Africa Appalraju

In a small village in Andhra Pradesh, everyone knew Appalraju. He was not the village president. He was not a big farmer. He was not a police officer. He did not even have a fancy job. But if you asked him any question in the whole world, he always had an answer. "Appalraju… will it rain this year?" He looked at the sky. "It will." "When?" "When the clouds come." That was Appalraju's kind of wisdom. One day, his childhood friend Subbarao called from far away. "Orey Appalraju! I am in Africa. There is work for one month. Will you come?" Appalraju had never even seen Hyderabad. Still, he asked right away: "Will you buy the ticket?" "I will."

"And food?" "I will." "Then Africa or Antarctica — I am coming!" A week later, Appalraju landed in Africa. He carried an old suitcase, two jars of mango pickle in his pocket, and a Venkateswara Swamy locket around his neck. Outside the airport, he looked around and said, "It is a little bigger than our village…" In Subbarao's house there was an old storeroom. One night the lights went out. While Appalraju searched for a torch, he found a wooden box. He wiped the dust and opened it. Inside were an old map, a small silver coin, and one line in English: "Where the three mountains meet, the king still sleeps."

Appalraju checked Google Translate. "Where three mountains meet… the king is still sleeping." "Orey Subbu… someone says a king is sleeping here." "Then let him sleep!" "No, no… near that king there might be gold." The place on the map was hundreds of kilometres away. They rented an old jeep. A local guide named Kofi came with them. "Coffee… is your name Coffee?" "No. Kofi." "Yes… Coffee." "No, Kofi!" "Okay, Tea… please don't get angry." Subbarao held his head. Deep in the forest, the jeep suddenly stopped. A big lion stood in front of them. Kofi whispered, "Don't move." Nobody moved. But Appalraju's packet of pulihora smelled wonderful. "Subbu… is this animal vegetarian?" "It is a lion!"

"That is why I am asking!" The lion took one step closer. Appalraju tossed the pulihora far away. Kofi started the jeep, and they raced off. "Eat carefully, friend… the pickle is a little strong!" Appalraju called back. The map led them to a wide river. There was no bridge. Kofi wanted to turn back. Appalraju pointed at a blue line on the map. "Why go back? There is a path." "That is the river!" "Oh… I thought it was a road." So they built a small raft from old wood and vines. "How do you know all this?" "Once a flood came to our village." "Did you build a raft then?"

"No. I stood beside the person who built one and watched carefully." After two days they saw three huge mountains. In the middle was a small cave. Kofi said old stories warned of this place. Subbarao whispered, "Appalraju… let's go back." Appalraju lifted his torch. "We came so far. First we look for gold. If ghosts come, we can meet them later." Deep inside the cave they found a stone door. On it were three signs: Sun, Lion, and Water. Below them were three stone buttons. While Kofi studied the signs, Appalraju pressed all three buttons at once. "Arey! What did you do?!" "Well… we had to press something!" The ground shook. The stone door opened slowly.

"How did you know?" asked Kofi. Appalraju fixed his collar. "I didn't." Inside was a great hall. In the middle stood a statue of an ancient king. Around it were chests. One held gold coins. One held jewels. One held old ornaments. "Our lives are changed!" Subbarao shouted. Then they looked at the wall paintings. The treasure belonged to a lost kingdom from hundreds of years ago. It was history for everyone. Kofi said, "This belongs to the people." Appalraju picked up one gold coin… and gently put it back. "If it is not ours, how long can it stay with us?"

Weeks later, news of the treasure spread around the world. Historians, government officials, and museum keepers came. Appalraju, Subbarao, and Kofi were honoured. A TV reporter asked, "How did you discover this incredible treasure?" Appalraju said, "Actually… I was looking for a torch, and I found a map." "Were you scared of the African jungle?" Appalraju laughed. "In our village, when the temple elephant sneezes, the whole street jumps. After that, a lion is just another big cat." When Appalraju came home, the whole village waited at the bus stand. "Appalraju! Do lions really walk around in Africa?" "They do." "Weren't you afraid?" "It looked at me…" "Then?" "I looked at it." "Then?!"

"It went its way… and I came mine." From that day, people did not call him only Appalraju. They called him Africa Appalraju. That night he opened his old suitcase. Under his clothes, something fell out — another old coin he had never seen. On the back was a tiny mark: an elephant's head. Appalraju smiled. "Ammo… is there another adventure?" The story continues…