In one of my earlier posts that I wrote in September I shared about how a normal weekend turned out to be one of the most exciting ones of the year when I received a call from an architect from Hyderabad, India, who informed me that one of my blog posts from 2018 kickstarted a project to restore a centuries old stepwell in my ancestral village of Lingampet. On that call I spoke with the ‘Water warrior’ Kalpana Ramesh Ma’am and the architect, Mr. Kesav. We discussed about my 2018 blog post, how they came across it and the subsequent efforts of Kalpana Ma’am along with her team at the Rainwater Project and the then collector of Kamareddy Jitesh Patel in restoring the stepwell. They had originally planned to invite me to the opening ceremony which was to take place on the next Friday but having found out that I live in Canada now, they understood that it will be difficult for me to attend.
After the call ended, I got up and did an imitation of Brett Lee’s chainsaw celebration (albeit a poor one) as I was absolutely pumped. This was one of the best things to have happened in my blogging journey. To see someone read your writing, get influenced by it and work on it, is just an amazing feeling. But, though I was happy, a part of me felt a bit disappointed at not being able to attend the opening ceremony. I did not have enough leaves, it was at a short notice and the flight tickets were expensive. As I was discussing this with my family, both my brother and my dad indicated to me that it’s okay if I wanted to fly to India, even though its going to cost a lot, to attend this event as it’s a big deal to be invited to something like this, especially because of my role in it. With their support, slowly this thought took shape and I made up my mind to talk to my boss to see if he’s okay with the short notice leave of a week. The next Monday I spoke to him and he, thankfully, was okay with the plan. With this, I immediately booked the tickets for the next day’s flight.
I arrived in Hyderabad on a Wednesday, took some rest that day and the next day morning me and my dad, who was equally, if not more, excited about the whole event, drove the 4 hour journey to Lingampet, my ancestral village and where my dad grew up. We arrived at our ancestral home late in the evening. It was already dark as we pulled into the sehen of our home.
Next day, I woke up leisurely, still reeling from the jet lag. Dad was already up and was out on a morning walk. As I walked out into the courtyard, the sun was out and I could hear all the typical noises you hear in a village; Neighbors talking, distant sound of birds, an occasional hawker passing the street and many others. I looked up at the hill overlooking the village. This was a constant sight in all our visits to the village and has many memories attached to it. With these thoughts in my mind, I went back inside to get ready for the day. By the time I finished my breakfast, which was sent by one of our relatives, dad was back from his walk and we discussed the plan for the day. I would be going to the stepwell to meet Kalpana Ma’am and the rainwater team as well as the Infosys team which was sponsoring the work through their CSR arm. Dad, meanwhile wanted to take care of arrangements for a lunch we were planning for all the teams including the Rainwater team and one person from the Heritage Matters team.
Around 11 30 am, I made my way over to the site of the stepwell. The whole area around was abuzz with activity. I could see multiple cars parked, lots of workers, artists in costumes rehearsing for the performance in the evening, technicians hooking up lights, local political workers and many others. I walked towards the well, looking around for Kesav , who I soon spotted. I walked over to him and introduced myself. Kesav soon gave me a quick update of the happenings around. A few minutes later, their Project Supervisor Venkatesh came up and we chatted for a while before Venkatesh offered to take me to meet Kalpana Ma’am.
It was a moderately sunny day but still quite hot and Kalpana Ma’am was taking a well deserved break in her car when Venkatesh informed her that I was there. Her friend Anu Ma’am was there as well. After exchanging pleasantries we chatted for a while discussing the evening’s event and how the preparation was going. Soon it was time for lunch and we all drove to our home where my dad had taken care of the lunch arrangements. The team was very interested in looking at our house and I gave them a short tour. After lunch, Kalpana Ma’am explained to me the concept of a village stay and how it has multiple benefits. It was a good discussion. Though we wanted to chat a bit more, there was work to be done at the stepwell site and she had to leave.
In the evening, around 5pm, me and my dad went to the stepwell. A huge number of chairs were laid out nearby with a screen set up where the proceedings were to be screened. As we were walking, Vamshi from the Infosys team recognized me and walked over to meet. He then introduced me to the rest of the team.
After this, me and my dad went and sat on the chairs waiting for the program to start. The area immediately beside the stepwell was fenced off and police personnel only let in a limited number of spectators after which they closed it. I was not sure at that time how the program was to unfold overall.
Soon I received a message from Vamsi asking my whereabouts. I told him I was seated outside to which he told me to come inside and near where the dance performance was taking place. With a little bit of convincing and later the presence of Rainwater team’s Venkatesh, the Police let us through. Inside, as I was looking for a place to sit, I spotted Mr. Vinayak Jaksan. Vinayak sir’s ancestors where the original builders of this stepwell and a few other structures in Lingampet. He, given my interest in history, regaled me with his family’s history from the time they left Lingampet a century ago till the present. He was also invited for this occasion and he, with his dad and brother, drove all the way from Sholapur.
Our conversation was interrupted by a call from Vamshi who wanted me to be near the where the dance performance was going on. I slowly made my over, on the steps and sat nearby. After the performances ended, Vamshi went on stage and introduced me to the crowd. He then, asked me to say a few words. I initially declined as I was not prepared with anything but when he insisted I took the mic and in a mix of English and Telugu said a few words, thanking the teams involved in the restoration work and the spectators for turning up for the event. After this I went back and sat down. I was feeling super thrilled to have been invited to speak. Next, Kalpana Ma’am spoke about the project and the efforts that went into its restoration. Though she mentioned all of the people involved, she was the real MVP (Most Valuable Player in sports speak) of the whole project and it was good to see the culmination of her perseverance in overcoming a lot obstacles in getting the work completed.
Soon the MLA arrived and after some speeches, the felicitation program started. Many people were felicitated who were involved in the work. Surprisingly, they invited me, despite my minor role. I was honored with a shawl, a first for me. Vamshi also mentioned my dad’s name as he is a native of this village and dad spoke a few words with the MLA.
Soon, the program ended and the crowds started to dwindle. My dad and I chatted with local people including some journalists before it was a wrap. I said my goodbyes to the rainwater team members, Infosys team members and Kalpana Ma’am as well, promising to stay in touch. Everyone was tired and it was late so we did not linger around much and everyone soon dispersed. It was a wonderful day overall. Next day, my dad received a text on WhatsApp with a newspaper clipping showing an article about the event. It mentioned my name which made me happy. We looked through four news papers and found my name in two of them.
I left for Canada on Sunday ending my whirlwind trip but exciting and unique trip to India.