Nov 21 : Ramya Sanam

"So why did we even fight in the first place" she asked me after getting in touch few years back." I have no idea." I innocently replied. Turns out that we really didn't have a reason to be so cold with each other during our college days. Ramya was my classmate from engineering and even though we had a decent start in B.Tech first year, it quickly became an age old rivalry, an enmity so severe that even today we seriously joke saying that we will always be the best enemies to ever become such good friends. 'But I hated you, I was so mad that I never wanted to talk to you again though I never understood why' she honestly told me once and just to refresh her memory I reminded her on the way I insulted her in front of the whole class one day and I hysterically laughed recollecting that incident. "Oh yaa!!' she said and quickly shouted "You idiot! I was only trying to be nice to you" Indeed she was being nice to me that day but I could not stand my classmates being shouted at. This was just a glimpse of many such petty quarrels we both got into where we always had an excuse to be mad at each other but never a valid reason for our anger. I now strongly feel that's it because of this simple logic, she finally ended up becoming one of the few friends who really matter. 

She was not only smart but emotionally intelligent and best at everything she chose. I was always happy to have such people around me who were independent in their thoughts, intelligent in their decisions, friendly with everyone around and most importantly enjoyed being themselves. Ironically I was the  one who had to learn all those qualities in the long run. To crack it down once and for all we both discussed as to why we were so angry at each other. That's when I had to accept a bitter truth through introspection that I never liked her giving more importance to scoring marks and getting good grades. It was never jealousy but my helplessness to witness people being exceptionally smart yet relying more on a 3 hours exam which judged students merely based on how good they were at recollecting concepts and putting them on paper. "Didn't we already do that all our childhood?" I asked her in spite of knowing the answer. "So that's why you stopped taking exams seriously after first year?" she replied not expecting any answer. "Well that only makes us people with different approach towards education. You were mostly into gaining practical knowledge while I took the best option by being a topper then choosing the career I love" she concluded. She was right, I might had been the one exploring the best freedom of 4 years while she earned her freedom for a life time and looking at what we both do today for a living, I would have never been so proud to see her living the dream of a true Chemical Engineer. Mathematical modelling was our favourite subject and she will soon earn her PhD from NEERI, a central government body reverently working to keep this country's environment in check. How cool is that.?

Silence of the unknown

The first impression anyone would get upon meeting Ramya is that she is very jovial, down to earth, curious champ and has great respect towards everyone who comes across in her life. Friendship is something she ardently believes more than God and family is her everything. I once asked her as to why she never tries to explain her agony if there were any misunderstanding between her and her friends for which she simply smiled and replied 'What good would that do when they are already convinced that I am wrong'. "How can you let them go?" I could not stop myself from asking her such a difficult question. With a great sigh she said "That's the beauty of friendship. I care for them even when they don't. It's not easy letting my friends walk away from my life but if that keeps them happy so be it" I silently took it as a surprise coming out from a person who never lets her smile fade off even when she is going through the toughest phases in life. "But doesn't that hurt you more, knowing that they didn't even tell what their problem was". she couldn't skip that question with her regular sarcasm but threw a better reply "It hurts not because I lost my friends but because I was unable to help them. I trust them unconditionally and I can't help if they don't. But I must say its rather easy dealing with morons who talk behind your back than having friends who can turn their back against you with no apparent reason. Even you were once a good friend and then you stopped being one. I am only happy that we could sort this out as years passed by" I could not agree more as she diverted this topic to a rather silly one where we had to imagine how our college would react once they come to realise that we are no longer sworn to destroy each other.

This is exactly what made her silence even more powerful then I first imagined. One should be deserving enough to have a friend who doesn't rely on what others think about you. She never gives any explanations or justification for any of her actions. 'Waste of time' she says which is obviously right. Being a good person doesn't always mean kind words and an everlasting smile but a relentless concern to see you achieving your dreams whether that person is a part of it or not. 'I speak for my friends but never against them and if that's difficult to digest then I am sorry for not being filmy' she once said to convey how she accepts reality. I then understood why she chose to remain a true friend instead of a good friend for many in her life even though that's the most difficult road to travel. While being a good friend makes one socially loveable, a true friend always becomes a bitter confrontation every time one messes up in life. 

To my best enemy, to my dearest friend this song from 'Rush' only shows the different paths we chose to reach a similar destination

Sibling Rivalry

"Why do you sound so much similar to my brother?" she asked me one day in the middle of a conversation. "Oh!" I paused "So it's just not me who thinks that you talk like my sister". Ramya then went on explaining about her brother who had many similar mannerisms of mine. I too got the chance to share some traits of my own sister through which I realised that in Ramya I saw my sister. No wonder I never got offended even when she scolded me momentarily out of frustration. She always listened to my theories, even though they are insanely out of this world, just like my sis while I, like her brother, never let her feel demotivated, believed in her words and always reminded her of what a great inspiration she would always be. Later it was evident that its just not the two of us but many who are closely attached to their siblings always find them in their friends. It's that rivalry of the childhood which makes this bond purely exceptional. The way she spoke about her brother brought me closer to my sister as then I understood why my sister had to be cold hearted sometimes only to guide me through my tough times and even if the world turns against me she would never let me go. She believes in her brother just like my sister does in me. I guess every sister does the same but few are fortunate like me and Ramya who actually got a chance to talk about it.

Having an elder sister is most of the times a nightmare for any brother because no matter how old we turn, no matter how matured we become in our actions, no matter how best we try to convince them that we can be on our own,  they always treat us like little kids who refuse to let go of us. No they are not worried but just concerned not because we would fail but because of the fact that we will not be able to handle such failures if not given the right strength to face our weaknesses. Undoubtedly its this very reason why we brothers thank God for having a big sister in spite of such nightmares. Yes we get scolded, yes we will never reach your expectations and yes we can never make you happy but we do know how proud you will always be when you take our name amongst family and friends. It's a silent promise we have made to ourselves to never let you down because we cannot bare seeing our inspiration put their head down in dismay.

A Daughter's dream

There have been many instances in the past few years where our country talked about the importance of having a girl child in the family. Our world, being the most beautiful place always emphasised on the respect we show towards woman and how a daughter in  a family takes many roles as she grows from a mischievous little girl to a responsible leader.Yet Ramya had a different perspective altogether about women. "I am not a feminist but all my life I was constantly reminded that I am a woman and I will never be able to do or achieve what a man can, I guess its this crazy madness that forced me to question everything and do better than I ever imagined"  I had no words to console her even though  a sense of achievement in her words could be felt as there was a hidden agony that her journey would have been less painful if she was not taunted on those lines. "No I am not mad, not any more" she continued. "It really doesn't matter if its a boy or a girl, if one has a dream then no amount of taunts, insults or remarks can stop a person from making that dream come true. "If I could do it, then anyone can" she kept reminding me every time I doubted if my goals are unreasonable.

I always believed that love comes in a person's life through four iconic stages. A mother teaches us 'What' love is while our siblings show  'How to' love. Our better half takes a life time, standing next to us through thick and thin teaching us 'How much' they love us while our progeny simply with their presence teach us 'Why' it so important to have love in our lives. Is that why a daughter is so important in a family?, to show everyone why the past never matters as long there is this unconditional love bonding them. What else can a father really expect from a daughter who respects him, loves him and  cares for him all her life. It's that moment I realised Ramya had a bigger dream to see a better world and I instead of wishing to have a daughter like Ramya or my sister silently accepted her dream as my daughter. I would protect that dream just like I would protect my own daughter. yes this world deserves a second chance and I will do the best I can to see my daughter grow up in the brave new world

This beautiful song from the movie Gatothkachudu aptly shows how one would go to any extent to keep a daughter's dream alive. Its this hope that will drive us further into a marvellous future.

Shakthi Shiva Roopini

'Oh! your full name is Siva Ramya' I was really delighted to recollect such coincidence that day. she mocked me for forgetting such an important thing. Having known as simply 'Ramya' for many of us, the only time we got to hear her full name was during award ceremonies at college so it's no surprise that I could not remember her full name as until then college memories were kept aside for numerous reasons. We met after many years in 2014 on an auspicious day of Dessera and the first thing she said was that she was hungry. I happily gave her a box in which my mom put some snacks offered as naivedyam for Goddess Durga. That's when I first told her that she is indeed Goddess Durga and how thankful should I be to offer food to the Goddess myself. On the contrary she pointed out that she is Lord Shiva since her name also has his name. Of course then it made total sense that She is both Shakthi and Shiva born as one. There are many such situations where I could see Shakthi Shiva roopini born in this world to remove darkness from ignorant minds. She truly is the Goddess to whom we silently bow and worship to stand beside us in all our challenges.

No wonder she was one of the first readers for all my stories, always supporting and encouraging to not restrict myself to simplicity in imagination. She always criticized me when needed and brought me back to reality when I was wandering in the abyss. She even voiced for two of my short films which to date still stand as the best of my creations -  Bandhi and Nee Yedhalo. I never thanked you enough for being such a good friend well turns out that every thing that comes out of my mind will always have your mark since I got an opportunity to learn a lot from your words including this very segment where I envisioned to write good things about people in my life who are the reason for being so awesome.

Raunaq hein thu

This is the song dedicated not just to you but every person out there who believed in their journey and never looked back. I am truly honoured to have interacted with your family when I attended you engagement and wedding. I could clearly see what a ladli you were and how every one in your family were happy that you were taking a new step in your life welcoming your better half with an everlasting smile. I wish you all happiness and where ever you are, what ever you do remember my freind -  You are awesome.

To a great human being, to an awesome friend, to a loving sister and to a caring mother

Happy Birthday buddy,
Stay awesome
keep smiling.

Nov 17 : Sangeeta Satyamangal

"You see being happy is really not a big deal, just don't do what doesn't make you happy. That includes trying to get along with people you are sure that they have a problem with you for no apparent reason". These are some lines I could recollect from one of the earliest conversations with Sangeetha Garu. She always insists that respect doesn't have to be shown on how one is addressed and moreover adding a "Garu" next to her name she says only makes her look wiser and old. However,  that's the least we could do to express our gratitude as She is indeed a blessing in disguise for many of us who until then used to take everything way too seriously in our lives. A charismatic woman with a 'never stop dreaming' attitude, she always makes sure that everyone around her are smiling. Witty, clever and sometimes in perfect moments - her sense of humour is undoubtedly her greatest strengths. Though a colleague from a completely different team, thanks to T.T and journey in cab, I got a really good opportunity to meet few such interesting people in my current company. 'Where else would you get a chance to meet people from different teams who don't talk just about work?' we realised ourselves when tried to understand why we enjoyed playing that game even though when we are not that good at it.

Usually a cab journey to office and home would be a tiring routine for many but ours is a different genre altogether. Different mindsets, different opinions, endless discussions yet a simplistic approach on how to lead life in the best way possible - smile at every silly joke, show concern when needed, ignore the taunts, learn from mistakes and last but not least never lose a chance to do some good. No wonder we are still intact as we always knew how to respect one another, understand other's situations and rarely judge a book by just reading it's cover. It's this aspect of reality, we got to know when Sangeetha started coming with us in the cab. I still remember the time we discussed about our school days and she shared her experience for being mischievous and believably innocent at the same time. Our famous greeting tradition of 'India is the 7th largest country in the world'  and 'The mathematical representation of a chemical reaction is called chemical equation' instead of a simple 'Hi' was the result of such hilarious discussions. 

The other side of perception 

'We are so busy in our lives that we mostly concentrate on how convenient our life style is and to what extent do we go to get what we need and no matter how beautiful our life is we still want something more. Isn't it ironic that we are not even thankful for what we are right now' she once initiated a topic which was not familiar to many of us since these are the issues which we silently communicate with our conscience but never have enough strength to talk to another person. 'Aren't we too young to have such point of views' I replied. She laughed while others continued to listen 'Believe me, I am the last person on earth to talk about philosophy but I am not talking about having sympathy on others or empathizing with others troubles but something even more simpler, thanking yourself for what you are today.' Time flew by like an instant as she shared her side of the story for having such a perception. Dialogue in the dark is a theme restaurant where people are served in the dark. we always heard good reviews about it as many said that it's a great experience to eat in the dark. What we never knew was that the people who served were blind. And it's a restaurant designed in such a way that people who walk in, experience life of a blind person for those few hours of stay.

While many praised its theme for being so enjoyable, She could actually see the other side which actually mattered. 'I became very emotional that day. we went there for our wedding anniversary. I trembled having to deal with such pitch darkness for just few hours. Imagine their life, it's this dark all the time and for no fault of theirs. The person who served us did his best to calm me down. It's ok Madam he said with a soulful voice, don't be afraid you are doing absolutely fine and I was literally shouting in my mind, how can someone live a life like this. Its so scary.'  Listening to this we all turned numb for a moment. how true was she?. All our childhood we always complained on how mediocre our clothes were, how dull our past was, how others had a better bike, a better house or a better car not even realizing on how fortunate we all were to have all these senses to at least witness such things. That day I learned something more than just 'life' of a blind person. how blind we all are to our own lives?. We always are keen to think about others but how often do we even know about our own selves. 'Live this moment' she said, 'you can't change your past, future is tomorrow but today just live it and appreciate every moment whether you like it or not' We silently nodded in agreement. 

I for Imagination

"Are they imaginary or real?" She once asked. It took a bit longer for me to understand that question so she asked again in a more simplistic way "your characters from the stories you write, are they imaginary?" Though it puzzled me for a moment I replied without a second thought "of course all of them are imaginary" and for the next few days this question kept popping up in my mind and every time I had the same old answer. 'Of  course they are, they have to be and They will always be' I thought. That's the whole point of using one's imagination to write stories which may never happen in reality. Sure there are instances where people just pen down what happened in their own lives but such versions go by the name 'memoir' or 'autobiography'. My narration is neither fiction or non-fiction but just an another dimension of human emotions. Sometimes from a simple thought or an instinct, sometimes from a quote or a line spoken by people around me, stories I write always get drafted from the world I live in. Characters might be inspired from reality but I always knew they were purely my imagination and resided in my head until I wrote them down. 

That's when it hit me hard, one true reason why my stories had a good response from the readers. It's not just because of a good narrative style or a gripping content but mainly because of the characters and their perspectives towards a situation they are in. Going back when I read my own stories I understood that most of the characters always stayed true to their nature no matter how dire the circumstances were. This is what most of us always wished to be and may be that's one of the reasons why I was so sure that such characters were imaginary. I would have never travelled down this road of thoughts if I was never asked such a simple question 'Are they Imaginary?'. It also opened up a new possibility to try not to imagine about people who exist and never restrict imagination to simple laws of reality. What I see is real, What people speak is the only reality. For years I was trying to put into practice a simple idea that 'One can live a peaceful life without worrying about what others would think and ones actions need not always impact others life along with his'. If 'Never talk bad about people in their absence' gave me a good start, then this latest approach of 'Stop imagining or assuming about people who exist for real' helped me more than I ever imagined. 

Saraswathi Namasthubhyam

Well this brings me to the most intriguing aspect of why I treat Sangeetha garu as Goddess Saraswathi - Goddess of knowledge. Since childhood we were made to believe that books are worshipped in Her name and anyone who was smart or intelligent, getting good grades or reading a lot of books were praised as the ones blessed by the Goddess herself  in other words 'Saraswathi Kataaksham'. Knowledge is never restricted to just books. Movies, Music, Arts, People, Plants, animals, living things , non living things - everything and everyone had their unique way of teaching us something and it always depended on our interpretation. Even 'time' is not an exception for that matter. This is my interpretation of Goddess Sarawathi who created an ocean of knowledge and gave us infinite ways to learn based on 'our own interest to live this one life to the fullest potential' but not 'by our intelligence'. Just a simple question about my stories made me realise how imagination could be used in a better way to attain peace. 

Even when some of the stories started happening for real, I was purely delighted to accept that such coincidences were only meant as a part of a greater journey ahead. And that's how finding answers became one of my favourite ways to learn what I wanted, explore what I wished for and gain knowledge irrespective of time as 'Answers' were the true path of knowledge. May be Goddess Saraswathi wanted to take a different approach too and instead of  taking full credit by blessing anyone and turning them into a pure genius as mentioned in our mythology, She now asks questions and sets her believers to find answers on their own and thus taking no credit at all. What a great teacher indeed.  I always treated God as a very good friend and it only made more sense to me personally that I see God in all my friends, strangers and everyone around me. So yes Sangeetha garu, I will always treat you as Goddess Saraswathi  for your kindness, your attitude towards life, your vision for a happy world, your compassion towards people in pain and surely for your questions as they guide me to the right direction. Learning classical dance and playing violin - these two arts looked almost impossible to achieve in the past but they never gave up on me. I do hope that someday I will learn those and when I do, please accept my invitation as a 'Guru Dakshina' to witness me living my dreams as that's the least I can do to show you my gratitude.

Sruthi Neevu, Gathi Neevu

This song from 'Swati Karanam' aptly denotes my respect towards you. My mind is like a little kid constantly learning and making the best use of my skills while you, as a great mother continue to bless this world with your unconditional love. Thank you for being such a great person. We are truly honoured to have known you and words are never enough to express how awesome you are. What else can we say other than bowing to you in humility with 'Sharana gati neevu Bharathi'

Wishing you a great life ahead 

Happy Birthday andi

Keep smiling

Stay Awesome

Oct 30 : Bhimanapati Ganesh Rahul

"Hi, I am BG Rahul. You can call me BG" these were the first words BG spoke to me when we first met in 2005. It was a typical 'I am Rahul.. Naam tho suna Hoga' style entry for him into our lives. A curious smile, confident approach and everlasting enthusiasm to be with people made BG an integral part of 2009 pass outs for Chemical engineering at CBIT. I still remember him telling many tales from his inter days - how he was mischievous with friends, mad with cricket and adorably shy with girls. Well his amusement for such happy days only grew stronger as we all spent the next four years exploring uninterrupted adventure called 'Freedom'. One of the best conversation only we both had was about a girl who we feared had gone to another college through second counselling until BG enquired and passed on the good news that she dint. And from that day BG for me was the guy who always enjoyed sharing good news with everyone. From first year results to the best news of the college, BG always had some information on everything we had to be updated on. Never really understood how he had so many contacts but that's what he was really good at - Having a real social network. Where ever we went in college, which ever block we stepped into - BG was well known to many of them. At first I assumed that it could be his sheer modesty to let go of even those who made fun of him behind his back but later on I realised that the reason he never kept any hard feelings against anyone was because he wanted them to be happy even if it meant him being the punch line of a silly joke.I can proudly agree that its this behaviour of his that later inspired me in cracking some insane jokes upon myself when I started making you tube videos to spread laughter.

Apart from his own conscience, two more important aspects in life for BG are very near and dear - Friendship and Cricket. This selfless maestro would go to any extent to lend a helping hand for a friend in need and it never bothered whether BG was in good terms with them. 'once a friend - Always a friend' was his selfish motto. And when it comes to cricket, passion for the game grew with him over time - 'We play to win - plain and simple' When I heard these words I thought he was being mean but after watching him play I really got know why he loved cricket so much. More than the game, he enjoyed being a part of the team. Politics were never his cup of tea so he knew that the only way to stay in the team was to make sure he be the best lefty in squad. Our friends were more than happy to have him on their side once and for all. He knew our strength, also surprisingly knew opponents weakness, as I said - he is BG. He always gave credit to that gentlemen's game which made him passionate towards fitness and sports but trust me buddy cricket is truly honoured to have a reverent player like you who not only loved the game but lived every moment on field inspiring many of us to respect the game. 

I was truly delighted to meet him few years back when he came on a vacation during his masters. He spoke very well about his program and shared his curiosity on the subject. It gives me immense happiness to know that one of my classmates will soon have a  Ph.d degree in nano technology. I don't know about US but future has a lot of hope on people like you buddy, Make sure that you put your dedicated efforts in bringing the best out of this growing technology. You must have had many reasons for pursuing Ph.d in the finest universities with some of the best funding but please be assured that what ever your ideas are, they are lot better than many of ours who have inconsistent imagination. You always believed in people more than your belief in reality which I frankly envied for a long time until I got to learn after years of practice.

If there was one thing I really admired in you was your undying will to never give up what ever the circumstances were. You were the first one to stop a fight, the first one to bring peace, the first one to implement a plan, the first one to encourage any of us who came up with a ridiculous idea, you saw in us what we were never able to see in our own selves and for that we will always be glad to have someone like you in our lives. Yet there was this one moment where you were deeply hurt. For the first time I saw that even a jovial guy like you could be so upset. I didn't know how to console you, tried to brush it off saying 'Leave it buddy, you don't have to care' that's when you said something which I can never forget 'Its not about what I care ra, You saw those looks didn't you, as if I am nothing. I don't deserve that. definitely not me. I only wanted them to have a good time with us'. I am sorry BG and I mean it because deep down I knew that I, like many others, was a reason for putting you in that position. We never really gave a thought that our unintended puns would actually make someone who knew very little about you judge you. Even though its their ignorance but that can never be an excuse since we gave them a chance to judge you. Not only an apology but its our promise that we will never let you down ever again because no matter how many jokes we cracked, no matter how many arguments we had to go through, it was you who made us realise what it is to be a team, a pact, a group of idiots who just loved being ruthless rebels.You were the bond who kept us intact.

Lord Ganesha with a twist :

Truly you are an avatar of Lord Ganesha blessed with a humble smile, a witty sense of humour, a curious mind and a wise character amongst us leading a happy life concealing the real pain so that we never get demotivated. What else can we ask for than a friend who can always be our guide, our hope and our philosopher of 'Chaltha Attitude'. The reason why I manifest every person in my life to a God is because I see God in everyone and for me you are Lord Ganesha who must have wished to lead a mortal life witnessing how easy it is to be happy and teach everyone on what it really means to have knowledge which matters. It is my firm belief that any person who comes across you in their life will always have good memories when they hear you name 'Bheemanapati Ganesh Rahul'. It's not just an impression of who you are but an impact in the longer journey of finding our own selves.

Take it easy Policy :

It is this crazy song that pops up in our mind often when we think of BG. Casual, cool and always on a lighter note, BG continues to spread many smiles by either being a perfect gentlemen or a stand up expert on wits and puns. You truly are an amazing person my friend and always keep reminding us that no matter how hard things become, no matter how difficult it is to keep our cool, the best way to cheer up is to take things easy and chill with no fear of failure as being upset or sad all the time is indeed waste of precious life span.  

Happy Birthday Buddy,
Keep Smiling,
Stay Awesome

October 12 : Vamshi Krishna Reddy Regalla

This is what my friend Ravi Teja vedula wrote about me on my 26th Birthday. I never really took time to thank him or appreciate his efforts but I did understand that it's not easy being my friend. Happy to be a part of your life buddy. May God be crazy enough to keep this friendship intact for as long as we exist on this earth.

His Original title :

orey vedavaa....."oye, vasthunna"

Vamshi 'Krishna' Reddy....One of the very few people whose names were assigned almost perfectly to what they are. He remains to be one from whom lots of unexpected outcomes are seen:

A relief: During the initial days of my engineering at CBIT, I used to take RTC bus to reach college. However, my mother out of her worry managed to get a slot for me in the college bus where I had the chance to meet this IDIOT. Having said that, due to a consistent habit of waking up late in the morning, I many times missed the college bus due to which still took RTC bus to reach college. It was during these times when my immature character couldn't bare ragging from 'sirs' and 'madams.' Now I get a smile on my face thinking of the whole concept of gaining respect from 'juniors' by asking for one. Nevertheless, after the most adventurous task of getting rid of seniors, I used to look for someone to chat for relief. I don't remember if Vamshi was the one that I ended up speaking mostly with during these times. But whenever I (successfully) took the college bus, I used to look for a seat available next to him. Of course, used to get annoyed many times when I didn't find the window seat and lot more times when he used to wear his headphones all the time. Irrespective of whether we talked in the bus or not, I used to go to canteen during break time to see if I can find him there. Many times I ate breakfast twice (first one at home) as he mostly had his breakfast in the canteen.....Now this sounds too cinematic right! Well, sometimes to eat along with him and sometimes just to eat (which I love to do then). 

A dancer: The days were passing by with my punch dialogues hitting him (who received something that sounded "hit me hard ya!") and with our creative rotten jokes and rejoicing comedy chats. But one day, I saw this STUPID dancing in front of the crowd (Chemical Engineering Event) with his smooth yet scintillating moves that included moon-walk for "O ham dam Suniyore" song from movie Saathiya and Ganesh Hegde's "Main deewana." I was totally looking at a different Vamshi from what I knew till then. After some time, I came to know that he is crazy about dancing since his school days. We have a pretty much most awaiting dance performer Vivek Chaitanya in my class, however, I was more looking for dance videos from Vamshi and also tried to persuade him in teaching me (which did not happen though!).

An actor: As a part of our college's annual cultural event, we tried to make a skit on 'Tenali Ramakrishna' with my friend/competitor Amit Kumar in the lead role. However, due to some reason, that skit got cancelled and we unexpectedly ended up in Dilip's team who played a parody skit on '75 yrs - Vajrothsavam.' Vamshi played the role of Mahesh Babu while I was the fire-raising Mohan Babu. We used to rehearse for this skit staying late in the college and took RTC buses (2 or sometimes 3) as the college bus leaves at 4:15 PM. These were those few days of my undergrad when I spent most of my time talking/ making jokes with him. It was my first ever stage performance as an actor (I sang before on a stage competition) in my life and it came out so well that the team was awarded Rs 500/- (Dilip managed to spend that amount by taking us to a nearby restaurant). 

A techie/motivator: Among the people whom I know, he was the only one who participated/presented in many IIT's and other institution's technical events. His way of planning (ahead or last minute submissions) and participating in these events made me to think about participating in one. After individually researching for upcoming/ongoing events with an external motivator in my mind, Gopi Krishna and I could manage to participate in IIT Madras's national technical event and I gave a poster presentation in SNIST, Keesaragutta. Whether he likes it or not, or in the future whether I like it or not! I will always give 'some' credit to Vamshi when someone appreciates my SOP that I used to apply for my Master's program. 

A writer/director: While I was completing my Master's in Virginia, I opened a link that he sent and it turns out that he was writing a blog on a fictional journey that we thought of before to walk from our college to home (just about 30 km). This was when I started developing the art of imagining and writing dialogues while I was co-authoring the blog. One fine afternoon while I was at my apartment, I got a call from from this VEDAVA saying that he was planning to prepare a trailer, and a video in future, on this blog. So we spent a couple of hours on phone in audio recording for the trailer. Although may sound as a silly video, this was one of the first videos made my Vamshi who added me as a co-founder for our short films production "Forced Singles." After starting this production, he made few awesome videos that received critical acclaims from many but I (not as a co-founder) used to enjoy almost all the videos he sent to me while commenting few things about every video. Here is his videos' youtube page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/vamshiregalla/videos?view=0&shelf_index=1&sort=dd

An editor: For some, Vamshi is a good director but for others (including himself) he is a good editor. He edits his short films with the adept and fresh choice of background scores and music which makes his videos so attractive to the viewers. His editing skills are so influencing that he sometimes do editing for short films made by other productions. 

His other unexpected characters at unexpected times include a mind-wanderer, egoist, and an unexpected character! I ll try to expand about these when I know more about them. You may have observed that I was calling him IDIOT, STUPID etc. because he is the only one in my life whom I would scold or tease wholeheartedly. Well, that was the case until recently when he might not be taking them with the same "hit me hard ya!" attitude anymore.  I don't know, I may be wrong but at the same time I may be right! 

Nevertheless, I have mentioned this earlier but again I am glad that I met him in my life especially well before he became famous as an editor, director, writer or dancer. Last but may be the least :-P 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAMSHI

My notes for Ravi :
Buddy, For all the tough times you had to go through because of me I will never be able to ask you forgiveness but as long as I am your friend I will remember you as that one guy who never stopped believing in me. The beauty of sharing this video is that we played both the roles in each of our lives for which I will always be proud to be known as 'Friend of Ravi Teja'

Mar 19 : Varsha Jyothsna

"I never thought that girls would be interested to act in short films" that's what I said when I first met her, Of course not realizing how quick the reply would be "We do, Most of us have lot of interest, its just that many don't tell it out" Varsha is not one in a million stereotype but a simple girl with amazing wits and puns. As Einstein quoted once that Lucky are those few who actually think with their mind and feel with their heart, Varsha turns out to be those lucky few who just cant yet understand many of these worldly rules and regulations which one blindly follows in the name of 'That's how life is supposed to be'. Her questions make one think, her answers make one wonder in silence and her views on everything that can be read, felt and experienced is beyond imagination. Just like an Oyster which takes its sweet own time in not worrying about how the world would be looking at it from the outside while silently indulged itself in creating world's most beautiful natural pearl, here we have a 'my fair lady' who enjoys experimenting with freedom and getting rid of 'Cliche'

Varsha has this unique skill of staying aloof from events that do not make much sense to her and accepting terms of reality without being much affected by consequences. This is some thing very rare we get see these days as many in this generation are desperately trying to please and live for others. One might be mistaken to think of it as being 'lonely' but very few would understand that its the most respectable skill of being true to yourself as you get to spend so much time talking to yourself . A true admirer of day dreaming, a wicked player in handling hypocrites and a crazy lover of self respect, Varsha is a dream come true for anyone who lives with hope and self belief. Her interest to be a constant learner is what makes her explore impossibilities and take up every challenge with ease and excitement. One of the very few wanderers of 'the road less taken', she undoubtedly is the best companion when you are walking through the same path. The journey is what makes all the difference she says but not just the destination.

Rabindranath Tagore's Vision

I always believe that Ayn Rand wrote on how an Ideal man could be while Tagore on the contrary explained in his novels on how an Ideal woman could be. There were very few women who came into my mind when I was reading Tagore's Gora. Varsha is one such girl who fulfilled Tagore's dream. It is an honor to have come across someone who could actually believe and live in a life which doesn't go according to what others have planned for but be alive with a very simple emotion of 'Free will'. Self respect is not getting offended over someone's comments or defending once stance but being nonchalant when its not even required and smiling off a useless argument. Self respect is not what one can learn from others but unforgettable experiences from the past defining one's identity. Believing in what is right for yourself in spite of knowing that there are hundreds of vultures out there waiting for one to fail only to mock later 'See I told you that you would fail if you don't listen to me'. How difficult is for them to understand that fortunately there are few crazy humans still being born in this beloved nation who are not willing to give up in fear of failure but are embracing it as a stepping stone even it means spending way more time than usual.

Re-Invention of wheel

By the time one reaches mid 20's , he/she would realize that they are a part of this giant wheel which would eventually consume them whether they jump out of it or stay in it. Getting out of the wheel only means inviting lots of hardships since no one likes their comfort zone to be in Jeopardy and the only way they can prevent that is by scaring the ones getting out of their comfort and at times even creating a havoc just to make a point. And staying in the wheel only means living a life of mediocrity accepting what ever comes to oneself, waiting for the right turn, relying completely on God and finally turn into a hamster running on the wheel born only to serve. Then there is this small minority who are wise enough to conceal, brave enough to take risk and smart enough to convince others that they are not getting out of the wheel nor staying in but re-inventing their own life by creating goals for themselves and living every day trying to achieve it. Its this minority whose company Varsha enjoys the most as she is now one of those adventurers who wouldn't stop at anything.

Dil mein jaagi dhadkan

This superb song from the movie 'Sur' best explains what Varsha is to this world. She would always to be this free in thoughts, this excited when living a humble life and this wise when it comes to creating her own destiny. My admiration for her is quite similar to what Lucky ali is showing through out the song , I enjoy answering her many questions as they make me look out for a deeper meaning. Everything is this simple yet everything is amazing and it all depends on how we look at our world. Its the eyes that makes a lot of difference but not what is being seen. 

The Angel of Reality

Now comes the most interesting part, Seeing and  understanding reality is not an easy task. We usually take shelter in our own delusions projected by others and rely on the feedback of what others give about us thinking that they are best judges of what we actually are. That is where many lack in finding an identity. Varsha is truly an angel of reality because she speaks her heart out and never lets one's illusions or projections effect her opinion. This is a boon which very few continue to spread around to make this world a more beautiful place then it already is. It is for this reason I respect her with all my heart. She as an angel is always there to free minds from fear and darkness. Her journey has just begun and all milestones are just waiting for their turn to be reached by her. Even God would have been so proud of his creation of such a being who would be so strong and courageous to stand for what is right and brave enough to let go of the darker past forgiving everyone who were never to be of that importance in the first place. 

Where ever you are, what ever you do my friend, do remember that you are already an inspiration to many of us who are still learning to understand the real potential of 'Free Will'. You are one of the greatest achievements of this generation and its my honor to have known you as a fellow free thinker and believer of Humanity.

Happy birthday buddy,

Keep Smiling,

Stay Awesome.

 .

March 12 : Nagasai Sanam

"Ya I know you. You are from Cinemapicha" and that's how I met my friend's brother formally. Many a times I was told that I remind her so much of her own brother but little did I realize that's its not that we both are alike but we are very normal people which is so rare to find these days as every other man is busy impressing others and living a pretentious life trying to make a mark of his own on this world by being special or doing something extra ordinary. That's when we both hit it off with a simple smile 'Being normal is our specialty'. An introvert by choice, Nagasai has this unusual talent of shrugging off every big deal as if its nothing even though deep beneath he actually cares about every little incident happening in his life. It is not very easy to be extremely thoughtful at an early age and that's what made him even more stronger. He is one of those very few freaks who love to make an own world of theirs and give every person coming across them a choice to be a part of that world. He unlike most others doesn't believe in forcing someone to agree to his points but rather listens to everything patiently, argues if the discussion looks sensible but throws it away in silence if it turns out to be an useless argument which is not worth his time.

                                      

'I know my weaknesses.' he once told me perhaps that's one of the greatest strength any person can have in this world of robotic minds. Knowing his weaknesses very well transforms him to respect others for their short comings, trains him to accept when something cannot happen, supports him to be courageous when needed and most importantly helps him in concentrating better on his strengths. His willingness to learn, his practicality to take risks, his patience to not worry much unnecessarily and his positive attitude towards life that everything happens for a reason specially a good reason is what makes Nagasai a true saint of modern age. I hope he will realize soon on his own that all these years he was a miracle waiting to happen; to lead, to follow, to inspire and to Live a life of those very few who define 'true happiness'. Its better to live in a hard truth then pretend to be happy living a lie, this is exactly what made him aim for something he loves rather than adjust with what is acceptable to everyone around him so that he could earn that blanket of 'Respect' which would shield him from any humiliation. 

What I really like in him is that he questions a lot and every time he has a question, its backed up with a damn good reason. He loves exploring his past, dream big about his future and lives every moment as it comes to him. That's one of the strangest reason for him to get so many questions in him mind and almost everyone of them relevant to his own life. Not just for the sake of knowing more, but to really understood from all the observations he makes from everyone around him and implement the best method to stay happy. Love, life, women, money, goals, deceits, inspirations, failures, marriage, career, enmity and friendship are just some of the interesting topics he loves to question about exploring all possibilities. He always tries to conceal his sarcasm with a smile but at times for dealing with nonsensical stuff, he is a true nightmare for anyone who forgets what 'common sense' is. He never looked for inspiration outside his family thus he set himself a benchmark to be one of the many marvelous gems of his family. But somehow in such a race with time, unsually he slowly revealed himself as a responsible son and a loving brother thus 'gem' had become too low a term to honor him. His accomplishments were no longer a matter of concern as long as he had the love and care of the people he believed in.

Hum 7 7 hein

Albert Einstein quoted 'Faith connects us to God' when he was a kid. Later it had become even more popular when it was logically explained that where faith ends, maths takes its turn as Mathematics in its purest form is a search for an absolute truth. What really made our friendship this special in such a short span is our connection with numbers. Only after I met him, I found out he too has certain liking for few of the numbers, Where I had an explanation for every number and its importance, for him it was just an unconditional affection with no strong reason. We both agreed that its no way related to numerology. Some like food, some like pets, some like cars and we like numbers. Its that simple. most of his favorite people has 7 with them. whether its a player's jersey or a date on which some event happened, 7 was most special for him. 7 for me is love and I still remember how silly it looked to him when I first mentioned about number Seven. he laughed his brains out telling me that there he was driven by 7 as his favorite number which turned out to be 'Love' which he always received but never put in much effort to give it to people he cared for. It was then become a nice stress buster for both of us to deep dive into our past and find a connection with anything and anyone related to 7 so that we as forced introverts can finally take the support of mathematics to find our true selves. And yet this journey has just begun and there is a long way to go with many of the roads still waiting to be explored for the first time. I wish him all happiness in such adventures.

Shivam Shivam

I sincerely believe in Lord Shiva's quote 'Hara hara Maha dev'. Every person is a god in himself. We just need to be believe it for once and there is no turning back. The reason why I see God in everyone is because I love believe in Gods who live amongst us rather the ones who live on prayers. I am pretty sure that a dream come true for any God who wishes to be in us instead of sit idle in a lonely place listening to everyone making deals with him on what he would get in return if he had granted all their wished or what more would he can expect if he just let go of their sins and clean their souls. So yup, it was truly a surprise to see Nagasai having very close resemblance to Shiva's face which is a key chain I bought on my way to Tirumala near the giant Hanuman statue. He never believed it. He is the adisheshu as a protective brother, Parashuram as an Ideal son but on his own, for me he is Shivam. He is a friend who doesn't believe in lending a helping hand but would go a step ahead to find a solution where his friends would never need help again. He agrees openly that as long as one wishes to be true to himself, no heaven is more peaceful than spending some time talking to oneself. a day dreamer and an explorer of truth, Shivam is just an Idea for which Nagasai suits pretty well. I dedicate this song to him hoping to see him wander even more frequently in his thoughts, question more relentlessly, stay more hungry for knowledge and be the best of what he already is.

Luck is a myth my friend, you have already defined it very well by accepting every challenge coming towards you with a brave heart and an ever lasting smile.

Happy Birthday Buddy,
Stay Awesome
Keep Smiling.

Oct 26 : Sunitha Jetta

'Oh the one who doesn't stop talking? she's Sunitha' This is how I first got introduced to her. A work colleague at my new office last year, Sunitha was one of her kind when it comes to using witty words to crack a joke irrespective of time, place and situation. She always seems to have an answer for every satire and that's what made her stand out from the rest of 'Common Janta'. At first we might think of her as this childish kiddo at office but once we get to know her, we really find out that spreading smiles around is one of her many gifts she earned by default. It really did take much of an effort for an extrovert like me who was until then living a life of a forced introvert. At times I did use to find a reason to get into the group where people like Sunitha would gather around, talk some topic to make fun of but in the end punch it out either a line from a famous movie or a philosophy so lame and silly that any work stress would run away unable to bare our laughter.

A great person to have a chat with, Sunitha is not like a girl next door but a dear friend in everyone's life who was long forgotten as we grew up not wanting to be a matured person bonded by responsibilities and social liabilities. What makes her exceptionally funny is her slang in which she communicates. A typical Telangana dialect which comes so obviously natural to her that I am sure that even she would really enjoy listening to her own voice speaking especially when explaining any comical incident form her past or a prank she once played. 

The best times we all had with her was during Dussera celebrations when she took an active participation to teach us all Dandiya. It was such a lively event that we immediately had to find one more excuse to have such a great time once again. Thanks to Diwali. I will always remember these two events as being on par with my college memories as that's how they turned out to be. Whether dancing to Dandiya non stop for more than half an hour or playing Dhamsharads with the entire group in our office lobby, 'Fun at work' was redefined just because few crazy people like us were ready to go that extra mile and re-introduce everyone to their childhood. Sunitha undoubtedly was the show stealer playing her role in these events.

Chalthi ka naam Gaadi :

Usually for anyone, an office cab is just a diversion to get that extra hours of sleep, but for us its a joy ride. There were and still are times where we would find a way to not miss the cab for the kind of bond we all have made with each other. She used to say that what ever we planned in the cab never happened but some how we were able to grab a cup of ice cream at naturals on one crazy night which finally broke the jinx. When we plan together, it will surely happen as long as we all wish for it without any doubts. None of us were from the same team, None of us even bothered to know what others actually work on but we do take pride in the way people look at us in astonishment not knowing how we all still  are so connected as a team. What very few realize that we don't talk about work since we are from different teams, we don't have to pretend to be nice because that's no longer an obligation when we don't except anything in return. This is how long lasting friendships used to happen in our childhood and our choice to be childish is whats made this bond stronger.

The Good and the Bad

We keep hearing the famous lines from great philosophers and stories that good will always triumph over bad and evil will always be punished for its wrong deeds but that is slowly fading away with a simpler logic which though old was forgotten or ignored as it made more sense. It was a never good vs bad but Good and Bad. They both co-exist together and one should understood whats bad only to find out why being 'good' is a blessing and in fact most difficult habit to practice. This is something I learned from Sunitha. She seems to have excelled very well in balancing both good and bad situations around her. she taught in her own way with her words and a kind heart that there is no one really good or no one willfully bad, One acts according to the circumstances and those who wish to give excuses and pretend to be good get out flying high and those who choose to remain silent not wanting to give any unnecessary explanations take the dark shade. Very few got a chance to know how matured Sunitha is in her thoughts concealed with an ever lasting smile. True friend is a word too small for her and I just feel its an honor for all her friends to even know her as a person. 

Krishna : The Goddess of Smiles

It is no surprise that she is born in a clan who are the descendants of Lord Krishna. I love my imagination because it takes me to places of mythology where no one would even bother to look in. Once such small idea is what I wish to present here. Long ago, on the day Krishna was leaving to his kingdom leaving everyone with whom he grew up as he had then turned into a prince from a normal kid, Radha must have confronted him as to how he could he just leave the beloved ones after all these years. In his own way, Lord krishna must have tried to convince her to let him leave with no regrets and explained to her that what ever he is doing is for the great good of this world and for such events to happen, personal sacrifices had to be made. Radha in her own grief must have told krishna how difficult it was for women to live such a life for which Krishna could not agree more. Yashodha Maiyya would no longer see Krishna, Radha would no longer play with him. So Radha indirectly wished if only krishna had a choice to live a life of a woman where he could be a mother, a daughter, a sibling and a wife. Krishna, understanding Radha's intention would have granted her  this wish  mentioning that he would surely be born as a woman in Kaliyuga and spread the same joy and happiness, balance every situation to bring the best outcome, teach the world that its not a crime to be just human and mostly importantly live every moment being the best of oneself. Thus we have Krishna amongst us who once played the role of an Ideal wife : Sita of Ramayana in her school play, still remembering every line of her poem along with expressions, A great sister to her three siblings who take her for granted that she will always be there for them of course she takes no chances to ever disprove their belief, A perfect daughter to her parents and a great goddess of smiles illuminating everyone who be with her. 

No other song is as perfect as an 'Anthem' like this special to dedicate to Sunitha. Its just a prayer song one needs to remember before judging a person based on gender. A song which will be remembered for its honesty in portraying the reality which one needs to live in. 

Be there for yourself and for everyone you love my dear Friend

Happy Birthday buddy,
Stay Awesome
Keep Smiling..