New Year fever was
high when I kicked off the long, 700+ Kms drive to Agumbe with David on a cold,
post-Christmas December night. Agumbe
was never on our agenda for the year end jaunt but as fate forms the path, we
seldom deviate and continue the walk. What fate decides is for good and
this Jaunt helped me realize the long pending obligations I owe to the depths
of Agumbe; depths which never could be accessed, viewed and showcased during
the monsoons. This was my 4th appointment with Agumbe and all of my
previous dating with her occurred in the month of July; in 2011, 2012 and 2013,
the wettest and most arrogant month in Agumbe’s calendar. During these high intensity visits, when rains would be ravaging the rain forests of Agumbe, it was a spectacle to be present there in the action
zone and be a part of the significant phenomenon that places Agumbe among
highest rainfall receiving regions of the world. In parallel to this
marvel, the eye moistening ambience of monsoon would make me go weak and render
me powerless to fight the natural elements and reach the depths of Agumbe. I
miserably failed in all of my past 3 attempts and this intensified the
frustration over my sustained inability to capture the hidden beauty. With
memoirs of past failures running high I
started on the night of Dec/ 27 with Dave, in his remarkably economic and
satisfyingly fast VW Polo towards the land of rains, land of beauty, land of
fear, ironically; when she was at her driest and calmest. Expansion of highway networks into 6 lane expressways
were nearing completion and with mild sleep lingering in the depths I was able
to reach the Mc D outlet at Shoolagiri, my usual pit stop while on any north
bound drive, extremely fast. It was stunningly cold as I had never felt this
kind of chillness before in this part of the state and this helped visualize
how the winter air would be up there in Agumbe. Post this stop I went into deep sleep handing over the keys to Dave and
all I remember that night after this was a romantic struggle to stay warm as
the temperature was plummeting and the climate control of Polo intensified the
chillness. When I woke up early in the morning I was surprised to learn Dave
too succumbed to the cold and was in deep sleep, after parking the car at the
junction of NICE road exit at National Highway 4 before Tumkur. The Dawn
was romantically cold as we warmed ourselves with the hot tea at our regular
truck bay tea shop before entering NH 206. The uncontrolled sleep had caused
significant delay to our original plan and we were forced to hasten our drive
to reach Shivamogga as fast possible. It
was only the second time in last 4 years that I was driving towards the heart
hurting district when there weren’t rains, when it was calm, composed and
devoid of mesmerizing dramas. Couple of Breezers nurtured by tired mind as I
handed over the Keys again to Dave at Tarikere and was eager to catch up with
NH 13 to enter the region of dense and evergreen forests. This was the
first time I was on my way to meet her when she wouldn’t be in her elements;
but it would also be the first time when I would be able to have a glimpse of
her “Perplexing” depths. This one reason alone made me tie the hand cloth
around my face and dream, as Dave tackled the blinding curves of NH 13 in a
manner unique to his relaxed life style increasing the intensity of my
impatience. The sun was merciless…
In the past all of
my entries into Agumbe were decorated with punishing rains, blinding fog and unrelenting
romance and suspense, however; it was a sense of “absence” and “loneliness”
this time as Agumbe was calm, dry and desolate with no people around. As always a beautiful Malnad girl graced
our tired eyes with her elegant walk, followed by a seductive disappearance
into the distance that gradually was encroached by dreamy rain forests.
After a relaxed, cold and stress relieving bath in the crystal clear water from
the depths of Agumbe we embarked the trail of Onake Abbi, a falls that had made
us run for life and limbs during the peak of monsoons, to have our first
glimpse of the “Real” depths of Agumbe that so far were hidden by the powerful
elements of monsoon. The trail that used
to trigger panic and pain with its inherent contents during the season of rains
now lay dormant allowing me and Dave to walk at a relaxed pace under the dense
shadows (Photos 4 and 5) of the magical rain forests towards the end of
Shivanmoga district from where Onake Abbi would drop 400 feet into the pristine
forests of Someshwar. After 50
minutes of brisk and vigilant hike we were there, at the crest of Onake Abbi,
struggling with fear and fighting gravity searching for the vantage point that
would let us shoot with precarious safety. The first glimpse of the real depths
of Agumbe was mind blowing with its ancient forests and untamed wilderness
forming a stunning backdrop to Onake Abbi (Photos 1, 6 and 10). The moments
spent at the edge of Onake Abbi sent constant shivers through our mind with
never before seen kind of loneliness and heard sounds. After an hour of
secluded photo session at one of the most remote corners of Agumbe, we
retreated back to the village to spend a cold evening in absolute quietness and
mystic thoughts about the mesmerizing rain forests that were devoid of their
usual thrill and beauty. When the dawn
emerged 9 hours later it was time for that priceless coffee session sitting
inside a warm, old and dark hotel as early morning fog hugs Agumbe like a
loving wife, reluctant to dissipate, until the heat of sun overcomes the heat
of love. For us; it was the moment that transitioned 3 years of dream to
reality, though less romantic and wild, as we kicked off the drive to
Someshwar, a quaint village lying at the base of Agumbe Ghats 800 Mts below. It was the first time ever I made my
descent towards Arabian Sea from Agumbe, and it was blood chilling to realize
the relation between them that transitions Agumbe from what she was now,
ordinary and obedient, to an arrogant, seductive and tear inducing village 6
months later. I was humbled to realize I was driving along the same slopes that
will forcefully stop the rain laden monsoon winds from Arabian Sea and in the
process, elevate Agumbe to be an extraordinary presence on the monsoon map of
India. When I landed in Someshwar and stopped for coffee and provisions it
was a moment in my life to turn back and look up at the Agumbe Ghats, waiting
for the big battle about to emerge in 6 months from now. And not to forget my
destination for the day, I was heading towards one of the most beautiful and
inaccessible falls during the monsoon. All
I wanted to understand now was, if I could meet her during the peak of monsoons
and for that one reason; this trek of mine became mandatory under the most
undesirable of conditions when the heat from sun was at its Zenith.
For the past 3 years Kudlu Theertha has been
gracing my dreams but never transitioned to reality as my visits were timed to
coincide with the peak of monsoons, when the guards to her gate will be in full
vigor and power. Past Someshwar the road winds through forests similar to the
ones found near Kollur; dense, quiet and disturbingly wild with playful
primates patrolling their borders. Few
Kms into the drive there’s a blind left turn that takes the car through a
deserted, broken road winding its way past dormant natural elements awaiting
the rains to bleed with beauty and mystery. Just a quick and random imagination
of driving through these 10+ something Kms during the monsoons sent a jolt
through my spine for it need to be experienced and I believed there shouldn’t be
words available to describe the beauty. The
drive eventually, dramatically too; culminates at the stream fed by Kudlu
Theertha and the fun lies in the fact that it could be crossed in your regular
hatchback without fuss. Nevertheless; we decided to walk for I wanted to
observe the geography and prepare my mind for the onslaught 6 months later
should the plan and life fall in sync. The hike to Kudlu Theertha during the
monsoon shouldn’t be as tough as the one to Onake Abbi or the mighty Barkana,
but; there is couple of locations on the
trek path that need determination and concentration to get past. Once past
these it’s all yours, one of the most beautiful, hidden falls in Western Ghats
that will tear your heart with its sudden and unexpected appearance after an
hour of mouth drying hike (Photo 15). It was almost dusk when we returned
back to Someshwar after the strategy enhancing hike and after a quick “Late
Lunch” we hit our rooms in Agumbe for that nostalgic departure, the fourth
time. When I departed under the cover of
winter darkness, unwillingly; Agumbe was settling into its rhythm like a master
musician. The village went quiet with sporadic distribution of dim lights and occasional
people walking through the deserted street. As Dave pulled away towards the
road towards Shimoga, I smiled at the rear view mirror for I very well knew how
this absolute serenity will be brutally buried and stunningly transformed to a
violent beauty, in 6 months from now, that could only be comprehended if you
have the purest love on nature irrespective of its painful and dreadful
contents. Later that night; me and Dave had a nostalgic dinner with chilled
Beer in our favourite Jewel Rock Hotel, with discussions about wilderness predominantly
occupying the conversation. After a soul enhancing sleep that night it was the
30th of Dec/2013, and with just one day more to end a wonderful year
that gave me mind blowing experiences we kicked off the long, longing drive to
Chennai to conclude with a quiet, cold sleep back at home thinking about the beautiful,
priceless events of 2013. The monsoon of
2013 played a crucial role in bringing about a happy ending to yet another year
of romantic jaunts and thoughtful memories, and as I pulled myself into the
tight blanket on the night of 31st all I prayed to god was a similar
mercy when I tear the calendar on May/31/2014. I very well knew time will fly
past and it was astonishing to realize I was already on the second day of the
second month of 2014 when I published this posting, and fast approaching
the day I would look forward in each year about to come until I die.
