THE GLIMPSE, DEC-2013

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 4^th 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 30^th 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 31^st 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.