Kothagudem

 I cannot forget this place, as I was born there. In modern day Telangana, it was my angana (playground) from 1960-70 and again from 1977-80 when we lived there. One area we lived in was Writer Basti (colony), and we cycled a lot. Even went to the Yellandu Club a few kilometres away on the bicycle, for a swim in summer!'

Bhadrachalam nearby had a famous temple of Rama. During Ramnavami, there used to be a huge crowd in that town, nestling around the Godavari river. In Kothagudem, we had two rivers- Edla vagu and Muredu vagu, flowing through the town.

It was an idyllic coal-mining town, with the club as its major social activity. But we also roamed around on long walks, or bicycle trips. School was St. Mary's and the nuns were kind and smiling. There was a water tank which all students drank from, without bothering about water quality.

Andhra Pradesh- Telangana Et Al.

 To me, it's still one state, and not two. I was born at Kothagudem, Khammam district. Railway station was called Bhadrachalam Road. Singareni Collieries, a Centre-state joint venture coal-mining company, was the reason we were there. I learnt Telugu, and still speak a little, when I find a few who also do, like Siri Adi, my ex-student. Or Jayanti Ranjan, who was a colleague and friend from IMT G.

Anyway, we had a British-built bungalow with a sprawling front and back garden, for a house, the first few years on the planet. I climbed trees, watered plants, and picked mangoes by the bucket in a storm. Learnt photography by observing my parents use a German folding camera, and later, in school, learnt how to develop black and white pics in a lab. 

After 1982, did not see much of the state, though we stayed till 1989. I was away getting an MBA, and later working, or getting a Ph.D. abroad. But my memories of those days -22 years- is still strong, and many of my childhood buddies from those years are in touch, at least on facebook. Met a few over the years too, last in Pune last November. Also had a record player, and lots of records. Developed my taste for Hindi film music by listening, and watching films- my parents were buffs, and we drove to cinema halls in town whenever a new film released. Jewel Thief was one of those, I remember.

Pics From the Past 2

 More pics..my childhood (Kothagudem) onwards-

My sister's wedding (above), and mine (below)

Parents at Clemson with my brother who also studied there.

Below- a Harihar party.

Long Conversations

I have just realised that I like long conversations too. After having had some this week. Enlightenment does not happen in one shot; it can come in installments too.

I have already had three (long conversations, not bouts of enlightenment) this week. Met a student of IMT and her parents, at their place in Mumbai. We chatted about several things including places we'd lived in, and found some common peeves (cold weather), and likes-filter coffee for instance, which her dad made very well- I vouch for it. Saw a lovely Golf course which I did not know existed near her place too, and some beautiful rain-soaked mountains.

Two other students of IMT and I met for dinner, and we discussed important life and career matters, aided by some really unique stuff like Nitro Dhokla (talk about being politically correct!). The importance that Law has suddenly found as a career was one topic, and life in the U.S. (mine, erstwhile) was another. Also the importance of HR in different sectors in India. We did not realise how quickly time had passed, and quickly gobbled up our dark chocolate (with a rasgulla or rasmalai stuffed in it) and got back to our abodes.

I travelled in a cab with a lady prof. visiting to teach at our Mumbai campus, and realised that we had been to the same school in Kothagudem-St. Mary's. So obviously that took us on a long chat about our childhood (at different times!), and our Ph.D.s- she did hers at Monash in Australia, and I at Clemson in the U.S (at different times). Picnic spots near Kothagudem and rivers (Edla vagu and Muredu vagu) found a reference.

And today, I met my favourite ex-associate, who is between jobs- Saumya, who was at Indore briefly. Having met after a year and a half, we talked about Marketing Research (in which she works) and a lot besides.

So that is the long and short of it.

Coal-fired Nostalgia

I grew up in a coal-mining town in Andhra Pradesh. Actually, three of them-Kothagudem, Bellampalli and Ramagundam, where Singareni Collieries had its mines. This was a remote set of towns, what you might call one-theatre towns, with Hindi films coming in six months after their Mumbai premiere.

The earliest film I remember seeing was Jewel thief. There was a club in each of these towns (a British legacy, as were the mines). This was the centre of social life, and sporting life. We kids of all ages played a lot of Badminton, Table Tennis, and used the swimming pool extensively when summer came along. Some billiards too, when allowed by the elders.

There used to be films screened outdoors in 16 mm with a whirring projector. I remember seeing a film called Aulad in which Mehmood donned a chaplinesque costume and sang Jodi hamari jamega kaise jani with Aruna Irani. Also remember an English film starring Shashi Kapoor.

On festive occasions we had parties, where the food was usually good. On Christmas Eve there was a fancy dress and I once became a coal-miner, with a dhoti, and a miner's lamp. Santa also gave us gifts, and it was fun.

We did a lot of cycling those days, and played all kinds of games outdoors. NTPC putting up a big new Super-thermal power plant was a sight worth seeing in Ramagundam, and so was a wide Godavari river. 

To get out of Kothagudem by train (on steam engine trains), we travelled through quaintly named stations such as Tadkalpudi, Bethampudi and reached a junction called Dornakal, which was a gateway to Delhi and Madras. Similarly, Kazipet was always on the way from Ramagundam to Hyderabad. There was a metre gauge line from Kacheguda (Hyderabad) to Ajmer via Indore, and we travelled on it once to visit an aunt in Indore.

Mondha chairs

Not sure if they are called that, but we sat on them as kids in Kothagudem, A.P. while growing up. They are woven rope and cane chairs. Also available without a back as mondhas. I went on a drive outside the Indore IIM campus looking for some chairs, and there was a seller on the roadside-as if he'd guessed. I couldn't resist them, and bought a couple to do up my newly acquired and mostly empty house.

Drove to Mhow, a pleasant 12 kms. away, just to get acquainted with the surroundings. It is getting cold at night, so my ventures will mostly be daytime. Bought a pipe to water a huge lawn-cum-garden I have out in front. More later.

Mir Osman Ali Khan

He was one of the Nizams of Hyderabad. He was responsible for a lot of good things. Osmania University being one of the biggest in education. He was the seventh in the line of Nizams. Before him too, many predecessors did a lot of good. But this one was probably one of the best. The buildings housing the university in Hyderabad are majestic, and resemble the palaces that many kings around the world had. Our engineering college in the campus was also a part of that stupendous set of architectural wonders.

This guy also set up Singareni Collieries, a coal-mining company later taken over by the Indian government. This company is where my parents spent most of their working life. It is spread across towns like Yellandu, Kothagudem, Ramagundam and Bellampalli in Andhra Pradesh.

How do I know all this? Happened to visit the Choumohalla Palace where one of the Nizams lived. It is close to Charminar in Hyderabad, and is a nice example of palatial yet simple, elegant living. Huge courtyards and a fountain are the mainstay of the complex, which was opened to the public after a restoration only a few years ago. There is also a section housing vintage cars and buggies that is classy. Includes a yellow Rolls Royce, sparkling. I was inspired to visit after reading of a trip by some students of IMT. Also, a friend's book had a cover shot taken in this beautiful place.