*The power of the denominator* 

Though it is in the bottom of a fraction , the denominator is the bedrock , it is the substratum and it is infact the 'whole' or the 'poornam' .

I realised this early on in my life . It all happened while I was studying in the 'infant class' in St. Anns School. As my sister was always the school topper ,  the expectations of my brothers from me also used to be high . Notwithstanding my letgo & carefree attitude , I used to sometimes experience  tension during exam time .

Even though I was good in academics , the standards set by my 'chelli' were daunting .

I used to think that the bar is set very high !

It had to be 100 out of 100 !!

Such was the academic eco system that I was in .

For students of 'infant class' , the exams were not on paper . The teacher used to either ask the questions orally or some times write it on the black board . Children were to answer either orally or write the answer on the slate , depending on the nature of the question . 

Each child is tested individually .

The teacher used to note the marks obtained by each student in a register . She also used to write the marks obtained on the students slate with a chalk piece . This is for showing to the parents at home .

That day I gave my 'numbers' exam and I got 24 marks .

100 (😢) being the expected number , I felt sad .

Before going home , I took a chalk piece lying on the floor and stealthily made my score as 94 .

After a while , our headmistress happened to pass by our class . I said good afternoon to her and she asked me as to how I fared in the exam and how many marks I got .

When she looked at my slate she was puzzled and amused at the same time .

The marks (altered) on the slate read 94 out of 25 .

She asked me "Shiva ! how could you get 94 ?". 

Tears welled up in my eyes and I was about to cry . Then she hugged me and consoled me . She very lovingly asked me whether I tampered with the marks .

I admitted my mistake and sought pardon .

I was wondering as to how she could know about what I did . She corrected the number back to 24 and caringly explained to me as to how one can not get 94 marks when total available marks are only 25 .

That is how I learnt the power of a denominator !

For many years I used to be lovingly taunted by my brothers , in particular , Krishnanandan annayya , for what I did .

I think that the loving taunts are the price I paid for learning the power of a DENOMINATOR

 *జై జననీ !* 

సెప్టెంబర్ నెల వస్తే భక్తి శ్రద్ధలతో పాటించే అమ్మ అనుష్టానం గుర్తుకొస్తుంది .

వినాయక చవితి తో నాంది !.

ఆతరువాత శరన్నవరాత్రులు, దేవీభాగవతపారాయణ, ముందొచ్చే ఎన్నో పండుగలు గుర్తుకొచ్చి అమ్మ ఉంటే ఎంత బావుండేదో అన్న ఊహ , ఇంకా లేదు కదా అన్న నిరాశల మధ్య నలుగుతున్న నా మనసు రోదిస్తుంది.

జీవితం లో ని అనుభవాలు మనస్సు ని కరడు  కట్టిస్తున్నా అమ్మ స్మృతులు నాలోని భావుకత ను పునరుజ్జీవింప చేస్తాయి.

శివుడు ఇలా ఢీలా పడిపోకూడదని కామోసు అమ్మ జుమా జెట్టీ ల్లాంటి అన్నయ్యలకి , మా అందరికీ అపురూపడైన ఒక తమ్మునికీ జన్మనిచ్చింది. 

ఇద్దరు అక్కల ఆప్యాయత బంగారానికి వెలిగారం !

ఒకరంటే మరొకరికి ప్రేమానురాగాలు మనసునిండా ఉన్నా ముఖతః వ్యక్తం చేసుకునే విద్య మా ఎవ్వరికీ రాదు అని నా ఉద్దేశ్యం . అంచేత అలాంటి 

భావాలన్నీ  అవ్యక్తం గా ఉండిపోయి హైపర్ టెన్షన్ కలగచేస్తున్నాయని నా అనుమానం.

పోతే ఒక మాటండోయ్ ! అమ్మ మాటొస్తే మాత్రం మేమంతా పొందే స్పందన మనస్సు ల కి గొప్ప స్వాంతన ఇస్తుంది.

ఆమాటకొస్తే ఎవ్వరికైనా వాళ్ళ అమ్మ అంతే !

అందుకే కదా ఆసేతు హిమాచల పర్యంతం అమ్మ కి పూజలు . నవరాత్రి తొమ్మిది రోజులూ తల్లి తలపే . 

అనురాగ మాలిక , అమృత వర్షిణి అవసరమైతే ఆదిపరాశక్తి - అమ్మ .

అదీ అమ్మ కి ఉన్న bandwidth !

ఎవడో ఇంగిలీషు వాడు అన్నట్టు "Because God can not be everywhere, He created mothers"

అంటే అమ్మ విషయానికొస్తే ఇంగిలీషు వాళ్ళు కూడా నిజమే మాట్లాడుతారన్న మాట !

జై జగజ్జనని 🙏🏻

 *Aksharabhyasam* 

When I was in my 5th. Year of life , my 'aksharabhyasam' or 'Vidyarambham' was done as ordained in the 'shastras' . I very vividly remember that memorable event .

Amid chanting of  Veda mantras by the most respected Dwadasi Pantulugaru ( మా హితులు, పుర హితులు) , my father made me sit in his lap and holding my fist he helped me to write "Om Namah Shivaya Siddham Namaha"  on a new  'పలక' (slate) with a new 'బలపం'(slate pencil ) . At that time ,I did not know that what I wrote means "Salutations to Lord Shiva, and salutations to the ultimate perfection/success."In our culture, this sacred phrase is traditionally written and chanted during Aksharabhyasam (a child's formal initiation into education) to bless the child with knowledge, wisdom, and success in learning .

After this initiation , my father did the honours to the teachers from the local school who graced the ceremony .

Children from that school were invited and gifts were given to them .

I attended that school only for a short while before I was shifted to St. Anns School where my sister (Chelli) was studying at that time .

 *The old school photography* 

 

Until the time that I had my first hair cut , I was sporting long hair . My older sister , when she visited Bhimli , used to make plaits of my long hair . 

I feel amused whenever I see the rare photographs of myself wearing a onesie (బాడీషరాయి) and sporting the plaits .

I said 'rare photographs' because photography was not very common in those days and this old school photography used to be very complicated .In those olden days when digital technology was not known, photography was a two-step magic trick: first, light created a negative on film, where everything appeared reversed. Then the negative was used to make a positive print on photographic paper.

So it was basically: click → wait → develop → print → pray! 😂

No instant preview, no filters, no “delete”—just chemistry, patience, and hoping nobody blinked!

One Nageshwar photo studio was having monopoly in this area in  Bhimli .

As I learnt, this photographer was scared stiff of my father's wrath . Thus every photograph took  a long time to shoot .

If you ever happen to see that one  family photograph of ours wherein my older brother Suryanarayanamurthy Annayya ducked a little to his left , you may wonder as to what made him do so .

The secret is like this .

I was perhaps a months old baby sitting in my mother's lap and my Annayya was sitting at my mother's feet posing for the said photo. 

The photographer took such a long time that by the time he exposed , I

  passed water . My poor Annayya had to duck to his left to avoid getting drenched . As seen in that photo, he could succeed only partly !

The photography session was an interesting event in my Choodakaranam ceremony and my photograph with my younger brother is the highlight !

Life in Ukkunagaram

 *Life in Ukkunagaram* 

Today, our children are all grown up. They have children of their own, and yet, in their hearts, a very special place continues to remain unchanged — Ukkunagaram.

Both my children began their education in the township right from KG. In many ways, Ukkunagaram was not merely the place where they studied and grew up; it was the place that shaped their childhood, nurtured their talents and gave them memories that  last a lifetime.

My daughter went on to pursue her B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering. Every day, she travelled from Ukkunagaram to college and back. But academics were only one part of her journey. At the skating rink in Nehru Park, she learnt roller skating and went on to make her mark at the district level.

Her marriage was another memorable occasion for all of us. With the blessings and presence of our dear friends, the celebrations were held at Gurajada Kalakshetram, behind the magnificent temple of Lord Jagannath. It was a joyous gathering that brought together so many people who had been an integral part of our lives in Ukkunagaram.

My son followed almost the same path. He too completed his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering, from BVC College of Engineering. Like his sister, he learnt roller skating at Nehru Park and took the sport much further, securing fourth place at the Nationals held in Patiala.

The Ukku Stadium opened another avenue for him. Having trained there, he also took to cricket and represented at the district level. And that was not all. Ukkunagaram, with its abundance of facilities and opportunities, encouraged him to explore music as well. He won awards for his musical talents and was affectionately described in the DAV school magazine as the “Court Singer of DAV.”

His upanayanam was also celebrated in Ukkunagaram, surrounded by the blessings and affection of our friends. Looking back, it feels as though every important milestone in his life was somehow intertwined with the township.

Indeed, my children are true natives of Ukkunagaram — a mini Bharat in itself.

And what a place it was!

Resources were never in short supply, and neither were occasions for celebration. The township came alive whenever there was a festival or community gathering. Every celebration had its own character, its own flavour and its own sense of togetherness.

Be it Guru Poornima at the Sai Temple,

the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath,

the vibrant Navratri celebrations at Kalibari,

the community lunch at the Shiva Temple during Kartik,

the Balaji Temple celebrations during Dhanurmasam,

or the warmth of Guru ka Langar in December —

every occasion brought residents together. Festivals were not merely events on a calendar; they were occasions when the entire township seemed to become one large family.

Even today, whenever my children visit India, they never miss a visit to the Steel Township. Their journey to Ukkunagaram is not just a casual outing. They return to the lanes, parks, temples, stadiums and familiar places that hold so many chapters of their lives.

And, of course, they cannot resist telling their own children stories about the Ukkunagaram of their childhood.

After all, it is their home turf!

The names of their childhood friends — Smita, Dinesh, Govind, Khaniz, Kunal, Victor, Andrews, Satwati, Sandhya, and many others — have become almost household names in our family. These are not merely names from the past; each name carries a story, an incident, a friendship and a memory.

One of my daughter's DAV classmates, Reddy, went on to become an international cricket umpire. Whenever he officiates in a Test match, news quickly travels through the old school network, and his batchmates make every effort to watch the game. It is a wonderful reminder that the bonds formed in Ukkunagaram and at DAV have survived the passage of time.

They even have their own WhatsApp groups — a modern-day extension of friendships that began many decades ago!

For my children, as for so many of us, Ukkunagaram remains the focal point of life — a place where childhood, friendships, education, culture, sport, faith and community came together.

For us, a visit to Ukkunagaram is much more than a visit to a township.

It is a pilgrimage.

It is a return to the place that gave our children their first lessons, their friendships, their passions and their dreams. It is a return to a community that once felt like one enormous extended family.

And so, from the bottom of our hearts, our prayer to the Almighty is simple:

May the shadow that has fallen upon our beloved “temple” — VSP — soon be lifted. May its glory be restored, and may Ukkunagaram once again flourish with the same spirit, pride, harmony and vibrancy that made it so special to all of us.

For no matter where life takes us, Ukkunagaram will always remain home.

  

...as I remember

The otherday my grandson Virat asked my wife Durga "bamma !, where are your amma & nanna?". My wife replied that they have gone to God .Then he asked "what about thatha's?. She gave the same reply . After a short while Virat said " bamma , the next time you come, please bring them along ! . His loving & innocent request moved us . I was wondering as to how I can do this . Just then my daughter Gayatri suggested that I should write some blogs about my childhood incidents which the children are always inquisitive to know .I may thus bring to life some of my times and the people at least on paper. Here it is '...as I remember '

Aaj ki sham hum sab ke naam

When age slows down a person and makes him or her feel cocooned ,he or she need not feel constrained for space. THERE IS A LOT OF SPACE WITHIN ONESELF ! 'Geet','Sangeet'and 'Prarthana' are the means to reach and relax in this space. Whoever said "antarmukhi sada sukhi" is very correct. Yesterday (1st june 2025) evening, Kavuri Ravigaru and his wife Bhaskara Subrahmanya Sreedevi hosted us at their elegant home in Visalakshinagar and gave each of us a chance to explore inwards and indulge in some self reflection. It was a memorable evening and was very refreshing!. Lakshmipati annayya,Vijaya vadina, Ramam,Sundari,Balu,Durga and myself and of course the hosts were there. Being the eldest and knowledgeable, Lakshmipati annayya gave inter alia some good insights into and explanation of Dattasthavam,Shankaravirachita Aksharamalika and Sudarshana kavacham which he also chanted soulfully. . The incarnation of Dattatreya. (thrigunatmaka) . The origin of the name 'RAMA'representing the Hari & Hara aspects of 'Paramatma'. . The 'Arthanareeswara' aspect of one single primordial being. . A scholarly exposition of Bhagawan Adishankara's 'akshara malika'. There were many such takeaways. Highly cultured and multi talented Ravigaru took great pains to keep us comfortable and the meet lively. Be it his writings, his song or his courtesy he was graceful and his lovely wife complemented him in all ways. కావూరి వారిది మంచి సంస్కారం!. Songs by Vijaya vadina,Durga, Sundari and Basu were truly enjoyable. Gracious grand mothers ! A duet by Mrs & Ravi was the highlight! Be it a song on lord Rama or a gazal by Talat, Balu was always in his element while presenting them. Ramam's rendition of 'padamule chalu Rama', was outstanding . 'yeh dil mange more !' I also pitched in with a few songs . Sreedevi served us tasty idlys and payasam for dinner. The ingredients were Millets,milk, vermicelli and lots of love ! In all it was a great evening. Thank you family!