1 January (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. My Welcome to this Happy New Year, Century and Millennium! This New Year welcomed me in the University of Hyderabad. I did nothing in particular to enjoy this unique occasion in the history. Today I offered a few homemade sweets to our Reader P Sailaja. She readily accepted them. I felt happy at it. Today it was cool and cloudy. I don’t hope for anything in this New Year except to welcome anything given by God. May this diary witness happy journey in the direction of God. Went to sleep by 9:00.
2 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Reader Afeefa Banu took our class (of second semester M.A. English) of six students and dealt with “The Structure of Modern English-Part II”. She did not get deep into the subject, as there were no enough students (yet to return from their voluntarily prolonged winter vacation) in the classroom. I have been receiving my (three-year) subscription copies of India Today from its ‘11 December 2000’ issue onwards. From 5:30 to 9:00 involved myself in writing a long letter to my sister-in-law Sowjanya. Presently I am facing food problem in the campus because our hostel mess is not yet started. Went to bed by 9:30.
3 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. We have a class today but I did not attend it. Went to State Bank of India and withdrew 500 rupees. We prepared supper for us by 5:00 in our hostel room. My friend Srinivasa Rao and I started to Serilingampally by 6:30. Reached there by 7:00. Got down from the bus and went on looking for a color photo laboratory. We found MNR Color Lab by main road. I gave the negative of my passport size color photo for a few prints. Thereafter we had ice creams at a nearby parlor. Came back to hostel by 9:00. Night I filled in the application form for my passport with the help of my friend Srinivasa Rao. He already got his passport. Went to sleep by 12:00.
4 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu took our first class. She discussed the need of language in human lives for some time. Then she assigned us a classroom exercise on language relativity. Thereafter she narrated a small story wherein a frustrated young man goes in search of God to solve his problems. She told us to write an effective story based on her narration with appreciable description, style and grammar. Hoshang Merchant took the following class. He discussed William Blake’s poem. Evening wrote a letter to Telugu daily Eenadu in Hyderabad. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 January (Friday)
Got up by 6:00. Today we don’t have classes in the morning. Attended afternoon class from 2:20 to 4:00 taken by Sudhakar Marathe, the present Head of the Department of English. He said that literature should not be studied as a course of exact divisions of time boundaries. By 4:30 Janardhan, one of my friends from our hostel, and I started to Secunderabad railway station to leave for Kurnool to see my friend Ramu Naidu studying at Silver Jubilee Government Degree College there. We reached there by 12:00.
6 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00 in the Room No. 57 of Royal Block of the Student Hostel of the Silver Jubilee Degree College in Kurnool where my friend Ramu Naidu is presently pursuing his final year B.Sc. course. Here the food quality is not good. Students are suffering a bit due to it but they are very busy with their studies with some goals to be achieved. My friend and I saw the Telugu film “Subha Vela” in cinema Mini Raghunath in the matinee show. It is one of the worst films I have seen. Night we strolled through Kurnool town for two hours and had Chicken Pakodi (this place is famous for these snacks of the common). Took Bangalore Express by 2:30 (late night) at Kurnool Town railway station.
7 January (Sunday)
Got off Bangalore-Secunderabad Express at Secunderabad railway station by 5:30. Took a private bus and reached Serilingampally by 7:30. Thence took an auto rickshaw and reached the HCU (Hyderabad Central University) campus by 8:00. Freshened up myself, had my breakfast and went to bed for rest. Last night I had a troublesome journey in the train. For lack of money, did ticketless journeys in both the directions. Spent most of the time listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. Went to sleep by 9:30.
8 January (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Professor Narayana Chandran discussed the roots of “American Literature and Thought”. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant once again explored the deeper senses of the poem “The sick rose” of William Blake. Came back to hostel by 1:00. Had my lunch and took a nap. Spent most of the rest of my time listening to Telugu cine songs on a borrowed tape recorder. Went to bed by 9:30.
9 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today we have a class by Afeefa Banu in the morning. We attended it by 9:20. She did not come to the department. We did not know the reason for it. We students went out and spent talking at the Humanities canteen. By 2:20 we attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe. He discussed the conditions of Great Britain in the 18th century, which formed the base for its contemporary culture and the related literature. Spent rest of the day in an ordinary way. Went to bed by 10:30.
10 January (Wednesday)
Got up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran discussed the roots of American literature. Toward the end of this class, he discussed the deep senses of Puritanism. Puritans were the men with a strong sense of reverence and dedication toward the austerity and holiness of religious beliefs and their practice in personal lives. They advocated the necessity of religious devotion of an individual towards Jesus Christ rather than to the pompous Church. Evening spent in the central library checking if the girl from Chennai (to whom I sent a matrimonial response previously) had sent me an email (one of my classmates created an email account for me. They check it for me if I ever think that somebody would have sent an email to me). There was no reply from her. I felt disappointed at it. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Morning Afeefa Banu did not come to the department. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “The Tyger” of William Blake. By 2:00 left for the Golconda Fort (a tourist spot in Hyderabad) along with my roommate Samanta Sahu, my classmate Vijaya Krishna and his friend from Vijayawada. We spent in this fort for more than two hours. I was deeply touched to see a few relics of our history in the fort wherein great art is still alive. Went to sleep by 10:00.
12 January (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent casually till 2:00. Attended the classes by 2:20. Sudhakar Marathe taught us about the prevailing conditions between Ireland and England during the 18th century, which created unrest and insecurity in Ireland. Toward the end of this class, he explained us the necessary conditions required for the prosperity of a nation. It was his introduction to “A modest proposal” of Jonathan Swift. We enjoyed his class a lot. My salutes to his exemplary and mesmerizing teaching style. Went to sleep by 9:30.
13 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it is Boghi on which bonfire is to be lit. A few students of our hostel lit the customary fire of this festival. I enjoyed watching it from our hostel room. I could not observe it as a special day. Spent the day sleeping on my iron cot and listening to Telugu cine songs on a borrowed tape recorder. I left my ears to the melodious tunes and voice on the tape. Millions of poor Indians cannot celebrate these festivals. One can find this truth across the nation. May God bless them. Went to sleep by 9:30.
14 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today it is Sankranti. It is the festival of farmers. They celebrate it happily after the harvest. From 11:00 to 11:15 spent talking with Rajeswari, the friend of my roommate Samanta Sahu, at Gopal Shop. By 4:30 three of us started to Shilparamam at Madhapur. We spent there from 6:00 to 8:30. We watched the Kuchipudi Dance Recital performed by the disciples of Jonnalagadda Anuradha, a professor in our university. Went to sleep by 10:30.
15 January (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. K Narayana Chandran took his class and discussed Puritanism to a further extent. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant discussed a Romantic poem. Today I received five audio compact discs filled with classical music composed by the North Indian maestros (as a gift from the English weekly India Today for my three-year subscription to it). I like this music a lot. I felt unhappy for not having a CD player. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 January (Tuesday)
Got up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the structure of sentences and the related topics on basic language skills. Today our Reader P Sailaja thanked me for the homemade sweets I offered her on this New Year Day. She told me that she liked those sweets. She is an asset of the Department of English in the University of Hyderabad. Spent rest of the day in an ordinary way. Today I emailed acknowledgement message to the staff of the English weekly India Today. Went to sleep by 11:00.
17 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Narayana Chandran discussed the deep senses of Puritanism and “The sinners in the hands of an angry God” of Jonathan Edwards. Afternoon attended a lecture by S Anand (an alumnus of our Department of English), presently a Sub Editor with the English daily The Hindu, at its Chennai office, in Humanities Hall. This program took place between 2:00 and 5:30. The topics of this formal discussion are “Brahmanical Colonialism and their Mediocrity” and “The Myth of Hindu Majority” (Hoshang Merchant did not like his former student talking about these issues. Anand belongs to Brahmin community. He married a girl of another community (love marriage, separating himself from his parents forever because they strongly objected his philosophy of life and marriage). Hoshang Merchant disliked a Brahmin talking against Brahmins because he married a non-Brahmin girl. I heard him talking this with somebody privately after the discussion). It was a great talk. His command of English language is admirable. Went to sleep by 11:00.
18 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed the paradigmatic and syntactic structures of sentences. She teaches very well. I can understand it easily. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Dejection–Ode”, a long Romantic poem. He said that his former student S Anand is a very intelligent student. Now he is working for the cause of dalits. He gave up his Brahmanical identity in this process. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 January (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Went to English department by 9:20. Spent talking with my classmates for some time because we don’t have our first class today. Afeefa Banu took her class by 11:20. Today she discussed some story writing techniques. She regretted saying that storytelling is gradually losing its place in developing relationships in families. I presented my story writing techniques in the classroom assignment. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe shared his views about “A modest proposal” of Jonathan Swift. We enjoyed his class a lot. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today we don’t have classes. Spent much of my daytime listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder in our hostel room. Evening it was a different time altogether to be enjoyed. Night “Musical Night” was organized to celebrate the bliss of new “Student Union”. This electrifying program went on from 10:30 to 4:30. About 60% of the students on the campus gathered for this occasion at the open dais opposite Gopal Shop. Overly excited attendees danced crazily in tune to the melodious songs sung by the orchestra at high volume. Happiness spread all around. I squeezed a little of it being a silent and active observer of the celebration.
21 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 7:30. Spent sleeplessly last night and so it affected me today. Spent most of my time lying on my iron cot and listening to Telugu cine songs on the tape recorder of my friend. I am a slave to sleep. Dreams decorate that state of my mind. I am grateful to Lord Krishna for it. Went to sleep by 10:00.
22 January (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Narayana Chandran discussed “The sinners in the hands of an angry God” of Jonathan Edwards in a clear way. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “Kubla Khan” of Coleridge. Afternoon went to the University Nursery (where our seniors conducted a get-together with us) in search of natural beauty along with three of my friends. Evening knew that I did not pass the entrance test recently conducted by the staff of the Telugu daily Eenadu. Night wrote a long letter to my uncle Varma in Gollalagunta. Went to sleep by 12:30.
23 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the characteristics of verbs in a clear way. After this class, went to State Bank of India and withdrew 1000 rupees. Paid my second semester and hostel room fees and submitted those forms at the sections concerned in the Administrative Block. This afternoon we have the class of Professor Sudhakar Marathe but he sent a word that he is unwell today and so can’t take his class. Evening spent some time in the central library. Went to bed by 10:00.
24 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Morning read a book on American literature for some time. Attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran talked about “The declaration of independence in Congress” on 4 July, 1776, in America. Came back to hostel by 1:00. After my lunch, collected an application form from the Center for Distance Education in the University of Hyderabad. I want to apply for “Postgraduate Diploma of Translation Studies in English (PGDTSE)” because I am interested in the pursuit of translation from English to Telugu. Today I heard that Professor Palle Rama Rao, the present Vice Chancellor of our university, is going to be honored with the Padma Bhushan (a prestigious civilian award of the Government of India) award for his commendable contribution in the field of physics. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 January (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the characteristics of categories (parts of speech). Afternoon went to Administrative Block to get the photocopies of my 10th and Intermediate certificates. Before that I completed formalities for it. Because of the kind and generous understanding and behavior of the concerning office staff, I could get my work done quickly (everybody in the campus knows how punctual and fast are these lazy rogues in coming to their seats of work and carrying out their supposed duties of the job. I hate the staff of this section in the university). So, I could submit my application form for the PGDTSE course along with the required documents by 4:00. Went to sleep by 11:00.
26 January (Friday)
Got up by 6:30. Today it is the 52nd Republic Day of India. We celebrated it even at our Men’s Hostel “A”. It was over by 8:30. Then we went to Professor Gurbaksh Singh Maidan, where Professor Palle Rama Rao, the present Vice Chancellor of our university, presided over the celebrations of Republic Day. I got a color photo of mine taken (by a photographer at the venue) at this spot to make it a memorable day. Spent rest of the day casually. Went to sleep by 10:30.
27 January (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today we don’t have classes. Went to State Bank of India by 10:45 and withdrew 1000 rupees. Then went to English department and gave the necessary details of my candidature in a prescribed form to facilitate the issuance of my recently sanctioned merit-cum-means scholarship by the university. I will receive 2,477 rupees toward this scholarship. Spent rest of the day casually. Evening my brother Srinivas telephoned me from Adduroad. They will come here in a few days. Went to sleep by 11:30.
28 January (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. It was cool. Morning went to Nampally railway station to reserve second-class tickets for my brother Srinivas, sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and aunt Lakshmi. They come here soon to see me and go back by train. I finished that work by 9:30. I got the tickets reserved for them to Visakha Express for the 3rd of coming month. My classmate Vijaya Krishna accompanied me to railway station. Thence we went to State Museum. There we watched the “Annual Horticulture Show” organized by the government of Andhra Pradesh. We also watched the “Rythu Bazar” over there. Returned to campus by 1:00. Spent rest of the day casually. Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 January (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Narayana Chandran discussed “The declaration of independence in the Congress” on 4 July, 1776, of Thomas Jefferson. He talked about the importance of this declaration in the history of America and the world. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed “She Dwelt in the Untrodden Ways” of William Wordsworth. Afternoon and evening spent much of my time in the central library. Came back to hostel by 9:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
30 January (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today Afeefa Banu conducted an internal assessment test to us. I did well in it. After this class, went to the Gulmohar Park area (which lies on the way to Serilingampally from our university), and gave my music CDs (the ones I recently got from the India Today in New Delhi as gift) at an audio shop for their recording into audiocassettes (which can be played on tape recorder). From 2:20 to 4:30 Sudhakar Marathe discussed a poem of Jonathan Swift in his scheduled class for us. Evening went to the audio shop at Gulmohar Park and collected my recorded audiocassettes. Night listened to them on a tape recorder and felt rejuvenated. Went to sleep by 11:30.
31 January (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Today Narayana Chandran conducted an internal assessment test to us for 20 marks in objective type. He gives minus marks for wrong answers and unattempted questions. So, if a student gets 10+ marks, it means that he got zero marks. In this sense, he seems to be an enigma to us and taking his test is an ordeal for us. Afternoon prepared a formal report for the Government of Madhya Pradesh, giving my ideas for its overall development (in response to its recent ad in the India Today, inviting constructive ideas from the citizens of India for its multidimensional development). Went to sleep by 9:30.
1 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed verbs in her class. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant conducted an internal assessment (open book test) test for 10 marks on the poem “Sick Rose” of William Blake. From 2:00 to 4:30 did a little English to Telugu translation work for a hostel mate. From 4:30 to 6:00 saw that the five pages of my letter to the Government of Madhya Pradesh was typed up and stored in a floppy on the personal computer of Gupta (our hostel mate and a familiar one to me). Evening went to Serilingampally to attend a small work. Went to sleep by 10:00.
2 February (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Afeefa Banu discussed ‘Immediate Constituents’ in her class. This topic generated a lot of confusion in students from the beginning. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed a few poems in his scheduled class for us. By 4:30 left for Serilingampally to get my letter to the Government of Madhya Pradesh printed at a computer center on laser printer. Came back to hostel by 6:15. By 9:30 my brother Srinivas, sister-in-law Sandhya Rani, my brother’s mother-in-law Lakshmi, my nephews Sujan and Suhas came. They visited the temple of Lord Shiva in Srisailam (a famous Hindu shrine in Andhra Pradesh) and en route back to home they came here to see me. Night they stayed in Lake View Guesthouse in our university campus paying tariff (for which I completed mandatory procedures recently). Went to sleep by 11:30.
3 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready soon and went to Lake View Guesthouse by 9:00. On the way posted my letter to the Government of Madhya Pradesh at the nearby post office. My brother, sister-in-law and I went to Shopping Complex to attend a small patch work of his shoes. By 11:50 I took them to show our English department. By 12:40 they saw Central Library and Science Complex. On the way back, we had our lunch by 1:30 in Student Center Canteen. We came out from Lake View Guesthouse by 3:00. We waited for the city bus for a few minutes but it did not turn up. Walked fast along the university road and reached main road. Reached Secunderabad railway station by 5:00 in a hurry. They would take Visakha Express for their destination. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 February (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel lying on cot. Yesterday evening my brother Srinivas, my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani, my aunt Lakshmi, my nephews Sujan and Suhas left for Molleru Mallavaram by Visakha Express. The memories of their stay in the campus haunted me today. Sujan and Suhas are little boys. I could not buy anything for them. I regretted it. Solitude is a curse to youth. Life is a blend of the fragrance of flowers and the tears of a depressive heart. Moods change time to time. One has to bear one’s life till one’s death experiencing the joys and pains of one’s life with a balanced psyche. Went to sleep by 12:00.
5 February (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed ‘Immediate Constituents’ in her class. In the following class, Narayana Chandran discussed some poems of Emily Dickinson. Afternoon spent casually. The name of my Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:20.
6 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Hoshang Merchant took his class. Rested in our hostel room until lunchtime. Afternoon attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe. By 4:30 went to Indira Gandhi Memorial Library. Scanned some books for some time. From 5:30 to 7:30 played with email. Sent an email to Ankita, a girl in Mumbai. Night participated in the portrait campaign of M.F.A. students at the Open Dais. Went to sleep by 9:00.
7 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 7:00 my classmate Viswa Prasad (from Visakhapatnam) and I left for Narayana Guda. We went there to buy old bicycles for both of us at a public auction in the police station. The bicycles put up for auction were in a poor and ugly condition. We did not like to buy them. Thence we moved to Secunderabad and bought two passport application forms. Came back to hostel by 3:30. The M.F.A. students organized a Portrait Campaign at the Open Dais near Gopal Shop for the Gujarat Earthquake Relief Fund. I too participated in it helping them a little in their noble initiative for the cause of victims. Went to sleep by 11:30.
8 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Hoshang Merchant discussed a sonnet of William Wordsworth. In the second class, Afeefa Banu discussed “Immediate Constituents”. Afternoon a small meeting was conducted among our classmates in our classroom to chalk out the plan of “Farewell Function to our Seniors”, which is to take place in a few days. This discussion went on for one hour. From 7:30 to 11:00, the M.F.A. students Veeranjaneyulu and Ramesh organized a ‘Live Portrait Campaign’ at the Open Dais near Gopal Shop. Helped them a bit participating in it. Went to bed by 12:30.
9 February (Friday)
On 26 January, 2001, that special morning, when India was celebrating her 51st Republic Day, with patriotism and thrill, a devastating natural calamity broke out in the heart of Gujarat, an integral part of liberal India, in the form of a severe earthquake, taking away the lives of thousands, leaving behind many with injured bodies and traumatized psyches, showing their distressed, disfigured and shocked faces to the happy world, retaliating against the sins they might have committed knowingly or unknowingly on this earth, or mocking at the destiny of India, something, the spiritual or rational causes of which can’t be ascertained or justified easily even by experts but whose striking results can be easily understood and seen even by ordinary human beings.
10 February (Saturday)
Scientists said that the regions in the state of Gujarat, where this severe earthquake broke out, are “earthquake-prone regions”. I appreciate the great scientific advancement of the world but the problem is that human wisdom cannot prevent natural calamities. For spiritualists, it is the wrath of God that created this huge disorder of loss of life on soil. For rationalists, it is some internal changes of the crust that burst out in a powerful way. Their arguments and viewpoints differ but the victims are destined to suffer.
11 February (Sunday)
Every creature in this world has a right to enjoy the assets of the nature blest by God but the modern man became a villain in this regard. He began to think that the entire universe is his. He became a criminal and started torturing and killing other helpless creatures in this world. Consequently violence increased. I believe God punishes criminals and sinners sometime. The recent earthquake in Gujarat seems to be a sign of the wrath of God.
12 February (Monday)
The world and India have generously extended their great helping hands toward the suffering inhabitants of their universal family but I think that human help cannot restore their lost state of heaven. They are presently bereft of passionate attachments and affectionate relationships with their dearest and nearest ones who lived with them until a few days ago. There is no medicine to cure the inevitable pain in their broken hearts. Only a blind belief in invisible God and hopeful wait for help from the visible humans around them can console them to some extent. May God bless them with relief and peace.
13 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed adjectives based on modern grammar in her class. Sudhakar Marathe explored the in-depth dimensions of the novel Moll Flanders of Daniel Defoe in his class from 2:20. This novel portrays the hypocritical and deceptive characteristics of the 18th century English society who made a good woman a bad woman whereby she appears as an ill-fated woman to the external observers. The protagonist realizes that she did something wrong in her life but she did it out of her helplessness created around her by the unreliable society but not because she is immoral or perverted as a person. Went to sleep by 9:30.
14 February (Wednesday)
Got up by 7:00. Today we have the class of Narayana Chandran but he told that he can’t take his class today. I utilized this time for some important things. Today I sent my filled in application form to the passport office in Visakhapatnam enclosing the necessary documents. Today I sent 150 rupees toward one-year subscription to “India Today Book Club”. I wrote for an application form to the “Institute of Rail transport” in New Delhi to do a good distance education course from it. Afternoon wrote a letter to my maternal grandfather Subba Raju. He is presently staying at our house in Peda Gummuluru. Evening enjoyed the music at the open dais where some students simply celebrated the Valentine’s Day. Went to sleep by 11:00.
15 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 7:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed some features of derivative semantics. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “Tintern Abbey” of William Wordsworth. Recently my health got affected once again. I follow good timing in eating food every day. Even then my digestive system failed to function effectively. I hate those things, which go against natural order. May God take care of my health. Went to sleep by 9:30.
16 February (Friday)
Woke up by 7:00. Morning went to our Health Center to consult a doctor about my disturbed digestive system. Met Dr Rajasri. She prescribed a few tablets and “Aristozyme” tonic for me. Afternoon attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe. He discussed the play “The way of the world” of William Congreve. He talked about some of his poems also. Evening went to Serilingampally to get my negative printed into passport and stamp size photos. Came back to hostel by 7:30. Went to sleep by 9:00.
17 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Most of the day stayed within the hostel and read “The way of the world” of William Congreve. He portrayed the ostentatious characters of some social beings in this play. However, I felt confused to find the essence of this play specifically. By 6:00 left for the spiritual complex at BHEL near Serilingampally where the temples of Hindu deities are constructed holistically for devotees. I went there along with my classmate Vijaya Krishna. He is presently wearing black clothes (recently our classmate Reshma Choudhary politely declined his proposal of love to her) observing the 40-day course of worship of Lord Ayyappa. We came back to hostel by 9:30. Went to sleep by 10:30.
18 February (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent much of my time within my hostel room reading the novel Moll Flanders of Daniel Defoe. The name of Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 10:30.
19 February (Monday)
Woke up by 7:00. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Narayana Chandran discussed the poem “There is certain slant of light” of Emily Dickinson. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant conducted an internal assessment test on “Dejection-Ode” of William Wordsworth. Spent rest of the day reading the novel Moll Flanders of Daniel Defoe. Went to sleep by 10:30.
20 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:45. Morning we have the class of Afeefa Banu but she went away for attending a conference. Sudhakar Marathe took her class. He discussed the importance of marriage in human life and inhibitions in partners of love in expressing their heart to their sweethearts in the initial stages of the affair. He made us play an interesting game (not related to marriage or love) in the classroom among ourselves. In his scheduled class for us in the afternoon, he discussed the issue of marriage in a social context. An exciting discussion went on. Went to sleep by 10:00.
21 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today it is “Maha Shiva Raathri”, an important Hindu festival centered on the worship of Lord Shiva. Evening attended a grand celebration, marking this festival, at Shilparamam in Madhapur, very near to our university. It went on from 7:00 to 1:00. This celebration included the participation of the famous Telugu literary figures Malladi Chandra Sekhara Sastry, Eluripati Anantha Ramaiah, Garikapati Narasimha Rao, Viswanadha Pavani Sastry, Akkiraju Sundara Ramakrishna and Jonnaviththula Ramalingeswara Rao. Various classical dances connected to Saivism (the cult of Lord Shiva) like “Perini”, “Siva Hela” and “Aanandha Thaandavam” were presented. Bharatha Naatyam and Kuchipudi were also there. Came back to hostel by 1:45. Went to sleep by 2:00.
22 February (Thursday)
Woke up by 7:30. Today we don’t have our first class. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “An ode to immortality…” of William Wordsworth. Came back to hostel by 12:30. By 2:30 went to our Administrative Block to book Professor Gurbaksh Singh Hall for the celebration of our “Farewell Party to the Seniors”. Evening wrote one letter to my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and two letters to the daily morning Telugu telecast “Cine Ranjani” of Eenadu television channel. Night a clash took place among a few students. Went to sleep by 12:30.
23 February (Friday)
Woke up by 7:00. Morning spent much of my time lying on my iron cot. Afternoon attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe. He discussed the play “The way of the world” of William Congreve. My thought follows, “I believe in the general saying that every man has an element of brutality in him. Man evolved from beast. A beast behaves brutally because it is its nature but it looks absurd and intolerable to imagine or observe a man thinking or behaving more brutally than a beast does in these civilized and refined days of human existence also”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 February (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I spent much of my time within the hostel room. My thought follows, “It is believed that only very lucky and holy people can live in the times of the existence of gods and goddesses in this world. Even others, who believe that a supernatural power is guiding the evolution of universe, would be in the right and happy path of life, because righteousness and sublimity are their qualities. A society needs such people to be peaceful”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
25 February (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. Today our room was cleaned and whitewashed by the workers set by the university. They get it done once for every two years. Our room wore a beautiful look after this decorative work. The name of Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 February (Monday)
Woke up by 7:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Narayana Chandran explained us what kind of seminar presentations he is expecting from us. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed a poem of William Wordsworth. By 2:45 collected my original certificates (the ones I previously submitted to them for formal verification) from the student section in the Administrative Block. Evening filled in the application form for a two-year diploma course in port development and management being offered by the Institute of Rail Transport in New Delhi. Went to sleep by 11:00.
27 February (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:45. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed “Transformation of sentences”. After this class, went to State Bank of India and withdrew 6,200 rupees from my savings account. After this withdrawal, the total amount of money, that is 25,000 rupees, given to me by my brother Srinivas, for my first year M.A. English course, dropped to a low level of balance. Bought the demand drafts and sent them to the Institute of Rail Transport in New Delhi for two-year diploma course in port development and management in distance education mode. Went to sleep by 11:30.
28 February (Wednesday)
Woke up by 7:00. Got ready and attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran discussed a few poems of Emily Dickinson on death. Her thoughts are metaphysical and transcendental. Her verse is uniquely punctuated. Her notions are abstract. Her expression of thoughts has a distinct style of its own. A profound thinker and a patient visionary can somewhat understand her views. Afternoon did the work of collection of meanings to some difficult words in English from an English dictionary. Night special dinner was served in our hostel mess (because it is the last working day of the mess secretaries of this month. Some do it for their satisfaction and some don’t). Went to sleep by 11:00.
1 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu talked about the art of constructing texts that interest readers. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed a sonnet of William Wordsworth. Evening went to the Hindu temple complex at BHEL (the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited of the Government of India), to attend the weekly Bhajan program, at the temple of Puttaparti Sai Baba, along with my friend Srinivasa Rao, a devotee of this Baba, on bicycle (one bicycle for him and one for me which we borrowed from our friends). I don’t believe in this Baba (because he is mostly involved in the material engagements of human life, which is not right for a man to be treated and worshipped as ‘God’. ‘God’ is a big word. We should not attribute divinity (quality of deity) to ordinary people if they perform miracles. They are spiritual guides to common people, not gods. He is not superior or equal to the trinity of Hinduism (Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva) as his devotees believe. Singing devotional songs in praise of a man does not make him God. He is a ‘temporary contributor’ to the ‘cosmic and eternal mainstream Hinduism’, which can’t be understood by followers of seasonal gods) but I like the good atmosphere at these places of worship. Went to sleep by 10:00.
2 March (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Morning read “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” of William Wordsworth in which he professed his subjective notions about the art of poetry. Afternoon attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe. He clarified us how we must present our “Seminars” in a few days in his classes. Evening left for Kothi along with my classmate Viswa Prasad. He had a little work at the General Post Office (GPO) in Abids. Went to sleep by 9:30.
3 March (Saturday)
Got up by 6:30. We don’t have classes today. Morning went to English department to discuss with our Professor Sudhakar Marathe on how to work on our scheduled piece of literature (he assigned this theme for ‘seminar presentation’ to both of us), “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” of William Wordsworth. My classmate Vijaya Krishna and I spent with him for more than two hours talking about this matter. His vision towards the complete life of a person and his association with and love for English literature could be understood in our brief interaction with him in his room. Afternoon underwent routine medical tests in our Health Center. Went to sleep by 10:30.
4 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent all the day within the hostel. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 10:30.
5 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “Ode to Nightingale” of John Keats, a young dreamer with poetic excellence. Afternoon got some color photos taken (in the campus) by my roommate Degala Ravi Kumar (of M.A. Anthropology, basically from Tadepalli Gudem in West Godavari district). Evening went to Serilingampally and attended the work of getting our negatives of photos printed at a color lab. Came back to hostel by 8:30. Today I received the medical test results of blood, urine and X-ray from our Health Center. My body is healthy in all respects. Went to sleep by 11:00.
6 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent much of my time within the hostel. Today I was shot a few color photos in the campus with the camera of my friend Srinivasa Rao. Evening went to Serilingampally for the development and print of those negatives. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala Hare Gopala. Went to sleep by 10:30.
7 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 4:30. Spent much of my time within the hostel doing a little written work. Today it was very cloudy and attractive. I am not feeling well. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 10:30.
8 March (Thursday)
Got up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed the working of style and rhythm in poetry. I could not understand this topic well. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “Ode to Nightingale” of John Keats. Afternoon received the free book The Company of Women of Khushwant Singh from “India Today Book Club” because I subscribed to it for one year (I chose this book from three options while sending my filled in subscription form to them. Women are the most beautiful assets of this world. I find them interesting, inspiring, mesmerizing and admirable). I am very happy about this book club and the books they publish and sell. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 March (Friday)
Got up by 6:00. Today there was a seminar on “Editing Anthology of Poetry” by a British woman scholar. This event took place in the Humanities Seminar Hall from 9:30 to 12:00. She is currently working as Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick in England. She is well-versed in teaching, editing and translation. She has been teaching for more than 20 years now. She presented a very interesting seminar. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe took his class and clarified the doubts of some students regarding their forthcoming seminar presentations. Went to sleep by 10:30.
10 March (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Even today “Holi”, the festival of colors, was observed by some students in our campus. I did not participate in this crazy celebration of throwing colors on others. My roommate Ravi Kumar and I left for the city on his Hero Honda bike by 11:30. We reached the house of his brother-in-law by 12:30. His sister treated us well. She offered snacks to me. On our return journey, by 4:30, I took an application form from the Ramakrishna Math at Domal Guda to apply for merit-cum-economically-poor student scholarship for me. Went to bed by 10:00.
11 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. Spent reading and resting. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to bed by 9:00 but could sleep by 11:00.
12 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today our university was forced to observe a holiday in observance of condolence for the death of a research scholar, in a road accident near our university main gate. The agitators did not allow even the bank employees inside. No delivery of mail by the staff of the campus post office, except minor transactions and receipt of mail. This agitation by some students is against the poor medical facilities in the campus health center (he met with an accident while crossing the road on his two-wheeler. He was returning around 12:00, last night, from Serilingampally, after seeing a second show film in a cinema. His friends rushed him to our health center soon after the accident. They did not move him in time to a good hospital in the city for effective medical care, which they can’t provide with the little equipment and medicines available with them). Today I went to our post office and collected a demand draft of 4000 rupees sent by my brother Sambha from Peda Gummuluru. Today I read a core text of our course. Went to sleep by 10:30.
13 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu conducted an internal assessment test for 20 marks. By 11:30 went to State Bank of India. First I got my demand draft of 4000 rupees credited to my savings account. Then withdrew 1000 rupees for my monthly expenditure, including my monthly hostel mess bill (which amounts to about 650 rupees). Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed the play “The Rape of the Lock” of Alexander Pope in his class. Today it was cloudy. Went to sleep by 10:00.
14 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today we have only one class. It is from 11:20 to 1:00. Today it is the first day of presentation of seminar papers in the class of Narayana Chandran. I was the third one to present the seminar paper today. My seminar topic is “Suspense in ‘Young Goodman Brown’”. I took 15 minutes for this presentation. I was not satisfied with my presentation. I could not answer the questions of my classmates well. Went to sleep by 11:00.
15 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:15. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed “Linguistics in Literature” going back into the Russian developments in language. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant dealt with the poem “Ode to Grecian Urn” of John Keats in his distinctive style. Afternoon it was cool and cloudy. Napped for one hour, though felt unnecessary, being victimized by inertia. Night studied a bit. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 March (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:30. Presentation of seminar papers went on in the class of Narayana Chandran. Today some of my classmates presented their seminar papers on “The Cask of Amontillado” of Edgar Allan Poe. This short story is centered on a gruesome and vindictive murder. The narration runs in a nerve-racking and exciting style. The students explored this short story from various perspectives. Today it was very cloudy. I enjoyed it. It would be a day of romance for lovers in our beautiful campus. Went to sleep by 10:30.
17 March (Saturday)
Got up by 6:30. Attended the extra class of Narayana Chandran by 10:00. Today a few of my classmates presented their seminar papers till 1:00. Today’s seminar papers were focused on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”. It portrays the vulnerability and helplessness of single women in the male dominated society of the United States during those times. The writer appeals to the contemporary society to liberally allow women into avenues of active public life by which they can lead secure and happy lives, not being victimized to introversion and depression caused by social disorders of compartmentalization and segmentation. Spent rest of the day casually. Went to sleep by 10:30.
18 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:30.
19 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, K Narayana Chandran presided over the proceedings of seminar presentations. Today’s seminar papers were focused on Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener”. It portrays the helplessness of a loneliness-centered profession in society. The protagonist leads a monotonous and miserable life, coupled with solitude at home, because he is always involved in the same mundane and boring job of copying and drafting legal documents. It’s a moving story. I liked it a lot. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant dealt with the poem “Ode to Grecian Urn” of John Keats. Night met Ritu Singh, a beautiful girl from M.C.A. (Master of Computer Applications) course, along with my friend Veeranjaneyulu, a talented and dedicated artist in painting (currently pursuing his M.F.A in Painting at Sarojini Naidu School of Fine Arts and Performing Arts (also called Golden Threshold campus)). Went to sleep by 10:30.
20 March (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed a few Russian theories on poetic language. By 2:20 attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe. Stomachache attacked me in the classroom. Rushed to Health Center borrowing my classmate’s bicycle. Took some tablets. I recovered from it by 6:30. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 10:30.
21 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran reviewed our performance in the recently conducted seminar presentations. He suggested a few hints which make a seminar presentation lively and impressive. Later he commented on a few elements of the short stories we spoke on recently in our seminar presentations. He talked about their relevance to the present. In short, it was his summative talk to us on the recently finished seminar presentations by us. Evening went to city to meet a friend at Mahavir Hospital. On the way, met my classmate Colin at his rented portion in the city. Went to sleep by 11:00.
22 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed the concept of defamiliarisation in poetry. Today her topics of discussion looked ambiguous and complex. We must cope with it because we are students. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “Ode to Grecian Urn” of John Keats. Afternoon went to central library to renew my borrowed books from it on my Library Card. Spent some time in the reference book section and scanned some history books for pleasure. Night spent casually. Went to sleep by 11:30.
23 March (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today, in the morning session, my classmates formally started the program of seminar presentations under the supervision of Professor Sudhakar Marathe. Four students presented their seminar papers today. Sudhakar Marathe is an outstanding personality in our English department. He excels other faculty members in our department at scholarly and dramatic handling of literature and teaching. He is a genius. He can handle complex themes in simple and humorous way. Satire and wit are his pets. We are lucky to have such great professor for us. Went to sleep by 12:00.
24 March (Saturday)
Got up by 7:00. Afternoon we had seminar presentations under the supervision of Sudhakar Marathe. Today only two students could present their seminar papers. Today it is the eve of our “Farewell Function to our Seniors”. Today we decorated Professor Gurbaksh Singh Hall for this occasion. All of us classmates were divided into different groups based on our respective duties toward this occasion. Night we spent there for some time listening to music on tape recorder. Went to sleep by 11:00.
25 March (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. From 9:00 to 12:00 spent in Professor Gurbaksh Singh Hall with my classmates helping them in the decorative work. Afternoon too spent over there. By 7:30 the program of “Our Farewell Function to our Seniors” was started. We spent together for about eight months in our department. We celebrated this reality among ourselves eating and dancing happily. I too read out a small message addressing our seniors. Came back to hostel by 11:30. Went to sleep by 12:00. I heard that it ended by 3:30.
26 March (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel. Spent much of my time lying on cot with lethargy and tiredness. My thought follows, “Farewell is a time when time commands two dear and near ones to detach themselves from one another due to some inevitable forces acting against them. Sorrow and suffering should be the feelings of the two people or groups involved in that occasion but the present-day farewell functions are being observed with silly games and crazy dances. It is ridiculous and worthless. One does not know whether they are happy or sad feeling and facing that occasion of separation”. Went to sleep by 10:30.
27 March (Tuesday)
Got up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed linguistics and language structures. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe presided over the seminar presentations. Today two students presented their seminar papers focusing on the need of religious literature to reform and reorient human society time to time. Sudhakar Marathe added his analysis to their presentations. Evening went to Serilingampally for getting a writing of mine laser printed at a computer center. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 March (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran discussed the origins of American literature. Today a number of wasps bothered us in our classroom. So, smoke was applied in the room to drive them out. For this reason, we continued our class in the adjacent air-conditioned room. He took extra class in the afternoon. He discussed the essay “Self-Reliance” of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is an inspiring and intense essay meant for motivating the American youth toward competence in personal life and excellence in professional activities (which America represents today). Went to sleep by 10:00.
29 March (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it is the first day of “Sukoon-2001”, an annual festival of cultural events in this university. Evening the inaugural function of these celebrations took place at Ambedkar Auditorium. Professor Palle Rama Rao, our present Vice Chancellor, E V V Satya Narayana, a Telugu Film Director and Chalapati Rao, a Telugu film actor, played the roles of the chief guests of this occasion. I participated in two competitions: “Creative Writing in Telugu” and “Poetry Writing in English”. By 6:00 dance competitions were started. More than 50 participants shook their bodies traditionally (classical dance) and fashionably (modern dance). Night orchestra took place at the open dais. Went to sleep by 12:00. During late night, I suffered a lot.
30 March (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. This early morning, from 3:30 to 4:30, I suffered a lot with acute pain in the left front corner of my stomach. A friend of mine gave me a painkiller. It alleviated pain in a short time. Then I could sleep for some time. Morning attended the seminar presentations in the class of Sudhakar Marathe. Afternoon avoided attending the class to consult the doctor at our Health Center. Dr (Captain) Ravindra Kumar prescribed some tablets for me. Night Rock Music took place at the open dais. Went to bed in the late night after watching and enjoying it.
31 March (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today it is the last day of “Sukoon-2001” celebrations. Even today some competitions were conducted marking this occasion. Evening “Valedictory Function of Sukoon-2001” took place at the open air auditorium (the open dais opposite Gopal Shop). As usual, two local politicians played the customary roles of invited guests. Distribution of prizes to the winners in the competitions, Mr. Sukoon and Miss Sukoon contests and Disc Jockey were the highlights of this night. Student Union exhibited its corruption and greed in the form of quality of gifts given to the winners in various competitions. I felt furious against those idiots and scoundrels who gave such cheap prizes to the winners (people with talent who need to be honored considerably within our limitations of resources). They are worse than the beggars in the streets. I did not stay there for long. Went to sleep by 1:30.
1 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. My thought follows, “I find human life as a tragedy. One’s birth and death are not within one’s control. One craves for a lot, runs after a few, gains a little and spends much time crying for the lost or the inaccessible. One wishes to spend alone happily in a deep forest in moonlit nights. Wild animals do not allow him to do so. Who does not like to play with the clouds in the sky flying along with them? God forgot to fix wings to man to do it. It is love that can make one’s life somewhat enjoyable. Blest are those that enjoyed it to the maximum in their lives”. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 April (Monday)
Got up by 6:30. Today Hindu festival “Sri Rama Navami” was celebrated. Jaggery mixed water would be served at the temples of Lord Rama today. I could not have it today being in the campus. Our university observed a holiday on this occasion. Spent most of my time in the hostel room lying on cot. Today it was a bit cool. Night watched the Telugu feature film “Gitanjali” of Nagarjuna and Girija on television in the TV room of our hostel. It presents admiration and attachment between two young lovers and their intense pain when they realize that they are on the verge of death due to their fatal diseases. Went to sleep by 12:00.
3 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed contact and conflict in English language. Today she collected the assignment papers from the students. I could not submit my assignment because I could not understand the topic and the contents of the assignment. It is for 20 marks and forms part of the internal assessment tests. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed the 18th century British literature in his class. He dealt with a few poems of different subject matters. Went to sleep by 10:00.
4 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran analyzed the essay “Self-Reliance” of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Today I gave the cost details of two paintings (in Tanjore style) to our Reader P Sailaja. She wants two paintings of Lord Krishna worked by M Veeranjaneyulu, a great artist, one of my friends in this university. Gradually it is getting hot over the region cordially inviting passionate summer. Afternoon spent some time in the central library, a storehouse of rich man-made wisdom. Went to sleep by 11:30.
5 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel. Morning listened to Telugu cine songs on radio. From 10:00 to 12:30 rested on iron cot. This morning I felt troubled because I had an overdose of coffee in the dining hall after my breakfast. I like sweet eatables and beverages. Today coffee affected my health. It often makes me dizzy. Tea suits well to my body. Afternoon read a book on Romantic literature. Evening spent some time observing the fascinating natural beauty on the campus. Night spent some time listening to devotional music on tape recorder. Went to sleep by 12:00.
6 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it is the 2600th birth anniversary of Saint Vardhamana Mahavira, the founder of the Hindu religion “Jainism”. Today we don’t have classes for this reason. Morning went to State Bank of India and withdrew 1100 rupees. Afternoon prepared six pages of term paper on “Whether Romantic Revolution is Really Revolutionary”. It has to be submitted to our Reader Hoshang Merchant as part of the internal assessment tests. Night spent casually. Went to sleep by 10:30.
7 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day spent within the hostel. Morning spent casually. Afternoon read the book Preface to Lyrical Ballads of William Wordsworth. We have to present our seminar paper on this subject very soon in our classroom. Two students have to form into a team and present their seminars on one scheduled literary work assigned by our Professor Sudhakar Marathe. Each of them has to present his or her subjective and analytical views on the same piece of work. Night listened to cine songs on radio. Went to sleep by 10:30.
8 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. Afternoon read the essay “The American Scholar” of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Evening wrote a term paper on it. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:00.
9 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed language theories. I could not wait for the class of Hoshang Merchant. I felt dizzy and so rushed out of the classroom immediately. I vomited outside. There must be something wrong with my health. Went to our Health Center. The doctor prescribed some tablets for me. Took one with a glass of water. The doctor assured me that I would be all right in a few minutes. Evening wrote a long letter to my cousin Raghupati, the eldest son of my teacher uncle K V Rama Raju of Jaggampeta. I took four hours to complete this letter. It was all about my views on education in this university. Went to sleep by 11:30.
10 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Narayana Chandran discussed the essay “Civil Disobedience” of Henry David Thoreau. Afternoon attended the classes by 2:20. The seminar session went on under the supervision of Sudhakar Marathe. Today I presented my seminar paper on Preface to Lyrical Ballads in association with my classmate Vijaya Krishna. I am not happy with my pronunciation skills. May God forgive me. I am not paying much attention toward my studies. I don’t like spending with books always. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Narayana Chandran elaborated on the essay “The Civil Disobedience” of Henry David Thoreau. Afternoon attended the class for presence sake. Today the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visited our English Department as part of their formal inspection. So, Professor Sudhakar Marathe, our present Head of the Department, told us (even our seniors) to sit in our classrooms while they were inspecting the department. Evening went to Serilingampally and got my long letter to Raghupati laser printed. I spent 200 rupees on this task. I felt happy at it. Went to sleep by 12:00.
12 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the stylistic analysis of prose. Stylistic analysis helps us identify the beauty and worth of a literary piece, observing the usage of language in it, followed by its creator, to reach his or her emotions or thoughts to the readers. In the second class, Hoshang Merchant authorized one of his former students (presently a research scholar) to teach us the importance of science fiction in Romantic literature. Evening it was fascinatingly cool and irresistibly pleasant. My heart felt the core of the air. Went to sleep by 10:30.
13 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today it is Good Friday, the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified years ago. He thus reached His message of perseverance and deliverance to the world. Christians, especially Roman Catholics, observe this as a day of gloom. We don’t have our classes today for this reason. Spent all the day within the hostel. Today I prepared my term paper titled “The Ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson in his Address ‘The American Scholar’”. It was an inspiring message to his contemporary Americans and to the educated youth of the world in general. It indirectly stresses the importance of self-reliance (of individual or nation) for progress. Went to sleep by 11:00.
14 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of the day within the hostel. Evening went to the rented apartment of our Reader Hoshang Merchant at Masab Tank. He is going to Spain soon to present a paper on Shakespeare in an international literary conference. I went there along with five of my friends by our Golden Threshold university bus. We spent there for three hours talking with him happily. He showed us his family photos and his published literary works. He told us about his personal life. He is a great poet and scholar. He does not have ego or animosity toward anybody. He is openhearted and so often gets victimized to the hypocrisy of people around him. He is leading a solitary life being tormented with the suffering of despair and rootlessness (the persistent internal questioning of “who am I?” and “to whom or to which place do I really belong now and in future?”). Came back to hostel by 10:00. Went to sleep by 11:30.
15 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 7:00. Spent most of the time within my hostel room. Spent some time reading the book London in the 18th Century of Dorothy George. The lifestyles of the English people in the cities are described in it. The differences between the poor and the rich are analyzed. Today it was enjoyable. Evening spent some time playing shuttle badminton with my friends. My salutes to Lord Gopal. Went to sleep by 10:30.
16 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, during the first half, Narayana Chandran discussed the essay “Civil Disobedience” of Henry David Thoreau. In the latter part, he provided us with the introductory information about Walt Whitman, the first poet in American literature to beautify his poetry only with the nativity of his nation in his distinctive style. In the following class, Hoshang Merchant discussed the poem “Ode to west wind” of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Afternoon spent my time in the central library. Night wrote a term paper on the poem “Ode on Solitude” of Alexander Pope. Went to sleep by 11:30.
17 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready but did not attend the scheduled first class. Today we have an internal assessment test but I did not read the works given for it. The text to be prepared is very long and complicated. So, I avoided taking this test. Later I knew that it was very easy. I felt sorry for avoiding it. From 2:20 the last session of seminar presentations under the supervision of Professor Sudhakar Marathe took place. Today four students presented their seminar papers. Evening played shuttle badminton for some time. Night spent casually. Felt a bit uneasy. Went to sleep by 10:30.
18 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the class of Narayana Chandran by 11:20. By 6:30 proceeded to the Humanities Complex. Evening a felicitation function was organized to share the joy of Professor Shiv K Kumar and Professor Palle Rama Rao. Both of them were recently honored with the Padma Bhushan Awards by the Government of India for their commendable contribution in the fields of letters and research in atomic energy respectively. Professor Shiv K Kumar was the first Professor in the Department of English in this university. He was also the first Head of the English Department in this university and the first Dean to the Humanities in this university. Our Professor Sachidananda Mohanty was the student of Professor Shiv K Kumar. Our teaching faculty and some students of Humanities attended this function. Went to sleep by 10:30.
19 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Afeefa Banu discussed a chapter from a novel of the Romantic Period of Literature in England. In the second class, Anna Kurien James (she has recently joined our department as a lecturer) discussed the novel Emma. Hoshang Merchant entrusted both these texts to them to teach us because he has recently left for Spain to present his paper on Shakespeare in an international literary conference (transfer of duties to colleagues in inescapable circumstances). Afternoon spent casually. Night read the poems of Walt Whitman. Went to sleep by 10:30.
20 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Afternoon attended the class of Professor Sudhakar Marathe. He discussed the shortcomings in our seminar presentations. Today it was his last class to us in our second semester course of studies. He invited all of us to an informal party at his residence (the university quarters in our campus) on the 30th of this month. He advised us to study well, to do our best in the end-of-semester examinations to come soon, to take care of our health, not to be affected in the heat and to take a rest between intense preparatory studies. Night read “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” of Mary Wollstonecraft. Went to bed by 10:30.
21 April (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. I decided to go to my home for the coming summer vacation in a comfortable journey system. So, this morning, I took our Golden Threshold university bus along with some of my friends and reached Abids by 8:50. Went into the buildings of Golden Threshold along with my friend Veeranjaneyulu to see their world of art for a while. He offered me a cup of tea from a stall over there. After the tea, I went to nearby Nampally railway station to get second-class berths reserved for me to Godavari Express. Came back to hostel by 10:30. Spent rest of the day casually. Went to sleep by 12:00.
22 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed within the hostel. Spent much of my time reading the poems of William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, P B Shelley, John Keats and Charles Lamb. In the prose section, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” of Mary Wollstonecraft and “My first acquaintance with poets” of William Hazlitt were there. Night felt a bit giddy. It might be due to the food I am eating here. They add all sorts of powders to the dals, soups, rasam and curries they cook here for us. The kitchen looks unhygienic. Went to sleep by 11:30.
23 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel preparing for my end of the semester examinations. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:00.
24 April (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day spent within the hostel preparing the set texts of our course of studies for “The Structure of Modern English-II”. The name of my Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Let Him guide me in these examinations. Went to sleep by 11:00.
25 April (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Scanned the preparatory material for some time. Went to examination hall (our classroom) by 9:30. The question paper was given out by 10:00. Today it is our first semester-end-examination on “The Structure of Modern English-II, the instructor being Reader Afeefa Banu. She prepared a very good question paper. I did it well. From 3:00 started preparing for the following examination. Today I felt very tired, both physically and psychologically. However, my Lord Gopal keeps me cool. Went to sleep by 11:30.
26 April (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Scanned the preparatory material for some time. Took the question paper in the examination hall by 10:00. Today it is our second examination, “English Literature and Thought (1700-1798), Professor Sudhakar Marathe, the present Head of the Department of English being the instructor of this course. He set such questions, the answers of which require the survey of overall British Literature in the 18th century. I prepared a few works only. So, my answers revolved around those four or five works only. However, I did it well. Night prepared for the following examination. Went to sleep by 10:30.
27 April (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today we don’t have any examination. Throughout the day, I kept on preparing the poetry and prose parts for the ensuing examination. I read the poems of William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, P B Shelley and John Keats, which were set in our course outline. Read Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (the ninth chapter in her book) and William Hazlitt’s essay “My first acquaintance with poets” in prose section. I could/did not collect a few other texts of this course. Went to sleep by 10:30.
28 April (Saturday)
Got up by 6:00. Reached the examination hall by 9:30. From 10:00 to 1:00 wrote the answers to the questions (of my choice) in a very interesting way. Today’s question paper was set on “English Literature and Thought (1798-1832)” (in other words the Romantic Period in English Literature), Reader Hoshang Merchant being the instructor of this course. Afternoon and night prepared for the following and the last examination in this semester. Went to bed by 9:00 but could sleep only by 12:00.
29 April (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed within the hostel and kept my pupils moving on their journey of scanning the letters of the given topics of our course outline as an inevitable part of my preparation for the last examination in our second semester course of studies. This question paper will be set on “American Literature and Thought-up to 1900”, Professor K Narayana Chandran being the instructor of this course. He is a meticulous reader of our answer papers (everything written by us to get marks from him). I fear to touch the question paper set by him. Went to sleep by 10:30.
30 April (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today we have our last end-of-semester examination in our first year course of studies. I faced Narayana Chandran’s question paper well. Our third semester course outline was given out today in our department. Lord Krishna blessed me and enabled me to face these examinations. By 6:30 we (the students of first year M.A. English) went to the quarters of Professor Sudhakar Marathe in our campus. He (coupled with the love, affection and cheerful contribution from his beloved wife toward us) offered us a wonderful dinner with many dishes. It turned cloudy and refreshing by that time. We enjoyed that lovely spell of air. We freely moved in their house like small children. We saw their family photos. His house is filled with books in every corner. Today it is their wedding anniversary as well. Returned to hostel by 11:30. Went to sleep by 12:00.
1 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning left for the city by the Golden Threshold bus of our university. We went to Nampally railway station for reservation of second-class berths for my friends. Ramesh of Golden Threshold, one of my friends, accompanied me on this journey. Had my breakfast at the railway station. We spent some time in the Golden Threshold. Then we went out to buy some ready-made shirts. I bought four shirts for my brothers. I wanted to buy some sweets also to take home. We returned to hostel by 1:00. Felt exhausted due to the journey in the city. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. By 10:30 went to State Bank of India to withdraw 1000 rupees for my expenses in the summer vacation. I came across Hoshang Merchant in the bank. We discussed a few things of literature. He proposed his visit to our house soon. I readily and happily welcomed it. He told that he would come to our house in a few days. From there we go to Visakhapatnam to see the beautiful places over there. Afternoon listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. Night too listened to Telugu cine songs on a borrowed (from my friend) Walkman. Went to sleep by 12:00.
3 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel. Today I got ready with my luggage to leave for my home for the summer vacation. Our second semester elapsed fast. Four months of time disappeared like four days. I am grateful to Lord Gopal for all His cooperation and direction during my second semester. I am grateful to Mother Saraswati for Her blessings. I found a great command of teaching in our professors Sudhakar Marathe and Narayana Chandran. I did not see even a single film in cinemas in this semester. Now and then I watched the television in our hostel. Went to sleep by 11:30.
4 May (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Got ready soon to leave for Golden Threshold. Took our university bus and reached there by 9:30. My friends had already reached there. Spent in the library for some time. Afternoon went out for a bit of shopping. Bought two ready-made long-sleeved shirts, each worth 45 rupees, for my casual wear. Bought a pack of ‘Nutrine’ chocolates for my nephew Sujan and one kilo of ‘Karbooza’ sweets of Agra for my folks at home. We took Godavari Express by 5:00 at Nampally railway station. We enjoyed ourselves till midnight seeing moonlight from the train.
5 May (Saturday)
Got off Godavari Express from coach No. S5, Berth No. 44 at Narsipatnam Road railway station by 5:15. Went onto the nearby flyover by 5:30. My brother Sambha came there on scooter. We reached home by 5:45. I had a happy journey. I found our house attractive. The small flower plants and guava plant are adding beauty to our house. I felt sleepy due to journey last night. Still I avoided it during daytime. Night watched television for much time. Went to sleep by 1:00.
6 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 7:00 started to Visakhapatnam by Kakinada-Visakhapatnam passenger train from NRPM railway station. Reached the passport office by 9:30. I thought that it functions on Sundays also. I felt sorry for my misunderstanding about the government institutions. Called up my classmate Viswa Prasad at Alli Puram in the city. Went to their house by 10:30. Spent there till 4:30. There I watched Telugu feature film “Sruthi Layalu” interestingly on Eenadu television channel. Had my lunch in their house. Returned home by 8:00 by Visakhapatnam- Rajahmundry passenger train. Watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 12:00.
7 May (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Stayed at home till 11:30. Then left for Elamanchili by bus from Adduroad. Spent talking with my friend Appa Rao for some time at his pan shop near bus stand. Then proceeded to cinema Sita Chitra Mandir. I wanted to see the Telugu film “Nuvve Kaavali” in it. They started the film before the completion of issuance of tickets. I mostly avoid seeing a film if it is already started. I want to see it from the beginning. I don’t like missing any part of it. So, I avoided this film and moved to cinema Parameswari near railway station. Saw the Telugu film “Narasimha Naidu” in the matinee show. It is an action (full of fights) film. I enjoyed it very much. Returned home by 7:00 by bus. Night listened to music on our tape recorder. Went to sleep by 10:30.
8 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Got ready and reached NRPM railway station by 7:00. Took a Summer Special Express and reached Visakhapatnam by 10:00. Went to passport office by 10:30. They rejected my application because I attached our house electricity bill with my mother’s ownership for residence proof. Immediately wrote a letter addressing Abhilasha Joshi, the passport officer, and got it typed up and laser printed (in that letter I seriously questioned her why an electricity bill can’t be accepted as a proof of residence if it bears the name of a woman as owner. There is no meaning to the policy of ‘equality for women’ when a woman officer allows the rotten and brainless scoundrels in her office to reject an application based on ‘gender bias’). I felt like thrashing that rogue (a subordinate staff member in that office with a little education and high ignorance and arrogance, perhaps having got his job through wrong channel) who rejected my application within seconds looking at the electricity bill. He would have contacts with some bastards who are working below their office only. They (brokers) take some money (alms from dead bodies) to submit passport applications on behalf of applicants. Many helpless and uneducated people approach these middlemen (nasty beggars of Indian society) to get their passports soon. I cursed the dirty passport officer and felt like setting fire to that office whereby that filthy office pig burns to death helplessly. Returned home by 7:00 by Godavari Express. Today I walked much in the city and so felt exhausted. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. It was very hot today. Morning went to State Bank of India, Etikoppaka Branch, to buy a Demand Draft for 300 rupees to send it as an all-inclusive fee with my passport application (I can’t humiliate myself stepping into that putrid office once again). After that went to a government homeopathy doctor for his (gazetted officer’s) attestation of my educational certificates. Enclosed all the necessary documents and the photocopies. Booked it under Registered Post at the post office in Etikoppaka. Returned home by 12:00. Spent rest of the day at home casually. Went to sleep by 11:00.
10 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day spent at home. Morning wrote a letter to my teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju in Jaggampeta. Afternoon watched the Telugu feature film “Rendu Jella Sita” on Gemini television channel. Scanned the book Port Development and Management (sent by the Institute of Rail Transport in New Delhi as part of my correspondence course with it) for some time. Recently I became thin. Today I received a postcard from our Reader Hoshang Merchant in Hyderabad. He informed me that he can’t come to our house this time as decided earlier. Night too watched television for some time. It was very sultry today. Went to sleep by 10:00.
11 May (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I decided to go to our mango grove at the hills. By 8:00 took a bus up to a point. Thence walked to the rented portion of my paternal grandparents in Ramayyapatnam. From there started to our mango grove along with my paternal grandfather Thammi Raju on foot. Now he is about 80. Still he daily walks for ten kilometers to and from his cashew garden at the hills. He is a man of toil and patience. I wonder at his abilities as a farmer. Spent much of my time at the house of my uncle Narayana Murthy. He provided me with the entertainment of radio. Returned home by 6:30. Went to sleep by 9:30.
12 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent much of my time at home. Evening went to Adduroad to spend some time talking with my friend Appala Raju. I expressed my views to him about the merits and demerits of B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) course. Nowadays majority of the unemployed youth are trying to become teachers. They opt for this profession to lead a safe, secure and peaceful life rather than job satisfaction or monetary concerns. I don’t like to become a teacher. Teaching is a challenging and noble profession, which demands high caliber and values. I don’t think I have these abilities and virtues. I will choose some other profession. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Morning spent at home listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. Afternoon went to Tuni along with my brother Sambha. Recently my folks sold a buffalo in the market. They want to get a gold ring made for me with that money. I don’t like wearing ornaments. We ordered a gold ring for me with the image of little Sri Krishna on it. On the way we called up my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani. We returned home by 5:30. Spent listening to Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder from 6:00 to 9:00. Night it rained heavily. Went to sleep by 10:00.
14 May (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Spent much of my time watching television. Night watched the Telugu feature film “Idhaa Prapancham” on Hyderabad Doordarshan channel. It was extraordinary. It portrayed the reality of human life. It is a satire on the present democracy in India. I regretted the realities in the society. A film is meant for entertainment. Can we believe that ideal values may be established in the society by the impact of these films? One should learn to bear something when one can’t prevent it. Life is a complex of compromises. Went to sleep by 11:00.
15 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Morning watched television for some time. Listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder for some time. Afternoon watched the Telugu feature film “Mutaa Mesthri” on Gemini television channel. Recently it turned cool. My thought follows, “The celebration of anniversaries and other important events, these days, is for public show rather than a real tribute to those great people. There is no use of celebration of great events when the society is at its lowest levels of values (one’s commitment and struggle toward one’s admirable improvement in a right path). Values are related to public life in general (their beliefs and practices in their daily lives)”. Went to sleep by 9:30.
16 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day spent at home. My thought follows, “Planning plays a vital role in the maintenance of an organization or human life. It is foresight and preparedness to recognize and utilize opportunities to carry out a constructive action in future aiming at the achievement of a goal. Planning involves innovations and dreams. Any project of development requires somebody or some with a practicable dream and the capacity of realization of its prospects. Micro planning helps a man improve at his level and macro planning enhances a country’s development. Both demand strategic moves and visionary approach”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day spent at home. My thought follows, “Beauty is furnished by God in nature. Its beauty inspires and guides the life of a dreamer. The same nature is a mere source of livelihood for the poor and an abode of bliss for an artist. Common man fights with nature to get its material wealth. Dreamers worship it for all its uniqueness and attraction. Moon is an object of light for the poor. It is an inspiring literary subject for a poet”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
18 May (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Went to the house of my uncle Rama Raju at Raja Venkata Nagaram by 9:30. All the day spent over there. Morning rested on bed for some time. My aunt Raja Kumari offered a few eatables to me. I had sweet mango fruit, jaggery-sesame sweet (Chimmili), a sunnunda, cool palmyra nut juice and delicious lunch. Afternoon played “Astaa Chemma” with my cousins Vasu and Naren for some time. We enjoyed the game a lot. Returned home by 6:30 by bus. Today it was very hot. Summer knows its duty and does it perfectly. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Spent my time watching television and listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. My thought follows, “Poverty is a chronic disease of the society. It does not allow a man to think slowly and act wisely but to hurry and do something to live somehow. Their hardships do not move others because they daily see and hear about it. Basically man is selfish. Philanthropy is a rare virtue in humankind. The print of the anecdotes of the poor is very rare in the history of any nation. Their lives and stories are often detested and discarded by the privileged”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent all my time at home. Afternoon watched the Telugu feature film “Aanandha Bhairavi” on television. It was excellent. Jandhyala directed it. I like his films. The Telugu feature films like “Swarna Kamalam”, “Shankaraabharanam”, “Sapthapadhi”, “Saagara Sangamam”, “Sankeerthana”, “Sitara”, “Aalaapana” and “Rudhra Veena” also fall into this category of classic Telugu films. They inspire and entertain aesthetes, dreamers, artists, idealists, philanthropists and romantics a lot. They portray the ideal way of human life. I pray Lord Krishna to bless me with such life. Went to sleep by 9:00.
21 May (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Morning read the book Port Development and Management for some time. By 11:00 my cousin Anantha Lakshmi came from Gollalagunta along with her two children. She came here to spend for a few days. The name of Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
22 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Reached village Tangedu by 9:30 by bus along with my cousin Anantha Lakshmi and her baby. The in-laws of my brother Sambha (Raja Sagi Surya Narayana Raju and Janaki) are living there. Today there is annual fair in that village (marking the worship of their village goddess). They invited us to see that celebration. We spent there till 8:00. My aunt Janaki offered mango fruit, homemade sweets and chicken biryani (supper) to us. Evening I watched the carnival for some time. We returned home by 9:00 by bus. Went to bed by 9:30.
23 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Morning read the book Port Development and Management for some time. Afternoon watched television for some time. The name of my Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Evening my brother Srinivas, my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and my nephews Sujan and Suhas came from Mallavaram. My brother is on his 20-day casual leave now. Currently he is stationed at Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir in the regiment of Madras Engineers (to which he basically belongs). My cousin Anantha Lakshmi is also here. Her daughter Kavita is an adamant girl. She cries for every small thing. Her son Vinay (Vivekananda Varma) is a very calm kid at present. Went to sleep by 10:00.
25 May (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. This afternoon my brother Srinivas turned furious at the adamant nature of his son Suhas (hardly four years old) and beat him severely. I felt very sorry for the helpless boy. It is natural that small children often behave unbearably. We should not react brutally toward them. We must learn how to behave with them to be considered as human beings by others. We can’t change children’s behavior easily. Their psychology is such. May God bless innocent and adamant kids. Went to sleep by 9:30.
26 May (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning spent at home. Went to Narsipatnam by 11:30 by bus. Proceeded to the house of my friend Kuracha Srinivasa Rao at Baligattam and informed his father about the arrival of my brother Srinivas. He wants to get his younger son into the Indian Army under the guidance of my brother. They offered me a drink (‘cool drink’ from a nearby ‘kirana shop’. These are familiar words in our state in villages) and talked with me affectionately. Returned home by 2:00 by bus. My uncle Satya Narayana Raju and Potti (short) Satyam (he is not tall) came from Gollalagunta. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
27 May (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time at home listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder and watching television. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:00.
28 May (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home and spent casually. My thought follows, “Educationally backward people practice customs and superstitions in their lives in a devoted manner. One must apply a bit of rational thinking while following them. For example, in India, people spend most of their time in the traditional observations associated with birth, puberty (in relation to a girl), marriage and death. An uncivilized man with humanitarian heart and acts is more necessary for the prosperity of a society than a conservative man (brute) with blind beliefs and practices”. Went to sleep by 9:30.
29 May (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. My thought follows, “The present trend of marriages is commercialization in India. If a girl is being educated well, it is not only for acquiring a bit of awareness about the world but also to attract a good employee with a handsome salary. Parents strictly supervise the traditional marriages of their children. In some cases, their sons (being influenced by western thoughts) do not like to beg dowry at all but their parents force and guide them according to their wishes and plans. Traditional marriage is all about the narrow-mindedness of the conventional society. There is very little space for idealism and honesty in their beliefs and practices”. Went to sleep by 9:00.
30 May (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 12:50 left for Elamanchili by bus from Adduroad. Reached there by 1:30. Proceeded to cinema Tulasi Chitra Mandir and saw the Telugu film “Nuvve Kaavali” of Tarun and Richa. It portrays how an intimate friendship between a girl and a boy (both are at their marriageable age) transforms into deep love at some critical point of their separation from one another. Comedy is also there. Presently it is the hot cake for the Telugu filmgoers. I enjoyed watching this film very much. Talked with my B.A. classmate Nookeswari for some time about her present education and life. Returned home by 8:30 by bus. Went to sleep by 10:00.
31 May (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. My thought follows, “Divine and sacred love lies in one’s memories. Sweet memories are more enjoyable than the experiences of practical life of love. Death can’t frighten a true admirer. People involved in love may die but the beauty and greatness associated with love keeps on making ordinary humans into deep lovers. Great lovers are mostly humanitarians. Love and humanity are interdependent. We often hear about suicides committed by failed lovers. They are true lovers. They die, instead of hurting or killing others, to make them understand their love. Orthodox society is rigid and cruel. Blame it. Sensitive lovers are helpless and innocent. Help them if possible or keep quiet”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
1 June (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Started to NRPM railway station by 6:30 on scooter along with my brothers Srinu and Sambha (this is how I call them). Took Kakinada-Visakhapatnam passenger train and reached Visakhapatnam by 9:00. Went to Gopalapatnam and gave the demand draft to the brother of army friend of my brother Srinivas. Thence went to railway station by 1:30 and got a berth reserved for my brother’s return journey soon. Went to Hotel Vinod and had my lunch. Sat at Santoshini Medical Store till 5:15 to spend my time. Took Visakhapatnam-Kakinada passenger train and reached home by 9:00. Went to sleep by 10:00.
2 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 8:20 went to post office (in Peda Gummuluru) and received Money Order (recently I lent him a little money) sent by M Veeranjaneyulu, presently in Visakhapatnam, a friend of mine and an M.F.A. student in the University of Hyderabad. Today, for the second time, I got back my application form from the passport office in Visakhapatnam. I became very angry about them. I decided not to get my passport from such illiterate and indecent brutes of India. To cool down myself, I wrote a very long letter cursing the staff of that bloody passport office but restrained myself from posting it to avoid further nuisance from those insane scoundrels (they have no skills to carry out their duties well but they make a fuss when somebody justifiably questions them about their incompetence and impudence). I have no time to adequately deal with insensitive and fraudulent bureaucracy now. Today it was cool and refreshing. Went to sleep by 9:30.
3 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time at home. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:00.
4 June (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Morning watched television for some time. By 10:00 left for State Bank of India at Etikoppaka by bus. Deposited my returned demand draft from the passport office in Visakhapatnam for its credit to my savings account. Returned home by 11:30 by bus. Rested on bed for 90 minutes. From 3:00 watched the Telugu feature film “Namaste Anna” on television till its end. Night it was very cloudy and cool. Went to sleep by 9:00.
5 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Started to our mango grove at hills by 9:00 by bus. My cousin Anantha Lakshmi, her son Vinay and my sister-in-law Kranti came along with me. From the flyover (near NRPM railway station) we started walking toward the hills. We spent there till 3:30. On our to and fro journeys, we walked via the route of our old rented house in Ramayyapatnam. On our return journey, Sarojini, mother of Lakshmi, the girl I admired, appeared us at their house. Went to sleep by 9:30.
6 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Morning my uncle Narayana Murthy (from the mango grove near the hills) came to our house. I took our bicycle and left for village Gudivada along with him to see his recently bought paddy field over there. On our return journey, we went to the house of my uncle Rama Raju at Raja Venkata Nagaram. Returned home by 1:00 along with my cousin Vasu. Vasu and I left for our mango grove at the hills by 2:30 on our bicycles. After we reached the hills, it rained heavily for some time. When it stopped, we started back home with bags of mangoes at the backs of our bicycles. We safely reached home. Went to sleep by 10:00.
7 June (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. This morning my brother Sambha and my cousin Anantha Lakshmi (with her two children) left for Gollalagunta. Afternoon watched the telecast of marriage celebration of one of my acquaintances in Ramayyapatnam on our television in the city cable channel (a small one based at Adduroad). I saw Lakshmi in that video show (while she is having her lunch on this occasion). Now she is stout. She is looking more beautiful than earlier. I felt very happy for being fortunate enough to see her accidentally on our television screen. I thank Lord Gopal for His kindness toward me. It rained in the evening. Went to sleep by 9:00.
8 June (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Left for NRPM railway station by 6:30. Took Kakinada-Visakhapatnam passenger and reached Visakhapatnam by 9:30. Today my brother Srinivas is leaving for Baramulla. He boards Link Express at Samalkot railway station. I traveled on his reservation ticket up to Samalkot from Visakhapatnam. He took it at Samalkot by 4:00. My brother Sambha and he came there from Mallavaram. Sambha and I proceeded to village Durgada (the name of the small railway station near this village is Durgada Gate, where only passenger trains halt for two minutes) from there by train. My uncle Venkatapathi Raju (also called Chanti Babu) and my maternal aunt Bhaskaram are living there with their two children. We reached their abode by 6:00. Night we talked about the ordinary things around us for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
9 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. My brother Sambha left for our home by a passenger train this morning. I decided to leave by a passenger train this evening. My cousin Hari and I went to the nearby leased in (he is cultivating other’s farmland) coconut farm of my uncle by 10:30. This uncle is a proud man. He considers all others inferior to his family members. He talks greatly about the value and highness of Kshatriya community. As a person and farmer, he is honest and hard-working. I am happy with these qualities. By 3:30 my cousin Hari and I went to Durgada Gate. I took Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam passenger train and reached home by 5:30. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 11:00.
10 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time at home watching television and listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:00.
11 June (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Reached Elamanchili by 11:30 in a car (a fellow took me in for ten rupees to Elamanchili on his way to Visakhapatnam) from Adduroad. Came across our degree college principal M Hanumantha Rao (on his way to college) and went to college along with him. Recently a grant (by government) was released to our college. So, some developmental works are going on. I took 1000 rupees (a bundle of 100 ten-rupee notes) from him (he told me that he was giving it to me because I had been “The Best Student of College” for three academic years) as an endowment scholarship, sponsored by the Youth Charitable Organization in Elamanchili. I thanked him for his consideration toward me. Gave order to a roadside cobbler to make a pair of leather chappals for me (I actually started this morning to Elamanchili to attend this work). Returned home by 5:00 by bus. Went to sleep by 9:00.
12 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. With the effect of the depression over the Bay of Bengal, it has been raining for the last two days. It continued even today. Morning watched television for some time. Today it was very cool. I enjoyed myself staying at home. From 1:00 to 5:00 listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder and radio. Listening to my favorite Telugu cine songs on a pleasant rainy day matters a lot for me. Daily I am eating mango fruit. Went to bed by 9:30.
13 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. Spent much of my time watching television. Today my uncle Ramakrishnam Raju and his son Hari came from Gollalagunta. My cousin Hari has been studying at the high school in Peda Gummuluru since last year. He is poor at studies. Yet his parents want to educate him for his well-being. Night watched the Telugu feature film “Harischandra” on Hyderabad Doordarshan channel. It was the first talkie in the Telugu film industry. I enjoyed watching it. Today it rained cats and dogs due to cyclone. Went to sleep by 12:30.
14 June (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent much of my time at home. By 9:00 went to Adduroad and sat at the small hotel of my friend Appala Raju for one hour observing the traffic on road. Today I received a letter from my friend P V Subrahmanyam Raju (also called Bullet Raju) of Bhima Varam. He informed me that he would come to the house of his in-laws at village Linga Raju Palem (very near to ours) today. Evening we talked over telephone and decided to meet tomorrow at his present place of stay. We are meeting after eight years since we left at Guntur in June 1993. Went to sleep by 9:30.
15 June (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I am going to meet my friend P V Subrahmanyam Raju, acquainted with at Guntur, when I went there to get coaching for the entrance test into polytechnic course. He married a Kshatriya girl of Linga Raju Palem. I took a bus by 10:00 from Adduroad and reached there by 11:00. They received me well. My friend and I had our lunch together. We talked about various things. Spent there till 3:00 and took a bus. Reached home by 4:30. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
16 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I posted a letter to Justice D J Jagannadha Raju in Hyderabad. I saw his postal address in a recently released souvenir of the Kshatriya Seva Samithi in Hyderabad. Afternoon my friend Subrahmanyam Raju and his wife came to our house on a scooter after enjoying themselves at the nearby beach by village Revu Polavaram. They spent here for 20 minutes. Evening I went to Narsipatnam Road railway station to reserve a second-class berth in Godavari Express for my journey to Hyderabad on 10th July. I went there after the scheduled working hours of the reservation counter. So, I could not get my work done. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
17 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I spent busily. By 8:00 went to Narsipatnam Road railway station and got a second-class berth reserved for me to Hyderabad for Godavari Express for the 10th of the next month. Returned home soon and started to Elamanchili along with my cousin Hari by bus from Adduroad. I helped him in buying ready-made clothes for him and collected my pair of handmade chappals from the cobbler. We returned home by 12:30. Afternoon watched the Telugu feature film “Khaidhi” of Chiranjeevi on television. Evening too spent watching television. Night had a fantastic dream. Went to sleep by 9:00.
18 June (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed at home. Spent much of my time watching television. My thought follows, “Dreams are great assets of human brains. Their occurrence and the nature of their content are beyond human control and scientific theories. Many derive much pleasure from dreams. Nightmares frighten even killers and magicians. Practical life would be full of hardships for many. Dreams provide relief to the weary psyche of such men and women. Dreams are of varied nature. They present different kinds of happiness and sorrow to dreamer while in process. Dreams help one establish psychological balance in one’s life”. Went to sleep by 9:00.
19 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. Spent much of my time watching television. My thought follows, “The formation and development of self-knowledge is great. Circumstances and surroundings around a man from his birth onwards greatly influence his physical and psychological growth. We observe different traits and peculiarities in various races of the world, which depend on their contemporary and native forces of influence. These differences provide beauty of diversity to humanity”. Went to sleep by 9:30.
20 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I am starting my weeklong tour to Gollalagunta region in East Godavari district. Went to Adduroad by 9:00. Took a Rajahmundry bound express bus. Got off it at the bus station in Jaggampeta by 11:00. Bought a dozen bananas and some sweets to take for my maternal grandfather. Went to the supposed place near cinema Rajaveni in a rickshaw. Thence took an auto rickshaw for Gollalagunta. Soon after reaching the house of my grandparents, started to government high school to meet my teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju. He was not there. Gollalagunta is very well. Went to sleep by 9:30.
21 June (Thursday)
Got up by 5:30. By 10:30 left for Jaggampeta to meet my teacher uncle Venkata Rama Raju at his home. Reached there by 12:30. He had just arrived finishing his small tour to Chennai. We talked about education, marriage and such other common things of life and society for one hour. He said that one’s ignorance or intelligence is a genetic factor and so one can’t change it much later (referring to some bad and dull students he came across as a teacher who never changed much despite his best efforts). He believes that most of the modern educated and employed girls and ladies are immoral and so one should not marry such highly educated and employed ones if one wants a secure, happy and long married life. Went to sleep by 9:30.
22 June (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I spent in and around Gollalagunta. Morning went to the farmland of my uncle Varma. He is a disciplined and hard-working man. He is honest. My uncle Krishnam Raju (brother of Varma) is a straightforward person. He avoided marriage. Recently he lost much money in an agricultural activity. Today I saw the two big ponds (Chembudu Cheruvu and Dhora Cheruvu) in this locality. I enjoyed the revitalizing ambience in and around paddy fields. Evening went to the house of Saint Appanna Swamy and spent there talking with him for two hours. Went to sleep by 9:30.
23 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning went to our mango garden. By 1:00 left for Jaggampeta by bus along with my aunt Satyavathi and my grandfather Subba Raju. Reached there by 2:30. From the bus station we took a bus for Molleru Mallavaram. Reached there by 4:00 along with my grandfather. My aunt Satyavathi went to their village Ramuladeva Puram (also called Tank Bead). My grandfather stayed back at Mallavaram for the night. Night I talked with my sisters-in-law Sandhya Rani and Sowjanya and aunt Lakshmi for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 June (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time in the thatched hut of my uncle Satya Narayana Raju. My aunt Lakshmi prepared delicious food items for me. Morning and afternoon played “Astaa Chemma” with my sisters-in-law Sandhya Rani and Sowjanya. Now many don’t know about it. Villagers play it much. It is my favorite indoor game. Evening watched part of the Telugu feature film “Aaraadhana” of Chiranjeevi, Suhasini and Radhika on television. Power cut occurred. I could not watch it till the end. I am waiting for long to see it. It is one of my most favorite Telugu films. Night talked with my brother-in-law Raja for some time. Went to sleep by 10:30.
25 June (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Had my breakfast by 8:00. Today I am going to the house of my uncle Rama Krishnam Raju in Ramuladeva Puram, about ten kilometers from Molleru Mallavaram, the village of my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani. Took a bus by 9:00 from Mallavaram. Got off it at village Molleru by 9:15. A scooterist gave me a lift up to Oddu Cheruvu (a hamlet of tribes called Konda Dhoralu). Walked from there and reached the house of my uncle by 10:15. My aunts Bharati, Aruna and a few others in this village affectionately talked with me. My maternal aunt Satyavathi prepared delicious food for me. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 June (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Started to the farmland of my uncle by 6:30. Their cattle keeper (called Paaleru in Telugu) took me to that place. Spent in that farm till 12:30. Today my uncle was involved in the work of planting the saplings of sago. I too helped him in that work for some time holding the measurement stick on one end for the plantation. I stood in the powerful afternoon sunshine while doing it. Kind wind saved us from perspiration. By 5:00 reached Molleru on foot. Took a bus from there and reached Mallavaram by 6:00. Went to sleep by 9:00.
27 June (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today it was cool and cloudy. Morning spent lying on bed. Afternoon had my lunch and started playing the game “Astaa Chemma” with my sister-in-law Sowjanya, my cousin Ramya of Tank Bead and my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani. Others walked out of the game after some time to take a nap for a while. Sowjanya continued the game (for four hours) till 5:00. I lost some money to her. Night spent watching television. Went to sleep by 9:30.
28 June (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. By today my weeklong tour to the places of our relatives in East Godavari district comes to an end. My aunt Lakshmi treated me very well. She prepared delicious food items for me during my stay there. May God bless her with a cheerful life. I enjoyed their affection. Reached home by 1:00 taking three buses starting from Mallavaram. I finished a happy tour. I thank my Lord Gopal for His guidance on this tour. Coming home, I found the reply letter from Justice D J Jagannadha Raju in Hyderabad. Went to sleep by 9:00.
29 June (Friday)
Woke up by 5:00. Morning watched television for some time. By 8:30 went to post office and posted a letter to Justice D J Jagannadha Raju in Hyderabad. Also sent an envelope to my grandfather Subba Raju keeping a 50-rupee note in it. By 10:30 left for the house of my uncle Narasimha Murthy in Tetagunta along with my brother Sambha Murthy for a visit. Both ways we travelled by lorry. We returned home by 2:30. Afternoon watched television for some time. Night spent my time casually. Went to sleep by 9:30.
30 June (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. Morning listened to my favorite Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder. This year northeast monsoon has entered our state a bit early. There was a little rainfall a few days ago. The following days remained absolutely dry. The farmers are anxiously waiting for rains. The Government of India is currently facing the problem of surplus food grains in its godowns. Perhaps God is determined to test the patience and richness of farmers. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 11:00.
1 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time at home watching television. Afternoon watched the Telugu feature film “Subha Sankalpam” of Kamal Haasan on television. Night watched the Telugu feature film “Jwaala” on television. The song starting with “Evevo Kalalu Kannaanu” in this film is a masterpiece for me. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:30.
2 July (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Left for Etikoppaka by 9:30 by bus. Reached State Bank of India by 10:00. Withdrew some amount of money from my account by 12:30. Today I heard the news of the suicide attempt of the Kshatriya girl (who eloped with the son of the local M.L.A.) in China Gummuluru. She jumped into a nearby well along with her two kids. Some people rescued her. Her two kids died in the well itself. I pity her innocent and ill-fated life. She married him three years ago on teenage love grounds. But her lover proved a betrayer of love (I heard that he harassed her after marriage) soon. The present perverted male society is so. Girls should be careful while entering into and maintaining love affairs. Went to sleep by 9:00.
3 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Left for Elamanchili by 9:30 by bus from Adduroad. Went to Government Degree College and met Principal Hanumantha Rao, our English Lecturer Jaya Parvathy and others. Discussed some things with them for two hours. Took 158 rupees from the principal toward an endowment scholarship to me from the college. Returned home by 1:00. Watched the Telugu feature film “Andhame Aanandham” on television for some time (70% only). Evening went to the house of my uncle Rama Raju at Raja Venkata Nagaram. Spent talking with them for some time. Stayed there for the night. Went to sleep by 9:30.
4 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Returned home by 6:30. By 10:00 my aunt Raja Kumari came to our house. Today we are going to see her son Narendra Varma. He is studying in the A P R School at Peda Boddepalli near Narsipatnam. Presently he is in his ninth standard. We reached there by 12:00 by bus. We spent there till 2:30. I saw the poor conditions in the school and pitied the helpless students. Teachers are not paying enough attention toward their welfare in the hostel life. Went to sleep by 9:30.
5 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent much of my time at home watching television. This night lunar eclipse occurs from 7:00 to 10:00. Ours is an orthodox family. My parents believe that a serpent swallows the moon and releases it from its mouth after some time which must be observed with a head bath. I too Had a head bath after 10:00. From 6:00 to 10:00 listened to Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder. Today it drizzled continuously. Went to sleep by 11:00.
6 July (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. Today it kept on drizzling continuously due to depression over the Bay of Bengal. I enjoy such climate with the combination of showers and winds. Morning spent some time watching television. From 10:30 to 12:30 involved myself in the activity of cashew collection (taking out cashew from its nut cutting it into two halves with a sharp tool. This cashew is to use in curries at our home. It is my help to my mother in her/our domestic work). Afternoon watched the Telugu feature film “Musugu Dhonga” on Eenadu television channel. My summer vacation is coming to an end. I am ready with my second-class railway reservation ticket for Hyderabad. Went to sleep by 9:30.
7 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. By 1:30 my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and my nephew Suhas came from Mallavaram. She brought a few homemade sweets (made of groundnut kernels and jaggery) from there. Spent much of my time watching television. Recently my sister-in-law Kranti left for the house of her parents. She is not good at cooking. Consequently she is facing some problems in our house with my mother. I think that girls (especially from lower and middle-class family backgrounds) should acquire some skills in cooking before their marriage at least. It saves them from these complications at the houses of their in-laws. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today also it was cloudy and cool. My mother and my sister-in-law Sandhya Rani prepared some eatables for me at home. I would take them to Hyderabad. My maternal grandmother is also here. She is not well. Two years ago she was attacked by a psychological disorder. May God bless her. Went to sleep by 9:30.
9 July (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed at home. Spent some time in the pursuit of packing for my journey to Hyderabad tomorrow evening. By 2:30 my friend Krishna Varma came from Kothuru. He is presently working in Visakhapatnam at a private school. We spent talking happily for one hour. We watched playing the English feature film “Mortal Kombat” (my brother Srinivas bought this videocassette) on television for half an hour. Night slept in the open. Went to sleep by 9:30.
10 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Evening I am leaving for Hyderabad. Stayed at home till 5:30 to feel the delight (pain) of spending at home before leaving for a distant place. Spent most of my time watching television and listening to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. My brother Sambha and I reached Narsipatnam Road railway station by 6:00 on our scooter. Boarded Godavari Express by 6:30 and took leave of my loving brother. Coincidentally my classmate Viswa Prasad (from Vizag) is also coming by the same train. We felt happy at it. Rested on my berth by 10:00.
11 July (Wednesday)
I could sleep for five hours in the train. We reached our university by 8:30. Freshened up myself and had my breakfast. Went to city along with my classmates Vijaya Krishna and Viswa Prasad. Went to market at Kothi and bought some clothes. I found ready-made shirts costly in some shops. From there we went to Badruka College of Commerce at Kachiguda to attend a little work. Thence we moved to Himayat Nagar and bought a few books. Returned to campus by 5:30. Our hostel mess is not yet reopened. I am presently eating food at Student Center Canteen. Went to sleep by 9:30.
12 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Had my breakfast by 8:30 in Student Center Canteen. Attended the classes by 9:15. Today only 70% of the students attended our class. Reader Afeefa Banu took the first class in our Third Semester Course of M.A. English. She discussed the basic concepts and arguments related to Commonwealth Literature. Afternoon Professor Sudhakar Marathe dealt with the poem “Love among Ruins” of Robert Browning. Today we entered our New Humanities Complex and attended our classes in the new classroom. The building is beautiful and classrooms are elegant. Went to sleep by 9:30.
13 July (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Got ready and attended the classes by 9:20. Professor Mohan Ramanan took his class. He discussed how Europeans and others settled in the Newfoundland. He explained how gradually they moved westwards for cultivating the vast wilds. Afternoon I offered a few homemade sweets to our Reader P Sailaja. She thanked me for it. Afternoon deposited some amount of money into my account at State Bank of India. Went to sleep by 9:00.
14 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today we don’t have classes. Today I have the schedule of meeting an important person in the city. Took a city bus from our campus by 1:00. Reached Abids by 2:30. Thence took a bus for Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar. Got off it over there and bought a few sweets for the man. I could locate his house after a little effort. My discussion went on for three hours (from 4:30 to 7:30) with Justice D J Jagannadha Raju. I enjoyed my first meeting with him. Returned to university by 9:00. Had my supper and wrote a letter to Jagannadha Raju thanking him for his kindness and affection in spending for three hours talking with me. Went to sleep by 11:00.
15 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. From 8:00 to 9:30 resumed writing the letter to Justice D J Jagannadha Raju. He is a good person. I am happy for meeting him yesterday at his house. By 10:30 left for Serilingampally along with my classmate Vijaya Krishna. Got my passport size color photos printed at a photo studio. Thereafter we did a bit of shopping. We returned to campus by 12:00. Spent rest of the time within the hostel. Evening thoroughly swept my hostel room and kept my belongings in order. Went to sleep by 10:00 for my dreams.
16 July (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today we don’t have classes because our teaching faculty has to attend the interviews of students for admissions into our department. Today it was very cool and showery. Today admissions took place for the first semester students of many courses at Administrative Block. Today it is an important day for me. Today I bought a used bicycle from Sharma (from Visakhapatnam), one of my friends from this (Men’s Hostel “A”) hostel, for 1500 rupees for my use in campus. I felt blissful to own such strong and beautiful bicycle. Went to sleep by 10:00.
17 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Morning paid my hostel mess bill, an amount of 640 rupees, for the month of April, in the State Bank of India. Attended the classes by 11:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the influential factors that shaped and enriched the origins and growth of African Literature. We did not have the class of Mohan G Ramanan because he was attending the interviews of research students. Afternoon went to Indira Gandhi Memorial Library and carefully searched in the iron racks for a few books set in our course outlines. I found some of them. Went to sleep by 9:30.
18 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today it was cool and cloudy. Attended the classes by 11:20. Actually there should be the class of Professor Sachidananda Mohanty but even today he was engaged in the interviews of research students. Spent some time in the central library. Today I borrowed two books from this library. They are Contemporary African Literature and the Politics of Gender of Florence Stratton and History of Literature in English–Britain and Ireland of Ronald Carter and John Mc Rae, a Routledge publication. These are meant for a basic understanding of African and English literatures. Went to sleep by 10:00.
19 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu read out a few portions and discussed the core themes of the novella A grain of wheat of Ngugi Wa Thiongo. Also she discussed the point of grouping our classmates for preparation of assignments. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed a sonnet of Lord Tennyson, which talks about a woman hunter and the immortality of life and death. Today it was cool and cloudy. Evening borrowed a book on commonwealth literature from central library. Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 July (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Professor Mohan Ramanan discussed the basic characteristics of “20th Century American Literature and Thought”. He sketched out the recent developments backed by the early trends of literature in America. We enjoyed the substance and style of his teaching very much. He maintains a formal and scholarly style of teaching. In the following class, Professor Sachidananda Mohanty discussed the basic elements of “20th Century British Literature and Thought”. Night went to Serilingampally along with my university friends and saw the Telugu film “Khushi” of Pavan Kalyan and Bhoomika in the second show. We enjoyed it. Went to sleep by 2:00.
21 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today I spent much of my time within the hostel. I involved myself in collecting some important points from the articles in the book Recent Commonwealth Literature, a publication of the Osmania University, Hyderabad, especially from the articles that talk about African literature. Some of the contributors are Viney Kirpal, N Pratima and Prema Nanda Kumar. They wrote on the contribution of African writers to the development of commonwealth literature in the recent times. Evening spent some time strolling along with my friends enjoying the tempting beauty in the campus. Went to sleep by 11:30.
22 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel room. Read a book on 20th century English literature. Two days ago a new student joined our hostel room. His name is Ravi Kanchan Chatterjee. He is from Assam. He is my junior in M.A. English. Our hostel mess is not yet reopened after the summer holidays. I am eating food at Student Center Canteen. This is what many students are doing now. Night listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 July (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty talked about the contribution of D H Lawrence to British literature. He did his Ph.D. on D H Lawrence. He provided us with a complete sketch of his personal and literary life. Afternoon the class of Sudhakar Marathe took place. Afternoon I received a letter from Queensland in Australia. They informed me that I won a big lottery (I never participated in anything of that sort and yet I got it and so it is going to be a miracle in my life, I felt). I am grateful to my Lord Gopal. I beg Him to realize this pleasant news. I have to send them 20 US dollars along with the filled in form (which they sent me). Went to sleep by 10:00.
24 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan gave us a clear picture of Romanticism and the emergence of novel in the mid-eighteenth century. He said that a novel portrays the transcendental views of writers on contemporary social, religious, commercial and such other concerns or facets of human life. In the following class, Afeefa Banu discussed the features of the novella A grain of wheat of Ngugi Wa Thiongo. Afternoon I thought a lot on what to do about sending the US dollars for the Australian lottery. Went to sleep by 11:00.
25 July (Wednesday)
Woke up by 7:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Today Sachidananda Mohanty brought an audiocassette carrying his interview with the niece of D H Lawrence (he met her while in England). We listened to it on tape recorder in our classroom. Then he discussed some aspects of the life and writings of D H Lawrence. Today I withdrew 2000 rupees from bank for a purpose. Evening bought and brought some liquor for offering to our hostel office staff. We (Degala Ravi Kumar, my roommate, and I) are going to be the hostel mess secretaries for the following month. Hostel office staff (including kitchen staff) expects these things from us. Night did a little written work. Went to sleep by 11:00.
26 July (Thursday)
Woke up by 7:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu first discussed a few portions of the novella A grain of wheat of Ngugi Wa Thiongo. Then she outlined the works of Chinua Achebe. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed an essay of the Victorian age. It is a satire on the laws of the British government, those days, which did not allow common people even to spend their time in public parks and streets. Today I received a letter from my home. They are planning to go to Tirupati soon to see Lord Venkateshwara (after some 13 years or so. We went to Tirupati when I was eight or so). I wrote them that I cannot join them due to my academic reasons. Went to sleep by 11:30.
27 July (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan talked about the concepts of Naturalism and Realism in English literature. In the following class, Sachidananda Mohanty showed us some pamphlets which outline the native places of D H Lawrence in England. Today he discussed the point of contribution of D H Lawrence to the 20th century English literature. Afternoon spent much of my time resting on cot. Today it was cool. Evening went to English department and collected a parcel. It came from the Institute of Rail Transport in New Delhi. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 July (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Had my breakfast at Student Center Canteen by 8:00. My former roommate D Ravi Kumar (presently he is staying in the room adjacent to ours) and I are going to be the mess secretaries to our Men’s Hostel “A” for the month of August. So, along with our common friend K Srinivasa Rao and a few hostel and kitchen staff members, both of us left for market in the city by 2:00 in the university van. We reached the big market area at Malakpet by 4:00. We carried out our hostel mess related purchase of goods spending about 55,000 rupees. We returned to our hostel by 12:00. We got the material unloaded from the van into our hostel mess room by the kitchen staff (who accompanied us for the purchase and loading of the items at the market in the city). Went to sleep by 2:00.
29 July (Sunday)
Woke up by 7:30. Rested on my cot from 10:00 to 12:00. Evening went to Serilingampally along with my friend Degala Ravi Kumar. We purchased some vegetables for our hostel mess in our positions of hostel mess secretaries. It is a tedious work. I bore with it. Facing challenges helps one understand life better. Yesterday the mess of our Men’s Hostel “A” was started. My salutes to Lord Gopal. Went to sleep by 10:00.
30 July (Monday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty discussed the core elements of the novel Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed a poem of the Victorian age. Also he assigned seminar texts to all of us. Today my friend Ravi Kumar and I assumed charge as the mess secretaries of Men’s Hostel “A”. We felt very disturbed and disgusted with the nature of this duty. I don’t know how to call these irresponsible idiots of postgraduate education. They lack basic manners. Went to sleep by 10:30.
31 July (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the short story “My life from the bush of ghosts”. She told us to form into four groups and write an outline on the basic idea of this piece summarizing our ideas as a group. We had a long discussion among ourselves. After assuming the position of mess secretary in our hostel, I became very busy. I have to rush from place to place on my bicycle (it is energetic. I ride it fast. I ride my bicycle very fast even during ordinary times. It looks as if I am on my way to attend a great task of urgency. Riding my bike fast is my style. If I sense that some other cyclist is trying to overtake me taking me as a worthless bloke, I immediately take the challenge and overtake him. I rarely find such people beside me) frequently. I may be anywhere physically but my thoughts revolve around our hostel mess. So, I am unable to concentrate on my studies. Day and night I have to be engaged in the supervision activities of our hostel mess (issuing items to kitchen staff in time for the preparation of breakfast, lunch and supper and supervising the quality of dishes and the work of cooks). May Lord Ganesh prevent obstacles in my path of duties. Went to sleep by 10:00.
1 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Sachidananda Mohanty discussed the literary achievements of D H Lawrence. He showed us some visuals, which he brought from the hometown of D H Lawrence. Afternoon spent much of my time in our hostel mess itself. The mess secretary should supervise the mess staff to avoid misuse of kitchen material. This duty is much irritating. Today cold attacked me. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the present developments in commonwealth literature and the challenges it is facing. She remarked that some drawbacks inherent in the very nature of commonwealth literature can’t be resolved by anybody. I felt very angry at a few students in our class today who spoke against the idea of introduction of Indian Writing in English in English literature courses. I am an Indian. I hate Indians who look like “Anti-Indian”. Indians disliking pursuing Indian Writing in English means detesting their bodies and souls. It is like spending in a star hotel with a beautiful foreign woman leaving one’s classic and dreamy life partner back at home in the hands of unknown men. Mother India regrets the existence of such blokes on its holy soil. However, I remained silent not to hurt them. Went to sleep by 10:30.
3 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Sachidananda Mohanty analyzed the elements of social existence portrayed in the Phoenix of D H Lawrence. Recently it turned rainy. Consequently the environment on the campus turned cool and green. I love this kind of atmosphere a lot. I get sublime recollections and emotions of my being during this time. I think rain is the cool water being poured down by God for spiritual and sensual enjoyment by the living beings on earth. Its cooling effect is like a divine beauty sleeping alone in a moonlit night before an innocent and sensitive boy. One can feel its presence and enjoy its essence. Went to sleep by 11:00.
4 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. Evening and night did a little written work. My thought follows, “The passions and sensitive emotions involved in an intimate relationship between two lovers are heavenly. It is something that can’t be expressed in words or be substituted with anything else. These notions and desires in human beings make them crave for more youth to squeeze more and more from the other. If there is happiness in the world, it should be associated with passionate human admiration for something. Relief lies in intense pain for the lost”. Went to sleep by 10:00.
5 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 9:30.
6 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sudhakar Marathe talked about oddity in poetry focusing on a few poets. This morning I pasted three wall posters of nature in our classroom (for beauty purpose). Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed two short stories of Rudyard Kipling in his scheduled class to us. By 4:00 a tea party was started in our department to celebrate our get-together with newcomers. Evening went to Serilingampally along with Ravi Kanchan Chatterjee (my junior in M.A. English who joined our hostel room recently) and Vijaya Krishna. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 11:00.
7 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan supervised the seminar presentations of two girls in his class. In the following class, Afeefa Banu discussed the conflicts involved in commonwealth literature. By 2:30 the students of the first and third semesters of M.A. English Literature (our juniors and we) gathered at the Vice Chancellor Rock (VC Rock), a spacious boulder near that guesthouse. We had a friendly talk for a few minutes observing the formality of senior-junior interaction. It was cool and pleasant. The shy and soft cheeks of the soil (little creatures and small plants living on it) were shivering to face the naughty and rough kiss (drizzle) of the sky. Went to sleep by 11:00.
8 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sudhakar Marathe gave us a guest lecture on the request of Sachidananda Mohanty who went to present a paper in a conference. By 2:00 went to our class to take the “Language Proficiency Test” being conducted by our department to assess our competence in English language. I did it well. I found it interesting and useful for our self-assessment as well. Today it was raw. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu conducted an internal assessment test on commonwealth literature. I did well in it. I presented abstract notions in the place of solid examples to prove my arguments. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe took his class and assigned us three tasks dividing our classmates into three categories. He gave two essays and one poem and told us to discuss them among ourselves and present the summary of our understanding toward the end of the mutual interaction session. Went to sleep by 11:30.
10 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. In the first class, Anna Kurien James discussed children’s literature (in English literature) in the 20th century. In the following class, Mohan Ramanan presided over the seminar presentations. Two students presented their seminars today. He took extra class from 2:00. Two students presented their seminars during this time. Evening did a little written work. Even today it was cool and cloudy encouraging creatures on campus toward romantic pursuits. Attended my mess related duties till 10:15. Went to sleep by 10:30.
11 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 5:30. All the day stayed within the hostel. My thought follows “It is natural that things or incidents that settled in our memory seem to be more enjoyable or regrettable than when they were really felt or faced. Almost every human being falls prey to retrospection some time or the other. We find recluses here and there. They love solitude and introspection. They lead a life of renunciation. They try to avoid worrying about their past and wish to illuminate their future with optimistic attitude toward their life and world around them”. Went to sleep by 9:30.
12 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time in our hostel mess supervising the preparation of the food items and sweets by our cooks. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 11:30.
13 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty continued his discussion on the novel Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed the basic characteristics of the Victorian literature. He commented that this period was an odd blend of quite contradictory things operating simultaneously side by side. We enjoyed his class very much. Evening attended my mess related supervisory duties. Went to sleep by 11:30.
14 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan discussed modernism and postmodernism in his class. In the following class, Afeefa Banu discussed how the women writers of Africa struggled to bring their voice to the wider platform of international readers. Even today friction arose in our class between the instructor and the students. Some oppose her points of view frequently. An instructor is a person who expresses his or her points of view to his or her supposed learners of knowledge or skills. If learners obstruct his or her flow of teaching time to time, it is no more a class but a mess. My classmates made our class a mess today. One may present one’s arguments in one’s answer papers during examinations. Verbal violence is not a good practice for students to follow in a classroom environment. Went to sleep by 10:00.
15 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today India is celebrating her Happy Independence Day regretting her bad luck in the past and hoping for a bright future ahead. Being a mess secretary, I spent busily in our hostel mess and failed to attend the celebrations at Professor Gurbaksh Singh Maidan. Today I spent much of my time in the mess related activities only and studied a bit for some time. Night watched the Telugu feature film “Saagara Sangamam” on Gupta’s computer system along with some other hostel mates. I found this day somewhat special this way. Went to sleep by 12:30.
16 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the basic characteristics of South African life and literature. It was affected by the oppressive approaches and fights of the colonizers for their control over the innocent Africans. Fear to face the painful present and anguish to recollect their injured past are two important elements of their literary sensibility. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe resumed his discussion on the influential factors of Victorian literature. Toward the end of this class, he assigned us a home exercise for internal assessment. Today I got the result of the “Language Proficiency Test” recently conducted in our department. I got very bad marks. Went to sleep by 11:00.
17 August (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the extra class of Sachidananda Mohanty by 11:20. He discussed the realities associated with the novel Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence. Afternoon I collected the mark sheets of my first and second semester courses of study from our department. The letter ‘n’ is missing in my middle name (Chiranjeevi) printed on these sheets. So, I have to apply for its rectification. By 4:00 left for the market at Malakpet in the city in the university van for the second round purchase of material for the mess of our Men’s Hostel “A”. We came back to our hostel by 12:00. Went to sleep by 1:00.
18 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning and afternoon involved myself in some considerable works. Morning supervised the arrangement of cooking items in the storeroom of our hostel mess. Afternoon my classmate Vijaya Krishna took a few photos of mine with his camera. By 5:30 we left for Serilingampally to get those negatives of the photos developed and printed. From there we moved to Miyapur on the same work because the prior place is observing the weekly holiday today. We came back to our hostel by 7:00. The photos did not come well because the quality of the film and the light effects are bad. Went to sleep by 11:00.
19 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent some time supervising the preparation of dishes by cooks in our hostel mess. Did reading for some time. These days it is cloudy, rainy and cool. It is inviting. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to bed by 9:00 but could not sleep as expected.
20 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty shared his concluding remarks with us on the novel Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence. Attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe by 2:20. Today he brought his friend to our classroom. She was his contemporary when he pursued his Ph.D. at Ontario University in Canada. She talked about the Victorian literature for some time. Evening went to Serilingampally and bought a compact camera for me. My classmate Vijaya Krishna accompanied me. I bought KB12 Plus camera of Kodak Company for 1095 rupees. There are excellent gifts also with it. I felt very happy to own a camera. May God bless me with good photos. Went to sleep by 11:30.
21 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan talked about eminent American literary figures, especially Ezra Pound and T S Eliot. Let me write a bit on why I am happy for buying a camera. Every moment of human life is irrevocable once it blends into the past. Today is the history of tomorrow. Human beings like their past when they grow old. We can’t remember how we looked once physically. The physical form of human body is a great asset because it stores the soul, a vital element spread across the world representing life. Photography shows our past in our future. I am not a great person and so nobody asks for my photos. Yet I love myself as I am and so my photos also. Photography keeps one’s history visually alive even after one’s death. I love the art of photography, my photos in particular. I tear ugly photos even if they are mine. Photography should add beauty to reality when the reality is ugly and it should uphold the originality of beauty when the reality is a great beauty in itself. Beauty is my passion, not the person. Went to sleep by 11:00.
22 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it was very cool and drizzly. Spent some time reading the play “A raisin in the sun” of Lorraine Hansberry. Today it is Vinayaka Chavithi, an important Hindu festival centered on the worship of Lord Vigneswara. I could not observe this auspicious occasion being a mess secretary. I beg Lord Ganesh to forgive me for my fault. I hope He directs me in the path of progress. Evening attended the “Orissa Cultural Presentation” at Professor Gurbaksh Singh Hall. The Oriya speaking student community of our university organized this cultural event very well. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu gave us a short story related to South African Literature and told us to discuss it among ourselves at low sound (when we can’t bear her lecture, she naturally finds our words as useless contents of unwanted noise, which she can’t tolerate). Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe brought “An Anthology of Victorian Poetry” compiled by him for use in our department. Today we discussed three poems “Ulysses”, “Crossing the Bars” and “Lotus-eaters” of Alfred Lord Tennyson. He explored their core and focused on their contrast. Evening read the play “A raisin in the sun” of Lorraine Hansberry. This play portrays the daily life tensions of an ordinary working class joint family. Went to sleep by 11:30.
24 August (Friday)
Got up by 6:00. Today I have two classes to attend but I intentionally avoided them to devote my time for another work. Took our Golden Threshold university bus along with my M.F.A. friends and reached Abids by 10:00. Bought a demand draft in a bank for 300 rupees favoring, The Passport Officer, Secunderabad. Submitted my passport application in the General Post Office at Abids at its Speed Post section after it was verified by the passport officer over there. Paid 100 rupees as extra fee for the contribution of the postal department in the processing of my passport application. Night read the short story “The man who died” of D H Lawrence. Went to sleep by 11:00.
25 August (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed within the hostel and kept on reading the novel Hard Times of Charles Dickens. It deals with the complexities of the poor in inevitable predicament of industrial environment. It satirizes the imaginary development shown by governments in statistics. It portrays the vulnerability of the lower classes in the society when a nation is developing industrially. It calls for enhancement of human values in a society avoiding commercialization of human relationships in pursuit of rapid industrial development. I liked this novel. Went to sleep by 10:00.
26 August (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. This is the last Sunday I observe in my position of Mess Secretary to the Men’s Hostel “A”. This position made me much responsible toward my related duties. It disturbed my studies to some extent. I spent much of my time in the kitchen of our hostel or in its thoughts wherever I am. We are responsible for food arrangements to about 150 students in our hostel on an hourly basis and so it is a tense job. However, one gets a lot of satisfaction from this work toward the end of one’s tenure. Went to sleep by 11:00.
27 August (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan took his extra class and discussed the form and diction of modern American poetry. In the following class, Sachidananda Mohanty shared his introductory remarks with us about the novel The Burmese Days (one of the core texts in our course outline) of George Orwell. We have the class of Sudhakar Marathe in the afternoon. Being busy with my hostel mess related duties, I could not attend his class. I regretted it. Evening called up my cousin Kiran at Badruka College of Commerce in Kachiguda. Went to sleep by 10:30.
28 August (Tuesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan Ramanan took his extra class. In today’s class, seminar presentations took place. In the middle of the presentation process, some of our university students came to our classroom agitating against the recent “Internet Fee Introduction” by the university. They requested us to boycott the classes expressing our sense of solidarity toward their agitation for a common cause of the campus students. Afeefa Banu could not take her following class to us due to this. Afternoon collected the rectified mark sheets of my first and second semester courses of M.A. English from the Administrative Block. Went to sleep by 10:30.
29 August (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan took his extra class. My classmates resumed their session of seminar presentations. Today he formally introduced his former student Pramod K Nayar to us. He recently joined as a lecturer in our department. He was a Fulbright scholar. He is a very talented and challenging lecturer in our department. Our juniors are being victimized by his high expectations from them. In the following class, Sachidananda Mohanty discussed the novel The Burmese Days of George Orwell. Today he felt very irritated at us because we forgot the names of some important writers about whom he talked in the previous class. Went to sleep by 9:30.
30 August (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today seminar presentations were started in the class of Afeefa Banu. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed the novel Hard Times of Charles Dickens. Today I saw an advertisement in the English daily The Hindu, inviting essays in English on “Dialogue among Civilizations: A Way to International Peace and Understanding”, not exceeding 5000 words, by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, in memory of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. I finished writing the essay for this competition by 10:30. I did not touch any book because I don’t like it. I wrote just what I thought about this theme. Went to sleep by 11:00.
31 August (Friday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today I spent much of my time at a computer center in Serilingampally. Two women DTP operators carefully typed up my handwritten essay. It turned into 15 pages in laser print. I spent 300 rupees on this work. From 10:00 to 6:00 I sat in the computer center to get this work done fast. Came back to hostel by 7:30. Enveloped the copies of my entry (essay) in a beautiful cover. Today it is my last day as the Mess Secretary of our Men’s Hostel “A”. I felt very happy for being relieved myself from this big headache of responsibilities. Went to sleep by 10:30 to enjoy my freedom in dreams.
1 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day spent within the hostel. From 7:00 to 11:00 engaged myself in preparing a seminar paper on the male characters in the play “A raisin in the sun” of Lorraine Hansberry, which has to be presented in our classroom under the supervision of Professor Mohan Ramanan. Evening called up my cousin Kiran at Badruka College of Commerce in Kachiguda and asked him to come to our campus to see and enjoy its natural and human beauty. He is presently staying in Manjeera Boys Hostel at Kachiguda. He felt happy to come. Also called up my aunt Lakshmi at Mallavaram and got familiarized myself with the latest information about the things over there. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent all my time within the campus. Morning read the novel Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence. Afternoon my cousin Kiran came from Kachiguda. We had our lunch in our hostel mess and toured the campus. We returned to our hostel by 5:00. I have to send my entry (essay) to New Delhi soon. Went to sleep by 10:30.
3 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty resumed his discussion on the novel The Burmese Days of George Orwell. We tried a lot to get this book but we could not find it at any bookshop in the twin cities. Even famous publishers did not publish it. By 3:00 went to bookshop “Book Point” at Himayat Nagar. There are many books on all the aspects of human wisdom at considerably low prices. My roommate Ravi Kanchan Chatterjee and I bought a few books in it. Returned to hostel by 8:30. Went to sleep by 10:00.
4 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today I presented my seminar paper titled “Men characters in ‘A raisin in the sun’” in the class of Professor Mohan Ramanan. I felt very happy with my presentation today. Only half of the paper could be read out today. The rest has to be presented on a day to come. I did not refer to any work to prepare this seminar paper. I made it a seminar of my subjective views on the work. In the following class, Afeefa Banu supervised the seminar presentations. Two girls presented their seminars today. Evening went to Serilingampally along with my classmate Vijaya Krishna and bought two audiocassettes of Telugu cine songs. Went to sleep by 10:30.
5 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 5:30. Today it was very cloudy and cool. Attended the classes by 11:20. Today we took an internal assessment test on D H Lawrence. Professor Sachidananda Mohanty sat in the chair reading something. Afternoon rested on my cot in the hostel room. My life is looking insignificant and dull to me. What is there in it? The depressed heart about my past always boils my spirit. My past ruthlessly affected me. I am lovesick. Somebody has to fill that void in me. Went to sleep by 11:00.
6 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today an Australian professor gave a guest lecture on the traditional and literary background of Australia. It was part of the course on commonwealth literature by Afeefa Banu. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe took his scheduled class and the seminar presentations were started. Two students presented their seminars today. Evening it turned mesmerizing in the campus. Nature is inviting young lovers to come and enjoy it. I failed to utilize its invitation because I have none beside me to celebrate it. By 8:30 my classmate Vijaya Krishna and I went to our department to see the dance rehearsals of our classmates (we are giving “Welcome Party to our Juniors” very soon). Went to sleep by 12:00.
7 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today I presented the remaining part of my seminar on “A raisin in the sun” of Lorraine Hansberry in the class of Mohan G Ramanan. I dealt with the men characters in this play. Came back to hostel by 11:30. Went to Professor Gurbaksh Singh Hall to check whether it was locked or not. Thence I proceeded to Administrative Block and took the key of this hall to start decorating it for our function in it. Today it is the last day of my 25th year of life. My Silver Jubilee Year ends by today. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it is my birthday. As I was born on 8 September, 1976, I enter the 26th year of my life today. I lived a solitary and deserted life for all these years. I always wanted a friend of opposite gender to talk something with me and illuminate my heart with her care and love toward me. I could not get it. Today I actively participated in the preparatory work for the celebration of welcome party to our juniors. This celebration went on between 7:30 and 12:30. My cousin Kiran also came to this function. Even Disc Jockey took place this night in our campus. Went to sleep by 2:00.
9 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 4:30. By 4:50 dropped my cousin Kiran at the small gate of the HCU on my bicycle. By 5:00 he took a bus for Kachiguda. Last night the sister of my classmate Vijaya Krishna also participated in our “Welcome to Freshers” function. She is a blend of beauty, tradition and modernity. I am looking for such girl to marry. May God bless her. Night listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder for some time. Went to sleep by 11:00.
10 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sudhakar Marathe supervised the seminar presentations in his class. From 2:20 to 4:00 once again his class took place and seminar presentations went on. Night I did not read anything. Called up my brother Srinivas and sister-in-law Sandhya Rani at Mallavaram. Knew that they are leaving for Ambala cantonment on the coming Saturday. I told them that I would come to see them off at Kazipet Junction railway station. Night listened to radio for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
11 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Professor Mohan Ramanan did not take his class because he went out to attend some other occasion. In the following class, Afeefa Banu talked about the Australian literature. Afternoon we heard that the Southern Grid in Andhra Pradesh broke down. Consequently power cut occurred in many parts of the state including our campus. Our campus community suffered a little due to it. Night we heard that a disaster took place in the United States of America. Went to sleep by 11:00.
12 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today Lecturer Pramod K Nayar took our class on behalf of Professor Mohan G Ramanan. He discussed two poems “The Emperor of Ice-cream” and “The Anecdote of Jar” of Wallace Stevens. He said that the poet avoided explanation and preferred to keep ambiguity in his poems. He is an excellent teacher of English literature. He cent percent deserves to be a faculty member at the Department of English in the University of Hyderabad. I liked his command of English literature and his mesmerizing teaching skills. Night did a bit of reading. Went to sleep by 11:00.
13 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu briefly discussed the Caribbean literature in her class. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe presided over the seminar presentations. Two of my classmates presented their seminars today. In the morning hours on 11th last, an unbelievable disaster broke out at New York in the United States of America. Four aeroplanes, directed by hijackers, crashed into World Trade Center. The 110-storied famous skyscraper lost its status down to earth. The world pitied it. Went to sleep by 10:30.
14 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Pramod K Nayar conducted an internal assessment test to us on behalf of Mohan G Ramanan. It was on “Realism and Modernism”. I prepared very little for it and so wrote a lengthy answer with poor content. By 11:20 Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and discussed the novel The Burmese Days of George Orwell. Afternoon did nothing worthwhile. Went to Shopping Complex and had two cones of vanilla ice cream. Night read a little. Went to sleep by 11:30.
15 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Read the novella The Secret Sharer of Joseph Conrad till 12:00. Freshened up myself and left for Hyderabad railway station along with my friend K Srinivasa Rao. I have to see off my brother Srinivas and sister-in-law Sandhya Rani (along with their sons) at Kazipet Junction railway station. They are on their journey to Ambala cantonment. We met them by 12:00 (midnight). We talked this and that with them till 1:00. We took Varanasi-Secunderabad Express on our return journey. We reached our hostel by 5:30.
16 September (Sunday)
Slept from 5:30 to 7:30. Washed a pair of clothes, bathed myself and had my breakfast in our hostel mess. Rested from 10:00 to 12:00 on my cot. I was unable to sleep. I can’t sleep well during daytime. Night lulls me well. Evening went to the rented apartment of my classmate Vijaya Krishna at Yellareddyguda along with him on a scooter. His mother and sister are staying there. I talked with them. His sister is very beautiful. I appreciated her beauty internally. We returned to the campus by 9:30. Went to sleep by 11:00.
17 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and shared his concluding remarks with us on the novel The Burmese Days of George Orwell. Afternoon attended the class of Sudhakar Marathe and listened to the seminars presented by two of our classmates. Evening wrote a message to a person that inspired me to do something for her. I kept on writing this script from 5:30 to 11:30. It was cold at night. It encouraged my pursuit of writing of admiration. Went to sleep by 12:00.
18 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan presided over the session of seminar presentations in his class. Toward the end of the class, he told us that he would take us to Indo-American Center for International Studies at Osmania University on the coming Saturday. Afterwards Afeefa Banu took her class and supervised the seminar presentations. Afternoon came back to hostel and was refused lunch by our hostel mess clerks because I did not pay my mess bill. Evening went to Serilingampally to record my voice (reading out and recording my recently written script addressed to a girl that inspired me to admire her) at an audio shop into a one-hour audiocassette and returned to our hostel by 11:00. Went to sleep by 12:00.
19 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty concluded his discussion on the novel The Burmese Days of George Orwell. My thought follows, “Fine arts add life to the dull psyches of people. The objective of art is to take the moods of its admirers to unite with that divine and spiritual emperor of the cosmos. It achieves it by soothing the weary hearts of people of various walks of life that follow it. Classical arts are meant for those that have sensory sensitivity and sublimity of visualization”. Went to sleep by 11:00.
20 September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu supervised the seminar presentations in her class. She looks liberal in this regard. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe presided over the seminar presentations by my classmates. Evening enjoyed the beautiful setting of clouds in the sky. Night read the novella The Fox of D H Lawrence. I am going to present my seminar based on this novella. This novella deals with basic sexual attraction between the same sexes and opposite sexes. Went to sleep by 11:00.
21 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan supervised the session of seminar presentations in his class. Sachidananda Mohanty too presided over the proceedings of seminar presentations in his extra class that followed. Today seminar presentations were started in his class. Afternoon did nothing in particular. Afternoon a verification officer (from General Post Office at Abids) came to our university post office to deal with my recently written complaint letter to them. He expressed his regret over the misconduct of the postal clerk toward me recently and assured better services hereafter. Night wrote my seminar paper on the novella The Fox of D H Lawrence. Went to sleep by 11:00.
22 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Started to the city by 8:30 in our Humanities van. All of us classmates are going to Indo-American Center for International Studies in Osmania University. Earlier it was known as American Studies Research Center (ASRC). Our Professor Mohan G Ramanan took us to this place to allow us to watch some video shows portraying the American history in chronological order. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) produced those video works. We also watched the feature film based on the novel The Color Purple of Alice Walker. We returned to the campus by 7:30. Went to sleep by 11:00.
23 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. Spent some time reading a book. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 11:30.
24 September (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class from 11:20 to 1:00 and presided over the seminar presentations. Toward the end of the class, he discussed the play “Saint Joan” of George Bernard Shaw for a few minutes. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe presided over the session of seminar presentations in his class from 2:20 to 4:00. Today I received an envelope containing a brochure from the “TATA AIG Life Insurance Company Limited” in Mumbai. Later, in the evening, I invited the local marketing executives to the campus and asked for more details about their insurance schemes. Night did a little written work. Went to sleep by 1:00. Night I enjoyed a classic dream.
25 September (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan took his class and talked about a few literary theories of the 20th century American literature. In the following class, Afeefa Banu supervised the session of seminar presentations. Today three students presented their seminars centered on New Zealand literature and poetry. Returned to hostel by 1:30. Afternoon remained in the hostel and read the beginning portion of the novel A House for Mr. Biswas of V S Naipaul. Night too read it to further extent. Night had a heavenly dream. Went to sleep by 11:00.
26 September (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it was highly enjoyable. It was drizzly. May God be kind enough to heal our desolate hearts of solitude with these showers of rain at least! I think raindrops are the rays of blessings from God sent by Him from the firmament. By 11:20 Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and discussed the background of the play “Saint Joan” of George Bernard Shaw. Came back to hostel by 12:30. Afternoon went to central library to search for a few books and get the photocopies of some portions of those books. On the way attended a small birthday gathering related to my roommate Samanta Sahu. Went to sleep by 1:00.
27th September (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu took her class and presided over the session of seminar presentations. Four of my classmates presented their seminars today focusing on the features of the Canadian literature. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe presided over the seminar presentations of two of my classmates. It started raining around 5:30 to cool down the sultry creatures on the campus. I enjoyed it. Evening and night kept on reading the novel A House for Mr. Biswas of V S Naipaul. Went to sleep by 11:00.
28 September (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class in another room (which is by main entrance of the Humanities building) and supervised the seminar presentations of three of my classmates. He said that he would not attend two of his following classes because he is going to Shimla to attend a literary conference. He advised us to make use of that time in the best possible ways. Afternoon gave an invitation letter to our Reader P Sailaja informing her about a felicitation function to S Janaki (a famous film singer in South India. I am her admirer) at Public Gardens in Hyderabad soon. Went to sleep by 11:00.
29 September (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today we don’t have classes. Today it rained heavily due to depression over the Bay of Bengal. Day and night I remained within the hostel. Around 2:00 my brother Sambha telephoned me from Adduroad. He enquired me about my well-being here. He asked me why I am not frequently writing letters to them. I told him that nothing forced me to write a letter to them because everything is going on well over here with me. He told me to write a detailed letter to them soon. I agreed for it. I kept on reading the novel A House for Mr. Biswas of V S Naipaul, one of his major (even in size) works, on which I have to present my seminar soon in our class of commonwealth literature under the supervision of Afeefa Banu. Went to sleep by 11:30.
30 September (Sunday)
Woke up by 8:30. The cyclone turned strong. On the other hand, the United States of America is getting ready to wage war on Afghanistan as part of its mission of fight against the international terrorism. The recent terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York enraged the people and the rulers of this rich country in the world. Prepared a seminar paper till 1:00. Evening went to Public Gardens to watch the felicitation function to S Janaki, a renowned singer in the Indian film industry. Owing to rain, they conducted this event at Ravindra Bharati. Many were not allowed inside because there was not enough space to accommodate all. I was disappointed and returned to the campus by 10:00 by a city bus. Went to sleep by 11:30.
1 October (Monday)
Woke up by 8:00. Morning there was the scheduled class of Sachidananda Mohanty but he was out of station. By 6:00 reached Ravindra Bharati (a great space of art in twin cities and my favorite spot in Hyderabad) along with my friend Srinivasa Rao to attend a felicitation function to P J Sharma, a noted Telugu theater and film artiste. His three sons (presently busy in South Indian film industry) and his wife also came to this program. Sai Kumar (a Telugu film actor) performed a soliloquy (he did very well in it). His daughter Jyothirmayi (the granddaughter of P J Sharma) performed her debut Bharatha Naatyam dance toward the end of this program. We enjoyed watching it. We returned to the campus by 10:30. Went to sleep by 11:00.
2 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it is the 132nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. I heard some casual critics saying that he has many bad qualities but the Government of India is unable to print anybody else’s image on its currency notes. One should believe that it is unnecessarily popularizing him. I think he has more virtues than vices in his personality. Morning took my classmate Vijaya Krishna to a doctor at Gulmohar Park area for consulting about his fever. Afternoon did a bit of reading. It was very cool and showery. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 11:30.
3 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Professor K Narayana Chandran, the present Head of the Department of English (recently he assumed this position to allow Professor Sudhakar Marathe to live a bit freely and think peacefully), took our class and gave us a guest lecture on the early English (originating from England) poetry of the Victorian period (20th century). Actually he discussed the characteristics of the Victorianism and its impact on colonial India. From 2:15 to 3:15 I discussed my seminar paper with Sudhakar Marathe. Evening spent some time observing the inviting air outside. Night collected the meanings of some difficult words in English (related to a work). Went to sleep by 11:00.
4 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu supervised the seminar presentations in her class. By 2:20 Sudhakar Marathe took his class and presided over the session of seminar presentations. My thought follows, “Nature is a mysterious phenomenon of the world. Various biological and ecological factors decide and configure its form and functioning according to a logical approach of understanding of its nature. A gardener should be there to water and care for the green plants. God must be the gardener of nature. He pours down water from the sky. He brushes shrubs with winds. He gives His vast land to birds, animals and other creatures freely. He is the most philanthropic landlord in the cosmos”. Went to sleep by 11:00.
5 October (Friday)
Woke up by 7:00. This morning my classmate Vijaya Krishna and I were attracted by an ad of “Bathina Technologies India Limited” in a newspaper. However, we attended the class of Mohan G Ramanan from 9:20 to 11:20. Then we went to the Cyber Towers at Madhapur. We proceeded to the venue of interview in it. The internal comfort and beauty of this brilliant edifice is really compelling. They want volunteers for the demonstration of their invention “Bathina Voice Auto Edition”. I did not attend this interview. He was not selected in this interview (he has the habit of speaking Received Pronunciation in formal occasions. Our classmates call him RP for this reason. He seems to be imitating the English accent of our Professor Sudhakar Marathe. These creatures did not like his accent. Ordinary Indians don’t like the standard accent of English? They have their regional English accents. They like it and follow it everywhere. These businessmen want such people who have such accent of English which can be easily understood by their clients and customers). Went to sleep by 12:00.
6 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed within the hostel. Did some reading throughout the day. My thought follows, “Life looks like a short journey when we are involved in the pleasant ways of leading it among highly affectionate people and considerably sensitive relatives. However, the beauty and flavor of one’s life depend on one’s fate and planning. Fate takes us either into enjoyable moments or inevitable predicament. Planning helps us have a bit of control on our life. One can be considered a balanced person when one seeks joy even from one’s troubles. This is what many great people of the world have been doing for long. Otherwise we don’t remember them”. Went to sleep by 9:30.
7 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel room writing a seminar paper. My thought follows, “Admiration is painful. It gets deeper when one’s beloved is going away from one. The admiration between a boy and a girl is great in every sense. The more both are innocent and reticent, the more the depth and intensity of admiration between them. Love after marriage can’t be as sweet as the one before marriage. Love, based on truth, lasts longer and provides bliss to the participants of the relationship. Only sensitive lovers can savor the essence of love in a realistic way”. Went to sleep by 11:30.
8 October (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Professor Mohan G Ramanan took his extra class and discussed the development of the 20th century American drama highlighting the contribution of four major American playwrights to it. The play “The Glass Menagerie” of Tennessee Williams was particularly discussed. It is one of the set texts in this course. I read it and felt very impressed. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe took his class and presided over the session of seminar presentations. Night did nothing in particular. Went to sleep by 8:30.
9 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan took his class and presided over the session of seminar presentations. Today three of my classmates presented their seminars. In the following class, Afeefa Banu supervised the seminar presentations of three students. Afternoon rested on cot with inertia. My youthful life is drifting away from me missing the celebration of my age. I need liberty and inspiring atmosphere to seek joy from nature and fine arts but I am involved in a mechanical world. Night did a little reading. Went to sleep by 11:00.
10 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and supervised the seminar presentations of three of my classmates. Night I recorded reading out my previously written script once again using a Walkman to send it to the person supposed. It’s a presentation of my admiration for her. Beauty is the most inspiring phenomenon in this world for me. Sandhya Rani, my sister-in-law, is also a blend of admirable beauty, character and sensitivity. I believe that living beauty should receive its due appreciation. For the same reason, I recorded my script to send to her. I finished the recording by 1:15. Went to sleep by 1:30.
11 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan supervised the remaining part of seminar presentation of one of my classmates in his class. In the following class, the session of seminar presentations went on under the supervision of Afeefa Banu. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe supervised seminar presentation session. Recently we became very busy with our studies. There is heavy burden of work. I don’t think I can clear this overload of work in any way. Our department wants to sharpen us this way. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 9:30.
12 October (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan took his class and presided over the session of seminar presentations. In the following class, Sachidananda Mohanty presided over our seminar presentations. Today I started seminar presentations in this class. My seminar was focused on the novella The Fox of D H Lawrence. The title of my presentation is “A Sensitive Love Story with a Philosophical Outlook towards Life”. The explored themes are ‘intuitive impulses in youth’ and ‘fulfillment in life’. Went to sleep by 10:00.
13 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 10:00. Today we have an internal assessment test on the play “The Glass Menagerie” of Tennessee Williams under the supervision of Mohan G Ramanan. But he sent a girl (she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. under his guidance) to conduct the test. She is a bright star of beauty. Her face shone like a moon. Salutes to Indian female beauty! Evening saw the English film “The Knight’s Tale” in cinema Kumar at Kachiguda along with my classmates. Returned to hostel by 7:30. Had my supper in our hostel mess by 8:30. Went to sleep by 11:00.
14 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Read the play “St Joan” of George Bernard Shaw in my hostel room till 4:30. By 5:00 left for Ravindra Bharati by city bus. Today there is a cultural presentation titled “Swara Raaga Narthanam”. The disciples of Uma Rama Rao are presenting a ballet based on a few extracts of Vishwambhara, a work of Dr C Narayana Reddy, a noted Telugu film lyricist and literary figure. I enjoyed watching this program a lot. I recorded some parts of it into an audiocassette using a Walkman. Returned to hostel by 9:30. Listened to that recording on the tape recorder of my friend. Went to sleep by 11:30.
15 October (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan took his class and talked about Confessionalism in American literature. By 11:20 we moved into another room (on the advice of Afeefa Banu) where Ishaq, a retired professor of English, gave us a guest lecture on the African American literature and the evolution of Jazz (music) from the Harlem renaissance to the present and its impact on the modern people of the world. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe supervised the session of seminar presentations. Night spent reading for some time. Went to sleep by 11:00.
16 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan presided over the session of seminar presentations in his class. From 11:20 Afeefa Banu supervised the seminar presentations in her class. Today I presented my seminar along with two of my classmates. My seminar was based on the novel A House for Mr. Biswas of V S Naipaul. Recently he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. I felt happy to know it. Evening went to Serilingampally to get a few Telugu cine songs recorded into audiocassettes at an audio shop. Came back to hostel by 8:00. Went to sleep by 11:30.
17 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and supervised the seminar presentations of three of my classmates. Afternoon all of us classmates have to meet Professor Sudhakar Marathe in his room at the department for a brief talk with him on our views regarding our courses of study so far and our future plans whatsoever. Very few students could meet him because there was very little time at his disposal. He told the rest to meet him later. Night spent casually. Went to sleep by 9:00. Night had a heavenly dream.
18 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Today there was a guest lecture by a professor of English from the Osmania University in our Humanities Lecture Hall on diaspora and postcolonial theories. Majority of the attendees were from the first and third semesters of M.A. English. Afeefa Banu coordinated this session. Sudhakar Marathe took his class by 2:20. Today I presented my seminar based on the novella The Secret Sharer of Joseph Conrad and the poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” of Robert Browning. I felt satisfactory with my seminar presentation. Went to sleep by 11:00.
19 October (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan supervised the seminar presentation of one of my classmates. Later he read out a few poems carrying the element of expressionism. By 11:20 the seminar presentation session was started under the supervision of Sachidananda Mohanty in his class. By 3:00 went to police station at Ramachandra Puram to get my original educational certificates verified by the authorized policeman over there for the purpose of issuance of my passport by the regional passport office at Secunderabad (part of a mandatory official verification before issuance of a passport to an applicant). Evening went to Shilparamam along with my classmate Vijaya Krishna to watch the Kuchipudi dance recital of Alekhya (a debutante). Went to sleep by 10:00.
20 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day stayed within the hostel. From 9:00 to 2:30 (with a lunch break in between) wrote the term paper on the short story “The second choice” of Theodore Dreiser. It is an absorbing love story with two young characters. I liked it a lot. This term paper has to be submitted to Professor Mohan G Ramanan for internal assessment. I was highly involved in this short story because I too have the same kind of dreamy feelings of love in me. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 10:30.
21 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Morning read the novel The Light that Failed of Rudyard Kipling lying on green grass in the forest beside the road to New Sports Complex in the campus. My friend Veeranjaneyulu was engaged in his painting work under the big tamarind tree there. I pursued my reading sensing the spell of the beautiful nature around me. Evening my brother Sambha called me up from Peda Gummuluru and informed me that my father (Venkatapathi Raju) would come to Hyderabad by Godavari Express on the following Saturday to see me, our university and one or two places in the twin cities. Night spent casually. Went to sleep by 10:30.
22 October (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and supervised the seminar presentation of one of my classmates. Later, a group of four students, coordinated by Carol Faith Satananda (a bright student in our class with wise looks, rosy cheeks and an innocent heart. She is very religious. She never likes to hurt others. It hurt me), presented their collected information on V S Naipaul, the recent recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature, in the special seminar session, conceived and supervised by Professor Sachidananda Mohanty, in honor of Naipaul, who basically belongs to India. Afternoon seminar session took place under the supervision of Sudhakar Marathe. Cold winds of winter have recently crept into our campus to freeze solitary creatures like me and to drive passionate lovebirds on the campus into madness and chaos. Went to sleep by 11:00.
23 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan discussed a few poems. In the following class, Afeefa Banu supervised the seminar presentation of Vijaya Krishna on two poems related to English literature of Bangladesh. Afternoon dropped my classmate Vijaya Krishna at the small gate of HCU on bicycle. He is going to his hometown Vijayawada to celebrate his birthday. He celebrates Dasara as well at home. Night finished reading the novel The Light that Failed of Rudyard Kipling. Went to sleep by 11:30.
24 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty presided over the session of seminar presentations in his class. Afternoon stayed in the hostel and read the novella Sister Kate of Jean Bedford. Night too did the same for some time. Meanwhile my classmates came to my hostel room. We talked about the trivialities of life. Emanuel read out the copy of letter I sent to Nupur Jain in New Delhi long ago. They were impressed by the content of this letter because it is a dreamy treatment of my admiration for her beauty. Went to sleep by 12:00.
25 October (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu presided over the seminar presentations of two of my classmates on two literary works of Bangladesh. The novel Lajja of Taslima Nasreen was one of the two novels discussed by them. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe presided over the session of seminar presentations centered on Victorian literature. He is a jovial and brilliant professor and sitting in his class is a matter of pleasure and satisfaction for us. Night finished reading the novella Sister Kate of Jean Bedford. Listened to a Telugu play on Hyderabad radio. Went to sleep by 9:30.
26 October (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today it is “Dasara” (Vijaya Dasami), an important Hindu festival. Spent much of my time within the hostel. Did a little reading for some time. Spent watching television for some time. Our hostel mess secretaries provided us with special dishes on this festive occasion. Some students left for their homes to celebrate this festival. Night listened to some Telugu cine songs on tape recorder. Collusive winter makes the sensitive hearts of romantic people crave for a lovable creature to accompany in the lovely places of nature. It makes me feel solitary and forsaken contemplating my abject existence amid the abundance and glow of plentiful and enchanting female beauty of the world around me. Went to sleep by 9:30.
27 October (Saturday)
Woke up by 4:00. Hired an auto rickshaw from the main gate of our campus and started to Nampally railway station. Received my father from Godavari Express and brought him to our hostel by 9:00 in our university bus of the Golden Threshold. Afternoon I showed him manmade and natural attractions in our university campus to some extent. Evening we went to Birla Temple in the city. It was crowded today because it is Saturday today (an important day for the devotees of Lord Venkateshwara). He brought a big load of homemade sweets for me from home. All these days I craved for such mouth-watering sweets. Now I am unable to face them alone. May God bless my folks at home for their affection and care for me. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 October (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. This morning my father wanted to meet Bikshu, a faculty member in theater arts in our university, at his quarters in the campus. He liked his performance in a Telugu serial on television and so wanted to meet him to appreciate him. He was not available at his abode. By 9:30 we went to Serilingampally. I got my manuscript typed up and laser printed at Balaji Xerox Center. Recently our Reader P Sailaja bought a new car for her. I wrote a piece of poetry in English to present her on this occasion. This work was related to it. Thence we went to Kukatpally to meet our distant relative Krishna Varma. From there we proceeded to Kothi. There we bought two saris at Vaibav Shop for 400 rupees. They are for my mother. He took Godavari Express at Hyderabad railway station by 5:00. He could get a seat in the general compartment. Went to sleep by 9:00.
29 October (Monday)
Woke up by 6:00. Winter is active in the morning. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty presided over the reading session of the play “St Joan” of George Bernard Shaw. A few of my classmates read out this play in a dramatic style. We have very few core texts in this course. I am grateful to him for it. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe conducted an internal assessment test to us on two poems “East London” and “West London” of Matthew Arnold. He told us to explore the similarity between these two poems and assess the social predicament of those times. Went to sleep by 10:00.
30 October (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan supervised the seminar presentation of four of my classmates on the novel The Color Purple of Alice Walker. It portrays the predicament of a poor African American woman in the company of her cruel husband. In the following class, Afeefa Banu sketched out the literary sphere of Sri Lanka. When the contestants of the ensuing “Student Union Election” requested her to leave the class to allow some of our classmates to join them in their campaign on campus, she left our classroom in the middle. Evening spent some time strolling in the campus. Night wrote the term paper for the Victorian literature course. Went to sleep by 11:30.
31 October (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty supervised the session of seminar presentations in his class. Afternoon sent a small parcel of the entrance examination question papers of mathematics of our university to my friend Ramu Naidu at Kurnool by post. Evening spent some time reading the novella Sister Kate of Jean Bedford. Slithered into sleep while reading it and continued it for one hour. Night wrote the term paper on the aforesaid novella for our commonwealth literature course simultaneously listening to Telugu cine songs on Walkman for adding beauty and profundity to my writing. Went to sleep by 12:00.
1 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu discussed the main features of the Canadian, Caribbean and Australian literatures in her class. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe dealt with two poems of Robert Browning. Evening Had a head bath with hot water. Recently geysers (of Venus Company) were fitted in our hostels. Consequently we are getting hot water to energize our cold bodies. Night resumed writing my term paper based on the novella Sister Kate of Jean Bedford (an Australian writer). I liked it very much. Went to sleep by 12:00.
2 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. The winds of winter are caressing the tender cheeks of girls on campus. Oh lovely girls of this verdant campus! How are you protecting yourselves from the rough kisses of this wind? I don’t think the blades of grass hesitate to lend their wealth of dewdrops to your buttery soles if they wish to play with soil by chance. Let the rays of rising sun save you from these tricks of the naughty winter morning. Let my lonely heart pray for your delight and comfort. Went to sleep by 12:00.
3 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent much of my time writing the term paper to submit to our Reader Afeefa Banu. She has a humanitarian outlook toward students. Recently I bought a Kodak KB12 camera. I am making use of it in the best way. I have some color photos with me shot by it. I am very happy to own a small and brilliant camera at such low price (1195 rupees). My crazy age is getting away without tasting the flavor of love of a sweetheart. My camera is storing the spirit of that sorrow in photos. Went to sleep by 11:00.
4 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Had my breakfast by 9:00 in our hostel mess. Started to Serilingampally by 9:30 on my bicycle. I could save eight rupees using my bicycle for this trip. The photos were ready by 1:00 at Sai Preet Color Lab. I paid him 200 rupees and took them. These photos were shot in our university campus. My father is also there in some of them. Night had a bit of rice in our hostel mess. In the recent “Student Union Election” of the HCU, my friend Bhayya (majority of the students in the campus call Kuracha Srinivasa Rao like this) too contested for the position of Cultural Secretary. He won it. I felt very happy about it. Went to sleep by 12:00.
5 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and supervised the session of seminar presentations. Actually today it is a declared holiday in connection with the recently held Student Union Election. Afternoon there was no class of Sudhakar Marathe. The name of my Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 11:00.
6 November (Tuesday)
Got up by 6:00. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan took his class. Two of my classmates presented their seminar papers. By today the seminar presentations came to an end in this course. In the following class, Afeefa Banu discussed a few historical facts related to the education policy of India from 1601 to the present. Afternoon Sachidananda Mohanty took his extra class and introduced the novel Nice Work of David Lodge. Evening spent watching the cloudy sky for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
7 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and supervised the seminar presentations of three of my classmates. Afternoon he took extra class and discussed the novel Nice Work of David Lodge. Night watched a film (the sexual aspect of human life in Indian version) on a hostel mate’s computer. It partly shows the naked bodies of some Indian sex workers engaged in bodily acts. These shows help appease the disturbing and harassing instincts of bachelors like me to some extent. Naked beauty is an evil. Ordinary humans can’t resist it. Went to sleep by 10:30.
8 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu took her class and assigned us a classroom exercise. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe discussed a few poems of Thomas Hardy. After this class, went to central library and searched for a few books. I could find some of them. Got some portions of them photocopied for my use. Night read two articles on commonwealth literature. This morning a blanket of fog covered our campus. Recently our campus branch of State Bank of India was moved into a new and spacious building near the main gate of our university. Today I paid my hostel mess bill for the month of October. Went to sleep by 11:00.
9 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Mohan G Ramanan taught us about the trends of British poetry up to Philip Larkin. It was a guest lecture by him on the request of Sachidananda Mohanty. Afterwards Sachidananda Mohanty took his extra class and supervised the seminar presentations of three of my classmates. By today the seminar presentations came to an end in this course. Evening went to central library to get a few pages of some books on T S Eliot, Ezra Pound and Robert Frost photocopied for my use. Night read the novel The Color Purple of Alice Walker for some time. Went to sleep by 10:30.
10 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 7:00. All the day spent within the hostel. A lot of material is there to be read and comprehended. There is a little time and a heavy load of literature to be digested. Read the play “St Joan” of George Bernard Shaw from 9:00 to 12:30. From 1:00 to 6:30 and again from 8:00 to 11:30 read the novel The Heart of Darkness of Joseph Conrad. The date of end-of-semester examinations is fast approaching. Went to sleep by 12:00.
11 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the hostel. Spent much of my time reading the novel The Burmese Days of George Orwell. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 12:00.
12 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 11:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his class and discussed a few poems of W B Yeats and Ted Hughes. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe took his class and discussed a few poems of Matthew Arnold. Our end-of-semester examinations will be conducted between 22nd and 28th of this month. Our winter vacation follows them. We have three professors of higher level who set tough questions for us in these exams. There is a lot to read for nominally facing their tricky question papers and checking our luck. Went to sleep by 11:30.
13 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu conducted an internal assessment test in her class. In the following class, Mohan G Ramanan gave his last lecture to us in this course on movement poetry relating it to the contemporary parallels in American literature. He felt sad to find that it was his last class to all of us as a batch of his students. We were photographed with him in front of the office of our department. Afternoon attended the extra class of Sachidananda Mohanty. Night spent at open dais where Vinod Babu and Vijaya Lakshmi sang film songs as part of an orchestra.
14 November (Wednesday)
Went to sleep by 4:30 after returning from the orchestra performance at open dais. We got a bit wet in the dew of winter. Still we enjoyed the program a lot. They sang Telugu and Hindi film songs. Woke up by 8:30 to welcome Deepavali. Freshened up myself, had my breakfast and slept till 12:30 to compensate yesterday’s sleeplessness. Afternoon read the play “The Homecoming” of Harold Pinter. It is an absurd play. I did not celebrate Deepavali in any way. Night watched television for some time. Went to sleep by 11:00.
15 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Afeefa Banu took her class and expressed some of her notions about our batch of students. Today it was her last class to all of us as a batch of students. By 11:20 K Narayana Chandran, the present Head of the Department of English, took our class and talked about the availability and rationale of the optional courses for us in the fourth/last semester. Afternoon Sudhakar Marathe took his class and gave his last lecture to all of us as a batch of students. After his class, went to central library and got a few portions of some books photocopied for my use. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Attended the classes by 9:20. Sachidananda Mohanty took his last class to all of us as a batch of students and discussed the novel The Heart of Darkness of Joseph Conrad. After that K Narayana Chandran took our class for a few minutes and distributed the copies of the course outlines of our fourth semester. From 2:00 to 5:00 we wrote our term papers in the classroom under the supervision of Mohan G Ramanan. I wrote my term paper based on the short story “The Second Choice” of Theodore Dreiser. After this test, our classmates stayed back for a while and discussed how to choose optional subjects in the fourth semester (we have to select optional subjects among ourselves carefully and strategically because each optional subject on offer requires a minimum number of students to be run). Went to sleep by 10:30.
17 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:00. All the day stayed within the hostel and prepared myself to face the coming war of examinations. The name of my Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Rama Krishna Govinda Narayana. Went to sleep by 11:00.
18 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:00. Spent most of my time within the hostel room. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 11:00.
19 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day remained in the hostel and spent reading. The name of my Lord Krishna follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 12:00.
20 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel and prepared for the ensuing end-of-semester examinations. We are stuffed with overburden of studies over here. No time at all to scan all the material set in our course outlines. It is one of the best English departments in India. I don’t think I am a worthy creature to study here. Consequently imbalance prevails between the high expectations of teachers from us and our poor performance in these courses of study. I am one of such poor performers in our class. Went to sleep by 9:30.
21 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel and prepared for the ensuing examinations. The first examination I take tomorrow is on “British Literature and Thought-1837-1914”, that is Victorian literature. Much part of this course of study went on in the process of seminar presentations and preparation of term papers. Professor Sudhakar Marathe, the instructor of this course, expects a lot from us. I prepared very little for this examination. In this context, facing his question paper seems to be a daunting task for me. I am bound to face that risk. Went to sleep by 12:30.
22 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Reached our department by 9:30. Sat on a chair in our classroom by 10:00. Professor Sudhakar Marathe distributed the question papers and the answer books. He set a very good question paper. I did not do well in this exam. Today I received my passport sent from the regional passport office at Secunderabad. Afternoon and night read the novel Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence. Went to sleep by 12:00 in the hostel room of my classmate Vijaya Krishna.
23 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day stayed within the hostel and kept on revising the (previously touched) material of the “20th Century British Literature” course. The novels are: The Heart of Darkness of Joseph Conrad, Sons and Lovers of D H Lawrence, Nice Work of David Lodge and The Burmese Days of George Orwell. The plays are: “The Homecoming” of Harold Pinter and “St Joan” of George Bernard Shaw. These are our core texts in this course. We have to scan a few works of Philip Larkin also. I could not devote my time for poetry. Then we should cast a bird’s view on this age and its characteristics as well. Night I had a (first) dream with a love letter from a girl. Went to sleep by 11:30.
24 November (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day stayed within the hostel after the examination. I attempted the three optional questions on the novel Heart of Darkness, the play “The Homecoming” and the novel The Burmese Days. I did it well. It is due to clear instructions by Professor Sachidananda Mohanty. I am grateful to Mother Saraswati and Lord Gopal for energizing me to face this paper well. Afternoon filled in the application form meant for the issuance of student railway reservation concession forms and gave it in our department for attestation. It was very cold outside. Went to sleep by 12:30.
25 November (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within my hostel room preparing for the examination tomorrow. I pray my Lord Gopal and Mother Saraswati to guide me well in these examinations. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 11:30.
26 November (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Presented myself in our classroom by 9:40. Today we took examination on “20th Century American Literature”, Professor Mohan G Ramanan being its instructor. He gave a liberal set of questions. I answered them well. Came back to hostel by 1:30. Had my lunch and went to the Administrative Block to submit my application form for the issuance of student concession forms for railway reservation. Night read some critical essays on commonwealth literature. Went to sleep by 11:00.
27 November (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day stayed within the hostel and prepared for the next examination on commonwealth literature. Reader Afeefa Banu is the instructor of this course. It is the second course of study she offered us. She taught us “The Structure of Modern English-Part II” in our second semester. The name of my Lord Gopal follows, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Went to sleep by 12:00.
28 November (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Reached our department by 9:30. I did the examination well. I felt relieved after this examination because it is the last exam in our third semester. Afternoon spent talking with my classmates. Night I joined a group of eight students of our class and started my exciting expedition along with them. We walked through the forest in our campus. It was a moonlit night with radiant beauty all around. We crossed boulders, made a fire for some time to endure biting cold, moved through bushes and on and on the bliss of which can’t be expressed in words. After some four hours of continuous walk through the forest, we halted at a flat and spacious boulder. We carefully climbed onto it and tried to rest on it. We kept on talking this and that because we could not sleep. We made a fire on this huge boulder to warm up ourselves and save from the spell of the cold around. We enjoyed the heaven of a cold and moonlit night in the forest of our campus. It was a great experience for me. I am grateful to my classmates because they could materialize their romantic thought into a rewarding experience in which I too could participate (Colin Leslie Kelman, Shiv Narayan Mishra, Kiran Prasad, Narasaiah and Emanuel are some of the participants in this small expedition).
29 November (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Took our Golden Threshold university bus for the city along with my friend Ramesh. We reached Nampally railway station by 10:00 after a little walk from there. I got a second-class berth reserved for me to Godavari Express for the 3rd of this December from Hyderabad to Narsipatnam Road. We had our lunch at a hotel there. We went to cinema Taraka Rama and saw the Telugu film “Abhay” of Kamal Haasan. I liked this film for its uniqueness and the captivating acting of Manisha Koirala, a beauty queen. Went to sleep by 9:30.
30 November (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the hostel. It is the last day of this month. A month of tensions is ending by today relieving me to a month of holidays and enjoyment. I regret every month that passes by me. God provided every month for me to spend in His beautiful nature waiting for a bright future. That spirit of manhood and existential energy flow from the immortal God to the mortal man. The beauty of life has to be interpreted in terms of one’s philosophy and perception toward the external world and one’s internal forces. Went to sleep by 9:30.
1 December (Saturday)
Got up by 5:30. Morning went to the rented apartment of the family of my classmate Vijaya Krishna at Yellareddyguda, where his sister Pramodini (I don’t know her name. So I gave it) and his mother are staying. I reached their flat by 11:00 along with my classmate Viswa Prasad. My friend left this place in a few minutes. I spent there for five hours discussing various issues of life and struggle for existence with her. She said that she is not good at cooking. But she prepared a delicious lunch. She is a very beautiful girl. We sat on the floor like friends and had our lunch (the first heaven of joy I experienced in the company of a beautiful girl in this world). This is the girl whom I saw for the first time in our recently held “Welcome Party to our Freshers” on my 25th birthday. This is the girl that entered my dreams many times recently. This is the girl for whom I prepared an audiocassette of recording of my heart recently. May God bless her beautiful life with bliss and spirituality. Came back to hostel by 7:00. Went to sleep by 10:30.
2 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within my hostel room. By 5:00 my friend Veeranjaneyulu and I went out. We hired an auto rickshaw from Gachibowli and proceeded to Jubilee Hills via short cut. He handed a painting to Rama Devi. She belongs to the family of the owners of Sirish Company. Thence we moved to the office of Raghu at Film Nagar. He took the measurements of paintings needed by them to be placed in strategic locations of their office. My salutes to Lord Gopal. He is my director. My salutes to Mother Saraswati. She is my well-wisher. Went to sleep by 10:00.
3 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent in our hostel till 12:30 listening to my favorite Telugu cine songs on the tape recorder of my friend Veeranjaneyulu. By 1:00 we left for the city from the campus. We took a city bus before the main gate of our campus for Kothi. We got off it at Abids and walked to the Golden Threshold. We spent there for some time and went out to do a bit of shopping. I bought two saris for my mother and four T-shirts for my brother Sambha spending 600 rupees. Took berth No. 62 in the coach No. S5 in Godavari Express by 5:00 at Nampally (Hyderabad) railway station.
4 December (Tuesday)
I could not sleep in the train. A melodious pattern of rhythm emerges when a train is in motion. It keeps our senses receptive and active throughout the night. Reached our home by 6:00 in the morning. By 10:30 went to State Bank of India at Etikoppaka and withdrew 2000 rupees from my savings account. Sent a Money Order of 1000 rupees to my friend Veeranjaneyulu (I borrowed this amount of money from him recently). Today I saw Shiva Ganapathi Tent House at Adduroad. It was recently opened by my brother Sambha in partnership with another one. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 10:30.
5 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. It was very cold outside. Went to Adduroad by 10:00 to meet the folks at Supraja Audio Recording Center. Ordered them to record a few selected Telugu cine songs into two 60-minute audiocassettes. I want to gift these audiocassettes to Pramodini. She is a goddess of beauty and spirituality. She greatly impressed me with her admirable character. Then I went to Elamanchili and got two more audiocassettes recorded for her (I could not find some Telugu cine songs at Adduroad). Returned home by 7:00. Went to sleep by 9:30.
6 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. Morning went to Zilla Parishad Upper Primary School in our village (Peda Gummuluru). Met Ganga Raju, my B.A. classmate. He is working as a voluntary teacher in that school now. Then went to Adduroad and spent some time at Supraja Audio Recording Center. Then came back to home and rested on bed for one hour. Evening talked with my paternal aunt Subhadra for two hours. She looked very weak and depressed (being unable to bear the eccentric treatment of her husband and the perverse behavior of her dear son Ravindra Varma). I regretted her predicament. By 5:30 took our tape recorder to Adduroad to get it dusted and reactivated at a mechanic (my folks at home don’t use it. I have to take care of it because I use it). Went to sleep by 10:30.
7 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. Left for Narsipatnam Road railway station by 6:45. Took Kakinada-Visakhapatnam passenger by 7:15 for Visakhapatnam. Reached there by 9:15. Took a city bus by 10:00 and proceeded to Andhra University. Went to Block-7 of Arts Section to enquire about the procedure to be followed for obtaining my original B.A. certificate from them. Did it fast and saw a Telugu film in a theater in the afternoon. Took Visakhapatnam-Rajahmundry passenger train and reached home by 9:15. Went to sleep by 10:00.
8 December (Saturday)
Got up by 6:00. Morning went to Adduroad and spent some time at Supraja Audio Recording Center. Bought four empty 60-minute audiocassettes and ordered them to record some selected Telugu cine songs and classical music into them. I want to gift two of them to Pramodini. By 8:15 (at night) started writing a script of admiration meant for Pramodini. She asked me to write something for her when I recently met her because she knew that I am a little writer. I was not in an elevated mood to do it perfectly. Yet I managed to write it well. Went to sleep by 10:30.
9 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time at home. From 9:00 to 11:30 spent writing the script of admiration meant for Pramodini, which I started last night. I did it listening to melodious Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder. Music helps produce appreciable written works. This morning I could write well. My salutes to Mother Saraswati. Afternoon rested for some time. By 2:00 left for Adduroad to spend some time talking with my friends there. Sat at the tent house of my brother Sambha for some time. Spent some time talking with my friends. From 7:00 to 10:00 attended the written work meant for Pramodini. Went to sleep by 10:30.
10 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time at home copying my rough draft neatly into a notebook for Pramodini. Since the day I entered our home I have been observing the after-death-untouchability-custom (myla) in respect of the death of one of our relatives in our locality. They believe that all the relatives of a dead creature should observe this custom to uphold the sanctity of mainstream Hinduism. Personally I don’t believe in these observations but as a member of our family system, I need to follow them for their satisfaction. Listened to the recently recorded Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder for a long time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
11 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent at home till 5:00. Then started to the house of my uncle Rama Raju at Raja Venkata Nagaram. Night I spent there. I discussed the aspects of investment, establishment and maintenance of a dairy farm with my uncle. We talked about the preference of buying cows or buffaloes for this unit. There are four main parts in running a dairy unit. They are: 1. The Mobilization of working capital in a right way. 2. The selection, lease or purchase of a fertile and spacious land for construction of sheds and cultivation of green fodder for cattle and recruitment of loyal and hard-working staff to work in the dairy farm. 3. The purchase of quality cattle. 4. The marketing of milk/milk products produced/manufactured. He knows these things well. Went to sleep by 10:30.
12 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day stayed at home. Spent much of my time copying the rough draft (in Telugu) neatly into a notebook for Pramodini. By 6:30 the 76-page long message of admiration (in a medium size short notebook) came to an end. I am grateful to Mother Saraswati for Her blessings. My salutes to Lord Gopal for His blessings. I am very happy for preparing such highly involved and dedicated script of admiration for her. She asked me to write something for her. Because I have developed admiration for her beauty and sensitivity, I could do it well. Went to sleep by 10:30.
13 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:30. Morning spent at home listening to Telugu cine songs on our Philips tape recorder. Afternoon went to State Bank of India at Etikoppaka and withdrew 1000 rupees from my savings account. I could not achieve the standardized style of my signature for official purposes. Today the bank staff checked my present signature comparing it with the previously recorded one with them to ascertain my candidature as the real account holder with their bank. There was a difference between the two. They asked me to sign the withdrawal form afresh observing my previously recorded one (the prevalence of creativity even in my signature is a big problem for me). Evening went to Adduroad and spent some time at Supraja audio recording center. Went to bed by 9:30.
14 December (Friday)
Got up by 6:30. Today it is the last day of Kaartheeka Maasam (a holy month according to Telugu calendar). So, one of the rich Kshatriya folks in our village is organizing a picnic at a coconut garden in the vicinity of the seashore at village Revu Polavaram. This village is about eight kilometers from ours. I too joined them and spent there from 9:30 to 1:30. They all played cards to spend their time happily. I watched them playing for some time and spent strolling along the nearby seashore for some time. I had my lunch there. I enjoyed having it along with our folks in such environment. Returned home by 2:30 along with my brother Sambha. Evening I got my gift book for Pramodini attractively packed at a shop in Adduroad. I wrote this script between 8th and 12th of this month. Went to sleep by 9:30.
15 December (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Most of the day stayed at home and spent listening to Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder. Evening went to the house of my paternal aunt Subhadra. Recently they bought a new portable color television (Onida Company). My brother Srinivas took his big color television (Thomson Company) to Ambala Cantonment. My sister-in-law Sandhya Rani and my nephews Sujan and Suhas need television entertainment there because Telugu speaking people are very few in those military quarters. So, we are missing television entertainment in our house now. We have a black and white portable television. It is under repair. My folks are not ready to get it repaired now because it costs a lot. Went to sleep by 10:00.
16 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time at home. Today much decorative work went on at our house. A worker whitewashed the interiors of the walls. Another worker was involved in painting work. One assistant helped them. There is a lot of household material in our house. My parents like to keep it inside always. I don’t like it. They keep chairs inside. They say that they are to be used in future. They became unbearable these days in this regard. I am supposed to obey them as per the Indian family tradition. Otherwise I would have set fire to all the stored material inside the house. My salutes to Lord Gopal. Went to sleep by 9:30.
17 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today I spent much of my time within the borders of Adduroad and Peda Gummuluru. My thought follows, “Conservative society plays much role in discouraging progressive thoughts of youth. They visualize dark side of human life. They demand experience on part of youth if they wish to embark on innovative and challenging tasks. The development of a society depends on the active thinking and effective implementation of plans of youth. Conventional societies mostly disdain the intelligence and creativity of youth, thus contributing to the backwardness of a country as a whole”. Went to bed by 10:30.
18 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. The whitewashing work is still going on at our house (in view of forthcoming Sankranti). Morning spent some time at the tent house of my brother. By 12:30 left for the house of my uncle Rama Raju at Raja Venkata Nagaram. I took sugar for them from our house. My Aunt Raja Kumari prepared some delicious eatables for me. My uncle Rama Raju came finishing his farm work in a short time. I asked him about his availability of time to come with me to Visakha Dairy Farm to enquire about the prospects and complications involved in starting and running a dairy unit. It was cold outside. Went to sleep by 9:00.
19 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:30. Today we had a short tour to Peda Boddepalli near Narsipatnam to see my cousin Narendra Varma (he is studying at A P R School there). My aunt Raja Kumari (his mother) came to our house by 10:00. We started from Adduroad by 10:30 by bus. We reached there by 12:30. We knew that he had gone on a picnic to a nearby place along with his teachers and classmates. We waited for him at the rented portion of our distant relative near this school. By 4:00 he returned from the picnic. On our return journey, we went to the house of the parents of my sister-in-law Kranti in village Tangedu. We spent there for half an hour. Reached home by 8:00 by bus. Went to sleep by 9:30.
20 December (Thursday)
Got up by 6:00. Today I spent much of my time within the limits of Adduroad. Sat at the tent house of my brother Sambha and kept watching the traffic on road before me. Today he took my paternal grandmother to Tuni for getting her treated at a hospital. She recently fractured her right forearm when she fell on the floor losing balance due to nervous weakness caused by old age. Night listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
21 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:30. It was drizzly. It turned very cool. I went to Elamanchili to attend a work. I knew that there are no dairy farms in and around Elamanchili. I could not carry out my planned field study in that direction for this reason. Bought two company audiocassettes of Telugu cine songs for Pramodini. They contain the songs of Telugu feature films “Shankaraabharanam”, “Swati Kiranam” and “Sruthi Layalu”. Afternoon saw the Telugu film “Snehamante Idheraa” of Nagarjuna. In the present trend of negligible films, it can be considered a good one. Returned home by 7:30 by bus. Went to sleep by 9:30.
22 December (Saturday)
Woke up by 6:30. Morning spent some time in Adduroad. Went to Raja Venkata Nagaram by 10:00. Took three photos of my uncle Rama Raju, my aunt Raja Kumari and my cousin Vasu with my camera. They felt very happy at being photographed. Returned home by 1:00. By 2:00 went to the house of my aunt Subhadra. There was no power supply from the substation to watch television. Evening went there again and watched television for one hour. By 6:00 the lineman of the government telephone department came to our house and fixed a wire to our house (my brother Srinivas worked devotedly on this task. He went to Anakapalle a few times recently to see that a telephone is set in our house at the earliest at any cost. My father does not like to have a telephone in our house at all. He bluntly told that he can’t bear the monthly burden of telephone bills for which he is not responsible in any way because he need not contact anybody over telephone. He deeply regretted the arrival of a telephone into his house). Our telephone number is 27303 (we can’t make Subscriber Trunk Dialing calls from this piece. It is a matter of a bit of relief to my father). Our regional code is 08931 (Elamanchili Telephone Exchange). May God bless the messages it receives and sends. Night listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
23 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 5:30. By 9:00 started to our mango garden at hills on bicycle. Reached there by 9:45. My aunt Kumari offered lunch for me. Meanwhile my paternal grandfather Thammi Raju came there. Today I took eight color photos with my camera over there. My cousins Ashwini and Ashok felt very happy at being photographed by me. I also snapped a picture of my grandfather. He felt happy at it. By 2:00 went into our nearby mango and cashew garden along with my grandfather. We walked through the garden. He told me about his past. I greatly enjoyed it. Returned home by 4:30. Night listened to Telugu cine songs on our tape recorder for some time. Went to sleep by 9:30.
24 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Took Kakinada-Visakhapatnam passenger train at NRPM station by 7:30 along with my uncle Rama Raju. We got off it at Visakhapatnam by 9:30. Went to Zoom Color Lab at Dwaraka Nagar and ordered the development and print of the negatives of the photos I recently took with my camera. Thence we moved to old dairy farm by city bus. We observed the environment of animal husbandry over there for some time. We enquired the related folks there about the idea of starting and running a dairy unit. They discouraged us. We saw the Telugu film “Bhadrachalam” of Sri Hari in cinema Sri Kanya in the matinee show. We took Visakhapatnam-Kakinada passenger train and reached home by 8:00. Went to sleep by 9:30.
25 December (Tuesday)
Woke up by 6:30. All the day spent within the limits of Adduroad. Morning went to the house of my aunt Subhadra and watched television for some time. Afternoon went to the rented house of our postman Seshagiri Rao, in our village, to discuss the idea of starting and running a dairy unit, with him. He has first-hand knowledge in this field. He advised me to start it with Jerseys (he has been rearing Jerseys for the last ten years). Evening too talked with him about this along with my brother Sambha. I felt confident after talking with him. Went to sleep by 9:30.
26 December (Wednesday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 9:30 collected my original B.A. certificate sent from the Andhra University at our post office. Then I left for the house of the parents of my sister-in-law Kranti in Tangedu by bus. I knew that my sister-in-law and her mother went to Narsipatnam to consult a doctor about something. Meanwhile I went to the farmland of my uncle along with him to check its suitability for starting and running a dairy farm in it. I found it very suitable for this venture. My sister-in-law Kranti forgot her pack of purchased medicines at a general store in Narsipatnam while hurriedly coming back to home. I took hints from her and proceeded to that place by bus. I got it and returned soon by bus. My sister-in-law and I reached our home by 7:00 by bus. Went to sleep by 9:30.
27 December (Thursday)
Woke up by 6:00. By 9:30 left for State Bank of India at Etikoppaka by bus. Deposited 2950 rupees into my savings account. With this deposit, the balance in my bank account stands at 5100 rupees. I want to keep this in reserve for my expenses after my return from the University of Hyderabad. Retuned home by 12:30. Afternoon saw the Telugu film “Repallelo Radha” in cinema Venkatapathi Raju Mahal at Adduroad. Evening packed my belongings to leave for Hyderabad soon. My mother prepared many sweets for me. I packed them carefully. Night listened to Telugu cine songs on tape recorder for some time. Went to sleep by 10:00.
28 December (Friday)
Woke up by 6:00. Today it is an auspicious day centered on Lord Hanuman. The local priests performed a special worship to Him at His small temple in Adduroad. I could hear the chant of those mantras from our house. I spent at home all the day because I would leave for Hyderabad this evening from Narsipatnam Road railway station. My brother Sambha brought me to station on a scooter by 5:30. Took Godavari Express by 6:30. My berth No. is 71 in the coach No. S4. I found one of our familiar Kshatriya folks of this area in that coach by my berth. Talked with him for some time. The train was on its scheduled journey toward its destination.
29 December (Saturday)
Woke up by 4:00 in the train. Reached our hostel by 8:00 from Secunderabad railway station. By 12:00 went to the rented flat of Pramodini at Yellareddyguda. Waited for them. They came by 1:30. Her mother offered me delicious lunch. Meanwhile she joined us. She told me a little about her recent tour to Varanasi along with her mother to act in a Telugu film being shot over there in a few holy locations. Handed my gift book (filled with my words of admiration for her in Telugu) and audiocassettes of Telugu cine songs to her. Took leave of them by 4:00. Bought a few ready-made full sleeve shirts and pairs of trousers at the “Kumar Shirts” showroom in Ameerpet. Went to sleep by 9:00.
30 December (Sunday)
Woke up by 6:30. Spent most of my time within the campus. Spent much of my time resting on my iron cot. Evening went to Shilparamam along with my friends. An annual fair of handicrafts is going on there. It was bright with the presence of colorful and cheerful visitors. I like this place very much. Evening the disciples of Ananda Shankar Jayant presented a Bharatha Naatyam Recital. Even folk dances took place. The artistes of Pondicherry presented an absorbing dance sequence. We returned to our campus by 8:45. Went to sleep by 11:00.
31 December (Monday)
Woke up by 6:30. Afternoon went to Kothi and did a bit of shopping along with my roommate Ravi Kanchan Chatterjee. Today it is the last day of the year 2001. I could not celebrate it because I did not have an inspiring creature beside me. My desolate heart has not yet got a sweetheart for it. Somebody must love me. I feel forsaken, lovesick and solitary among many around me. These internal forces pulled me back from celebrating this day in a considerable way. May God bless me. Went to sleep by 10:00.
© 2011 Datla Chiranjeevi Raju
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