My weekend getaway was quite a different experience. A visit to a coffee plantation( No-Not Coorg) was not just about long walks in the estate, or watching picking and pulping of coffee seeds or even getting lost in the many species of birds that were fluttering high. It promised to be a discovery of sorts.
Blended with history and spirituality, the aroma was stronger. We started the weekend with a visit to a small hamlet , Shettihalli.
We were cruising down from Bangalore towards Hassan on the bypass road and the milestone read 2 kms to Hassan- a town steeped in history (found in 11th century ) and the headquarters of the Malnad region in Karnataka . (more…)
This is a city where the past is the present, where Gods still linger and monarchs are worshipped , where myths and legends merge to create history , where romance is about wars fought and won, where art is a way of life , where stones speak and the silence of the scultures speak of a glorious past, where winged creatures are not birds , but Gods , where the spirit of Renaissance still lives on the streets , celebrating the exuberance of life. Its the root of civilisation and ironically, you run away from civilisation the moment you set foot here , as you step into the bygone eras .
This trip for me was personal and special. I ‘ve poured over the stories from classical mythology , learnt by rote the names of all the Gods and Goddesses, dreamt of Zeus and Venus, got intoxicated by Bachchus and smitten by Cupid and read all the exploits of the Ceasars and imagined Nero fiddling … and I completely got lost amidst the art and architecture . It was hot and humid and extremely crowded .
There was art in every nook and corner. Statues and sculptures screamed for attention as pretty fountains dotted every street . Each piazza has a history behind it, be it Piazza Navona or Piazza Venezia or Piazza Di Spagna . In Piazza Navona are three fountains: Fontana del Moro, Fontana di Nettuno and in the centre of the square Bernini’s magnificent Fontana dei Fiumi. Four allegorical statues portray the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata, symbolizing the four corners of the world. (more…)
Warning : The call of the wild is a cry that should not be ignored . It can cause you sleepless nights You will be woken up in the night by howling wolves and you will start seeing sillhouttes of elephants next to you in the dark ! A snake will slither down your feet as an invisible insect will screech into your ears .. So, when the cry started echoing in our ears , we decided to pack our bags and drive down to the forests .
Our destination was Masinagudi , a secluded quaint town, lost to the wilderness . Nestled at the foothills of the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, I was told that historically this border town was the capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Wynad .. It derives its name from the Goddess Masaniamma . Abutting the wildlife sanctuaries of Bandipur in Karnataka and Mudhumalai in Tamil nadu, Masinagudi can be best described in one word - WILD !
We left Bangalore in the wee hours of the morning and drove towards Mysore. The forests presented themselves as we reached Bandipur. The cool breeze brushed past our cheek ; a slight drizzle lent some freshness to the air. A carpet of greens veiled our eyes .The sun filtered through the canopy of bamboos that were scattered around . We crossed the Karnataka border and drove in almost silent reverence across the Mudhumalai sanctuary A deer darted through the bush . A peacock raised its head . The silence was only punctuated by the sharp cries of the babblers who probably announced our arrival .
Masingaudi today is a cluster of hamlets like Theppakadu, Bokkapuram which are dotted with resorts and home stays that offer a jungli experience . We found some interesting resorts during our three visits . The first one was Casa Deep Woods - we had been there some five years, and it has a stream running adjacent to our wild habitat , (more…)
It was the darkness that first met my gaze. A thick blanket that shrouded everything, including my mind, as I collected my first thoughts of this year .
It took a moment to sink in. 40 feet above ground, suspended between branches of a jamun tree in a dense 300 acre of wild and awakened by a montage of cries that you will probably never hear in the confines of your bedroom. And the only human to share this experience was my husband, sleeping . What a way to welcome the new year !
We are one of those people who like the word different and love to make it a part of our every day’s experience. A human weakness, I would say - to wear our different experience on our sleeve, feel good about it and occasionally pat our back saying that we did something ‘different’. A stereotype that redefines stereotypes.
