New Gift – Chapter 2 – Neo’s Father’s Resilience

Posted on April 26, 2026 by workaholicvarun

I used to be a topper of my class. Right from class 5. I was not so good with my 2nd language Hindi. When I was in grade 4, my brother and I were put in a tuition. Everyday after school, we used to go for tuition. One such day, I realized the fact that we don’t have to recite everything as it is from a book. For instance, that day, I was asked to read a story and explain in English. I could remember the first few lines as is. However, the remaining lines I forgot the sequence and verbatim but understood the essence. When I got stuck, my teacher asked me try and explain what happened after that. She insisted so I made up my own words to explain the story. She applauded me and encouraged me. I understood then. From that day on, my grades began to improve. But still my 2nd language was still a problem.

My parents understood this and they quickly put me in a tuition for Hindi. And since my Hindi teacher happened to be my class teacher also, she used to help us out in other subjects also. Voila, I cracked Hindi and kept topping that subject from then on. And you know what, I instantly climbed up to top 3 ranks in my class and I stayed there. By class 9, I tasted the Rank #1 in my class too. My grades in 10th class were very good too. I was on a path to making some major academic achievements maybe. But then the 3 year rough patches never left us alone. They used to comeback like clockwork and as explained in the previous chapter, it used to have a major impact on us.

This meant that once I finished my class 12th with above 80% marks, I had no college to apply for. My Father could not afford my college education, even a merit seat. So, I kept preparing for MBBS entrance for 2 more years. During these 2 years, I also helped my Father out with his newspaper and magazines circulation business. We used to walk and approach all our neighbors and others living in the close by areas if they are interested in a circulating library concept. So one pays a sum of 100 rupees for a month and they get to read a few magazines in different languages. As a concept this was fresh and many were interested. But point is that all of us had to be involved in delivering those new magazines and collecting previous magazines and circulating them to others. This needed a lot of planning and my Father was good with that.

A few months into this, we were able to get enough money to buy groceries on a daily basis and eat steady meals. Someone in my Father’s network had an un-used cycle so they gave it to us. We used to deliver our magazines using that cycle. It so happened that a few months later we found a little parking garage in a big house that was not being used, so we used that as a book/ magazine shop. This also meant that we were buying newspapers and magazines and selling them too apart from the circulating library. This meant that one of us had to wake up at 4 am, get to the main center where newspapers and magazines were delivered every day around 4.30 am, collect them and deliver them to those who had subscribed to this service from us. And that’s how I became a newspaper delivery boy myself and understood the value of hardwork. All this while I still could not go to college in those 2 years.

As fate would have it, one day I happened to read a magazine called ‘India Today’ which ranked the colleges in India for all streams. In 2003, the magazine ranked ‘Madras Christian College’, Tamabaram, Chennai as the # 1 college for Sciences and it was just a few kilometers from where I lived.

I go to this college with no money but only hope. I meet a Professor there who happens to be a member of our circulating library. He looks at my 12th Marksheet and says I would easily get a Merit Seat but the applications were all sold out for that year! So, I get back to my house dejected. This is when my Mother springs into action. She knew that my neighbor was applying to colleges that year. She just went there and asked my neighbor’s mother if they had an unfilled application form for that particular college and voila, they did! Ha! We felt so happy as if we won the lottery. Indeed. Later it turned out that this particular action of my Mother put me where I am today.

I take the form back to the Professor and he did get me through. I signed up for BSc. Zoology course. Since I was already preparing for my MBBS entrance, I was on top of Zoology the most. I topped my class in the first semester. I got a scholarship for topping my class. It helped me repay my first semester fees. I don’t remember what we did that the money but I remember giving it to my father for home expenses. There was an active rough patch still going on. This is when I decided that I had to start working to put some bread on the table.

One random afternoon, I was in my college, the class had just got over. I saw one of my classmate walking in a hurry to reach somewhere after college. I just happened to ask him where he was going. He said he was going to attend a walk-in interview in a movie multiplex chain called ‘Sathyam Cinemas’. He in fact even asked me if I wanted to join him. I just went. I had no intention or no idea of how I can pull off working and studying. I still went with him nevertheless.

I attended the interview and they had a customer care executive role in mind for me. Not the call center type of customer care executive but a real offline one. They mentioned that the pay would be 3,000 rupees per month and that it was a 8 hours shift. My college timings were from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm. That meant I can only work from 3 pm to 11 pm. I came back from those interviews and thought about it for a few days. I convinced my parents that I could somehow pull this off.

I went back to Sathyam Cinemas with the 3 pm to 11 pm proposal and the HR agreed instantly. They also set up my interview with one of the founders. The founder asked me a question that day. It was like a scenario. He asked me that “when an angry customer comes to you, shouts at you for bad service and asks for a solution what will you do”? I told him that first of all I would smile and apologize for the inconvenience caused to him. If there was something that I could help him with, I would instantly do that, else I would ask the concerned staff/ Managers and help him out. It seemed to convince the founder, he instantly asked me to join the firm. There I was, 19 year old (2003), with my first job as a customer care executive.

Coming up, after a few months, the founder helps me with something unique . I continue to work for Sathyam Cinemas despite all the commuting and personal hardships I face. 2.5 years later, I clear the 2nd most important interview of my life!

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New Gift – Chapter 1 – Neo’s Father’s Childhood

Posted on April 26, 2026 by workaholicvarun

When I think back about my life, it feels like many stories put together. I am sure all of your lives seem similar to what my life feels to me. I am just in a mood to share a few with you now. It seems like a good time now to share. Because I have seen whatever needs to be seen, experienced all events from birth to death of close ones. Poverty. Hunger. Hardwork. Greed. Lust. Anger. Arrogance. Jealousy. Delusion. All of it. And most importantly I have come to understand that one thing in life, after which one knows everything about everything. “The One thing, knowing which everything else becomes known” courtesy : ‘Mundaka Upanishad’. While I let you figure out what that One thing is, let’s have some fun in me sharing some of my past events with you.

You may ask, how is my story relevant to this New Gift i.e. Neo’s story. Well isn’t it?

I remember when I was in the 2nd grade (early 1990s), my father was employed as a Marketing Manager in a well established Industrial products & services company in Chennai, Tamilnadu. I came to hear from him much later (around 2015s) that he was traveling from Chennai to a different city on a work related trip, he was lured into a bigger post with better pay for a bigger company. He may have jumped the gun and made some mistakes like quitting his present job without having an offer letter from the new company. Obviously, Greed + Delusion took control of my father during that decision. What followed next was a brutal fall from middle class to lower middle class lifestyle.

My father was well qualified. A mechanical engineer in those days and was a brilliant Engineering Drawing teacher as well. He made a conscious shift from Teaching to Marketing. He was very good in what he did. He was very organized. In fact his organization skills were quite awe inspiring. But when it came to finances, he was not that good. He did not have much to rely back on his family or his own savings. He saw two ways to weather through this rough patch between Jobs. This was the early1990s. Globalization had not yet kicked in back then. MNCs were not yet on the doors rolling out opportunities. So he thought loaning money by pawning gold or selling off furniture/ appliances were good ways to provide for the house during that rough patch.

To begin with, the rented apartment we were living back then was a good one and we had almost all appliances and furniture back in those days itself. Then came the sell off/ pawn off.

One day we see some stranger visiting our house, taking stock of the sofa sets, dining table, double cot, refrigerator. Everything else was fine. But I loved the refrigerator for 2 reasons. The Ice Cubes and Cold Water. I was so elated when it came in. In Chennai there is high humidity and as children we remember being thirsty a lot. So that refrigerator was indeed a good relief from the merciless sweating. And that would go away now. That stranger made a deal for X amount of money and went away. But a few days later when he came back to buy those things, he further bargained the amount from X to Y. He quoted that his days were not so good either and that he came in an autorickshaw instead of his own car etc. It took me 20 years to understand what that guy pulled off. Ha. He conned us off and got away with all the stuff for just half the price maybe.

Point is, when you are 8 or 9 years old and all this happens, it leaves an impression on your mind. From that day onwards I had lost interest in things like furniture, appliances etc. I was like there is no guarantee that my father would never have a rough patch again in his career again. There is no guarantee that the furniture and appliances would stay us forever. There is no point developing a favorite among those material things. Wow! I am able to explain it fully now but back then I could not explain in so many words, makes sense right. But something changed in the way I looked at material things from that point.

Many years later I did develop a fascination for the iPhone though. As fate would have it, I bought an iPhone 5 in 2014 on a 6 month EMI. I loved it. Nothing like it. Exactly after 6 months, I lose the phone and never get it back. I punish myself with a non-smart phone for a few months and then eventually I move on to an Android phone. I swore never to buy such an expensive phone with my hard earned money ever. Its 2026 now. For 12 years, I have managed to resist any and every expensive smartphone. Even though I can afford one, I buy a basic Android phone with the basic features I need. That’s it.

So what made an impact on me back in 1990s when I was in the 2nd grade, faded away once I started earning. But as life’s roller coaster rides would have taught me, I was constantly reminded not to expect too much in life and nothing is permanent right repeatedly in my life. For instance, my fathers rough patches kept repeating every 3 years after my 2nd grade patch. Every 3 years we would sell off all that we bought only to keep the house running. Obviously my brother and I kept growing in age. My father did get a better job, better pay, better designation every time after a rough patch. But these periodic phases where my father did not have any job left us in deep philosophical mindset. We may not have had money but we did not lose our spirit. It brought my father, mother and brother closer to me. We became a close inseparable unit. Many nights when there was minimal or no food to eat at home, we used to laugh our way out of the situation listening to FM radio songs. Beyond a point there would be nothing to sell also. My mother would reach out to the neighbors and ask for a 50 or 100 rupees promising we will pay back in some time.

One such instance in early 2000s. We were living in far away sub-urbs. Rents are cheaper there. My mother reached out to a neighbor. She promised my mother that she can give only 50 rupees. I was asked to go to the main road with her son where he would change a 100 rupee note for two 50 rupee notes and give me one 50 rupee note.

So I went with him. He changed the 100 rupee note and gave me a 50 rupee note. After giving me this he asked me “Did you eat anything?”. It could have been just a casual thing to ask for him but it hit me differently. I suddenly realized that we are at a stage where people think we have not eaten anything for days maybe? He was right. We were scrambling for food indeed. That day something else changed in my life. I started taking some decisions for my family of four.

Coming up Next, my newspaper delivery days and my days in Sathyam Cinemas while studying in Madras Christian College, Chennai.

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“New Gift”

Posted on March 22, 2026 by workaholicvarun

Prelude

I was invited to share my views on self-publishing recently where I was presenting some content to Executive Education Alumni of a renowned business school in India. I was looking for interesting facts about legendary authors, which is when I remembered reading somewhere that Ayn Rand published her working notes, outlines and character studies as writings in newspapers. Then I thought why couldn’t I do this for my own upcoming book (maybe). You know, put your money where your mouth is.

Voila, that’s it! Here goes the set of writings that could potentially transform into my next book, whether self-published or published through the regular publishing route, these would still remain as a set of blogposts and remind me of what went through my heart and mind during the birth of my First Child.

The next set of blogposts is an ode to Neo Mannava, my first child!

While, it did cross my mind that I should not take real names and hence write a fiction, but having self-published three books in the socializing domain (between 2016 to 2024), I realized that my subconscious mind is tuned to jump right into the content instead of building the character arcs or story setting etc. And in writing, I believe, like any other art form, the subconscious takes control. Your fingers keep typing your thoughts away before even you could realize what epic stuff you ended up writing. You realize this only when you revisit your writing after a decade or so. Ha! On that note, let’s move ahead.

So, while the book may look like a non-fiction, I will take every care to keep it as engaging as possible. And obviously, other than Neo, his mother’s name and his father’s name, all other names have been modified purposefully.

One may ask, why a book? Everyone has a child, what’s so special about your child or the bond that you have with your child? To them, I say, go ahead there is still time, write that book or blogpost or even an Instagram post if you are into it. If nothing, at least re-visit your mental notes from time to time. I say this and everyone would agree that there is no love in this world like that of a new born.

Whenever I sit to observe my child, a river of learnings, words, thoughts flow. I keep observing. I observe a lot. I generated the entire content for my self-published books purely through observations. Where do I store all these observations that I make about my child. Although, a picture would speak a thousand words, I wanted to go ahead and write those 1000 words too and more.

This book (or) set of blogposts spans through the gestation period to the point where Neo would turn 1.

While I have found a lifetime worth of treasure that I can slowly cash out, this period from when Neo was conceived to the point where he turns 1 is most special for me. And of course, I will keep writing about Neo (the lifetime worth of treasure), it could generate my retirement corpus and transform into the treasure for real.

Jokes apart, let me begin with the mission I set out here to achieve.

Neo means New or Gift (from divine), hence the name of the blogpost series will be “New Gift”. Ultimately the book could also be called the same.

–Varun Gowtham Mannava

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Superstar Rajinikanth’s most popular and most rewarding character “Padayappa” (Tamil movie in 1999) had a pilot/ trial run in a cameo character named “Paparayudu” in the 1995 Telugu blockbuster movie named “Pedarayudu” (a remake of the Tamil Movie “Nattamai”)!

Posted on May 22, 2025 by workaholicvarun

This insight is brought to you by Varun Mannava : “King of Clubs”. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Kindle

We have all watched the 1994 Tamil movie “Nattamai“. The movie directed by K.S. Ravi Kumar was a blockbuster of sorts for the storyline and power packed performances by Sarathkumar, Khushboo and Vijayakumar. Music Director rolled out some nice songs, one of which was “Kotta Paakum, Kolunthu vethala, potta vaay sevakkum”! Thats it. The joint family melodrama took everyone by storm and the kickass flashback of why the village leader (Portrayed by Vijayakumar, as Sarath Kumar’s father) should treat everyone impartially, especially if the accused were from their own family too.

Back then there was no internet, no social media, no DVDs too. Over and above, there were not many people who knew both Tamil and Telugu languages, and even lesser people who watched both “Nattamai” and its remake “Pedarayudu”. Fortunately because I was a Telugu living in Chennai, I had the opportunity to watch both and compare notes.

I loved the cameo by Rajinikanth in the Telugu remake “Pedarayudu” and now I savor it even more because this character Paparayudu almost inadvertently laid the foundation stone for the Superstar’s character in the 1999 movie “Padayappa”. Interestingly there was no remake of “Padayappa” in telugu but it was directly dubbed in Telugu as “Narasimha”.

I have some screenshots from the Telugu Pedarayudu character portrayed by Superstar Rajnikanth that reminds us of his body language and mannerisms in “Padayappa” movie. The cigar style, the make up of an elderly person, the call to action on what’s just, punishing verdict delivered even if they are your family in “Pedarayudu” movie everything not just matched but took his stardom to the highest level in “Padayappa”. Needless to say, the theaters just took off in frenzy for that 10 min scene when Superstar is present in the Telugu movie “Pedarayudu”, that’s when the cameo appears on the big screen.

Also Rajinikanth being in his prime, had never done any cameos so late in his career i.e. the 90s, especially 1995 was the year when his blockbuster movie “Baasha” released. I think he just did it for his favorite friend and fellow Telugu actor Mohan Babu. He never did any cameo after that till SRK’s very own Ra.One, where he only appears as Chitti, the Robot and of course the 2024 movie “Lal Salaam” directed by his elder daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth. Incidentally, both the movies i.e. Ra.One & Lal Salaam didn’t do well commercially.

Rajinikanth plays the titular role of “Padayappa” in 1995 where he is bound by his paternal legacy to deliver justice for everyone equally including the downtrodden even if the aggressors are his kin. “Padayappa” is a lifetime hit of Superstar Rajinikanth which most of his fans cherish and remember fondly till date.

In “Pedarayudu” 1995, Rajinikanth plays the paternal path-setter himself where he does not bow down to anyone in delivering justice especially for the downtrodden even if the accused is his own nephew.

–Varun Gowtham Mannava

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Sorgavaasal [Movie Review]

Posted on January 5, 2025 by workaholicvarun

This insight is brought to you by Varun Mannava : King of Clubs. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Kindle

Most times when one comes across a beautiful house or an extremely luxurious restaurant or an extremely pricey car, one stands awestruck and keeps staring at it for a few seconds. Then quickly one realizes the shit hole they are in and continue with their life agreeing to the fact that they can never have that home or car or eat in that restaurant. This movie gives us the same feeling. And its quite aptly titled too – Sorgavassal (meaninng Gateway to heaven), its just the gateway to heaven and not heaven itself. And just because one has reached the gateway to heaven or staring at it doesn’t mean one has entered heaven.

Directed by Siddharth Vishwanath, this movie deals with the weight of hoping for something but not happening vs not hoping for anything and setting up expectations accordingly. The movie is quite gripping at large. We have come across such movies in the past, “Virumaandi” for example or say “Side A”/ “Side B” or the grand old “Mahanadi” movie by Kamal Hassan too gives us a sneak peek of what happens inside prisons.

One could also draw parallels to the legendary cult movie Shawshank Redemption in a more subtler or common-man ish way. This movie deals with prison trauma where the protagonist (RJ Balaji) is trapped into a prison sentence using hearsay evidence and how he struggles with that. There are also other ambitious characters in the movie that leave an impact. One of them being Karunas who rose from a comedian to a character artist to even a lead role but had been missing since the past many years. It’s good to see him back on the big screen. Karunas plays the role of a jailer here and his character is present through out the movie.

The most impactful character is portrayed by Selva Raghavan who seems very authentic and gets into the skin of the character. Easily one of his best performances till date.

The script is so neat and tight that this movie would have made an impact with or without RJ Balaji. But it definitely is a good movie to have on his resume. Since he has been a RJ in the past, I somehow felt his voice was able to emote more than his eyes or expressions as such in the movie. The subtle and layered revelations, the parallel narrations and legit looking cast and prison settings definitely add to the script’s strength.

This movie is available on Netflix and is a highly recommended watch. This movie has a lot of violence so viewer’s discretion is advised.

Movie Rating = 3.5 out of 5

–Varun Gowtham Mannava

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Operation Valentine movie review by the Blue Goggles review-man 💙

Posted on March 23, 2024 by workaholicvarun

Video review in English

Video review in Hindi

The Blue Goggles review-man in action!

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The Best Colleges of India, 2023 edition, India Today!

Posted on July 16, 2023 by workaholicvarun

This insight is brought to you by Varun Mannava : “King of Clubs”. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Kindle

I am so glad the India Today group continues to publish the Best Colleges of India special edition! 20 years ago, this same edition helped me take a crucial decision in my life. It’s a bit long story, I can’t help narrate in detail because it shows how much I am thankful to India Today for doing this.

I was born in Vishakapatnam but my schooling and college was in Chennai. I completed my 12th grade in 2001 and secured above 80% in Tamilnadu state board. I was so much in to getting a MBBS seat back then but since I belonged to the OC category I could not make the cut even with good marks. There was cut throat competition for a handful of seats all over India. I tried preparing again. Infact, I had no choice but to take the year off to prepare for 2002 medical entrance. My father had resigned from his job in 2001 and was yet to find a new one, so we could not afford management quota in medical colleges. I did not feel like taking up any other courses in arts or science colleges. I prepared for MBBS entrance during the remainder of 2001 and early 2002.

I couldn’t make the cut even in 2002.I helped my father set up a newspaper and magazine shop in 2002. I used to deliver newspapers and magazines to our customers every morning. I used to start my day at 4 am and by 8 am I used to get done. So I started preparing for MBBS entrance again in 2002. We couldn’t afford anything other than a free seat. So no other choice than to prepare for mbbs entrance.

This went on till 2003. I realized I had invested 2 years in MBBS entrance prep and now the pressure was mounting. But when life takes over nothing else is important. One beautiful morning, out of nowhere I saw this best colleges of India edition in June, 2003 . I quickly turned the pages and saw all top 10 colleges in India for all streams. I was surprised to see Madras Christian College ranked 1 for science in India! I literally had NO IDEA that my neighborhood college was so cool and qualified till I saw this edition.

I was even more excited because Madras Christian college was just 4 kms from where I used to live. But funnily enough I never realized the college’s potential till I read this magazine!!

I immediately visited the college and enquired for a BSc Zoology application form. I was too late because all application forms were sold out. But they guaranteed me that if I can get an application form somehow and fill it they would happily give me a free seat in BSc Zoology, day college. This meant that the semester fees were very much affordable. I realized that my MBBS dreams had to be bygone. Whenever I used to prepare for MBBS I used to start with Zoology. So there it was.

I thought if I could somehow get through this college in science course it would add value to my career because it was #1 for science in India and not just south India. This is when my mom magically tapped her network and secured me a unfilled application form for Madras Christian college.

That’s it! I joined MCC in 2003 and in 2006 I had a campus recruitment offer from DEShaw India (hyderabad) with a good annual package! There was no turning back after that!! I worked in DEShaw for 7 years, then moved to a Wallstreet bank in GURUGRAM. 20 years later I saw this magazine in a magazine stall and I am overcome with gratitude because 20 years ago this edition literally kickstarted my career!!

Thanks a ton. I wish the India Today Group well. Keep going with this special edition in the considerable future. You are doing a great service for the youth of India in making informed choices.

— Varun Gowtham Mannava

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How I met “RRR” fame Ram Charan Tej in person! [13 years ago!]

Posted on June 1, 2023 by workaholicvarun

This insight is brought to you by Varun Mannava : “King of Clubs”. Now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Kindle

I was in Hyderabad between 2006 and 2013 during my first job.

I was working for a NYC based Hedge fund which had it’s Finance back office and Middle office operations based in Hyderabad.

If you know about Andhra Pradesh [back then Telangana was not formed yet], Hyderabad used to be the capital city. Almost everyone in the state loved Telugu movies and Telugu movie stars. There used to be dedicated fan clubs and even fans rivalry to a great extent. Even today, everyone from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh love their Telugu movies and Telugu movie stars. The fan clubs and rivalries remain even today.

Megastar Chiranjeevi was and still is a household name in Andhra Pradesh. He was and is still a sort of a Demi God for the masses. Walking in the lines of the Late Greats “MGR” & “NTR”, two super stars emerged in the South of India. Rajnikanth in Tamilnadu and Chiranjeevi in Andhra Pradesh.

Not only did they register box office hits whenever their movies released in the movie screens, they were also heavily involved in activities that aimed at helping the down trodden. The fan clubs used to engage in free meals drive, tree plantation drive etc on their star’s birthday. Even otherwise, the fan clubs used to engage in blood donation camps and clothes donation camps.

Although I had only heard of such welfare drives by major fan clubs, I never volunteered or participated in any of these drives because there was no access back in the 90s or early 2000s. When I reached Hyderabad, my office was in jubilee hills and exactly 1km away was this blood bank called “Chiranjeevi Blood Bank”!

I used to pass by this blood bank almost everyday on the wat to my office. I used to think of visiting this place and donating blood on a special day like my birthday or maybe Chiranjeevis birthday.

On 15th May 2008, I decided to visit this blood bank and donate blood. The occasion was my 2 year work anniversary. I went to the blood bank, got my name Registered, donated blood, got the ID and got back. This blood bank had state of the art facility and the host explained to me that every 300 ml of blood would be utilized in many ways.

So 15th May 2009 also I went and donated blood.

15th May 2010 also I went and donated blood.

Now that host was curious to know why I am donating blood every year on the same date. I just smiled and mentioned it was nothing special.

Then one month later, in June 2010, I received a call from this blood bank. The person on the other side informs me that Ram Charan sir [Chiranjeevi’s son] is visiting the blood bank to motivate the fan club members and blood donors. This person further informed me that I can visit the blood bank between a certain time window [3 pm to 4 pm] if I wish to get a picture clicked with Ram Charan himself!

So I reached the venue ahead of time. There were close to 500 people gathered during this 3 pm to 4 pm time window. I was not sure if I will get to Ram Charan but I waited in the line patiently. At almost 4 pm, I made it to the front of the line and there he was. He was looking very fit and stylish. He shook my hand firmly and thanked me for being a blood donor.

Then he asked me a quick question, “Are you from India?”

I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was interested in knowing more about me. I quickly replied, “Yes, yes. I am very much from India” with a big smile.

So although it was only a 20 seconds interaction, it was fully worth waiting. Whenever I see this picture, I remember how movie stars impacted my early life and motivated me to do something impactful for the society in our own small way.

And to see a star filled with such humility and respect for his father’s social responsibility, it was quite fulfilling.

BTW, I have been a huge fan of both Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi (along with Chiranjeevi’s family of actors) since I was 5 years old! So this moment was definitely fulfilling.

— Varun Gowtham Mannava

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My Parents’ Travel Chronicles! Season 1 (South India Pilgrimage)|Episode 2

Posted on May 4, 2022 by workaholicvarun

My Father is 67 years old and my mother is 60 years old! Sharing the below experiences shared by my father M.S.Goutham :

“MY TWO-WEEK SOUTH INDIA PILIGRIM TRAVEL EXPERIENCES – HOTEL STAYS.”

“THE CHANCES OF LANDING IN GOOD / DECENT HOTELS BOOKED THROUGH PORTALS LIKE IRCTC / MAKE MY TRIP ARE 50:50. BECAUSE THE INFORMATION AND THE PHOTOS THEY SHOW IN THE PORTAL ARE VERY DECEPTIVE SOMETIMES.”

“THE HOTEL WE STAYED IN KANYAKUMARI WAS THE WORST I HAVE EVER STAYED IN MY LIFE AND THE ONE WE STAYED IN GURUVAYUR WAS VERY BAD. CHENNAI AND TIRUVANANTHAPURAM HOTELS WERE GOOD. MY SUGGESTION IS IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING IN OFF-SEASON, BETTER DECIDE THE HOTEL AFTER REACHING THE PLACE, BY PERSONALLY ENQUIRING LOCALS AND VISITING THE HOTELS AND THEN DECIDE.”

“POST CORONA, MOST OF THE HOTELS HAVE STOPPED KEEPING NORMAL WATER. VISITORS ARE FORCED TO BUY BOTTELED WATER AT A PREMIUM PRICE. EVEN THE HOUSE KEEPING AND ROOM SERVICE STAFF HAVE BEEN MINIMIZED, CAUSING INCONVENIENCE TO VISITORS.”

“AT TWO PLACES – TIRUCHIRAPALLY AND CHIDAMBARAM WE BOOKED RAILWAY RETIRING ROOMS.THE ONE AT TRICHY RUN BY IRCTC IS MAINTAINED WELL. BUT THE ONE AT CHIDAMBARAM UNDER RAILWAYS IS VERY BADLY MAINTAINED.”

Will Continue….

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My Parents’ Travel Chronicles! Season 1 (South India Pilgrimage) | Episode 1

Posted on April 7, 2022 by workaholicvarun

My Father is 67 years old and my mother is 60 years old!

Sharing the below experiences shared by my father M.S.Goutham :

“MY TWO-WEEK SOUTH INDIA PILIGRIM TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.”

“IT’S MY FIRST TRAVEL WITH MY WIFE FOR TWO CONTINOUS WEEKS WITHOUT MY TWO SONS, BUT WITH THEIR WHOLE HEARTED SUPPORT.”

“I MADE ALL ARRANGEMENTS – TRAVEL, HOTEL BOOKINGS AND FINANCES WELL BEFORE TO AVOID ANY LAST MINUTE DISAPPOINTMENTS.”

“THE ENTIRE TRAVEL ROUTE HAS BEEN WELL PLANNED, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, SO THAT WE CAN VISIT AS MANY PILIGRIM CENTERS POSSIBLE WITH IN OUR BUDGET.”

“I AM DIVIDING MY EXPERIENCES INTO:

TRAVEL

HOTELS

PLACS AND PEOPLE

TEMPLE VISITS

BEST AND WORST.”

TRAVEL:                                                                                                              

“WE TRAVELLED THROUGH MAJAOR RAILWAY STATIONS LIKE NAMPALLY (HYD) CHENNAI, KANYAKUMARI, TIRUVANNATHAPURAM CENTRAL, GURUVAYUR, TRICHUR, TIRUNELVELI, TRICHY, RAMESHWARAM, THANJAVUR, CHIDAMBARAM AND KACHIGUDA (HYD).”

“MAJOR STATIONS LIKE NAMPALLY, CHENNAI, TIRUVANANTHAPURAM, TRICHY AND KACHIGUDA DO HAVE FEW LIFTS (OR) ESCALATORS. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF THESE ARE PASSENGER FRIENDLY. EITHER THEY ARE NOT WORKING (OR) IF THE ASCENDING FACILITY IS WORKING, THE DESCENDING ONE IS NOT WORKING. SOME PLACES, THE DESCENDING FACILTY ONLY WORKS. SENIOR CITIZENS AND FAMILIES WITH SMALL CHILDREN AND LUGGAGE FACED SEVERE PROBLEMS IN REACHING OUT TO THE PLATFORMS.”

“IN EVERY STATION PORTERS MADE Rs. 200 AS THE MINIMUM CHARGE AND MAXIMUM Rs.250 IRRESPECTIVE OF THE DISTANCE OR PLATFORM, WE HAD SPENT LOT OF MONEY ON PORTERS BECAUSE OF OUR LUGGAGE AND AGE.”

“ONE GOOD THING IS ALL THE STATIONS AND INTERIORS OF THE TRAIN ARE CLEAN. BUT THE EXTERIORS ARE VERY DIRTY.”

“ALSO, MOST OF THE TRAINS WERE ON TIME.                                          Will continue………”

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