Adios, Suryapet

A little over a year ago I landed in Suryapet unaware that I’d be leaving it sooner than the mandatory three years gap between transfers. I had been promoted and since I didn’t mind a field posting I was packed off to Suryapet to work in a training centre. After nearly eight years working in offices I was actually looking forward to a stint in the field. There’s nothing like a field posting to make you see the realities and since my job involves traveling in villages I got to see all the reality I could handle. In the field one learns more in a month than one can learn sitting in an office for years. So I was glad I was once again back in the villages amongst farmers. However, like before I had to stay away from the family. But it was worth it.

Normally, though I am a bit of a sentimental bloke, I am not as sentimental about places as I am about people. There wasn’t (and isn’t) anything in Suryapet to feel mushy about but somehow it made me sad about leaving the place. A couple of months ago I had an inkling that I’d be moving out of Suryapet. In fact, our training centre had shifted to Nalgonda sometime in the beginning of July. Though the office was in Nalgonda I had my house in Suryapet where I dropped in at least twice a week for a day or two. But it was getting a bit too tiresome going to Nalgonda from Hyderabad and then again to Suryapet to make trips to villages where I had work. At Nalgonda I felt restless, at Hyderabad I felt a bit anxious but whenever I was in Suryapet I experienced a different feeling- one of relaxed calmness,


Maybe it was the absence of the noise and clamor of Hyderabad but I felt at peace in Suryapet. I had a simple routine there. Being an early bird I would get ready and walk the few steps to my regular hotel where the owner had tea ready for me along with the day’s newspaper. Then I’d leave for the villages and return in the evening only to go on another long walk for a cup of ginger tea at Anand’s. The walk would take me through half the town past garages where mechanics repaired tractors, past shops selling filtered water in large plastic cans, past pushcarts selling fried snacks and finally arrive on a main road. This was a peculiar road because on both sides of the road were clinics of various kinds of doctors, diagnostic centers and medical shops. There were ENT surgeons, dentists, orthopaedicans, children’s doctors, and such medical people on that street which was always busy. After a two kilometer walk the ginger tea at Anand’s felt wonderful.

I miss the ginger tea at Anand’s but more than that I miss the unconditional generosity of the people of this small town. I still cannot forget what happened one day when I happened to reach Suryapet late in the night. I got down from the bus at a stop from where it was about fifteen minutes of walk to my house. It was around ten when I started to walk lugging a heavy bag. The town had shut down and there were no autorickshaws. The bag felt heavy and I was tired after the three and hour half journey from Hyderabad. Then suddenly I heard the sound of engines from behind. I turned around and saw three motorcycles approaching. I walked on disappointed that it wasn’t an autorickshaw. Then the bikes stopped when they neared me. I was a bit wary because I was at an isolated spot. Then one of the riders called out to me to get on the bike. When I heard him call out ‘Saar’ in a drunken voice I was a bit worried. Then told me he worked in a local government office and said he recognized me. He asked me to get on the bike. But he drove normally and dropped me right near my house riding away before I could say thanks. I did not know who he was but he simply did what he felt was his responsibility to get me home. It left me feeling grateful for these small town folks.

Sometime last week I packed my things and moved out of Suryapet. Now I am in a different posting about which I hope to write in the next post. I wonder when I will get to visit Suryapet again.