Nidamanur, Prakasam district
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B. Nidamanur (బి. నిడమానూరు), (short form of Brahmana Nidamanuru also known as Hanumapuram Nidamanuru) is one of the most prominent villages in the Nagulapulapadu (N. G. Padu) mandal of Prakasam district in the southern State of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is on the Thimmanapalem-N.G.Padu R&B Road. B. Nidamanur is the only village on this road. This road connects National Highway 5 on the West with National Highway 244 on the East. Hanumapuram and Kavurivaripalem are its hamlets. It is a highly advanced village in the mandal in many respects such as agriculture,culture, education, etc.
First about education: Hanuman Panthulu Badi, Seetharam Panthulu Badi and Bujjayya Panthulu Badi are important primary schools which have contributed much to advance the cause of elementary education, the first step in the world of learning. Late Shri Chidambara Sastri panthulu(Post Master) was also the Head Master of Seetharam Panthulu badi, while Ankulu panthulu was one of the teachers. Nandam panthulu was a noted name among the teachers of the Bujjayya panthulu badi about which nothing much is known (it is a management school). Hanumanu Panthulu (Chadalavada Hanumantha Rao master), Head Master of a school popularly known as Hanuman panthulu badi, was instrumental in initiating several boys and girls to the wonderful world of elementary education. But for him, many youngsters, who have risen to eminent positions in life, would have been illiterate this day! Hanuman panthulu was so dedicated to education that he would come to each and every house of his school students yelling at them to get ready and come to school fast. It was a daily habit for him and he taught generations of students with much passion, commitment and dedication to the noble profession of teaching. The other teachers in his school were Koteswara Rao panthlu (okatava tharagathi), Panthulamma (wife of Ankulu panthlu) (rendava tharagathi), Mukku panthulu (nalugava tharagathi) and Ranganna panthulu (ayidava tharagathi). Ranganna panthulu was quite a terror. He was a strict disciplinarian and known for harsh punishment of his students through methods like goda kurchi, presumably with good intentions! However, Hanuman panthulu, the Head Master, who used to handle class 3 was a kind-hearted man and moderate in temperament. His wife was also a good teacher, though she didn't teach in the school. Happily, two of Hanuman panthulu's sons, Bhaskar Rao and Sambasiva Rao are keeping up the family tradition of teaching. They both are teachers in Govt. schools. There used to be two popular tutorial schools known as Daria panthulu badi run by Shaik Daria Saheb and Purushottam panthulu badi run by Purushottam. Interestingly, both these men are natives of Maddiralapadu. These private schools were run successfully for several years, but closed down since long. In addition to these, Sivaramaiah panthulu ran a highly successful matric school for several years. Shri Bommaraju Satyanarayana master who returned to Nidamanur, his native place, after retiring from the Ravinuthala High school as a teacher, ran a tutorial centre in his house next to the old post office for several years for High School students.
There is a high school, established in 1961, largely with a land donation by Late Shri Kunam Srirami Reddy. Before this school was set up, youth of the village had to go to far off places to pursue secondary education, while several others dropped out after primary school. Kunam Srirami Reddy, the magnanimous surpanch, decided to change this situation. Himself unlettered, Srirami Reddy had a vision for the village and donated a large chunk of prime land for setting up the High School which had changed the destiny of many Nidamanurians. The school functioned initially in the cattle shed of Srirami Reddy as there were only three classes, 6th, 7th and 8th to begin with! The boys who went over to other places like Ravinuthala for high school admission came back and joined in 7th class like Ankaiah, Ramachandra Rao and Subhananda Rao and 8th class like Wilson and Kunam Narapa Reddy. Other boys like Mareddy Venkateswara Reddy and Mareddy Anji Reddy (Bairagi) joined the 6th class. Subsequently, the High School got its own physical infrastructure and it became a full fledged school in due course. Thus, Srirami Reddy's generosity gave Nidamanurians the opportunity to pursue higher studies. There is a good case to set up a statue of this visionary leader in the school premises. The High School fulfilled the vision of its benefactor as it had produced over the years many men and women who became eminent in their chosen professions. Among them, Colonel Gummadidala Ankaiah, Dr. Alapati Subhananda Rao, Bommaraju Ramachandra Rao, Emmanuel, Wilson, Dr. Alapati Anjaneyulu, Dr. Mareddy Venkateswara Reddy, Dr. Rayapati Prasada Rao, Kunam Narapa Reddy, Mareddy Anji Reddy (Bairagi), Bommaraju Rama Koteswara Rao etc., are some noteworthy names besides several others! Today, Mareddy Venkateswara Reddy, MS., is a noted ophthalmologist in Ongole and runs the Siddhartha Eye Hospital. Another worthy from B. Nidamanur lineage is Dr. Alapati Edukondala Rao, a Professor in Radiation Oncology at the Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal. He runs a Sunday clinic in Ongole which is a great service for Ongolites. There are several others who are doing very well in their chosen professions. This school has contributed about half a dozen soldiers to our Armed Forces, but Col. Ankaiah is the only officer from this village, presumably from the mandal also. Commissioned into the corps of EME, Ankaiah who graduated in mechanical engineering from Sri Venkateswara College of Engg, S V University, Tirupati, became a Colonel in the Army. He served the Army for nearly 30 years in various positions in India and abroad. He was part of the IPKF in Sri Lanka in the Eighties and did an advanced course in the UK. Before retirement, he was Head of the Faculty of Electronics at the MCEME, Secunderabad. Now, Ankaiah teaches engg students sometimes.
The High School is getting ready for its Golden Jubilee Celebration in 2011! It is expected that many of its proud students would come back to the School to pay their respectful homage to their Alma Mater. The last time some old boys met in the school premises was in 2007 when Dr. Alapati Subhananda Rao was warmly felicited for having received the Outstanding Scientist Award from the Prime Minister of India for his contributions to rocket propulsion technology in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a distinguished scientist. A Gold Medalist both in B.Tech, (REC, Warangal) and M.E., (IISc, Bangalore) Dr. A.S. Rao, as he is popularly known in professional circles, has received the Prime Minister's Award four times in recognition of his outstanding contributions! Gummadidala Ankaiah, Bommaraju Ramachandra Rao and Subhananda Rao were classmates in the high school till SSLC and close friends. There used to be a fierce competition between Ankaiah (who worked very hard) and Subhananda Rao (who hardly worked!), but this wily man Subhananda Rao would often walk away with the rank! Currently, Subhananda Rao is the Director of the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune which is under DRDO. Ramachandra Rao is today holding a senior position in a pharmaceutical company in Bangalore. Another star performer of this School is Dr. Alapati Anjaneyulu who did M.B.,B.S., and M.D., from Guntur Medical College and D.M., in Neurology from G.B.Pant Hospital, University of Delhi. Anjaneyulu is a neuro-phycisian at Nashville, Alabama, USA. He is a US citizen! Before moving to USA, Anjaneyulu worked as Associate Professor at NIMS, Hyderabad. Another student of this School who became a US citizen is Patchava Vasu, s/o P.V. Ranga Rao. Today, there are about 30 Nidamanurians in the USA who were born and raised in Nidamanur and attended the High School there. Some of them may have become citizens too and some may be holding Green Cards. But, no info is available about these worthies.
Eminent Teachers:This school has also produced some renowned teachers such as Kantha Rao, Banda Lakshinarayana, M. Nageswara Rao (HM), Chadalavada Rama Rao (HM), P.V. Ranga Rao (HM), Santosham, Subbaiah, Ramaiah (he was an exceptionally brilliant teacher of English grammar and social studies), Tupakula Subba Rao, Kasukurthi Sriramulu, Linga Venkata Ratnam (very handsome, dynamic and creative, Venkataratnam mastaru taught maths and science with a remarkable ease. He holds the distinction of being the only teacher among those who taught in this High School to have been honoured with the 'National Best Teacher Award' by the President of India as also by the Govt. of AP. Getting national level recognition is a rare and great accomplishment, indeed! He took to writing short stories post retirement, some of which are published and received well by the reading public), Babu Rao, Janaki Ramaiah, Hanumantha Rao (Pothavaram), Challa Gopala Reddy (a brilliant maths teacher), Nagaratnam teacher, KNR, Smt. Raja Ratnam, the Hindi teacher (Madam was quite reputed for teaching Hindi well and thrashing her students well too!) and Bommaraju Anjaneyulu (drawing) to mention a few names one can recall easily. These teachers have played an inspiring role in moulding many youngsters into mature adults by their teaching and conduct. 'There was a man by name B.V.L.N.Sarma, popularly known as 'WRITER', who worked in ZPH School at Nidamanur for more than one and a half decades. He was helpful at School to students who approached him'. Alas, many of these worthies are no more! May their souls rest in peace for their well done jobs, going by the accomplishments of some of their students today! Alaexander the Great once observed that while his parents merely gave birth to life, it was his teacher, Aristotle, who gave him life! Nothing can be a greater compliment! This school used to cater to the educational needs of 5 to 6 nearby villages till the late seventies. Generations of students from N.G. Padu, Hanumapuram, Pothavaram, Rachavaripalem, Kothakota, Basavannapalem used to come to this school for their secondary education. Today, most of these villages have got their own high schools and the pressure eased on this school. Perhaps prestige also eased with the thinning of student strength! In the early Seventies, the school was almost completely burnt down in a freak fire accident and much of its fame was lost in those flames! It had an excellent laboratory which was lost in that fire. Classes 6, 7 and 8 of the School functioned in Late Shri Bade Pothu Reddy koshtam for about 2 years following the fire. Meanwhile, new buildings were ready and the school moved back to its original premises in 1974/1975. Arava Chand who sold ice and the watchman who sold eatables were two unforgettable characters associated with this school along with Venkata Rao, the attender. Chand and the watchman were always up in arms against each other to capture the market for their merchandise!
Prior to the opening the high school in Nidamanur, there were several people who pursued high school studies elsewhere and then higher studies. Some of them became very prominent. Of them, Prof. Daka Raghu Rami Reddy, Principal of G. Narayanamma Women's Engg. College, Hyderabad, is one of the earliest well-educated persons in the village. He is perhaps the first engineer of B. Nidamanur. Raghu Rami Reddy had a brilliant academic record. Raghu Rami Reddy completed his B.Tech. in electrical engineering from REC Warangal, M.Tech., from REC Calicut and Ph.D., from IIT Madras. Dr. Kollaboyina Sanjiva Rao, Dr. Konanki Anjaneyulu (Ag. M. Sc., Ph.D.), Chirala Sesha Rao, Pentyala Yellamanda Rao, Seetha Rami Reddy (Indian Air Force), Chityala Krishna Reddy, Panthulu Rami Reddy, RTC Veeraiah, etc. are noteworthy names among others. Before that also, there were people prominent in their own right, but alas no info is available about them possibly due to migration and the later generations having no contact with their roots. There was one gentleman who worked as a BDO and another as Break Inspector, very big jobs those days. (Can somebody mention their names pl?) Presently, there is a wonderful man who is a friend of everybody in the village and he is Bade Rami Reddy, popularly known as RAMUDU, a jack of all trades and master of some too!
Culture & spiritualism:
B. Nidamanur has several temples like Kodanda Rama Swami temple, Sivalayam, Anjaneya Swami temple and Ramalayam near 'Mad Well' centre. Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir is the latest addition to the list of temples! There is a huge church besides a mosque. There is also a Brahmam gari Matam in Salipalem! Nidamanur is famous for patronising art forms. Several years ago, Srirama Navami used to be celebrated on a grand scale over five days. Pauranika Natakams (Epic dramas) like Sri Krishna Tulabharam, Sri Krishna Rayabaram, Ramanjaneya Udham, Kurukshetram, etc., used to be played featuring top most stage artistes like Peesapati Subramanyam, Shanmukhi Anjaneya Raju, A.V.Subaa Rao, etc. There used to be intense competition, mercifully only for those five days, between Uttara Bazaar and Paramata Bazaar in organising Sri Rama Navami celebrations. On the cultural circuit, Nidamanur was once very famous for its Brindavana Bhajana, a male art form of the country side. The performances were led by Bhajana panthulu. Nidamanur has a proud cultural heritage. It has produced several musicians of eminence like Kandukuri Veera Swami (nadaswaram), Chirala Venkateswarlu (vocal), Gummadidala Seshaiah (dolu), Mogilicherla Ramaiah, Mogilicherla Nagabhushanam (mridangam), Chirala Ankaiah (band melam), etc. Presently, Nidamanuri Yellamanda Rao, Kandukuri Suryanarayana, Mogilicherla Markandeyulu, etc., are active on the music circuit. Renowned tavil vidwan Shri Nidamanuri Lakshminarayana (brother of Ongole N.Rangaiah nadaswara vidwan) of Kothakota is a son-in-law of B. Nidamanur! Eminent nadaswara vidwan Padmasri Shaik Chinna Moulana Saheb of Karavadi had close relations with the artistes of our village like Gummadidala Seshaiah and he used to visit our village often. He gave concerts in our village sometimes. Gummadidala Abheri, grand daughter of Gummadidala Seshaiah, learning music in Delhi is showing much promise as a singer. It appears that Abheri will keep up the family tradition of music much like her great grandmother Chinnamma who was known as a great singer!
Major Landmarks:
Chanta Bavi is an important landmark as it is the largest source of drinking water for the village. Pereddy banda, Anjaneelu Swami gudi, Peerlachavidi mitta, Church centre, Mad Well centre (pichchi bavi) and Sivalayam are other important landmarks where people gather in large numbers for chatting. Cheruvu katta used to be a centre too when marri chettu was in good shape. After the tree has been cut off, it ceased to be a centre. There was a park also which is now non-existent. Munasabu gari kostam, a white farm house away from the village was also an important landmark to understand distances. Venkanna hotel and Gunturi Subbaiah hotel used to be popular eateries, but alas both are now extinct! While Venkanna hotel was flocked by elderly people (mostly raitulu), Subbaiah hotel was popular among students and youngsters. For many years, breakfast of four idli, two dosa and filter coffee used to cost as little as Rs.5.50 only in Subbaiah hotel! (Little wonder it was closed!) Venkanna hotel was basically rustic in ambiance because of its clientele and offered only idli for breakfast along with nice filter coffee. But the afternoon snacks had variety and used to be very tasty. His specialities were laddu, louju and pappuchekka on the sweet side; minapa gare and vampusa on the savoury side. Venkanna's minapa gare with allam chatney used to taste great. Subbaiah hotel was more refined because of its educated clientele and offered some variety like dosa, upma and puri along with idli for breakfast. Mouth watering? Yah! Feeling hungry? Please go and eat something! Now, there is no decent eatery to have a bite (no sweetu, no haatu) with the disappearance of Venkanna and Subbaiah hotels. Venkanna died recently while Suibbaiah died long ago. Subbaiah's sons Anjaneyulu and Prakasa Rao ran the hotel for some years. Alas, they also passed away. Anjaneyulu's daughter, Prameela, ran it for many years before it was closed down permanently recently. Today, getting decent breakfast/tiffin/tea, etc., in Nidamanur is a big issue, not to talk of lunch and dinner. In addition to this, Nidamanur has no medical facility worth mentioning, despite its name, fame and size. Mangali doctor and Ramgiri hospital used to be the only medical help. Now, both are extinct and people depend on quacks for first aid!
There used to be a community radio in Late Shri Kunam Sriramulu's house near Anjaneelu swami gudi (now Sai Baba mandir). The radio was operated by Late Shri Bommaraju Subbarayudu panthulu. People used to flock to the Anjaneelu Swami gudi centre to listen to the news (national and regional), bavagari kaburlu, weather report, market rates (read by Usha Sri) on the radio. Those were the days of the pre-electricity era! And owning a radio was a big deal. Very few people had that privilege. The man who first bought a radio set was Radio Subbanna! In those days transistors were unknown and radio set was a big box with a long wire type antenna and battery. Owning a wall clock was also a big deal. Quartz clocks were unknown. Wall clocks used to be the pendulum type and very few people had one! For most people, time was known through sun shade or the arrival and departure of the bus. The bus parked over night at mad well centre and known as the first bus (and also the last bus) would leave the village around 5 AM. Next was the pannendu gantala bus (12 o clock) which would arrive blarring a loud horn to warn passengers. Then the naaluggantala trip and the last bassu which would halt over night near the mad well. And, the cycle goes on everyday. It was a private bus run by Chavali Kotaiah of Ongole which was later taken over by Punugupati Koteswara Rao of Pothavaram and his bus service was known as PKRBS! Prior to Chavala Kotaiah bus service, there used to be a van service run by a gentleman called Van Venkateswarlu. He passed away recently. The lone RTC bus was burnt during the Jai Andhra agitation in the early Seventies and people had to wait for many years for the RTC to return to Nidamanur. Going to Medarametla used to be a big problem as there was no connectivity in that direction. The only link was the milk van in the morning. Today, there are buses once in an hour or so connecting to Ongole, Addanki and Chirala. Besides, autos and jeeps ply to NG Padu and Thimmanapalem very frequently. There are more than 50 motor cycles and a few cars. One out of every ten would have a mobile phone! There are also about 200 landline phone connections though the Telephone Exchange was shifted out to Nagulapulapadu. Nobody bothered when the village was losing the Exchange for good!
The Post Office used to be a big centre of attraction for students who used to wait with bated breath for the arrival of the post bag from N.G. Padu, brought by Papaiah. Shatri Panthulu was the Post Master for long years. He was a very helpful man. One thing amazing about Shastri Panthulu was that he was a child among children and a pedda manishi among adults! He combined these two traits very admirably. Tapa Moula, the post man, used to deliver letters after the English names were transliterated into Telugu. Tapa Moula was a man with a wonderful memory. In our village, many people had the same name, including surname. For example, there are at least half a dozen, if not more, Mareddy Rami Reddys! (In most cases, there is a nickname which is usually not liked by the owners!) If there is no specific reference in the address, then Tapa Moula would look at the information from the address and make out who should receive it. If the from address was vague, then the letter would be opened. No harm! Anyway, the right man always got his letter, thanks to Tapa Moula's amazing common sense! Mukku Panthlu, a teacher in Hanumanu Panthulu badi, used to write news on village walls to create awareness among the people on current affairs. His handwriting used to be very beautiful. Mukku Panthulu was a very good stage artiste along with Bujji, Purushottam Panthulu, etc. The Village Munsif Late Shri Devarapalli Venkata Ramana Reddy was a popular man. He used to be very friendly with students. The Late Chinna Manasub were other important village level officials. Kunam Srirami Reddy, Male Subba Reddy, Parandhami Reddy, etc., were notable surpanches. Now, there is a lady surpanch for the first time. It is hoped she will become a role model for the women of the village. Another eminent person of the village was Late Shri Gollapudi Rammurthy panthulu. He was not a teacher, not a priest, but a learned man and rich; known for his scholarship. He died the day President Zakir Hussain died and people came in hordes to see him for the last time.
One sign of modernisation in Nidamanur is the arrival of the bank. Before that, the Amara family of Uppugunduru were major borrowers from B. Nidamanur. They had a very good reputation for prompt loan repayment. Today, Andhra Bank has a branch here and its code is 0751 (located in Van Venkateswarlu building) along with the Prakasam District Cooperative Cental Bank (located in Ramgiri daabaa). Another sign of modernisation is the Internet cafe run by Prakasa Rao, an enterprising trader who runs an all in one shop known as Prakasam kottu from his home where everything needed for daily living is available!
There are three tanks in the village; Vura cheruvu, Kotha cheruvu and Ragam cheruvu. Vura cheruvu is the most important water source because water to Chanta bavi comes from this cheruvu. If this cheruvu dries up, Chenta bavi also dries up, especially in summer. Then people used to go to Lingala bavi located on the other side of the cheruvu. It was a pretty long trek for a pot of drinking water! There is a well called thopulo bavi which is normally used for committing suicide due to its isolated location! At least half a dozen people must have died jumping into this well so far! This is the sorrow of Nidamanur! There is another water resource called 'Bhogam daani kunta' on the way to Chadalavada. This used to be a lively place with many people resting under the shade of the chintha chettu (tamarind tree) at lunch time. A tomb came up nearby several years ago. Since then, Bhoganm daani kunta, a lively spot for lunch almost became a deserted place!
Fairs & Festivals:Chadalavada Thirunalla used to be a major attraction for Nidamanurians in earlier times. The Thirunalla used to offer a big market to buy a whole lot of things like kavidi baddalu, kavida mattlu, bhoshanam pettelu, dharvajalu, kitikeelu, polam panimtlu, jaadeelu, kitchen utensils and children's playthings like tamatamala bandi, burrupitta, billamgodu and eatables like bellapu cherukulu, jilebi, chakkera chilakalu, etc., were all available for sale. On the final day of the Thirunalla, the morning festival of thalambrala utsavam was very popular. An eagle comes (God knows from where) and takes round of the kalyana manthapam before the kalyam is done! The eagle comes invariably till this day. In the evening the Radhotsavam is also a popular event. With that the 9 day long Thirunalla ends which starts the day after Sri Rama Navami. One day is allotted for Nidamanuri seva, traditionally sponsored by some Brahmins of Nidamanur. Children used to look forward to this Thirunalla. They would save money in a hundi for two months and get a matching grant from parents and grandparents to spend it in the Thirunalla. They would go in the morning with packed food (rice, pappu, chintakaya pachadi, perugu annam, etc.). Water used to have so much chlorine content, it was a big pain to drink water in Chadalavada during the Thirunalla. In the morning kids would go with great enthusiasm saying chadalada, chadalada and come back in the evening dog tired saying c h a d a l a d a! It was great fun those days. Now, hardly anybody bothers about Thirunalla, thanks to modernisation and urbanisation. But, it is still known for wooden products and cherukulu during the Thirunalla time.
Sankranthi used to be one big festival everybody looked forward to in earlier years. There used to be Theppa thiranalla this day every year. A float was built and Lord Ram and others would take rounds in the Vura Cheruvu drawing large crowds to watch the spectacle. It is an occasion when everybody, employees and students alike, would descend on the village besides kotta allullu. For the newly married sons-in-law of the village, it is a bonanza time as they are usually given what they ask for, be it a cycle or a scooter! The Theppa thiranaalla ceremony lasted a couple of hours, but the float would remain in the cheruvu for months together. After the deities finish their go around in the water, it is the students who would take possession of the float and have fun. Those days students pursuing higher studies were a respected lot, deservedly so, for their good behaviour and commitment to studies. Now, all this is history! No Theppa thirunalla for many years! So, people are all dressed up and nowhere to go on Sankranthi! However, Haridasu continues to come singing hymns in praise of the Lords and giving his blessings to the people. The old haridasu is no more. His son has taken the father's place. Happily, this is one element of our culture still in vogue. God knows how long it will continue though!
Vinayaka Chavithi is a popular festival in our village. Ganapathi pandals come up at several places in the village. Originally, there used to be only one pandal near Sivalayam organised by the Kummari and Mangali communities. This pandal dating back to more than 40 years is still in existence. In recent times, Ganapathi pandals are organised at about half a dozen places in the village. Some keep the idol for five days and some for nine days before immersion. The immersion day is filled with tension and it is increasingly becoming a festival to be feared in the village!
There is a sizable chunk of Muslim population in our village. The Muslims of Nidamanur are known for their artistry in carpentry. One Muslim carved out the national emblem, four heads of lion, in wood and created a garland of wooden rings and their festivals are quite popular. Muslim festivals like 'Peerla Pandaga' are marked by cultural events like peddapuli vesham. There was a man who used to don the role of a tiger. His bare body is painted with all the beautiful colours of a tiger and he wears a headgear which looks like a tiger's head and also a tail. He goes around the village dancing and it used to be a huge attraction with kids. This was done by only one man every year. With his death, the 'tiger' of Nidamanur also died! They used to walk across a pit full of hot coals during this festival. There used to be an Urdu school in Nidamanur. Among the Muslims there are some good musicians also.
Also, there is an ample amount of Christian population in our village. For the Christians, there is a huge church in Nidamanur. One would not find such a majestic church anywhere in the mandal! And the church would come alive on occasions like Xmas and the New Year with pastors coming from other places to read the Bible and explain its significance to the believers! They play wonderful songs on those occasions. There are quite a few teacher couples among the Christians like Koteswara Rao Panthulu and his wife, Ankulu Panthulu and his wife, Tella Mark Panthulu and his wife, etc. Among this community, Wlison, who recently retired from the BSNL, is a prominent person. He is very active in the Bible circles.
There used to be one summer sporting activity very popular in Nidamanur. That was 'Tenkaya pandem'! The game involves a bare coconut with no covering being thrown by hand. The coconut has to reach the designated spot by a certain number of throws or one loses the game! This requires very strong hands and it was played during summer months when the fields were empty of crops. Other sporting activities popular with children were kothi kommanchi, billam godu, gollelata, bachchalata, bongaralata, ongudu dukullu, dimindal. Youngsters used to play kadadi when the cheruvu dried up with the lake bed offering a good playground. Cricket was more or less unknown in those days. Since radio was a rarity, where does one hear cricket commentary? These were outdoor sporting activities. Indoor games were rummy, puli mekata (for men), gavvalu and achana gallu (for women) played with broken tamarind seeds, etc. Those days, people used to take a owe to do vadapappu panakam for Anjaneelu Swami if their wish is fulfilled! Some people would break 101 coconuts (noota okka tenkayalu) as part of the owe! Now, one hardly comes across vadapappu panakam and nootokka tenkayalu! For atla thaddi, a festival popular among women, giant size swings (uyyaala) were erected on which women would swing sitting while men would swing standing, sometimes two men! It was scary as the swing used to be very huge! Now, such swings are not to be seen anywhere. It is all part of history!
Economy:Agriculturally, Nidamanur is fairly advanced, even though it depends on rain based farming. There is no irrigation facility for Nidamanur. A canal is passing throughthe village, but it does not offer access of water to the villagers! Tobacco is the chief crop which is a labour intensive farming activity lasting just about 6 months. Other crops are bengal gram, black gram, maize, sajja, dhania, subabul, mirchi, etc. But, it's tobacco all the way which dominates the fields. It's a very complicated farming activity with a high risk factor, but also lucrative if handled with care and caution. In the Seventies, ILTD and Golden Tobacco used to set up purchasing centres (Karanam gari polam and Jaram gari polam, respectively) in Nidamanur. In the ILTD platform, British buyers used to come (wearing suits, hats and smoking pipes! ITC had a tie up with BAT those days) for what was called 'passing' in local parlance, basically meaning buying. Payment was made very promptly on the third day after passing. Golden Tobacco also had a busy centre in B. Nidamanur. Once the season was over, these platforms were wound up to be opened next year. The cycle went on for several years till the crop failed completely one year reversing the fortunes of hundreds of families. All the tobacco barns were dismantled, Sri Rama Navami celebrations given up completely, and people took to cultivation of cotton, another crash crop with a high risk factor. This went on for some years till a few took the initiative to return to tobacco. The barns are back with a bang! Today, there are about 200 tobacco barns in B. Nidamanur. (Nidamanurians fascination for temples and tobacco would never end, it seems!) It costs about a lakh rupees to construct a tobacco barn. One needs a license from the Tobacco Board. The sale of tobacco is linked to this license. Now, no new licenses are given as there is more production of the leaf than the market can take and mankind can smoke! In fact, tobacco cultivation is being increasingly discouraged as the anti smoking drive catches up in a big way all over the world. That is why, even ITC is branching out into non tobacco areas like edible products, paper, textiles, hotels, etc.
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The process of tobacco cultivation is very interesting and worth knowing. The process starts with bringing the tobacco saplings called poga naru from places like Rajahmundry. Its brought in trucks by count into thousands of units! Once it arrives, the shoots are spread on the floor and tended with water till it's taken to the fields in mutalu! The workers are called poga naru mutha consisting of equal number of men and women. The men's job is to carry the poga naru mutalu to the field and bring water by kavadi from the nearby source and pour it into holes made with a metal device. The women stick the shoot into the wet hole and cover it with dry earth. In the Seventies, a man and a woman, usually husband and wife though not necessarily so always, used to get barely Rs.3 for half a day (1 to 6 PM) and Rs.6 for full day (10 AM to 6 PM). The man would get Rs.1.75 and the woman Rs.1.25. Unequal wages for equal labour! Now, the wages have gone up many fold. For a half day it's Rs.40 and for a full day it's Rs.80 if not Rs.50 and Rs.100 and divided equally between men and women. Some gender justice!
The shoot comes to life after 3/4 days of plantation and starts growing into a tall green plant with large leaves sprouting from the stem. During this time a lot of weed grows in the field sucking the soil fertility. It is removed manually. The plant itself comes under attack from pest like 'purugu' and 'penubanka' damaging the leaf. This also requires manual tending besides pesticides like 'endrin' which has disappeared from the market, but not from our minds! We refer to poison by the name 'endrin', the manufacture of which has been completely stopped for several decades. But 'endrin' will live on endlessly in our minds! Anyway, once the leaf attains certain maturity, its time for plucking. This is called 'pachi aku kottudu', a job done by 'pachi aku mutha' (green leaf troup). The plucked leaf is brought to the barn where it is tied to a long stick with rope from end to end. The tying is a process worth watching. It's done very fast with great artistry by men. These sticks are placed across wooden bars in the barn. A full barn will take about 1500 sticks roughly. Once this is done, a fire is started in the barn estuary slowly but surely! The barn is air tight. After 2 days of mild heating, the barn is ready for the 'raise'. Before, the fire is raised full steam, an expert man goes inside the barn to examine the leaf from top to toe at random. Its a risky job with a threat to life if the man slips and falls down! Once that job is done, the fire is raised and the estuary is connected to metal turbines inside the barn. The barn body is heated up at a temperature of about 80 C continuously for a week. For this there is a man round the clock at each barn in a shift system. Firewood is used for this. Earlier, coal was used to heat up the barn, but not now. After one week, the fire is extinguished and the curing is complete. If the leaf turns golden, the farmer will laugh his way to the bank. If it turns green or black, it brings tears to the farmers as it fetches little price. Usually, it's a mix of various colours which needs grading! Grading is another time-consuming process as each burnt leaf has to be separated on the basis of its colour called rangu (brown), pachcha (green) and madu (black). After the separation, each grade is packed into bales called pogaku chekkulu with jute cloth coveing both ends. That brings us to the end of the tobacco cultivation business! Oh me gosh! A long and laborious process, indeed! The bales are taken to the auction centres for sale. This goes on for about 3 months, let us say till July, August. That is why marriages in July and August are generally lavish as people are cash rich with tobacco money coming in! The process starts all over again in October with the planting of poga naru! The cycle goes on endlessly as Nidamanurians do not find any other crop to switch over. By nature, they are prone to change. Of course, if one is careful and cautious in his farming operations, tobacco is a good crop to cultivate. The best example is the case of Mareddy Anji Reddy (Bairagi), a post graduate in commerce who took to cultivation very successfully. Today, Anji Reddy is known as a progressive farmer in the village for his success in agriculture into which he got initiated at a late stage. Another example is Devarapalli Anji Reddy a 10th class drop out who has done well as a tobacco farmer though his operations are small.
Other things like bengal gram, black gram, jonna, sajja, subabul, mirchy, cotton, etc., are plain crops not requiring any of the glamorous processes associated with tobacco. It is a plain affair and therefore no description is warranted! Oh God! What a relief! Are you heaving a sigh of relief? What about the poor author of the page who is straing his fingers? Who asked him? It is his head ache? That is true!
Among the farming community, there is an institution called 'jeethagadu' meaning wage labourer! A wage labourer for a year! Yes, for a year at a time! He may be from the same village or another, but he becomes a part of the household for all practical purposes. It's an annual contract for a fixed amount which includes food, accommodation, clothing and everything. He lives with them, eats with them, works for them as if he is a family member. In many cases, 'jeethagadu' continues with the same household for a very long time as a natural bonding develops between him and the house. Either party can terminate the contract at 'eruvaka' time! These days, the institution of 'jeethagadu' has become redundant largely due to the mechanisation of cultivation. No manual ploughing these days. It's tractor all the way. Besides, in earlier days almost every farmer had milch animals to tend which labour was required. Those were the days when milk chilling centres were unknown. So, every house had enough milk/buttermilk for domestic consumption. In fact, buttermilk was freely available for the asking. The churning of curds into buttermilk was very rhythmic and used to be very soothing to the ears in the early morning. The fragrance of peda (dung) and the sprinkling of kallepu (water mised with dung) was, indeed, great morning music. It produces a sound like kach, kach, kach followed by kachchee, kachchee, kachchee! Those were the golden days when any stranger could come and ask for food. Jonna sankati mixed with buttermilk used to be a very filling kind of thing with tamarind pickle for taste! Women used to collect butter and sell ghee once in a week. Two Muslim traders known as Nalla Sayibu and Erra Sayibu used to come and collect ghee. After the ghee is sold, the leftover stuff is called godari which is very tasty and given to children. Now, Nallu Sayibu and Erra Sayibu are part of history and so is ghee selling with the arrival of paala kendralu, milk collection centres. Ironically, there is milk in everybody's house except the dairy farmers as they tend to sell the entire milk yield! Changing socio-economic psychology! Now people will laugh at you if you ask anybody for buttermilk or sankati mudda!
Something about the culinary traditions of Nidamanur. In the olden days, jonna sankati used to be a standard meal in the morning. It was a poor man's food. (Today only the rich can afford jonna sankati!) Jeethagadu is fed with jonna sankati twice a day; at saddi annam vela (first bite of the day) and then lunch. Sankati is taken with curries and buttermilk. It used to be a very filling meal. It is customary to feed any hungry man with jonna sankati and majjiga (buttermilk). Another popular food grain was varigalu. It was also a poor man's foodstuff. the grain is yellowish and round in shape like a mustard seed. When cooked, the grain turns into the shape of a triangle. It used to go well with pappucharu. Today, it is completely unknown to people. One may find jonnalu after a hard search, but variga is a near nonexistent grain perhaps unknown even to scientists! Dinner time food is usually rice, curry, curd or whatever. People used to eat sajja sankati also, a very nutritious food. Sajja rottelu and sajja burelu were poor men's festival food! Pelapindi (fried maize, pelalu, flour mixed with bellam) is made for Tholi Ekadasi, the first festival of the season. For the new sons in law, it is sanaga pappu podi! Today, pelapindi is seen and heard only in history books as jonna has become a rare grain! Other food items to be found only in history books are pulagam (usually made on bhogi day) and palathalikalu (anytime sweet dish)! For sankranthi, arisa is a must and should sweet snack! Thanks to Swagruha foods, arisa is available throughout the year in many sweet shops. For atla thaddi, dosas were made in huge quantities! Now, it is a common breakfast item in any household. So, one need not wait till atla thaddi to eat dosa! In fact, atla thaddi is fast entering the history books as people pay no attention to it. The one glaring irony is the change of status for jonna sankati from a poor man's food to that of a rich man's dish! There used to be two rice mills where you bring your own paddy/varigalu for conversion to rice. Basavalingam rice mill was in the saibulapalem near bayibandalu while Seetharavamma mill was near the Mad Well centre in Paramata bazaar. Well-off people used to buy paddy annually from a trader of Thimmasamudram village known as Vadla Lakshmaiah, store it and get it milled as per requirement. Brown rice (dampudu biyyam) was made manually for specific purposes.
Ritualism:Any description of Nidamanur would be incomplete without mentioning about the Devaras and kolupulu. This will be handled in the next edition. This introduction is basically meant for reviving the old memories of our native place, particularly in the minds of those people who have left the place long back and settled elsewhere by virtue of education, employmenmt, exigencies, etc. The narrative is intended to be nostalgic for old times sake. But, alas all is not well in Nidamanur! There are problems galore. That will be handled later. Its a difficult thing. But, first let us enjoy revisiting the grandeur of B. Nidamanur, our lovely village!
Devara is a kind of totem worship, sociologically speaking. There are no idols, but the Devara is a highly feared deity. Devaras have names like Gangamma Thalli, Ankamma Thalli, Poleramma Thalli, etc. Worship is usually through the sacrifice of animals. The celebrations associated with Devara are known as kolupulu. Kolupulu are organised once in a while (usually once in 5 years) and especially when there is no rain because Devara is closely associated with water. In Nidamanur, there are several Devaras- caste-wise and within the same caste sub sect-wise. Among the Reddys who are the majority community in the village, Pedda Mareddy, Chinna Mareddy Devarapalli and Bade (possibly Male, Daaka and Vaka also) sub sects have Devara worship. Among the BCs, Kummaris, Yadavas, Chakalis and Vadderas have Devara worship. Devara kolupulu are an expensive affair as the festivities are spread over five days with daily animal sacrifice. On the final day, people go to Kanaparthy, the nearest sea point, to have a bath and a big lunch. There is a community called 'Baineedu' which handles kolupulu. The Baineedus are experts with the traditions and rituals related to kolupulu. They tell a musical story highlighting the virtues and powers of Devara. A woman called Mathangi is hired to participate in the kolupulu, basically to cheer up the crowds with dance and singing. Today, Mathangi is banned legally. Kolupulus are organised not too frequently because its a costly affair. It is done to appease the Devara and to seek favours or blessings for the welfare of the community and the village. There are different ways of appeasing the Devara besides kolupulu. At the time of writing this narrative, it is learnt that the Bade sub sect is organising kolupulu for their Devara!
The Mareddys of B. Nidamanur have a tradition of appeasing their Devara, Gangamma Thalli (Maa Ganga) through papa vesham. Marriage is held at the boy's place. In B. Nidamanur, most of the marriages are held at the boy's place except Brahmins and Vysyas. The Mareddy boys' marriage is a five day affair. On the fifth day, the groom has to done the role of the bride and go around the village in a procession holding a cup of sindhoor accompanied by music band. The boys have to become brides for a few hours. They know it from early childhood that it's inevitable at marriage time. Doctors and actors, engineers and architects, accountants and advocates, soldiers and officers all have to go respect this tradition. Boys living in the USA are no exception! There is one crazy guy called Mareddy Hemanth Kumar Reddy doing his M.S. in US. Many people are eagerly waiting for his marriage to see this 'style king' donning papa vesham! This is one tradition still intact in B. Nidamanur. Social anthropologists have to study this institution in depth for the origin of this tradition and its background. It is also worth studying if Devara concept is there in other major communities like the Kammas and Kapus.
There are hardly any Kapus in Nidamanur. The few who used to live there have long left the place. Among this community, Onteddubandi Rangaiah was a noted man. About 100 Kamma families used to live here years ago. Today, there are very few Kammas in the village as many of them have migrated to towns and other bigger villages where their population is in sizeable numbers. The social composition of Nidamanur is undergoing rapid changes.
Beliefs:There is also another institution called 'saddi' resorted to during times of drought to appease the rain gods. There are grama Devathalu called Ankamma, Poleramma, Pothuraju, etc., who need to be appeased in order to get rains. That is the belief. Sakthi day and Kanakadurgamma day are the final stages of this 'saddi' tradition. It involves driving away evil spirits from the village! Believe it or not, one year soon after the Sakthi idol left the village, there was a cloud burst and it rained cats and dogs for one full hour. For the first time, the High School was cut off from the village as the 'sapta' (causeway) near the school started overflowing! What do you call this? The power of the Gods or a mere coincidence? Is there a term for the science (sic) of superstition? Whatever one may call it, it is part of the cultural make up of Nidamanur. In this age of Internet, 'Saddi' still survives in Nidamanur. It is done during times of severe drought. There are any number of times when 'Saddi' did not bring rains! Still, it is thought of during times of drought! Basically a superstition, perhaps it gives a sense of confidence to the people!
Changing Social Composition:Today in Brahmana Nidamanur, Brahmins are an endangered species! There are no more than 5 Brahmin families in the village and the irony is that there is no purohit in Brahman Nidamanur. Even the temples have to depend on imported pujaris! Brahmins were once a powerful community in this village, owning huge tracts of land. A lavish life style coupled with laziness led to the loss of their assets. If relatives come for marriage, they would hang on for as long as a month or two (sometimes)! No wonder, their assets melted away like the Himalayan snow! Today, most of the Brahmins have migrated to places like Ongole, Guntur, Hyderabad, etc., in search of new livelihoods and better opportunities. In the process, they have sold away their houses also and with that the umbilical chord was cut off rather permanently with their native place! Anyway, many of them are happily employed and seem to be doing well in their new native places and adopted professions!May God bless them! The Vysyas are also thinning in numbers. Another community which is fast disappearing from the map of Nidamanur is the Kummaris (potters). Kummaris play an important role in the life of the village as the pot is associated with various aspects of life like puberty,marriage, death, etc. Today, Nidamanur has got (almost) no pot makers in the village.
This in brief is the story of B. Nidamanur, a village with a glorious history and a bleak present, told as truthfully as possible without prejudices or preferences. The narrative is basically intended to give a glimpse of life in Nidamanur in the earlier days for the benefit of the children of migrant Nidamanurians and also to create a sense of nostalgia in the minds of those who were born and brought up in Nidamanur, but do not live there now as education and employment generally lead to a great deal of migration to urban areas. It is hoped they would read it!