Bonds that stood the test of time

These two need no introduction — former TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah, and former AP DGP and current chairman of Telangana Tourism Corporation Pervaram Ramulu.

“Our journey of friendship began in a fortuitous way,” recalls Ponnala. The demise of Ponnala’s father led to a series of events that triggered a chain of life-changing experiences which fostered a bond between these two.

A medieval village backdrop set the stage for a friendship that would last for an entire lifetime. Qilashapur is known for its gigantic stone and mud forts and its myths and legends.

“Following my father’s death, the entire family had to move to the village, where we were first provided accommodation by one Pervaram Santaji, father of Pervaram Ramulu who emptied his barn to provide shelter to my family,” says Ponnala. This is how the friendship blossomed between Ramulu and Ponnala.

For those who believe that childhood friends are the best, this friendship serves as  proof. “We have been together since the days of Balashiksha (equivalent to first standard),” says Ramulu.

While Ponnala was bright and brave, Ramulu was intellectual and innocent who needed Ponnala’s company to travel to the Middle school in Devaruppala, a village near Suryapet.

“The multipurpose high school headed by T.V. Narayana, a 90-year-old Padma Sri awardee marked a very interesting and eventful phase that built a bond that brought about so many history-making events in our lives,” says Ponnala. Ramulu adds, “Summer was the best time for us to get together for a fruitful pursuit. Both being regular readers and with Ponnala having the experience of working at the library, we brought out our own hand-written, illustrated weekly magazine Meghadoota where we wrote several critical reviews and covered political affairs.”

True friendship is marked by a spirit to compete, so they participated in essay writing and elocution competitions, ending up in the top two positions every time. Time passed and their varied interests took them to different worlds. Ramulu went on to get a Masters degree while Ponnala pursued his interest in Engineering. Ponnala says, “I ran to wake him up with the newspaper to give him the news of his selection for IPS.”

Ramulu held several high positions in the police department while Ponnala’s journey took him across the seas, working for a decade in the area of space applications before coming back to his native land. They were oceans apart, yet distance was a tiny deterrent to their friendship. Ponnala still fondly remembers Ramulu’s thoughtful gift of a suit piece (first suit in Ponnala’s life) when he flew to the US for the first time.

Years later in the early 70’s, Ponnala reciprocated the gesture with a round trip air ticket and covered the expenses during Ramulu’s visit to the US. He believes, “It was not a return gift, but rather a gesture for the fortune of having company like that.

“During my two weeks’ stay in the US, Ponnala who stayed in New Jersey, would drop me near his place of work every day, and from there I would take a bus to New York. I asked him one day, ‘is this the way you treat a police officer?’ And he replied ‘this is not India and for two weeks you are on vacation so be on your own’.” So they argue, discuss, agree and disagree during brainstorming sessions even till date.