When I took my mobile handset trying to make a call to Sujatha, I saw a WhatsApp message sent to me by Godavari.

"Sorry, Sujatha," I said, with fury bursting at Godavari.

"Sorry, Sujatha, it has been a long time since you said that. We travelled by an old jeep there. We haven't gone there since then. In those days, all villages seemed alike. On that day, there was no proper road, and there were jolts which almost broke our waists. You suffered from strain in your thigh."

Is there no tar road to the village?

Can we go there by an Innova car comfortably? If we perform the journey to the village in the old manner, it will take three days to go there and return to our homes with a day of halt at the place. Now, we will go there and get back to our homes by tonight. You say that there will be no people to ask us to stay there for a day, as we did earlier in those days. You say that we should go there to meet all the people, take care of that work, and come back home.

You say that we can go there and come home comfortably in an Innova car.

The son of Chinthakindi Lachanna, Sanjeev, must have grown more than you by a cubic. Nowadays, boys are growing very fast. We had no luxuries during our childhood. Now, they eat luxuriously. Sanjeev took a post-graduation degree from Osmania University. He wrote Railway, Bank, and Group Examinations. He will get some job.

Sanjeev was persuaded by Lachanna to marry a girl of his choice. Has Sanjeev no interest in such an alliance? Whom can we convince? Father or son? Is Sanjeev staying on the campus without leaving the house for that reason?

I do agree with you. That is true.

Does your sister agree to such a proposal? Does Lachanna go ahead with the agreement?

Sanjeev likes Prathima. Prathima likes Sanjeev too. They formed their association at Osmania University.

They worked together for the Telangana Movement several times. They visited the Landscape Garden together.

Their tours and discussions united their minds.

They are adults now. When they like each other, we should approve of their alliance as elderly people. If we can't do so, they will plan elopement and get their marriage registered, disregarding our eldership. You say that it is good for us to celebrate their marriage with our presence. That will be nice.

Does your elder uncle stay calm?

Does the village remain under the jagirdar system? His son has emerged as a great builder. Why do they still act as dictators? Recently, he stood as a candidate for the Z.P.T.C. elections and was defeated.

Hasn't he learnt a good lesson? You say that he is envious of the triumph of Chinthakindi Lachanna in the open.

How can such a man remain silent when we wish to perform the inter-caste marriage of Lachanna's son with his daughter? Think over the matter seriously. We may attract adverse criticism by undertaking such a good thing.

Theiree Harika and the boy committed suicide because their parents rejected their marriage proposal. Whenever we remember such a tragic incident, our minds get agitated. The grown-up adolescents, properly educated, should have planned elopement and subsequent marriage. She loved her parents very much. She had a great attachment to her parents. They committed suicide thinking that their elders didn't understand their minds well. Their parents have lost them and are weeping now. We should not be like such parents. Let us convince their parents and celebrate the marriage of Sanjeev and Prathima. Your lofty ideal that we should persuade the people of the mandal to agree to the proposal of their marriage reveals your good intention.

We should give moral support to them. We will have to wail if we lose them. I can understand the agony of your heart.

Let us go ahead in this matter. I am glad that Jahnavi, Sita, and Ramesh will come with us. If we do not get the work completed, we will return shamefaced. Then we will forget our sweet memories. It won't be so. The village has changed a lot. The people have changed considerably.

You have said that large lights have been arranged at Rachabanda Chowrasta with the funds of A.P. Lads. A library was set up in the village. Three hundred rupees are to be paid towards a dish connection.

So what? The whole world has come into the village. How can we call it a village? Every day, milk vans are being driven to Jagtial. Two thousand and seventy students attend their classes in the schools of Jagtial. You say that there is a rural bank in the village.

Though Hyderabad is at a distance of forty kilometers, we call our village a city. Our village is not at a distance of ten or twelve kilometers. How can you call it a village like the old days? The statues of Mother Telangana, Chakali Ilamma, Sardar Sarvai Papanna, Konda Laxman Bapuji, and Prof. K. Jayashankar have been installed in the village. You say that consciousness has grown. Now, you say that the marriage of Sanjeev with the Velama girl, Prathima, causes happiness to the village as it is not a new thing.

Let things go on as you wish. I will advise my husband to cook food for himself for two days. We should go there in an Innova car, chatting gleefully over several things.

If negotiations are fruitful, we should hold the engagement on the same day. Does Z.P. Chairperson, Uma, come on time? You have a mastermind. Let’s go. This is a righteous action.

Tell Sanjeev about our decision.

Prathima should be informed. He should be with his friends at Jagtial. We can facilitate their marriage registration with their engagement photos. They should have their dates of birth ready along with their birth certificates. Ask him to tell the matter to Prathima.

Sujatha had unprecedented enthusiasm after going through the message sent by Godavari on WhatsApp.

After fixing the programme, she arranged a conference call with Chinthakindi Lachanna, Sanjeev, and everyone else.