చర్వితచర్వణం

Introduction:  A trivia question. Do you know the real name of a Telugu movie actor “ Sobhan babu ”? If you guessed, “Sobhanachalapathi Rao”, then you are correct. He is named after a deity on a Hill, “Sobhanachalam”, in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. Etymology:  It is a common practice to name people after places in India. This practice is prevalent among Telugu people too. Among places, Hills hold a special place since some of them have a popular local deity presiding over it. A few examples come to mind. Simhachalam / Simhadri, Bhadrachalam, Venkatachalam, Arunachalam etc., Achalam (అ-చలం) means something that does not move, A Hill. Following similar pattern, “Shobhanaachalam”, translates as “Beautiful Hill” [Shobana = శోభన = beautiful/auspicious, achalam = అచలం = Hill].  Agiripalli - The hill, Shobanachalam is in a sleepy town of Agiripalli (Giri = Hill, Palli = Village), 25kms north of Vijayawada on the way to town of Nuzvid (నూజివీడు). In my lifetime, so far, I have passed