Where the east meets the west

Where the east meets the west....... That's where we travelled to during our Diwali vacation. It was the point where the Western and the Eastern Ghats connected each other, the B R Hills shortened for the Biligiranga Hills in the Chamrajanagar district of Karnataka. It is a wonderfully green belt, densely forested and mountainous land. The resort we visited this time, was situated around this green belt, very close to the BRT Tiger Reserve, home to 36 tigers. No, spotting the big cat was not something we were looking at this time, for around this time of the year when it rains quite heavily here, one hardly gets to sight wildlife. We were told by the naturalist at the resort that every single water body being full to its brim, the animals do not need to come out of the deep jungles. Well, I wondered how deep the jungles were there! We ourselves were in the middle of such heavily forested lands. All along our way we passed by lush green paddy fields that looked like a plush green carpet spread on the ground; it made me feel as if my feet would sink into its softness. On the background were hills and mountains. Can you imagine the beauty? We tried clicking as many photographs as we could but we're not completely satisfied with the effect. Everything looked so picture perfect, straight out of a painting on a canvas. Later, as we entered the tiger reserve, we were in for some real good visual treats. The long winding road up the hills with towering mountains looming up from nowhere looked so impressive. Every bend had these, posing as the great walls with thick forests, forests with almost every shade of green I can think of! I never knew that green had so many shades. The image of a box of 32 oil pastels and paints in tubes conjured up in front of me but even they fell short of the shades that green nature's paint box had. Brooks gurgled away merrily. We were deeply engrossed in the beauty of the surroundings. The shrill whistle of the crickets broke our trance for a while.

mysterious mountains...

 And then came the pretty little resort set amidst tall Silver Oak trees. One look at it and we felt we were transported to Heidi's land. The pretty cottages were duplex, with the cutest of lofts I've ever seen. The loft in our cottage had two beds and a triangular window, pretty much like the one in Heidi's grandfather's house on the Alps. As we climbed up, we remembered how every night Heidi would go off to sleep watching the moon and the stars and listening to the howling of the winds from her window on the loft! Doesn't this sound magical? It surely does! And that's exactly how my boy slept that night....:-)... The 36 Km drive through untamed forests, watching some wildlife,birds, the flitting of the king sized butterflies and listening to the chirping of the birds in their different languages was a treat to our senses. While the shrill whistles of the crickets could be intimidating at times and is always quite jarring to the ears, the tweets of the birds was like music to us. How melodiously they chirped and chattered! What a contrast to the noise of the traffic in the cities! We spent our time lazying on the hammocks, reading books over cups of tea and coffee, watching the most exotically coloured wagtails and kingfishers and listening to the birds and wind as it rustled through the branches of the trees. 

Here I would like to say a few things about our resort. The name Gorukana is from the local language of the tribals living in the region,called Solliga. The proceeds from the resort goes to a trust that helps these locals in their livelihood and education. This is run by an NGO and this fact made us feel good that our money would be put to good use and for a cause. We even met a few of the tribals who were employed there. With a place as beautiful as that and running for a noble cause, who would not feel happy and contented?

beautiful....lush greenery all around..... 

amidst nature........

Our cottage, Karadi or the bear in the local language

There it stands overlooking the tall Silver Oaks...

A species of the spider family,very common there....check out the female in the centre while the diminutive red coloured males surround her! It's a female's world here!

some of the shades of green

And look at this.....

Spot the Kingfisher.......

That's how the morning looked...

from the dining area....

the trek through the forest.....

The rooster,too, has a pretty home!

The little Solliga boy gives me a flower:-)....language posed no problem!

The friendly deer had strayed from the group and came right into the camp....

Hazy as we were scared to get out of the car and click them! A pair of wild boars who kept staring hard at us!

Hated to see them in chains........ This was at a forest camp about 18 kms from our resort.....

from the cottage....

The hammock was too inviting!

The tall Silver Oaks looked towering.

the loft

We made lots of precious memories, enjoyed our 'us' times together, bonded,laughed, chatted, filled our lungs with the fresh crisp mountain air and clicked a whole lot of photographs:-).....time to be engulfed in the mundane world until we go back to some place again....


Most of these photographs have been clicked by Mr. Choudhury except for a few that have been taken by me.

Let there be light

Dazzled, bejeweled, came the night of Deepavali. It comes every year and this year was no exception to its beauty. Though, for us, Bengalis, it is a celebration just for a night that we call Kali Pujo, while the rest of the country celebrates it with a much greater grandeur. Preparations start well in advance; the spring cleaning of the homes, the shopping list is made for new clothes, gifts, diyas, sweets and fireworks in some homes. I love to see and experience all these. It's a happy feeling that sets in; a mood that soaks in all these frenzied and exciting moments. Like I said earlier, we Bengalis do not celebrate this beyond a day and our celebrations centre more on the very special puja on the day of Kali Puja. We invoke Goddess Kali and worship her. I remember how in earlier times, we used to have animal sacrifice on this special day. Now of course, this gory tradition has given way to a more sober tradition of gourd sacrifice. I have seen my mother, grandmothers and other senior members of the family keeping a fast and breaking it only after the puja at midnight. That was a unique feeling, very difficult to express. The heady smell of the dhoop or incense sticks, the flickering lights from the deepas, the blood-red hibiscus garlands around Ma Kali as she stood looking resplendent in her form, those very expressive eyes of hers seemed to be taking in all, blessing the good and punishing the evil; we were so enamoured by the very presence of the idol, muttering our prayers with closed eyes and trying to be as respectful as possible! That was the story of our childhood days during Kali Puja. Now, things have changed quite a lot. We,too, have been drawn into the celebration mode, adapting to the new traditions and rituals of Diwali as we see it around us. And this,too, feels good. After all, festivities do make life happier. So off I start with my cleaning, trying to give the home a new look and dress her up in the newest of outfits in the form of new curtains, new cushion covers, rugs and mats. A bit of shopping for some new home accessories to display on the special day; not that it's needed but more for the fun and happy element that surrounds our festivals. I made a few trips to the local fancy stores selling clay diyas trying to spot some interesting pieces. During these trips, what I loved most was the excitement of the people as they very carefully chose the pieces they wanted to take home; the way they bargained with the vendors; and finally their triumphant looks when they did manage to convince the shopkeeper and get their loot at their decided price! All this exchange of conversation really intrigued me, a person too poor in these skills!  

The festive season has its own charm. I love the energy and the mood this season brings in with it. Not just our indoors,even the outdoors seem to be dressed up with lights, making the places come alive with so much beauty. There is movement everywhere and I find this extremely positive. I love to see the heaps of flowers all over the pavements in tiny makeshift stalls. The yellow marigolds and chrysanthemums and mallige ( local name for jasmine), tiny button roses in bold colours; they all make such a pretty sight! 

The best part is the different kinds of sweets we get at this time. We,at home, have become conscious eaters these days. So, we 'see' the sweets at the sweet shops but rarely indulge in them. I made our special Bengali rice payesh which people at home just devoured. After all what is a festival without sweets! The decoration at home was toned to some extent. To get away from the extreme noise created by crackers, we took off to the quieter hills, making sure to return back on the D day to light up our home. 

On a more sober note I would like to wish and pray for a more enlightened 'us'; the lights should light up not just our homes but also light up our minds, remove all darkness that maybe there in the minds and illuminate us. These are a few of the shots taken at home and some clicked at the local shops selling flowers and diyas. Wishing all of you a very happy Diwali and praying that your lives be filled with happiness,peace,prosperity and good health.

a terracotta Ganesha lamp and some of those bright yellow marigolds....they make a beautiful combination..... 

Ma Kali in her resplendent form....I could only manage this brass figurine.....

Ma as she stands in all her glory......

another arrangement with some clay diyas, Marigolds and glistening brass....

I loved this stylish Ganesha diya........and here is an arrangement with some Chrysanthemums and button roses....

Let there be light.........

Love the imperfect rustic touch to these diyas.....

Isn't this pretty? The light shines through the jaaliwork weaving magic......

Time for some 'mishti mukh' :-)....some Bengali kheer or payesh as we call it....

Shine on...........

The roadside makeshift stalls with their wares....

The choices are plenty......

Look at these! So pretty,aren't ,they?

the colourful torans.....cloth ones instead of the mango leaves......

delicate patterns.....

A terracotta cup used as a diya.......

The blue expanse

I had composed this post a few days ago, on a day that had dawned bright and sunny. But today when I plan to post this, the day looks just the opposite. It is dull, grey and gloomy. The fleeting rays of the sun seem to be playing hide and seek from behind the grey. And with the festivities just round the corner, this is the most imperfect weather. The chill has settled in with that dampness all around. On such a day, I cannot help feel the importance of the sunny side of the weather. With the hope of those sparkling days ahead, I ,leave you to virtually enjoy some sunshine,some brightness and cheer and some gorgeous blue:-D....

 This morning dawned as usual but came along with a bright and beautiful look. The sky seemed to be an expanse of clear blue,a blue that shone and glistened and sparkled accompanied by white. This was the azure I had learnt about as a child in school. All those of us who live in Bangalore would know it well how our sky is most often clad in a greyish drape with a lack lustre brightness. We love to call it our very own English weather. But this morning's sunshine seemed to wash clean any signs of gloomy grey and brightened up every corner of the city. The blue and white made a perfect combination and drove away the grey monster far and completely out of sight! I loved the day as it loomed ahead of me,promising me of all things positive and happy. A bright and sunny day can bring in so much of cheer. I ventured out on a new path this morning and the day seemed to greet me whole heartedly. It seemed to be signalling that 'go ahead'. The morning with its clear blue sky heralded our much awaited four day long celebrations....Durga Puja,Dussehra,Navaratri,call it whatever you would want to. The festive spirit seemed to encompass the lovely blue of the sky. Light white clouds flitted across the blue expanse,making the blue more prominent among the whiteness of the clouds. This was the weather we are so familiar with during this festive  time. I could not help trying to capture this beautiful blue from various angles and places. Have a look at the massive expanse that I tried capturing with my cellphone.
    

a piece of  blue and green with a dash of pink;Isn't this beautiful?

Just learnt to put in my name:-)....look at those gorgeous clouds! What a lovely play of colours! The city skyline behind makes a pretty picture.....

                                
                               

And this is my favourite ! Simply cannot have enough of the azure sky!

                             

a random click from a friend's balcony; the blue expanse in a grey drape!

                             

      Framed;from inside the metro compartment 

                                  And hold your breath while you see this!

                                 Grey and blue does make a combination,isn't it?

                                 Another of my favourite shots!

Of silver mist and clouds at the Silver Brook Estate

The Silver Brook Estate as we make an entry....

What a backdrop!

The narrow trail, with thick foliage on either side of it, takes one deep, deep inside. The gradation is quite discernible as we drive downhill and then slightly up on to a neat pathway. The red tiled driveway takes us inside The Silver Brook Estate. And there ends our journey. Yet, another visual journey awaits us from here. This, being our fifth trip to the Scotland of India,we came with no ready made plan this time. It was simply a trip to unwind,as the past few weeks had been rather heavy for the man of our house. He had been travelling on work and this time needed a little break for mental relaxation. And what can be more beautiful than Coorg, that is within limits for a quick gate away! Acres and acres of coffee plantation,each one belonging to a different family,with the names written on the pillars of the gate, a neat little garden in front of the bungalow, the misty mountains providing the backdrop to a beautiful painting, is pretty much the scene one is greeted with as we come to Coorg. The Silver Brook Estate lay nestled within a coffee plantation with Silver Oak trees surrounding it. A tiny brook flowed within the estate, making a very pretty picture.The sound of it made music to the ears! The main bungalow was built in Chettinad style with ornate wooden pillars, a sloping tiled roof,the flooring in colourful Attangadi tiles, exquisite wooden furniture and sported a garden with all kinds of flowers and trees. The owners of the estate,Revathi and her husband, Yogesh seemed to have maintained the place really well. We met Revathi, who hosted us with great care and looked after her guests. As we chatted up, she introduced us to her place. It was then that I got to know the story behind the name they chose for their estate. The estate, she said, was 6 years old. These city bred people took great pride in managing the place with elan! One need not do anything here, just laze around in an armchair or on the swing that I did not let go of from the time we set foot in the estate. It became my property from then on! With a cup of strong filter coffee, listening to the merry gurgling of the brook, the tweeting of the birds and watching the play of the clouds against the mountains was all I did since the break of dawn. The whistling lazy boy entertained me with its human-like whistles! This was something I had never heard before! The yummy local Coorgi cuisine added to my long list of likes. Noolputtu, a dish prepared with rice, along with chana curry was the right kind to go with the setting. Like I have always felt, our country has so many diversities in everything. The serenity all around was something we miss in our city life and this has been our reason to take these short breaks to charge us up with a dose of restful days; to look for a lesser known place that did the trick of rejuvenating the mind completely. The evenings were spent playing Antakshari with the other guest since outdoor activities were not possible because of rains. These are experiences to cherish; some of the extra fringes of living in an estate as resorts and hotels certainly do not give such moments of bonding. The misty evenings were times to relax, unwind over cups of filter coffee,read one of your favourite books, listen to the murmurings of the brook or simply do nothing! Leaving you with these mesmerizing images of greenery,peace and beauty at its best.

amidst the thick foliage

And what a riot of colours!

And my favourite spot! Amazing backdrop!

There flows the little brook,gurgling and murmuring along its way......

The simple joys......

A very common sight in Coorg.............

misty mountains.......

the warm interiors.......

My favourite spot in the bungalow......the swing!

the moist evenings...........

That's how the evenings would look!