Veteran Telugu artist Rallapalli passed away yesterday. Big names such as Megastar Chiranjeevi have paid rich tributes to the departed soul.

Musicologist Raja reveals to IndiaGlitz a curious fact about Rallapalli. "He used to eat with the left hand. It's because he had promised to God that he would do so till the time he doesn't get recognition in films. During the making of one of the movies, as Rallapalli garu started eating, I curiously asked him why he was eating with the left hand. He immediately stopped eating and washed his hand. That was part of the 'mokku'. No matter how hungry he was, he would stop eating if anyone asked him the question, 'Why left hand?' Bapu garu and Ramana garu used to arrange meals for Rallapalli garu near a tree so that nobody would be able to see him. It was a rigorous ritual that he followed for many years," Raja says.

When did Rallapalli start eating with the right hand again? "I don't know for how many years he continued the 'mokku'. I think he must have stopped eating with the left hand once he started landing good roles," Raja adds.