Why is Athadu the greatest Telugu film made in modern times?

In Summer of 2012, I had visited Warangal for a day. During the afternoon, I was waiting for my friend at Kadambari restaurant in Hotel Ashoka. The usual buzz suddenly stopped and everyone looked at the TV. It was Maa TV and they were playing Athadu. It was the farmland fence dispute scene featuring Tanikella Bharani and Mahesh Babu. For five minutes, people almost stopped eating. There was no talking. Then there was a commercial break and normalcy resumed. Seven years after its release and multiple reruns, people still stop for a glimpse of brilliance.  That, gentlemen, is the greatness of this film called Athadu. 

I will not mince my words but Trivikram Srinivas, albeit his declining quality, is the best writer we have in Telugu film industry today. In Athadu, what he created was not short of magic. Be it the opening sequence shot in the green light, that sets out the subtle tone of the film, then there is a routine bank robbery but then there is an explosion of emotions that make you go insane when the young kid says, "Vaadu radanna. Champesanu". This is the point where you realize that it is not going to be anything ordinary. 

Superstar Mahesh Babu reinvented himself with Athadu. The intensity in his eyes in throughout the film is worth all your time and energy you've spent. I didn't say ticket money because greatness and money are mutually exclusive. As we progress into the film, there's the old city murder. The way the scene was shown twice in two different ways, first time like nothing really happened and then the second time, in super slow motion and how! Only select swear words can describe that exact feeling. And I am willing to use them all, should a need for verbal expression about the greatness of this movie arise. 

Coming to the comedy. There's hardly any disagreement that Brahmanandam's performance in Athadu is one of his finest. What seemed like one subtle fest suddenly becomes a raging sarcasm galore and how! What Brahmanandam did to this movie, nothing can take it away. My all time favorite dialogue remains, "Pellikoduku average anta kada!".

One of the least spoken about, not just in this movie, but any movie that he has acted in, is a Punjabi actor called Sonu Sood. To stand by Mahesh, match his body language, his height, his dialogue delivery, he's one man who has done his job well. So fucking well that nobody notices it. On a list of 10 things you know about Athadu, he is eleventh. Kudos Sonu, you will be in my heart forever for this role.

Tanikella Bharani. Mentioning what TB is to Athadu in one paragraph is an insult to begin with. But compared to the shamelessness of the current standard of Telugu cinema, I am confident I will do a good job. The scenes where Mahesh confronts TB in the farm fields is somehow the most enigmatic fight/confrontation scenes I have ever seen. There is only cold sarcasm behind those sharp dialogues, but then, you feels your stomach freeze in awe when you see Mahesh break those granite pillars and the words he speaks to TB.

There are certain scenes which will take you breath away. For example the subtle tact and genius with which Mahesh takes back Prakash Raj's visiting card. The one in which Mahesh writes down a cheque for Trisha's sister's marriage. The one where Prakash Raj discovers one of the policemen jumps the gun and fires a bullet at the signal. The one where the kids fall short of that one marble. The one where they realize that the money from such crimes is stashed in banks! and why not! There are more. But listing them down was never the objective of this post.

There are so many important characters. Nazar, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sayaji Shinde, Prakash Raj, Rahul Dev and all else. This is not about listing them out either. But let us rise beyond the characters. Let us look at this movie from a birds eye view. It is just epic. It is an epitome of elegance which the ruthlessly foolish Telugu cinema audience of our times didn't recognize. Post-facto, everyone is a brilliant analyst. But I have been an ardent fan of this film ever since I watched it in Ramachandra 70mm - second show on the first day.

The dialogues of this film, if published as a book will sell more than Harry Potter or the Lord of The Rings, alas that's only limited by the Telugu speaking population, of which, I am a proud member. They are a standard. A benchmark which many pretentious films have competed to reach, albeit in vain. As a man born and brought up in Andhra Pradesh, Athadu is a film I am proud of. Are you?

And one last thing about Athadu is that, in a few years, it will be a universal fact that it is not a film. It is not even classic literature. It is time they declare Athadu a branch of science. It is 8 years and there is not an iota of difference in the number of goosebumps it gives you every time they watch it. That, gentlemen, is what makes Athadu the greatest Telugu film made in modern times. No conditions apply. Sheer brilliance.

Edit: March 2, 2021 - There was one thing I forgot to mention, without which, both the film and this article is incomplete - the astounding background music and songs composed by Sri Manisharma. The bgm in certain dramatic parts is so captivating and fitting that it elevates Mahesh's presence and the film per se to stratospheric levels. It took me a long time to make this edit - but all errors must be corrected.  

- Deepak Karamungikar

My favorite dialogue: "Vetaku velletappudu puli kallu ela untayo, ala untayi. Kopanga. Sootiga. Vaadu Meedku Dorakadu."

Stargazer

Some memories last a lifetime. Moments freeze and remain in front of your eyes forever. You just have to close your eyes to relive them. In the summer of 1996, I had attended the marriage of a relative, in a very rustic village. I was thirteen. At the onset of teenage, I was too young for anything damaging, yet, I had a reputation. However, this post is not about that. It was one of the hotter days that summer, when left with nothing else to do, we decided to explore the countryside. 

Me and an older cousin of mine decided to take a long walk around evening. We went across the small pond that had almost dried up. It was the first time I had seen a very large flock of swans drinking from what was remaining of the pond. The ridge along the pond had trees on one side and mostly dry land on the other side. We kept walking, talking of things I barely remember. I had a stick in my hand and I kept fiddling with it, hitting every plant I saw on the way, recklessly. 

A point came where we were in the middle of what can be best described as a serene endless piece of land, with the setting sun on one side of the horizon and impending darkness on the other. At a distance, we could tell from the dim lights, was the village. A gentle cold breeze had begun to blow. We decided to stop and go no further. It was time to return. As we turned around, the pond had a fluttering silver line across it. It was the moon. As we moved closer to the village, we decided to sit down on a large rock, rest for a while as we had nothing else to do at home. My cousin was a frequent visitor to that place, and hence going back was not a problem. I kept looking at the pond, over which, the yellow, not-so-bright moon wandered. 

Soon, it turned dark enough for the stars to light up the sky.  It was at that point I decided to look up straight into the sky. At that point, with hands under my head, I looked up into the sky. There were a million stars spangled across the sky and to my right in the sky, shone the bright moon. Crickets chirred incessantly as a gentle breeze humbly comforted me. Calmness engulfed my soul. Conversation had succumbed to nature. 

Moments don't last forever. Neither did this. My cousin shook me up from the ecstatic stargazing indulgence. We walked home. Over seventeen years have passed since that night at Sanjeevanraopet. Not even once in all these years have I felt the peace, tranquility and the ecstasy I experienced that evening. However, it is so fresh in my memory that I just have to close my eyes to re-live it. But it is still a memory - and a memory is never an experience.  

But as years passed, I realize, that experience was the birth of the unrelenting romantic in me. 

- DK 

आँगन

खिले थे गुलाब इस आँगन में उस शाम
धुप छाँव की अन बन में ले रहे थे तेरा नाम
डूब गयी थी तेरे इंतज़ार में इस तरहा आँखें
पता ही न चला कौनसे थे आंसू, कौनसे थे अरमान

सांस लेने में भी डर लग रहा है ,
सांस के बहाने आस ना छूट जाए कहीं,
लेकिन हवा भी कुछ इतनी ख़ास थी उस शाम
हर झोंका ला रहा था तेरे आने का पैगाम

ख़्वाबों की दरी बिछाए हर ज़र्रे को सजाया था
सितारों की चमक चुरा कर हर कोने को रोशन किया था
पता नहीं था तेरी परछाई में भी वोह रौशनी थी
आँगन क्या, तूने मेरी ज़िन्दगी से ही अँधेरा मिटाया

तुम्हारी आहाट  का प्यास था मेरा आँगन
उस  पायल की खनक ने तो फूल ही उगा दिए
जिस चौखट पर बैठ कर तेरी आवाज़ ढूँढता था
देखते देखते वहाँ जैसे तेरा मंदिर ही बन गया

- दीपक करामुंगीकर

Texas Diaries 2: Inglorious Basterds

Anyone who has lived in the US knows the kind of importance that is given to cleanliness and maintenance of apartments by the owners. There are inspections in which you are expected to present your apartment in the best possible way. Also, according to the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, it is impossible to keep your apartment clean at all times. So this one time, all of us put in our best efforts to clean up the apartment and did a decent job - but for the cockroaches. We didn't know what to do about them. So we called for the pest control guys who are employed by the owners. 

Five days had passed since the clean up and the apartment was coming back to it's original form. That was the day there was a heavy knock on the door. I opened the door and found a tall burly man with his equipment. "Pest Control," he said in a voice that would have scared all the pests if they had ears. He was a born Texan, which I could tell from his strong southern accent. He walked inside and began to prepare the pest bait. I found the syringe-paste he used interesting and asked him, "So you put these baits and when cockroaches eat them, they die?". 

He looked at me and in a heavy southern accent said, "They're gonna die". The moment he said this, there was a spark in my brain. I could feel it. I realized this man was said the exact same words Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt says about Nazis in Inglorious Basterds. There was so much similarity in their voice that if you closed eyes, you would believe that Aldo Raine was standing in front of you. It was the exact same voice. I kept wondering as he quickly got to work and finished his job over the next few minutes.

This is where I didn't keep quiet and the impulsive conversationalist in me was at work already. 

"What is your name, sir?" I asked. 

"My name is X," he said. 

"Do you watch movies?"

"Yeah, I do. But not too many," he said. 

"Did you watch Inglorious Basterds?" I asked. 

"No...I didn't" he said. 

"Do you know Brad Pitt?" I asked. 

"Yeah, of course," he said. 

"When you said "They're gonna die", you exactly sounded like Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds," I said. 

"Wow? Really?" he said as he began to blush with happiness. 

"Yes of course you do. I cannot find a reason to tell your voice was different from his. You sound exactly like him," I said. 

"Thank you, that's so nice to hear," he said and looked evidently delighted. 

A casual chatter followed before he left. He seemed very happy with the compliment he had received and he left with that I-sound-like-Brad-Pitt-yay! smile. But I was wrong. The next day, they sent an inspection squad to our apartment because this gentleman had mentioned to the authorities that our apartment was not clean. One of his responsibilities was to report apartments that are not maintained clean. He did his job. Brad Pitt equalization and flattery doesn't work. Welcome to America. 

Texas Diaries - 1

One fine day in December 2012, I decided not to take shit anymore. And thus began the only process I have meticulously followed in my life of 30 years.

An MBA. Almost 8 years of Corporate experience. Set married life. 3 year old beautiful daughter. Retired father. Working mother. Almost permanent, set job. Salary was good enough to fund all sorts of vagabondage. But somewhere in my heart, a voice kept telling me that I wasn’t doing what’s best for me. One day, that voice was so loud that it spoke through my lips. I told my mother,
“Aai, mee America la zato” (Mom, I will go to the US).

I was sure that with my kind of experience and educational background, a second MBA would be the best option. But I had made the mistake of MBA once already. I had taken the GRE earlier that year. I took the scorecard out of the cupboard that day and said to myself, “Let the dance begin”. After a lot of research and self-assessment, I narrowed it down to the stream I would like to specialize in. This time, it was not by instinct. I did not allow any “your-communication-skills-are-good-you-should-do-an-MBA” type of street-wizardry to impact my plans.  Once the academic program was finalized, it was time for the process.

TOEFL, Recommendation letters, SoP, transcripts, application, fees, so on and so forth. This is an extremely tedious process if you are working 6 days a week, 14 hours per day. But finally, I was able to successfully apply to three universities. Two of which admitted me. One didn’t finalize the admission because the transcripts provided by Osmania University had poor quality prints and my marks were not legible on the memo. Thanks, OU. I love you.

Once the admissions are in, the next step was education loan. However, the organization which rejected my application for an education loan citing the lamest excuse “You won’t get student visa at this age”, here is my digitus medius. Screw you. I am in Texas now.

The visa. Having spent almost about one lakh fifty thousand rupees on the process, there is still no guarantee that I would make it. And the probability, was always 0.5. On 15^th May 2013, when the happy faced visa officer approved my visa after asking basic questions, tears rolled out of my eyes like it was a bride’s farewell. Stomach ached. A 10 year old unthinkable dream was being fulfilled. I didn’t just walk out of the consulate with a heavy stomach and tears of immense joy; I walked into a new future.

The fun part is, I got my visa on 15^th May 2013 and I was scheduled to leave on 22^nd May 2013. Just 6 days in between. Given the way my luck was running, I hadn’t done any shopping whatsoever. I had refrained from even buying those large luggage bags, leave alone clothes and other things.  On 22^nd May, I finally boarded my first international flight.

After coming to the US, things slowly began to settle down. It has been almost 3 months now. In December 2012, all I had was an idea of a better life and an enhanced career. At the age of 30, I left behind my kid, wife, mother, father, friends, job, financial freedom, a set life and a lot else.

Another of my biggest worries was how I would fare in academics after a dreadful gap of almost 8 years. How will a body and mind that is so used to sybaritic indulgences get used to the rigor and discipline that a Master’s program demands?  And my past academic record being the least impressive thing on my CV, I had my own fears. I was in no shape or form to do this. All I had was a desire. But today, I got the final result of one course in my first semester. I made an A-grade. That is 90% plus. Guess that settles it.

Although this is just the beginning and there is a long way to go, the sense of satisfaction is unparalleled.  

- Deepak Karamungikar

The HWR Procedure for Twitter Funerals

Every time a legendary film actor passes away, Twitter behaves in a certain way. This flowchart tries to understand what goes on the mind of that tweeter who hadn't given a damn about the actor until he died (and will never give after that day), but hypocritically pretends to be in the thick of the things on that day. 

ఆకలి వేసిన శుభవేళ

సాయింత్రం ఆరింటికి, బస్సు దిగగానే ఇంటి వైపు నడవడం మొదలు పెట్టాను. నోరు మూస్కుని ఇంటికి వెళ్ళకుండా, కిళ్ళి కొట్టు వైపు నా కళ్ళు చూడక చస్తాయా. రోడ్ దాటి దారి మార్చాను. రోడ్ దాటాక గుర్తొచ్చింది, ఇంట్లో ఎవరు లెరని. ఇక ఇంటికి కూడా ఎం వెళ్తాం లే అని అల ఒక సిగరెట్ కొని, దాన్ని ఆనందిస్తూ అలా నిలపడ్డాను. ఏ ముహూర్తాన నాకు ఈ ఆలోచన తట్టిందో కాని, ఆ కిళ్ళి కొట్టు వెనుకల సందు లో ఒక దూరపు బంధువు ఇంటికి వెళ్దామని డిసైడ్ అయ్య. ఎలాగో ఇంకొక గంట లో భోజనం టైం, ఇంటికెళ్ళి ఏమి ఒండకుండా ఇక్కడే అడ్జస్ట్ అవుదాం అనుకున్నను. ఆ సందు లోకి మరలడం, నా జీవితం లో చేసిన ఒక పెద్ద తప్పు. 

"ఎవరైనా ఉన్నారా?", అంటూ పెద్ద మొనగాడి లాగా గేటు తీసాను. ఇంట్లో  వదిన గారు ఒక్కరే ఉన్నరు. నన్ను చూసి లోపలికి రమ్మని పిలిచారు. కడుపులో ఆకలి దంచుతోంది. అరవై ఎళ్ళ వయసుతో వచ్చే కష్టాలు ఇవన్నిఅనుకున్నాను. మంచి నీళ్ళు ఇచ్చారు. తాగి అలా కుర్చునాను. వదినగారేమో అటు ఇటు తిరుగుతునారు. "భోజనం" అనే పదం వినడానికి ఆత్రుత తో ఇనుప సోఫ పైన అలా కూర్చొని ఉన్నాను. వదిన గారు వచ్చి, "టీ తీస్కుంటారా?" అని అడిగారు. ఆకలేస్తుంది, మా ఇంట్లో అందరు ఊరికి వెళ్లారు, నాకు భోజనం లేదా టిఫిన్ పెట్టండి, అని చెప్పే ధైర్యం లేక, సరే, టీ అయినా తాగుదామని "సరే" అన్నను. ఆవిడ వంటింట్లోకి వెళ్లి, అర నిమిషం కూడా కాలేదు, వాళ్ళ ఇంట్లో ఫోన్ మోగింది. వదిన గారు వచ్చి, ఫోన్ తీసి, "హలో!" అని అన్నారు. పది సెకండ్లు విని, హటాతుగా కింద పడిపొయారు. సినిమాలలో రిసీవర్ వేలాడినట్టు, ఇక్కడ కూడా రిసీవర్ వేలాడింది. నాకు టెన్షన్ మొదలైంది. ఒక వైపు ఆకలి. ఇంకో వైపు పాలు పొంగిపొతున్నయి. ఎం జరిగిందో తెలిదు. 

వంటింట్లో కి వెళ్ళలా, ఫోన్ లో ఎవరో అని చుడాలా, హాస్పిటల్ కి ఫోన్ చేయాలా, ఏది అర్థం కలెదు. ముందు వెళ్లి గ్యాస్ ఆఫ్ చెసను. పక్కన పోయి మీద ఒక గిన్నలో ఉప్మా కనిపించిన్ది. ఉప్మా లో నెయ్యి వాసనా కి, నా దరిద్రానికి ముడిపడింది. ఈ అరవై ఎళ్ళా జీవితం లో ఇంతకన్న కష్టమైనా క్షణం నేను అనుభవించలెదు. ఎం చేస్తాం, నోరు...కాదు ముక్కు  మూస్కొని ఒక గ్లాస్ లో నీళ్ళు తీస్కెళ్ళి వదిన గారి ముఖం మీద చల్లాను. ఆవిడ మాత్రం కదలలెదు. ఇంకా కొన్ని నీళ్ళు చల్లాను. అయినా చప్పుడు లెదు. ఫోన్ సంగతి గుర్తొచ్చిన్ది. రిసీవర్ ఎత్తి, హలో అన్నను. ఇంకేండుకుంటారు లే, అనుకోని, ఇంకా కొన్ని నీళ్ళు తీస్కోచ్చి వదిన ముఖం పైన చల్లాను. ఇన్ని నీళ్ళకి వదిన గారు ఏమి లేవలేదు కాని, ఆవిడ బట్టలు మాత్రం తడిసి పొయాయి. మాడిన నా అదృష్టానికి, అప్పుడే నా ఫోన్ మోగింది. నా మనవడు చేసిన ఘనకర్యానికి, ఎన్టీఆర్ గారి "ఆకు చాటు పిండ తడిసే" పాట రింగ్టోన్ లా మొగిన్ది. వదిన తడిసిన చీర కి, ఈ పాటకి, ఆకలి తో మాడుతున్న నా కడుపుకి, నా దరిద్రానికి ఎంత సమయస్పుర్తూ!

ఫోన్ ఎత్తాను. "సార, మీకు లోన్ ఏమైనా కావాలా" అని ఒక ఆడ మనిషి అదిగిన్ది. ఇలాంటి సమయం లో ఓర్పు చాలా అవసరం. ఒక ఫోన్ వల్ల వచ్చిన చావు చాలు అనుకుని, వదిన ముఖం తన కొంగుతోనే తుదిచను. కొంగు నా చేతిలో ఉండగా, ఎవరైనా చూస్తె ఎం అనుకుంటారో అన్న భయం ఇప్పటికి మరిచిపొలెను. ఇక వేరే మార్గం లేక వదిన చంపల మీద రెండు లాగి కొట్టాను. అప్పుడు ఆవిడ కళ్ళు తెరిచిన్ది. "ఏమైంది?" అని అడిగాను. 

"మన శృతి...." అని రెండు పదాలు మాట్లాడి, మళ్ళి స్పృహ కొలిపోయిన వదిన, ఈ సారి నా చొక్కా గట్టిగా పట్టుకుంది. లేద్దామనుకుంటే  చొక్కా చినిగే అవకాశాలు చాలా కనిపించాయి. వదిన కి ఎం జరిగిందో, ఫోన్ లో ఎవరేమన్నారో ఇంకా క్లారిటీ లేదు కని,  ఆ సమయంలో ఎవరైనా చూస్తే ఎం జరుగుంటుందో అన్నది మాత్రం నాకు క్లియర్ గ అర్థమయ్యిన్ది. రెస్ట్ తీస్కునే వయసులో అరెస్ట్ అయ్యే టైం వచ్చిన్ది. 

ఇక ధైర్యం చేసి, చొక్కా ఒదిలించుకున్నను. అప్పుడే, మల్లి ఫోన్ మొగిన్ది. ఫోన్ చప్పుడు కి వదిన లెచరు. మల్లి ఫోన్ లో ఏదో విన్నరు. అరటి పండు కోసం కోతి జాగ్రత్త గా ఎలా ఎదురు చూస్తుందో, అలా ఆ సంభాషణ ముగింపు కోసం నేను కూడా ఎదురు చుసను. ఈ ఐదు సెకంద్లలో నేను ఆశావాదం నా ధర్మంగా స్వీకరించను. కానీ, కాలిన ఖర్మని , రామ్ గోపాల్ వర్మ నీ, ఏమి చెయలెము. వదిన గారు మళ్ళి స్పృహ తప్పారు. ఈ సారి, ఆవిడని కింద పడనివ్వకుండా, నేను అడ్డొచ్చి, ఆవిడని నా వడిలో తీస్కొని కింద పడ్డాను. తలుపు తెరిచే ఉంది. గేటు శబ్దం వినిపించిన్ది. నాకు కళ్ళా ముందు రాజముండ్రి జైలు కనిపించిన్ది. 

రెండు క్షణాల తరువాత, రవి వచ్చాడు. వాళ్ళ అమ్మని నా వడిలో పడుకొపెతటుకొని,"బాబు రవి" అని అన్నాను. పోయిన సారి అతను ఎక్షమ్ లో ఫెయిల్ అయినప్పుడు నేను అతనిని  తిట్టిన తిట్లు గుర్తుకొచ్చయి. సందర్భం చూసి పగ తీర్చుకుంటాడా ఏంటి అని ఒక సందేహం నాకు సూదిలా గుచ్చుకున్ది. "బాబాయ్ మీరు.... ఎం జరిగింది? అమ్మకి ఏమైంది?" అని రవి నా వైపు అనుమానం తో చూసాడు. 

"అదీ, అదీ, నెను... ఊరికే అలా..." అనేవరకు, మళ్ళి ఫోన్ మొగిన్ది. ఇక ఈ టైం లో దేవుడు నన్ను తీస్కేల్తే బావుంటుంది అని నా అరవై ఎళ్ళ జీవితం లో  మొదటి సారి అనిపించిన్ది. ఫోన్ పెట్టిన రవి తన అమ్మని నా వడిలో నుంచి లేపి, మంచం మీద పడుకొపెట్టాడు. "అమ్మా..." అని ఒక సరి అన్నాడు. పొద్దున్నే సూర్యుడు ఉదయించడం, బిడ్డ పిలుపుకి అమ్మ పలకడం, సహజం. 

"అమ్మ, ఏమయ్యింది నీకు?" అన్నాడు రవి. 

"శృతి..." అన్నారు వదిన. 

"అక్క కి ఏమి అవలెదు. స్కూటీ మీద నుంచి కింద పడింది. గుద్దిన వాడు పరిపొయఆడట" అన్నాడు రవి. 

"మరి ఆ వెధవ శృతి పారిపోయింది అంటాడెంటి?"

"ఆమ్మ!! అక్క పారిపొలెదు. అర గంట లో ఇంటికి వస్తున్ది." 

ఈ మాట అని రవి, నా వైపు మరలాడు. "థాంక్స్ బాబాయి గారు. మీరు ఉండకపోతే ఎం జరిగేదో" అని నాకు కృతజ్ఞ్యతలు చెప్పాడు. సుబ్బులక్ష్మి గారి సుప్రభాతం విన్నంత సుఖం అనుభవించాను. ఇక ఇంటికి వెళదాం అని బైల్దేరే ఆలోచనలో ఉండగా, వదిన గారు నా వైపు చూసి, "బావగారు, ఎలాగో భోజనం టైం అయ్యింది, మరి మీరు.....". 

- దీపక్ కారాముంగికర్. 

Nine thousand miles from home

Clouds scattered in disarray, wander across the sky
Winds ask me for reasons, words cannot explain why
Pain I hide behind my eyes, wrap it in smiles
Home sheds  a tear for me, from across nine thousand miles

Set off along a rough path, I found many a milestone
But every time I turned back, blurring away was the way home
Unscathed by hurdles, as I walked the road unknown
Memories of home kept company, tears never left me alone

As I walk along this path of dreamy aspirations
I carry with me, the sweet burden of your expectations
Inch by inch, I shall see myself through the promises I made
God give me the strength, for an arduous move I've played

As I live alone, nine thousand miles from home
My heart's still in my yard back home, no matter where I roam

- Deepak Karamungikar