The phone on my desk at
The Hindu rang. It was Chirala Rama Rao, our Visakhapatnam staffer, calling my boss. Putting the call on hold, Rajendra Prasad turned to me and asked ‘the Defence Minister (PV Narasimha Rao) will be in the Andamans to inaugurate a facility of the Indian Navy. Will you handle it?’ With great effort, I restrained from screaming ‘yay’ and dancing on the desk. We at The Hindu were trained to look cool and unemotional like Jeeves. I was not surprised by the choice for the trip because I was known as the go-to man for any outstation or special assignment.
Mahashivratri: Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh is home to many spectacles
By Dasu Keshav Rao| Updated: 13th March 2021 4:59 pm IST File Photo
Dasu Kesava Rao
Sitting pretty on a hill in the heart of the Nallamala Forests is Srisailam, now bursting at the seams with devotees thronging it for the Mahasivaratri. It is much more than the abode of Sri Mallikarjunaswamy and His Consort, Sri Bhramarambika. It harbours many interesting aspects which a routine pilgrim is mostly likely to miss. For example.……….
A staggering half a million people trek through the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Reserve during the run-up to Sivaratri and Ugadi festivals, a large chunk of them coming from Karnataka. The Kannadigas regard Sri Bhramaramba as their own daughter and Sri Mallikarjuna swamy as their son-in-law. Devotees from Karnataka account for a third of the footfall at the shrine.