Arhi FF 'Sandcastle' Th 1. Reposted all the parts - Page 86

Chapter 11A

"I am sorry I over reacted." Khushi said as they sat on the bench over viewing the Buddha Statue. "It's just... I was overwhelmed to know that you care about me." she smiled, trying to avoid the impending conversation that she was sure he would ask, the reason for her outburst. "Someone close to your heart?" She asked teasingly with her narrowed eyes.

Arnav looked up and searched her eyes for any sign before shaking his head, realizing her need to be alone in that moment. "Long story," he summed up his affair in a word with a wink, "apart from that, I think this place shows local heritage in a great sense... what with all these statues."

"33 in number," Khushi informed with pride. These were the times she would feel utmost pride in her nativity. She loved the place for various reasons. One being the peaceful environment at the foot of the Buddha statue, in the middle of Hussian Sagar Lake, despite of being located in a highly buzzed area. Second were these 33 live statues of people who played a prominent and iconic role in the development of Telugu culture from a very early age. "They were installed almost two decades ago by actor turned politician N T Rama Rao. They vary from poets, freedom fighters, rulers and many others. Most of the people, even Andhraties, have a delusion that all these 33 statues are people who belong to here, with Telugu as their mother tongue. However, they fail to recognize that it was not the case."

"Not Telugu people?" Arnav asked her, not really stunned at the new information. He knew they were related to something regarding local culture and tradition and he never really paid much attention to know about each of the statue's life history, just a brief about them. However, he wanted to keep Khushi busy for a while so that she could forget about her problems.

She laughed at him while shaking her head. "Don't start with me, Suriya. I will end up explaining each and every one." She warned but stared when he actually stood, extending his hand for her.

"I would like to know and set my opinion on this area, Khushi." He stated plainly. "So, tell me the importance... of your Pearl City."

"Originally," she said while they made their way, "that was the plan, Arnav, to show you the real city. Here comes the first statue in order of appearance... Rudrama Devi. She was one of the prominent rulers from Kakateeya dynasty and often known as benign ruler. There was a legend that she was designated as a son and named as Rudradeva, which helped her succeed to rule Telugu country with Orugallu, present Warangal, as its capital. Second is Asaf Jah VI, the sixth Nizam ruler when Hyderabad was considered as one of the Princely states. He was known for his Mystic powers, where his mere name in a particular fashion was enough to stop the venom from a snake bite to spread further. He was known as Mahboob Ali Pasha for this reason and the snake bite spell practice became famous throughout the region. Sarvepalli Radha krishnan, an influential scholar of comparative religion and philosophy. His description of various traditions and it's interlink with each other philosophically by building a bridge between East and West say it all. Sir Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy a.k.a C.R. Reddy, played a major role in educational policy in our country. He was well known in Karnataka for his epoch-making step of social reform"

At that point, Khushi faced Arnav to find him immensely involved in her talks. "No one dares to speak with me for various reasons," she commented about herself. "I can keep my mouth shut, you know."

"I will ask you to if I feel the need." He replied in the same manner, pointing his finger at the next statue in order. "I know him, Gurazada Apparao, for his work called Kanyasulkam."

"Arre wah! And you say you have no idea about the place." She complained, enjoying the moment as she watched him studying the person.

"I know about few of them," he confessed finally with a sigh. "This particular guy, Appachi, my maternal grandfather, is his fan. He always reads that particular book and so have a basic idea of who he was. I must say, he did a great job by speaking about social problems and how scandalous it was. He was the one to break the tradition of Telugu literature by using simple language that can be understood by a common man, right?"

Khushi nodded with a smile, as she stared at the man she was in love. She followed him as he stood in front of the next statue. "Bellary Raghava," he studied the nameplate, "what about his story?"

"A notable playwright and a renowned, versatile actor from Bellary, Karnataka."She informed just as the first rays fell on his face, adding its glow. Suryadev on her Suriya, her mind whispered with a teasing smile and Khushi gathered all her strength not to hug him or kiss him. "A lawyer and ardent social worker. They say that Gandhi and Tagore were few among his admirers for his social works."

"Hero of the Jungles," Khushi continued at the next one. "Alluri Sita Rama Raju was a revolutionist. He led Rampa Rebellion' where along with his followers, raided police stations and stole their weapons. He fought for poor, often against tax, and shot dead with a rifle in a forest, tied to a tree. There was a movie about the man's journey, where there was a song that portrays as calling a Telugu son to take a step against Britishers, which in itself says about the man in an understanding way for this and coming generations."

Though Arnav did not know much about the cultural heritage, he had studied enough regarding the place. He watched Khushi, guarding her emotions. "The rest," he said, holding her wrist as he pulled her towards one of the benches placed over there. "Most of them were freedom fighters and poets... those three guys who translated Mahabharat, Kavitrayam as they known as."

"Nannaya, Tikkana, Errana or Errapregada," she informed, impressed at his knowledge.

"And that couple," he added, taking his time to start their impending conversation, "Annamacharya and his two wives... Timmakka and Molla... considered as first and second Women poets in Telugu literature."

"Not to forget about Pingali Venkayya," she almost shouted, to which he chuckled with a nod.

"The designer of our national flag," he stared in her eyes as he said. "Now, let's talk about something that is related to our present life, Khushi."

Arnav saw the flicker of horror pass in her eyes before she recovered from it. "Nothing more to say than I already said," he heard her say in an emotionless voice. "I was overwhelmed by your concern that you actually brought me to a place where the person close to your heart finds her peace. That reminded me to thank you."

"Okay." He dropped the subject, not wanting to provide discomfort for her. "Can I expect to meet your love interest anytime soon?"

After a minute of thinking, she nodded with a cunning smile that Arnav understood, one of her kinds where she was going to have a game played, rather than tell in a clear way.Soon enough, his doubts were confirmed by her reply.

"You can try and guess him if at all I introduce him to you, along with my other friends."

"I will try," he confessed sincerely, "you have to provide a clue for that, of course."

"Of course."She agreed. "He is, in a way, related to one of the characters of epic Mahabharat. You know, the name."

"My knowledge in that area sticks to ABC," Arnav fussed over the clue, "can you not be more specific?"

"What are you? A five year kid? Can I just spell it?" She retorted while walking away from him, towards the car. "Consider it as your first clue, Suriya."

***~***~***~***~***~***