అలా మొదలైంది

బాల్యమంతా చదువు బాధ్యతలు

యువ్వనంలొ ఉద్యోగ ప్రయత్నాలు

ఆమ్మ నాన్న ఆశిర్వాదంతో ఒక ఉద్యోగం

పెద్దల దీవెనెల తో పెళ్ళి కొడుకు అవతారం

ఒక చేతిలొ గాండీవం, మరొ చేతిలొ రథ సారథ్యం

జీవిత మహాభారతం లొ రంగ ప్రవేశం

సిటీ చివర ఒక సింగల్ బెడ్రూం ఫ్లాట్

ఆందులొ గగణానికి అందుకునే కలలు

మొదటి సారిగ "ఆమెరికా పయనం" వ్యూహ రచనలు

ఎర్పోర్టలొ సాగ నంపులు, అత్త మామల హగ్గులు బొకేలు

కన్న వారి కన్నీలు, తొబుట్టువుల పొగడ్తలు

సతిమని కౌగిలి, సూట్ భుజం పై వాలిన మల్లె పూలు

రోజు కాల్ చెయ్యాలి అంటు వాగ్దానాలు, ఫ్లైట్ అటెండెంట్ అనౌస్మెంటులు

ఫ్లైట్ కిటికి లొ నుంచి అన్ని అరణ్యాలు ఎడారులు

నీలొ పొంగి పొతున్న అశలు అశయాలు

పొర్ట్ అఫ్ ఎంట్రి స్తాంపులు, గుండెళ్ళో దడ దడలు

ఆడిఒ ఇంటెర్యూలు, ఫేసె-టు-ఫేసె ఫేలురులు

తిరిగి రెఫెరెన్స్ సుబ్మిషన్లు, చివరిగా ఆఫర్ లెటర్ హైఫెయ్లు

నీ భార్యకు మద్రాస్ వీసా ముహుర్తం, అత్త మామలకు అంతులేని ఆనందం

చిలుకూరి వీసా వేంకటేశ్వర ప్రదక్షణం, అల్లుడికి పుల్లా రెడ్డి స్వీట్ దక్షిణం

రోజు ఇంటావిడకు ఆఫిస్ పాలిటిక్స్ రీరన్ కాలక్షేపం

ముక్కు మొహం తెలియని బాసుల పేరులు ఆవిడకు కంఠస్తం

అమెరికా ప్రయాణంలొ ఒక కొత్త మలుపు, "నెను తండ్రిని కాబోతున్నాను" కాస్సెపు విరామం

డాక్టర్ల చుట్టు ప్రదక్షణం, అత్త మామలు ఇంట్లొ అకస్మాతుగా ప్రత్యక్షం

క్లబ్ హౌసులొ క్రెడల్ సెరిమొని, తర్వాత చికాగొ నయాగరాల జర్ని

బావ మరిదికి ఒక ఇపాడ్, మరదలుకు ఒక ఇ20

భార్యకు ఇటి టెస్టింగ్ ట్రేనింగ్, అదే కంపని లొ ఎంట్రి లెవెల్ ఉద్యోగం

ఆఫిస్ ఒక్కటైన, దారులు వెరు వెరు

మొగుడు ఎదురొస్తె భార్య మొదటి సారి తలదింపుడు

అమెరికాలొ ఇంక ఎన్నొ విజయాలు వీరస్వర్గాలు

ఇల్లు, స్టాక్స్, గ్రీన్ కార్డు, కుమాన్లు, అలోహాలు

మెల్లగ ఒక్కరొక్కరిగా స్నేహితులకు "అల్ విదా"లు

ఇక మిగిలినవి పిల్లల చదువులు పాఠాలు

ఎలా మొదలైనా, ఇది న్ అర్ ఇ జీవిత సారాంశం

- వేంకట్ ఏక్క

Smt Aekka SakkuBai (1936-2010)

My mother, Smt. Aekka Sakkubai, breathed her last at the age of 74 on November 18, 2010,  at 2:30 p.m. at our house in Vidyanagar Hyderabad.

She raised her seven children to be successful. We grew to be engineers, a banker, schoolteachers and a social worker. Though she only studied until the fourth grade and only knew to sign her name (a skill that took her five minutes to do),  our mother made sure all of her children were educated in good schools without compromise.

Mom (Amma in Telugu)  came from a wealthy family and was married off at the age of 12. My father's side was strong in education. My father completed his civil engineering diploma during Nizam Era in Urdu. My brothers and sisters and I grew up in Aliabad in the Old City, a mile from Charminar on the way to Falaknuma Palace. Due to an early split in family property, my father had to move out of the ancestral house. He built a new house close by under difficult financial circumstances.

During my childhood, there were moments of  poverty -- sometimes we finished off our meals with just chili powder and cooking oil . The financial planner under these extreme conditions was my mother, who had neither a counting nor an accounting  background. For one of my cousin's marriage, all my brothers including me got flowers print cotton shirts. After many years, I learnt that my mother instead of buying from an expensive cloth store, she bought white cotton cloth and got flowers printed at a sari printing facility. She was extremely good with money matters and understood interest rates and mind-boggling chit funds. Frugality guided her decision-making.

I remember her typical day would start at 5:30 a.m. and she worked unflaggingly till 3:30 p.m. Her workday included heating water for showers, tea, breakfasts, packing lunches for seven kids, a special meal for my father, cleaning clothes and dishes and finally getting time for her own shower and prayer and a quiet, small meal at 3:30 in the veranda sunlight.

During the summers of my childhood, she would volunteer to make the yearly supply of chili powder for our relatives. It used to be a days-long project to  pulverize the dried red chilis into powder using round wooden posts (rokali in telugu). The supervisor for Operation Chili Powder was always my mother. I used to hate those days because children couldn’t play on the verandah and could not walk into the house without having tearing, irritating eyes. Throughout my life, I never heard my mother say, ”I am tired today”. She would face down big projects like summer cleanups or house painting and, without procrastination, immediately tackle the work for hours.  

My grandparents were from another Old City bastion called Dhoolpet - place notorious for illicit liquor in Hyderabad. Our summer vacation was mostly spent in Dhoolpet. The journey from Aliabad to Dhoolpet was always interesting. Those days in the Old City, we used to have rickshaw pullers. My mother, a brother and two sisters would sit on the main seat. Our eldest brother used to stand on the rickshaw top -- the premium seating. Three of us brothers would sit on the tray below the seat and hold the seat rings. I wish we had cameras those days. It would have been an fantastic visual . The journey would almost take an hour to travel 5 kilometers. We would pass all the important Nizami milestones -- Mecca Masjid, Laad Bazaar, Mir Chowk, Hussaini Alam, Purana Pul and Jaali Hanuman before finally reaching Dhoolpet. The journey was always marred with interruptions like us getting down to push the rickshaw during steep inclines. Once we arrived at our grandparents’ home in Dhoolpet, it would take the next half-hour to bring our numb legs to life.

My mother had an amazing presence. During my childhood, if she had gone to the city and was late coming home, our house would be dull like an abandoned house . I used to wait at the door anxiously, looking out at the street.  Suddenly, she would emerge from the bus stand, her walk home brightening up the whole street. She had a calming, exuberant presence and could ease everyone’s anxieties.  

She was also persistent. During our house construction in 1975, she wanted to change the staircase plan. She discussed her plans with the site supervisors. Finally, everyone, including my engineer dad, had to agree with her suggestion.

She was also the most organized person. She would  recycle almost everything, making quilts out of saris, transforming wood from chairs into beds and making innovative use of boxes. Our typical family vacation when I was a child was to either Yadagiri Gutta or Tirupati. She would pack for everyone. During the journey, if you needed anything – a  safety pin, comb, hot tea, a snack – she would provide it.

Amma had many strengths, especially courage. You might think, “What does a housewife know of courage?”  The role she played in life was as challenging as that of a war general. She was like a rock in the face of calamities,  dealing with her daughter's unarranged marriage in 1980, my father’s psychological bouts,  the loss of her brother and, finally, my father's sudden death in 1996.

Amma always had a giving hand despite her own struggling finances. She always fought for the underprivileged in family and beyond. She would give them comfort, a listening ear and as much financial help as she could afford. She could detect worries just by looking into someone’s face. She took a keen interest in fixing marriage alliances, mostly representing girls' families. She also gave the gift of her eyes to help others. In one of the free eye camps that I sponsored few years back, Amma signed up to donate her eyes after her death. Because of her generous act, someone can see today. That is her last gift to this world.

When she visited me in the United States in 1997, she would fold the kitchen paper towel after drying her hands. She said, “How can you throw away a precious thing like this in this country?”. I still remember after  I picked her up from the airport and we sat down to eat at our dining table. Suddenly, I see her hand reach to serve me rice and curry. Having lived in this country for so long, I had forgotten  I have someone other than my wife to serve me dinner in my house. I realized that it was my mother sitting next to me and she raised us even before our wives entered our lives. In the United States, she would visit my friends. If anyone was looking for a job, she would ask me to find a job for them. I would reply that in order to get a job, one has to have additional skills like good communications, maintain eye contact and a strong handshake showing confidence. She would immediately cite a couple of my other friends who don't interact much and question how they got a job without having such skills.

She was very jovial and open to listen to our personal and professional issues, including layoffs. She was equally fond of politics and ETV serials

She never hesitated to stand by someone during their bad days.  She took a personal interest in my friends' families and their children. As a mother-in-law, she was very commanding and always above petty kitchen politics  with her five daughters-in-law. She was  empathetic and compassionate. She lived to see her granddaughters marry, too.

Every month, she would plan a visit to the Old City bank to draw my father's pension. I accompanied her once during my trip to India. It was indeed a full-day job. She would take me to see my cousin who fills out bank withdrawal forms. I offered to help, but she said, "You don't know. It has to be in a particular order and only he can fill out the form". Then we wait in a long line at the bank until it is finally her turn to draw money. In the evening, she would celebrate with her sister-in-law and my cousin in the Old City for a successful pension withdrawal. She was always contended & self-sufficient with finances.

She had excellent memory. She would recognize her medications just by the colors and patterns of the medication strip. Once while in Hyderabad, I went to the nearby medical shop to get her prescription filled. She looked at the medication strip for some time, then said, “This is not mine.” I went to the shop and the pharmacist apologized for giving me the wrong medication.
One of my proudest accomplishments was that, despite living in the United States for the past 12 years, I celebrated almost every New Year’s with Amma in India. While in US, I used to talk to her almost daily.

I learned many important life lessons from my mom:

• Never lose courage in the face of calamity. Always remain calm and tackle a problem head-on instead of running away or avoiding it. Her life was filled with new situations and challenges. She  always approached these  courageously. She never had a sleepless night. No matter what, she always fell into a deep sleep within seconds.
• Have empathy and compassion for the downtrodden and poor. My mother once traveled by road to Shirdi. She was sad a whole week after her return. I asked her the reason and she said she couldn't bear the sights of poverty she passed on her route, especially in Maharashtra
• Have fun in life. My mother  was the first one to organize a party and never missed an opportunity to attend marriages, birthdays and other celebrations. Even in the midst of life’s problems,  she would surround  herself with her children, laughter and celebrations.

• Always love your family members,  no matter what .She was the only girl in a  family with seven  sons. She always looked out for them and their children.
• It is very expensive to maintain enmity.  Make every effort to clear up misunderstandings and always take the first step to befriend an upset friend or relative.
Her only solace in life was God and she was a big devotee of Lord Shiva. My father introduced her to Kundalini yoga, Hare Krishna, etc.. All her life, she  fasted for Ekadashi (Lunar 10th day) and I remember that she would have a sumptuous lunch for Dwadashi (Lunar 11th day) after prolonged pooja and 24 hours of fasting every fortnight. Many said she died on an auspicious Ksheerabdi Dwadasi day in divine Karthika maasam due to her spiritual lifestyle.

Though it is painful to accept that she is gone, mom had a full life, one of challenges, courage and lots of fun. Prolonging her life would have been excruciatingly painful for her and all of us because of her medical condition.

God's greatest gift to mankind is Mother and she will always be in her children’s hearts while on earth or in heaven.

- Venkat Aekka
please add your comments or send feedback to: vaekka@yahoo.com

Famous Indians

Amarajeevi – SivaRathri connection

From my childhood, I wanted to fast on Sivarathri day. During my school years, I used to make big "early morning" announcements that I would fast along with my parents. I usually start off well in the morning, ready to say "YES" to typical Sivarathi question "Are you fasting today?" Somehow thoughts of food, hunger would finally overwhelm me and meekly would go in for "fast-break" @3:00PM. This used to happen almost every year. It was always an insurmountable target all my life.

Couple of years back, I tried again - with some peer pressure (friend visiting me from India). I took up this personal maha-yagna called "Upavasam" on SivaRathri.

For SivaRathri Day, I was on my ritualistic annual SivaRathri Journey - "Upavasam". Late in the evening, somehow I started thinking about Amarajeevi Potti Sreeramulu. If I can barely make it thru' a day, how could have he made it thru' 58 days and eventually die for the cause of a separate state for Telugu people.

What I accomplished yesterday was 1/58th ( 2%) of Amarajeevi's penance for my own personal cause - one day package deal with Lord Siva for betterment of my personal life. Imagine the cause in Amarajeevi's mind, his physical state thru' 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, 28 days, .. Imagine every second on the 57th day, where he is fighting an internal battle and calming down "hunger outcries" within himself by a dream called "Andhra Pradesh" for Telugu People.

I googled on "fast undo death" and all you get results like "began fast undo death", "continues into 3rd day", "relay hunger strike" (innovative version wherein no one dies eventually). The only hero is Amarajeevi to successfully not make it to 58th day for the cause of "Telugu People".

Excerpt from an article on Potti Sreeramulu's life and his last days …
-------------------------------

Born to Potti Guravayya and Mahalakshmamma in Madras on March 16, 1901, Sriramulu had his education in Madras. His ancestors, who belonged to Guntur district, had migrated to Madras in search of greener pastures. He did his diploma in sanitary engineering from the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute in Bombay. He worked in the G.I.P. Railway in Madras and Bombay for four years for a salary of Rs.250 a month.
In 1928, his wife gave birth to a child and died. Within a few days, the baby also died, leaving him grief-stricken. The subsequent death of his mother made him lose interest in worldly pursuits and paved the way for his entry into and active involvement in the non-violent movements led by Gandhiji.
On August 15, 1951, Swamy Seetharam launched a fast-unto-death for achieving the demand for a separate Andhra state. The Central Government did not take notice of the agitation. The fast continued for 35 days. Sensing danger, Acharya Vinobha Bhave apprised Nehru of the situation. The two leaders met Seetharam and made him give up the fast, promising to get statehood for Andhra. Nehru, however, did not keep his promise.
Potti Sriramulu decided to undertake a fast-unto-death. He began the fast in the house of Bulusu Sambamurthy in Madras city on October 19, 1952. Several people thought that this would be another fast that would be given up after some days. After 20 days his health deteriorated.
Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu used to visit the hunger-strike camp daily and inquire about his health. The Gandhian, Yerneni Subrahmanyam, used to shed tears secretly seeing his plight. Though Sriramulu became physically weak, he was mentally strong and declined to give up his fast.
On the 56th day, he passed into a coma and a couple of days later, he developed breathing problems. On December 15, 1952, Sriramulu breathed his last, after 58 days of fasting. On the intimation of Yerneni Subrahmanyam, the legendary singer, Ghantasala, and freedom-fighter and singer, Moparru Dasu, rushed to the place. They composed and rendered a song in honour of the immortal leader.
The body was taken in a procession. When the procession reached Mount Road, thousands of people joined and raised slogans hailing Sriramulu. Later, they went into a frenzy and resorted to destruction of public property. The news spread like wildfire and created an uproar among the people in far off places like Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Eluru, Guntur, Tenali, Ongole and Nellore.
Seven people were killed in police firing in Anakapalle and Vijayawada. The popular agitation continued for three to four days disrupting normal life in Madras and Andhra regions. On December 19, 1952, Nehru, agreed to grant statehood to Andhras
The State of Andhra was formed on October 1, 1953, with Kurnool as its capital. On November 1, 1956, Andhra Pradesh was formed with Hyderabad as its capital.
----------------------------------------------------

The difference between then and now is our political leaders first think about "What is in it for me ?". Instead Amarajeevi made an unprecedented down payment - his life, at a prime age of 51. As you might know, Amarajeevi relocated to Sabarmathi Ashram and worked with Gandhi in the freedom struggle. Amarajeevi took an approach wherein he would make an upfront sacrifice - "his life", to get national attention. Great leaders like Pandit Nehru started seriously thinking about AP and announced state for Telugu people within 4 days of his death ( state was formed formally on Oct 1, 1953 with Kurnool as capital ). Eventually we got our state on November 1st, 1956.

I checked on google, Amarajeevi is one of the very few (IRA leader Bobby Sands, Cuban revolutionary, etc.) in the history of mankind who died fasting for a cause. We should all feel proud to live in a state called "Andhra Pradesh" and I personally started remembering his great sacrifice on Maha ShivaRathri every year

We have taken pains to name districts, stadiums, airports after leader's maternal uncles, speakers, state ministers. He gave us a state for Telugus and in return we didn't do anything to commemorate him correctly. Naming Nellore district after Amarajeevi is a good first step.

Telugu Kavitha - Tolstoy KathaNaayakudu

Countries Debts

USA
debt $12.3 Trillion
GDP $14 Trillion
Annual Budget Deficit:

$1.54 Trillion
Debt as % of GDP 80%

India
debt $696 Billion
GDP $1.2 Trillion
Annual Budget Deficit $96 Billion
Debt as % of GDP 56%

China
debt $600 Billion
GDP $4 Trillion
Annual Budget Deficit $80 Billion
Debt as % of GDP 15%

Greece
Debt $332 Billion
GDP $343 Billion
Annual Budget Deficit $41 Billion
Deficit as % of GDP 97 %

Country debt can make or break any country. In 2002 Argentina defaulted on $90 billion external debt payments. This resulted in economic isolation of Argentina by bond holders and IMF. The currency (Peso) got devalued 75% making essential imports out of reach. It took 4 years for the country to stabilize and still struggling to have balanced budgets and clear off debt.

World economy is like living in a community of different families. Imagine a street with diverse neighbors. The street has a small community bank IMF.

One guy Mr. Greece makes 34k but has 35k credit card loans. Do you think this family will fall apart or since he lives in EU apartment complex, other rich flat owners will rescue him. do you thing whole apartment complex will lose its realestate value because of few flat owners living beyond means. Look at the chart above

How about wealthy neighbor Sam who is powerful and everyone in the street somehow linked in business with him. He makes around 1.4 mil p.a more than anyone on the street but also has equal amount of debt. He continues to make loans every year 10% of his pay. People are lining up to lend him. Do you think one day people stop lending him if he continues to live beyond his means. What happens to the debt he owes to the complete community.

What about the neighbor who used to be poor few years ago and now is on par with anyone. Currently he makes 400k and has just 60K debt. He is only one who saves money annually to lend it to others specially Sam.

What about Mr. India who has only 120k pay and has 60K loan. every year he adds 10k to his debt. Do you think he will soon work harder and pay off his loan and takes care of his big family

He has 10 children and 2 of them barely affording meals. 3 children cannot even read. Other 5 kids are doing fine with stable jobs and are recently able to afford new comforts like cars, T Vs, cell phones.

Tribute to an Artist:T Sunder Raju (1957-2007)

T Sundar Raju, my first cousin (Mena Bawa), suddenly left this world without any hint. Things got triggered from a chest pain in wee hours of Jan 28th, 2007 to a second fatal stroke at 10:00AM same day.

Association with him is a private experience. I thought, I will take few moments to pen fond memories and introduce who he was.. posthumously. it is my way of paying homage and last respects to my affectionate "Sunderanna"

I always feel that our generation is crossover generation, the one that lived thru' transition between centuries of lifestyle changes and always acted as a change agent. We are the last ones who still go back and forth between distinctly different generations ..our parents and our kids.. One of the fighters of the our generation was T. Sunder Raju. He waged this war of life with his own set of unique weaponry made of art, emotions, sensitivity, humor, love and affection. That old world of ours starts with a brother (my dad) and sister (my aunt) building houses next door in Aliabad, old city of Hyderabad. We are 5 brothers and 2 sisters and my aunt has 5 sons and 4 daughters. A total of 16 kids grew up together on the same street and had matched pairs according to the ages. I am the youngest of the team at 44 yrs and the oldest is now 60 yrs. The team of 16 included entrepreneurs, govt. employees, bank managers, NRIs (like me), nurses, teachers, housewives and one great artist T. Sunder Raju.

The artist is so picky about everything, that he added "Raju" to his original name "Sunder" in 70s. Somehow "Sunder" sounded too stale to him. Remember he is an artist.

In my childhood, he ran the idea by me - of officially changing his name (most of the time I was the scapegoat). I reacted that "Sunder" sounds OK to me, but still he insisted that he need to add "Rao" or "Raju" to it. We went all the way and released the mandatory name change advertisement in Deccan Chronicle in 1977. It was funny to read the ad. "T Sunder hereby should be addressed as T Sunder Raju". While reading his obituary of T Sunder Raju, I thought at least this dream of his life came true, as a last gift from this world.
Sunderanna was always creative and fun loving. I recently told my kids a story about him. Though he was studious and hard working, he struggled at clearing SSC exams first time. Our house (next door) was under construction. To divert "dreadful" discussion about him on results day, he enacted a "suicide drama". he made a noose made of white rope. He slowly walked upstairs with a full display of noose on his shoulder. He also made sure that we all had sufficient visibility to comprehend his "impending actions". Then we all went upstairs along with my mother and saw him slowly walking in "deep thoughts" with noose on his shoulder. My mother consoled him "Sunder, pooni raa..exams fail aithey ye maindi.." and both of them walked down with all cousins giggling in the back for his "ritual". He went back to his room and carefully hung the noose in his closet ..for his drama next year..just in case.

I wish it were another "suicide drama" from Sunderanna. Unfortunately there were no visible hints .. he was serious this time.

He went to Viveka Vardhini School. After inter, he joined B Com in Agarwal Signodia College. He used to speak in impeccable telugu just like my aunt. He always liked old telugu songs like "Joruga Husharuga Teli Podama", "Ee Vennela ja ja ja". He used to convert family anthakshari sessions to his non-stop songs medley..we had to physically stop him from singing by holding him and shutting his mouth.

His first job was in APSTC overseeing "Bhagyalakshmi Lottery". His working hours started at 5:00PM. His job was to inspect @40 lottery outlets in old city for sales, collections, etc. I used to join him on his old city bicycle tours areas like dabeerpura, yakutpura, charminar.. the trip would culminate in a watermelon treat for me in front of Mecca Masjid (10 paise a plate). He later resigned APSTC job and secured admission in Degree of Commercial Art in Fine Arts College, JNTU.

His first art work that I have seen was for a Diwali Festival in 1973…both families would compete for the "bommala koluvu" display. Sunderanna was always the best in his displays in terms of theme, concept, colors, etc. It would be a serious competition with Sunderanna leading the opposite team and my brother Rajanna leading our team. The decoration theme & material was always kept a secret till Diwali night. Kids used to spy by walking around the houses and asking around what Sunderanna is working on, everyone including elders guarded the secret and material ..

Finally on the Diwali night when the decorations get unraveled, it was a thrilling sight for both the families .kids will make umpteen trips between houses and make assessments.. For one Diwali night, Rajanna made replica of houses on our street. The display was stunning with exact dimensions, colored houses made of card board, roads and small street lamps. We thought, Sunderanna would not be able to match us. We went running to their house.. He unraveled his decoration .it was a sight that I won't forget in my life..the theme was "landing on the moon" .. Big round surface (5x5 ft) with replica Apollo 11, miniature astronauts climbing down the stairs..American Flag..moon surface made of sand ..Sunderanna won that year hands down. Next year, we tried even harder to beat him. Our display was fantastic ..we were thinking he will play some trick on us as there was no sign of any preparations ..finally on diwali night ..he personally decorated his niece Pallavi and made her sit as display …he won second time too ..we were no match for his creative mind ..

I started growing taller and always measured myself against him. One day I declared ."Sunderanna ..look I am taller than you .." he quickly retorted "Thaati Chettu kooda podugga untadhi ..kaani eimi laabham..". He was always delicate in his style. He would never take more than a glass of beer. Most of the time, he liked to wear Jeans and T shirts. Even in my last visit, I saw him in Jeans. I asked "Sunderanna..nuvvee jeans eisthe..mem eimeyyallee". Even in this picture he wears a T shirt..he always looked young ..

As an artist, he used to draw few sketches now and then, the first art work I remember he did was a collage in 1976. All pictures were taken from Filmfare and other magazines with his picture on the side sipping coffee with big classes. In 70s, he painted his living room. On one of the walls, he used a primrose red color…contrasting with light colors on other walls. I vehemently opposed the dark color choice of his, until he explained what "contrast" is.. In real life, he was the contrast supporting light colors around him.. always different ..in life as well as in death..

I have never met an artist like him…He made a dining table out of 2 big tree barks ..personally went into wild and located the trees, cut them, seasoned them and then painted. The table surface is a glass and one can see all the tree rings from top. In his flat at Sithaphal Mandi, instead of regular calling (door) bell, I saw a decorative rope coming thru' the wall adjacent to the front door. When I entered the apartment, I found a small temple bell ..I stood astounded and he shook me back to normalcy by saying "it works even during power cuts". In his new flat in Barkatpura, he made almost 8 ft tall & 2 ft diameter HP pencil out of wood. It leans against the wall next to TV and changes your perspective about simple things in life. I have never met a genius like him before ..

He got married around 1985 to Madhavakka. He started an Advertisement Agency "SM ads" focusing on commercial ads. He did little business in commercial art work and then shifted his office to Himayathnagar flat. The first interior designing project, he took up was for his office (425 sq ft flat) in late eighties. He showed me around ..small recess lights, low ceiling roof. In business, he slowly moved away from screen printing / brochures to more interior house designs. Though he struggled in his initial years in business, past few months he has been very successful in interior design projects in Hyderabad.

Last September (06), when I visited his flat for breakfast & enquired about business, he said "I have sufficient projects and I cannot handle more than 5 projects a year". That's a very comforting statement coming from Sunderanna, after so many years of struggle. He tasted success in his life only in the last few months. I always used to ask him "Sunderanna when are you buying car ?". During Sep 06 visit, he replied "definitely this year raa".


I was told he bought a new car in Dec 06. He made a CD of all his interior design works till now. He recently threw a party to all his old pals from 1970s. People say it almost appeared he had premonition. He chatted with his sons night before. watched TV till 1:00am with them .. Kissed them good night, very unlike of him that night.

Stress was always his enemy. He took to heart small issues that bothers everyone which we all ignore.. whether it is an apartment association issue or a general social issue. He habitually called TV9 and other shows expressing his opinions. If he disagrees with something, he can't sleep over it. This month (Jan 07) during TANA members visit (my friends from Detroit, US) to Hyderabad, he heard about someone from TANA supporting "Jai Andhra" on TV news. That night, he called visiting TANA team every hour till midnight to seek clarification as he was against split of any kind in our state. Finally TANA president Dr. Hanumaiah Bandla garu issued a statement next day in favor of One State for all Telugus - "United SwarnAndhra Pradesh". Later that night, Sunderanna spoke eloquently at the TANA meet honoring my friend and ex-TANA President Gangadhar Nadella and also recited a poem on the subject. that's how he was ..

Though health wise he was not doing great, he looked energetic and passionate. In 1998, he had a serious pancreatic problem and recently I was told he developed Diabetes and BP. I never imagined for a moment that he will leave us like this .."Sunderanna, We miss you in this life"


- Chinna (Venkat Aekka)vaekka@yahoo.com

FEEDBACK

-----------------------------------------------------

Chinna,
Your Blog on sunderanna is very touching, thanks for your efforts.
Yesterday I spoke with sister-in-law (Madhavi) and she advised to make the following changes in it:
> Interior decorator should be replaced with Interior Designer

> Year of marriage is 1985, but not 1982.
>Screen printing should be replaced with Advertising Agency. Also wedding and greeting cards printing was small part of Advertising Agency and no need to show up separately.

Still not able to immunise Sunderanna's demise, it's a great loss to all of us.

Thanks,
Srinu

Srinivas Thokala (brother)
SPRINT, Kansas city

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chinna,

It was a shock to me when i saw his photo in news paper obituary column.We immediately called your home only to know that funeral already took place on Sunday.Bindu visted Aliyabad yesterday.

I met him along with you in Devender's office and we had lunch together..during that time only you were talking about his car..Bindu bumped into him in Bhavani furnishing shop in Liberty..when we were doing up the home.. Further to this,he came to our home along with his wife early in the morning to advise on our colors/interiors..etc He saw the whole home and didnt say much..( I m sure he didnt like )..He encouraged Bindu and quitely left the home..

tears rolled down my cheeks when I read your mail on him..you are a sensitive and a humane person..someone who has a "feel" for others feelings..fortunate are all those who know you..thank you for being my best buddy..

Babloo

Sudershan Murthy
Genesis Computers


------------------------------------------------------------------
Very well written piece! I like the flow of the piece. You may want to correct liver disease to pancreas disease also the year 1994 to 1998.
Love,
Aditya
-------------------------------------------------------------
Venkat,

My heartfelt condolences . I can appreciate how much you must have liked him, by reading the narration of key events and pleasant memories.

Regards,

Nambi.
Geometric Software Systems
--------------------------------------------------------

Dear Venkat,
My condolences on your loss.
Its a very touching article. May his soul rest in peace.
May God give you the strength in these tough times.- Amol


------------------------------------------------------
Chinna,

What you wrote is very touching. I am sorry to hear about this loss.

--Arun Mandhania
Xilinx


------------------------------------------------------
Venkat, Sorry to hear the news. I know it is terribly bad thing to happen at this age. We can only pray god for his soul peace. Now let us see how we can help family/kids to settle. I will call you.
Thanks,
Prasad Deva
Vasudeva Realtors


--------------------------------------------------------------

While reading the memoir I felt you have penned an heartfelt honest feeling about Sunderanna.
Regards,
Pramod Agarwal
Microsoft Corp.
Hyderabad.


----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Chinna,
Every letter and spirit of your homage to our beloved Sundaranna is touching. It is a grave and irreparable loss to our Vasudeva Realtors in general and to me in particular. I have lost a lovely brother, great guide and above them all a great human of our times.
There is a small correction in our article/homage where in it is quoted as "United Andhra" instead of "Jai Andhra". He was very much for a united Andhra and deadly against split of any part of Andhra pradesh. He spontaneously penned a poem titled " Oka samanyudi gunde chappudu" in support of United Andhra.

Devender Reddy
Vasudeva Realtors


----------------------------------------------------------
Venkat anna, my condolences. – Koty Velivela


------------------------------------------------------
Venkat, Sorry to hear about your loss. The obituary is quite touching. 50 years too young - probably a warning sign to us all to take care in earnest. Please convey our deepest condolences to the family.
Regards,
Dr. Ramana Kappangantu


-----------------------------------------------------
It is very sad to know about sudden demise of T.Sunder Raju and is no more.I have noted your feelings that you had expiriences in different way of his artistic life style and are unforgetable during our life time.I sincerly requst your goodselves to convey my condolence to their family.

MAHATMA.


-----------------------------------------------------
Anna,

It was really painful to read your synopsis on a close relation.
I pray sundaranna's soul rest in peace.

Regards
Madhu
Inknowvate


---------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Chinna, I am sorry to here about this news.
Thanks for sharing your cousin's personality with us.

-Sreedhar (Boys Town)


---------------------------------------------------------
Venkat,

Sorry to hear the loss of your cousin. Based on what you written about him he sure was a kind man and you were very attached to him. I hope you will deal with loss appropriately. You have been through before. I am sorry.

Regards,


Sudhir Kulkarni


---------------------------------------------
Dear Venkat
Sorry to hear the sad news. Our prayers and thougts for his soul in peace. You have very good memories and narrated very well in an orderly manner.
We never know how ones life changes with out any signal. On the same day(1/28) my cousin in M.Nager died in a car accident. He was almost 70 + years.
We have to deal with all these situation staying far from our families
take it easy
Prabhaker Dhanwada


--------------------------------------------------------
Chinna Uncle,

This news is really heart-breaking for all of us. A very touchy but true reflections about Sunder babai.In my recent visit to India I could spend some good time with him and throughout our conversation, we had a difference of opinion but we still continued our chat till late midnight.

Both myself and Gopi have enjoyed a special relationship with Sunder babai. He was more like a friend to us and a good mentor to me. In my recent visit he was appreciating the way I have come up in my life and even commented that both of us have comeup in our life with many hardships.

I even had done my interiors done with him for my new apartment in Nallkunta and did not give any suggestions but left the total task of finishing the project to him and he had compeleted it with a great passion.

There are many fond memories which I have associated with him and it is hard for all of us to believe that he is no longer with us. Let us all stand in support of his family and give our best to help them regain the strength to live without Sunder babai.

Regards,
Ravi Thokala
630-400-1331


--------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Venkat,
My heartfelt condolences on the demise of Sundranna.
If you were lucky to have an 'anna' like him he too is fortunate to have a 'tammi' like you.
Your piece on him was really very touching and brought out evocatively the life and times of a sensitive, talented person who was perhaps anachronistic in this callous and cruel age.

Ramendra
http://www.ramendra.com/


------------------------------------------------------
Chinnanna,

Its very sad to hear that. I'm sorry and my condolences for you loss. Will call you soon. I don't know whats happening, but all sad news lately. Feels so depressing these days.

Chandu.


------------------------------------------------------------
Chinna,

My condolences to you and your family on this loss. We at Canon Health Care
deal with the loss of life of near and dear through professional counselling. After Katrena, there were several people who walked into our premises wanting to talk to which lead to a free service named "Grief Resource Center". You ar most welcomed to use the service or add to its resources.

We also have childrens camp to those kids who have had these sad experiences.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shiva Kumar Akula
Canon Hospice Center
New Orleans


--------------------------------------------------------
Venkat Garu,

Sorry to hear about it.May his soul rest in peace.
Manorama Gondi


-----------------------------------------------------------
Hello Venkat,

I am deeply deeply saddened by this news. It is extremely shocking to me. When I went to India recently, Deva introduced me to him. Sundar helped me a lot, alot .. I can't even tell you. He was so reliable and so helpful. I don't have words to express. I will get in touch with Prasad tomorrow and will talk to him in detail. I will ask my brother to pay respects on my behalf.
I share and feel the loss with you
Uday Kumar Chapalamadugu


---------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Venkat

Evidently he was very close to you. My condolences and May his Soul rest in Peace

Dilip Kuchipudi
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Venkat garu,
I'm so sorry to hear your loss of Sunderanna. What I am feeling right now is hard to put into words after reading your fond memories and thoughts of your cousin. Though I haven't met him in person, reading your email gave me an experience of personally knowing him, h e was such a creative person, and I am so sorry.

We will keep you and your family in my prayers.

Regards,
Ravi (Charlotte, NC)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Venkat,


I am very sorry to hear loss of Sunder Anna. So unexpected and such a young age.

My heartfelt condolences, I will call you today.

Sunil
Global Manufacturing Director,
Electronics Electronics Product Group
Visteon Corporation
---------------------------------------------------------------
Venkat,

Sorry to hear your of your loss. Nice eulogy. All though I never met him, after reading it I all most feel like I have known him forever.

Regards,
Poorna.
------------------------------------
Venkat,

This is a very nice tribute to your cousin. Although he has passed this world and this body, he will be remembered for his actions and himself by all those touched by his life in this world. So, he will be with you always.

I wish you to cherish his memory - he is still with you.

- Subbarao
-----------------------------
Venkat Garu,
Sorry to hear about the sudden demise of Mr Sundar Raju garu.

My heartfelt condolences to their family members.
Regards

Sarma
----------------------------------
Venkat - Sorry for the loss. I am in FTSI chennai for last 2 weeks and will be leaving for pune tomorrow.

Sanjay Kulkarni
---------------------------------
Great Job Chnna!

It was very touchy and emotional. I appreciate you remembering all the event and drafting such a big mail.

Thank you very much for letting us know his background.

Praveena Aekka
------------------------------------
Hello Venkat,

We are sorry to hear about the news that your cousin T.Sunder Raju passed away. I appreciate your time and efforts in putting together his legacy into an amazing story. May his soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Andy Chiranjeevi
KBTS Technologies, Inc.
http://www.kbtstech.com/
----------------------------
Please accept our condolences.

Regards,
Doraswamy Morasa
Ford Motor Company

------------------
Venkat,
I read your 'heart' from your email and can understand how you feel. Your Sunderanna may not be anymore physically, but he is always alive in the hearts of those people like you who love him and adore him.
My heartfelt condolences on the death of your beloved Sunderanna...... My prayers for the Soul to rest in peace as well as give you the strength to rebound soon......
Thanks & Regards,
Siva Adusumilli
Uvis - Server 313 39 09629 313 62 18492 (Fax)
------------------------------
Venkat, Sorry to hear the Sad news neverthless your eulogy is very thoughtful and articulate. May his soul rest in peace. Thanks Ajay
-------------------------
Venkat!Hats of you sir!!
I read most of it and i really liked it.. and definitely we need to learn a lot from you.

Thanks!Manoj
------------------------------

Dear Venkat, I am sorry to hear of the breavement. My short acquantence with him has left great impressions. In fact I have replecated a similar calling bell. Sincere condolences, life is full of suprises. take good care.
your pal sam.
-----------------------
Venkat Garu,
Read your document on Sundar Garu. It is very sad to know he is no more available. A great interior decorator is no more. Thank you for sharing the article. Please use Ramesh@Rameshkaza.com email id or mail2kaza@gmail.com in future
Regards,
Ramesh Kaza
--------------------------
Venkat: This is a beautiful homage and tribute straight from a loving heart. It is sure to reach heavens for your beloved Sunderanna. My condolensces and prayers. - Harish Patel
-----------------------------
I can comprehend what this loss means to you all.
Personally I had very few interactions with "Sunder Anna", The way i know him most is beacuse i have heard about him, day-in day-out from you all. I think he was the most talked about personality in your group ourside your immidiate family.
I have heard about his creativity from lot of people especially the Dinning table that he made out of the tree trunks and the sofa's that he decorated in his drawing room.The latest that i knew was that he was the brain behind Rajender babu's ( No offence ,I am trying to avoid Uncle word) new house at Medchal and i was told about the beautiful art work that was done in the false roofing.
Definetly now it makes sence to the words "Life comes fast at you "
Please convey my respects to his family .
ANILRAJ AKULA
----------------------------------
Venkat,Sorry to learn about your loss. Your article was very touching and it gave me an idea of someone so dear to you even though I never met him. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and fond memories about Sundar. It's one of best ways to remember someone.Sorry for the delay in reading/replying to your mail. Just didn't get around to this email earlier.

Best Wishes,
Tarun Mandhania
---------------