"The Bungalow" at Ooty managed by Tranquilitea is truly a home away from home. I had booked the entire Bungalow located in the heart of Ooty near the Race Course for 3 days. The occasion - my parents wedding anniversary and my son's freedom from Board exams.
The caretaker Amudha and her family took enough care to make our stay very memorable and what I liked is their prompt service and never say no attitude. The best thing about the package was the FOOD and being a foodie this comes top on my priority list. Amudha charged us ONLY for the ingredients that were used to cook our meals. You can't believe it,but yes its true. The cost used to be a measly 200 or 300 bucks for a great meal dished out to a family of 5 foodies !!!! Its always said that our appetite increases while we are at a hill-station and if the food is great, what a combination for a hearty meal be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian....
The Bungalow has 3 large bedrooms with attached bathrooms; a dining room and a living room with a lone Television set. The Bungalow must be atleast 80+ years old but well maintained and the furniture is real antique. T he weather was very cold even while it was scorching summer elsewhere in India but the caretaker ensured we were kept warm by lighting firewood at the fireplaces located in every bedroom and living room. Fortunately there was no power shutdown while we were there and this ensured 24 hours hot water running in the taps. The place is well maintained and kept very clean including the bed linen and bath towels changed every day.
The Bungalow has a sit out in the open lawns outside, where one can enjoy nature and chirping of birds while sipping hot coffee. I could spot so many sparrows which is now rare in cities like Bangalore. At night one can use the Barbeque setup but thanks to rains every evening, we had to give this a miss.
On the trail of Rocky and Mayur of HOMP fame (NDTV Good times), we also took time to meet Sandeep Subramani at Coonoor, who manages Tranquilitea. Tranquilitea apparently appeared in this famous Foodie TV show recently. He showed us around the vast tea gardens located within the other property called Tenerife. We were treated to the best tea I ever had in my life (without milk and sugar) plucked from the tea gardens. I never ever imagined, tea tasted so good in its original form. Sandeep is a young entrepreneur (mid 20s perhaps) who says "Tea runs in his veins more than blood" and is very passionate about tea tasting. He is now successfully into managing Holiday stay properties at Ooty and Coonoor.
I would rate "The Bungalow" highly and recommend to all my friends who read my travel blog http://arvind-kamath.blogspot.com
Home Stay experience at Heavenly Coorg
Home Stay experience at Heavenly Coorg
This was my 5th visit to Coorg and 2nd to Palace Estates in just 2 years !! I had now experienced “home stay” after my initial stay at Palace Estate in October 2010. Palace Estate is located at Kakkabe, a small town about 30 kms from the capital of Coorg (a.k.a. Kodogu) called Mercara (a.k.a. Madikeri ). The local people called Kodavas still prefer to use anglicized version of these names. The distance from Bangalore to Kakkabe is about 280kms via Mysore/Madikeri and the journey time is approximately 6 hours with a short tea break. It took us long since the road at some stretches from Madikeri to Kakkabe was in pitiable condition fit only for bullock carts or hardened trekkers. Finally we reached the place just in time to savour the sumptuous lunch provided by our host, Prasad Apparanda of Palace Estate Home Stay.
The advantages of staying at a home stay, which I realized, are many especially if you want to discover the lifestyle of the local people; their cuisine; culture etc. Before this visit, although I had stayed at Resorts or self styled star hotels in Coorg, I never discovered the local culture. The Kodavas worship nature and ancestors and are not strict followers of deities. The locals speak the native Kodava language which is similar to Tulu spoken in Mangalore. Like Tulu, this language too, does not have a script of its own. Ladies wear their sarees in a peculiar way, which is folded backwards. The men folk wear Coorgi jacket or coat accompanied by a neat turban and a dagger lodged near the waist. They take pride in being called warriors and take active part in sporting activities. No wonder we have seen many Coorgis occupy a place of pride in the Indian army and also in the sporting arena. The Coorgis were exempted by the British from the provisions of the Indian Arms Act and could keep weapons without a licence…..even till this day. The British occupied Coorg in the early 19th century aided by the locals fed up of misrule by self centred rajahs. The British liked this place so much so, that they equated this region with Scotland due to the excellent weather and rich landscape. They also introduced coffee plantation, which resulted in rich dividend to the local populace. Till this day the locals thank British for whatever good they have done to Coorg. Almost every household has a coffee plantation or estate and thus this region produces the highest coffee yield in India. The literacy rate is very high in Coorg. Almost everyone even in villages spoke fluent English.
Post Independence, the region has always been neglected by successive governments and hence there is a cry for an autonomous Kodavaland on the lines of Gorkhaland in West Bengal. The road quality is poor and there is no railway network here. Sometimes I feel the neglect has become a boon rather than a bane for Coorgis. With development comes destruction of the rich flora and fauna, which this region still boasts of. We have seen this happening in Goa which is nothing but a poor cousin of Bombay today, post the aggressive development including the railway network introduced in late eighties. Coorg is still untouched by pollution, where one can breathe pure oxygen and gaze at the galaxy of stars at night. The mining community have not yet encroached Coorg, which has left the mountains and vast green landscape untouched so far. I hope the future generation gets to see such a pure and virgin territory, providing immense solace to the heart, mind and eyes.
The local Kodava cuisine, I felt, was very similar to Mangalorean cuisine since both are coconut based. Breakfast comprises of Popoothu, Kadampoothu, Sanaas (all various types of rice pancakes). The locals relish Pandhi curry or Pork curry, which is prepared on special occasions. It is remarkable to see the locals, still maintaining their ancestral house and not being tempted to go for concrete structures. Such houses are called “Ain mane” in Coorg. One can see Cannon balls, which presumably date back to the Portuguese era adorning the frontyard of this 120-year old house. According to Prasad, the cannon balls that were discovered in their estate weigh 8 kilos each and they have iron content as evident in the rust. Prasad said the Portuguese, who were active in Kerala, might have dumped them there. The Coorgis celebrate “Huthri” festival at the time of harvesting paddy or rice. Rice is their staple diet and they worship this humble food grain during this festival. One can see paddy fields in abundance next only to coffee plantations. The unadulterated and pure Coorg honey is famous all over the world for its taste and purity. Keep this in your “must buy” list.
I had planned this trip to make it less touristy with abundant rest and lazing around. The Palace Estate is an ideal location for this activity. The name Palace came about due to the existence of a small Palace called Nalanad Palace a few yards away. The Nalanad Palace was built in the late 18th century by the local King to escape from Hyder Ali and the British, whenever they attacked. The Palace has a secret chamber where one can hide without leaving a trace. However the British managed to trace the King named Veerachikkaraja in hiding circa early 19th century offcourse with the help of locals, who were fed up of his oppressive rule. Lord William Bentick was one of the British officers given the charge of managing Coorg. If my history lesson serves me right, he abolished Sati in India at the time.
The home stay estate where we stayed is spread over 20 acres of lush green mountainous land covered by coffee plantation and large trees providing good amount of shade. It has a small waterfall, which was in full flow thanks to the abundant rainfall this season. Since the water supplied at the home stay comes from the brooks and rivulets nearby, bathing is not allowed near the waterfall although we were tempted to soak ourselves in the cool waters. The estate has 6 wooden cabins housed in a big cottage like structure surrounded by couple of “ain mane” occupied by the Apparanda family. We were the only Indians staying at the home stay. The rest had come from Germany, USA and other countries. The cabin has an attached bath and comes with bare basics viz. a bed, a table and couple of CFL lamps. No luxuries like Television set, microwave oven, refrigerator or an air conditioner are provided here. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are served at pre determined timings which every guest has to abide. Tea, Coffee is available most of the times especially when the kitchen is relatively free. Also no mineral water or aerated drinks served here. Drinking water from the nearby mountain spring is made available to the guests after it is boiled just to ensure it is very safe. Fruits and vegetables served here were home grown and hence you can call it “organic”. Hot water for bathing is available at dawn and dusk only. Electric supply is not ensured throughout the day but the hosts have installed a generator to lessen the inconvenience especially at night. But since the weather is so cool, you do not need even a min-fan here. The day time is spent playing dart board games, cards or carom. The hosts have kept enough supply of books especially on tourism and Coorg in particular. However killing time was not tough here especially when you have nature for good company.
As per Prasad, the place is almost always occupied by foreign tourists, who come here only through word of mouth since the family does not believe in advertising. And this despite the bad infrastructure in Coorg, which speaks volumes of this place. They come here like migratory birds just to enjoy nature in full glory. Where else can you go back in time and enjoy unpolluted environment for as less as $100 (package rate for a couple staying here for 3 days including stay and food). I am glad the Apparanda family have started the home stay concept so that people like us can experience what our ancestors did. The feedback book lying at the estate was full of praise for this excellent concept. Atithee Devo Bhava (treat your Guests as God) is practiced in the true sense here. I am sure the foreign tourists get a culture shock once they land here for the first time but go back with very sweet memories and most of them are repeat visitors. I was amazed to see them relish the local Coorgi food, which is less spicy but certainly nowhere close to the taste they are used to. I could see them asking for recipes so that they can enjoy the same food when they go back to their country.
To keep my son occupied, we finally ventured out to Now or Never Land, which boasts of all types of jungle activities like jungle gym, rifle shooting or firing, paint ball, quad bike rides etc. This is about 12 kms from where we stayed, near the Chelavara falls. Since I had experienced quad bike ride at a desert safari in Dubai, I thought it must be child’s play this time. But I was wrong. The ride took us over a hillock and rough jungle patches but it was certainly adventurous and exhilarating for someone used to driving a car on smooth city roads. Then I tried to emulate Gagan Narang and Abhinav Bindra in the firing range. I managed to shoot the target just a few times and would have ranked last if put to test. My son enjoyed going for a kilometre long jungle gym over various obstacles. Such sporting activities are not available in cities and he made best use of this experience. It was really Now or Never for us.
Getting up from bed can be a heavenly experience here. This place is situated at a great height of about 3000 feet above sea level and one can see clouds floating over smaller mountains. It gives us a feeling as if we are floating in the clouds. You also do not need an alarm clock to wake up. The early morning cock a doodle doo does the job for you. Water for bathing is heated using firewood. When was the last time we experienced these things? An early morning walk to the waterfall can bring in the Wordsworth in you – such beautiful nature amidst all types of rare birds; butterflies and some leeches to suck your blood. Did he write his poems here, I wondered. If not, maybe a William Wordsworth or Thomas Hardy Junior will soon be born here. Some day I would love to write a novel far from the maddening crowd where one can get absolute peace of mind and concentrate fully on the subject. Maybe this could be the place I am seeking…….
Our stay was planned for 4 days but we wished we lived here for the rest of our lives. If wishes were horses…… We had to leave with a heavy heart but vowed to be back soon. On our way to Madikeri we took a short detour to Lord Iguthappa’s temple for his blessings. He is the local deity and no one goes hungry from his abode. Lunch is served to all visitors to the temple. The return journey was planned via Madikeri this time and as expected the road upto Madikeri was very rough and bumpy. But we did not complain this time. On the way, my wife who is a great lover of nature and plants, took some time to pluck shrubs of wild flowers in full bloom and in glorious colours. Surprisingly the road from Madikeri to Mysore was very smooth and we could not believe our eyes. Although this route is about 15 kms longer than the other route via Virajpet, I would recommend this one for the sheer joy of driving alongside green verdant land.
Acknowledgements:
Abhishek Vaid of www.holidaysforlife.co.in for changing my perception about Home stays and recommending Palace Estates, Kakkabe, Coorg for a great family get away.
Prasad Apparanda, our Host at www.palaceestate.co.in for making our stay so memorable that we long to go back again very soon.
Tourism in India can be successful only through such well managed home stays, where one can experience our true Indian culture. The overcrowded and so called “tourist” places have become a bane for tourism bringing us a bad name. Home stay is what I would recommend if you want to see the real “INDIA”.
As I left I muttered to myself “Maybe the hosts have done some karma in their previous birth to experience something which money cannot buy – peace, tranquillity, zero pollution, midst of nature”
Photographs:
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Acknowledgements:
Abhishek Vaid of www.holidaysforlife.co.in for changing my perception about Home stays and recommending Palace Estates, Kakkabe, Coorg for a great family get away.
Prasad Apparanda, our Host at www.palaceestate.co.in for making our stay so memorable that we long to go back again very soon.
About the Author
The author, Arvind Kamath is an avid traveller and a foodie. He writes his travel blogs on http://arvind-kamath.blogspot.com. Arvind is employed with a leading US based I.T. organization and has more than 20+ years of experience behind him. He has travelled a lot partly due to his work assignment and the rest with his family on holidays. He hopes to come out of his corporate lifestyle very soon and start a venture in travel and living. His wife Anita and son Anish also love travelling with him. He can be reached on arvindakamath@gmail.com
The author, Arvind Kamath is an avid traveller and a foodie. He writes his travel blogs on http://arvind-kamath.blogspot.com. Arvind is employed with a leading US based I.T. organization and has more than 20+ years of experience behind him. He has travelled a lot partly due to his work assignment and the rest with his family on holidays. He hopes to come out of his corporate lifestyle very soon and start a venture in travel and living. His wife Anita and son Anish also love travelling with him. He can be reached on arvindakamath@gmail.com
Doha experience
I was invited to Doha, the capital of Qatar for a Sales related meeting and hence the duration of my stay was barely 2 days. What can one see in 2 days especially when you have a tight schedule? I was in the Hotel 90% of my time and the remaining 10% spent on the Road or inside the Airport.
What I gathered from my colleagues in Qatar is that the country is blessed with tremendous reserves of Oil and Natural Gas and in fact it has the third largest gas reserves and the highest GDP per capita in the world. Qatar is an absolute monarchy ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s and has since transformed itself from a poor British colony noted mainly for pearls into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues.
The Doha Airport is beautiful and well managed although not as huge as Dubai Airport but larger compared to Bahrain Airport. I completed my Immigration formality in just 30 seconds although I expected more time assuming the stricter rules and regulations prevailing in that country. Almost all the Immigration Officers are ladies and they follow a strict burqa law. I could not take my eyes off the Blackberry phone, this Officer had, which was Gold plated. The face lurking out of the burqa could put to shame any beauty queens, I thought. No wonder beautiful things need to be kept hidden and not exposed!!!
The drive to the Hotel was barely 10 minutes. Did I enter a Hotel or a Palace? The Marriott at Doha is perhaps the best in town. Wide spacious rooms, excellent food and service sums up my experience. The view from the Hotel room provided me with some photo opportunity. The Hotel has a private beach and even in temperatures soaring above 40 degrees celcius I could see people sun bathing and enjoying the white sandy beach amidst turquoise blue waters.
The country is liberal in many ways. It lies in between the stricter Saudi Arabia to a very liberal Dubai. Most of the Hotel staff members are Indians and Malyalees in particular. The locals constitute barely 30% of the total 1 million population. The rest are Indians, Pakistanis and other Asian or African countries. The local English newspaper named Peninsula covers India in detail. While I was there, I was reading the extensive press coverage on the unfortunate death of a 4 year old schoolgirl who died in a freak accident at Delhi Public School located at Doha. Recently renowned painter Maqbool Fida Hussain was granted permanent citizenship of Qatar by the Emir. Could not see him in the news though.
What I gathered from my colleagues in Qatar is that the country is blessed with tremendous reserves of Oil and Natural Gas and in fact it has the third largest gas reserves and the highest GDP per capita in the world. Qatar is an absolute monarchy ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s and has since transformed itself from a poor British colony noted mainly for pearls into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues.
The Doha Airport is beautiful and well managed although not as huge as Dubai Airport but larger compared to Bahrain Airport. I completed my Immigration formality in just 30 seconds although I expected more time assuming the stricter rules and regulations prevailing in that country. Almost all the Immigration Officers are ladies and they follow a strict burqa law. I could not take my eyes off the Blackberry phone, this Officer had, which was Gold plated. The face lurking out of the burqa could put to shame any beauty queens, I thought. No wonder beautiful things need to be kept hidden and not exposed!!!
The drive to the Hotel was barely 10 minutes. Did I enter a Hotel or a Palace? The Marriott at Doha is perhaps the best in town. Wide spacious rooms, excellent food and service sums up my experience. The view from the Hotel room provided me with some photo opportunity. The Hotel has a private beach and even in temperatures soaring above 40 degrees celcius I could see people sun bathing and enjoying the white sandy beach amidst turquoise blue waters.
The country is liberal in many ways. It lies in between the stricter Saudi Arabia to a very liberal Dubai. Most of the Hotel staff members are Indians and Malyalees in particular. The locals constitute barely 30% of the total 1 million population. The rest are Indians, Pakistanis and other Asian or African countries. The local English newspaper named Peninsula covers India in detail. While I was there, I was reading the extensive press coverage on the unfortunate death of a 4 year old schoolgirl who died in a freak accident at Delhi Public School located at Doha. Recently renowned painter Maqbool Fida Hussain was granted permanent citizenship of Qatar by the Emir. Could not see him in the news though.
On my way back to the Airport the Pakistani chauffeur insisted I come back again for a longer duration so that he can show me the city he has settled down since a long time. The city boasts of some forts and museums. Not much to see here but the Visitors come to Doha primarily for business or trade conferences. Do not forget to pick up packet of dry dates and other dry fruits at the Duty Free shop within the Airport area. You get the best here.
Adieu to Doha – an Oil rich nation that has employed thousands of my countrymen.
A different perspective
Times of India has started the "Love Pakistan" campaign starting today. These are the same guys, who were reluctant to post the article below in their publications, written just after the 26/11 incident. The article tries to articulate the 26/11 story from a different perspective. Our Press and Media typically goes with the Mass or Herd mentality and try not to look at an issue objectively. Now the same guys have started this campaign...... Isn't this Media or Press hypocrisy........
Thanks to The Week, which published the article as "Letter to the Editor" after editing the contents, in their issue dated 4thJan 2009. Please see left side of this Blog.
FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER. It was also published in the NDTV website and The Times, London…
FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER. It was also published in the NDTV website and The Times, London…
Dated: 6th Dec 2008
Subject: 26/11 effect on UK
Dear Sir:
While I write this mail, I am in a place called Slough on the outskirts of London, UK. I landed here just after the 26/11 Mumbai carnage and am seeing an unprecedented coverage of this incident in this part of the world. Right from the time I stepped into Heathrow airport, I have been asked by almost everyone I came in contact with, about my opinion on this event. But before I can air my opinion, I get messages laced with sympathy.
One such interviewer was a Pakistani taxi driver, who became very emotional on this subject and wanted to know why India was suspecting its neighbour. He felt the Western world was responsible for the act and not his country. I could only hear him out lest I ignite undesired passion. I reminded myself, that while we are in a foreign country, both the Indians and Pakistanis live in peace together. Maybe the Pakistani driver wished this 26/11 incident did not happen, which could spoil this friendly relationship and hence became emotional and started defending his motherland. Ofcourse their livelihood also depends on IT professionals like me visiting UK and using their services.
However, everyone agrees that this dastardly act should not have been carried out. I can see people being very sympathetic towards Indians thereby isolating the Pakistanis. The local Press was also responsible for making the English cricketers to travel to India to play the 2 Test matches. The Pakistanis again felt why just India when they could have travelled to their country as well and play some matches.
From the words of the Taxi driver, terrorism is widespread and why just blame the Pakistanis for it. The Irish Republican Army or the IRA was the mother of terrorism and why is the world not suspecting them, he felt. There are no answers sometimes. Terrorism in whatever form should be condemned by all and the perpetuators of such crime should be isolated. This is my opinion, if I was allowed to speak.
Yours Truly,
Arvind Kamath
Bangalore
(now in Slough, UK on business)
Subject: 26/11 effect on UK
Dear Sir:
While I write this mail, I am in a place called Slough on the outskirts of London, UK. I landed here just after the 26/11 Mumbai carnage and am seeing an unprecedented coverage of this incident in this part of the world. Right from the time I stepped into Heathrow airport, I have been asked by almost everyone I came in contact with, about my opinion on this event. But before I can air my opinion, I get messages laced with sympathy.
One such interviewer was a Pakistani taxi driver, who became very emotional on this subject and wanted to know why India was suspecting its neighbour. He felt the Western world was responsible for the act and not his country. I could only hear him out lest I ignite undesired passion. I reminded myself, that while we are in a foreign country, both the Indians and Pakistanis live in peace together. Maybe the Pakistani driver wished this 26/11 incident did not happen, which could spoil this friendly relationship and hence became emotional and started defending his motherland. Ofcourse their livelihood also depends on IT professionals like me visiting UK and using their services.
However, everyone agrees that this dastardly act should not have been carried out. I can see people being very sympathetic towards Indians thereby isolating the Pakistanis. The local Press was also responsible for making the English cricketers to travel to India to play the 2 Test matches. The Pakistanis again felt why just India when they could have travelled to their country as well and play some matches.
From the words of the Taxi driver, terrorism is widespread and why just blame the Pakistanis for it. The Irish Republican Army or the IRA was the mother of terrorism and why is the world not suspecting them, he felt. There are no answers sometimes. Terrorism in whatever form should be condemned by all and the perpetuators of such crime should be isolated. This is my opinion, if I was allowed to speak.
Yours Truly,
Arvind Kamath
Bangalore
(now in Slough, UK on business)
A foreigner's perspective of India
This time my travelog looks through the eyes of a foreigner, who visits India for the first time.
For the first time visitor from the western world, India is a very unique experience and I am sure this experience remains in their memory for a long long time.
Recently I had the opportunity to take a client from the United Kingdom, on a road journey from Bangalore to Chennai. They wanted to experience India by not opting for the 30 minutes flight. Little did they know that a trip to Devanahalli from Electronics City is a journey in itself!
We started in the afternoon to beat the traffic. The road to Chennai did not impress them at all since they felt being in a developed world. They expected some cows and dogs to cross the road ; elephants to pass by and some odd snake charmers seated beside the road. The road in fact beats any international standard and I was in awe since this was the first time I was travelling to Chennai by road after the dacoity incident that happened in the year 2000 (see my blog – Horrendous experience of my life). It seemed we were looking at perspectives quite opposite to each other.
But hey presto, after some time near Hosur, they saw couple of overcrowded buses, the chaos of a small Indian town, dogs crossing the streets, cows walking gingerly on the road, autos or tuk tuks as they called them running helter skelter. “Organized Chaos” is how they described the traffic condition. The drivers are so organized in creating chaos that they hardly come to blows despite honking and missing each other by few millimetres, they felt. This is India, I told them. At the local bus station they saw a sea of humanity. I was wondering how they would have felt being at Dadar Station (Central Mumbai) at 6pm in the evening.... All said, the experience was really unique.
On the way to Chennai we took a detour to Sripuram near Vellore to visit the famous Golden Temple. I was not really keen to take them to a temple but was recommended strongly by my colleagues. Why not then, if these guys want to see the real India and as we know India lives in its villages. The road to the temple was dotted with small houses on both sides of the road. This gave them a real glimpse of the Indian village. On the way we stopped for an Open Air toilet break amidst dense shrubby area. This to them was a unique experience.
We reached the Golden temple at around 5pm in the evening. My experience here was contrary to what I had thought. Maybe I was more surprised than them to visit this place, which seemed like a Fort Knox converted to a temple – 100% GOLD. A Mahalakshmi temple called 'Sripuram' is made of more than a tonne of pure gold. The temple was built in 7 years from 2000 to 2007 by a 30 something Godman who calls himself Narayani Amma. Devotees hail the temple as 'one of the wonders of the world' and say that it is the only temple covered fully with gold.
More than 400 gold and coppersmiths are said to have worked for seven years to craft the Rs 6,000 million gold temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious environment. As per records, the temple has more gold than the Golden Temple of Amritsar. The temple is surrounded by a huge landscaped garden with Idols of Gods and Goddesses. I was taken aback by the cleanliness within the premises which proved the old saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” just right. The entry to the temple is well planned right from taking off the footwear to the entry into the sanctum sanctorum and back again. Mobiles and Cameras are strictly not allowed and the tight security ring ensures this discipline is followed
Its advisable to visit the temple at dusk so that you can enjoy the beauty of the lighted golden temple. Messages by 'Amma' have been laid out along the path to the temple alongside messages from the Gita, Bible and Quran. "When one enters the Sripuram, their focus is just on the magnificent temple. But when they leave, they cannot do so without taking some messages and gaining some wisdom,"
My guests from UK were impressed and could not take their eyes off the magnificent golden temple. They asked me if all temples in India were like this. Although the older temples in India have rich historical and cultural significance, little thought has been given to cleanliness or orderliness. This certainly was a very unique experience not just for them but to me as well. On the way back from the temple they enjoyed the village fair and got a taste of real India once again.
For the first time visitor from the western world, India is a very unique experience and I am sure this experience remains in their memory for a long long time.
Recently I had the opportunity to take a client from the United Kingdom, on a road journey from Bangalore to Chennai. They wanted to experience India by not opting for the 30 minutes flight. Little did they know that a trip to Devanahalli from Electronics City is a journey in itself!
We started in the afternoon to beat the traffic. The road to Chennai did not impress them at all since they felt being in a developed world. They expected some cows and dogs to cross the road ; elephants to pass by and some odd snake charmers seated beside the road. The road in fact beats any international standard and I was in awe since this was the first time I was travelling to Chennai by road after the dacoity incident that happened in the year 2000 (see my blog – Horrendous experience of my life). It seemed we were looking at perspectives quite opposite to each other.
But hey presto, after some time near Hosur, they saw couple of overcrowded buses, the chaos of a small Indian town, dogs crossing the streets, cows walking gingerly on the road, autos or tuk tuks as they called them running helter skelter. “Organized Chaos” is how they described the traffic condition. The drivers are so organized in creating chaos that they hardly come to blows despite honking and missing each other by few millimetres, they felt. This is India, I told them. At the local bus station they saw a sea of humanity. I was wondering how they would have felt being at Dadar Station (Central Mumbai) at 6pm in the evening.... All said, the experience was really unique.
On the way to Chennai we took a detour to Sripuram near Vellore to visit the famous Golden Temple. I was not really keen to take them to a temple but was recommended strongly by my colleagues. Why not then, if these guys want to see the real India and as we know India lives in its villages. The road to the temple was dotted with small houses on both sides of the road. This gave them a real glimpse of the Indian village. On the way we stopped for an Open Air toilet break amidst dense shrubby area. This to them was a unique experience.
We reached the Golden temple at around 5pm in the evening. My experience here was contrary to what I had thought. Maybe I was more surprised than them to visit this place, which seemed like a Fort Knox converted to a temple – 100% GOLD. A Mahalakshmi temple called 'Sripuram' is made of more than a tonne of pure gold. The temple was built in 7 years from 2000 to 2007 by a 30 something Godman who calls himself Narayani Amma. Devotees hail the temple as 'one of the wonders of the world' and say that it is the only temple covered fully with gold.
More than 400 gold and coppersmiths are said to have worked for seven years to craft the Rs 6,000 million gold temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious environment. As per records, the temple has more gold than the Golden Temple of Amritsar. The temple is surrounded by a huge landscaped garden with Idols of Gods and Goddesses. I was taken aback by the cleanliness within the premises which proved the old saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” just right. The entry to the temple is well planned right from taking off the footwear to the entry into the sanctum sanctorum and back again. Mobiles and Cameras are strictly not allowed and the tight security ring ensures this discipline is followed
Its advisable to visit the temple at dusk so that you can enjoy the beauty of the lighted golden temple. Messages by 'Amma' have been laid out along the path to the temple alongside messages from the Gita, Bible and Quran. "When one enters the Sripuram, their focus is just on the magnificent temple. But when they leave, they cannot do so without taking some messages and gaining some wisdom,"
My guests from UK were impressed and could not take their eyes off the magnificent golden temple. They asked me if all temples in India were like this. Although the older temples in India have rich historical and cultural significance, little thought has been given to cleanliness or orderliness. This certainly was a very unique experience not just for them but to me as well. On the way back from the temple they enjoyed the village fair and got a taste of real India once again.
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