VIHAR LAKE AND POWAI LAKE, BOMBAY

I did my Ph.D. at Chemistry Department, IIT Bombay during the period 1975 to 1980.  Vihar lake is the lake that caters to the drinking water in the Powai area to Khar and Dadar.  It is a picnic spot with some children play park etc.  Often I used to go the Vihar lake as I was staying in the last Hostel (Hostel No.9 was the last Hostel those days) and I can walk over the pipe line and cross over to NITIE and then over to Vihar lake.
Mostly, I used to go on Sunday mornings to Chinmayananda Mission temple and 10 am to 11 am I used to hear to Chinmayananda swamy's pravachanam (Chinmayananda  himself used to give the discourses) and then go to Vihar lake and back by 1 pm to Hostel for lunch.  Lunch is the only meals we used to eat no other additional snacks as I was maintaining hand to mouth with the 400 rupee scholarship I was getting.  That was the young age, so no health problems, I was 42 kgs only when I joined for Ph.D.

I also used to go to Powai lake once in a while as this is on the Chinmaya mission temple side but, a longer distance to walk.  From Powai park surrounding the Powai lake, I used to take a bus to IIT after crossing the Powai park.  The park is having some deers and peranimals peacocks and sadhu janthuvulu only.  No tigers, no elephants.  Vihar lake and Powai lakes are on either side of the pipeline that carries drinking water to the city. Pipe line is a huge 2.5 meter dia and walking over the pipeline is a fairly easy and I used to enjoy it very much.  Now my weight has grown and body become weak (72.5 kgs) I maynot be able to walk over that pipeline.

Chinmaya Mission temple is on a hillock top with a huge shivalinga structure as the temple structure.  Inside the huge shivalinga structure is the main diety and the discourse hall (a huge hall that can accommodate more than 100 devotees can sit confortbly)

Also, some of the   working day evenings I used to go inside the IIT powai, the guest house area where the otherside of Powai lake is located.  There is a lawn and I used to sit for half an hour along with a book.  I was too much attached to reading and i was hardly seen ever without a book in my had. My Ph.D. bathch mates  used to tease me and say' you are a bookworm' .

All of a sudden, in an unplanned way sometime in July 1978 I went home for holidays and I was taken to see the girl  (daughter of Munagapati Ramulu garu) by Ande Sheshagirirao Babaiand my parents.  Till that time my mind was completely engaged in research - I communicated three papers to international journals by that time and no thoughts of marriage or not even interested to see girls with that kind of view.  All of a sudden in my thoughts this idea of marriage was pushed and I was refusing to marry till completion of  my Ph.D.  But, nature is so strange, it has done its bit by provoking love at first sight with the girl I have seen.  On the next day, I had some work at Waltair Andhra University and I went to Waltair beach side where poetry has come out as a flow and a beautiful poem has been scribbled just like that.  I purchased a novel of Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani "EE tharam katha' and send it across to Muthyalamma (and already I have changed her name  with a beter name Muthyala devi.   My father told me, one should not call one's wood-be wife amma, so the change.)
The Pelli chupulu as on 10 July 1978 and in just a month's time August 10, 1978 I got married inspite of my strong protest. I have completed my experimental work, but, thesis writing is a big job.  I have no money except 500 rupees scholarship and on top of it my father-in-law brought her to Bombay to make a family life in the IIT QIP Quarters that I have been alloted in the month of Dec. 1978. My wife helped me a lot by copying the paras of literature into a note book and then I used to edit and compose my thesis from that matter. Searching job has become the priority as I did not have any financial support although verbally, my brother-in-law told me to ask for money if I need. I have incured debts of couple of thousands by the time I got a job in Hindustan Lever, Chakeri, Bombay. The salary was 1700 ruppes and it saved me from all the trouble as scholarship was just 500 rupees only.  But then, I have to vacate the accommodation given by IIT.
Any how I stayed wth the Pandit's ( Hall manager of Hostel No.9) quarter near Powai lake corner  afte struggling in 2 to 3 months in other quarters. From there I completed Ph.D.Thesis and I was about to give viavoce on 22 Oct. 1979 when the shock of my beloved Professor happened a week before. I cried lke a child as it is Prof. Biswas who was my actual mentor.