Slept by 10:45.
16 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:00. Srijana, Anand, Hari, Anantha Lakshmi, Vinay and I took a bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 9:40. We got off it at Dilsukh Nagar by 10:15. We took a bus here for Ashok Nagar by 10:20. We reached there by 11:35 via Mehdipatnam. We crossed the road and reached the abode of Madhavi by 11:40. We had lunch here by 1:15. We took an auto rickshaw and reached the next bus stop, on the way to Patan Cheru, by 3:30. It is a 5-minute drive. We crossed the road and reached the abode of my cousin Sirisha in Shirdi Sai Colony. It is the first portion in the ground floor of House 263. Sri Venkata Narasimha owns this house. It’s a one-bedroomed portion. They are paying 2500 rupees a month as rent. Shiva Sahiti, the daughter of Anantha Varma and Sirisha, is 10 months old now. The mother of Anantha Varma is also here now. She is living in Ramayyapatnam along with her mother. She is 57. She came here to spend with her eldest son for some days. Anantha Varma returned from his office by 4:48. We went out for a stroll along the road by 5:15. It was drizzly and cool. We enjoyed it. Our friend Krishna Varma came here by 6:00 from Rudraram. We spent watching television and talking among ourselves. We had supper by 8:30. Gave my visiting cards to Anantha Varma. Went to sleep by 11:00.
17 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:00. Sirisha offered homemade ice creams to all of us after breakfast. Anantha Varma and six of us reached the main road by 9:00. We took a bus here by 9:30. Anantha Varma saw us off. We got off this bus at Abids by 11:00. Thence we took another bus and reached our abode at Self Finance Colony by 12:30. We had lunch by 1:30. Spent reading Eenadu, Sakshi and The Hindu for one hour. It was drizzling. It was cool and pleasant. Went to Rythu Bazar on my bicycle by 5:00 and bought vegetables for 70 rupees for our domestic use. My uncle Sagiraju Rama Raju and his niece Durga Devika came here by 7:00 from Jeedi Metla by bus. We all spent talking for one hour. Devika is in her third year B.Tech. now. She is pursuing computer science course in a private engineering college at Dundigal. She is a bright student. Her parents are educating her leading hard lives. She talks well. We all had supper by 8:20. My uncle Rama Raju came to Hyderabad for the first time. He visited some places here. He spent happily here. He is happy now because his two sons are doing jobs now. Evening I posted a blog on my blog site inviting anybody to edit the content of my second book. Went to sleep by 9:30.
18 October (Monday)
Woke up by 5:00. My uncle Rama Raju gave 100 rupees for Anand. I prepared and offered Shakti Malt porridge to all by 7:30. Rama Raju and Durga Devika took a bus for Secunderabad by 9:00. I gave a few of my visiting cards to Durga and told her to give them to some of her college friends. My blog site is for educating and entertaining others. Girls should also read these blogs. Today it was drizzly, cool and cloudy. I spent most of the day at home talking with my folks and resting on a cot. Aiswarya and her folks returned from Visakhapatnam this morning. They went there to enjoy Dasara holidays. Today Aiswarya spent with us for about two hours. Today an executive of Hathway Broadband came to my abode and checked the Internet gadgets attached to my computer system. I have been facing poor Internet access problems for the last one week. He changed those old pieces and fitted new ones to restore Internet access. It could not be resolved even by 5:00. I talked very angrily with these folks getting disturbed with this poor Internet access. Bought 750 grams of broiler chicken at a store for 95 rupees by 4:00. A boy cut the throats of two fowls before me. Vegetarians are good creatures. I bought chicken today to satisfy the tastes of my guests. My cousin Hari, Vinay, Anand and I spent in our nearby nursery from 5:00 to 5:30. Night spent talking with my cousins. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 4:45. My cousin Anantha Lakshmi, her brother Hari, her son Vinay and I reached NGO Colony bus stop by 5:00 on foot. We took a 1 V Metro Express bus by 5:10. We reached Rethifile Bus Stand in Secunderabad by 5:38. They sat in their seats in Janmabhoomi Express by 6:00. My uncle Rama Raju already reached here from Jeedi Metla along with his niece Durga Devika by bus. He could get a seat in a general coach. Bought two dozen bananas for 60 rupees at a hawker near this railway station. Gave one dozen to Lakshmi and one dozen to Rama Raju. They have homemade lunch parcels with them to have in the train. Took leave of them by 6:30. Took a bus at Rethifile Bus Stand and returned home by 8:15. My friend Aiswarya and I saw the Telugu film “Brundhaavanam” in cinema Sampoorna from 12:00 to 2:55. It is very interesting. By 6:30 Internet access was restored to my computer by the folks of Hathway. Gopesh Kashyap emailed me from Delhi. He read my grig posted on the craigslist of Delhi recently. He expressed interest to edit the content of my second book. He is into content writing. I felt happy. Sent an email to him asking him to write more about him. My cousin Bala returned from Gollalagunta by 8:30 by train. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of September in my diary of 2006. I did it for eight hours. Today I got another email from Gopesh Kashyap. He wrote about his education and career as a content writer. His academic background and the use of language in this email impressed me. He pursued business education. He seems to be a modern guy. I enjoyed the presence of my cousin Anantha Lakshmi and other relatives for one week recently. I bought a sari for 290 rupees for Lakshmi. I did not buy anything else worthy for them. I did not have money to do it. Many feel happy when we buy something for them with our money. It is typical human tendency. They found my rented portion comfortable to stay. Srijana treated them affectionately. I could not do my diary editing work during their period of stay over here. I must spend some time with my familiar folks because it heals my psyche burdened with intense creative work. Relatives are our assets. They make us happy if we choose them carefully and maintain them gently. Evening spent talking with Bala for one hour. Srijana arranged her luggage by evening to go home soon along with Anand and Vamsy by train. Srijana and I took Anand to the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh by 8:20. He prescribed some medicines for Anand on our request. Slept by 10:00.
21 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Went to the complex of warehouses in K-1/1 at IDA in Uppal by 9:30. Met Prabhakar in the LG godown here inside. He said that there are no refrigerators in this godown now for second sale. I sensed that he is a nasty fellow. Saw that Srijana’s uncle Jagannadha Raju talked with Srinivas, the manager of LG godowns at Kandla Koya. He ordered this fellow to show the refrigerators available in this godown. Meanwhile I walked a little ahead along the main road towards Ramanthapur. I bought about 40 ripe custard apples for 40 rupees from village hawkers here by road. They came here to sell them from villages near Yadagiri Gutta. They are innocent tribes. They came here in bullock carts. Intelligent folks are selling a custard apple for 10 rupees in twin cities now. I felt guilty of buying these fruit from these poor people at such rate. My brother-in-law Anantha Varma came to the LG godown by 11:30 from Beeramguda. He chose GL 225 FADG 5 crimson color refrigerator for him like us and rushed back to reach his office near Patan Cheru. He gave 8050 rupees to me to buy a demand draft. The price of this piece is 8010 rupees. I bought a demand draft for this amount of money in the nearby Andhra Bank and gave it to Prabhakar by 12:15. Went to sleep by 9:30.
22 October (Friday)
Woke up by 4:30. Srijana, Anand and I started to NGO Colony bus stop by 4:58. We took a 1 V ordinary bus by 5:10. We reached Rethifile Bus Stand in Secunderabad by 6:10. I bought a platform ticket for three rupees from the railway counter here. Srijana took her seat 41 in the reservation coach D-7 by 6:25. I came out and bought a dozen bananas for 30 rupees for her. She prepared Pudina Rice for her and me this morning in our abode. Janmabhoomi Express is my favorite train. Ticket for travel in this train is very affordable for all. It travels during daytime from Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam allowing passengers to watch the things outside from windows. Srijana does not feel much comfortable traveling in it along with Anand sitting throughout the journey. Anand has to rest somehow somewhere. Vamsy and others got into this coach by 6:50. They are creatures of Viswanadhapuram. Srijana and Anand can travel happily with them. Took leave of them and returned to my abode by 8:15 by a 1 V bus. Srijana kept everything in order in our abode. Srijana and Anand spend there for some days. I will join them later if necessary and possible. Srijana and Anand reached K O Mallavaram by 7:00. Today I spent casually in my abode. Bala and I had supper in my abode by 8:15. He slept here. Went to sleep by 9:00.
23 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of October in my diary of 2006. Today there was power cut twice in our area in the morning and afternoon. It lasted for about 90 minutes. By 2:00 my house owner gave me two kinds of curries prepared by him. They were tasty. He often cooks at home to help his wife a little this way. It is a great habit of a husband. Had my lunch with these curries and the curd made by me. Today it was cool and cloudy. Yesterday night and this morning tremors of earthquake surfaced in parts of Vanasthalipuram. Many got scared of them. I too sensed a tremor in my portion around 11:30 this morning. It is a wave of greeting sent by my Lord Krishna from the deeper crusts of earth. I enjoyed the gentle touch of this tremor. Today seismologists visited the affected areas in Vanasthalipuram and stated that these are negligible tremors of earthquake. Every day many changes take place in the deeper crusts of earth. They don’t reach the surface of earth unless those tremors are very intense. Earth and space are mysterious domains created and maintained by God. They greet creatures frequently. Bala and I had supper in my abode by 8:00. He slept here this night. Went to sleep by 9:30.
24 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of November in my diary of 2006. The owner of my portion gave me two curries this afternoon for lunch. By 7:15 had my supper in the abode of my cousin Bala. He cooked rice for us. I bought a tomato curry for 10 rupees at a nearby curry point. He added excess red chilli powder to it. Adding more colors, spices and oil means making a curry more attractive and tasty now for many cooks. Thus they are spoiling the digestive systems of people. I like curd a lot. I use it every day. It’s good for health. Spent reading Eenadu, The Hindu and Sakshi dailies from 7:30 to 10:00 in my abode on my iron cot. I scan them in the morning on a day of pressing work. I read them at night after my main work of the day is over. I read Eenadu every day. I buy even other important dailies on Sundays. The Hindu is my favorite English daily. I am not getting enough time now even on Sundays to read it thoroughly. There are many dailies, weeklies and monthlies now in the market. Many of them are greatly educating and entertaining readers. I am unable to read all of them. Reading dailies every day keeps one connected with the contemporary world. Many Indians are not reading dailies now. They cannot grow into complete human beings without reading much. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 October (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of December in my diary of 2006 and completed its final level editing. I spent about 96 hours’ time to edit this diary. Afternoon Uma gave me about 150 grams of sweet potato fry for lunch. It was very tasty. Morning I gave about 300 grams of potatoes to her. Srijana left them here after cooking the remaining ones. There are onions also. By 7:30 had my supper in the abode of Bala at Vaidehi Nagar. He cooked rice today. There are two girls in the middle portion of house 6-5-35 in our colony. They are beautiful and sensitive. I daily throw many glances at them casually. They too look at me casually. Our portions are at equal level in height. Their mother often checks their movements in and around their abode. She thinks that her daughters may fall in love with others and ruin their lives. She is a possessive and visionary mother. These two girls come across me many times on road. I feel a little uneasy when I near them. They too experience such feelings and emotions during those times. People enjoy others’ presence silently. The first communication is an ordeal between two familiar but unrelated creatures. Society controls and shapes human behavior. Slept by 10:20.
26 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:00. Today I edited the content of January in my diary of 2007. I took about nine hours’ time to edit it. By 9:30, this morning, my brother Sambha named his adopted son Datla Anjaneya Raju, at his home in Peda Gummuluru, under the supervision of a priest. It is a formal occasion. This baby is 21 days old by today. Srijana, her father and Anand attended this function from K O Mallavaram. My brother Srinivas and his family came from Visakhapatnam. Sambha did not invite all to this event. He did not call a photographer or videographer to shoot it. I knew that my father was hurt for not allowing him to give name to this baby. My brother Srinivas and I too did not allow him to set names to our children. Srijana returned to K O Mallavaram by 2:25 on the bike of her father along with Anand. By 2:30 an auto rickshaw driver brought our GL-225 FADG 5/2010 refrigerator of LG company to my abode from the LG godown at Uppal. Prabhakar sent it. I paid 300 rupees to this fellow towards transport charge. He is carrying similar piece to the abode of my cousin Sirisha at Beeramguda for 600 rupees. Srijana felt happy knowing about its delivery to our abode today. Bala and I had supper in my abode by 8:20. I cooked brown rice for us. He bought a curry. Went to sleep by 9:45.
27 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of February in my diary of 2007. Afternoon Srijana told me that she is planning to present a little gold ring to the adopted son of my brother Sambha soon. They are spending about 1300 rupees for it. Earlier the party of my brother presented a gold ring for Anand. This present is perhaps to repay that loan. I hate this typical beggar mentality in many Indians. We should not give something to others expecting something from them later. Gifts are our tokens of love and affection for others. It is not a formality. Evening switched on our refrigerator to check if it is functioning. I did it on the advice of Srijana. I observed that many are choosing maroon color fridges at retail stores. It reflects their poor psychological growth. I don’t see the need of a fridge in our abode now. Srijana bought it because she saw it in many houses. She cannot find this abode complete without a fridge in it. We start somehow benefiting from it, regularly using it, because it is there. Modern culture means aping others blindly. Corporate culture means selling things to others spoiling their minds and culture to the maximum extent. Bala and I had supper by 8:30. Went to sleep by 9:30.
28 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:00. Today I edited the content of March in my diary of 2007. By 10:30 a marketing executive of Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi came to me and asked me to subscribe to it. I told him that I buy and read Telugu daily Eenadu every day. He requested me to subscribe to it for one month at least for his sake. I agreed for it. He gave me a copy of this daily and took three rupees from me for it. It is my second choice after Eenadu. These people also write well on many things. Eenadu is the best Telugu daily for me in Andhra Pradesh. Ramoji Rao made it into a classic piece. I don’t feel like reading another Telugu daily after reading it. Eenadu is known for quality and reliability for years. By 11:00 two Muslim youth came and shouted below for the attention of anybody living in this house. Nobody responded to them. I looked down for courtesy sake. Gave them 10 rupees as my donation. They said they are offering free food to some orphans in this area today. I am also an orphan now in terms of money and earning. My father is my savior now. Many people are approaching me frequently asking for something. They are not recognizing me as an orphan because I am not on a pavement. Ramya, the wife of my cousin Murali, gave birth to a male baby by 1:24 this afternoon. Went to sleep by 9:45.
29 October (Friday)
Woke up by 5:00. Today I edited the content of April in my diary of 2007. By 8:30 typed out and posted a blog on my blog site. Typed it out after editing my diary for about nine hours. I could not type out for long for lack of time. It is a short blog. It is about the issue of Kashmir in India. Writer and social activist Arundhati Roy recently commented that Kashmir is not part of India at all. India is a complex of many distinct regions, races and cultures. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel unified many parts into India after independence. Such things happen in the formations and expansions of many nations in the world. India is an example of the ideal of unity in diversity. Kashmir is head of India. Indians love the beauty and uniqueness of Kashmir in many respects. Terrorism is a disorder of Kashmir. It is getting funded and promoted by Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan and some other nations. Defense forces of India stay in Kashmir region as long as there are terrorism and unrest in it. India cannot donate Kashmir to Pakistan as long as Indians live in India. I objected to the views of Arundhati Roy in this blog. It is my moral responsibility as an Indian. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
30 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 for nine hours and completed the content of May in it. Srijana and Anand are in K O Mallavaram now. Srijana told me that Anand is getting into much mischief now. He finds more people and space there to play and enjoy. Recently two persons came forward to edit the content of my second book to be published. Initially I mistook P E Sciantarelli for Gopesh Kashyap because I got emails from them in that order. I communicated with Sciantarelli by email and wanted to get my manuscript edited by her. She is an American but living in parts of Asia for long. I liked her answers to my 10 questions sent by email. I like to pay about 40000 rupees to her to get the content of this book edited by her. She wrote that she is coming to Hyderabad to meet me. Suddenly she stopped communicating with me. I don’t know what happened at her end. I suspect that somebody played with me this way. I avoided Gopesh Kashyap also for this reason. Creative works are vulnerable assets of their creators. I love my creative works and want to get them edited and published by worthy and reliable people. Bad creatures spoil our works and tarnish our image. I edited the content of my second book thoroughly. I can send it to publishers as it is. There is much time to get it published. Went to sleep by 10:00.
31 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited the content of my diary of 2007 from 1 June to 20 June. B Ramanjaneyulu came to NGO Colony bus stop by 4:00 from Malakpet on his bike. He must be 45. Now he is working as an accountant in the office of Lijjat Papad. He is a tax consultant also. He recently read my letter, addressed to the director of SSC Board, posted on my blog site. He said that he likes that letter a lot. His daughter passed 10th standard last June with about 560 marks for 600 studying at Dilsukh Nagar Public School. He thought that his daughter should have got more marks in Telugu subject. He applied for the re-evaluation of her Telugu answer paper. He got those copies of answer paper from the folks of SSC Board and found that his daughter should get six more marks in it. He sent complaint letters to the concerning fellows of the SSC Board. He is in this process for the last three months. They said that they would do it soon. He came here to talk with me about it. I told him to wait for a few more days. We spent talking till 5:00 in my abode about the related things. We had tea together at a store by main road. I enjoyed his meeting with me. Went to sleep by 10:00.
1 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I could not edit the content of my diary. I used the Beta version of Microsoft Word 2010 to edit my diaries this year. It expired yesterday night as scheduled by them. I started downloading the trial version of this software by 9:30 from the portal of Microsoft. The folks of Hathway Broadband said that the speed of my Internet access is 1 MB per second. When I was downloading this file, I found that its transfer rate is 45 kb per second. This realization infuriated me. Called up the customer service executives of Hathway at Somajiguda about five times today. They could not resolve this problem today. This download stopped around 1:30 for some reason. I started downloading it again. It was downloaded by 5:30. It took about four hours’ time to download it, which should have happened in 30 minutes. It is because the speed of this Internet access is very low. Sent a complaint letter to them through their corporate website. I typed it out very angrily. Today I got an email from Emma Sciantarelli. She wrote that she would come to Hyderabad this Thursday to meet me if I am interested in getting the content of my book edited by her. She also asked me if I can pay her 2500 rupees for her onward train journey from Mumbai. I replied to her. Went to sleep by 10:00.
2 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 20 June to 30 June. Morning saw a comment left by an anonymous entity on my blog site. Published it on it. He or she posted this comment after reading my blog titled “SRIJANA DEVI”, which I posted on my blog site on 23 March, 2009. I wrote about Srijana and how I married her in this blog. This entity remarked that I am a dog and a rascal. I typed out a response to this base remark and published it below it. Srijana told me that it has been raining for the last three days in K O Mallavaram. Power cut occurred. They take two or three days to restore it. Yesterday evening they took Anand to a hair salon in Tuni for a haircut. He started crying after seeing his face in the mirror there. He must have thought that the barber is doing something harmful to him. They took about 90 minutes to finish it somehow. It is his first haircut in a hair salon. I missed it. Saw the Telugu film “Baava” of Siddarth and Praneeta in cinema Sampoorna from 3:00 to 6:00. It is an interesting film. Praneeta is an inspiring beauty. Today it was cloudy, drizzly and cool. Yesterday I emailed Emma informing her that I cannot pay the money to her now for editing the content of my second book. I requested her to wait for some weeks. Bala and I had supper by 8:30. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of July in my diary of 2007. Today my father-in-law borrowed one lakh rupees from a familiar moneylender in that area. He did it transferring the legal rights of half an acre of his lime farm near village Viswanadhapuram. He spent 16000 rupees for this transaction at the Mandal revenue office in Kota Uratla. He got 84000 rupees from his moneylender after this transaction. The rate of interest is three rupees per 100 rupees per month. Every month he has to pay 3000 rupees to him as interest for one lakh rupees. He gets the legal rights of this land transferred to him at this revenue office when he repays him this money. He can collect the crop from his lime farm during this time. My father-in-law seems to be a poor, helpless and lazy guy. He smokes cigarettes. I heard that he consumes alcohol. He likes his daughter Srijana a lot. He wants to buy many things for her but he has no money to do it. He does not like his son Vamsy much because he is not a disciplined guy. He likes me a lot but he has no money or assets to please me that way. He likes to satisfy me with fruits and homemade dishes because he can afford them. Poor people cannot delight the rich with money. Went to sleep by 10:00.
4 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of my diary of 2007 from 1 August to 20 August. I could not edit it more than that because the amount of text to be edited is much and also I am doing it slowly fearing failure of accuracy in editing it. Evening it poured for 30 minutes. My cousin Bala and I saw the Telugu film “Raktha Charithra” in cinema Sushma from 7:00 to 9:15. Ram Gopal Varma directed it very well. He portrayed the origin and spread of factionism, in Ananthapuram district of Andhra Pradesh, in this film, highlighting the history of two rival groups involved in it. They kill others for self-respect, false prestige and eccentricity, using bombs and homemade weapons. I saw the first part of this film today. The background score, dialogues, treatment and screenplay of this film are extraordinary. Ram chose very suitable folks to act in it. Everybody acted well in it. It is one of the great films I have seen reflecting reality in a dramatic way. Ram narrated the story as an invisible character in it. He did a great job as the director of this film. My father-in-law, Srijana and Anand went to Payakaraopeta by 10:00 on bike. They deposited 20000 rupees into my Axis Bank account by 10:40 through online money transfer. My father-in-law repaid me 50000 rupees by today. Yet he has to repay me 30000 rupees. Went to sleep by 10:30.
5 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 21 August to 31 August for about six hours. Today I felt dim and weak for some reasons. It is Deepavali today. I did not celebrate it buying firecrackers and wearing new clothes. I did not feel that need today. Evening Rajeshwari, the mother of my cousin Bala, offered me sweet milk porridge and snacks on this occasion. Spent talking with Bala for about four hours. Night heard the sounds of many firecrackers bursting in Vanasthalipuram. I derived joy from the celebration and happiness of other creatures. Today I spent meaningfully editing my diary. This time my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and Srijana did not go to our house in Peda Gummuluru to perform Vara Lakshmi Pooja formally along with my mother. Srijana feared period. Sujan got an exam to take. My mother prepared all the dishes necessary for this festival and fasted till the evening. She worshipped Goddess Lakshmi from 5:00 onwards for about 30 minutes. My sister-in-law Kranti performed this Pooja in their house opposite ours. My mother would have felt happy if her three daughters-in-law spent with her today. They could not make it. Srijana and Anand celebrated Deepavali in Viswanadhapuram. Anand feared the sounds of firecrackers. Went to sleep by 11:00 for my dreams.
6 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 1 September to 10 September. Regretted this slow pace of my editing work today. Today it was cloudy and very cool. Many folks burst firecrackers even today celebrating the spirit of Deepavali. Today I got my electricity bill. It showed 101 rupees. I am very happy about it. Evening had Vegetable Biryani in the abode of Bala, prepared by his mother Rajeshwari. Morning typed out and posted a blog on my blog site welcoming Barack Obama, the present president of the United States of America. He spends for about four days in India. His choices of stay, meetings and speeches in India are Mumbai and New Delhi. He came here along with his wife and many entrepreneurs from the USA. He wants to strengthen his diplomatic and trade ties with India in every possible way. I consider him as a great man because he reached this ultimate position in the USA through hard work, honesty, intelligence and vision. Educated and intelligent Americans elected him thoughtfully to rule their land of commanding beauty and diversity. I consider him as a true representative of liberal and diverse culture of the USA. Many are living in the USA now, going there from different parts of the world, because they are comfortable and happy there. Americans built their nation and developed their culture in that order over the years. Went to sleep by 9:45.
7 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 11 September to 25 September. Today it was cool, cloudy and drizzly. My friend Dantuluri Shiva Varma is working as a junior trainee in the steel plant of Visakhapatnam now. Earlier he worked as a casual employee in the Etikoppaka cooperative sugar factory at Darlapudi. Now he is feeling safe and secure as an employee. He can marry a girl now. He said that he paid two lakh rupees to get this job. I did not like the corruption, which took place in this recruitment of jobs, as described by Shiva. I complained to the folks of Anti Corruption Bureau in Hyderabad using the online form on their website. I got a call from a person of ACB in Visakhapatnam after about 30 days. She told me to email them again with specific details about it. When I contacted Shiva to collect those details from him, he said that he did not pay money to anybody to get this job. Then he told me so for formality sake. This answer from him infuriated me. Many Indians think that corruption is an inevitable part of India. They expect others to fight against these burning issues. They conform to the corrupt systems of government when they are benefiting from it instantly. They cry seeking external help when they are being tortured by them. Then they die silently. Went to sleep by 10:15.
8 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 26 September to 15 October. Today it was cool, cloudy and drizzly. Now my paternal grandmother Lakshmi Narasayyamma is living in the thatched house of my paternal uncle Narayana Murthy at hills near village Ramayyapatnam. My paternal grandfather Thammi Raju is staying at the house of his daughter Subhadra in Peda Gummuluru. He does not stay here for long. His son-in-law Appala Raju is not a good fellow. My grandfather must be 95 now. My grandmother must be 90. She is unable to stand up now. My uncle Narayana Murthy named his daughter Lakshmi Narasayyamma to express and record his respect and love for his mother. My father named me Thammi Raju though one cannot find it in my educational certificates. I am proud of it. Thammi Raju is a self-made man. He built his life traveling through the effects of poverty, hardship, proactive service to his siblings when they were young and helpless, ignorance and illiteracy. They reached old age faster due to their ignorance and negligence for health. Their children are not virtuous and educated. They did not care for them much when they were getting old and helpless day by day. This is the predicament of many old people in India now. Many are spending and earning more money for their children than their parents. The vital culture of India is dying slowly. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited the content of my diary of 2007 from 16 October to 25 October. Emma Sciantarelli called me up by 12:53. This morning she came to Hyderabad by train from Mumbai to attend a meeting here today. She informed me to meet her this evening at Cafe Coffee Day in Jubilee Hills by 7:30. I stopped my editing work on my computer by 4:30. Took a head bath by 5:20. Took a 156 V bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 5:40. It goes to Mehdipatnam from here. I kept in touch with her through receiving and sending SMSes from and to her during my bus travel. Got off this bus at Lakdi Ka Pool bus bay by 7:30. It was drizzling. Vehicles did not flow well on roads. I thought of hiring an auto rickshaw to go there fast. A fellow asked me for 150 rupees. Took a bus and got off it at Jubilee Hills Check Post by 8:00. Thence took a sharing auto rickshaw going towards Shilparamam. I met Emma in Health Lovers outlet by 8:22. Her work associate B Srikrishna was also with her. We spent talking here till 8:45. She told me that I should pay her about 10000 rupees initially for her to start the editing work of content of my second book. We left this place by 8:50. I reached the abode of Veeru by 9:10. Had my supper here by 9:45.
10 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep for more than an hour. A mosquito made noise around me. The abode of Veeru did not look comfortable and cozy for me to sleep. It was a sleepless night altogether. Recently Veeranjaneyulu formally entered his Maanasija Art Abode in MLA Colony. He treated about 100 invitees on this occasion. I did not attend it being busy with my diary editing work. He wants to be here hereafter as an artist. He likes the beauty and privacy of this place. Took leave of him by 7:15 and walked to the nearby bus stop at Film Nagar. Luckily I got a BPO cab here when waiting for a city bus. He dropped me at Ganesh Temple in Vanasthalipuram by 8:20. He charged 30 rupees for it. It is fair and reasonable. Thence took a bus to NGO Colony bus stop. Reached my abode by 8:50. Today I felt sleepy and weak and so avoided editing my diary. Rested on my iron cot from 11:00 to 1:00. I could not manage to sleep. It was just closing my eyes covering myself with a bed sheet. From 2:00 to 6:30 did a few things on my blog site and Flickr site. Formatted the information emailed by Gangadar Menon of Leadstart Publishing in Mumbai and posted the details of updated list of bookstores in India where my book Stories of Love and Beauty is available for sale. Srijana and Anand reached the abode of my brother Srinivas in Visakhapatnam by 3:00. Slept by 10:00.
11 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 26 October to 15 November. Today it was bright after many cloudy and rainy days. Srijana and Anand are enjoying their time in the rented abode of my brother Srinivas at Madhava Dhara in Visakhapatnam. My casual meeting with Emma Sciantarelli recently at Jubilee Hills left me with some insights and impressions. First she informed me to meet her at Cafe Coffee Day outlet. Then she told me to come to Barista. Ultimately she met me in Health Lovers outlet. I thought that she came to Hyderabad alone. I proposed her the idea of being taken to the abode of Veeru at Jubilee Hills before I reach there. She did not like it. She stated that she would meet me in a public place only. She might have thought that I would get her kidnapped by a gangster. She was insecure and uncertain about my credentials as a reliable guy based on the email communication we had earlier. I think I am a social reformer and idealist. Any person may feel relaxed and happy to meet a guy like me. Emma could not trust me. India is not a safe and secure country for many. Emma is right in her approach towards me. Also many think that an admirer of beauty means a loafer or a womanizer. In India, real saints are treated as lunatics. Slept by 10:00.
12 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 16 November to 30 November. By 9:15 collected the book HOW TO WRITE AND SPEAK BETTER from the main post office in Vanasthalipuram paying them 1154 rupees for it. It is a Reader’s Digest publication. Its price is 1099 rupees. The postal charges amounted to 55 rupees. Earlier I ordered it being influenced by their promotional material sent to me by post. Night scanned parts of this book. I understood that it greatly helps me improve my writing skills. The quality and organization of content in this book is good. I am happy for buying it. Today I filled in their form and ordered another book useful for me to improve my English. They sent me a beautiful pamphlet describing the features and attractions of 12 items. I opted for this book from them. I am much short of money now. There are many prizes to be won from the publishers of Reader’s Digest. They do it through draw soon. I will be very happy if I win one of them. Lack of money makes a saint also into a fool in this material world. Evening Gangadar Menon of Leadstart Publishing sent me an email informing me about the progress in the sales of my book Stories of Love and Beauty. He stated that two books were sold online and one was sold at a bookstore. This news shocked me. Emailed him to check it again. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 1 December to 16 December. Today I got an email from Gangadar Menon of Leadstart Publishing in Mumbai. He explained me why they cannot assess the status of sales of many books sent to different bookstores in India for a few months initially. Regularly the folks of bookstores don’t update them on the number of books sold. They can understand it only when the unsold copies are returned to them towards the end of a financial year. I don’t think that my book Stories of Love and Beauty will do well in the market. Many readers don’t know about me or my book now. May Lord Krishna decide its fate. This evening Srijana and Anand went to the apartment of my brother Srinivas at Sujatha Nagar in Visakhapatnam along with my brother Srinivas and sister-in-law Sandhya Rani. She found it good. It is still at the final stage of construction. They may enter it formally in the second week of this December. Anand is getting into much mischief. Srijana beat him today. Got a phone call from the office of Amigos Creations in Secunderabad by 6:25. He informed me to attend the audition in their office this Monday morning. It is for Telugu film “Life is Beautiful”, which is to be directed by Sekhar Kammula soon. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Last night I could not sleep well. I was flooded with various thoughts related to films. My mind was celebrating the reality of my being selected for audition for a Telugu film. I could not manage to sleep for long. Today I edited my diary of 2007 from 17 December to 31 December and completed its final level editing. I spent about 110 hours’ time to edit it. Today Srijana, Anand, my brother Srinivas, my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and my nephews Sujan and Suhas visited Kailasa Giri and Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam for pleasure from 12:00 to 6:00. They enjoyed it a lot. Today, the auspicious date for the Gruha Pravesham of my brother Srinivas and his family, into their new apartment at Sujatha Nagar in Visakhapatnam, was finalized by our family priest in village Koruprolu. It takes place on 10 December, 2010. Srijana, Anand and I also attend it. Night my brother Srinivas called me up and informed me to ask my friend Veeranjaneyulu if he can do a 3x2 painting to put in his apartment. It must be that of a Kshatriya king riding his horse majestically. The horse raises its two front legs into air when the king sits on it hinting it to move ahead. He said that he saw such painting in an abode of his Punjabi army officer once. Veeru said that he cannot do it now. Went to sleep by 10:30.
15 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Got ready by 8:15. Wore a classic pair of clothes. Took a bus and reached Rethifile Bus Stand in Secunderabad by 9:15. Thence hired an auto rickshaw and reached Royal Ascot apartment block at Padmarao Nagar by 9:30. He took 20 rupees. The security guard at this apartment block told me to come by 10:30. Walked down, bought a copy of Eenadu and spent reading it for 40 minutes sitting at an abode there by road. Entered flat 006 in the first floor of Royal Ascot by 10:32. Spent talking with the office boy in it till 10:50. Three assistant directors entered it by 11:15. Kiran Uday took me into a room by 11:25. First I presented my acting skills talking about the creation and journey of a film using my cellphone. He was not happy with it. He advised me to act imagining a situation. I talked with Srijana motivating her to attend the audition of this film. He shot it with a small digital video camera for about two minutes. He told me to bring Srijana before the end of this month for audition if she is ready to do roles like that of the sister of main roles. Roles of that order are not good for Srijana. Reached the abode of Jagannadha Raju at Kandla Koya by 12:30 by bus. Mantena Venkata Ramana Raju, the paternal grandfather of Srijana, came here recently. Returned home by 8:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 January to 20 January. I worked for about eight hours on it. Srijana and my dear son Anand reached our house in Peda Gummuluru by 10:00 by bus from Visakhapatnam. They enjoyed their time for some days spending at the abode of my brother Srinivas at Madhava Dhara. They spend in Peda Gummuluru for a few days. Srijana is interested to act in the Telugu film to be directed by Sekhar Kammula soon if she is selected in their audition. She is afraid that her parents and other conservative people in our circle may not approve this idea. Her face, looks and smiles are very beautiful. I think such beauty must be recorded in a film. Age affects our beauty. We must capture and preserve its brilliance when we are young. I want Srijana to act in a significant role. I don’t like to see her playing negligible roles. I don’t like to insult her beauty and character allowing her to play any role. It is my moral responsibility as an admirer of beauty and idealist. I will produce a Telugu film in future to present her role extraordinarily. I subjected my look and worth to be judged by a third person attending that audition yesterday. Audition is an artificial event. They cannot assess our worth asking us to act before them for two minutes. We deliver well there where we are treated and respected greatly. Went to sleep by 10:30.
17 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 January to 10 February. Today it was cool and cloudy. This morning my mother, Srijana and Anand went to the temple of Lord Venkateshwara at Darlapudi by bus. Evening they went to the temple of Lord Shiva near our house in Peda Gummuluru. Srijana did not have period this month. She suspects that it may be a sign of conception. We two wanted to take a gap of three years between the birth of Anand and the birth of our second baby. Anand visited us beyond our plan. We invited him. I think the brother or sister of Anand is also getting ready to visit us beyond our plan. It seems to be the plan of our Lord Krishna for us. I am happy about it but Srijana said that she is tense about it. She wants to get it tested only when I go there. She does not like to consult a doctor along with others in this regard. She is a sensitive Indian girl. Pregnancy is a matter of concern for many because it imposes some pains and restrictions on them. A husband is a lucky creature in this regard. Anand is demanding the presence of his mother always. He is crying if she does not appear even for a minute. He is not eating food or drinking milk well. He is an adamant and angry boy. Went to sleep by 10:30.
18 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 11 February to 29 February. Attended the marriage of Sailaja and Praveen Kumar at Swarishi Garden Function Hall near Panama Godowns from 12:30 to 1:30. Sailaja is sister of Maroju Pandarinath. He lives in a portion in the ground floor of the house, in which we are living now. Had my lunch here by 1:30. Paid 503 rupees at the outlet of Reliance Communications near Red Tank towards my bill for the period from 11 October to 10 November. They charge me 50 paise for a call in India. They did not stop unwanted calls to my cellphone despite my effort in this direction. My handset has very few features. It cannot store more than 30 messages. Srijana sends me more messages than others. I often delete them to create space. I like reading her personal messages. I don’t send many messages. Now there are 153 phone numbers in my cellphone. I keep in touch with about 10 people only from them. Srijana always gives me missed calls. I am not using a wristwatch for about two years now. I can check time in my cellphone. It is a green and slim piece. I can keep it in my pocket. I don’t like holding it with my hand, which many are doing now. Paid 101 rupees at the E-seva centre on the way towards my electricity bill for the last month. Srijana and my mother cooked Janthikalu in our house today. Went to sleep by 10:30.
19 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 March to 15 March. I felt drowsy and dim by 4:00. Stopped my editing work and rested on my iron cot for 40 minutes. This morning I had cold rice with curd. It would not have provided my body with enough energy. I must eat hot and fresh breakfast items every morning. I am having my lunch around 2:30 after finishing my scheduled editing work of morning period. My brain is turning weak and dim from 1:30 onwards. It is hinting me to eat or drink something immediately. Earlier I used to rest for some time after my lunch. Now I am not getting time for it. My brother-in-law Vamsy passed his ITI course with 570 marks recently. Srijana told me about it. He is maintaining distance from me in every possible way. It is good for me but bad for him. Good people try to guide and help helpless ones. They think that they know everything. He went to Bengaluru 10 days ago. His cousin is working there in a construction company. He decided to work somewhere there. I advised him to do apprenticeship in some good company at Hyderabad. It seems he is not interested in listening to me. Today Srijana and my sister-in-law Kranti took their respective sons to Anakapalle to consult a doctor. He prescribed medicines for their minor disorders. Went to sleep by 10:30.
20 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 16 March to 31 March. Went to the main post office in Vanasthalipuram and collected my VPP by 11:00 paying them 1154 rupees. It is the book titled FOODS THAT HARM FOODS THAT HEAL published by Reader’s Digest. Earlier I ordered it. They sent it now. Its price is 1099 rupees. The VPP charges amounted to 55 rupees. It is a great book in terms of paper quality and usefulness of information for those that like to sustain good health always. Many food items mentioned in this book are not available in India. It greatly educates and alerts its readers regarding what to eat and what to avoid. My financial condition is not well now. I bought it with the hope of getting cash prize from the folks of Reader’s Digest in their annual sweepstakes prize draw to be conducted soon. By 11:45 a customer service executive of Reliance Communications called me up from Hyderabad. She said that I am selected for their free insurance coverage for one year. They pay me one lakh rupees in case of an accident in one year’s time. She told me to come today along with my wife to collect those insurance documents from their office. They educate us about their insurance policies and schemes there. I said my wife is not here now. She said that they would give it to some other fellow. I am saved. Went to sleep by 10:30.
21 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 April to 20 April. My father-in-law went to Peda Gummuluru by 8:30 on his bike. Srijana, Anand and he started there on his bike by 9:00. They reached Viswanadhapuram by 10:00 traveling via Tuni. Srijana said that Anand sat at the front when she sat behind her father on the bike throughout. It is a journey of about 40 kilometres. Anand is hardly 15 months old now. I did not like Srijana and her father allowing Anand to sit all by himself on this long journey along NH-16. Recently the Government of India changed the name of this national highway from 5 to 16. So, hereafter it will be known as NH-16. Little children like Anand like to sit on bikes because it excites them but their familiar adults should not allow them to sit on their own. Various vehicles move fast on busy roads creating much noise. Winds blow powerfully from the opposite direction when we are riding a bike fast. Tender kids should not be subjected to these forces and tension on a journey. I told Srijana and her father furiously not to take Anand anywhere in this nasty fashion. Somebody must hold him carefully when traveling on a bike. Today my mother and Srijana fasted on the occasion of Kaartheeka Pournami. God blesses them. Went to sleep by 10:45.
22 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 April to 10 May. Srijana and Anand are in K O Mallavaram now. I think Srijana enjoyed her short stay in the abode of my brother Srinivas at Visakhapatnam recently. My sister-in-law Sandhya Rani keeps her abode clean and orderly always. She treats her guests very well. My brother Srinivas thinks liberally and behaves casually with his friends and relatives at home. He is a modern man though he follows Indian culture to some extent. Srijana and Anand enjoyed every minute in their presence along with Sujan and Suhas. Srijana feels uneasy and inhibited in our house at Peda Gummuluru because my parents are conservative to a much extent. They expect submissive and formal behavior from Srijana. Many cannot behave freely and honestly when they are in a restricted and conditioned environment. My parents struggled a lot to lead their hard lives through many tests and challenges. Srijana did not experience such tough life till now. Generation gap is at work here. My parents enjoyed the presence of Anand more than Srijana because they could accept his behavior liberally and kindly considering his age and innocence. Srijana sends me more messages of love and attachment when she is in other places than those of her parents, grandparents and relatives. She is missing liberty there. Went to sleep by 9:30.
23 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 11 May to 31 May. Yesterday and today a fair took place in village K O Mallavaram in the name of their village Goddess Cheetikamma. The temple of this Goddess is near the Government High School in this village. They celebrate it every year. They believe that their village Goddess protects them from evil forces and natural calamities. They cut the throats of many birds and animals on this occasion. They like eating meat. They satisfy their desires this way. Village fairs are part of Indian culture. Many people attend these village fairs to get excitement and joy from them. They wear new clothes and cook special dishes on this occasion. They invite their relatives and friends to their villages for collective celebration of these festive moments. Srijana said that it was celebrated for two days only this time. About 40 police maintained law and order in this place. Community groups and political rivals may create unrest during this time. Srijana met her schoolmates in this annual fair. She and her mother prepared special dishes on this occasion at home. Anand too enjoyed it. My father-in-law offered homemade lunch to his relatives from Viswanadhapuram on this occasion. Two cultural programs were held on these two nights of the fair. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 June to 20 June. Evening Srijana decided to come back to Hyderabad. Earlier she decided to come back along with me when I go there in December. She wants to get tested to check if she is pregnant. I welcomed her decision. A paperboy is delivering the Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi to me every morning since the 1st of this month. I daily scan Eenadu for about 30 minutes in the morning because I take it as a classic piece. We find different stories in different dailies but we cannot read all of them. We miss a lot of knowledge and information to that extent. Now I am not getting time even to have my lunch peacefully because my diary editing work is consuming about eight hours’ time every day. I have to finish this work by the end of this year. My cash reserves are declining day by day. I like to read the Magazine and Literary Review of The Hindu on Sundays. I have no time even to do it satisfactorily. I am not watching television also for lack of time. I am missing many programs. Many struggle day and night to bring out these newspapers and run these television channels. I feel disturbed and hurt when I realize that I am insulting these artists and professionals not reading what they are writing for me and not watching what they are telecasting for me. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 June to 30 June. Power cut occurred for about one hour. Rested on my iron cot. I understood that I cannot edit even 20 days of content in my diary today. Rushed to cinema Sushma on my bicycle by 2:45. Bought a ticket for 50 rupees. Saw the Telugu version of English film “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1” in it from 3:10 to 5:20. I thought that there would be many wonders of graphics in it. There is more theory in this film than action. Indians expect more content of graphics in an English film because they find gripping drama and dialogues in Indian films also. Hollywood means an abode of graphic wonders for many ordinary Indians. This film disappointed me from this perspective. I enjoyed its background score and a few locations to some extent. I would not have gone to see this film if there was no power cut this morning. I look for a justifiable cause to avoid doing my scheduled amount of work at home on a day. I like seeing films a lot because they educate and entertain me at very little cost. They are fascinating dreams and shocking social realities framed together by many artists and technicians. Going to see a film in a cinema means a way of public interaction and enjoyment for me. I like to see 80% of the films released to cinemas. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 November (Friday)
Woke up by 3:30. I could not manage to sleep thereafter. Srijana and Anand got off the bus at Panama Godowns by 8:15. It is a private bus of Anjana Travels. Yesterday night they took it by 8:15 in Tuni. Hired an auto rickshaw from NGO Colony bus stop and went there by 8:30. We three reached home by 8:45. Paid 40 rupees to the auto rickshaw driver. Srijana looked sleepy and weak due to sleepless bus journey. She brought lemons, homemade snacks and sweets. She started using our new refrigerator by 10:30. She told me to put a little glass of boiled and cooled milk in it as part of its casual opening ceremony. She inaugurated this machine to spoil our health. I will educate her on how to use it later. Now she can believe that she is also a contemporary Indian. They think that a house does not look complete without a television and a refrigerator. A television spoils their minds. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 July to 20 July. By 9:00 Srijana, Anand and I met Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh in his Abhay Clinic. He did not prescribe any medicines for Anand. Srijana asked him about getting her pregnancy aborted medically. He advised her to avoid it. It may harm her health. I told him that I am in favor of it. We wanted to have our second child when Anand crosses his second year. It happened beyond our plan. It is will of nature. We should not go against it. Went to sleep by 10:30.
27 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 July to 10 August. Evening I turned very angry with Anand. He was crying irrationally. He was crying loudly as if a disaster occurred in his life. It is his habit. I talked very angrily about him for about five minutes being disturbed by his crying. He is looking for excuses to cry frequently. I rose angrily to beat him on his buttocks. Srijana saved him. He is worse than a little monkey. I think a monkey does not cry. It enjoys its life holding the body of its careless mother and touring places carefully. He wakes up crying. I feel like throwing him into a canal when he cries irrationally. A mother suffers a lot because of such nasty child. She has to dedicate her life to bring him up like a patient servant and helpless mother. Many children are behaving like little ghosts now to torture their parents. I think that Anand must be a sinner in his previous birth. His duty is to torture others. He cries if Srijana does not appear to him even for a few seconds. She took him to the home of her parents to wean him from breast feeding. He did not stop it. He has four upper teeth and two lower teeth now. He is walking well. He is playing with toys and kids. His brain is developing slowly. He is eating our brains for it. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 11 August to 31 August. Telugu feature films attract me a lot. I often wonder at the creativity and hard work of artists and technicians in this field. They think and work minding the interests of contemporary viewers always. I like Telugu feature films produced between 1960 and 1980 more than others. Films mostly portray human life in an ideal and beautiful way. We love the roles of a hero and a heroine in a film than other roles. Those appearing on screen get more recognition and fame than those working behind it. This is the biggest demerit of film industry. Actors and actresses grow up on the shoulders of many artists and professionals, leaving them behind in course of time. I like Telugu film songs a lot. Great artists create them. Classic songs and music heal my disturbed psyche within minutes. The number of Telugu films produced is so high that I don’t get time to see other Indian and foreign films. I want to see a Telugu film every day throughout my life but it is not possible in reality. The contemporary society expects me to do something always to identify me as a sensible fellow. Anybody that struggles to live his life in the way desired by others cannot enjoy it completely. Every civilized human being is a lifelong victim from this perspective. Films influence human psyche deeply. Many don’t accept this truth. Films and dreams are twins. Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 September to 20 September. Anand caught fever. Recently Kiran Kumar Reddy became the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is a young and handsome man. He seems to be a gentleman. Rosaiah resigned to give way to Kiran. Sonia Gandhi blesses these positions to these candidates in the Congress Party. I think Kiran rules this state well with patience, honesty and vision. I am happy to see him in this position. He is an educated and disciplined man. He talks and behaves decently. I like him as a person and politician based on what I knew about him so far. Rosaiah is a good creature but he could not control evil and cruel fellows inside and outside his party. I felt blissful knowing that Nitish Kumar became the chief minister of Bihar for the second time winning the election in that state recently. Laloo ruined that state ruling it for many years. Nitish developed it working hard like an idealist. People elected him as their leader recognizing his goodness and constructive plans as a politician. I am happy about these developments in these two states recently. People would be happy when their leaders are honest and visionary. India is a nation of poverty and corruption now. Intelligent and ideal leaders are needed now everywhere. Went to sleep by 10:15.
30 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I did not edit my diary of 2008. Wanted to take a break. Typed out and posted a blog titled “Current Affairs” on my blog site by 1:30. I wrote about eight points in it. Saw the Telugu film “Orange” of Ram Charan Teja and Genelia in cinema Sushma from 12:00 to 2:50. I enjoyed watching it throughout. Ram acted and danced well. Genelia looked and acted well. This film discusses the philosophical and realistic aspects of love in a subtle and easily understandable manner. Much of it was shot in Australia and India. The hero loves about nine girls but leaves them all after loving them for some time. He realizes that one cannot love anybody with the same kind of intensity and purity of love throughout one’s life. In course of time, love fades away. The heroine does not like to marry him because he says that he can love her for a short period of time only. She likes the honesty of the hero but she cannot be happy with the reality that he does not love her forever alike. Eventually they decide to live together, leaving their imaginary concerns about their intensity of love in future, to be decided by time. Both of them compromise to that extent. Bhaskar directed it excitingly. Nagendra Babu produced it. My friend Veeranjaneyulu appears in it, for about eight seconds, in two scenes, as an artist, painting the sketches of hero and his two sweethearts. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
1 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 September to 10 October. By 9:30 we invited a used paper buyer into our abode to sell our old newspapers. He weighed them putting them in his balance. They amounted to four kilograms only. Actually they should weigh about 10 kilos. He used a fake one kilo measurement unit to cheat me. He can buy two kilos of old newspapers for a price of one kilo items this way. I told him that he cheated me. He tried to defend himself. I told him to consider them as eight kilo worth items and pay me accordingly. He paid me 51 rupees. He agreed to pay seven rupees for one kilo of newspapers before entering my abode. He paid double the amount he finalized. He indirectly agreed that he cheated me. I did not kill him because I am not a police or a terrorist. I lose about 40 rupees only because of him today but he is cheating many every day. He made public cheating into his way of life. It reflects the degradation of Indian society now. Many are living cheating others. By 9:00 Dr Geeta did ultrasound scan of the abdomen of Srijana and said that she is pregnant. The foetus in her womb is seven weeks and six days old by today. This is the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. She is wife of this doctor. Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh advised Srijana to go ahead with it instead of abortion. I too advised her to do it. Abortion is a moral and spiritual crime. Slept by 10:00.
2 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 11 October to 20 October. My brother Srinivas called me up by 8:22 and told me to buy a pair of clothes to wear on the occasion of his Gruha Pravesham in Visakhapatnam on the 10th of this month. He said that he would deposit 500 rupees for it into my UCO Bank account today. I searched for cloth stores on my bicycle and then moved to Ganesh Temple area. I checked readymade clothes in a roadside outlet for a few minutes. I did not find their measurements perfectly suitable for me. I don’t like wearing loose clothes. I look like a buffoon to others in them. Thence I moved to Jyothi Extension. Bought a piece of cloth for a shirt and a piece for a pair of trousers for 565 rupees in it. Gave them for stitching at Vijaya Tailors near ING Vysya Bank by 11:30. Paid him 300 rupees for it. He is a fellow of Amalapuram. Returned home by 11:45. Manga, the high school friend of Srijana and her husband Ravinder came here from their rented abode at Uppal along with their six-month-old baby. Repaid 2000 rupees to him. I borrowed it from him when I bought a refrigerator for us recently. They spent here till 4:00. Srijana told me to bring custard apples buying them from village bullock cart vendors by main road at Uppal. Here we can buy fruits at low prices. I did not go there because it takes about 90 minutes’ time. I like these fruit a lot. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 October to 10 November. Srijana weaned Anand from yesterday night. Mother’s breast milk is the best food for babies. I think Srijana is not comfortable with it now. I pity Anand in this regard. I don’t consider Srijana as a good mother from this perspective. Anand started drinking more buffalo milk after this development. She is adding Bournvita or Horlicks powder to it for taste and energy. He makes sounds of frustration and hunger at night also now and then. I am getting disturbed due to it. If I cannot sleep well a night, I become weak on the following day. I feel that burden when I am editing my diary on my computer for nine hours continuously. Srijana spends her time watching feature films, serials and some worthless programs on television when I am working on my computer. I don’t find her as a compatible spouse to me in terms of knowledge, intelligence and patience. She wants to enjoy her life with minimum work and responsibilities. Her choice to go for abortion despite the advice of the doctor and me reflects this facet of her character. Her parents and maternal grandmother brought her up in that order. Pregnancy and bearing children are much burden for her. I regret her psychological growth. Went to sleep by 10:00.
4 December (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 11 November to 30 November. This morning Srijana decided to continue her pregnancy. I felt blissful about it. She is doing it on two conditions. If it turns out to be a female baby, she will not bear another child thereafter. If it will be a male baby, she will bear another child. We want a daughter in our account. I liked her proposal. I agreed to it. She cannot bear eight children as I desired once. She should not become a children production machine as it happened in the past. We reached this news to my folks. They felt happy. I will try to do the best for Srijana because she decided to obey the dictates of nature at last. This material world won’t be beautiful without different kinds of creatures in it. We should beautify it bearing children. Thus we allow millions of souls to play their roes of Karma as humans. It is the plan of drama by God to take place on this earth planet. We are all temporary players in this longest game of God in this universe. The present behavior of Anand also made her dislike the idea of bearing another child this early. He wants to follow her like her shadow always. He cries often without reason. He stands up at the door of bathroom and cries loudly as if she left him out to torture him. He would be with her when she is washing clothes and preparing dishes in kitchen. We met Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh and his wife in their clinic by 8:30. They advised us to consult Dr Haripriya. Srijana met her by 10:00. Slept by 10:30.
5 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:00. Srijana met Dr Haripriya yesterday night in her clinic after coming from the clinic of Dr Raghavendra Deshmukh. Anand played there madly for about one hour being excited with the presence of many females there. I beat him on his buttocks to control him. He cried. His mother took him to her lap expressing anger towards me for my crime against him. Dr Haripriya came late to her clinic yesterday night. Srijana was the 14th one to meet her. Her consultation fee is 100 rupees. She prescribed ZYMER syrup and BIOPREG-F tablets for Srijana for a period of one month. We bought this syrup bottle and 30 tablets at Sai Medical store there spending 200 rupees. Srijana, Anand and I started to the ashram of Sri Ram Chandra Mission at Thumukunta by 9:30. We took two city buses and reached the rented abode of my cousin Murali in it by 12:00. We saw Suraj by 12:30. He is 36 days old now. He is son of my cousin Murali and his wife Ramya. He looked healthy. Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari decided this name for him recently on the request of his parents. I think he inherited the features of his father Murali. They are very happy with the advent of this creature into their lives. Rajeshwari, the mother of Murali, offered lunch for us by 1:30. Murali put the Telugu feature film “Manmadhudu” of Nagarjuna for us on his television. We started back by 3:45 and reached home by 6:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
6 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 1 December to 20 December. Evening collected my stitched pair of clothes from Vijaya Tailors. It seems he stitched them well. I spent 865 rupees on them. Lakshmi of Ramayyapatnam visits me for about 10 times a year in my dreams. I feel very happy witnessing her in my dreams. I want to see her but it is not possible. She is living in Narsipatnam with her husband and in-laws. She often comes to the house of her parents in Ramayyapatnam. I could not get her photo also. Lakshmi is still in love with me just like me. We don’t have tangible proofs for such love or admiration. I think distance between two lovers makes them develop more love for one another. Pure love is a state of mind. There are many beauties around me. I am finding Lakshmi more valuable than them because she imprinted such image of her on my psyche. I like to attribute such uniqueness and value to her even now because I believe that she is still possessing those qualities which I liked in her once. It implies that love means expectations from others but not irrational bond with all. Lakshmi also collects some information about me from her possible sources. She admires me as long as she knows that I am still the same good boy whom she loved once. Many qualities, which we attribute to our sweethearts, are based on our imaginations about them than reality. Went to sleep by 10:00.
7 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited my diary of 2008 from 21 December to 31 December and completed editing it by 2:45. I spent about 140 hours’ time to edit it. There is 151 pages of content in it. I felt very happy today after completing this final level editing work. Srijana and I got our items of luggage ready by 5:00. Anand is more interested in eating snacks and potato chips than rice. He makes sounds actively if he is happy. His excitement level is very high. He cries very loudly even for trivial causes. This is the most disturbing quality in him for me. He is a coward. He can show off only when there are many around him. He takes newspapers and books and acts reading them like us. He observes the faces of Srijana and me before indulging in an action or expression. He likes walking on road alone. He is more scared of me than his mother. He cries slowly and avoids doing many things observing my instructions to him. He gets attracted towards baby girls. Srijana says that he inherited my qualities in this regard. The fact is that creatures of male and female genders get mutually attracted. It is the work of nature. Even babies experience these instincts. Some express it. Many just feel it. Anand looks disciplined from one perspective. He sits near me silently. He listens to his mother and does many things like a good boy. We bear his mischief patiently. Went to sleep by 9:30.
8 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 1:00. I could not sleep thereafter. Srijana prepared Tamarind Rice for us. We three got ready by 4:50. We stepped out of our abode by 5:00. We took a 1 V city bus and reached Secunderabad by 5:50. It drizzled for a few seconds when we started at home. I enjoyed this special greeting of nature for us. Srijana, Anand and I got into the reservation coach D-4 of Janmabhoomi Express by 6:00. It pulled off by 7:20. My friend Ramu Naidu boarded our coach by 9:45 at Nalgonda railway station. I informed him about our journey by this train. Now he is working as a commercial supervisor at Nalgonda station. Both of us stood up and spent talking by exit door up to Guntur station. He got an official work here. I knew many things about Indian Railways from him. Now he is getting 24000 rupees a month as salary. He works for about 12 hours a day. Now he is living with his wife in the railway quarters at Nalgonda station. He said that I am very intelligent and creative. I felt happy at his casual remarks. He got off it by 12:30 at Guntur. Today Anand kept eating this or that throughout the journey. I wondered to observe such glutton in him. Today it was very cloudy and cool throughout the day. I enjoyed this train journey a lot. I spent 20 rupees today during this train journey. We reached Visakhapatnam by 9:35. It was about 90 minutes late. We hired an auto rickshaw and reached the rented abode of my brother Srinivas at Madhava Dhara by 9:50. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:00. Spent all the day at the abode of my brother Srinivas. He and his father-in-law Satya Narayana Raju spent most of their time in the new apartment at Sujatha Nagar making some arrangements. Our parents came here by 5:30. They took Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam passenger train from Narsipatnam Road and got off it at Marripalem Halt. The fare for this distance is 13 rupees for one. They chose this mode of travel to save money. They have to spend about 100 rupees if they take a bus. The passenger train fares are more affordable than bus fares. So, many are traveling by train to save money. Many trains are getting crowded due to it. My parents struggled a lot to get into this train today because it was very crowded. My father stood up in it throughout. My mother somehow got a seat. She talked harshly with those passengers to get into this train. My brother Srinivas bought clothes worth about 5000 rupees for his family and others on the occasion of their Gruha Pravesham. He took leave from UCO Bank for a few days to do many things related to this formal occasion. They invited our close relatives for this function over phone. Now my nephews Sujan and Suhas are studying at Ravindra Bharati School near NAD Kotha Road. Sujan is in his tenth standard now. Suhas is in his seventh standard. They are studying well. They are growing well. Went to sleep by 10:00.
10 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. My nephew Suhas and I hired an auto rickshaw and rushed to cinema Maurya Deluxe at Gopalapatnam by 10:15. I bought two balcony tickets for 50 rupees. We saw the Telugu film “Raktha Charithra 2” in it from 10:30 to 11:45. Ram Gopal Varma directed it. I enjoyed watching every bit of this film. We returned home by 12:15 taking two auto rickshaws. Many of our relatives arrived by 5:30. My maternal uncle Varma and I went out for a stroll by 6:00. We discussed many things related to the present society and politics. He is a ward member in the Panchayat of village Gollalagunta now. He said that the Sarpanch of this village looted a lot of public money. Now corruption is organized in India. Every politician is trying to earn as much as he can when he is in a position of political power. He told me about Fakir Raju in Gollalagunta. Earlier he worked as the Sarpanch of Gollalagunta for some years. He amassed about 30,000,00 rupees during this time. We two reached Marripalem Halt by 9:00. Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam passenger train arrived by 9:15. My maternal aunt Soorya Bhaskaramma, her husband, her daughter Sirisha and her granddaughter traveled in it from Durgada Gate. We brought them to the abode of my brother Srinivas by 9:40 in an auto rickshaw. We all reached the new apartment of my brother Srinivas at Sujatha Nagar by 10:00. Their Gruha Pravesham took place by 11:41.
11 December (Saturday)
Two young priests supervised the occasion of Gruha Pravesham of my brother Srinivas and his family into their new apartment at Sujatha Nagar. My brother paid 3000 rupees to them. A local woman brought a cow into it for tradition sake. She charged 800 rupees for this service. The event of Gruha Pravesham was over by 2:45 this early morning. Satya Narayana Swamy Vratham was also performed as part of it. My brother Srinivas, my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani, my parents, Srijana and I participated in it. Some folks played cards during this time instead of attending this formal worship. Telugu Kshatriyas means cards, cock fights and false prestige now. We used the apartment of a fellow in the fifth floor of this apartment block for bath and dress change. The lunch program took place from 12:30 to 3:30 in the cellar. About 100 invitees attended this function. My brother would have spent 20,000 rupees for this occasion. A little decorative work is yet to be done in this apartment. My uncle Varma, my cousin Anantha Lakshmi, my cousin Hari of Tank Bead, Srijana, Anand and I reached Marripalem Halt by 4:30 in an auto rickshaw. I bought five tickets for 60 rupees. We came here to take passenger train of 5:15. Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada passenger arrived by 6:20. We reached Narsipatnam Road station by 7:50. We reached the house of my brother Sambha in Peda Gummuluru by 8:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
12 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Read Eenadu for one hour. Today I spent at the house of my brother Sambha. My father and mother would return here from Visakhapatnam on the 15th of this month. My brother Srinivas moves his household items into his new apartment on this date. Anjaneya Raju, the adopted son of my brother Sambha and sister-in-law Kranti, is two months old now. They are feeding milk, prepared with milk powder, to him. He seems to be an innocent, intelligent and patient creature. They are enjoying his presence in this house. Kranti and her mother Janaki are attending him much. Our pet dog expressed a lot of love towards me. It took me as a rare guest. Srijana, Anand, my brother Sambha and I reached our mango garden at hills by 3:00 on his bike via Ramayyapatnam. Anand slept during this journey sitting at the front. I held him sensing it beforehand. He falls down if we don’t observe it. I educated Srijana to this extent. We left Anand in the thatched house of my paternal uncle Narayana Murthy and walked through our mango garden for 15 minutes. Insects are eating mango leaves throughout the garden. We spent talking with my aunt Kumari for 30 minutes. Now my paternal grandmother Lakshmi Narasayyamma is staying here. She cannot stand up or walk without support. We returned to Peda Gummuluru by 4:30. Srijana, Anand and I spent at the house of my paternal aunt Subhadra for 30 minutes. My paternal grandfather Thammi Raju is staying here now. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
13 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. This time I did not go to our house in Peda Gummuluru because my parents are in Visakhapatnam. My father got a buffalo to rear. They planted vegetable plants in the land beside the house of my brother Sambha. It belongs to me according to the wishes of my father. Many frogs are coming into the house of my brother Sambha. They are growing vegetable and flower plants in their front yard. I did not find cleanliness in their house. They made it dirty and awkward. I don’t like their sense of discipline and hygiene. It seems to be their culture. They did not change much over the years despite others’ advice to them. My brother Sambha does not use much water for his bath. He thinks that using more water means wasting more money. He got many friends and well-wishers here. He enjoys his time in their company. Heavy rainfall ruined paddy crop in Andhra Pradesh in this season. I witnessed these scenes in the paddy farms of Peda Gummuluru also. Srijana, Anand and I reached Adduroad Junction by 9:30 on foot. We took an APSRTC bus and reached Payakaraopeta Bus Stand by 10:05. Srijana called up her familiar fellow and informed him to bring his auto rickshaw and take us to Viswanadhapuram. We reached the house of maternal grandparents of Srijana by 12:00. I spent talking with Sagiraju Viswanadha Raju from 1:00 to 5:30 about many things. Went to sleep by 10:00.
14 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. The maternal grandmother of Srijana prepared chicken curry for me. Watched television for two hours. My father-in-law came from K O Mallavaram by 12:00 on his bike. He took me to K O Mallavaram by 1:00 on his bike via Karna Kothuru. This road is very bad. It has been so for the last three years. It is border area between East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts. The authorities of Visakhapatnam district should develop this road. They did not do it. They spend crores of rupees for politically and financially influential rogues but not the poor. The masses should fight for them always. They don’t do it in many cases because they have no time to do something collectively and improve their society or region. They struggle for their existence every day. My father-in-law brought Srijana to his house in K O Mallavaram by 1:45 on his bike via village Rapaka. This road is better than the other one. Anand is more interested in spending with his maternal grandparents than me. They don’t beat him or shout at him. Children don’t like a disciplinarian father like me. Disciplinarians cannot reform their children after they were spoilt by others. Anand has the brain of a monkey now. I like the qualities of a human being only in him. His grandparents are accepting both. Srijana wants to leave him with her parents if he can be with them beyond her presence. Went to sleep by 10:30.
15 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Srijana, her father and I reached three road junction near Viswanadhapuram by 10:30 on his bike. We left Anand back. He was sleeping in a wooden cradle. It was made about 30 years ago. Anand is sleeping well in it. It is spacious and comfortable for him. Srijana and I took a sharing auto rickshaw by 10:45. We reached the rented abode of Sekhar, the maternal uncle of Srijana, at Court Street, in Tuni, by 11:30. Spent reading Telugu dailies Sakshi and Eenadu for 30 minutes. Watched television for some time. Had my lunch by 12:00. Srijana stays here today. She meets her friends and relatives in Tuni. Sekhar dropped me at a bus stop in Tuni by 2:07. Took an ordinary bus bound to Kakinada by 2:10. Reached Kathipudi Bus Stand by 2:50. The bus fare is 14 rupees. Took a Rajahmundry bound ordinary bus. Reached Jaggampeta Bus Stand by 3:45. The bus fare is 19 rupees. I like the great services of APSRTC. Even poor people can afford it. Reached the house of my teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju at Teachers Colony by 4:03 on foot. This morning I sent an SMS to his cellphone informing him that I would come to his house this evening around 4:00. My aunt Subba Lakshmi said that my uncle went to Kakinada. Spent here till 5:25. My cousin Narendra Varma and I reached Gollalagunta by 6:00 on his bike. Went to sleep by 9:30 for my dreams.
16 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent all the day in Gollalagunta. Today my cousin Anantha Lakshmi offered lunch and supper for me. She prepared fish soup. I went to the houses of my familiar ones and spent talking with them for about three hours. My maternal uncle Varma and I went to his paddy farm at Chembudu Cheruvu by 3:00 on foot. We spent here talking for one hour. Heavy rainfall during harvest time damaged paddy and other seasonal crops in this state. The paddy crop of my uncle also got affected due to it. I breathed fresh air in these farms for some time. We returned home by 5:00. There are many monkeys in this area. They damage crops. Farmers bear them. My uncle said that they attack us if we look defenseless to them. They are very healthy and happy. I felt envious of their carefree and jovial lives. My maternal uncle Krishnam Raju is living happily now. He has six lakh rupees. My teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju borrowed it from him. He is paying 150 paise as interest for 100 rupees per month for it. He got some more money on him. He is financially independent now. My cousin Vasu got two seats reserved online for me and Srijana for Janmabhoomi Express for the 20th of this month from Tuni to Secunderabad. Earlier I decided to go there alone. Today Srijana said that she would also come there along with me. We leave Anand in K O Mallavaram in the care of his maternal grandparents. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Took an auto rickshaw and reached Jaggampeta by 10:15. It is a 10-minute journey. Paid six rupees to him. They are not running an APSRTC bus from Jaggampeta to Bhavavaram now. It is not profitable for them. The folks of auto rickshaws are utilizing this public transport opportunity. Took a bus and reached Samalkot by 10:50. Went to railway station and got my reservation ticket cancelled. Sekhar, the uncle of Srijana, bought it for me in Tuni railway station earlier for Janmabhoomi Express from Samalkot to Secunderabad for the 18th of this month. I got it cancelled because Srijana decided to come along with me in between. I like her coming with me. Returned to Gollalagunta by 12:00. My uncle Varma and I went to my paddy farm near Dhora Cheruvu by 3:45 on his bicycle. My father gave me two acres of agricultural land in Gollalagunta as part of his partial property distribution to us three brothers. I made him sell one acre of land. I have one acre of land here now. My uncle Sagiraju Rama Raju cultivated paddy in my farm this season. We saw it here. He harvests it soon. There is about 500 acres of agricultural land under Dhora Cheruvu. Most of them are peasant farmers. We returned home by 4:15. My uncle Varma, my cousin Narendra Varma and I saw the Telugu film “Naagavalli” in cinema Rajaveni at Jaggampeta from 6:00 to 8:30. It is good. Went to sleep by 10:00.
18 December (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. It was cold. Went to the house of Mantena Rama Raju by 9:30. He is the paternal uncle of my father-in-law. He must be 90. He passed away at night on the eighth of this month. He has three sons and one daughter. Today they are offering traditional lunch to all the invitees. My teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju came here by 11:00. We spent talking for some time. He asked me about the progress in the sale of my first book. I said that even 100 copies of this book may not be sold. My maternal aunt Raja Kumari, my cousin Narendra Varma and I reached Jaggampeta by 12:15 on his bike. Took a bus at bus stand by 12:20 and reached Samalkot by 12:55. Walked to the nearby railway station. Stood in the queue and bought a ticket for Durgada Gate Halt for four rupees. Went out and bought two packs of dates for 80 rupees to take to Durgada. Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam passenger train arrived by 1:30. Got off it at Durgada Gate by 1:55. Reached the house of my maternal aunt Soorya Bhaskaramma by 2:00 on foot. My cousin Sirisha and her baby Shiva Sahithi are also here. My uncle Chanti Babu avoided indulging in agricultural activities. He cannot withstand those crop failures and losses. Their son Hari is sending money to them every month for their survival. Their new house is beautiful. My aunt prepared snacks and sweet porridge for me. She is disturbed about the treatment of her mother-in-law towards her. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 4:30. Reached Durgada Gate Halt by 6:00. Bought a ticket to Tuni for four rupees. Kakinada-Visakhapatnam passenger train arrived by 6:30. Got off it at Tuni railway station by 7:20. Reached the rented abode of Sekhar, the maternal uncle of Srijana, at Court Street, by 7:40, on foot. Enjoyed this walk in the cool and snowy morning. I have one pair of worn-out clothes. I don’t like carrying such clothes during long journeys. Revathi washed them. She belongs to Gollalagunta. She always treats me as a honorable guest. I feel grateful to her for her affection towards me. My former KSS hostel mate Ramnath spent talking with me from 9:30 to 11:30. He told me about the uniqueness of Amway products. I gave 1400 rupees to him for two Amway products. He said that they are very useful for Srijana now. My father-in-law, Srijana and Anand came here by 1:00 on a bike from K O Mallavaram. I enjoyed the presence of Anand for three hours. He has no special love for me or Srijana now. He developed attachment for his maternal grandparents. He is happy with maternal grandparents of Srijana also. My father-in-law, Anand and the maternal grandmother of Srijana left for K O Mallavaram by 4:30 on bike. I burst into tears when Anand was going away from me. Ramnath demonstrated the power of Amway products to me from 9:00 to 9:45. Went to sleep by 10:45.
20 December (Monday)
Woke up by 4:30. Got ready by 5:00. Srijana and I reached Tuni railway station by 7:15 in a rickshaw. Paid 20 rupees to him. Ramnath promised to give me two Amway products before our train departs. He did not turn up. I became very angry but did not express it to him. He talks a lot but delivers a little. Janmabhoomi Express arrived by 7:40. Srijana and I took our seats 62 and 67 in the reservation coach D-8. We had Vegetable Biryani, prepared by Revathi, for our lunch and supper during this train journey. Bought a Maaza mango drink bottle for Srijana for 30 rupees and four samosas for me for 10 rupees. I know that these are useless products but we tend to buy some items just like that during long journeys. Vendors, in Indian Railways, do their business of public exploitation depending on such victims. Srijana and I missed the presence of Anand during this journey. We regretted it. My friend Ramu Naidu met us at Nalgonda railway station by 5:40. This train halts here for one minute. Today it was sunny throughout. We enjoyed seeing the scenery out of windows. This train reached Secunderabad railway station by 7:55. We walked to Rethifile Bus Stand with our three items of luggage. We took a city bus up to Panama Godowns. We paid 20 rupees for this 15-kilometre travel. Thence we hired an auto rickshaw to our rented abode at Self Finance Colony in Vanasthalipuram. He took 30 rupees for this one kilometre travel. Went to sleep by 10:45.
21 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 11:00 took out a personal loan of 16000 rupees from the branch office of Muthoot Finance in Vanasthalipuram. I pledged the black beads gold necklace of Srijana as collateral for it. My parents presented it to Srijana after our marriage. I have to pay 160 rupees every month as interest for it. Went to the ATM Centre of Axis Bank at Red Water Tank and deposited 12000 rupees into my account with it. Thence went to main post office and collected a parcel sent by the folks of Reader’s Digest. Opened it at home. There are four books in one volume. They call them Select Editions. I have to send 699 rupees to them for it. I will not pay for anything sent by them hereafter. I cannot afford it. Gave a sack of parcel items at the branch office of Navata Road Transport at B N Reddy Nagar by 2:00. Srijana packed old clothes and the clothes of Anand in it. Her father collects it in Tuni. Paid 162 rupees towards transport charges for it. Srijana and I saw the Telugu film “Manasaara” in cinema Shivani 70 MM at Kothapeta from 2:55 to 5:30. It is a very interesting film. Much of it was shot in Kerala. I love this state and those traditional art forms. Ravi Babu directed it very well. Srijana and I went to Abids by 6:00 in an auto rickshaw. We bought two diaries of 2011 at Deccan Pen Stores for 178 rupees. They are of Eagle Press. My diary cost me 102 rupees. Hers cost 76 rupees. We returned home by 8:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
22 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. It was very cold. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 1 January to 10 January. Power cut occurred from 1:00 to 3:00. Spent browsing Internet in a nearby Internet café from 4:30 to 5:45. Deleted all the unwanted emails. Got a haircut in a hair salon by 6:15. Paid 25 rupees to him for it. Bought one kilo of onions for 40 rupees. Their prices increased greatly in many parts of India due to heavy rains and crop failure in some regions. My brother Srinivas and his family moved into their new apartment at Sujatha Nagar with their household items from their rented abode at Madhava Dhara in the afternoon on the 15th of this month. They left House No. 247 in the MIG there forever. They lived in it for about three years. I developed much attachment for this house and place during this time. I always feel this sense of loss. I am not happy about my brother buying this apartment and moving here. He bought it for 19 lakh rupees. He has to yet pay about 12 lakh rupees to this builder. He takes out a loan from the UCO Bank, where he is working now. They deduct part of his salary every month until his retirement from this bank. I don’t like any loan beyond two years. I consider my brother innocent in this regard. May Lord Krishna bless him. I observed that he extended the length of his moustache recently. He is applying black color to his hair and moustache. He could not reduce much of his weight. He has no time for doing exercises. He is happy. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 11 January to 31 January. I took about eight hours’ time for it. Paid 670 rupees to a Hathway Broadband executive by 12:45 to get Internet access reactivated by them. I am not happy with the technical service of their team. I am not getting the speed of 1 MB per second as promised by them. They did not come to my abode to check and correct it despite my complaint to them many times over phone. I have no time to switch to some other Internet service provider. What if they are worse than these blokes? I will be a loser again in that case. We have to bear with one fool when all others are also fools around. Two days ago my cousin Bala got a phone call from an unfamiliar girl. She did not reveal her name to him despite his repeated requests to her. She said that they are living in the house behind the rented abode of Bala. He is disturbed about it. I wondered at it. He should feel happy to talk with a girl. She did not demand anything from him like a kidnapper or terrorist. She must be in love with him. He could not know how she got his cellphone number. She must be his colleague or a student at Sri Chaitanya Techno School at Hayat Nagar. He is avoiding her fearing that it may turn risky later. It’s the nature of a traditional Indian girl to be anonymous initially. I advised him to fall in love with her and marry her if she is a good girl. Went to sleep by 9:30.
24 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:15. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 1 February to 20 February. It took about nine hours’ time. Srijana and I went to cinema Sushma by 6:30 on my bicycle. She bought two tickets for 100 rupees. We saw the Telugu film “Naagavalli” in it from 7:00 to 9:40. I did not see some scenes in the climax, which I saw in cinema Rajaveni at Jaggampeta recently. The fellow of projection cabin must have avoided them. I felt angry about it. I like the dance of old Venkatesh in the cave on a hill in the climax of this film. I missed them in this show. I don’t like the fellows of a cinema not showing a few scenes of a film based on their choice. I enjoyed watching beauty, acting and dance of Anushka Shetty. Venkatesh did his two roles very well. They developed the story and screenplay of this film in the format of the previous film “Chandramukhi”. I don’t like the present trend of making sequel films. There are many creative people in the film industry and outside. They got many interesting stories with them. I don’t like the culture of the owners of many cinemas also. They are cheating viewers selling tickets at high rates in the black. The rates of snacks and soft drinks are also high. Many are being subjected to see films sitting very near to the screen. They cannot see films well from these seats. These rows must be avoided in all cinemas. Poor people can also buy tickets at high rates if they stop smoking and drinking. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:20. Srijana, my cousin Bala and I took a city bus at NGO Colony bus stop by 10:45 and reached Uppal Crossroads by 11:20. Thence we took a sharing auto rickshaw and got off it at Beersheba AG Church by Chiluka Nagar Road by 11:30. We went there to visit the abode of Manga and Ravinder on the occasion of Christmas. These two creatures and their baby spent in this church from 11:40 to 1:00. We too spent here watching these celebrations. Reverend G K Babu talked about the meaning of the word Christmas. Children presented cultural programs for some time. We walked to the nearby rented abode of Ravinder by 1:30. We watched television for some time. Manga served food for us by 1:50. She offered spicy chicken and fish curries. I struggled to have fish curry. Manga is a schoolmate of Srijana at K O Mallavaram. She often tortures us inviting us to their abode. We left this place by 2:15 and reached cinema Srinivasa in Uppal by 2:30. We three saw the Telugu film “Manmadha Bhaanam” of Kamal Hassan and Trisha in it from 3:20 to 5:50. Srijana and Bala did not like the climax of this film. The screenplay and dialogues are confusing. One cannot understand this part of the film easily. I just watched and enjoyed it without trying to understand it completely. We three returned to my abode by 7:45. We three had supper by 9:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 21 February to 10 March. My letter was published in today’s Sunday supplement of Telugu daily Sakshi. I sent a postcard to their office at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad about 20 days ago appreciating the Telugu serial novel “Dega Rekkala Chappudu” of Yandamoori Veerendranath. I started buying this Telugu daily every Sunday to read this novel. I am emailing my comments to this writer regularly after reading parts of this novel every Sunday. Yandamoori Veerendranath is a great writer. He has been educating and entertaining readers with his books and speeches for the last 30 years. This novel is a savage satire on the present state of Indians. He is discussing world history, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, ethics, human psychology, Vedas, love and human relationships in this novel. He is infusing suspense and mystery into it now and then to make it more interesting for his readers. I admire him as a writer. I felt happy reading my letter in this book today. There are many great Telugu writers. I read very little about their lives and works. I regret it. I think that writing letters to newspapers and other periodicals is a great art. They are also a kind of writers and thinkers in the present society. They are intelligent and active citizens of a nation. I like reading the letters written by great readers. The media influences their views and writings. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:20. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 11 March to 31 March. I did it from 9:00 to 7:00. Srijana went to Panama Godowns by 7:15 in the morning by bus and collected the two Amway products from her cousins of Viswanadhapuram. They were coming to Hyderabad from Tuni in a bus of Danunjaya Travels. My friend Ramnath gave these two Amway products to Revathi in Tuni. She gave them to these creatures on our advice. These are NUTRILITE versions of Amway. One is a protein powder of 200 grams cost 819 rupees. The other tin has 90 iron-folic supplements. Its price is 729 rupees. Recently I gave 1400 rupees to my friend Ramnath for these two products. He is an Amway business owner. Many are working under his supervision there. These supplements are prepared from high quality elements of nature. I developed more admiration for these products after a demonstration of quality of these products by Ramnath in Tuni recently. He showed me a magnet attracting the ingredients of an iron supplement tablet manufactured by a pharmaceutical firm in India. I was shocked observing it. They are selling worthless medicines to Indians. These two Amway products are for Srijana to use. The baby in her womb grows well if she takes these high quality nutrients of Amway. We will avoid using allopathy medicines hereafter to much extent. Amway seems to be our savior. Srijana is happy about using these products. Went to sleep by 9:30.
28 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:20. When I was editing my diary of 2009 from 1 April, Srijana said that she would dust our portion today in view of Sankranti. I stopped my diary editing work finishing 2 April. I edited the content of two days only today. Srijana and I dusted every part of our portion from 9:30 to 6:20. We tidied up the household items and space in our two bedrooms, two toilets, hall, kitchen and their external parts. We used brooms, cloth pieces and our hands for it. Dust settled everywhere. We cannot think about pure air in towns and cities without dust. Many vehicles means much dust and sound pollution in many parts of India. We dusted and cleaned our three ceiling fans, cement shelves, ventilators, utensils and all the home appliances. Srijana is the main participant and leader of this domestic work. It is like discovering our living abode again. We put many things in our abode without thinking about their need to us in future. We threw such things at our nearby garbage collection point. We tied cloth pieces across our heads and noses to save ourselves from the dust raising and spreading in our abode. Srijana laid old newspapers in the shelves and arranged all things well again. I dusted my computer and table also as part of this cleanliness task. Our abode looked clean and beautiful by the evening. Spiders, cockroaches and lizards work again to deface our abode. We did not have time to prepare and have lunch. We got ready fast and rushed to cinema Sampoorna on my bicycle. We saw the Telugu film “Ragada” of Nagarjuna. Went to sleep by 10:30.
29 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 3 April to 20 April. I did it from 9:30 to 6:00. Then typed out a two-page blog titled “Ragada” and posted it on my blog site by 7:00. It’s a casual review of the Telugu film of Nagarjuna, which Srijana and I saw yesterday night. I typed it out and posted it there to express my sense of love for Nagarjuna. Anand is happy in K O Mallavaram in the care of his maternal grandparents. He is enjoying boundless liberty there. He developed attachment for his maternal grandparents. He wants his grandmother for food, bath, bodily hygiene and sleeping needs. He wants his grandfather for outdoor tours and bike rides. He is not bothered about Srijana or me. I wonder at his transformation. He could not spend even for a few seconds beyond the presence of Srijana till recently. Now he almost forgot her. Perhaps liberty makes a child also so. He is living like a deer in a forest there. He got more space and peace there to celebrate his childhood. They are enjoying his presence there. We are missing it here. I should not write this sentence because I beat him many times when he was here. We love such kids more when they are away from us than when they are with us. Anand is enjoying the love and care of his maternal grandparents there. We are happy to this extent. They have more patience than us. Affection means patience and service for children. Slept by 10:00.
30 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:20. Today I edited my diary of 2009 from 21 April to 10 May. Afternoon Srijana bought two Punjabi dresses at a store by road in Dilsukh Nagar. She spent 400 rupees for it. She did it along with our portion mate Uma. My contribution is 200 rupees to it. One of the friends I got this year is Raja Kakarlapudi Aiswarya. She must be 14. She is in her tenth standard now. Her brother Anirudh is an intelligent and dynamic boy. Kishore Raju and Usha Rani are their parents. They are living in a rented portion in the street beside ours in Self Finance Colony. Aiswarya is a modern girl. Her views about her life, marriage and education are positive and appreciable. She knows about her worth. Her mother is worried about her education and future. Her father does not spend his time freely and affectionately with her. He thinks and behaves like a conservative father towards her. They are imposing many restrictions on her because she is a girl and so vulnerable. I know about her character and abilities more than her parents. It is not a good characteristic of a family. Aiswarya is disturbed about their rigid treatment towards her. First parents should love their children as individuals but not as potential candidates to study well and earn a lot in future. Aiswarya is becoming a machine due to the professional thoughts and behavior of her parents towards her. She is not enjoying their presence in that abode. She thinks that I am an intelligent and good fellow. Went to sleep by 10:30.
31 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:20. Typed out and posted a poem titled “TIME” on my blog site by 10:30. Srijana and I saw the Telugu film “Ranga, the Dhonga” of Srikanth and Vimala Raman in cinema Vishnu from 3:00 to 5:30. It is interesting. We returned home by 5:50 on foot. We walked together for about two kilometres for exercise sake. Night we had Chicken Biryani in the abode of our portion mate Uma by 9:00. Night watched television till 11:30. Then I decided to sleep. Some folks were celebrating the end of this year and decade around our abode. This noise kept me awake. Some wished Happy New Year to me by 1:30. I am sad to bid farewell to this year in my life. I did not think about doing a job in this year. I worked hard to edit the content of my diaries and books to be published sometime in future. One of them was published by Sunil K Poolani. I edited my personal diaries investing a lot of time and patience into it. I felt blissful while reading and editing absorbing content in my diaries. I found them very interesting and inspiring to read throughout. I wrote all my diaries well. I revised my diaries in terms of language and organization and got them ready to be published sometime in future. I laid my foundation as a writer in this year. It is my great achievement this year. My folks think that I am wasting my time like this. I did not earn money this year. They assess my value that way. Srijana too wrote her personal diary this year.
© 2011 Datla Chiranjeevi Raju
