Over the past few days, Ram had come to a very important realization.
Being a baby was not easy.
In fact, it was terrible.
The biggest problem wasn’t drinking milk every few hours or sleeping all day.
It was the people around him.
Everyone treated him as if he were some priceless treasure that constantly needed to be carried around.
The moment he woke up every morning, someone would immediately pick him up.
If it wasn’t his mother, it would be his elder sister.
If Sushmita was busy, one of his aunts would happily take over.
And if all the women happened to be occupied, one of his uncles would step in without hesitation.
Ram had reached only one conclusion.
He had somehow become public property.
Not just anyone’s property.
The entire Konidela family’s property.
At the moment, he was lying helplessly in Sushmita’s lap while the little girl happily hummed a tune that changed every few seconds.
She gently poked his soft cheek.
“Ram, look at me.”
Ram tried rolling his eyes.
Unfortunately, babies weren’t particularly good at dramatic expressions yet.
Instead of looking annoyed, he simply stared at her with a perfectly blank face.
Sushmita misunderstood immediately.
“Awww!”
“He likes me!”
Before Ram could mentally protest, she hugged him tightly.
Very tightly.
Ram nearly lost his breath.
“Please…
spare me…”
Only a tiny sound escaped his mouth.
“Baah…”
Sushmita’s eyes sparkled with happiness.
“He answered me!”
Meanwhile, Ram seriously wondered whether suffocation counted as a tragic death.
As if things weren’t already difficult enough, another familiar little figure appeared.
Shruthi.
The moment the baby girl saw him, her eyes lit up.
A bright, innocent smile spread across her face, and she immediately stretched both tiny arms toward him.
Ram’s instincts screamed.
Danger.
Unfortunately…
Nobody else seemed to notice.
“Awww!”
“Look at Shruthi!”
“She wants Ram again.”
The adults burst into laughter.
A few seconds later, Shruthi was placed beside him.
No…
That wasn’t accurate.
She practically glued herself to his side.
Ram stared at the ceiling.
Why?
Why was this girl always attached to him?
Every single visit followed the exact same pattern.
The moment she arrived, she would crawl toward him.
If someone separated them, she would cry.
The instant she saw him again, she would smile as though she had found hidden treasure.
At first, Ram had dismissed it as coincidence.
Now…
He knew better.
This little girl definitely had an unusual obsession with him.
Nearby, Sushmita giggled happily.
“Amma!”
“Look!”
“Ram and Shruthi are together again.”
The adults laughed once more.
Ram wanted to bury himself underground.
Sadly…
Babies lacked both strength and digging skills.
Surekha smiled warmly as she watched the two children.
“They really seem to get along.”
Get along?
Ram almost wanted to object.
Before he could even finish complaining internally, Shruthi wrapped both tiny arms around one of his.
Then she rested her cheek against his shoulder.
Finally, she smiled with complete satisfaction.
Ram’s expression froze.
He no longer felt like a baby.
He felt like a hostage.
A hostage with absolutely no chance of escape.
Meanwhile, Sushmita looked incredibly pleased with herself.
She carefully adjusted both babies until they were sitting neatly beside each other.
Then she leaned back, admired her work, and nodded proudly.
“Perfect.”
Ram had absolutely no idea what was perfect about this situation.
But judging from the mischievous grin on his sister’s face…
It certainly wasn’t good news for him.
The adults simply laughed.
Not a single person came to rescue him.
Not one.
For the first time since his reincarnation, Ram genuinely missed his previous life.
Back then, at least people respected personal space.
The days passed in almost exactly the same manner.
His routine had become painfully predictable.
Wake up.
Drink milk.
Get carried around.
Become everyone’s favorite living toy.
Then repeat everything all over again.
The only thing that changed was the increasing number of visitors.
The old mansion had become surprisingly lively.
Relatives came and went almost every day.
Phone calls never seemed to stop.
Servants moved constantly through the hallways, carrying decorations and supplies.
Everyone appeared busy.
Even Chiranjeevi looked more occupied than usual.
One afternoon, while resting comfortably in Surekha’s arms, Ram quietly observed the activity around him.
Several relatives sat together discussing preparations.
Decorations.
Guest lists.
Food arrangements.
Invitation cards.
Everything seemed to revolve around a single event.
After listening for a while, Ram finally understood.
His naming ceremony was approaching.
His Naamkarana.
The day he would officially receive his name.
It was an important tradition.
For a family like the Konidelas, it would naturally become a grand celebration.
Relatives would gather from different places.
Close family friends would arrive.
Film industry colleagues and several respected personalities would likely attend as well.
The scale would be far larger than that of an ordinary household.
Ram listened quietly.
Although he already knew what his name would be, he still found himself curious.
He wanted to see how everything would unfold.
Just then, another familiar guest arrived.
Sarika entered the house carrying little Shruthi in her arms.
By now, the sight had become completely normal.
She greeted everyone warmly before stepping inside.
As always, Shruthi was gently handed over to the family.
And as always…
The first person she searched for was Ram.
The result was completely predictable.
Within minutes, she had once again attached herself firmly to his side.
Ram sighed internally.
At least metaphorically.
Babies probably weren’t supposed to suffer headaches.
But if they could…
He was certain he’d have one already.
He had no idea that things were about to become even worse.
The worst incident happened later that afternoon.
Ram was lying peacefully on a soft cushion near the living room window.
A cool breeze drifted into the house, and warm sunlight spread across the floor.
Everything was calm.
Everything was peaceful.
For once, it seemed as though he might actually get a few minutes of uninterrupted rest.
Then Shruthi noticed him.
She slowly crawled across the carpet with surprising determination.
Ram glanced at her.
She smiled.
It was an innocent smile.
Or at least it looked innocent.
For some reason, Ram suddenly felt uneasy.
Before he could understand what she was planning—
“Mwah!”
Shruthi planted a wet kiss directly on his cheek.
Ram froze.
His tiny body became completely stiff.
For a brief second, silence filled the room.
Then—
“Hahaha!”
Laughter erupted from every direction.
His aunts burst into laughter.
Surekha covered her mouth while smiling.
Even Sarika couldn’t help laughing at the adorable sight.
Meanwhile, Ram looked as though his soul had quietly left his body.
Unfortunately…
The little menace wasn’t finished yet.
Delighted by everyone’s reaction, Shruthi leaned forward once more.
“Mwah!”
Another kiss.
This time, right on his forehead.
Ram’s face darkened.
If he had been capable of speaking properly, he would have immediately filed a formal complaint.
Sadly, the only sound that escaped his mouth was another series of meaningless baby noises.
“Baah…!”
Seeing his expression, Shruthi let out an innocent giggle.
That tiny laugh somehow made the entire situation even more embarrassing.
From that day onward, things only escalated.
Whenever she visited, she either hugged him, cuddled beside him, or randomly showered his face with kisses.
At first, Ram tried to resist.
Eventually, he gave up.
What was the point?
Arguing with a baby wasn’t exactly a battle he could win.
Even if nobody else knew he was mentally an adult.
One morning, he found himself trapped once again.
Sushmita sat proudly on one side.
Shruthi occupied the other.
Both girls held onto him firmly, neither showing the slightest intention of letting go.
Ram felt like a helpless goat caught between two determined lionesses.
Sushmita enthusiastically narrated another one of her imaginative stories.
Today’s adventure somehow involved a rabbit, a mango tree, and a flying elephant.
Meanwhile, Shruthi remained completely occupied playing with his tiny fingers.
Every now and then, she would smile at him as though merely sitting beside him was enough to make her happy.
Ram silently questioned every decision that had somehow led him to this life.
Just then—
Ding Dong.
The sound of the doorbell echoed through the mansion.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the entrance.
Pawan Kalyan immediately stood up.
“I’ll get it.”
Ram became curious.
Another visitor?
The house had been receiving guests almost every day recently.
Perhaps another famous actor.
Or maybe another relative.
Pawan casually walked toward the front door.
A few moments later, he opened it.
Then something unexpected happened.
A stern voice echoed through the entrance.
It wasn’t loud.
Yet it carried a natural authority that immediately drew everyone’s attention.
For the first time since Ram had met him, Pawan Kalyan looked visibly nervous.
Very nervous.
Ram blinked in surprise.
Just who had arrived?
From where he sat, he couldn’t clearly see the entrance.
However, he noticed Pawan’s cheerful expression disappear almost instantly.
The carefree young man suddenly stood as stiff as a student caught skipping school.
A moment later, the authoritative voice spoke again.
“Pawan.”
“Have your studies improved, or are you still wasting your time roaming around?”
Pawan’s face twitched.
“A-Appa…”
Before he could finish speaking—
Thwack!
A firm hand landed on the back of his head.
“Ouch!”
Pawan immediately rubbed his head while wearing a pitiful expression.
Ram nearly burst into laughter.
The future Power Star of Telugu cinema was currently being disciplined like an ordinary schoolboy.
The scene felt unbelievably surreal.
The adults inside the living room turned toward the entrance.
Some smiled knowingly.
Others looked thoroughly entertained.
It was obvious this wasn’t the first time they had witnessed something like this.
Meanwhile, Ram’s curiosity only grew stronger.
An elderly man slowly stepped into the mansion.
His expression remained stern.
His sharp eyes swept across the room with quiet authority.
The atmosphere immediately became more disciplined.
Even the servants unconsciously straightened their backs.
Just then, Nagendra Babu walked toward the entrance.
“Who came?”
The moment he saw the visitor, his confident smile froze.
Ram noticed the change immediately.
His second uncle suddenly looked almost as nervous as Pawan.
The old man narrowed his eyes.
“Oh?”
“So you finally decided to show yourself.”
Before Nagendra Babu could retreat—
The old man grabbed his ear.
“Aah!”
“Appa!”
“What are you doing?”
Nagendra Babu protested dramatically.
The old man remained completely unmoved.
“What am I doing?”
“I should be asking what you’ve been doing.”
“You’ve become lazier every time I see you.”
The ear-pulling continued mercilessly.
Watching from the side, Pawan couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Unfortunately…
That proved to be a mistake.
Thwack!
Another smack landed squarely on his head.
Pawan instantly stopped laughing.
The living room erupted with laughter once again.
Even Surekha had to cover her mouth to hide her smile.
Ram watched the entire scene with great satisfaction.
He had never imagined seeing such respected future stars being scolded like mischievous children.
Just then, one of his aunts entered the room.
The moment she saw the elderly man, she smiled warmly.
“Appa finally arrived.”
The words immediately answered Ram’s question.
Understanding dawned on him.
This was the father of Chiranjeevi.
The father of Nagendra Babu.
The father of Pawan Kalyan.
The patriarch of the Konidela family.
And now…
His grandfather.
Ram quietly stared at the elderly man with renewed curiosity.
He had a feeling this meeting was going to be an important one.
To Be Continued…
Author’s Note:
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