Two Decades, One Lane.

                            Two Decades, One Lane.

Yesterday evening in Mylavaram, I was driving through different streets, lanes, and colonies.

I noticed so many changes from how things used to be—multi-storey houses, apartments, vehicles everywhere, and what not.

As I passed through the first lane of Rama Krishna Colony, I suddenly stopped in front of the house where we used to live. It looked exactly the same—nothing had changed. 

The same old Penkutillu.

And just like that, a memory flashed back into my mind.

This incident happened more than two decades ago.

So here we go… the story begins.

All of you know me by my name, right?

What is it, though?

Kranthi or Kranthi Krishna?

This incident happened back in Mylavaram when I was doing my B.Tech.

Our friends who were studying out of town used to visit us at home whenever they came back to Mylavaram.

Thinking about it now, it feels so nice — those simple days, those small traditions.

Many of our schoolmates were pursuing their graduation outside our town, city, or even state, yet they always made time to stop by.

One of our friends had come back to Mylavaram, and as usual, he followed the tradition of visiting our home that evening.

My home was at the end of the first lane in Rama Krishna Colony.

When he entered, he found some elderly people sitting in the veranda.

Assuming they were relatives, he politely asked for me.

“Is Kranthi there?

Is Kranthi there?

Is Kranthi there?”

They suddenly replied, “Why?”

He said, “Kranthi is my friend. Sure I am!!!”

They looked a bit surprised, but still called out, “Kranthi… Kranthi!”

And then, their Kranthi came out.

a kid, not even ten years old.

Now it was our friend’s turn to be shocked.

I can only imagine what he must have felt—maybe something like time travel confusion! 

After a moment of silence, awkwardness, and laughter, he finally said in a different tone,

“Hmm… the Kranthi I’m talking about is my age—my schoolmate—who lived here with his parents and brother.”

The little Kranthi immediately jumped in excitedly,

“I know Kranthi anna! I know Kranthi anna!”

Meanwhile, I was happily relaxing in my new home just a few meters away.

While our friend was away studying out of town, we had shifted to another house in the same lane—just a few houses apart.

There was an empty ground right opposite this new home where we usually spent our evenings, either playing games or watching others play.

So this kid, Kranthi, knew me very well. And I knew him too.

He and his sister often played there with the other kids.

Funny incident, right?

We can say very, very funny.

Usually, such things happen when we’re looking for someone in a place and they’re simply not there.

But rarely does it happen that the person is there… and yet not there.

A few minutes later, I was walking out of my house while a playlist was playing on my home computer.

I saw my friend walking toward me—along with Kranthi.

Or rather, I should say, with the kid Kranthi, walking toward the older Kranthi.

For a moment, I was… how do I put it… a bit unsure about what was going on.

Why was he coming from that side?

And why was he accompanied by Kranthi??? 

As soon as he noticed me, our friend rushed toward me with a mix of surprise and excitement.

The first thing he did was narrate the hilarious situation that had unfolded just moments earlier.

And that’s how a simple evening turned into a memory worth smiling about—even after two decades.

My Friend I am referring to here is Madhu Babu from Mylavaram.

Not sure if he remembers this incident but I certainly do.!!!!!