From Godavri to Kosi Part III

Dear readers,
I always start writing by recalling my earlier blogs...actually remembering the dates of my last few blogs as it gives me a reference point to start my engine i.e. my brain veins which supply blood to my thought process who in turn force my nimble fingers to fight with keyboard of my old Laptop....ask any persons who hasn't learnt typing in a Typing Institute.....we literally fight with keyboard in an irregular pattern to express ourselves.
I am using a laptop bought in 2007 which is still running like a horse...amazing, isn't it !

If you are using any older version then let me know or I am taking the liberty to declare my Laptop as Senior Citizen because it has withstood the assault of my robust hand since last 80 months........Fortunately Sunny Deol hasn't used his' Dhai Kilo Ka Hath' on my laptop.

OK.....my point is proved, I just wanted to inform you about the historical importance of my tools in this writing marathon....yes writing a series on same topic is like running a marathon in parts.

Last 02 parts of this series were written in March and July 2013......and I failed to take my story forward...actually I am confused ...what to write and what not .I am not an honest writer like Mohandas Gandhi who experimented with truth. I lie sometimes to take my story forward. 

After 02 episodes in which I miserably failed to convey my story I faced Writer's block....if you allow me to call myself a writer......I have no other synonyms for this particular disease......but  I was in a shock that till date I have not become a writer so how can I suffer from Writer's block ? But, If I am unable to move my story forward....there must be some reasons for it.

I thought that may be I have lost inspiration to write anything more on this topic whereas I can write on any other topic, but the dilemma is that if I have not finished this series ....how can I move forward and write on any other topic.....this is not dignified.....once a man decides to follow a particular road , he has to reach the destination......even when I read a book, If sometimes, after 30-40 pages I realize that this is a worthless and stupid book...then also I take pains to complete it just to enhance my vocabulary and earn bragging points  that I have read so many number of books.Book reading is still  considered a good habit.

So, here I am trying to complete the story so that I can move forward and write many more interesting blogs  in near future.If you have not read my earlier blogs.....leave this page, go back and read them and then you have the right to proceed on this page. As for my avid/regular readers....buckle up....the journey is about to begin........

 I had  filled up tanks of my Swift Dzire and revved up the engine.......sound was  minimal...it is the beauty of petrol vehicle that engine sound is negligible in the cabin...sometimes I feel even while cruising on the road  that whether engine is running or my vehicle is moving through wind power .........

I commenced my journey at around 1230 hrs on 20th March 2013 from Visakhapatnam. My first destination was Berhampur as Englishmen called or Brahmpur,the original Sanskrit name. It is  a sleepy town on the fringes of Odisha situated nearly 300 Kms. north of   Vizag, nearly 15 Kms. away from Ocean.Gopalpur is the nearest beach.

This silk city is home to one of my oldest dear friend Kunal or Kuda as we call him lovingly. Kunal was living in Brahmapur since last 04 years. May be, he was located there to play the role of a perfect  host to me in my journey both ways.I say this because few months back, he has been transferred to Kolkata, another great city. It seems, he was doing a day job since last 04 years just to be my host in this journey. Thanks dost.I appreciate your affection towards me, this act of you will go down in the annals of history as the milestone among best friendships of the world.

By milestone, I remember that they play a great role in journey but sometimes Telgu or Odia milestone confused me also.

When, I started journey, 1st hour went in negotiating the maddening traffic on NH 5 in Visakhapatnam. This highway passes through heart of the city and dog race goes on this stretch as heavy-duty long trucks compete with smallest Nanos.

Why City administration has not made a Bypass Road is understandable. They  want to  give common people who are riding a  3-metre long Car an opportunity  to threaten the 30-metre long trucks by constant honking and getting ahead of them. This is the truest example of democracy at work. Beast-sized vehicles can not browbeat  their smaller brethren.

After negotiating  this mad traffic, I call it mad because even while waiting on Red Light, some people keep honking. If light becomes green, drivers sitting in 50th vehicle away from junction gets restless and honks like a mad bull. This bugger thinks that all vehicle occupants in front have a plan to settle on the middle of the road.And, this honking starts a chain reaction,though  every one knows that honking won't serve any purpose, because, if light is green every vehicle will speed away within few minutes. So, why create sound pollution ?

Nevertheless, I chose a scenic place in the vicinity of a Peepul tree on the highway and stopped my Dzire just to relax a little bit. I had travelled only 30 Kms. during last 1 hour......poor average.

I drank hot tea which was sitting idle in my thermal flask.........stretched my legs.....lowered my seat....gave flexibility to my back spine........finally opened the door.........holy GOD ! It was hot outside ...I wondered how the people are travelling in such a weather....quickly looked for a toilet or urinal...but failed in identifying such structure and hence was forced to do the abominable act of peeing in the open......I ensured that I went in the deepest side of the road  and performed it....but I was also a little bit apprehensive...what if I fell down the cliff while  peeing ?

This is a dilemma I always face that why we can not make such peeing points near Paan/Tea shops as they can  be found in all corners of the country.......during my journey I encountered  this conundrum several times........driving an air-condition vehicle while drinking buckets of fluids can have repercussions.

But there is no other alternative as you are supposed to drink water/liquids regularly to keep your bodily functions intact but then you are forced to stop every 3-4 hrs.......other option is not to drink any water and risk backache because long driving can be tiring my friend.......but as I am actually a waterman who gulps down 5-6 litres daily, 2nd option was out of question....so every time I shamelessly did the act in farthest corner...but I was always apprehensive that somebody is watching me......may be most of you must be facing this awkwardness.....

So, I got back in my car and drove.......now the roads were 4-6 lanes and as smooth as silk because I was proceeding towards silk city  Brahmapur.

I started pressing my accelerator......40-60-80-100........zoom..........zoom........my Dzire was cruising like a warrior....I paused.... .....let my  right foot remain static on accelerator.......enjoying the moment of 100 Km/hr..............just wanted to test the authenticity of automobile advertisements about flawless speed....0 to 100 in 12 seconds..\...wanted to feel any vibration........so after 10 or 15 minutes cruising on this speed ....I decided to eat a banana as speeding can be exhausting...ate banana ...felt the calories entering my system.

Now, got the strength to push the peddle.........110.....120.....paused........suddenly saw the images of few cows in the middle of road...some 500 metres away.........started releasing the peddle to decrease my speed.....100....90....80 ......used 3 mirrors of my Dzire to evaluate the traffic coming  from behind and realized that I was the king  of that stretch of highway.

So, I anticipated the forward movement of cows.......now the dilemma was whether to go from the mouth side of cows or ass side of the cows....this was the billion Rupee question......

I am using billion as the Rupee has been devalued to great extent and million Rupees won't let you buy a decent milch cow. Do not get perplexed, sooner or later the price of a milch cow, we call it Jersy in Bihar, will be nearly a billion Rupee if RBI keeps working like it is doing now.

This important decision was to be made in seconds and I decided that asses are anyway  better than mouths, so I took a sharp 30" degree turn, saved poor animals as well as my soul and continued the journey. 

But, then I thought about cows, why do they have to cross roads ....may be they also feel that grass is greener on the other side.








Coming back to my speed.....80......90....100.....120.......this was the limit I had technically decided  will be my threshold......but it was becoming difficult to continue this speed for long as our roads are full of idiots and no one gives you the way ahead voluntarily...you have to snatch the right to go ahead from the vehicle in front as giving pass to another vehicle is not considered a manly thing in our beloved country.

So, my speed came back to 80......60....40....60...80...40..... as the poor driving sense of my fellow vehicle drivers did not let me ahead and some of them keep changing their lanes without any prior notice or signal. It was literally a miracle that I completed next 270 Kms. in nearly 4 hrs. In between, I crossed some Ghat roads, but these stretches are fun to drive on.....up and down hills are great motivators...they invite you to ride the hills......go over trees,........get soaked in refreshing waters of waterfalls and rivulets.

I reached Brahmapur by 1730 hrs. , bought a gift for Kunal and reached his home. I was tired like a dog who runs after goats just to herd them together every evening after a grazing session. I devoured delicious food offered to me by my gracious host and crashed on the bed even without drinking water. I had no energy left to  drink water. Nearly 06 hrs. sitting vertically had killed my fun spirits and I slept like log in my Levis Jeans.

Now, I wish to break my promise because the story has just begun so it can not be completed in this session.
If, I write a really long blog....you will get tired....so episodic narration like " Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi " is the best. If we have tolerated nearly 1830 episodes of this headache-inducing serial for 08 long years then I can certainly run few more episodes of this story.

But, I promise that Part IV won't  take as much time as III had taken because I am able to write again.So, Insha Allah(God willing), I will write regularly based upon the  feedback I receive......though I write just to feel good for myself but a little appreciation is always welcome. 

Today is Sunday,  and fresh fish cooked deeply in mustard oil is waiting for me on the dining table.Andhra Pradesh is 2nd largest producer of fish in India, so I need to eat my annual  share  of 9 Kg. fish which is the per capita availability in our country. Nearly half of our population which means 60 crore people eat fish on weekly basis. I am one among them and pity other 60 crore people who do not eat fish.Poor chaps, they can not do fishy things in life.......

That's it for today........bye for now..see you next time in my next blog......