In 2005, I had my first lengthy train travel from Chennai to Vizag. The journey was roughly for about 16 hours. I enjoyed the journey, most of the time sleeping in the upper birth. I got down only once in the morning to refresh and have breakfast in Vijayawada. Though I was traveling in a reserved seat, I found that the reservations are not honored once the train crosses the Tamil Nadu border. Outside TN, people just barge-in into the reserved coaches and the TTE also never minds them, during the day time. The reservations are honored only in the night, when people sleep. Later I also observed that in Kerala also its the same. Those were some of the moments that I felt happy that I was born in Tamil Nadu, a relatively safer place.
[Vizag Railway Station]
The train reached Vizag on the next day afternoon around 1:15. The station was rather a small one, contrary to my expectation. I came out of the station and enquired where to get bus for Gajuwaka - the place where I am supposed to go. This is my first trip to visit my first little sister who worked for Hindustan Zinc Limited as an Executive. Since she will be returning from the factory at 5:00, I decided to wait in the bus stop till 4:00 and start after that, inspite of she asking me to come to her quarters and stay there. I had a good time watching various types of people coming and going in the bus stop. Also I got used to waiting for unusual long hours right from my college days in Coimbatore-where I used to wait for my Professors.
At 4:00, got into the bus to Gajuwaka and was surprised to find a conductor Akka instead of a conductor. The bus was fairly crowded and I was surprised how the Akka will manage. But she managed it beatifully walking from one end of the bus to another. I gave money and asked "Gajuwaka".
She replied "Gothaa??? Paadha???".
Who knows.
I said "Hindustan Zinc", without knowing whether its a suitable answer for her question.
She said "Oh... Gothaa..." and gave me the ticket.
I got the ticket from her and said in telegu(according to me atleast :-)...) "Gajuwaka comes, Cheppandi..."
I got down at Gajuwaka, just in front of the Hindustan Zinc factory. Time was around 4:30 and so I decided to have tea and bajji in the shop in front of the factory.
I ordered for tea and 2 bajjis. I was surprised to see the shop-keeper cutting the bajji into 2 halves laterally and stuffing onion soaked in chilli inside it and gave it to me. I tried a bit, but couldnt swallow due to it hotness(mirchiness). I then had the bajji alone and even that was very hot with chilli.
I went inside at 5:00 and my sister came running from the factory, in the same way she used to come running from her 1st standard class, on seeing me, some 20 years back. I watched with surprise and pride how she was respected by the security and everyone in the factory as she was holding a senior position in the factory as an executive.
Evening we went for shopping the the Gajuwaka streets, especially to Bommanna stores and to CMR shopping mall in the city. That was the first time I was hearing the word "shopping mall" and CMR shopping mall was the first mall I ever saw in my life.
[Gajywaka streets]
[CMR shopping mall]
After our shopping we went to have dinner in a nearby restaurant(I think its Akash restaurant in Gajuwaka). There I was surprised to find that there they even serve the items in our plates. In chennai, the bearer's job ends once he places the items on our table.
The next day we decided to go for a movie. Without knowing what movies were running in the city, we just took an auto and went to the nearby theatre. It had 2 screens and 2 movies were running in it. One movie was named "Apparao Driving School" and the other one was something that we couldnt pronounce even in thought its name was written in English too. We dropped "Apparao Driving School" as the hero in the poster looked like a grandfather. We decided to see the other movie as we saw Siddarth in the poster and sister added "Anna, Trisha is also there." I started wondering when Trisha started acting in Telegu movies.
[Nuvostanante Nenuoddantana]
We called up our little sister, who was in our native, and gave us our status update. Also we mentioned the movie as "Nu.. something..". She immediately identified the movie and told its full name said that it was directed by Prabhu Deva. I was wondering when this Prabhu Deva become a director.
When the counter opened, we went to the person and asked "Siddharth movie". The person got confused and said no such movie running, then he identified and said "Oh... Nuvosthanante Nenoddantana..." and gave us the ticket. We went inside. It was posh theatre, with a beautifully decorated interior. The movie started and we started watching it without any expectations. The first few scenes were very heavy with lot of senti. I got shocked that we came to such a movie. My sister was surprised that she is able to understand the telegu conversations in the movie very well, and thus she had already got a hold of the telegu language. She started translating the conversations for me. It turned out to be a very good movie and we enjoyed the rest of the movie. The songs were especially superb. The movie reminded me of many hindi and tamil movies that I have watched as kid such as "Maine Pyar Kia".We was surprised to see a teen aged girl who had come to the movie alone, who was sitting and watching by the side of us. In our place, such girls used to come either with her friends or parents and never alone.
The next day I returned from Vizag with lot of good and sweet memories, without any idea that someday I will be killing my time by writing a lengthy, boring blog about it :-).
- Pavala.
[Vizag Railway Station]
The train reached Vizag on the next day afternoon around 1:15. The station was rather a small one, contrary to my expectation. I came out of the station and enquired where to get bus for Gajuwaka - the place where I am supposed to go. This is my first trip to visit my first little sister who worked for Hindustan Zinc Limited as an Executive. Since she will be returning from the factory at 5:00, I decided to wait in the bus stop till 4:00 and start after that, inspite of she asking me to come to her quarters and stay there. I had a good time watching various types of people coming and going in the bus stop. Also I got used to waiting for unusual long hours right from my college days in Coimbatore-where I used to wait for my Professors.
At 4:00, got into the bus to Gajuwaka and was surprised to find a conductor Akka instead of a conductor. The bus was fairly crowded and I was surprised how the Akka will manage. But she managed it beatifully walking from one end of the bus to another. I gave money and asked "Gajuwaka".
She replied "Gothaa??? Paadha???".
Who knows.
I said "Hindustan Zinc", without knowing whether its a suitable answer for her question.
She said "Oh... Gothaa..." and gave me the ticket.
I got the ticket from her and said in telegu(according to me atleast :-)...) "Gajuwaka comes, Cheppandi..."
I got down at Gajuwaka, just in front of the Hindustan Zinc factory. Time was around 4:30 and so I decided to have tea and bajji in the shop in front of the factory.
I ordered for tea and 2 bajjis. I was surprised to see the shop-keeper cutting the bajji into 2 halves laterally and stuffing onion soaked in chilli inside it and gave it to me. I tried a bit, but couldnt swallow due to it hotness(mirchiness). I then had the bajji alone and even that was very hot with chilli.
I went inside at 5:00 and my sister came running from the factory, in the same way she used to come running from her 1st standard class, on seeing me, some 20 years back. I watched with surprise and pride how she was respected by the security and everyone in the factory as she was holding a senior position in the factory as an executive.
Evening we went for shopping the the Gajuwaka streets, especially to Bommanna stores and to CMR shopping mall in the city. That was the first time I was hearing the word "shopping mall" and CMR shopping mall was the first mall I ever saw in my life.
 |
[Gajywaka streets]
 |
| Inside a floor in CMR shopping mall |
[CMR shopping mall]
After our shopping we went to have dinner in a nearby restaurant(I think its Akash restaurant in Gajuwaka). There I was surprised to find that there they even serve the items in our plates. In chennai, the bearer's job ends once he places the items on our table.
The next day we decided to go for a movie. Without knowing what movies were running in the city, we just took an auto and went to the nearby theatre. It had 2 screens and 2 movies were running in it. One movie was named "Apparao Driving School" and the other one was something that we couldnt pronounce even in thought its name was written in English too. We dropped "Apparao Driving School" as the hero in the poster looked like a grandfather. We decided to see the other movie as we saw Siddarth in the poster and sister added "Anna, Trisha is also there." I started wondering when Trisha started acting in Telegu movies.
[Nuvostanante Nenuoddantana]
We called up our little sister, who was in our native, and gave us our status update. Also we mentioned the movie as "Nu.. something..". She immediately identified the movie and told its full name said that it was directed by Prabhu Deva. I was wondering when this Prabhu Deva become a director.
When the counter opened, we went to the person and asked "Siddharth movie". The person got confused and said no such movie running, then he identified and said "Oh... Nuvosthanante Nenoddantana..." and gave us the ticket. We went inside. It was posh theatre, with a beautifully decorated interior. The movie started and we started watching it without any expectations. The first few scenes were very heavy with lot of senti. I got shocked that we came to such a movie. My sister was surprised that she is able to understand the telegu conversations in the movie very well, and thus she had already got a hold of the telegu language. She started translating the conversations for me. It turned out to be a very good movie and we enjoyed the rest of the movie. The songs were especially superb. The movie reminded me of many hindi and tamil movies that I have watched as kid such as "Maine Pyar Kia".We was surprised to see a teen aged girl who had come to the movie alone, who was sitting and watching by the side of us. In our place, such girls used to come either with her friends or parents and never alone.
The next day I returned from Vizag with lot of good and sweet memories, without any idea that someday I will be killing my time by writing a lengthy, boring blog about it :-).
- Pavala.
awesome blog paa.....vizag ennaku romba pidichha ooru......its my favourite city in India :)
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: Thank you :-). Also planning to write about my days in Trivandrum soon.
ReplyDeleteHi SPGR
ReplyDeleteloved reading your blog...Simple, touching and interesting as well.. Vizag is my fav place too and the city gave me some wonderful memories.
Aparna
@Appu: Thank You.
ReplyDelete