To gain something, one has to leave something; the unwritten
law proved itself once again on Sunday wee hours, when I left Nagpur for
Kochin. As Kerala Express gave its leaving alarm, I started realizing my long
cherished dream to attend the Defence Correspondents Course - once in a
lifetime opportunity for a journalist. However, in return to this dream, the
destiny planned to take something of the very same magnitude - another lifetime
opportunity from me.
Each phase of life has its own flavour and it should be
enjoyed to the fullest to make life a beautiful feeling. Childhood, school
time, college days and bachelor life – every phase should be full of sharable
memories; and why not the time of love and marriage? After all, most of the
novels and almost all of the movies tell us that, the most sharable stories of
life are love stories, and the most beautiful moments are when you are being
loved by the person you love the most. Well, the destiny has planned to postpone
these moments from my life, in return of the dream opportunity.
My fiancée was officially declared as my would-be wife just
a day before I left for this course. And, we didn’t even find enough time to
celebrate the occasion. Nothing is sad. But happiness coming in back-to-back
packages has brought with it the dilemma that which happiness is bigger and to
be celebrated. With this happy-happy and not-so-happy feeling, I left Nagpur
for Kerala – God’s own country.
Well, God’s own country is still 22 hours away and my train
is passing through Reddy’s own country – Andhra Pradesh right now. It’s a rainy
day here in Warangal district and the farms are greener as compared to the
farms in Vidarbha. Even the paddy farms are livelier than that of in rice
growing Ramtek and Nagardhan area of Nagpur. Water bodies, especially, the farm
lakes are pleasant to watch here and they are wealthy enough to make a person
from rain-fed Vidarbha a bit envy.
Being a subscriber of Hyderabad edition of The Hindu, I have
some idea of what is going on here in Andhra Pradesh. Farmers are suffering
here, too; just like they are in Vidarbha. But, after watching the beautiful
farm lakes, and considerably big rivers around, I wonder the problem of Andhra
farmers can be solved with effective measures. Well, who takes effective
measures here? Is the master question – applicable to Andhra Pradesh as well as
for Vidarbha.
But, there is some similarity that joins Vidarbha and Andhra
Pradesh. I had been to Lucknow and Bhopal several years back, and I felt a
terrible detachment to the land and atmosphere there. But, the Andhra land and
the atmosphere is something homely, attached. The color of soil, the greenery,
and even the feel in the air is quite homely here. The temples and buildings,
houses and huts, bulls and buffaloes – all are like that in Vidarbha. After
all, like Vidarbha, this part of land is also struggling for the separate
statehood – another joining thread!
As I proceed further through Andhra Pradesh, I will be
getting an opportunity to spend some moments at the feet of Lord Venkateshwara
at Tirupati, where the train is scheduled to stop for ten minutes. After bowing
in front of the Lord from the train itself, I will proceed for the God’s own
country tonight.
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