Been There, Done That! - Season 1

Life got in the way and forced him into a break from photography in 1973, until he could find time for it again in 2013. Andhra Pradesh’s Department of Revenue kept him busy through many roles, including the role of an Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) in the years when Vizag faced the tsunami (2004) and cyclone Pyaar (2005). Subhrahmanyam shared some of the exhilarating moments through his career, including the tough years when he had to spearhead relief operations in parts of the city.

Then it was time to pick up a camera again. This time it was not just photography. He gathered a group around him and began discussions, workshops, photo shoots, and exhibitions.

He watched as photography transformed from being a rare professional pursuit or an expensive hobby to being so ubiquitous that the novelty is gone and the art is not appreciated enough. *‘Vivid Photography’* now is trying to provide a forum for skill building, knowledge transfer, and networking among photographers, enthusiasts, and laypeople.

You can follow Subrahmanyam and Vivid Photography on social media or online at www.vividphotographjy.co.in

Decide your specialization at 16, choose a career path at 18, find a job at 22, and stick to that path till you retire. The system doesn’t allow deviations, and attempts to do so are frowned upon by society. "Our system is designed for the compliant, not the curious".

Dushyanth does not comply! His love for physics was too strong to ignore, and engineering was not inspiring enough. Instead of languishing in an unappealing career path, he found his way through hurdles to his beloved Physics. He founded https://citizensofscience.com/ to help others follow their dreams in higher education. We was an outsider, then a trespasser, and now a pathbreaker.

After his M.Sc. in Physics, he taught middle school children for a year and discovered a larger set of challenges that hamper our learning through school and college. As a student, staying focused in a classroom was not easy for him. Now, teaching younger children, he is gaining insights into the challenges of our educational system. He is now experimenting with teaching methods to pave a path that turns the compliant to be curious, and allows the curious to explore.

You can follow him on social media, or on his website, and be a Citizen of Science!

Languages open up worlds. They help us connect with people and places, understand context, appreciate differences, find common ground, and generally grow as individuals. Beena says “There is more…they can help rewrite memories”.

She escaped from Spain to India with her two little children and a lot of bad memories. With a 10th grade education from two decades ago, and no experience, she began looking for her first job at 35! Few stints later, she settled on teaching English in schools and colleges. Then she met a Spanish teacher who rekindled her interest in Spanish.

She learned it and began teaching it to others. An English teacher became a Spanish teacher, and then she decided to go to Spain to teach English. In the process, Beena decided to conquer her fears and rewrite her Spain memories. "Never thought we would see you so free and traveling across the world," said an Indian friend when they met in Spain.

Her conquest of languages, countries, and her personal trauma is inspirational. It was fun language hopping with Beena, la conquistadora (the conqueror). You can follow her on social media or catch up with her somewhere in India or Spain!

Vizag is often termed a "big village" with a taste of everything a big city has but not the substance. So it was with options for cancer care. A tiny 6-bed daycare facility was all he could find when his aunt was diagnosed in late '90s.

"Not anymore", says Murali, the region's only surgical oncologist for several years, and now the Managing Director of Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital & Research Institute (MGCHRI), the state's largest cancer hospital, connecting patients, doctors, technology, and money in a seamless continuum.

Early detection, understanding the prognosis, managing life with cancer, and keeping it all together can be quite challenging for patients and their families. So, Murali added more pieces to his already complex puzzle - research, teaching, fundraising, public campaigns, rural outreach, and collaboration across the country and beyond. "The point is, we care. Cure is easy to get if it is available in the market. Connecting available treatment to those who need it is very challenging. No one should have to go elsewhere for lack of options to be treated for cancer."

It was an educational and inspirational evening with Dr. Murali Krishna. You can lend a hand by following and joining the activities of the Shreya Cancer Foundation that supports the activities of MGCHRI.

At her stage in life, she was looking for meaning and fulfilment than career or survival. That is when Madhavi turned to her hobbies and found a world of her own through social media. Her crochet skills were a big hit with women's groups online. A loyal band of followers, admirers, and students followed. She rallied some of them to three Guinness records for crochet work. She was busy!

She found herself passionately rallying other "home makers". Her students came from across the world, and ranged from 6 yrs to 82 yrs of age. For many of them, the records were a matter of identity, self-worth, social status, and empowerment. Thus, in 2019, "Madhuram Crafts & Creations" became "Mahila Manovikas", a movement more than an organization. A movement of home makers that organized their own Guinness bid in 2022 for the largest (4,686) display of crochet caps. Every cap is different, just like the 200 women that made them. They are shooting for another record in 2023.

Using an easily accessible and affordable art form (crochet) and technology, she is building a community that gives identity and self respect to women who may otherwise feel confined and undervalued. All strength to her! The stories of women she shared are very moving and left us tongue-tied. You can follow her work, or join her in her efforts on Facebook.

We all have spaces we go to rewind, reflect, and refocus for the next challenge ahead. In a moment of crisis in 2019, Satish went to his favorite place on the beach. It was filthy and he had enough!

He began cleaning it. Many joined him on his cleanup trips to the beach over the next few weeks and months. It became his Sunday morning activity, meeting old and new friends, and working together to rid the beach of all the filth. The scale of the challenge and the magnitude of the disaster slowly dawned on him. He did it 499 times since.

Satish is a serial social entrepreneur, starting and growing organizations, taking on new challenges, and creating opportunities for others to contribute. He founded Vizag Volunteers as a WhatsApp group two days after the first lockdown was announced, and turned the COVID crisis into an opportunity to motivate others. They were greatly appreciated for their help with migrant worker crisis and for blood plasma donation drives during the crisis. Three years since, Vizag Volunteers is now a force to rely on and an asset the city can be proud of! Their activities span the areas of health, awareness, environment, food, disaster management, and many miscellaneous activities.

It was an evening of inspiration! To lend a hand at the beach or to join the volunteer force, find them on social media.

Skill and practice are foundational to being a musician. Tradition guides them and pedigree identifies them. Innovation and service defines them.

A consummate carnatic vocalist hailing from the Dwaram School of Vizianagaram, Sudha Rani began her training at the age of four. At 16, she won the All India Radio competition in Visakhapatnam. She is now internationally acclaimed for her command over pallavi and popularized various pallavis in a career spanning over four decades of impeccable performances.

As she grew in stature, she couldn't ignore the waning interest among the younger generation. Teaming up with her life partner, she started Hamsa Academy, an institution to promote music, scriptures, and art, in 2015. Grooming children as young as 4 or 5 years old, Hamsa aims to revive the glory of carnatic music. With an illustrious pedigree for roots, tradition as guide, and a committed group of her students as branches, she is grooming younger children of Vizag. A tree of life, a kalpavriksha of carnatic music.

Hamsa Academy is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HAMSAAcademy/

A picture is worth a thousand words, as someone said. So he started taking pictures. There is always more to the picture than that meets the eye, as someone else said. So he kept getting bigger pictures.

The longest panorama he rolled out was 30 ft. long!!

Prabal’s panoramas capture the vast cityscapes and landscapes he visits, and adorn the walls of some of the finest boardrooms and houses of Vizag and beyond. He shared many of those wonderful panoramas, poems he wrote or those he likes, and many anecdotes from his life. "You just know it when you are going to get a good picture. You can feel it", he says about his state of mind when he is at work.

A columnist, poet, advertising executive, photographer, and a graphic designer, Prabal started his career as a chief engineer in merchant navy and continues to enjoy everything life has to offer. “After all, it is but one life”, he says. A man of many interests, constantly adapting new technology and techniques, he challenges his audience by shifting perspectives and paradigms. You can follow Prabal @prabalkmohanty on Instagram.

Actions of two random people, a drunk underage driver and an under-trained paramedic, resulted in a severe spinal cord injury that forced Dilip into a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He worked through a decade of hospitalization, many surgeries, endless physiotherapy sessions, and was bound to his wheelchair for the last 25 years!

Defiantly, his t-shirt reads, "Live your dream, not your fate."

After a decade of anger, confusion, frustration, pain, and suffering, Dilip committed himself to the cause of rehabilitating victims of spinal cord injuries (SCI). Learning from fellow victims from across the world, he began a fulfilling journey, raising awareness, finding support, gathering resources, and slowly connecting all the dots. The Ability People, an organization he founded and runs in Visakhapatnam, is one of a very few in India, dedicated to rehabilitating victims of Spinal Cord Injury to a full life.

Dileep reminded us that we are all challenged in at least one way, and that realization is the starting point for understanding the challenges of others. You can contact Dilip @63051-36877 or 91773-63600, follow his work on Facebook @theabilitypeople or visit him at his offices in Visakhapatnam.

We revere snakes and have a festival marked for them. We are also scared of them and mostly kill them on sight. King Cobra, the longest venomous snake in the world, and all its brethren in India are at the crossroads of devotion and danger.

Inspired by his uncle’s animal welfare activism, and fascinated with the “most successful limbless species” on earth, Murthy pursued zoology after high school and plunged head on into resolving human-King Cobra conflicts along Andhra’s Eastern Ghats. He established the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS) and began educating rural populations about living with snakes and helping save their habitat while staying safe from snake bites.

Andhra Pradesh is second in snakebite deaths in the country. They are mostly avoidable if only we are a bit snake-aware, says Murthy. With a new field station near Chodavaram, and projects across the state, EGWS's staff and volunteers are reaching out to villages on a mission to rescue King Cobras, increase awareness among people about snakes, and saving both from each other. You can follow/volunteer/learn/support Murthy's work at #easternghatswildlifesociety, or at www.easternghats.org.

The gift of blood is different from other gifts in many ways. Blood cannot be produced outside human bodies. There is no reward for giving nor penalty for not giving. The giver and recipient have no knowledge of each other, nor are they likely to cross paths. So, why does anyone donate blood? Mr. Prakash had a very simple answer - "it is the right thing to do!"

He is right, he didn't have to work for it and he has been lucky to be able to donate. But, the achievement is not the act. It is his choice to act. He got into the habit of donating blood at a very young age as a member of the Rotaract club. After 40 years of continuous donations, Prakash hit the century mark last month. Along the way, he inspired several others, and now is focusing more on raising awareness and motivating others to be regular donors.

We discussed several conundrums of the blood donation enterprise and we had Dr. A. Sugandhi, Medical Director at A.S Raja Blood Bank, chipping in with valuable information to help us understand the nuances. It was an inspiring and informative evening.

When his mom asked him in exasperation, "I pay for your education through Masters degree, buy you a Himalayan bike, and you decide to make a living selling idlis?" Sudhir simply said, "yes, mom, there is nothing wrong with it."

With a Masters in Agricultural Economics, and a belief in natural farming, Sudhir travelled the hills from Srikakulam to East Godavari for two years to find a way to make a living. Visiting the indigenous tribal communities in the hills, he made friends, lived with them, worked with them in their fields, and discovered naturally grown millets as the ticket for a livelihood. Blending traditions with modern preferences, health with taste, simplicity with grandeur, he now serves a blast of an experience for his customers at Vasenapoli, the millet idly joint that caught the Vice President's attention.

Sudhir's journey is full of belief, grit, innovation, personal tragedy and triumph - a truly human story. He says, “it is not about selling idlies. It is about living life, doing good work, being responsible, and helping others - one idly at a time!” Go get a bite.

He doesn't forget his roots or anyone he met along the way. He is planning on a bigger operation in Paderu, the place where it all started and where he goes to clear his head in times of distress. You can follow Sudhir's efforts @Vasenapoli.

We tell our children, "there are many paths to success". "But", says Sandhya, "most of those paths are paved in English", an unfamiliar language!

When she tried to help a group of kids from a local school participate in an English literary competition, she realized how big a barrier language was to them. She agreed to help. One thing led to another, and thus began the 'Speaking Chalk', a group of volunteers that teaches spoken English. They focus on children growing up in non-English environments.

'Speaking Chalk' has evolved since it began in 2016. More than 40 volunteers join Sandhya each Thursday for an hour to teach spoken English at one of the city's schools. "Managing the entire operation has been challenging and exciting at the same time. It continues to evolve. Despite the challenges, it is such a wonderful feeling when you hear a student say how much our efforts meant to his career!" she says.

We joined Sandhya as she reflected on her journey with Speaking Chalk, a home-grown model to address a real-life challenge. You can contact her to find out more @ #speaking_chalk on Instagram.

Have an important deadline but missed it because your kid was sick the night before? Really wanted to watch that movie with family but was stuck in the office? What are you doing at your in-laws for your holidays when your office buddies are out in Bali? You know work is part of life, but feels like life has become work? Life is getting in the way?

Sastry has been juggling it all since he began his professional career as an architect 25 years ago. A large extended family to attend to, a demanding and budding architectural consultancy, personal interests in music and other fine arts, an active social life, and a young family were all on Sastry's plate. Just like the rest of us, skipping and jumping through hoops, he sailed so far with a smile on his face. "Competing priorities are a part of life. I am not anywhere close to achieving any work-life balance. But, I never stopped trying", he says.

We skipped and hopped through Sastry's choices in a life of competing and conflicting priorities, and discussed how we all continue to try and strike that balance in our own lives. Inevitably, life got in the way, and we had to end our conversation on time.

You can follow Sastry or Trio-s (his architectural consultancy) on Facebook @Trio-s.

We all seek comfort in our daily lives, in our professional roles, in our family, in our dreams and hopes. We try to control the things we can so we can be prepared to handle the things we cannot. Rajneesh says, there is an app for that!

From a modest background, he rose to the heights of leading global operations for large corporations, advising governments on pioneering policies, and starting his own companies. Now on his second start-up, Rajaneesh says he is in the business of “making people’s lives comfortable” by putting them in control of their environment, one small app at a time.

In layman's terms, Rajaneesh walked us through the details of Internet of Things (IoT), where machines can talk to each other, and to the larger human world. “It is like magic. We give people wands in their hands to control things.” The audience had so many questions that a whole another session is necessary.

He decided to call Vizag home, and began his innovative home and industrial automation company, AntarIoT in IT-SEZ, Madhurawada. You can follow his company's activities at https://antariot.com/ or visit his offices for a live demo of IoT.

Obedience, discipline, respect, hard work, and subjects. A good school will teach our kids all that, and they are set for life.

"Wrong!", says Gayathri.

Growing up in a loving and protective home, she thought her schooling was good. She enrolled her three lovely girls in the same school. Being a reflective person, and an involved parent, something did not feel right. Pandemic allowed her a closer look into her girls' classrooms. Another class, another assignment, another test, another year...voila!...another brick in the wall!

Gayathri wanted no walls. She explored Waldorf, Montessori, Reggio, and many other models of early childhood education. Attended workshops, took classes, interviewed experts, read a lot, and Maria Montessori "spoke" to her. While her husband was busy setting up his nascent business, she took on unschooling her girls and nurturing their curiosity at home. While most kids follow their teachers' lead, she lets her kids lead her.

A mother on a mission to nurture her kids' natural abilities and allow their curiosity to bloom, Gayathri deconstructed the classroom, brick by brick. Follow her on Instagram @chirpytales.

You can only say 'yes' or 'no' to get on board. You can't set the itinerary, nor can you choose your company. You will be on the clock at any destination, and have to get back on the bus when your time is up. Would you go on such trips?

Chandu never says no. He traveled to 14 countries on such packaged tours.

But he is not a 'yes man' by any measure. Once he lands in the country, he carefully unpacks the tour and dials up the excitement. Takes off from the group and escapes into the bylanes of Budapest. Goes shopping for a watch he loves in Japan. Chases down an unusual museum of love in Istanbul, and yes, gets mugged in Moscow.

What's life for, if not to live? Sure, you can loose a limb, or life itself, if you are not careful. Chandu is not a novice nor he assumes a know-it-all attitude to his travels. He took us country-hopping and unpackaged some canned tours to understand the risks worth taking, and find the life that's worth living.

He loves to talk about his penchant for 'informed traveling' and 'travel to be informed'. Follow him on Instagram @chandukancherla or find all his travel adventures on Facebook @ Candu Kancherla.

He ended a toxic career path creatively and started a new one. With a glass half full, he landed in the middle of a mangrove and found himself working with a community that poaches the very fishing cat he planned to conserve! Learning from those who he planned to teach, and teaching those who thought they knew everything, Pranav navigated the complex world of wildlife conservation at the grassroots. He was, and continues to be, the bridge between theory from the outsiders and traditional ecological knowledge of the locals.

Living and working in the mangroves of East Godavari district, Pranav identified and documented the ecology and habitat that supports fishing cats. The apex predator of these mangroves, fishing cat, is an elusive animal, and tracking it is no "walk in the park". Wading through the saline slush of the mangrove, rowing through some remote creeks, braving the elements and wildlife alike, he followed his passion and found his glass can never be half empty.

Not far from Vizag, Godavari delta has one of the largest contiguous mangroves in the country, and Pranav was there. He took us on a ride to explore the world of wildlife conservation in one of the most intriguing and complex ecosystem on the planet, the mangrove. Follow Pranav on Instagram @ecct_trust

Cheap tickets are hard to refuse. Who cares if you never planned it?

Roundtrip to Bagdogra (in Sikkim) from Vizag for Rs. 5K? Sumanth and his friends jumped on it. With bags and passports, they were off to the gateway to Northeast India, and a stone's throw from four international borders - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and China. Bhutan was speaking the "language of happiness", and they crossed over for 9 days of it!

Sumanth took us through Bhutan's amazing landscapes, introducing us to the culture and food, meeting lovely locals and the quirkiest taxi driver/tour guide one could ask for! An amateur astronomer, trekking guide, traveler, and a wonderful teacher, Sumanth packs a lot of fun into his adventures. He shared all the little adventures they had as they wined, dined, and discovered Bhutan.

Sumanth does a lot of interesting things in Vizag and hangs out with more friends than most others. Follow him on Instagram @sumanthbehara

Honeymoon that never was…is how he describes it! But, was an adventure, for sure.

Thanking their friends and family that funded their honeymoon, Sandeep hit the road to Sikkim, with his two loves of life – his bride and his camera. Just in case they felt like eating homecooked food, they packed their kitchen in the back of their car. Driving through four states and covering a total of over 3,000 kms in 16 days, their journey was full of interesting people, hair-raising experiences, breath-taking scenery, and mouth-watering food along the way.

Braving the weather, road conditions, traffic, unreliable online search help, and minor but frequent health challenges, they vroomed all the way to Sikkim and back. Sandeep says the journey brought them closer as life partners, but not close enough to call the trip a honeymoon!

Despite the clanking of pots and pans in the back of the car, which they used only twice, it was an exhilarating account of a trip to begin life as partners, and we vroomed through some fantastic pictures along the way from Vizag to Gangtok and back. Sandeep is a professional photographer, bringing the skies closer and making stars out of people. You can follow him on Instagram @sandeep_pantula.

We all need a break from our regular lives. Let’s go to the Mt. Everest Base Camp!

That’s little far fetched you think? Not for everyone. Since starting Generation Yuvaa in 2007, Mr. Naresh Kumar and his cofounders did not have time for a break. After fifteen years when he finally could find time, he decided to take off on a trip of a lifetime!!

Naresh's goals were always a means to challenge himself, and he never took the easier route. Life obliged too, by throwing more than its share of challenges. He took us along on his trek while reflecting on his life thus far. It is a moving and inspiring story.

Beginning from Katmandu, through Lulka at just under 3,000, on to the Base Camp at 5,364 meters above sea level. Trekking 130 kms in 11 days, at high altitude, meeting many fellow trekkers, enjoying the breathtaking sights and exotic tastes along the way, he brought back memories to cherish for the rest of his life.

Generation Yuvaa is an organization that offers a healthy and safe environment to children that would otherwise be begging on Vizag's streets. You can follow Naresh's amazing work by visiting one of Generation Yuvaa's homes in the city, or on Facebook @ Generation Yuvaa.

Sailing the high seas, facing winds and waves, an officer's life in Merchant Navy is spent mostly on water. It is best discussed as a lifestyle than a career! Gone for months at a time, living on the high seas, visiting distant lands, 'family' acquires a new meaning. Constant travel makes the world seem smaller, yet larger. While the world is their home, it can be a very lonely one. A sailor's world is unique in many ways.

Capt. Kali Prasad sailed across the planet, docking at ports in all continents, facing friendly customs officers as well as fiery pirates, watching the world sail by as he navigated the channels of life.

He entertained us with a great sense of humor, describing his encounters with pirates off the coast of east Africa, a major fire accident that he helped prevent in the nick of the moment while unloading in a US port, a huge container ship that he had to live in with his crew off the coast of Sri Lanka, and how he would crave for a homecooked meal!

We sailed with Capt. Kali Prasad through 22 years of fantastic memories of life as an officer in the Merchant Navy.

Whether you see it, do it, appreciate it, experience it, or just witness it, art has a unique quality of pulling you in and leaving you no choice but to indulge. Anita Rao decided to give it all her heart and went on a path of discovery and appreciation of various forms of art and the artists.

With a friend in tow, Anita rode her bike from Vizag to Bhubaneshwar, exploring art and artists, discovering the landscape, tasting and appreciating various foods, and feeling grateful for all the hospitality showered upon her along the way. Riding over 500 kms for 10 days, she sketched and colored her memories of the trip into her journal.

Vizag – Vijayanagaram – Srikakulam – Brahmapur – Puri - Konark - Bhubaneshwar

We bicycled through Anita’s sketch book of memories and heard the wonderful stories of her discovery along the coast. She is an artist, sculptor, and explorer. You can find her in the local arts stores.

68 Million Hectares!!! That is almost a quarter of India's land area. That's how large our forest cover is, and its teaming with diverse flora and fauna.

Imran, a naturalist from Vizag, took us on a wild ride through the Jungles of India, talking about plants, animals, insects, landscapes, large trees, wild encounters, and much more. Imran is an excellent story teller and worked for several years in the Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh. He is a wealth of knowledge about India's forests as well as human interventions (both positive and negative) in them.

Facing a gaur in the dark, in the middle of a forest, with only a flashlight to find your way and a bunch of books to carry - not a position anyone would want to be in. Imran didn't spot the behemoth until he was close enough to hear its soft breath. If not for his knowledge of wild animals and jungles of India, he wouldn't have survived to tell the hair-rising story.

His respect and love for the jungle is contagious. Imran is a highly sought-after independent travel consultant, taking people on trips across the world. He can be found on Instagram @boatwala

"Leaving kids behind to travel and explore? - not our style" say Manju and Diwakar.

Traveling takes on a different pace and meaning when you have kids in tow. No, they were not trying to avoid difficult treks and daredevil adventures.

Ever since their older son read about the wettest place on earth in an encyplopedia, Diwakar had Chirapunjee/Mawsynram on his bucket list. They trekked down 4000 steps with their two little kids (7 and 3 yrs old) to the famous Nongriat root bridge. Drove down some very wild roads down the steep slopes to India-Bangladesh border in search of a water park only to find it closed! Went caving,

They kicked off the talk series in style, taking us through lakes, hills, forests, clouds, waterfalls, and heavy rain, with real stories and folk legends of Meghalaya.

You can follow their travels on Facebook at Diwakar Vadapalli

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