New York ;)

It was the night of 25th April, 2010. I boarded the Manuguru Express to Secunderabad and as the train started departing from my hometown Kothagudem, I felt nostalgic. As a consequence of my dad’s retirement, we had to relocate to Hyderabad and I realized that from then on, I wouldn’t be able to get to my hometown often.

As memories of the past kept flashing in my mind, I felt I was missing something. I felt something was gone. In fact, it is gone. Gone are the days when I enjoyed going to school with a bag overloaded with books. Gone are the days when I played cricket on the street road with my friends. Gone are the days when I laughed a lot for the childish jokes that we cracked. Gone are the days when I used to play Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble and Business with my friends. Gone are the days when I argued with my friends for silly reasons. Gone are those beautiful days. Above all, gone is the place which reminds me of all those sweet memories. To be precise, the place is not gone; I am gone, gone away from a great place to live.

My hometown Kothagudem has no multiplexes, no shopping malls, no apartments, no flyovers, no tourist spots, no MNC’s and nothing that could make it be called a big city. Yet, it was, it is and will always be a special place for me. After all, it was the place where I was brought up. It was the place where I spent my childhood, the best phase of anyone’s life.

Kothagudem is a serene place with greenery all around. It is one of the places where you don't even have traffic signals but never find a traffic jam. It is a place where you don't have any kind of pollution. It is a place which is an immense source of energy and enthusiasm for me.

It is rightly said that we don't know the value of something, until we lose it. If you are now in your hometown and are blaming it for some reason, believe me, you'll repent later. Enjoy everything possible when you are there.

After reading all this, if you think that I am a sentimental idiot, I don’t know whether you would be right or wrong. But, I know for sure that I am not a machine. I am human, a man with my own sentiments, emotions and principles. I long for those sweet memories of my life.

Before I conclude this blog, for those who wonder the aptness of the title, here’s my definition (translation) of New York. For me, Kothagudem is New York because in Telugu, 'Kotha' means New and 'Gudem' means York.* (Feel like either killing me or killing yourself for this definition? :D)

As I write this blog, I remember all of you,my childhood friends. Thanks for making my childhood something to cherish for my lifetime.