“Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance”

How many of us get a chance to experience the beauty of these words from Wordsworth in real life? I did. I witnessed a ten thousand and more flowers at a glance. All of them occuring naturally in a valley – a valley with clouds hovering around and birds chirping away all the time. The place is called the ‘Valley of Flowers’, high up in the Himalayas, in the North Indian State of Uttarakhand.

Valley of Flowers

The journey started from Delhi. It was a few days before Commonwealth games in Delhi, and construction work seemed to be happening in every marg and sadak of Delhi. There was dust everywhere, and being the month of July, the weather was not too friendly. Everyone seemed to be covered by a layer of dust, and every place seemed to have something broken – to be fixed, and the heat was bogging down on my neck with every step I took on the roads. Nevertheless, this was the place which was the epicenter of a large part of Indian history, and the place that saw quite a lot of wars and bloodshed. Still, the city goes on like a wheel, oblivious to the weight of history behind it, or the complicated politics that’s being played all around it.

I had my ticket booked online on a private bus to Haridwar, from where I had planned to reach Rishikesh. This was the first of the many mistakes I did on this tour. It was not long before I learnt that private bus operators have no sense of reservations on their buses. Seat numbers do not matter, and despite having a reserved ticket, seat allocation was at the discretion of the bus conductor. I managed to get a front seat anyway, and hoped to see a lot of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand country life during my journey – a thing I usually love to do. A rickety ride in the bus started. I was happy to leave all the dust and chaos of Delhi behind, and head to the Himalayas.

Traffic in Old Delhi

Bus journeys out of Delhi towards Uttar Pradesh, are not one of the most pleasant journeys you can take. The highways are not empty and driver-friendly like those in Southern India. Being the most populous state in India (200 million people), towns in Uttar Pradesh never end, and there are people everywhere. The bus moved at a snail’s pace, and it took a lot of effort on the part of the driver to manage the bus amidst hordes of pedestarians and passersby. An alternative to the bus journey, is to take the train to Haridwar – better in terms of comfort and chaos. If you have the means, better take a flight from Delhi to Dehradun, from where Rishikesh is just 15 kms away.

The bus journey to Haridwar took 8 hours, including a massive traffic jam before Meerut, becasue of road construction work. As we reached closer to Haridwar, the weather cooled down, and I had the first of my bare minimal vegetarian thalis of this journey. Vegetarianism is the rule of the land in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, and most of the time this translated to rice and dhal; sometimes roti and many times just aloo parantha with curd. The colder regions of course were liberally dotted with shops serving piping hot maggi. Another interesting thing to note wa that buffaloes were the ones pulling carts in this part of the country.

Ganga was gushing in full flow in Haridwar. I could see a lot of temples on the way, in and around the place. From Haridwar bus adda, I took another bus to Rishikesh. It was a journey of about 45 minutes, passing through some greener patches – which meant more chill. It was a welcome change, and soon I was in the town of Rishikesh, where religion was business. I was completely tired and exhausted after my day long journey, that I took a room and crashed for the night in Rishikesh, near the Laxman Jhoola. There was more in store for the days to come.

Rishikesh was a new experience for me. The whole town is centered around selling Indian religion to foreigners. For a place that is a center of Hinduism, yoga and spirituality, there were too many foreigners than I expected. And, there were as many places that served international dishes, as there were local eateries. One strange thing I noticed in Rishikesh was, shop-temples. Which means, every third shop in the locality was a temple – kind of a makeshift one, and the shop opposite to this temple was a paid footwear stand. There were gurus, yoga centers, meditation places, massage houses, and what not! This town is just the gateway to Garhwal – the land of Hinduism, spirituality and yoga.

Laxman Jhoola in Rishikesh

Next morning, I had to start quite early. Joshimath was a long distance away, and the travel could easily take a whole day. Garhwal roads are generally narrow ghat roads, and full of landslides. It takes special skill to drive long distances in these roads. Piligrims come in hordes, and there are umpteen buses queuing up on these roads all the time. Traffic jams and delays are the norm here, and it would not be surprising to reach your destination after a delay of 24 hours sometimes. Most buses to Joshimath start early in the morning, and the earlier in the day you start, the earlier you would reach Joshimath, or sometimes Badrinath.

I took an auto to the private bus stand in Rishikesh, at around 5.30 am in the morning. A number of tempo travelers and mini buses were queued up there to take all of the piligrims, foreigners, locals and office-goers to Joshimath. Some of the local travelers took up temporary seats next to the driver, as they would get down at places which were under an hours’ drive from Rishikesh. I got into a tempo traveler, and managed to secure a front seat where I can keep my extra-long legs stretched during the journey of 12 hours. There were Israelis around me – all of them going to Joshimath – the abode of Shankaracharya in the north.

A journey to Joshimath is an interesting one. The Shivalik ranges of the lower Himalayas offer spectacular views of the mountains, interspersed with temples, mutts, and a huge number of religious motifs. There are many towns that are of religious importance along the route. The journey is practically tracing Ganga upstream along its course. River Ganga is not known by its popular name all along from its origins. It is actually a confluence of a number of rivers. It originates at Gangotri, where it is known by the name Bhagirathi. Further downstream, it merges with rivers like Alaknanda and Mandakini among others. Towns at these confluences are called by the name prayag – we have Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag, Devaprayag and the like. We travel through all of these prayags to reach Joshimath, where it is still called Alaknanda.

Rudraprayag

The bus stopped for breakfast and lunch on the way. Piping hot aloo paranthas with curd during breakfast tasted heavenly making up for the weather which was becoming colder by the hour. The driver was maneuvering the vehicle through a lot of landslides, which were also being cleared up by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Roads to these distant reaches of India are maintained in a motorable shape because of the efforts of BRO. At around 6 pm in the evening, we still had a few more kilometers to reach Joshimath. My bottom was aching from more than 12 hours of travel, and I just waited to reach Joshimath and crash for the day.

Joshimath was a small and simple town. There were Punjabi and Gujarathi restaurants around, and a lot of piligrims. The Shankaracharya Mutt of the northern direction is located here, and Joshimath is also the base for traveling to Badrinath, which is one of the four holy centers for the Hindus. Also, Indian and foreign travelers to the Valley of Flowers, and the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara – all congregate here. So, Joshimath was quite a busy town. Mobile connection was intermittent. It was interesting to note that every third shop in the town was a barber shop, and at least one person was getting his beard shaved in each of the shops. I took a basic room for around INR 250 at the place where I got dropped off. It came with a TV, fan. and a western closet, and was more than a bargain. I shopped for snacks, tablets and the like, and after an early dinner, I retired for the day.

I noted down in my travel log that tomorrow was going to be a tough day.

(To be continued)

A mystical cover of mist slowly roves across the valley, and as it moves, a gentle drizzle of rain drops drifts in the air towards you. As you stand in the comfort of your balcony, the magic of the rain mixed with the myriad lights of the valley below transport you to a world so surreal that, doing nothing becomes all what you want to do here. Welcome to Yercaud.

For all the western ghats buffs among us, this idyllic hill station of Yercaud, nestled in the green bosom of the eastern ghats, comes as a surprise. A relaxing 4 hour journey from the maddening crowd of Bangalore lands you in Yercaud. Ideal for a quick weekend visit, Yercaud is one of those hill stations which still remain calm and peaceful, tucked away from the prying eyes of the tourist crowd. Apart from visiting a couple of view points, and boating in the lake, there is nothing much to do, and that is why you actually enjoy the beauty of this place.

The route is simple.

Bangalore – Hosur – Krishnagiri – Dharmapuri – Salem – Yercaud    (230 kms)

Once you reach Salem, you will reach a Y-junction where you will have to choose between going into the city, or continuing on the NH7. Take the road that goes into the city, and reach the five-road junction. Here, take left towards the Sarada-college road. After about 3 kms on this road, you will reach a signal where you should take left to reach Yercaud. There are sufficient sign boards all along to guide. The ascent is gradual and starts around 8 kms from here. The hair-pin bends are manageable if you have previous ghat-driving experience. Also, the roads are butter-smooth throughout the drive. Expect to pay tolls close to Rs.200.

One of the highlights of this drive is the breakfast at Adayar Ananda Bhavan just before you reach Krishnagiri. You can feast on yummy dosa, vada, idly, pongal and filter coffee. But the place is perpetually crowded and you will have to elbow your way through a crowd eager to pounce on the offerings as much as yourself. The food tastes good, and there are not too many good alternatives to this place. A2B also serves packeted snacks that you can carry and much along on your drive.

My enjoyable experience in Yercaud was also due to my place of stay. I chose GRT Nature Trails, a wonderful boutique hotel overlooking the Shevaroy hills. The hotel itself is perched on the slopes of the hill, and the view from here is spellbounding. The view is also available from the rooms. The rooms are super-comfortable and provided with 3-star facilities. One highlight is, they have a good collection of movie DVDs (English, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu) and books – ideal for anyone who just want to laze around in the room. The hotel property itself is tastefully done, and has a ‘Skywalk’ on the roof. This is a glass-floored walkway, some 100 feet above the valley below. At night, the whole of Salem town comes alive with lights, and it is a treat to watch. So, even if you do not stay here, it is worth visiting the roof-top restaurant to get a spectacular view in the evening.

There are other good accommodation in Yercaud as well. Check out hotel reviews on TripAdvisor. Hotel Shevaroys is an option I found pleasant and affordable.

Coming to food, we had our lunch at the GRT hotel’s restaurant. It was a buffet with a decent spread. The best part was the Tamil dishes on the spread – vazhaikai poriyal, karunai kizhangu varuval, poondu meen kulambu, and many other similar stuff. I and my wife relished the food quite well. The desserts were yummy and there was a lot of variety to choose from. The restaurant itself is quite comfortable and located at the highest point in the hotel, overlooking the valley.

A small lake in the center of the town attracts tourists. We chose a pedal boat, and pedalled as much as we could. The boat was too small for my size, and I had to really struggle to fold my legs and pedal. Choosing an oar-boat will be a better option – it comes with a boatman. Around the lake, don’t miss sampling the hot bhajjis. We also had bhel puri, but it was not much impressive. Adjacent to the lake, there is a deer park. It houses some animals in enclosures, and is ideal for a small walk around. My wife, especially, enjoyed the swings put up in the park.

There are a couple of view points – Ladies’ seat, Gents’ seat, Children’s seat and Pagoda point. There is a Servarayan temple, and a rose garden as well. These are your typical tourist spots, and can be covered in the morning. It shouldn’t take more that 3 hours to see all of them. The drive up to these view points and the winding routes are much enjoyable than the destination itself. Some vendors around these view points sell different varieties of fruits, which would be worth trying out. Monkey menace is omnipresent – so beware!

If you are interested in a bit of descent and climb, you can visit the Killiyur falls. But, expect flowing water only during the monsoons. Also, there is an All-Terrain-Vehicle (ATV) track near the Grange resort. It would be fun to try this out with a bunch of friends.

Despite all these, as I had mentioned before, spending a night here, and lazing around doing nothing much is the ideal way one should enjoy Yercaud. Some blogs claim that a day trip to this place is sufficient. My take is, you gain nothing in a day trip. Spend a night and relax in the hills; enjoy the sun rise and the sunset; boat in the lake; have a cozy dinner with your partner; take a small walk – eat hot bhajjis; wake up in the morning – drive around to the view points; have a pleasant drive back to Bangalore. This is how I would recommend spending a weekend in Yercaud.

We were done with our stay in Yercaud by noon on Sunday. I and my wife decided to take a detour to Hogenakkal falls near Dharmapuri on our way back. That was an interesting experience as well – but to talk about in another post. This is the route we took on our way back.

Yercaud – Salem – Omalur – Mecheri – Pennagaram – Hogenakkal

Hogenakkal – Pennagaram – Palakodu – Rayakottai – Hosur – Bangalore

I liked this route better because of the greenery, variety in terrain and small villages that come in between. In contrast, the spectacularly laid NH7 is a bit monotonous and boring. So, it could be a good option to make this detour while driving back.

In short, Yercaud is definitely a worthy break for a weekend visit from Bangalore.

A period drama set during the pre-independence era is not something you come across every day in Tamil cinema. Director Vijay knows how to present it on the silver screen with the right combination of stunning picturisation and beautiful romance. The movie, if not anything else, is a treat for the eyes.

Credit has to be given to art director Selvakumar, who has done a spectacular job in recreating the ambience of the yesteryear Chennai – if not highly authentically – at least convincingly. There are the English ballrooms, dhobi ghana, the Central station, buildings of the Raj era, and what not – yet the camera pans across all of them seamlessly, and quite impressively – thanks to cinematographer Nirav Shah. The boating scenes on Coovum river will definitely enthrall every Chennaiite.

The director has to be appreciated for a simple storyline, told in an eloquent way, yet not straying away into non-issues, and delivering what is promised. The pre-independence era is just used as a back drop, and it is good that comic looking Gandhi or Nehru or Kamaraj don’t make appearances just for the heck of it. Highly appreciable for a first of its kind!

The girl Amy Jackson looks beautiful – convincing as the English Governor’s daughter. Does she have a slight Indian feel about her, or is it the director’s hand? Anyway, what is expected of her – she has delivered quite well. Arya could have been more expressive. He appears to have a plastic look right from the start of the movie to the last. VMC Haneefa (late) has succeeded in giving a few light moments. Other actors play their given roles by  the book.

Historic and technical flaws are abundant in the movie. For example, I don’t think the English had such a hostile attitude towards the natives right before the independance.  Things changed since the second world war, and the English were losing grip already. In such a situation, it does not seem logical how can would want to build a golf course, and that too dislodging natives from their land. The background score is another setback. It is too loud, and distracts you away from the narration a lot of times. I would still overlook things like these. It is supposed to be a feel good movie, and succeeds at that.

Finally, you cannot help noticing how similar the movie is to Titanic, except that it happens on land, in Chennai. And, the director should be credited for giving a simple and nice climax, without too much drama or emotions. It goes well with the premise.

Overall, you feel satisfied having watched one of the better movies of our times, and one that would set a new trend for more to follow.

My rating: 3.5/5

The nude man stands 17 meters tall. You are no more taller than his feet. As you look up at this face, you see nothing but the face and the blue sky. You cannot help getting a feeling of peace and harmony. The man standing at the top of the hill lived here a thousand years back. As you stand today atop the same hill, looking at the plains below, you feel elated, you feel serene. The valley looks beautiful as the sun plays a game with you lighting up patches of the fields below, taking along your eyes across as the clouds move. You just never want to leave the hill, when you are at the top of Vindhyagiri.

A simple 3 hour journey from Bangalore takes you to this 1000 year old Jain temple atop a hill – Shravanabelagola. A calm and peaceful place – this place is best remembered for its 17 meter high giant monolith statue of Raja Bahubali – famously known as Gomateshwara.

Inscriptions in the temple and various other Jain inscriptions across Karnataka date this temple back to 983 AD, built by a Ganga king. The giant statue stands tall above the temple roof, and can be seen around 5 kms from the hill. It is a delight for the eye. Even more amazing is the Mahamastakabisheka - a grand ceremony of bathing the Gommateshwara with milk, honey, sandal, and an array of other items. This takes place only once in 12 years – a must watch.

There are two hills in Shravanabelagola – the Vindhyagiri hill, which houses the colossus of Gommateshwara, and the Chandragiri hill – a smaller hill nearby, which where a number of age-old Jain Basadis are present. A trip to Shravanabelagola is incomplete without visiting both of the pair of hills.

The route from Bangalore is simple.

Bangalore – Magadi – Kunigal – Bellur cross – Hirisave – Shravanabelagola.

As I always say in my articles, take the Magadi road from Bangalore instead of the Tumkur road. This saves on time, and gives you butter smooth roads all through the journey.

The road from Hirisave to Shravanabelagola is a nicely paved village road with coconut groves all around, giving you a pleasant experience as you drive along. If traveling by bus, take a bus to Chanrayapatna from Bangalore. From here, a number of buses, share autos and jeeps are available to reach Shravanabelagola.

Travel tips:

• Neat and clean rest rooms are available at the bottom of the hill.
• You are expected to climb the hill bare footed. Socks are available for sale to fight the scorching heat in summers.
• Take my word for it – do not skip the other hill – Chandragiri. It is as beautiful as the bigger one.
• Jain eateries serving vegetarian lunch are present around the hill. If you need variety, you will have to drive up to Hassan.
• There is a coffee day around 35 kms before Shravanabelagola when you go from Bangalore – A nice place to relax over a cup of coffee.
• The complex closes by 6 pm in the evening. So, hurry up.

Now, over to some pictures…

Gomateshwara in the clouds

The temple

Stairs leading up to the temple

Raja Bahubali

Top of the hill

The second hill - Chandragiri

A view from the top

]]> http://amusinglysimple.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/shravanabelagola/feed/ 2 deepak Gomateshwara in the clouds The temple Stairs leading up to the temple Raja Bahubali Top of the hill The second hill - Chandragiri A view from the top http://amusinglysimple.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/belum-caves-a-natural-wonder/ http://amusinglysimple.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/belum-caves-a-natural-wonder/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 04:05:59 +0000 Deepak Venkatesan http://deepakvenkat.com/?p=549 ]]>

There are no rocks, no hills, no greenery, no nothing! Absolute barren stretches all along. All of the long road, for the next 3 kms is visible right from here, and there is no sign of life. As the cab travels along the totally nondescript, long and straight road, bordered with nothing, you can’t help but doze off into dreams of wandering in lonely deserts in search of food and water, with strange lizards and cruel cacti looking on. The sun glares at your face, and you wonder what brought you here, of all places.

That will be how you can describe the journey in most parts of the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. The journey to Belum caves was nothing different either. Approximately 275 kms from Bangalore, in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh lie the longest caves in the plains of India – the Belum caves.

In no man’s land, these caves pop up suddenly out of nowhere. Actually, they don’t even pop up. They are completely underground. Even when you purchase the entry ticket for this natural wonder, you would just be wondering where the caves are. Then as you enter the caves and move further, you realize slowly, they were right beneath your feet!

The caves are a natural formation of limestone deposits that cause interesting structures over the passage of time – a process that takes millions of years. Stalactite and Stalagmite formations can be found here. A completely underground passage way, large chambers and wonderful rock formations have been formed here, which is the reason for the tourist attraction.

These caves are the second longest in India (the longest ones measuring about 22 kms are Krem Liat Prah in the Jaintia hills of Meghalaya). As there is a lot of information about these caves on the net, I will just give you some travel tips.

• The caves are totally worth the visit. If you are somewhere around the region in Andhra, definitely make it a point to visit here.

• The total walk inside the caves is around 2 kms. It is hot (Outside air is pumped inside using compressors. Still you feel the heat). You will sweat like hell. Carry a towel to wipe yourself out. It is absolutely necessary.

• It is not advisable to drive here. Because, you might doze off as I had already mentioned. There is absolutely nothing scenic on the highway. You can see the road as far as your eyes can reach, and you can see nothing! Take a cab!

• Guides are available at the entrance. They take Rs.10. Hire one of them. One, they carry a torch to show you the way. Two, they tell you a lot of stories about the caves.

• Some places in the caves need some acrobatics to reach. Sometime you might have to crawl. Not too frightening. It might be difficult for the aged.

• There is no accommodation near the caves. You have to stay at Anantapur or Kurnool. Nandyal is also a nice place to stay. The caves are about 75 kms from Nandyal. Food is served in a small restaurant near the caves. Don’t expect too much – simple, tasty Andhra meals are served.

Now, over to the pics…

Entrance to the caves

Vinoth, Rahul and Karthik

A game of hands

Rahul, the devil

Near a man-made fountain

Details on the ceiling

Vinoth looking on

A secret passage

Details on the ceiling

Karthik posing

An underground chamber

Buddha statue outside on the plains

Karthik falling in

Enjoy maadi…!

Lumiere is Bangalore’s newest (and the only as far as I know) organic restaurant. It is located at Doddanakkundi on the Outer Ring Road connecting KR Puram and Marathahalli. Look out for the decorative ‘Jalsa’ restaurant as you drive by, and Lumiere is right next to ‘Jalsa’. The restaurant is on the fourth floor of a narrow building. The basement parking lot was very narrow and could hold around 5 cars, thats all. However, the restaurant itself is quite spacious and well decorated.

Ambience

The ambience in the restaurant is quite refreshing. The decor has been tastefully done with an elegant stairs leading up to the next level being the center of attraction in the restaurant. There was enough lighting, and to fight the noon-time scorching heat of Bangalore, they had pedestal fans all over. This was definitely an eyesore, as you don’t want to see tens of plastic-looking fans all over the place spoiling the feel of the decor. But they have chosen fans in lieu of AC to be environment friendly it seems. There was also an air cooler next to our table, which was causing more discomfort than anything else. The seating was reasonably comfortable, and the there were large table mats that could hold all of your cutlery, plus some juice glasses. There were some paintings on the wall, and carnatic music was being played in the speakers. Overall, an interesting ambience.

Food

We had booked the lunch buffet. There is a difference in price for the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian buffets, and this is really appreciable. We were served beetroot-ginger juice as a welcome drink, which was surprisingly tasty. The chicken clear soup was ok, and there were wheat breads and bread sticks and accompaniments. The main non-vegetarian dishes were Fish manchurian, fish masala, Chicken schezwan, and a chicken gravy. The fish dishes were refreshingly good and tasty, especially the fish masala.

Chicken pulav was good, but tasted more like chicken fried rice. There was something called ‘herb rice’ on the vegetarian side, which was nice. The veg noodles left a lot to be desired. I tried only the lady’s finger with salt and pepper from the vegetarian side, which was okayish. The desserts were nothing extraordinary. There was some kind of khoa sweet, rice kheer and fruits salad. We washed it off with a cool saunf sharbat, which I had for the first time, and found it surprisingly nice.

I don’t know if the ‘organic’ tag of the restaurant made any difference to the taste of the food. Nevertheless, the food was fresh and tasty. Even items which I do not normally enjoy were good enough in this restaurant. The best part is, they update their lunch menu everyday in their website. Full marks to this. In summary, the food was above average.

Service

This was the best part of the experience. The service was really good. The waiters were all prompt and at their heels to cater to the customers. The used plates were being cleared in no time, and the water glasses were being refilled even before you know it. Also, they answered all our questions on the food items patiently. I would rate the service excellent.

Verdict

Organic food is a new upmarket concept that is catching up in the big cities. Still organic food is rare and quite expensive too. However, this restaurant is priced reasonably (Rs.375 for non-veg, and Rs.300 for veg buffet), and the quality of the food, ambience, service are all good. Parking at peak hours could be the only setback. Overall the restaurant is worth trying – you might actually find the ‘organic’ part interesting after all.

Rating: 3.5/5

I would like to highlight these points:

• This trek is now not allowed. It is illegal to actually walk on active railway tracks.
• You may be questioned by railway authorities if found trekking here. And, believe me, they do not want people walking on active railway tracks and bridges.
• There were incidents where the train had to slow down when the driver saw some people on a bridge, and it is an uphill journey, and slowing down train makes it difficult to pick speed again, which is not nice for them.
• There is not much fun now, as the bridges have been laid with metal sheets, and it is not as exciting as walking on concrete sleepers alone for support.
• You won’t be allowed to tent or camp at Yedakumari, as senior officials visit these stations often, and it is an active station now. Civilization is more than 2 hours of walk from there.
• You won’t get permissions anywhere to do this trek.

It was two in the morning. From the cozy comfort of the KSRTC volvo, we got down at a dingy little tea shop in the highway town of Donigal. The plan was to start the trek from the Donigal railway station. After sipping uber-hot cups of tea, we enquired how far it was to the railway station. The chaai shop guy said it was 3 kms. We started walking in the darkness of the night, with the sole light from our torches swaying up and down the long stretch of the Bangalore-Mangalore highway. Every other second, the silence was broken by a crazily speeding vehicle that was hell bent upon driving us away from the paved road into the muddy footpath. The seven of us talked, laughed, chatted and walked.

After several minutes of walking (it should have been 60 minutes), and definitey covering a lot more than 3 kms, we reached a place that somewhat resembled a railway station. A steep climb up from the road took us to our planned starting point – the Donigal railway station. It was 4 am, and it was pitch dark. The station guards were asleep in the rooms, and we did not want to wake them up. We knew that trekking on a functional railway line was illegal, and were pretty apprehensive that they would drive us away from the station. Silently we tip toed to about a 100 yards away from the station entrance and sat down on the platform for the day light to start peeping out, so that we could start our walk on the tracks.

After about an hour, we started. Walking on a railway track is by no means child’s play. It is difficult, it is painful, and it is dangerous. One wrong step, and you would instantly fall down and bang your face into the concrete sleepers. We had to keep all our torch lights on while walking. The width of the sleepers was in such a way that the middle of our feet started paining slowly. Nevertheless, we knew we had to cover 18 kms of such track-walking, and we were prepared. We had to reach Yedakumari – our destination station by noon so that we could make it before dark to the highway. So, we continued our walk in the dark for the next 3 kms or so. That is when we reached the first bridge.

The railway track to Mangalore passes through some of the most picturesque hills of the western ghats. The train pulls up through these ghats chug-chugging along the bridges and tunnels. The whole stretch of the railway line passes through a number of such bridges and tunnels. Walking on these bridges is supposed to be the most thrilling part of this trek. You are high up in the hills, walking on the bridge, with ground at more than a 100 ft below your feet. You have nothing to hold on to, and one wrong step could leave you hurling down to the valley below. You have to be really careful and alert. And the tunnels are another story. If the train comes through when you are walking inside a tunnel, all you can do is wedge yourself in the small 4 ft space in between the speeding train and the tunnel wall, as the train brushes past your face. It is a shaky experience.

But we did not get to experience all the thrill. A metal sheet had been laid all through the length of the bridges, and it took away half the fun already. Walking on these metal sheeted bridges was a piece of cake. Contrast it with the earlier situation where you had to cross planks that were a foot and a half apart, and a couple of hundred feet high in the air. This track was previously abandoned, and train movement started here only in 2005. Around 3 to 4 trains pass through this route every day, most of them goods carriers. Since some repair work is going on in these tracks all the time, the railways decided to lay these metal sheets so that the workers can walk through the bridges easily without fear.

After walking for around 7 kms, we sat down to have breakfast. One of us had brought nice puliyogare, and the hunger made us lick it down to the last morsel. One thing I have to mention is, all along the route, a number of railway workers keep working on repairing the tracks. The kids in these groups keep asking you for biscuit packets. It would be a nice idea to keep some biscuit packets to give these kids.

Along the path, there were steep hills in some places, lining the track, and they had put metal meshes to keep the rocks from falling into the track. Rajesh displayed his monkeying skills by climbing up one of these meshes and posing for the camera.

As the day progressed, it was getting hotter and hotter, and the pain in our feet was tending to unbearable. We were looking for some kind of water source so that we could cool our heels. Soon we found one. A stream flowing through the ghats was good enough for us to jump into immediately. We played in the water for around an hour. The water was chill, and the stream was deep at places. But we had been to a lot of such streams in our treks, that we found no problem with it. The pain in our feet reduced a little, and we regained some of the energy lost due to dehydration. I should say that everyone doing this trek should carry at least 2 litres of water. That is what saved our day.

We had lunch at a small elevated place along the track. I had prepared nice tomato thokku the previous night in Bangalore, and carried it along. We had a feast on readymade chappatis and tomato thokku. A few packets of MTR ready-to-eat sambar rice packets also helped. Re-energised after the lunch, we started walking again.

As we were nearing the Yedakumari station, some of the railway offiicials who were inspecting the tracks stopped us to ask why we were walking on the tracks. They said we could be arrested for tresspassing on railway property. We had to blabber this and that, to escape from them. They warned us, and told us not to walk on the tracks. We sheepishly nodded our heads, and continued once they left. After walking 18 long kms, we finally reached the Yedakumari station, where a new shock awaited us.

By the time we reached Yedakumari, we were all panting and gasping. Our feet were completely sore and it pained like we could not keep another step ahead. We asked the guard in the station how to reach the highway from there. Shock! He asked us to walk another 4 kms, where we would get a forest path on the right. We had to walk into the forest from here, to reach the highway.

Swearing and cursing, we started walking again. This last 4 kms was the most painful of the whole trek. When we reached Yedakumari station, we had thought the trek was over, all the pain was over. But when we were told to walk another 4 kms, our spirits died away instantly. What a pain! Finally when we all made it to the start of this forest path, we could no longer stand. We all sat down to rest. There was hardly any energy left in us for the day. We were wondering aloud how we were going to make it through the forest to the highway, when our saviors appeared.

A jeep magically appeared on the forest path. It was some railway jeep, which was supplying gas cylinders for welding the joints in the tracks. We just casually asked the driver how far it was to the highway. He said 7 kms, and through the jungle, with elephants moving around. What??? We had expected the walk to be 1-2 kms, but never imagined it would be 7 kms. We were shell shocked. Then came the relief. The jeep guy offered to take us down to the highway. He said, it was dangerous to walk through the forest, and asked us if we wanted to hop into the jeep, so that he would drop us in Sakleshpur. We immediately jumped into the idea. What a relief that was!

Later we learnt that the jeep came there only once in 15 days. I don’t know if it was mere coincidence, or something else that the jeep came to the right place to pick us up at the right time of the day, as though it was waiting to carry us only. It was a long and bumpy ride to Sakleshpur. We had to cross a river in the middle, and the Mahindra jeep effortlessly accomplished the task. We also saw a lot of elephant dung along the forest path. In about an hour, we were in Sakleshpur bus stand.

That night, we stayed in a hotel in Sakleshpur, and the next morning, climbed a rustic and bumpy bus to Bangalore, with a whole lot of memories about an unforgettable and painful trek on the tracks.

You can take a look at the trail for this trek here. It has been mapped at TripNaksha
http://www.tripnaksha.com/index.php?option=com_trailembed&tview=134&trailname=Sakleshpur-Greenroutetrek&tmpl=component&theight=475&twidth=475

The probability of a remix song becoming sooper-dooper hit heavily depends on how popular and peppy the original was, how much the music director has kept his ambitions out of the remix, and how much the female in the remix shows her skin. Taking into consideration all of these environmental variables, I have made this list.

Disclaimer: This list is a reflection of how much I enjoy when each of these songs is played on TV, and should not be construed that I am being judgemental about the composition.

10. Yemperu Meenakumari from Kandasamy

The highlight of this song does not lie in the kulukkal movements of Mumaith Khan, or the sensationalism exhibited by her pierced tongue, but instead, it lies in the amazing free style body-shaking and hand-swinging movements of the half-naked old man along with her in the bus. If not for him, the song would not have been such an instant hit in all the patties and thotties of Tamilnadu.

9. Thottaal poo malarum from New

Care should be exercised while watching this song. The best option would be to use the turn-off-video button in your TV in case it is available. For the damned souls whose TV does not have this valuable switch, be ready to watch the King of torture S.J.Suryah who will continue to haunt your dreams long after the visuals are over.

8. Yeh Aatha Aathorama Vaariya from Malaikottai

A remix that survives only on the peppiness of the original! Whether she wears a Benares pattu or mini skirt, I don’t understand why Priyamani looks like she has just got out of bed and jumped into the stage to dance. The less said about the hero, the better.

7. Ponmagal Vandhaal from Azhagiya Tamil Magan

Does Shriya look like she has an Eclairs chocolate stuffed into her cheek, or is it just me? Anyway, a neat composition, rendered magical by Asslam’s voice. The music blends with the voice perfectly. A rare Sivaji Ganesan remix!

6. Vachikava unnai mattum nenjukulle from Silambattam

Though Simbu comes back with his serial-set background reused in all of his movies for budget purposes, and repeats his painfully familiar and hysterical ‘sit down, stand up, twist leg, move side’ exercise routine once more, the magic and peppiness of thalaivar’s song makes us want to listen to this remix composition again and again. Also it is a consolation that Yuvan Shankar Raja has kept his hands away from the ‘sprinkle-some-out-of-the-world-beats’ button, which has paid off.

5. Ennadi Muniyamma un kannula maiyee from Vaathiyar

A song immortalized by T.K.S.Natarajan’s voice, has been neatly remixed by Imaan. I have never watched the video of this song, but listened to the audio umpteen times, and it holds the magic of the original. I guess this is the only hit song in the album.

4. Thee pidikka thee pidikka from Arindhum Ariyaamalum

“Kaamamum kobamum ullam nirambave.. Kaalamum sella madinthidavo…” – when yesteryear superstar MKT Bhagavathar sang this harmless song 70 years back (!!!) little would he have imagined a skimpily clothed chick making out with a ruffian guy at the backseat of a car, in the backdrop of his song, interspersed with dance movements similar to pulling up your loose trousers. Listen to the original here.

3. Madai thiranthu paayum nadhi alai naan from Vallavan (Yogi B)

Though not a film song, this remix from Yogi B created ripples. It could be heard everywhere from Nair chaaya shop to Bangalore-Chennai video coach. Yogi B introduced hip hop to Tamil, and used an evergreen Ilayaraja composition to his advantage. Calling rap ‘Sollisai’ in Tamil is interesting too. One of the better made packages in remix genre.

2. Ennama kannu sowkiyama from Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam

It is strange that one of thalaivar’s most remembered duets is with Satyaraj (a guy!). The remix had enough nakkals and naiyaandies in it that it has overshadowed the original itself. Also, the contrast between Dhanush and Prakashraj is greater than the pair in the original, that the duel of words between them in the song sounds more convincing. One of my favorites from Imaan.

1. Engeyum eppodhum sangeetham santhosham from Polladhavan

The clear winner. Surprisingly, again starring Dhanush, and Yogi B. Music by G.V.Prakash. One of the few songs where Ramya looks hot. The clear winner here is SPB’s voice. Prakash has recreated the magic of the eighties. As Yogi B promises at the beginning of the song, they bring back the classic Kannadasan-MSV-SPB composition in a fine way, retaining the party spirit of the song.

There is still a whole bunch of interesting songs out there. With almost all music directors giving remixes these days, I hope there will be more remix-rains pouring in coming days.

Enjoy some candid photos of couples from my Goa trip…

The sea of Love

Romance on the beach

A long beach-walk

Let’s hold hands dear…

Enjoy maadi…

Dell

My PC broke down one fine day, and I decided to make my long term dream to own my first laptop come true. But hell broke loose from the day I ordered the laptop. (Yes, I ordered it, because DELL does not sell it off the shelf. And, I wanted a Studio 14 with Core2duo and with the maximum RAM memory they can stuff in, which was not going to be available off the shelf anyway). Coming back to hell, the laptop I ordered on Jan 4 did not come to me even after Feb 4.

Life came to a standstill, similar to traffic in Bangalore, which grew to insurmountable magnitudes, all the pleasures of life seemed to hopelessly drain into Ulsoor lake and I had to spend several sleepless nights in pain and anguish in this one month, because I had no PC. Finally, Brahma, the unworshipped god, decided to heed to my prayers and voiced a curse that Dell should give me an Intel Core i3 laptop instead of the Core2Duo I had ordered, and Dell had no other option but to execute the order of the one above. Dell gave me a wonderful looking laptop, and exported me to my ‘second life’. Phew!

Marriage

I was admiring the sheer beauty and awesomeness of my new laptop, when I felt a sharp excruciating pain at the back of my neck. I groaned in agony, and reached out my hand to the back of my neck to feel what caused the pain. It was a bite – an insect bite – to put it in comfortable words – a bug bite. Then it dawned upon me. I had been bitten by the marriage bug!

I did not realise that January 2010 – the month I had promised my parents I would signal green for marriage – had already come! I was caught completely off-guard when I was asked to give a photo of mine in which I looked everything but what I really am. Wait! That is not ethical – I tried to say, but was swat down heavily with the ‘Kosu-bat‘, and the photos I hated the most (From the enna-kodumai-sir-idhu list) were ripped off from my Flickr albums. The photos have been doing rounds all over Karnataka ever since, trying to attract a suitable ‘cow-girl’ for my parents (Adhaanga… maattu ponnu).

BMTC

In other news, BMTC has found a new passenger in me. Born with insanely large feet, which only accept shoes of size 12, I realised that I could not reduce my footprint. So, as a counter-measure I decided to reduce my carbon footprint by shunning my car and going to office in BMTC. Nice. The ride in the Volvo buses has been smooth for the past month and a half. Taking a bus to office has a whole set of advantages – right from taking off the tenshun of driving from your head, to letting you listen to the mellifluous voice of Goundamani in your ipod. Come on… everyone knows the unspoken truth – sight adichifying and jollu vittufying (revolutionary terms from Tamil language equivalent to the English term ‘ogling’) at the bus-traveling figars – the best way to spend the 45 minutes to office constructively. (Especially if you work in a detested-by-the-fairer-sex  industry like mine). Mission is accomplished I say.

Watched a Tamil movie called ‘Tamil movie’. (Tamil Padam in Tamil). Ayyoo… how many Tamil…!!! A bold venture into the parody movie genre in Tamil. It was refreshing. Despite having irritating actors like Venniraadai Murthy and Paravai Muniyamma, the movie was interesting enough. For a first kind of effort from a first time director, the movie was commendably good. Hope it yields more movies of the same genre in future.