Tag: people

Thekkady Days

Last week I was away on a family trip to Thekkady. It’s a beautiful little town perched on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

on the way

Just beyond the border is Kumily, after which comes Thekkady. There’s not much distance between the two towns, and we saw plenty of shops with address boards that read “Kumily/Thekkady.” It’s almost as if the locals have made peace with the fact that tourists will never understand the nuance differences between two small towns.

Nevertheless, we were in Thekkady. I love the way the name of the town rolls off my tongue. It starts slow but halfway through, it tumbles as if in a hurry. It’s a beautiful word, to name a beautiful town.

Even before we chose Thekkady to spend my parents’ anniversary, we knew there was nothing for us there. Sure, there were a handful of tourist attractions but they all came in a package. The package which starts at 5.30 am, ends at 3.00 pm. And during that time, we’d travel on a ferry, get a glimpse of a waterfall, trek through a spice garden, and ride through one part of the 1388 sq.ft of the forest cover.

We did none of those, though. We didn’t want to lose sleep and cram a tiny boat, with other tourists pointing fingers and cameras at overgrown trees and the silhouette of a tiger.

We chose the untrodden way, instead. My brother knew a local guide who had been doing jungle safaris for twenty-five years. He didn’t promise serene stuff like a lake-view lunch. But he asked for four hours of our time. And told us we’d be going to three places, all of them view points.

the green

He took us to The Green Mountain, The Shola Forest, and Parunthampaarai (Translates to Eagle Rock). And a bonus, he bought us the local special tea in one of his friend’s tea shop. It was cardamom tea at its best.

Each of the three places had so much to capture that one panorama couldn’t do it. I realised a whole different meaning of getting high. Having lived in a city with just enough fresh air to sustain myself, I was thrust, all of a sudden, into more oxygen that I could take in.

All three places deserve separate posts, and that’s what they’ll get. Stay tuned.

Let’s Have Coffee

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’m in Thekkady

That I’m basking in the lawn

While trying to stifle a yawn

— –

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’ll write about it

Make some posts, take snaps

Even about me taking naps

— –

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you how great it is

To sip steamy chai, to gaze

and make a hoopla for a thepla

— –

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’m in Thekkady

That I see it’s god’s own country.

Or that I had scheduled this post.

Never Say Nay

Today’s prompt was a little weird. Deprive, it said. And I at once thought of a stern mother depriving her child of ice cream. That was too obvious. So I thought of one other thing you should never deprive yourself of. I came up with a list.

  • Sleep

Because, well, not sleeping for too long will kill you and no one wants that. Besides, what’s the worth of living if you don’t give yourself some time off?

  • Food

I couldn’t help it. I have a troubled relationship with food. Sometimes, I binge, and sometimes I cringe at food. But even I can’t say no to some bread and shredded chicken.

  • Love

People say it’s the most important thing for a human being. I’d agree, but only if it involves self-love. We live in a world that teaches young children to look in the mirror at hate what they see. And from what I know, a child who deprives self-love deprives life itself.

  • Books

Everyone should be able to read. It’s not just a gateway to worlds as mysterious as Narnia, but a book is a treasure to cherish. Plus, you’d look cool quoting Aristotle during a fancy dinner.

  • Coffee

To keep us going…

  • Tea

It’s not often that you see both tea and coffee in the same list, but I’m weird like that. I like my tea first thing in the morning. And I like it better when I make it myself. Because, sometimes, you just need tea.

  • Shakespeare

Never deprive yourself the treat that is Shakespeare. From “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds,” to “Thou art as fat as butter,” to “All that glitters is not gold,” the man is too precious to ignore.

I might have left out a few, but that’s my list. What’s on your never-deprive-yourself-of list?