Date with Nature (Munnar, Thekkadi, Alappuza) Concluding part

Defying the prescription of travelling light on a mountain-drive, we started from Guruvayoor on a rather full stomach to Munnar. Fortunately we got off to a good start with Aunty and I taking turns to share with Ragu and Padma what little we knew by way of sthala puranas of Guruvayoor and Mammiyoor.

Rows of furniture shops on both side of the road in a particular stretch arrested our attention, half way through the journey. I have always been looking for an easy chair to relax and read newspaper, or watch TV before dozing off in a few minutes. After all, rest and relaxation is one’s birthright more so at the second half of one’s retirement, I insisted. Alas, the easy-chair we selected - teakwood, elegant, sturdy, at Rs 2700/- as opposed to what Ragu bought online for Rs 6700/- - would not get into the dickey.

During the climb the ladies asked us to stop at shops that sold spices and herbal oil that promised lustrous hair, if not at least arrest hair-fall. Aunty’s similar collection bought from Ooty two months ago still awaits inauguration, by the way. But their acquisition-spree went unabated.

The hotel in Munnar is elegantly located and majestic in appearance. I played the senior citizen card once again. I asked the desk manager if, as seniors, he had any plans to upgrade the rooms for us. He smiled and said, “Sir you are booked for rooms without balcony, but I shall give you with balcony.” That was more than what we could ask for. The rooms had beautifully finished cane chairs, with tastefully made simple, elegant teakwood cot. Once again, that set me re-think on my furniture back home, bought on a life-time basis just two years ago. The breakfast, dinner, ambience, everything about the hotel was good. 

In sharp contrast, the hotel in Thekkady just looked just a shop from the front. We were disappointed. Luckily we had not paid any advance. So we insisted on seeing the accommodation first. As he took us inside, it was like the Jambhavan cave where the front was deceptive and inside it led us to a series of stone steps before it culminated into a four-floor structure. We checked in, and decided to watch IPL match before going out for dinner. Alas, that was not to be. The plug-in facility allowed you to either enjoy fan or TV, not both. And the Manager attributed it to the historic flood that swept the area last year.

Next morning we roamed around Thekkady to be on time for the 3.15 pm boat ride. The passengers of the 1.15 ride saw among other things, a herd of elephants drinking water at the banks. “They will still again be thirsty in the evening,” the optimism in us reassured us.. All that we could see in that 1-1/2 ride was a solitary elephant at a distance drinking water, and herds of wild buffalos moving around. “Not a lucky ride,” we wrote it off.

In Alapuzza, apart from sightseeing, we had booked for an Ayurvedic whole-body massage. That meant taking us by boat for about half an hour to reach that centre on the banks. This to and fro exclusive ride in the same boat gave us an opportunity to interact with the boatman - a young man in his early twenties - on the political scenario in Kerala. He, and a host of his friends, had apparently availed of a particular loan scheme that the Government at the Centre had initiated, and their minds seemed set.

On return to Bangalore, a message awaited us from the airlines. The Civil Aviation ministry has grounded all Boeing 737-Max planes because of a few accidents over the world on a software issue, and asking me and Aunty if we would like to re-book or cancel our Bangalore-Kolkata-Bangalore trip scheduled to start on 26 April. This is an arrangement with yet another sister-in-law and her husband, also in Bangalore, for a week’s holiday. We rang them up only to hear them shout, ‘cancellation, the last resort.”

SFV Celebrates Ramanavami – An Enchanting Evening

SFV had a taste of yet another in-house talent surfacing. Yes, as part of Ramanavami celebrations, Ravichandran of Alder enchanted SFVians at Club House with his bhajan, with no signs of having given a performance in Kumbakonam only yesterday.  Our profound thanks to the ladies of the Satsang group for roping him in. And, along with Ravi & Co, Shri Thyagarajan, of Alder 8065, rendered some Carnatic numbers. Personally, I would like to check his lineage - if he comes from a family of musicians – given the ease with which he sang the numbers. For now the message is: hidden treasures abound SFV. Better explore them in full.

The mike, combined with the acoustics of the Hall, played truant initially, but the unrelenting team – the operator, Uma and Panindra – tamed it. The mridangam player and the other percussionist played their roles to perfection, as di the vocal second-line supporter, who in his own right was a good singer. The net result: the audience was treated to a two-hour enchanting bhajan.

Side by side, Navin Kashyap, SFV's accredited priest for such occasions, did a commendable job of his portfolio. He almost succeeded in persuading Lord Rama to descend to Club House for a while. Alas, we won't have Navin’s company for long. He is all set to relocate to Singapore in a couple of months. We wish him, Sudha and their versatile, charming daughter all the best wherever they go.

It will be an under statement if I said the function was well attended. The hall was jam-packed; the latecomers had to content standing to enjoy the proceedings. No wonder we heard someone whisper, I think next year we should hold it in Chowdiah Hall. “Venue aside,” quipped the other, “hereafter Ramanavami celebrations should culminate in Ravi's bhajan”.

Over the years prasadam distribution is getting to be done to perfection, with children and the elderly being given preference by the rest on their own accord. Also, this year many had complied with the request of the organizers to bring their own plates for prasadam - from the wet-waste management point of view. I only wish I were able to say the same thing about not wearing footwear while coming to the function.

Amidst this serene atmosphere, two things stole my mind. One, the three young boys sporting panchagachham (the prescribed dress for ceremonies) negotiating their way to the specially decorated 'puja premises' and stand still before the 'altar' to seek blessings. It seems the thread ceremony of one boy had just been concluded judging from his clean-shaven head with a tuft to signify the event. It was a pleasant sight.

The other was the brief 'encounter' with Brigadier Visweswaraya, staying with his wife on the 13^th floor of Ebony where, he said, his son lived a few floors above them.  He had served the British Army, and said he retired in 1941 (I was one year old then, I told myself), and had received accolades from Queen, including some 30-odd gold coins in kind. He says he is now 110 years old. But I told him I would need to verify it, maybe with his son. But he was firm. If so SFV should honour this 'oldest young man' of SFV. 

Date with Nature (Munnar, Thekkadi, Alappuza) Part I

I always manage to steal a visit to Kerala, God's Own Country, when an opportunity lends itself. So when I had to attend my friend Vichhu’s daughter’s marriage in Coimbatore, I said to myself, not without a visit to Guruvayoor. “And, how about inviting Ragu and Padma, our family friends, to join us at Guruvayoor?”  I got an inner call. They were keen to visit Kerala for long. Only in January they took us around Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Trichy...  Let me reciprocate it with Guruvayoor, Munnar, Thekkadi and Alappuza. Thus what started off as a purely 'business' trip culminated into a business-cum-prayer-cum-pleasure trip.

A few hours before departure we had the privilege to attend an enchanting traditional bhajan organized by Ravichandran of Alder 8022 at his home - as though to wish us bon voyage. The larger SFVian community will have an opportunity to see Ravi's group in action again on Sunday evening, 14 April, at Club House during the Ramanavami celebrations, thanks to the SFV Satsang Group.

It was a sort of Ram-Bharat milan of Vichhu in Coimbatore - after a long time. He is a man for all seasons, well informed and, above all, an excellent conversationalist. Unfortunately an accident during a highway drive years ago impaired his speech and movement. Regardless he is full of life.

From Coimbatore we reached Thrissur early and waited at the station for Ragu and Padma, coming from Bangalore. The train halted, but I could see only Padma, that too minus her customary smile. And no trace of Ragu. “Where is Ragu?” I asked her. “He alighted even before the train had fully stopped to rush to the Railway Protection Police (RPP) office.” “What on earth for?” I persisted.  Yes, the ever-in-a-hurry Ragu had begun to keep his luggage one by one near the exit door no sooner than the train had left Vadakkanchery, the station prior to Thrissur. By the time he brought the second suitcase near the door, the first one managed to roll down to the ground through the open door as he watched it with open-mouthed helplessness.

To give him moral support I too rushed to the RPP office. After the deliberations, the constable thought it better to note down my mobile number as I could communicate in Malayalam, should he make any headway in tracing it. 

We got into a car, directed the driver to the nearest Kalyan Silks showroom to buy essential garments for Padma, whose suitcase it was, before rushing to Guruvayoor to be on time for Senior Citizen darshan. Hardly had the car gone a kilometer when I got a call from RPP asking us to rush to Vadakkanchery railway station.

Yes, a rag-picker walking along the tracks on his day’s treasure-hunt, chanced upon the suitcase, and carried it to deposit it with the Station Master It could have been a field day, but honesty knows no bounds. An overwhelmed Ragu handed a five-hundred rupee note to the Station Master with a request to hand it over to the boy should he turn up later.  “I hope he does, but what if he didn't,” quipped the Station Master. “You wait for a week, and after that put it in the hundi of the nearest temple,” Ragu replied as we, now a transformed beaming lot, got into the car to rush to Guruvayoor. We missed the Senior Citizen darshan by a whisker. But since Ragu’s earlier prayer to Guruvayoorappan for a safe retrieval of the suitcase was acceded, as gratitude Ragu bought one of the higher-end archana tickets which also permitted a special entry for darshan. As a bonus we smiled at Suresh Gopi, Malayalam actor, standing head and shoulders above the rest at the entrance. He is contesting from Thrissur on a BJP ticket.

Early next morning we stood in time at the Senior Citizen queue and had darshan not once but twice. Now a fully satisfied lot, we headed to Krishna Inn for a buffet breakfast. The menu, aside the normal South Indian items, included the Kerala special Ela Ada and Puttu. Normally one should go light before a mountainous drive. But the fare was too tempting to resist. So we said, next time onwards, and had a go at it.

Off to Munnar (next)