Sri Sri and Me - Part 1

My relation with Sri Sri started somewhere in 2004 when I was in MGBS bus-stand, waiting for a bus to take off on my bi-weekly random trip. (Yes, I was that crazy person who used to go the bus-stand, pick a bus at random, go to the last stop, spend a day there and come back) I usually had a book in hand for emergencies, and this time, I had none. So, I went to the book stall and for the first time, saw the book Mahaprasthanam. I have heard people talk about this book, the poems / snippets mentioned in movies like Aakali Rajyam and Rudraveena but never actually read it. So I bought and I was blasted away.

The sheer force and energy of the words blew me away so hard that I just kept reading them again and again and again and then again. I was actually made aware of the power of words, the force with which they can hit you and the ever lasting damage that they can create. From then on, wherever I went, I always carried a copy of it with me. Someone would always ask for it, and I would end up gifting it to that person and buying a new one. 

The current copy I own in the 18th that I bought. How do I even start to describe the effect this book had on me. Whenever I feel drained of energy, I just have to open a page at random and read it and somehow, I would be refilled with enough energy to complete the task at hand. Surprisingly, for me, its not the underlying revolution that impacts me but the words and their usage to literally slap you on your face, shake you up and leave you enthralled, exhausted and inspired at the same time that does the trick.

Let me start off with some excerpts from "Yogyata Patram" by Chalam (Another revered writer). 

Warning: Most of the content from here on will be in Telugu. For the benefit of some readers, I will be typing in Telugu using English. 

"Hrudayamella kampisthe, aaa kampanaki matala roopaanni yivvadam athanike telusu, maatalni katthulu, eetelu, mantaluga marchatam athanike chetanavunu. Padyalu chaduvuthunte, ivi maatalu kaavu, aksharalu kaavu - udrekalu, baadhalu, yuddhalu - athani hrydayamlonchi mana hrydayamloki direct gaa pampina utsahaalu anipisthundi.

Yendukante --

Krishna Shastri tana baadhani andarilonuu palikisthe, Sri Sri andari baadhanuu tanalo palikisthadu.

Krishna Shastri baadha prapanchaniki baadha. Prapanchapu baadha anta Sri Sri baadha. "

This is what Chalam suggests we do with this book:

"Sri Sri pusthakam koni teerikaga chadavandi, padyam padi saarlu chadavandi. Emi artham kaleda - Ea yuvakudiko, bhikshakudiko, death-bed present gaano pampandi. Paareyyakandi. Anthakanna daachukokandi. Telugu kavitvanni khandinchi, deevinchi, ooginchi, saasinchi, rakshinche apoorva sakthi mee chethilo pusthakam, pass it on.

Padellu aagandi, ee lopala asthi sampadinchadam, pillalni kanadam, dharalu peragatam  kaaka jeevithamlo inka emanna mimmalni amithamga influence chesinavi jarigiunte, malli kotha copy koni Sri Sri padyalni chadavandi. Appudanna ardhamavutundemo..."

What else can I say. That is Sri Sri. Will try to post some my favourite excerpts in the next post of this series.