Banasura Hills and Thirunelly - serenity meets divinity

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves" - Edmund Hillary

Hoping to conquer ourselves after a gap of three years , we set out to Wayanad. This time we had a joyous company of Gokul. Pakshipatalam was the destination but the trek is cancelled indefinitely (Contact Begur Forest Office at Mananthavady for more details). Hence we decided to trek the Banasura hill. Thirunelly temple was another place of interest for us.  

Ancient Thirunelly Temple is around 30km from Mananthavady (Rs 27, 1hr). This temple is inside the Tholpetty forest range. A short walk from the temple premises will take you to Papanasini river. Panchatheertham Tourist Home will offer basic rooms for Rs 300 (Tel: 04935 210201/ 04935-210055). There are many other options around - Ambika Tourist Home (Tel: 9747 916355/9495280427). Brahmagiri trek also starts from Thirunelly.  Check the status with Forest Office in advance as there is news that trekking is cancelled due to wildlife.

While waiting for Gokul, we enjoyed testing our glucose and cholesterol at the bus stand - a small kiosk run by the Govt of Kerala to monitor the health of God's Own People.

As we didn’t get a direct bus to the temple, we boarded the one towards Kutta and got down at the junction where the road deviates to Thirunelly temple . Crunchy and juicy Kuttettan's Unniappam welcomed us and kept us occupied until we got bus to the temple. There was a long queue of people near the temple waiting to meet a herbal medicine practitioner. We walked barefoot around the ancient temple taking-in the divine atmosphere and then walked to Papanasini. This temple is not so commercialized and still offers a serene atmosphere.  Gokul forgot his kaalankuda (single fold crook-handle umbrella) at many locations which gave us ample time for photos.

Evening was free and after a not so nice experience of watching movie in Wayanad, I was hesitant to give it a third try. Convincing me took a while and we opted to watch Pulimurugan (Malayalam movie starring Mohan Lal).  It was an entertaining movie but it was the experience which was incredible.  Starting from waiting in the ladies queue for the tickets - which is possible only in Kerala I am sure - to the non stop whistling ( by me of course ) during the movie, I was totally immersed in the world of cinema.  

Banasura hills are around the Bansasura Sagar Dam - constructed in 1979 across a tributary of Kabini river. Known as the largest earth dam in India, this dam recently made news as the first Solar project atop a hydel dam.  Legend says that the Asura king - Banasura, (the son of King Mahabali)undertook a severe penance on the top of these hills and thus it was named after him.

There are many hills around which are worth hiking up for a bird's eye view of the dam and the green mountains soaked in the morning mist. Easiest is to hike to Kattukunnu which would not take more than 90min of ascent. Another trail of 3hrs hike will take you to an altitude of 6800ft if you are blessed by good weather and wild animals - elephants, wild boars and gaurs (Bos gaurus) roam around in this area.


You can reach Kappikkalam to obtain your permits and start your trek. Padinjarethara is the nearest town and Kappikkalam is easily accessible by an auto-rickshaw (Rs 50) You can take a KSRTC bus starting at 7 a.m. from Mananthavady which loops  Mananthavady- Padinjarethara-Banasura-Panthipoyil-Vellamunda-Tharuvana-Mananthavady.

Trekking fee needs to be paid at Vana Samrakshana Samithi office of Varampetta, near Kappikkalam - depending on the duration of the treks starting at Rs 750 for 3hrs for a group of five and the guide's charge is extra. At 8.30 a.m, we started walking at a good pace and reached the peak by 9:45am, despite Gokul's selfie-stops with his new Decathlon shoes. Watch out for leeches in the first phase going through a dense forest with many damp areas. At the peak, while we were soaking in the greenery around, we chatted about early migration to Malabar, global warming, real estate and education. After having packed breakfast (puttu/kadala)  we returned to the VSS office by 11:30am. 

On our way back we made a stop at the Meenmutty Waterfalls and the swim in the pool was revitalizing. This is not the big Meenmutty falls, but a smaller one near Banasura Dam.

We walked back to Kappikkalam bus-stop but there was no bus showing up for a while. We got a free ride by a truck (TATA 1016) and the driver was happy to take us until Padinjarethara.  After a quick lunch, we visited Gokul's friend's family at Tharuvana. While relishing a delicious snack called Pathal and black coffee, 82year old grandmother fondly called Achamma (father's mother) had many stories to share about her childhood which gave us a glimpse of past lifestyle and education at Malabar. She never went to school but she was taught by a visiting teacher to read/write/arithmetic writing on palm leaf using 'naarayam' (stylus). Achamma was the first native person we met in Malabar; where most of the locals are second generation migrants from Kottayam.

We walked back to the CITY through the fields and enjoying the evening sun. Later in the evening we returned to Mananthavady riding another KSRTC bus for a good night's sleep and Gokul returned to Vadakara for his journey to Alleppey.  Next morning, we returned bus-hoping to Bangalore via  Kutta-Ponnampet-Gonikoppal-Hunsur-Mysore. Stopping at Kuttettan's was highly tempting!

How to reach:  An overnight KSRTC bus from Bangalore to Mananthavady costs Rs 390 (Non AC- Rajahamsa Executive) If you have lot of time, you could take a bus from Mysore via HD Kote-Bavali during the day. Better roads to drive is via Mysore-Hunsur-Gonikoppal-Ponnampet- Kutta-Tholpetty.

Where to stay: Kabani Tourist Home at VC Road Mananthavady (Rs 400 dbl) is easily accessible and one of the cheapies. Hot water and clean toilets, but carry some extra bedsheet.

Where to eat: A small but clean restaurant by the name Kabini is hidden next to Parayil Tourist Home very close to Kabini Tourist Home dishes up usual Kerala delicacies cooked using firewood. Puttu/Kadala/Egg Roast Rs 40. Vegetarian Meals Rs 35.

Going Around: Plenty of KSRTC and private buses from Mananthavady bus station to any direction in Wayanad. There is a direct day bus at 10:30am to Bangalore - a favorite of the students.

Hampi - the bouldering capital

Travelling - it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a story teller. - Ibn Battuta.

The quote holds good for me, and this could be one reason why it's easy to strike conversation with anyone at any given point of time.  Having travelled for an year across India and then retiring to the normal job didn't seem so strange at the beginning. After a while when the real self awakens - especially after the long hours of zazen (the zen meditation practice)  - the travel itch started appearing time and again. We did manage to travel a bit in between, but there hasn't been any post in the recent times.

As the quote from Walt Whitman goes - " Not I nor anyone else can travel the road for you. You must travel it for yourself". Pondering on this thought, and deciding not to postpone my desired trip to Hampi any longer, made up my mind to travel solo. Travel solo, but not alone - reflecting on these words I signed up with a group - Get Beyond Limits - for a  two day "Hampi Bouldering and Heritage Trek". Though a bit apprehensive at the beginning  it didn't take long to be optimistic about meeting interesting people and making new friends! During the fun filled bus journey from Bangalore to Hampi , with the positive  vibe and  seasoned travellers, the journey seemed short and new friends were already added on my list.

It was a two day expedition, and the most fascinating part was the bouldering session.  Bouldering session with Tom and Jerry Climbing was priceless,  my rock climbing experience did help me but this is more raw - you don’t have harness on you - and it's only the rock and you. Being a little discomposed, climbing at the first attempt was not easy. Thud! On the crash pad !! It took some time to give it a second attempt which was better, thanks to the reassurance from the crowd and the trainer who kept suggesting the alternate ways to help me get to the top.  Though it was just a rock, the feeling  was that of conquering a hill -  in fact the fear of not being able to climb the rock was conquered .  We further tried our skill of bouldering on other rocks. 

There aren't many restaurants in Hampi that serve local food. Most of them cater to the taste buds of Europeans and Americans. Mango Tree Restaurant serves delicious food, close to Virupaksha Temple. With adequate time to explore the heritage side of Hampi, we started walking without wasting much time. A place so terrific in ruins must have been enchanting in its prime. The visit to Sanapur lake was the prized moment in the whole trip , the reservoir was full and the wind blowing made us drench in the water. This was unexpected and made the surprise invaluable.  Leaving  the lake and reservoir adventure behind us, we climbed on a hill to watch sunset. Exploring further, a beautiful cave  was found- I am indebted to Jatin for showing me to the cave - from where the view of sunset was par spectacular.  The sumptuous dinner from Laughing Buddha was appetizing  and a good way to end the eventful day.

  
Next morning waking up at 4a.m. saddling on our hired mopeds, we set out to Anjaneya hill to catch a glimpse of sunrise. It was fun riding the TVS XL  Heavy Duty on the empty roads and 18 of us riding together was amazing.  Next destination - Vittala Temple  -was made a tad more interesting by doing a quick hike around the small hills to reach the temple instead of going on the road by the electric vehicles. I would like to thank Shaswath for being such a good company in crazy things we did in the trip and for sharing the moped. We then went on to the waterfalls where few of them tried their diving skills and enjoyed swimming. Here I took sometime to be with myself and sat next to a small waterfall close by. The sound of the flowing water took me back in time when Romin and I sat by a waterfall in Kemmanagundi on one of our first treks together.

Locals are very happy when we talk to them in Kannada and are generally  helpful . We stayed in The Gopi Island Guest House, at Virupapuragaddi . Sharing room with Neha was like sharing it with a friend I knew for long time - Thanks Neha for making it so easy and simple. It's always better to be a little cautious, as we ran in to a small trouble in terms of  money with one of the boatmen. It has been a very different experience travelling solo -here a quote from  Jacqueline Boone " Travelling solo doesn't mean you are alone, sometimes you meet marvellous people along the way and make connections that last for a lifetime". Indeed I made many friends and have added many good memories.I feel more confident to travel solo again… Don't worry, Be Hampi !!! 

Bodhi Zendo - Abide where there is no abiding

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This is not a resort or tourist attraction; but for those looking for a non-religious spiritual get-away, Bodhizendo offers three day meditation course every first Thursday of the month. You can stay here at any time of the year if you follow the monastic order. Bodhizendo was set up by Fr.AMA Samy, a Jesuit priest, an independent Zen master, combining the Hinduism, Christianity and Zen Buddhism. The center offers bread and board for a meager Rs.350/- per person per day. The rooms are basic and neatly furnished; the best housekeeping we have ever seen. The entire center runs on eco-friendly solar heating with a very minimalist approach. A very well landscaped center garden and zen garden surrounded by deep valleys and lush greenery including a vegetable garden. While staying here, me wet many interesting and people from around the world who all have one common goal- to live a meaningful life. 

Read more about the meditation: http://www.intromeditation.com/Wordpress/bodhi-zendo-monastery-in-india/

To reach here from Coimbatore, you need to take a bus to Palani (3hrs) and board another bus heading towards Kodaikanal (2hrs) and get down at Perumalmalai, 12km before Kodaikanal, through the winding road, which makes the bus a vomit comet. A 30min walk from Perumalmalai junction through St. Joseph's Farm will take you to Bodhizendo.

The nearest railway station is Kodai Road but easily accessible is Dindigul Junction. From Perumalmalai, you can go to Dindigul (2hrs) and Madurai(3hrs) via Vatalagundu. Another option is Thekkady via Vatalagundu-Theni-Cumbum-Kumily (4hrs,Rs.55) Locals say there is a route from Kodai to Munnar via Kilavarai with 7km walk if you get permissions from the TN Forest Department. There is a private bus (Rs 750, 5hrs) from Kodai to Munnar via Bodhinayakanoor which starts only if they enough passengers. The easiest way to reach southern part of TamilNadu or Kerala from here is to take a train from Madurai or Dindigul. There are many trains to Chennai and Bangalore from Dindigul. If you are travelling to Cochin or Coimbatore, take a bus to Palani and proceed further. Dindigul and Palani are in two different directions from Perumalmalai and takes less than 3hrs by bus.

The schedule is as follows :

5:30 am : Wake up gong
6-7 am : Formal Zazen (sitting meditation)
7-8 am : Breakfast
8-9:30 am: Samu/Seva
9:30 am : Coffee/Tea
10:30 - 12 noon : Silence
12-12:30 : Free zazen
12:30 - 1:30 pm : Lunch
1:30 - 4 pm: Silence
4 pm : Coffee/Tea

5:30 onward Silence
6 - 7 pm : Formal Zazen
7 - 8 pm : Dinner
8-8:30 pm : Free zazen 

Samu/seva is expected from everyone for 90min a day. During mini-sesshin (3days) and long sesshin (6days) there will be longer hours of zazen- 7hrs with breaks in between. You need to spend at least 3days to settle into this quiet experience of soul-searching. We spent close to five weeks here including a long sesshin in June. Any time is ideal time to visit the place but from December to May the house usually is full. It is not necessary to come during the sesshin, other times are equally useful and worthy. At the time of our visit the master was present and he left to Europe for 3 months. 

If you want to work on yourself, spend a few days here. You may go back with a different worldview.

This is the practice of Shikantaza: just sitting, just observing, just being here and now, with no seeking and no goals. It is the intimacy with oneself and with the world. This is the Zazen of intimacy.

From the book:  Zen heart,  Zen Mind
The teachings of zen master AMA Samy

Anjana Vidyakendra- a rural school to make a difference

After a year long backpacking trips through rural India,  we have come back to Bangalore, but rural Bangalore. We are working as primary school teachers at a rural (halli) school. The location is at Tattanoor, 20km away from Whitefield and 15km from Sarjapura. The school is 7km from Ayurvedagram, which is around 13km from Hope Farm junction, Whitefield. Other route is from Sarjapura which is closer to Silk Board.  

Teach for a Lunch:

Please visit us on a saturday. You can bring your family too. You can engage a class- be it a topic from syllabus or out-of-syllabus. Bring your puzzles/games/skills. 
Have lunch with us and return in the afternoon. Or just come to our school to meet our enthusiastic children. They slide down from the library after taking a book to read. They walk barefoot on the courtyard cow dung (gobar) flooring - antibacterial and a natural insect repellent. Our students draw kolams on this floor in different geometric patterns that they learned in their Mathematics class. Did you know the kolams were put in front of the house to keep the ants at the door step?

A rocking amphi-theater with a honge tree at the center. A 'play-station' loaded with sports and recreation. Mouth-watering nutrition meals. It would be nice for your kids to know what they have in plenty and what they are deprived of :-)

http://brahmi.org - see more details on the website. About the name,  school is named after Hanuman's mother. Channa Raju and his wife Uma started this school to provide education to the girls in this area - so that at least they can postpone the eventuality of child marriage (15 or 16 they get married off). 

At Anjana Vidyakendra, we use methods from Arvind Gupta, Sudarshan Kanna, Khan Academy and Teachers of India - more suitable for rural children who may not have access to projector and digital classes.  We make toys from scrap materials. We play games with left hand. We made puzzles out of food packages.

 

See the pictures: https://plus.google.com/101149651204061760649#photos/101149651204061760649/albums/5979154604236780289

 

We have a science exhibition in February saturday and with that we wind up from Anjana for this academic year.

Minimalist travellers

From the pristine Northeast to the pampered by tourists South we saw the diverse and vivid colours of India! The last year was undeniably the best times in our life so far. The exquisite cultural experience, umpteen memorable moments, priceless friends - make the experience of our travel precious.

The trip began with charming Shillong - a very appealing welcome to the Northeast! Next was the romantic Bomdila and heavenly Tawang with generous locals. Fairytale Menchuka - this place is a fairytale with people precious like angels. Enthralling Sohra (aka Cherrapunjee) with tender and warm populace, mesmeric Mizoram with stunning people, the elegant Nagaland - Hornbill festival - with captivating men and women. Very confidently we can declare that exploring Northeast India was the only desire we ever had. Despite spending three months there, we feel places to be explored are plentiful. 

Jobless - Yes, we were not on sabbatical, had no job to come back to. The idea behind travelling was to experience different cultures, to figure out various possibilities of job. Today, we know which job interests us, what location pleases us. With so many friends all over India, surely we have a lot of job opportunities.

A few takeaways from our travel experience:

• Time - it is a luxury, relish and enjoy while you have it. Money can't buy time, on the other hand time can buy you money. 
• Nature - it has provided us more than it can, yet we are greedy for more. Care for nature in every step you take.
• Health- take care of your health without excuses, 20min exercise everyday helps a lot, both mind and body.

As a philosophy of life, we follow 'Minimalism'; a tool used to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom. Read more:  http://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/

Toy train and a birthday gift

(C) IRCTC

A birthday gift can't be better than this according to me - a ride on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway miniature train munching homemade chocolates, with my soul mate. We took the ride from Udaghamandalam (Ooty) to Mettupalayam. The train runs on diesel engine from Ooty to Conoor and changes to steam engine at Conoor. Not only the ride but the scenery too gets fascinating Conoor onwards. The chugging and puffing of the steam engine takes us a few years back, with the hot white puff of steam giving a fairytale effect. The huge mountains, numerous tunnels and the breath-taking bridges - increases the level of excitement and the adrenalin rush. Little past Conoor, we were lucky to spot a wild elephant running ahead of us on the track bewildered by the screeching horn of the train. It was surprising to see the steam engine run so fast, when it reached the plains. The ride is something to be experienced and not possible to express merely in words. The concept of Mountain Railways is flabbergasting!

It is easier to get the tickets for the downward journey (Ooty-Metupalaiyam) than upward (Metupalaiyam-Ooty). As the train takes the same route uphill and downhill it is not disappointing travelling downhill. Second seating costs you Rs.25, starting at 2:15pm and reaching Mettupalayam before 6pm.

Apart from Nilgiri Mountain Railway and homemade chocolates the reason to go to Ooty was to visit Keystone Foundation (www.keystone-foundation.org) in Kotagiri. In Ooty, Raja Lodge (0423-2443512, #5, Mannuvel pillai st, main bazar, near bus stand, opp railway station) is a good option with double rooms ranging from Rs.300-600, former with shared bathroom and the latter with private bathroom and water heater. While in Ooty, we were obliged, faute de mieux, to stroll through the Botanical Garden - very popular amongst Bollywood as well as south Indian movies for romantic song sequences. Thanks to the rains and low number of tourists, for proving the following sentence from Lonely Planet about the garden wrong - "Look out for a fossilised tree trunk believed to be around 20 million years old, and on busy days, roughly 20 million Indian tourists".

Kotagiri:
Nilgiris comprise of three popular hill stations - Ooty, Conoor and Kotagiri. Kotagiri being the oldest of the three stands at an elevation of 1800m amidst tea estates. The road to Kotagiri passes through one of the highest points in the locality of 2400m. Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri is an NGO working for betterment of the indigenous communities. The unique talent of few indigenous communities is honey collection. The organisation mainly focuses on honey collection and related products. They encourage indigenous people to collect honey the traditional way and keep a watch on ecological balance through experienced environmentalists. They market all products made my indigenous people and sell through the marketing label Lastforest. They have Green Shops that sells the products like honey, soap made out of bee wax, locally grown organic spices etc. These shops are to be found in Kotagiri and Ooty. They also run a Bee Museum in Ooty, which apart from having interesting facts about bee also showcases informative and educational movies (not commercial movies). The ride to Kotagiri from Ooty itself is interesting which takes a little more than an hour. Unlike Ooty, you will not be disturbed by touts or guides here and you can wander on your own in this clean town.

The pleasant weather and the welcoming people of Kotagiri made us stay in Kotagiri for a day instead of Ooty. Kotagiri enjoys a climatic advantage over Ooty in that it is protected by the Doddabetta mountain range from the onslaught of the south-west monsoon. Restaurant next door dishes up delicious Tamil Nadu style meals, but no dinner. Interestingly Kotagiri has got a lot of schools ranging from Government to International Boarding Schools. The main income of the place is from tea and agriculture, tourism has not picked up in this hill station of Nilgiris. Next morning we set off to Ooty to board the long awaited Nilgiri Mountain Railway miniature train. Stay at
Ramesh Vihar Hotel, HRM Buildings, Kamaraj Square (Tel : 04266 271346, dbl Rs 825), better than a few cheapies on the same road.

Vagamon - Laurie Baker's home

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 Did you know Laurie Baker lived at Vagamon before he moved to Thiruvananthapuram circa 1960? Well, it was a serendipity for us when we reached Asha Sadan at Kurisumala.

After the novelty of monsoon showers, it was not a very good idea to ride a motorcycle to Vagamon from Cherthala. There is a shorter route from Cherthala via Vechoor-Edayazham-Kallara-Kuruppunthara-Kuravilangad-Pala-Erattupetta to Vagamon taking around four hours  covering 100km by an old Yamaha RX100. Change gears after Erattupetta for winding, steep, war field like roads. The roads are preparing for a  complete 4lane conversion and many blasts tore open the mountains. Few sections of the road reminded us of the roads in Arunachal Pradesh.

Deluge of the monsoon season berained the valleys and mountains. At 982m altitude the three hills -  Thangalmala, Muruganmala and Kurishumala at Vagamon were wet and cold requiring some warm clothes. There are frequent KSRTC buses from Kottayam and Pala. A few private buses go to Kumily via Vagamon-Elappara. The old house of eco friendly master architect Laurie Baker was bought by a nature lover and he developed Asha Sadan (Tel: 98479914519, 8281723268, dbl Rs.800, www.econestashasadan.com), simple vegetarian meals are not overpriced and very tasty. You can choose from basic rooms, cottages and dormitory. Sagar, the manager claimed upto 250 people have stayed at once there including many Malayalam movie stars.  Strolling around a lovely campus of Asha Sadan watching the lush green slopes filled with a thick blanket of fog is sheer bliss. Kurishumala Ashramam is a short walk away.




Four kilometre away from Kurishumala, at the town centre restaurants and lodges greet the tourist. Love Land Home (Tel: 9961017379, dbl Rs.700) is run by Seban and his brother Joji offering rooms and cottages. They can arrange home cooked food. Their mother Mary Kutty runs a restaurant at central junction, Kurishumala.

Vagamon is frequented by college students and youngsters looking for a cool location to consume hot booze. Film making crew and honeymoon couples throng the meadows and tea estates for shooting. Pine Valley, Thangal Para, Kurishumala Ashramam, Kolahalamedu, Suicide Point and cattle unit are the places of interest for 'sight-seeing' tourist. 

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Travellers can take a ride to Elappara (15km, 1hr) or Elaveezhupoonchira (22km, 2hr) to soak in the complete experience of the Western ghats. We got soaked in the morning, literally, after a ride to Elappara through the bad roads among the hills shrouded in the mist. Elappara is a medium sized town with petrol pump and ATM thriving on tea estate economy. Two roads in opposite direction take you to Kuttikanam and Kattapana from here. If you are driving from Munnar to Thekkady stopping at Vagamon is a good option. Less touristy and more misty.

The traveler is active; he goes strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes 'sight-seeing'. - Daniel Boorstin