Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Anxious to vist Bhadrachalam!


Photo @ the time of Bhadrachalam-bridge inauguration by the President of India Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan:  My father Sri. N. Bhaskarachary is greeting the Presidnet with Namaste, as he is being introduced. Others in the photo are Sri. K. Brahmananda Reddy, Chief Minister of AP State, Sri. J.V. Narsing Rao, Dy. Chief Minister & Minister Sri. G. Venkataswamy.
Early next month, 90 members from our family circle including me will be leaving Secunderabad for Burgampahad and Bhadrachalam to attend one of my nephews wedding ceremony. The bride is from Burgampahad and hence the marriage is taking place there. Many of you would know Bhadrachalam because of Sree Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Temple, Lord Rama’s fervent devotee Bhakta Ramadasu and two very grand annual celebrations there, Vykunta Ekadasi and Sree Rama Navami Brahmotsavams. We would be travelling by two buses, a distance of 330 Kms., to Bhadrachalam, passing through Kothagudem which is at 290 Kms., and Burgampahad at 324 Kms. Burgampahad is on the right bank of river Godavari and 6 Kms.  away, is Bhadrachalam on the left bank. There is a long bridge over the river connecting these towns. Our trip is of two days and all members are looking forward to this event as a combination of happy wedding celebrations and pilgrimage to Bhadrachalam.
For me, my brother and my sister this trip is nostalgic and of great interest. This is a re-union with familiar places, familiar people   and familiar language. We were associated with the nearby town of Kothagudem for over 27 years. The railway station at Kothagudem is called ‘Bhadrachalam Road Railway Station’ because this is the last railway station en-route to Bhadrachalam town. One has to alight here and proceed to the pilgrim town by road. My father worked for the H.E.H. The Nizams Railway and the Govt. of India, Central Railway, for 16 years and then joined ‘The Singareni Collieries Company Limited’ at Kothagudem as Chief Industrial Relations and Personnel Officer. I was born at Secunderabad soon after my parents shifted to Kothagudem. So I was named Raghu, after one of the names of Lord Rama - the presiding deity at nearby Bhadrachalam, which is Raghu Rama. Raghu is great-grandfather of Rama and a great emperor, conqueror, and a righteous person, so popular was he that though Rama belongs to the Ikshvaku dynasty, he is said to belong to the Raghuvamsha (dynasty) and hence Raghu Rama. My sister was born few years later at Kothagudem. Brother and I had primary school education at Kothagudem and my sister, her entire education up to graduation there. While pursuing our middle, high school education at Secunderabad and professional courses at Manipal in Karnataka, brother and I used to come home during vacations and visit Bhadrachalam at least twice or thrice every year. Before the construction of the bridge over Godavari at Bhadrachalam we used to go to Burgampahad by road and from there to Bhadrachalam by Steamer - a sixty seater motorized ferry, when the water levels are high. If the water levels were low, we used to go from Burgampahad to some sandy surface point in the middle of the wide river in a row boat and from there to Bhadrachalam by Steamer over deeper waters. 
These places fall in Khammam district, the most beautiful land in Telangana area. The land is very fertile here with greenery everywhere. Part of Dhandakaranya – a large forest area is in this district. There are beautiful lakes like Kinnerasani, Wyra and Palair. Mighty rivers Godavari and Shabari flow here. Beautiful Eastern Ghats dot the landscape and are more prominent at Papikondalu with Godavari flowing amidst the hills. Thousands of tourists visit Papikondalu, Bhadrachalam and Parnashala.  Industries are plenty, about 1/3rd of the States coal mining production and power generation is from here.
Having said so much of this place it would not be proper if I do not write of some unpleasant conditions here, so I would just mention two. Summers are very severe here, the saying goes that along Godavari one doesn’t require fuel to cook food, the sand on river banks is so hot that it is enough to cook anything. You would see well- built, handsome, armed policemen everywhere. This is to counter the Naxalite movement which started here decades ago, thrived and has now spread into the neighboring States of Orissa and Chhattisgarh.  
Several years ago we all shifted back to Secunderabad, the native place of my parents, the native place of my paternal and maternal grandfathers and the native place of my father’s maternal grandfather. But our attachment and love for Kothagudem and its surrounding places never diminished and we continue to visit these places, friends and acquaintances, though fewer times and at longer intervals. We are once again emotionally charged up and are eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming trip.
P.S. You may click on the following link to reach several of my photo-articles / blog posts on Kothagudem, Singareni Collieries, Bhadrachalam, Godavari River, Parnashala, Kinnerasani and Papikondalu:

1 comment:

  1. hi it was nice to see your blog... u have done a very professional job. i have learnt a lot about your childhood days after reading your article. hope to see lot more activity in your blog.....

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