First yield to an obsession of anything in anyone’s life is always a special thing. So was my first objective oriented trip, 5 years back, to a humble destination in south India tucked away in Western Ghats. It’s neither an exotic location nor as varied as other hill stations situated all along the Ghats, across the western fringe of southern India. Yet I consider it a special addition to my experience for it sowed the seeds of my budding interest years back, when I was beginning to get tested by life of my worthiness. That was a special jaunt which not only brings back the greenery of a young life sans commitments when thought about now but, also the one which reinforced friendship among the four who made that amateur trip. Couple of them are married and couple of them are yet to be, couple of them are away from motherland and couple of them are within it – apart from these diversities we are still very much the same and looking for that opportunity to spend a long weekend with Smirn-off and the timeless feel good factor imparted by the “Gathering”. But circumstances were so difficult that these cravings didn’t appear to occur soon and I was drowned by the friendship of new characters my professional life induced, for good. Most of these friends have a family yet, they were strong and willing enough to spend time with me and see the world as I do and have fun the way I preferred. I was excited with their enthusiasm and obliged to their acceptance of my inputs in making this new “gang-relationship” , an enduring and true forum to share our fun and worries. Welcome to the SPE team of Visteon India - a team teeming with young, adventure loving associates but, constrained by their regular society induced family commitments have locked up their “teen dreams” and forced to remain idle. I could understand how wild they would emerge when persistently tempted and I wasn’t proved wrong when I drove to one of my favorite hang-outs with couple of them during an unexpected long weekend. They were Saravanan and Hariharan, significantly new entrants to the SPE team and their “Travel addiction” created an opportunity to see how different we were and how similar we were, when it was all about reckless driving and ruthless shutter releasing in an environment completely new to them. The next two days were a hilarious manifestation of a re-emerging childhood and its fun filled consequences, I enjoyed them though.
The first trip to Kodai was 16 years back when my world revolved around imaginary pleasures and a hill station didn’t arouse that sensual feel as it does today. It was yet another place and I just went around with parents, burning time the usual way as other numerous visitors. It wasn’t anything special and that visit subsided without any special effect and without any memories, very bad though. The second visit was the head turner, I was a matured teen in second year of engineering and I had learnt driving just then. There came an opportunity when I had to present a Technical paper in a small town in NW Tamil Nadu with my friend Ajay and that occasion coincided exactly with my college trip to Kodai – The options were clear but we didn’t want to miss either of them for a paper presentation was a privilege and the college trip would be a life time memory. Sprinkling salt over the peeled out skin was the fact that, the small town in NW TN, Bhavani, was the hometown of Ajay’s sweetheart. We had the perfect plan, the keys to a brand new 2001 model MPFI Suzuki Zen and a perfect stretch of single lane NH45 under the cover of December darkness yet; we were unable to decide the direction. My friend was a kind of one who takes if he wants and in his company, I undressed the hesitation and kicked off my first night drive when NH45 was at its deadly best. Our plan was to visit Kodai first and then appear for the technical presentation, original intention being…I don’t need to tell. I was an idle passenger then, the last time in my life; watching the blisteringly fast night drive, for that kind of road, making us reach the destination well ahead of the south bound train carrying our class mates. Rest is history and my friend got married to the girl after 8 years of high speed, long distance love. My third drive (my first objective oriented jaunt) to Kodai was in 2006, when I had learnt my driving well and drove the TN-20-AY-3129 up through the winding Ghat roads with Sunand, Rama and Ranga. And in my fourth edition, I was at my confident best and the drive was like an evening walk as I took my SPE friends in pursuit of unadulterated fun when the summer of 2011 was emerging. Present is slow, future comes by fast and when you look back, it’s all over. I did look back and it indeed was over nevertheless, the side mirror could be seen reflecting the “chaotic fun” of my early years as the rays from early morning sun were filling down the valley below. So were my eyelids, with salty fluid………
This trip coincided with the State’s general assembly election and we were subjected to thorough scrutiny, through most of the 530 Kms from Chennai, by the paramilitary police force. Still the drive was fast enough and we managed to reach the Ghat section at 4:30 am but, the prevailing darkness made us sleep inside the car till dawn for we didn’t want to miss the fabulous photographic offers of a Ghat section bathed in sublime early morning sun-ray. The wait yielded its dividend and we managed some good, if not fabulous, shots before we were pulled up at the routine check just outside Kodai town limits by the local police. Had to shell out INR 300 for not possessing a driver’s license, the second time in this district, and carried on with my SPE friends cursing, hihihi. Settled in a brand new hotel, near the city center and overlooking a 30 meter drop behind, before having that stress consuming hot coffee in a beautifully polished “big on hands” white ware typical to holiday destinations. First day’s agenda was to visit the Mannavanur farm at the far south west end of Kodai, just before the Kerala border. Mannavanur could be considered the real starting point to the fabulous Kodai-Munnar “escape route trek”, though the hike officially starts from Berijam Lake, which in itself is a trekker’s hang-out. I had last driven to this farm during the winter of 2006 and my memory still remembers the way she upturned me and spanked with her mesmerizing ambience, all through the 32 Kms from Kodai. As a matter of fact, it was that drive which first instilled in me the lure to travel, photograph, write and present. But this time around it was the fall of summer and I knew she wouldn’t quench the way she did 5 years back. The road to Mannavanur is a narrow “walk-way” like example and extreme caution needs to be exercised through the entire course to protect the car and its occupants as well. The vegetation was still intact, green and dense, but not as exotic as in 2006 winter and sun’s harsh rays could be seen playing havoc through available openings in the canopy above. Nevertheless, both my friends were extremely eager to get their lust satisfied by getting down as much possible and at as much locations. The beautiful “as slender as girl’s hip” road was worn out too and this slowed down our drive to an unexpectedly painful and energy consuming pace. At some point I decided to retreat but, something else made me to carry on and I still couldn’t figure what that something was?? May be my inherent instinct which always had resulted in some fabulous outcomes and inerasable events, which I was about to go through that evening….
Mannavanur was at its usual pace – lazing tractors, puffing dozers in the surrounding hills, an orange road roller executing a slow repair work, a heavily emptied tea shop with a busy boiler, fresh carrots and garlic stacked up for that unexpected tourist and an unusually hot noon. It was with its usual ambience sans the exotic aura winter could have engulfed with, nevertheless, it still managed to offer a mesmerizing relax and made the city chaos seem far away. Walked along the landmark lake with tons of cattle grazing all around, across the surrounding meadows, and just managed by one old man over his trembling legs and with a vision poorer than mine. It was ridiculous to hear tales of “Big cats” from such a meek solitary man and I only got concerned of his strategy of taking the much prized cattle up there into the sholas, patrolled by the master of surprise and demon of darkness (Leopard and Tiger respectively). This lake attracts a heavy population of Gaurs and Sambhars after dusk and I was sure it was one of the biggest dining tables for the big cats, if they did really patrol these areas tucked away between TN and Kerala and under the massive surveillance of respective DFO’s. Sun was going down fast across the west and it was time to depart for a serious dinner and then, a long cold sleep. Before that, we got cups of hot “reddish” tea and enjoyed it in our own imaginary worlds, separated by centimeters, as the vapors emanating were hiding our “difficult to hide” craving for a life in such an environment enabled by a busty bank balance and crazy creativity. End of the dream coincided with an empty tea cup and each one of us were lucky enough, not to be caught day dreaming with a hilarious embarrassment. Kicked of that much anticipated late evening drive through dense sholas, and the 32 Kms ahead promised “nail biting” entertainment in the form of 4 legged buddies. Western horizon was dramatic with heavenly colors being beamed through tight hills as the sun was busy waking western hemisphere and darkness filling its vacuum, over us. Few Kms of eventless driving landed us “face to face and side to side” of a massive herd of the great Indian Gaur, biggest wild cattle on earth. We weren’t given the way nor given the room and they were everywhere, staring at us from all possible angles and with all probable intentions. I was already thinking of signing those insurance papers for that massive body repair, for a single male bull weighs a couple of hundred KG’s more than the vehicle we were sitting in, well protected. Fortunately, the massive bulls gave way and melted into the foliage and we were greeted by their menacing stare at atleast 3 more blind turns, sending the car into a compromised position in all of those. The drive was like a dream, with Gaurs crossing and running through “almost” the entire stretch between Kodai and Mannavanur and the rather eventless first day of our trip ended up with a long sweet sleep preceded by a wild drive.
Day of departure was the day of “Sholas exploration” and the best place to experience that was Berijam – the brain child of British and who had a meticulous taste for exotic locations to burn their leisure time. If not for them, the so called summer resorts of southern India wouldn’t have been what they are today and their development would have been painfully slow, given the state of Indian administration and attitude. Permission to access Berijam is as tough as buying a Cadbury chocolate and as expensive as a pack of Durex. With things having been done lightening fast, we packed up and drove into the sholas to experience that much hyped “feeling”. Permit letters are retained at the check post and the road ahead is a smooth carpet piercing through evergreen forests providing opportunity for the camera as much as your eyes are alert to capture that stunning location. It was thrilling to imagine this place under the rains on an evening during off-season, when no people are around and we were the only entrants to be greeted, for sure, by that elusive predator. This place has the potential, so much, that you could walk around an entire week with a D3S and an extremely fast prime lens but still don’t feel the pain of carrying them around as your CF card loses space with priceless RAW format images with the potential to expose to the world, your technology and patience enhanced capabilities. As you drive through the heavenly road, at some point, you are greeted by the distant Berijam surrounded with “as dense as a black hole” sholas. This view is absolutely stunning that, on a winter morning should manage to take few lives out and the forest canopy is just awesome. Not even Monica Belluchi in her most stingy wear comes close. After a good session around the lake, it was time for that long 560 Kms drive to the state capital and yet another visit to Berijam under heavy rains was imminent in my plan book. I was beginning to leave this place and sun was going down in the west for yet another time, with the Ghats imparting that addictive feeling. This was one of the shortest trips and my shortest posting yet, I was having the contentment which I didn’t during my previous jaunts as I realized a valuable lesson – making someone happy gives more happiness and you needn’t go in search of it spending a fortune and a lifetime’s research. Both my friends have toiled a lot to reach where they are now and have seen life in a more difficult form than I have. Yet, they are more willing to undergo the same for the sake of their families for years to come and ignore the pleasures this world has to offer. It was a sort of privilege to present them to my best friend, Western Ghats, for a couple of days and make them relive their younger days with no responsibility to bother them. The drive ahead was more challenging than ever as I shouldered the biggest responsibility of my life – to present them back to their awaiting families with no incident through the entire 560 Kms of notorious highways. Saravanan bid goodbye, with that trade mark “ Iam young” smile at 2:00 Hrs on the morning of April/3/2011 and Hariharan did the same 30 minutes later, as I drove alone towards my home under the cover of pre-dawn darkness, slowly, thinking how it all began 5 years earlier…… It is a new beginning, when I try to think much deeper !!
Parameters –
Route-Chennai-Tiruchi-Dindugal-Kodai.
Best time to Visit – July-sep, when landscape is damp and ambience is solitary with best opportunities for photography and Nov-Jan, when it’s erotically cold and mist plays havoc.
Specialties – It’s all about your mid set-up in this “not much to offer” hill station, terrific but tough trekking options and “National reserve beating” Gaur population.
What you should do – Walk around the city lake under morning mist and early evening darkness, visit Berijam, Cycle around in the evenings, have coffee often, stare with envy at the resident students of Kodai International school.
Don’t forget – Your camera, a visit to Mannavanur, to not loose your cool when confronted by Gaurs (only when you are inside the car else, run as mad as you can), buy lots of farm fresh carrots with the leaves intact (will retain freshness for 3 days, refrigerated) and aromatic garlic.
