I've been an introvert for three quarters of my life, and the last 6 years were revolutionary in the way I started communicating with people. People are good to talk to, but unlike most others claim, I see that the best moments of life bless you alone. You can only share the happiness when we achieve something, but to know all the pain that you went through as you achieved it, none will know it the way you do, nor will they feel it the way you do. For such love of being alone, and communicating with the inner self, I have chosen the best set of holidays I got, the ones that sandwiched my birthday to ride solo into lands where no one knew me.
It has been planned more than a month ago, and the waiting pressed me. The wait was because of several reasons. The bike was rotting in my hall since 4 months, the gear I brought for my second first salary needed to be tested, I was longing for rains like a drought-struck. 10th of October, I was to ride into a land called 'Diviseema', the fertile basins of Krishna, where my parents grew around. All through my childhood, the references to these places were innumerable.
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| Green farmlands and cloudy skies welcoming near the AP-TS borders |
It all started on 9th, as I rode down to Vijayawada on the butter smooth NH-65. The drive was eventless until I crossed the borders that were not there when I visited these places 7 years ago. As I stopped to rest and click the picture below, it started drizzling from behind. I'd love to drench on the ride but the luggage my mom asked me to fetch was not so. As it started raining, I could see that a whole new species of insects woke up and swarmed the lands. Many stuck all across me before I even stopped. I'd felt bad I was killing them but I soon recalled what Gita said "to do what you're made for"
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| A murder under the broad daylight |
There were a crazy group of 8-9 riders riding Truimphs, Harleys and and Benellis. I rode along with them till the border checkposts where we were all stopped by the police. I noticed that none of them were packed in any gear riding such big machines. I lost interest in making friends and told the police that I wasn't a part of that gang. One of them confirmed saying, "Leave him. His is not a racing bike." I hopped on and got moving. Somewhere deep inside, the teacher was still thriving to teach them what a performance bike and cruiser are.
I rested the whole day, for it was pouring down in Vijayawada. The next day started as every birthday would, with lots of messages and calls. Running ahead of calls and against the procrastinating me, I pulled out quick and was out on the happiness road by 9 in the morning. And happiness was for real. A dry riverbed on one side, I wondered what we were doing by saving waters in the dam when the fertile lands were running dry. I'd never been into irrigation villages before and my shallow knowledge of waters was later disproved. Coconut trees were guarding the paddy fields on the other side. The clean air was not picturesque but it felt so good.
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| Coconut trees guarding the paddy fields |
The rivers of India have been assigned festivals called "Pushkaram". Each river's pushkaram repeats after 12 years and many theists come down to bathe in the river waters in the 12-day slot and pray to Gods. It was River Krishna's turn this year and the government had built many ghats (safe places to bathe in the flowing river). I descended down a couple of ghats to have a look at how the river feels, I would've felt bad if the riverbed felt any different, but here is a road eroded by the violence of the river. Here is a small concrete way laid across the river.
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| The dry riverbe |
The roads went on and paddy fields lined around. Or maybe everywhere. The road was just a big streak of tar in what seemed to be an infinity of paddy fields. For atlas 6 successive hours, I was just riding amongst paddy fields everywhere, and the land is not even known for paddy. How long and slow does the nature produce food? How patient someone waits for that plant to reap? How careless in an urban area do we act while we throw such food out? Well, I asked these questions to myself 2 years ago over a random philosophical discussion and I have changed a lot that day.
Soon, I was at the destination I started for. The place where river Krishna meets the sea. There's not much fuss around the place. I was on the southern bank and the poles beside belong to the last ghat on the river. The channel accounted for one-third of the river's drainage, but there were no waves on the river bank. The river was deep and slow and flowed calm. The saying "Santh waahate Krishnamayi" came to my mind. Silently flows River Krishna. Though I was unable to photograph, but the river was clearly differentiable by the eye. The lack of waves in the region where the river meets the sea can be seen in the central right of the picture.
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| Where the river meets the sea |
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| The noon |
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| We can't go to your Motherland baby |
It was afternoon and I needed to start my journey back. On the way back, I found routes that were not highways. Mangroves grow where rivers meet the seas and here they are. The way nature adapts itself is incredible. And here is the mother of all adaptions, plants growing in waters salty enough to cook your favourite gravies. The salt water canals were dug into the lands and local fisheries work on them.
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| Fisher's canals, they call it the river |
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| Never-ending mangroves |
The narrow roads guarded by trees reminded me of the isle of TT, and I put all the good things I had to test, still being on the safer side for I was new to the equipment. I was so excited with the views, wind and the feel of the ride that I could not stop for more pictures of the best part of the journey. Oh, by the way, I was hungry too.
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| Isle of TT feels |
I was back on the other side of the river and here are the smallest 'Lanka' villages you'd find around. 'Lanka', meaning an island, are fishing villages commonly seen in the delta regions of South Indian rivers. Unlike most other islands that flood over the low-lying regions in floods and full flow, Krishna river has not drenched these lands in the past despite flowing 50 feet deep all around. Yes, right 50 feet deep.
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| A lanka village |
I am not a person who would want to eat a specific dish for cravings. For all that MANIT had taught me, I am hungry craving for food or I am satisfied. But this, this was different. After 4 months of eating North Indian food, I was finally craving for the South Indian spice. I also wanted it to be as eventless and I bought these 'Mirchi Bajji' for 20 Rupees and it was a happy lunch. There was this enthusiastic dog at the little stall that licked my hand for nothing. I felt ecstatic that moment. The perfect birthday lunch.To add up, I gulped down half a litre of coconut water and pH was balanced. Yes, Coconut water is sold in litres down here costing around 60Rupees/litre. Come, have some coconut.
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| The birthday lunch |
The ride continued forward on roads unknown to Tenali, and then back to Vijayawada. The roads were all well laid, new and maintained, despite not being state Highways, marking good state administration. I talked to farmers on a couple of breaks and they seemed to be happy with the rains this year.
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| The perfect tourday |
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| Happy place |
The next day was Dussehra, a festival celebrating the victory of good over bad and it has been a custom to clean and flower our vehicles. Vehicles back then meant the cattle we rode on, and they would have enjoyed an affable celebration. Now, this practice would be worthless, but I was not in a mood to talk out to my mom. The lands were very fertile, and the sheer number of juicy lemons tied should tell you the story. That lemons were dropping out useless in our backyard everyday, even if we weren't watering the plant.
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| Look at the lemons |
