Wilderness Calling

The idea of having a long biking trip always sounded good to my ears. I feel it's necessary to take this much wanted break at least once every quarter (or at least sporadically). Me, being the biggest wildlife fanatic and enthusiast among my friends, thought we should do something different this time. So, when I suggested to my friends about going to Bandipur National Park, they were all for it. Seven guys willingly agreed to come for the trip. I had ruled out any forms of discrepancies and was happy about the fact that the trip would be enjoyable with eight guys in all.

As days passed by, I realised that this happiness was short-lived. Four of my dear friends, being as fickle minded as they could be, decided not to come for the trip one after the other. They came up with such lame reasons which even a fifth grader wouldn't have believed for a second. These misguided souls were none other than our sardarji friend Navjyot Singh, love-struck friend Jaiprasad, supposedly busy Girish and my very own brother Amith. As a result, this left us with four dejected and confused, but confirmed guys- Sankarsh, Rahul, Rohit and of course, yours truly. My Facebook status update on the day before we left for the trip read so- "The number of guys coming for the biking trip tomorrow has halved from the original 8. No reason to worry as, this doesn't dampen our spirits. We're marching forward no matter what. Bandipur, here we come!"

Rahul and I firmly believed against having any other make-do trip that lasted only one day in order to facilitate the other "not-coming-for-a-long-trip" schmucks. Rohit and Sankarsh soon echoed with our thoughts and shook their heads in agreement. All of us wanted to have an overnight halt in our destination and we definitely didn't have any intentions of changing our plans.

We packed our bags and set out from my house (the common meeting point) at 7 am. Now, any sane person who saw us could make out that the equation was completely wrong from the very beginning. Rohit and Rahul- both emaciated things, so thin that you could count every single bone in their bodies without even having to take an x-ray- were sitting together, while Sankarsh who was a bit on the plump side and I, the absolute embodiment of perfection (OK OK, gags and smugness apart... Of a fairly decent build) were sitting together. We were leading the way as usual because I knew the route to Bandipur like the back of my hand. What with the several trips to Kerala I have through this very route every year using various modes of transportation. I'm anyways known to be very good with directions and routes among my friend circle and family, and this is something that I can be proud of.

After a long and exhausting ride we finally reached Bandipur at 1 pm. We realised that performance bikes (TVS Apaches) were not one bit suitable for long rides such as this, but it was too late. We had already come so far. Conversely speaking, it also helped save time by making up with quicker rides, and this was important for us in order to cover up so many places in such a short time span.

My friend's dad who is an Assistant Conservator of Forests had already booked two rooms for us in the forest guest house. I learned later on that these rooms had to be booked from Bangalore itself, and that there was no way one could do direct bookings from the location. This explains the advantages of having contacts with the higher ups :Þ. Our bungalow was huge and stood out from all the 22 different themed accommodations spread across the place. The best part was, it cost us a very nominal amount- 400 bucks for one room couldn't possibly burn a deep hole in our already burned pockets (We had to stick to our budget of Rs.1000 per person and make it last the entire trip).

We were welcomed by a family of tamed elephants within the premises. After a few snaps with them, it was now time to feed our hungry stomachs. The jungle restaurant served us with some sumptuous homely food. It cost us Rs.75 per head for a vegetarian buffet.

A small nap after lunch was just what we needed to give rest to our tired bodies. We had time to catch a wink until 5 pm before we could get ready for the jungle safari organised by the forest department. At 5 pm, we decided against going for the safari after getting feedbacks from the people of the 4 pm batch who said that apart from a few deers they hadn't spotted anything else. With no intention of going back to our rooms and start gossiping like old ladies, we decided to go to Masinakudi which was just across the Tamil Nadu border (13 km away).

We spotted a lot of wild animals on our way to Masinakudi. These included a troop of grey langoors, a few wild elephants, Jungle fowls, deers, peacocks and a truckload of our common monkeys. Elephants are my favourite animal, but I was disappointed because I couldn't see another favourite animal of mine- the majestic Indian tiger, the largest cat in the world. I would've been happy if I spotted even a leopard or black panther as a condescending substitute.
Once we reached the spot, which was in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve belt, we were welcomed by the sight of a few mammoth tuskers in the elephant camp. It was here that we came across the milestone on which the following letters were printed in bold: OOTACAMUND- 30 km.

Coming so close to Ooty and not visiting the place didn't seem like a good idea to us. We decided to go to the hill-station early in the morning, the following day. The road which passes through Bandipur forest closes for vehicles after 9 pm and reopens only at 6 am. So, the only choice we had was to head back to our guest house in time or get stranded in the middle of the forest amidst wild animals; we obviously chose the former.

The open areas around our guest house was surrounded by deers. These animals come out mostly when the Sun God decides to take a break. I took a few snaps of them in the darkness and was also able to capture a  few shots of some wild boars. We then went to warm our chilly bones by the campfire that the villagers had lit up. 

During dinner, our room attendant told us that when we were out they heard a lot of tiger alerts. It was supposed to be the tiger mating season and the voice was supposedly of a male tiger searching for a partner.

I was the first one to wake up the following morning after a very peaceful sleep. The noise of the vehicles moving through the main road woke me up. It was 6 am in the morning; this signalled that the gates had been opened for vehicular movement. I immediately finished all my morning duties and woke the others. Rahul, being my room mate, got ready immediately. Rohit and Sankarsh, who usually never woke up before 11 am during their holidays were cosily wrapped under their blankets when I went to wake them up. In my haste to get back to Bandipur before 12 pm (Check out time), I didn't even let them do their morning duties. They quickly got ready and we left after we took a few snaps of the herd of deer grazing outside our room. I knew they wouldn't be around when we return.

The weather started getting cooler as soon as we touched the foothills of the Nilgiris. After riding through 36 hairpin bends in the ghat section and almost developing a frost bite due to the low temperature (3°C), we stopped for a snack around 5 km before Ooty. By then, the other three so desperately wanted to take a dump that they kept pestering me to ask the locals if there were any toilets around. Me, being the only one who could speak in Tamil, had no other choice but to help them out. It was after all due to my haste that they were suffering now. The locals said that our only resort was to get to Ooty.

One wise guy had told us the previous evening that Ooty was just half an hour from Masinakudi; it was nowhere close to it. We left our room by 6:45 am and reached Ooty at 9:30 am. The first thing Rohit did was to search for a toilet. His stomach was paining terribly and according to Sankarsh, he was cursing me badly all along the way. After relieving themselves, we headed towards Doddabetta, the highest peak in the Nilgiris. I had figured out by then that the visit to Ooty was only for name's sake.

The vista from atop Doddabetta was just fantastic. The vast ocean of clouds below us, the beautifully contoured valley, the view of the town and its houses, etc. gave me a chance to take some brilliant photography. We even had our breakfast from the restaurant there. It was during breakfast that Rohit flared up even more. He and I wanted to see the entire place before going back to Bangalore and were even willing to extend our stay whereas Rahul and Sankarsh's thinking did not agree with us one bit. Rahul wanted to get out of the place as soon as possible because he wasn't accustomed to such cold weather and Sankarsh said he had to get back at any cost, without giving any obvious reasons as to why. So, I agreed to going back.

Rohit left the place making such a face that even a grumpy old man would have hung his head down in shame at the sight (is this a bad metaphor?). We left Ooty at 11 am and reached our guest house on time at 12 pm. The ride downhill was much faster that we had expected. Once we reached, Rohit and Rahul, who reached a little earlier told us that they got chased by a wild elephant when they stopped to take a photo. Even Sankarsh and I had seen the same elephant by the road side (see pic). I quickly had a bath and we checked out immediately. We still had one place left in our itinerary before we could head back home- Mysore.

After taking a few snaps of the Mysore Palace and satiating our hunger, we headed towards the Mysore zoo. It was my last chance of seeing the tiger before I got home. Tigers have always fascinated me. The largest of the big cats, its size and beauty is just awe-inspiring. We reached the tiger enclosure during the feeding time. We just kept watching how the big males were chewing through big bones like as though it were some pappadam. The animosity that these caged animals had towards its feeders were displayed blatantly by the powerful snarls and violent actions the tigers showed whenever they passed by. We thanked our stars that we didn't come across such a ferocious animal in its natural habitat.

We came out of the zoo at 6 pm and immediately left for Bangalore. The ride back home took us four hours as I controlled the speed of both the bikes. Highways are dangerous especially at night. For me, safety is of utmost priority when it comes to such things. This is not where wild things should be done.

At the end of it all, our statistics read so- 4 friends, 2 bikes, 4 destinations, 668 km, 39 hours, 14 litres of fuel/bike= Rs.1100 per person
The experience= Priceless and wild!

My God! What a 'Mala': Peregrination of a different kind

"A bunch of mad men herding around like wildebeests through the forest, taking all the pain in the world possible, just to see a small brass idol placed on top of a mountain"- this was exactly what I was thinking while I was walking through the Periyar Tiger Reserve's forest track path that led us to Pampa.

Jan 4: My uncle, his friend and I left Erumeli at around 3:30 pm with all the paraphernalia that a swamy usually carries along. This route, known as the velliya paadam, was reputed for its treacherous and notorious path through deep forests, mountains, valleys, streams, occasional wild animals, and what not. To add insult to injury, "God" had very wisely garnished the path not with flowers, but with sharp stones, gravel, thorns, and tree roots. "What's the big deal in it? Any amateur backpacker can do this easily isn't it?" you may ask ignorantly. Yes anybody can. In fact, any chowderhead who has legs can do it. But, try doing the same feat barefooted and you will know exactly what I'm speaking about. It is for this reason that I consider the Sabarimala swamis to be one of the most extreme backpackers in the world.

Handling the rough and uneven terrain complete with a side-bag that is used to carry all their gear, and another bag (irumudi kettu) which is filled with coconuts and rice neatly balanced on their heads requires immense determination and strength (physical and mental). The side-bag gives you sore shoulders because it only has one strap to carry all the weight with, and the headgear leaves you with a bad neck. Leave alone the benefits of doing such things, the only thing I inferred out of this whole exercise was- whoever invented these torturous ways in their quest to see Lord Ayyappan's idol must have been the biggest goddamn masochist of his times.

We came to a halt at 11 pm after covering exactly half the distance (27 km), for a small nap of five hours. With many resting enclosures and food joints built by the forest department all along the way, it wasn't difficult for us to finally get a place to sleep. These places, as I realised later, were a boon for us swamis because it not only provided us with food and shelter during our respite, but it also helped keep the wild animals away from us with the help of the generator they used for lighting the place. The commotion that the people inside and outside these shelters made, was another deterrent.

The sleep I had that night, in spite of all the turmoil around me, was one of the most relieving and satisfying experiences I've had in my entire life.

Jan 5: It was really cold outside and my feet were hurting like crazy, but I had to wake up. We still had a lot to cover and according to my uncle, five hours of sleep was much more than the usual three hours he slept whenever he went there alone. We marched forward and joined the other swamis who were ever-present on the track which led us to the holy shrine. We walked for another four hours and stopped for breakfast near the base of the gruesome and deadly Karimala.

We were advised not to eat a lot as the climb was supposed to be extremely tiresome for our bodies to handle. Not just that, even the descend downhill was supposed to be one of the most difficult phases of this entire traditional route journey. No wonder the swamis chanted Karimala ketam/erakkam kateenam kateenam every now and then. The steep climb uphill seemed endless and at the end of every peak out of a total of seven that make up the Karimala I was left gasping for breath. After another five hours of ups and downs, with some respite in between and with both my feet torn underneath, we finally reached Pampa at 3 pm. We had lunch from here and then I got my feet examined by the attender in one of the medical assistance centres. Since the doctor was missing, I had to make do with some hydrogen peroxide solution poured on the wound and some pain killer tablets given by the attender. I knew this wasn't going to help.

My fears came true when I entered the Pampa river for a bath. Both my feet started burning very badly as soon as I entered the holy river for a dip. After cleansing our sweaty and tired bodies, and washing away our "sins", we entered the foothill of Neelimala, the abode of Lord Ayyappan. From there, it was a good 6 km walk uphill, a distance which would have normally taken us one hour to climb, but because of the sheer number of devotees present, it took us- I kid you not- nine damn hours. It was virtually slower than even wind erosion. We finally reached the Sannidhanam at 12:30 am the following day.

Jan 6: I was rudely awakened by the cops at 1:30 am for having dozed off in between one of the unused railings that formed a serpentine path that led us to the sanctifying 18 steps. But, the only problem was that we had got there a bit late (the shrine closes at 11 pm and reopens only at 4 am). So, we had no other option, but to wait in the biggest queue I had ever seen in my entire life for another 3.5 hours. This didn't seem to be a big deal, what with all the hurdles we had crossed to reach this place in comparison. The analgesic wasn't working at all  as was reflected by the writhing pain on both my feet, but I was helpless. The only hope I had was to get it dressed with medication after my darshanam.

At 4 am, a divine voice got us all excited. It was the voice of Yesudas, the famous singer who was blessed with a child after his first visit to this temple, singing the Suprabatham. This song reckons the opening of the shrine for its devotees. This was an indication for the tumultuous crowd to start moving once again- this time around, towards the 18 steps that ultimately led all of them to the sanctum sanctorum for all sanctification.

We broke our coconuts near the entrance of the 18 steps and proceeded towards the shrine. It was while climbing the 18 steps that I realised I didn't need to take any effort at all. All that you had to do was to stand there and the policemen standing on either sides would automatically lift you like gunny bags (literally) and push you upwards. Wow! What a ride. My uncle told me later on that I should have stood in the centre of the line, where the cops couldn't lay their hands on me. But what left me satisfied at the end of it all was that I was able to get a good darshanam of Lord Ayyappa. A small brass idol inside the sanctum sanctorum which was being smeared all over with clarified butter. Without pondering much, I glibly led myself to believe that the efforts were all worth it.

After coming back to the Sannidhanam, I laid my towel on the balcony of the Sabarimala post office and put myself in 'deep slumber' mode. After all, who could be satisfied with just one hour of sleep, eh? I was awoken by my uncle at 9 am so that we could scoot from the place. On our way back, I entered the Government dispensary where the doctor gave me a tetanus injection and his attender neatly dressed the wound for me in order to prevent further infections. I also bought myself a pair of slippers. I could "officially" wear one now. Phew!

I covered up a lot of my pending sleep on the various bus and train journeys that I took to get back home. It was such a good feeling to return to the (un)civilised world once again. A world of vices. After all, I had learned the hard way that being religious to such an extreme degree was definitely not my cup of tea.

PS: It is entirely a matter of personal choice to follow any such religious beliefs. If this is one's way of finding solace and peace of mind, so be it. The Sabarimala swamis are doing exactly that and I don't have anything to complain about. It only increases my respect towards them. Swamy Sharanam! 

2010: Resolutions for the new year

As I said, I live on to write about more memories and occurrences in 2010. To be honest, I've never made any New year resolutions in my 23 years of existence. So, when it comes to actually having one, I'm sceptical about it. Two contradicting thoughts hit my mind immediately- Will it materialise just because I have a written evidence to keep me reminded about, or will it fade away into oblivion like most people's resolutions do? I don't know. But whatever it is, I don't see any harm in trying it out, all the while hoping to get the best out of this currently mundane lifestyle of mine. With no intentions whatsoever to bite off more than I can chew, I jot down five of my resolutions for this year (not necessarily in the order of importance).

Resolution No.1: Get a six pack at any cost.

For someone whose first priority is health, this definitely reflects a good start for a new year resolution. Building a great abdomen has always found the topmost spot in the "Arjun's to-do-list". The only problem however, is that I've been misplacing this list off and on- so much so- that I desperately needed to make a new list that doesn't get lost. Hence, this blog-post.

Mind you, it's not child's play to build a good looking abdomen. In fact, for most people, this area remains to be the most neglected part of their body. So, how am I going to do it? To start off, I need to reorganise three things:  My eating habits, my exercise regimen, and of course, my dedication levels. I mean, what good is such a resolution if somebody worth his salt cannot perform it with such alacrity? The motivation should firstly come from within. Expect another post on this once the mission is accomplished (obviously before this year ends).

Resolution No.2: Improving my photography skills

The inspiration for this resolution came in the form of a brand new Nikon digital camera that my dad bought for the family last week and this. I've always been intrigued by photography. The phrase "a picture speaks a thousand words" is indeed true and I hope to let my pictures do the talking. Maybe, in the form of a photo-blog which I've always wanted to create. My passion for travelling further improves the scope for this interest of mine which I eventually want to transform into a hobby. What say?

Resolution No.3: Improve my blog

Could I miss out this one? This blog of mine is one of my best friends, and making my blog-posts more articulate and realistic finds the top spot/s in this agenda. Writing has, of late, become my forte and I definitely want to capitalise on this one. Gone are the days when I did nothing when interesting thoughts lingered in my mind. Now all those will find a warm place in my blog and documented and preserved carefully for everyone's perusal by none other than yours truly.

Resolution No.4: Learn the guitar

One of my favourite musical instruments. Being a hardcore heavy metal fan for many years now (7 years to be precise), there were times when I wanted to learn the guitar more than I wanted my next breath. Hopefully, once I start working, I will be able to buy myself a good "Axe". After all, shouldn't there be someone to replace the reverent Yngwie Malmsteen or Eddie Van Halen or Joe Satriani after their retirement? \m/ \m/

Resolution No.5: Read a lot more

As of now, though I've read quite a bit, I don't find the patience to read lengthy books. It just doesn't fit in my present time-table. Exercising the mind is equally important as exercising the body, and what better way to do this than read? Hopefully reading won't cross ways with my favourite activity- writing. So, take a break while I finish my latest novel. Until then, au revoir!

PS: Hoping I've not put myself into a self-spun predicament with these resolutions.