Not available from vizag

Every wave brings with it a lifetime of beauty



Vizag is the most beautiful place on Earth (which in turn is the most beautiful place in the whole universe). Ask me as many times as you please, I will tell the same. If you come up with any other place and try to "prove" it is more beuatiful, I would simply not listen. To me, there is no other place on earth which comes close to Vizag, and you now know that I am talking on a universal scale.

Now, a question like "why is Vizag so beautiful?" or "why do you like the place so much" would elicit a volume from me, so lets not go deep into that right now. Watch out for more posts on that. For the time-being, a few quick answers: Andhra University, AU Engineering College, Araku, Bhimili, Beach Road, Rushikonda, MVP Colony, Waltair, AVN College, Andhra Medical College, Kailasagiri, Mudasarlova, RK Beach, Panduranga Temple, Vuda Park (anybody remembers the name Sun and Sea?), Oliver Ridley turtles, Dolphin Hill, Gangavaram, Appikonda (the place with a GREAT significance to me)... unending list.

Please see some Telugu movies especially those made in Vizag before 1995 to get a little understanding of what I am saying. Different directors have captured the beauty of Vizag in their own unique ways. The finest of them is Balachander. Balachander shows the essence of Vizag's beauty in many of his films including many in Tamil. If he doesn't need to show any particular location, he simply shot those scenes in Madras.

For some memorable movies by K Viswanath, Jandhyala, Vamsy and others including EVV old and new Vizag formed a pleasant backdrop. To date, however, Balachander's black and white movies stand out as the best (at least to my eyes).

In old movies, beach road has the lovely blue sea on one side and the University lands, the 'Collector Office Down', the erstwhile AU Ladies hostels, some old English and Dutch buildings and some green spaces stretch over a few kilometers on the other side. Only once in a long while could a car, a scooter or a bus be seen crawling on the road. Close to the Collector Office Down, used to be a beautiful statue of Krishna and Radha in a small park in the beach front. It is in this park that Gandhi - Chiranjivi - gets his first "investment" of 10 paise and goes on to make Rs. 50 lakh in 5 years in the movie "Challenge" - another master piece made in the City of Destiny.

One end of the beach road is near the Vizag 'Outer Harbor', the other 'end' is near a light house on the tip of a sand dune projecting into the sea with some rocks against which waves bang to produce lovely fountains. Unfortunately in my last trip to Vizag, I didn't see the light-house working. The Vizag Beach Road actually extends all the way up to Bhimili.




The colors of evening near RK Beach. Enlarge the photo and in the right-side end you can see the light-house in VUDA Park as a small vertical projection on the land's tip

Beyond the light house there is a fishing village which is not seen from most parts, even the many "up-lands" of the city. In fact, many Vizagites don't know its existence. From the up-lands (including Kailasagiri and some classrooms in the main building of AU Engineering College), in the morning one can see boats venturing into the sea and in the evening boats returning.. what are actually visible are not boats, but the sails.. On clear days, tiny white sails - hundreds of them - on the blue sea presents a stunningly beautiful spectacle. I remember many classes I sat through in the main building, watching this! Now, this little description itself took so long, and I feel I have told too little, what if I go on elucidating all the reasons why Vizag is so beautiful..!!?

In 1986, the place between the light-house and the fishing village has been made into what is now "VUDA Park", officially "Tarakarama Sagarateera Aramam". The 'Tarakarama' is none other than NT Rama Rao, then chief minister of AP.

Well, all that has undergone some changes and starting from 1990s, the lovely Beach Road also underwent many changes. No more is the road occassionally visited by a rare vehicle.. I am hearing that these days, even in midnight the beach road is not free from traffic!


Beach road now

When I was in (AU Engg) college till 1998, it was still not so bad. I got closest of my friends and fondest of memories in Vizag. I and my wife (not yet, then) used to meet on the sands of Vizag beach. The mention of Vizag fills me with nostalgia and I want more and more of it like a drunkard wants his wine.

Now, just a few minutes ago I got a curt SMS, "Not available from Vizag". I was puzzled as to what was not available in (or from as per the SMS) Vizag for some time till I recollected sending an SMS to this man-with-a-soul-of-brevity in the morning. This curt SMS without punctuations punctured my dreams and deeply disappointed me.

Earlier in the day, I saw an ad for sale of a beach facing apartment around Maharanipet and I immediately tried calling the mobile number given. As usually BSNL Bangalore would not get me through: "dayavittu swalpa samayadanantara kare madi" (please call after some time). I sent an SMS enquiring if the flat is still available and had built a thousand hopes till this reply came.