Tuesday, 30 October 2018

76.  A SWEET TOOTH TOUR IN COASTAL ANDHRA PRADESH


The undivided state of Andhra Pradesh was a great big state in the Union of India with its capital at Hyderabad.  Now, after the division of this State, it shares its borders with the State of Telengana (the sister Sate) and Karnataka to the West, Tamilnadu to the South, Orissa to the North and the tempestuous Bay of Bengal to its West with a long coastline of nearly 1000 Km.  Towards the end of October 2018, I set out along with three of my companions to the middle coastal region comprising broadly the very fertile East and West Godavari delta regions to study on shore coastal aquaculture practices.  This to explore if instrumentation and associated communication and control technology could be applied to better monitor and control breeding operations, improve yields and for early detection and prevention of virus attacks.

PVT Naidu ( A human Dynamo), Seetharam ( An unconventional Engineer cum farmer) and my good old classmate from IIT Madras - Madireddy Nagaraj ( fondly known as “Kakes”, short for Karate Killer) all from Bangalore were my constant companions on these four days as we travelled from Vijayawada through Machilipatnam, Bheemavaram, Kakinada, Rajahmaundry and back to Vijayawwada in Ranga Rao Garu’s car who joined us in this expedition. Ranga Rao himself was a big and progressive prawn cultivator of the region based in Machilipatnam.  After visiting several prawn ponds ( Royyala Cheruvulu ) and discussions, we got some of the basic facts and information of the business.  More on this on another day and another blog.

Courtesy the first named PVT Naidu, this trip turned out to be a Sweet Tooth Tour of Coastal Andhra.  PVT traces his ancestry from Kakinada where his mother and his brother live and own large tracts of fertile farmlands, Kakinada where he went to school and to college and knows the region like the back of his hand. And at every stop on this trip his friends, his relatives, his school mates, his College mates dropped him to greet him.  Truly amazing.  Now for the Sweet Tooth Tour organised by PVT.

MALLAIAH SWEET SHOP   ( Bandar Laddu )

The first pit stop in the Sweet Tooth Tour ( STT)  took us to the legendary Mallaiah Sweet shop in Machilipatnam world famous for its “Bandar Laddu “  which enjoys the prestigious Geographical Indication tag ( Bandar = Port.  Machilipatnam was a major port for the British, Dutch and the French).  The sweet shop now operates from a modest little room in a bylane of the town.  The pushcart used by the original founder Mallaiah still adorns the front of this shop.




BHAKTANJANEYA SURUCHI FOODS      ( Tapeswaram Khaja )
Next stop for us pilgrims was the Bhaktanjaneya Suruchi  Foods at Tapeswaram, inventors of the imaginatively named Tapeswaram Khaja.  Dripping in ghee and moist, an image so evocative and indicative of the pleasures concealed within, that will transport you to seventh heaven just looking at it. Imagine biting into it !



SRI ABHIRUCHI SWEETS KAKINADA     ( Pootharekulu Sweet )

Another stunning concoction from the Godavari delta region is the wafer thin parchment like sweet wrapped and wrapped and rolled around itself until it becomes a handy little flat cigar full of sugar, dry fruits and other titbits and brushed with generous helpings of ghee. Typically this sweet called Pootharekulu is served one at a time and thoughtfully with a few paper napkins as mandatory accessories. I have always known Andhra for its hot spices, chillies, eye and nose watering dishes.  The Sweet side of Andhra came as a total surprise and a revelation.





GANGARAJU DAIRY     ( Gangaraju Khova )

The last shrine to be visited on this STT was the Gangaraju Dairy Sweets shop, again operating out a little  hole in the wall nondescript shop in the residential quarters of Rajahmundry,  now pompously rechristened Rajahmahendravaram, no doubt at the behest of some overzealous politicians. “ One ticket please to Rajamahendravaram”.   I am sure old man Gangaraju Nimmalapudi would turn in his grave at this sacrilege.



















VIJAYAWADA AIRPORT   ( Airport Security )

The final kick of this Sweet Tooth Tour of Coastal Andhra was to come at the Vijayawada Airport .

I placed all the loot from the STT  in a large plastic bag on the conveyor of Airport security in Vijayawada Airport.   The young CISF officer at the Xray monitor could not believe his eyes. He took aside the package, sniffed at it and asked me if I was carrying Bandar Halwa.  “Sir, Halwa with so much Ghee dripping is not allowed on the aircraft” he said.  With a forlorn look I was preparing to discard the halwa packet muttering to myself “ You are worse than my wife” when the young fellow came over, patted me on the back and with a wink and smile, waved me through. “Good luck with your wife Sir, take care .”  CISF folks have gone up several notches in my view now.

THE LOOT SAFE AND SECURE AT HOME




Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                  October 30, 2018



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