Now I am in Madras ( Chennai ) a Transit Passenger on my way from Bhaarath to Britain . I alighted in Madras ( Chennai ) from Circar Express from Kakinada on Thursday 7th December 1967 and was in transit for two days , that is Thursday 7 and Friday 8th December 1967 . Let me step back . As soon as I was freshened up I made a bee line to my travel agents ' Trade Wings ' located on Mount Road ( Anna Salai ) and confirmed my Flight by Air India International Maharaja scheduled for Saturday 9th December 1967 and courtesy of Trade Wings I dispatched a cable telegram to my would be benefactor Sri Karri Sathi Reddy gaaru in Preston , Lancashire , England informing Him of my Air India Flight Number and arrival time at Heathrow Airport London hoping for something helpful . Then I made a visit to British Deputy High Commission and for the first time spoke with a stiff upper lip Englishman , a clerk obviously but for me at that time seemed to be a very important official and sought and obtained assurance regarding my employment cum study visa . My travel itinerary is 10 PM IST Saturday 9th December 1967 Madras ( Chennai ) - Bombay ( Mumbai ) - Cairo ( Egypt ) - Zurich ( Switzerland ) - Orly ( Paris ) - Heathrow ( London ) Sunday 10th December 1967 One PM GMT . Back in my hotel to rest , relax , and to take a breath . Friday 8th December I was in the portals of Reserve Bank of India Lal Bahadur Sastry Road and obtained A Foreign Exchange of THREE BRITISH POUNDS STERLING courtesy of Indian Government ( how does anyone expect me to survive with Three Pounds , I had no idea only hope that destiny will take care of everything when the opportune time arrives ) . Saturday 9th December 1967 I spent time doing some shopping suitable for stay in England and restless hours full of apprehension and trepidation regarding what future holds but seeking solace in the company of my family during those few hours before my eventual departure . Transit stay is coming to end and friends be ready to fly with me all the way - I need your Best Wishes and Divine Blessings when I arrive at Heathrow London - let us see what happens !!!!! AnasooyaAthreyaSeshaAnjaneyakrishna

6th December 1967 Wednesday - began my journey into the unknown , a sojourn I dared to undertake , a travel to a land where no one of my family had gone before or since .I was relieved of my duties as on Tuesday 5th December 1967 and my colleagues had given me farewell . First leg of my journey commenced at 2 PM IST by train an express train named ' Circar Express ' a train that originated in Kakinada Station and traveled south along the Coast of Bengal through the Circar Districts of Andhra , hence the name Circar Express . Circar means Government actually named so by Colonial British Government which had a direct rule over this area until August 15 , 1947 . The train's final destination is Madras ( Chennai ) stopping at several places along the way and it was a pleasure to meet friends and relatives along the way - let me take you along with me . The train Circar Express left Kakinada Railway station at 2 PM IST Wednesday , 6 December 1967 me in a sleeper compartment and some of my close friends and students came to the station to bid me bon voyage - Thanks ; first stop Samarlakota half hour away where one of my students who traveled with me handed over a letter he received from his relative in England who promised to help me settle down in England ; the student's name is Karri Sesha Reddy and his relative is one Sri Karri Satthi Reddy gaaru a refugee from Burma forced to flee when Japan invaded Burma ( Myanmar ) during 2nd world war . He was A British subject an indentured laborer . Sri Karri Satthi Reddy gaaru migrated with family and settled in Preston near Manchester UK Midlands . Preston is a textile-manufacturing town in Lancashire on the banks of River Ribble in the industrial north of England Midlands . More about that gentleman Sri Karri Satthi Rddy gaaru after I reach England . Meanwhile Thank You Student Sesha Reddy who is now a successful physician in Kakinada , he gave me tremendous hope and confidence to face my future in that far away land of unknown ( to me ) . Next stop is Rajamahendravaram a historic town on the banks of mighty River Goadavari ( Gowthami ) where my sister and her family came to wish me well on my way - thanks and bless you sister . Next stop was Bhimavaram and here I was greeted by my inlaws . By evening the train reached Vijayawada a major junction closest to my birth town Guntur and here I was met by my cousin brothers who wished me well - thanks all . By 8 PM the train halted at My Guntur Town where all my family members , sisters , brothers and all bid me farewell with tears and for me a very emotional farewell and a painful parting . That was it and the train left Guntur with a heavy heart and even the train could feel the emotional stress . I retired to my upper wooden berth and slept fitfully as the train rumbled along on it's way and by next morning 7 AM Thursday , 7th December 1967 I alighted at Madras ( Chennai ) Central Railway Station and by now I was quite familiar with that buzzling metropolis on the southern shores of Bay of Bengal . I have arrived at the port of my embarkation , took my luggage , booked into a nearby NO STAR hotel , freshened up , and ready to go into the city to make preparations for my departure . Let me get my thoughts in proper order and then I will tell you what I have done on that eventful day .

United Kingdome Here I Come : It is early November 1967 . I have completed four years stay at Rangaraya Medical College Kakinada Andhra Bhaarath as Assistant Professor General Surgery / General Surgeon / Anesthesiologist . My desire to go to United Kingdom and to become a Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons FRCS has become stronger that made me take three steps as a starting point - 1. Applied for Study cum Employment Visa to British High Commission in New Delhi ; 2. Requested Director of Medical Education in Hyderabad for a grant of 3 years study leave ; 3. Applied for Passport . Let me take the third step first and narrate the problems I faced - way back in 1960s it is so difficult to get A Passport for an ordinary law-abiding citizen which I was - I am not rich , I had no political influence , I was an ordinary citizen ,- so I was asked to prove a.that I am A Citizen of India , b. to produce A No Objection Certificate from My Government , c. to prove that I have enough financial resources to travel to and back from foreign lands without causing any financial problems to Mother India , d. to produce police clearance certificates from Police Departments of all places I lived and worked , and e. guarantors who will be responsible for my conduct , for my stay abroad and for my return back without causing any problems to Mother India - You will be surprised that I managed to accomplish all by stooping , begging , borrowing , and do whatever it takes and lo and behold I got a 5 year valid Passport by end of November 1967 . Without any hassle I obtained An Employment cum Study Visa from The British Government valid for 10 years with a stipulation that I must be in London by the end of December 1967 . Again I had to sell myself , beg , stoop to receive permission from my government study leave for a period of 3 years with loss of pay but without a break in continuity of my service record which I am happy to say was all accomplished by First of December 1967 on which date I was relieved of my duties at Rangaraya Medical College Kakinada Andhra Bhaarath , given a farewell party , best wishes and blessings from all my colleagues . With the help of a local travel agent I purchased an Economy Passage flying Air India International from Madras to Heathrow London - I am packed , ready and my journey is scheduled to begin on 6th December 1967 , which I will be my pleasure to take you all along with me on that momentous journey , but you have to wait for my write up in the next episode soon enough - au revoir , bon homie , bon jour mon amigos -- AnasooyaAthreyaSeshaAnjaneyakrishna

It has been a while since I wrote about my Life . The stresses and strains of everyday life have withheld my hand from travelling back in time from the present into the past . Past is a ghost but a host to my memory , a test to determine how best is my path of memory . Now it is a hobby for me to now and then go back decades and see how it was then . Let me start in the past on May First 1962 and I took charge as Assistant Professor Of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Surgeon , Andhra Medical College / King George Hospital / Andhra University , Visakhapatnam , AndhraBhaarath . My supervisor was Dr SS Reddy , MS FRCS a not dependable person , I will tell you why . Pediatric Surgery is the newest and latest specialty created for the first time in my home state and I was due for promotion as Professor Of Pediatric Surgery by end of 1964 but for DR SS Reddy who day in and day out discouraged me in the department and literally forced me to request for a transfer to General Surgery which I did out of my own ignorance , naivety , and false faith in the honesty of DR SS Reddy , and that entirely changed the course of my destiny in that instead of becoming A Professor in 1964 , I had to wait for 19 long years to become Professor Of Surgery only in 1983 . But two good things came out of that wrong step I took - 1. I wanted to go to England and become an FRCS which I did in 1968 , and 2. I became Head of Department Of General Surgery in 1990 in Guntur Medical College , the same College where way back in 1952 I joined as a first year medical student . In that way I fulfilled my father's ambition of becoming A Doctor , my two fold ambition of becoming A Surgeon With MS and FRCS degrees , and my destiny's wish of becoming HOD Surgery , First Surgeon - first of 5 units and Dean of General Hospital all by the end of 1992 . Now let me go back and say few words about that one year as A Pediatric Surgeon 1962 - 1963 which was immensely satisfying, me becoming proficient in all aspects of Childrens' Surgery , Adult General Surgery , and Anesthesiology , all said and done a very satisfactory Academic Surgical Career , a fact , but I never did boast about that except to write now what happened - so there it is , I leave it to you to accept , me I will be back when I am in the mood to talk about my past ! AnasooyaAthreyaSeshaAnjaneyakrishna