THE GATHERING, JAN-2012

What a gathering could do to four lonely souls was the unexpected outcome of this one day jaunt to my favorite hang out, just a stone’s throw from my home. A, B, C and D are at various stages of life and when they came together to munch a national holiday, it was a serious manifestation of the power of gathering. Gathering is a moment when people come together to, may be, discuss for a result, make a strategic decision, celebrate, drink, travel or mourn. Our agenda was to travel for a stimulant and the 63rd Republic Day of India came as welcome relief to implement our plan. Mr. A, the oldest member to attend this gathering, was accompanied by Mr. B who hails from God’s own country and both work with Mr. D in the same multi national corporation. Mr. C gets his monthly pay from Bosch and spends a good amount of it sponsoring Mr. D on his photographic assignments, while enhancing himself in the process. Each one made an insignificant sacrifice and uttered a white lie to their caring ones to accompany me for this hike through the rocky terrain of southern Andhra Pradesh. It was my 7th visit to this rugged beauty but the first for remaining three, and it was already a “not so” fair battle as the views exchanged on the way were “Three vs One” or “Assumptions vs Experience”. Each of their apprehensions had to be silenced with facts, sometimes, and with “appealing” fictions, sometimes. The 90 Km Journey was disposed like brushing the teeth and the rocky landscape reminded me of the “addictive pain” I would be enjoying late that evening, while I was thinking what the effects would be on A, B and C?? We ventured into the trek path at 11:15 AM, the earliest ever I had managed, while I was busy keeping A, B and C away from trivial attractions on the way, like small pools/ gushing streams etc (Photos 1,3 and 6). Thankfully, sun wasn’t let to show his ugly hot face (Photo 7) as massive chunks of clouds blanketed us from the heat like a temporary roof and there wasn’t a need to worry about the “tan”. My goal was to show, somehow, the final fall, lying few Kms up ahead in the gorge, to A, B and C for which they had to traverse through an unknown terrain which I knew like the back of my palm. Playing navigator was fun and in the same time, that required certain levels of “common sense” as I had to predict the results before their next step. Reached stage 1 where A, B and C turned reluctant to proceed further on coming face to face with a ten feet vertical, smooth boulder with water trickling over its face constantly. I had climbed this boulder twice in the past and it was time to demonstrate the power of mind to A, B and C but alas, I had a minor fall on the first attempt as I failed to recognize the “Grip slots” available above this massive natural obstruction. After few minutes of letting my fingers “play piano” over the rocky buddy, I identified the consecutive grip slots available and in matter of seconds, I was above them and few other unknown hikers. I pulled a couple of strangers up the boulder and helped A, B and C reach where I stood to proceed towards the primary target we had chalked out. From here onwards the hike is not “risky” but, exhaustive on energy levels and extremely slippery as we had to walk against gravity to reach the massive gorge Ubbalamadugu had carved over millions of years through its relentless existence. To me it was like visiting my native but for A, B and C, it was “a moment in their life” as they were struck with awe by the shear beauty of the Gorge, the fall and the ambience prevailing up there. As they were exploring the beauty I checked out the time at 3:00 PM and my instinct prompted to attempt the next major task, reach the “out of the world” pool (Photos 24,25,26 and 27) lying at the base of the “major fall” some 150 meters above us. In the past I never bothered to attempt this hike and now, it was time to demonstrate to myself what I demonstrated to A, B and C few minutes back. Climbing rocks is considered the biggest exercise of enhancing concentration as it’s a sport of “Mind vs Fear” every second, every step and every decision, and the first time is always a trembling iteration than the repetitive attempts. A, B and C stayed back as I crossed the aggressively flowing water, on its way to the pool some 70 meters below, on a 40’ slope and inserted my fingers on the first grip slot available. After few minutes of climbing I came across one particular section where I had a look back and there was instant loss of concentration as legs began to tremble. When you climb up alone there comes that “soft excuse”, “I could have stayed back like others below” and the same feel made me weak on legs. The rocks above were as smooth as well polished granites and I took an unusually long time to make the next move and reach a “moderately safe” position, as I hug to the rock like a lizard. Upon reaching the next level, all it required was a cautious “semi bent” walk to reach the base of the main fall. On reaching there the ambience changed instantly from a moderately sunny day to cold and windy as the massive walls of the Gorge stood 100’s of meters above on either sides and the main fall was made to dance like an “Arabian Belly Dancer” by the strong gust. More than photography it’s all about sitting on a well sorted out rock and keep looking at this shear beauty, as you lose yourself. I only could imagine what on earth this place could feel like when NE Monsoon ravages the east coast and the plan for 8th and 9th attempts were already finalized as I clicked away few shots to show this place to my friends below. While I was climbing down, it was surprising to see A and C climbing their way up, towards the pool, and it was yet another demonstration of “Mind vs Fear” as they gained altitude rapidly, not to forget the backpacks and the tripod they were carrying with them. I collected the bags and the tripod and asked them to complete their task, as I kept waiting for them on a “reasonably level” rock (Photo 28) looking at the distant clouds (Photos 11 and 13) and the far away lands of southern Andhra Pradesh. Once they were back, it was a casual hike down the cliff and we completed the task with no major incident as stains of blood all over the rocks manifested the serious consequences of not respecting the terrain. Yet again mind won over my fear, nevertheless; I consider fear a powerful agent in fortifying your capabilities for without it, there would be no planning and thinking incurred for a task of this magnitude. On reaching the base a good 2 hours later sun was “imperceptibly” going down in the distant west (Photo 30) as we looked into each other and wondered what this Gathering had done to us – For A, it was yet another fulfillment of his adulthood dream as he completed one more soul satisfying jaunt; for B, it was a valuable learning of overcoming fear, fatigue and fortifying stamina; for C, it was an another usual body tiring hike to enhance capabilities with his DSLR; and for D, it was another experience enhancing gamble which laid that “something” to keep him going through the 11 months ahead before 2012 becomes a history. As I stood in the tea shop in a nearby village, with my favorite local snack and tea for company, I was wondering if 2012 would end with an optimistic note as 2011 did and it remains to be seen through the coming months…...

PAST 2011, DEC-2011

Death of a year rejuvenates emotions across all aspects – we look back, the society looks back, organizations look back, media looks back, governments look back and the entire world looks back – at all the chaos and accomplishments we had incurred and braved through. The transition between years is an exotic event as the world gears up for celebration and honors and recalls one last time the happenings which had significant impact. And as to any human being, the end of 2011 was no ordinary event to me and I did look back to summarize the happenings in an organized manner and get myself thrown aback by the impact. 2011 was a special year in terms of Jaunts as I touched that magical figure of 1 trip/month when I embarked on the 12th and final edition with my new found and “to be” life long friends on a commemorative drive to my “close to the Heart” district in the lap of Western Ghats, the mesmerizing Shivamogga (Shimoga). Through out in the past, I had always pursued the Western Districts of Karnataka to get drenched and this time around it was a reversal of elements as the tropical cyclone “Thane” was ravaging Chennai and the North eastern portion of the Coromandel Coast. Apart from the Mediterranean regions of the world, the Coromandel Coast is one of the most prominent regions to receive winter rainfall and this usually culminates in the month of November, though, certain rogue cyclones appear late into the winter. Thane was one such rouge tropical storm and it was forecast to hit the mainland exactly on the evening of Dec/29, the day of our departure. The entire week before our planned departure was moody with overcast skies and cold winds, making the ambience romantic and lazy, as I was desperate to make an exit to my favorite hang out near the Ghats. I had chalked out plans to visit Kollur, the place which received the highest rainfall in 2011 during the Indian SW Monsoon and which had replaced Agumbe as the capital of “Rainfall” during the past three years, with R.S.Saravanan (R.S.S) and Mr. Murali (TV Murali). As projected by IMD, Thane began its destructive ravage from the noon of Dec/29/2011 and I was sitting inside the protective confines of my office, watching the havoc outside with a cup of coffee. Both my friends were apprehensive of the impending night drive and I instantly melted their fears with a bottle of Bacardi Limon, kept safe in my personal baggage inside the boot. The day was particularly fast when the evening came as surprise and there were people exchanging “routine” greetings, as we sat quiet and kept thinking about our plans for the night to come and the next couple of days. Few minutes past 16:45 Hrs the office went quiet and we began, slowly, to stretch and get assimilated to existing conditions as the sky was unbelievably dark and the rain was relentless. Had a romantic walk towards the drenched parking lot and stuffed ourselves in ASAP, while the 1.6L engine was kept in “idle” for 5 minutes to enhance oil flow and get the baby ready for that long 660+120 Kms of non stop drive, racing against the “now well established tropical cyclone”. As I sat inside the car and looked through the “nearly invisible” windscreen, it was only breathtaking to compare this day with the same number, dec/29, of 2010 when I drove to Upper Bhavani under romantic chillness and complete dryness of typical Indian winter. It was a different story now though…….


The tropical storm had made significant landfall by now and rain was thrashing the outskirts of Chennai like never before. Thane was the most powerful Tropical Storm of 2011 in Northern Indian Ocean and the effects were already being felt, the hard way. The roads wore deserted look and trees were swaying the way Iam used to seeing in Malnad during the SW Monsoon as we drove at an extremely slow pace fighting poor visibility and broken roads. NH45 to NH4 was a 38 Kms drive and it was amazing to realize we had consumed all the minutes between 18:00 Hrs and 20:00 Hrs, thanks to the prevailing conditions, to cover this stretch. There was a breather when we reached the National Highway 4 but it just lasted for few minutes when I noticed the fuel gauge at a dangerously low level, as vehicles flew past frustrating my ego. It was my favorite driving condition, nevertheless, I was forced not to press the throttle until I ended up in the next nearest fuel station and thereafter, it was pure bliss. Visibility was ignored, vehicles ahead were ignored, safety was ignored, driving ethics were ignored, overtaking rules were ignored and all were ignored until we reached R.S.S’s home town of Vellore. Rain had abated now, indication of distance from the center of the tropical cyclone, but it was bound to increase ASAP as Thane was about to make the complete land fall late in the night. R.S. Saravanan introduced us to his newly built home and it was a compact duplex with well designed wood work, straight from his heart. I could understand the struggles he had overcome to build this two storey building, as every corner of the house was introduced and explained to us with 100% involvement. After a brief halt it was race against “Thane” and I could sense the loss of power in her as we moved further, away from the coast. When we reached Krishnagiri, the junction where NH46 meets NH7, it was that familiar cold and dry ambience and I geared up for my favorite game – chase and cut, look and fly. This section of NH7, between Krishnagiri and Bangalore, is extremely narrow and fast and I love to be on the limit here. Caught up with NICE road on time and we were just 60 something Kms away from my “most sought” after tea stall at Tumkur. New Year fever was obvious as youngsters from Bangalore turned up at the tea stall, on their way to some exotic destination, in their posh cars and well clad clothing. I was enjoying the tea, watching their activities, and slowly turned in the direction of NH4 which would take us to Chitradurga, the fort town. Fog was dense and sleep was dictating, as I accelerated over the manic NH4 to catch with a new found babe, lying in the darkness, just after Chitradurga. She was NH13, connecting Solapur in Maharashtra with Mangalore in Karnataka, and she was special because, she passes through all geographical regions of Karnataka namely Bayaluseeme, Malenadu and Karavali. Pumped up fuel levels at Chitradurga and entered NH13 under the cover of pre dawn darkness with tonnes of apprehension and it only ended up in absolute delight. She was my kind of HW - single lane, bright white line at the centre and trees lining up the shoulders, phew, how many years I had waited to drive over such a beauty?? Enigma’s Voyager adding the aggression, it was a drive like I used to enjoy way back in 2003, just mesmerizing and no question of slowing down. Dawn was showing up slowly and the early morning sky was just fabulous, (Photo no 1) giving me the opportunity for a nostalgic shot with Murali and R.S.S playing the subjects. Reached Shimoga well on time and geared up for the next challenge, the 120 Kms drive through unknown roads of Malnad which was about to lay the foundation for a robust recurrence in 2012 and, it was this drive which tested my patience to the limits and made us run for life and limbs later that night. It was a good demonstration of endurance and courage by three of us and it took its toll all along the way and, back at the hotel. The Bacardi and the lagers were what which kept us going - ignoring sleep, hunger and stress.


The plan for the day was to reach Kollur and embark on a trek to Arashinagundi Falls, lying within the confines of Mookambika wild life sanctuary, get some great shots and wind up for the day with a bottle of cold breezer in some remote village, watching the beautiful winter sky studded with millions of stars. However, there was a different plan in store for us and it was about to remove the word “relaxation” from our ambit for the remaining of the day. The road to Kollur, from Shimoga, is extremely broken and if you are the kind who loves your car, forget reaching on time the destination. It took a staggering 5 hours journey, 120 Kms, to reach Kollur and it was already 16:45 hrs, making me agitated, and the fact that DFO permission is a “safe mandatory” to visit Arashinagundi made us apprehensive of our success. Though not frightened, the 660+120+120 Kms of drive we would have incurred at the end of the day made me go for it without a second thought and we got the permit paper in matter of minutes with the help of a local taxi driver, after shelling out INR 875. Barrier broken, what lay ahead was the biggest underestimation of my life which made us “walk” for our lives, later that night, braving the dangers of Mookambika wild life sanctuary, a hardcore rain forest, under absolute darkness and a half charged LED torch for company. It was 5:00 PM when we entered the gates of the sanctuary and there was no sign of human life within the next few meters and the last ones to be met were a group of hikers on their return journey to the town. I instantly understood the meaning of their smile on hearing about our plans and it only increased the desperation we were in, which proportionally increased the stress levels. The hike to Arashinagundi, 11 Kms either way, seems easy at the beginning with a well defined path but, the terrain very cleverly takes toll on energy levels as it keeps ascending intermittently. There’s a steep ascent followed by a level walk then, a steep ascent again followed by a level walk and this continues until you bite the teeth under frustration. The fast approaching dusk hastened our approach and the heart was pounding as the recurrence of alternating elevation and slope made us the biggest slaves of time and terrain. There’s a point where this recurrence comes to a happy and exhaustive ending when a board points at a narrow 0.5 M wide path as the direction to the falls, where we begin the rapid descent. But surprisingly this was even more frustrating as the descent was endless and passed through dangerously dense vegetation, with the thought of return journey under pitch black darkness sending a chill down the spine. After 90 minutes of rapid walk we reached the falls (Photos 5 and 32) and as always, she managed to reduce the stress levels with her beautiful structure and elegant movement. 15 minutes was all we had before the sun went down in the distant west (Photo no 24) and it was all about shear luck and courage, how we managed to emerge out from this dangerous heaven unscathed. We slowly began the walk through the punishing terrain, with the LED torch illuminated at occasional intervals to check the path ahead, and it turned out be one of the most emotive moments of my life. Panting like dogs, we kept ascending the “devastatingly punishing terrain” and the pain and fear experienced at that moment could never be explained to the fullest. Occasional breaks in the canopy let the moon light through and I have to say, phew-just forget the world buddy, as we three stood in a tight circle inhaling as much oxygen possible and wondering if we would make it to the entrance. The annoying gust swayed the trees like massive ghosts hung loose and we kept walking, kept panting and controlled the emotions as I slowly began to think about my mother. She may be twice my age, ten times as weak but, her thought made me ignore the fear and continue, until we reached the gate after a good 2.2 Hrs walk. 780 Kms of drive, little or no food and less than 10 minutes of sleep during the past 24 Hrs made this hike the toughest of my life and I just sat on the road to keep looking at the distant sky studded with millions of stars. At that point of time, I could have been the only Atheist who prayed Mr. God like a religious maniac. But what lay ahead broke me down and I cried internally like a 10 year old boy, violently swaying my legs and hands virtually. There was a valid and well justified reason though, as I hastened towards a lonely gas station located 5 Kms away, in absolute darkness, to have a refill and ensure we had enough fuel to embark on the tiring night drive with all three @ dangerously low levels of energy, confidence and ability to support each other.


The 120 Kms ahead to reach Shimoga devastated my confidence and eventually, I managed to conquer it with Mr. Murali’s terrific help as he drove the car cautiously over the manic forest road and I slid into the passenger seat with a pair of partially closed eyes. A group of gorgeous girls, in their mid twenties, stranded in the middle of the forest with a broken down van added a bit of “twist” to this beautiful tale and we continued in pursuit of Shimoga. After a tiring 3.5 hours drive, Mr. Murali lost his tempo and we swapped seats with a demanding 30+ Kms remaining to reach the safety and comfort of our suit. When swapping the seats, I had a look into the winter sky of western Karnataka and it was sight eligible enough to end my life with the biggest satisfaction. I forgot all the pains pinching me and I didn’t want anything else as I just prayed for this night to last for ever. At last, my eyes got wet for the first time in Malnad when there weren’t rains. Reached our suit at 2:00 AM and we had already dumped our plans of visiting Agumbe rather, just pack and depart Via Chikmagalur and Belur. After a “very deep” sleep, I woke at 8:30 AM and geared up for yet another romantic departure from my favorite hang out near the Ghats. R.S.Saravanan has a terrific interest in Archeology and his persuasion made me accept the plan of visiting Belur. The drive took us past Chikmagalur Ghat section and when we landed up on the other side, in Hassan district, the clock was ticking fast to bring back the darkness which made us cry the previous night. Belur, the early capital of Hoysala Dynasty and lying on the banks of Yagachi River, is famous for the “ChennaKeshava temple” and R.S.Saravanan had planned to photograph it extensively. The climate was cold and the first sight of the majestic temple tower instilled a sense of spirituality like never before. As we slowly stepped inside the temple, I was blown away by the “peace of mind” it instantly offered and I could feel like being transported to an era, 100 of years earlier. The power of the ancient architecture was overwhelming and I obeyed the orders of R.S.Saravanan as he directed me to capture the above shots (Photos 3, 9, 16, 17 and 28). His influence has instilled in me a new kind of photographic interest and I liked the challenge thrown at me by the “intricately designed” intelligent ancient architecture. I also made my first attempt at shooting people which turned out be an addictive eye opener (photos 2, 14, 15, 18, 26, 27 and 30) and let down only by a slow camera and lens, though I caught the moments. It was 19:00 hrs when we bid goodbye to Belur and it was an eventless drive till NICE road in Bangalore, for the next 220 Kms, when we were greeted by an arousing night sky filled with massive fireworks welcoming 2012. Our entry was perfectly timed and I had the feeling of being welcomed into this romantic city, as I bypassed her and pursued NH7 in quest of reaching Chennai. 2011 was a history now and when I had a quick relook at her, it was an eye moistening refresh as I successfully completed my 12th trip of the year and in the process, had gained a good amount of endurance and experience. Whether these learning’s will help me continue the quest of never ending journey’s remains to be seen, as I dropped Murali and R.S.Saravanan at their respective homes, on the way, and spent a beautiful “two hours” alone in my Baleno, thinking what lies ahead for me in 2012, when I reached Chennai under pouring rain to face the first dawn of the new year. I slept for the next two days as the body recovered gradually, to keep me going, and I kept wondering about the dream that showed me walking under pouring rain in pursuit of Arashinagundi and her nearby cousin, the punishing Hidlumane falls, 6 months down the lane when SW Monsoon would be ravaging the west………… Iam coming babe…..

Parameters
Route–Chennai-Vellore-Krishnagiri-Hosur-Bangalore-Tumkur-Chitradurga-Shimoga-Riponpet-Hosanagara-Nagar-Kollur (770 Kms)
Best Time to visit – July to Sep, if you can brave the elements and reach the falls or, October to Dec when it would be less tiring and safer.
Specialties – That unadulterated wilderness, romantic winter skies, King’s undisputed territory.
What you should do – A night trek from Arashinagundi to Kollur, a night drive from Kollur to Shimoga, forget yourself when inside the ChennaKeshava temple and drink generous amount of Beer and Breezer.
Don’t Forget – To carry a bottle of Breezer or a can of beer while driving, to carry a powerful LED torch, preferably more than one, if attempting a night trek @ Arashinagundi, to have generous amount of fuel during the drive between Shimoga and Kollur, to try and catch the ferry service which would carry you and the car to Kollur, to drive absolutely relaxed and to stare the night sky from deep inside the rainforest.