malgudi days revisited!!!

R.k narayan's masterpiece malgudi days was a delight both in written form and when it was televised in early 90s. As a child i loved malgudi days and if memory serves me right, malgudi days was a rage amongst kids in that era.As a child i would often visualize myself in the magical wonderland called malgudi town.

Many years later i had the opportunity of visiting the nondescript village called Agumbe nestled in the sides of Western ghat in the state of karnataka. Agumbe was the setting of our fictional Malgudi town. An overnight journey in bus from bangalore, Agumbe lies in the district of Shimoga and is a stoppage en route to manipal and udupi(important coastal towns).
Agumbe is one of the cleanest and friendliest villages i have visited till date.The small village is incredibly clean and wealthy.Located on the foothills of majestic western ghat hills the view is almost surreal.
Due to its location Agumbe is an excellent spot for trekking,jungle walk and hiking.
On arrival we started looking for our place of accommodation and surprise surprise this is no ordinary lodge or home stay....but the 200 year old mansion of erstwhile village landlord where many episodes of malgudi days where videotaped !!!!
The current owner of the place is an elderly lady called Kasturi Akka(she is on google) who allowed us to stay on the 1st floor of the building ( a huge room) with direct views of the jungle and hills) for a mere Rs 200 ( we were SIX guys!!!!)

Not wasting much time we freshed up and made our way for the hills.

The main entrance to the jungle that leads to our destination is approx 4 kms from the main village.We took an auto along with a local boy .We had our backpacks filled with water bottles,knife,and first aid medicine along with an extra pair of clothes.
Initially i did not understand the density of the forest but slowly as we entered and moved ahead on our trail along the distinct path cutting across the jungle....suddenly i had this overwhelming feeling of being cut off from civilization and being completely on our own.As the forest got denser we realized it has become darker as well. As we continued walking on our path we came across peculiar design of tree bark and trunk.Being a business management student i didn't had much idea about their scientific names or family( i just managed to pass in biology back in school!!) however i couldn't help appreciating mother nature's gifts.
Agumbe is known as "capital of king cobra" and to be perfectly honest i am not too comfortable about serpents and would always keep my eyes open so that i don't run into them.After walking for about three kms on ground surface we realized we are ascending and now the real tough part comes in. However it worked out easier than i expected.It was not horrifyingly stiff and being surrounded by trees shrubs we always had something to hang on.However certain parts were incredibly muddy and slippery and made us pay extra attention so we don't slip.
We encountered some beautiful flora and fauna on our way(flowers,butterflies etc) which only added more value to our expedition.
Destination was reached after 4 hours of walking and trekking and we were suitably reawarded with the majestic view of the valley with the distant waterfall.
The long exercise through the forest had literally made us weak in our knees.
Picture clicked and adequate rest for an hour we decided to head back.This time we decided on an alternative route decided by our young guide who said this one is much more adventurous .Indeed this time around the it was steeper making the descend much tougher for us. Normally descending requires more skill and balance than ascend and making things worst were our tired feets. After the complete descend and walking for a kilometer or so we came across waterfall.The scenic beauty was out-of this world.
Tired we coudn't wait to strip off and refresh ourself.
Body batteries fully recharged we once again headed our way back to our base.After another 2km walk we were finally out of the main forest area. Now we realized we have to walk another 6 kms on the paved road as the auto that took us there has long vanished and we were left with no other option.
So here we go again!!! Dragging ourself for the last six kms we finally managed to
arrive at agumbe!!!
This was an trip which was worth much more than the penny spent or challenges we faced.It was an experience!!!!

great indian train journey

GREAT INDIAN TRAIN JOURNEY

-Sumantra Chowdhury

In India, a country of billion people we have people of different

backdrop , culture and race.

A great meeting place for all this is the Indian railways……since time immemorial or lets say last 150 years, this larger than life organisation…India’s biggest employer has been able to bind the nation together in its journey across India’s terrain.

Its an amazing experience to witness the transformation of the landscape through the tainted glass of two tier coach. Its also not only the landscape its also about the different language signboards, weather and people which has to be witnessed and felt.

Indian railways may be no match for high speed TGV of Europe of bullet train of Japan but it has its unparallel distinct charm which is uniquely Indian and cannot be observed anywhere else. Small things like the different hawkers sellers who board the train to sell all kind of abstract things from mobile chargers to cheap appetizers…making the journey colourful and refreshing for a traveller.

However the best part of an Indian train journey is the friendship you make with your co-passengers which is very meaningful without any string attached. A companion for the solitary journey whom you probably won’t meet again in your lifetime. The bond that is made in that quick time is priceless.

You may never know how a co-passenger whom you ideally meet on your journey can change life forever…ideally for the better. A lesson can be learnt and new things can be appreciated from new retrospective ways. The cliché attached with our cosmopolitan city life can be shrugged off for few hours and observe the quaint lifestyle in pastoral settings.

Trek to Savandurga

Savandurga or 'fort of death' as its name suggests is the largest monolith hill in Asia located in the state of Karnataka and 60 kms from Bangalore.
Its known for its steep terrain and its rich history.It was the second capital of kempegowda reign .Ruins of that fort remains testimony to an era long gone.

After much research on internet we( 5 students of M.S Ramaiah College,B'lore) decided to spent a night on the top of the hill. Hence we made adequate prepration.

items listed below:

1. Tent

2.Adequate torch and emergency light

3. kerosene

4.Butcher's Knife

5.Sand

6.Dry Food

7.Nylon wire

8. Water

9.Dry wood

10.carbolic acid

we had one day for all the shopping as we planned the entire thing on friday and left on Sunday.

The route was prepared from internet....where all the information is being gathered....we finally prepared to leave.

TRANSPORT
Direct bus is available fro K.R Market Bus stand but we took a bus from Majestic to Magadi road bus stand to Magadi town.
From Magadi Town small tempo are available which we took to take one to the foot of savandurga hills .

It took us four hours in total to reach Shavandurga.
Being a Sunday there was quite a crowd there mainly Pilgrims as Savandurga is known for its temple at the top.

The Trek

Savandurga is knowm for its barren steep rock which makes it a difficult climb.
We had added woes in form of sudden rain and the huge load we had to carry in our back to make our night out.

We started by 12.30 and we reached the top not before 5.00 pm as rain played quite a spoilsport.

I especially remember the last leg of the climb was most difficult as it was almost vertically tilted and to make things worse we dint had ropes to held on to.

After reaching the top it was a sigh of relief words can't explain. We had to immediately get into work to bring out the tent and arrange woods for camp fire.

As the Sun went down the sparkling light from down below made all of us engulfed in its beauty.

We cooked maggie(instant noodles) and boiled eggs for dinner and slept at the tent only after being drunk in nature.

As the sun rose to its glory the next day we remained a witness to all its splendour.

We came down the hill next day around noon and made our way back to b'lore.

It was definetly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life for just being an unconventional weekend!!!!