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 My
chance trip
Having been an ardent trekker myself, I took great
pleasure in organising this maiden event. Luckily, I was asked by
the Hon'ble Minister for Education to go along with the first batch,
oversee the arrangements, inaugurate the trek and come back to
Madras. To begin with, we launched a drive to enroll enough members
in youth hostel movement. I personally enrolled all the young people
in my family and neighbourhood and motivated them to join the trek.
On the Pandiyan
To experience the totality of programme, I travelled
with the group in the sleeper compartment of 'Pandiyan Express'.
Night slipped away as we played cards and sang songs. Early in the
morning we were at Kodai Road. From here we took a state transport
bus to Kodaikanal. We got down at the outskirts of the town near a
Government Boys' High School, which was to be our 'base camp'.
At Kodai
That day we acclimatized ourselves, got briefing, took practice
walks around the lake and waited for the rest of the group to
arrive. During the briefing we learnt that the group should stick
together and should always follow the leader, etc., etc. Next
morning I inaugurated the trek but instead of returning to Madras, I
decided to join the trek and stayed on for the next four days, to
enjoy the beauty of nature.
Flying hats
The first day of trek was to 'Barijam'. On the way we stopped at
the marvelous Pillar Rocks and looked at the mist rising from the
Valley and walked around the 'Coakers Walk', picking wild flowers.
Next we made a brief halt at 'Tope Thookum Parai'. It is believed
that from this point if you toss a hat into the Valley it comes
back. We tossed a number of hats down the valley, and most of them
came back flying.
At Barijam we had our lunch by the lake and gazed at the 'Sacred
multicolour Shola forests'. The forest here, which looks shades of
red and brown and green, all at the same time, is one of the most
beautiful forests of the country. This also forms a part of 'Silent
Valley Eco-system'.
Dancing by campfire
After lunch we walked up a pine forest and fell on a bed of soft
pine needles and slept through the afternoon sun. In the evening we
collected firewood for campfire and everyone sang and danced around
the campfire till midnight. Having left school fifteen years ago, I
picked up some new songs, one, which was very funny and went
something like this….
She went into the Water, and
she got her feet all wet.
She went into the water and
she got her feet all wet.
She went into the water and
she got her feet all wet.
But
she didn't get her Aa….Aa…. Wet…aa…wet.
Lobo, my friend
In the morning I woke up early and got on the highest point, to
watch the 'sunrise'. One of the young men called 'Lobo' from Bombay
was already there. From that point onwards we were great friends and
had a lot to talk about our mutual love for nature. I was so glad
that among the bunch of teenagers I had found a grown up person.
Next three days I learnt a lot about him. He was a champion
trekker but was trekking in Kodaikanal for the first time. He was a
great mountaineer and had scaled several Himalayan peaks. He also
organised monsoon treks in Bombay, which literally meant walking all
night long, in the rain.
The monkey-man
He was tall and lanky with long legs and fast strides and would
walk ahead of everybody, like a pathfinder. Suddenly we will find
him sitting on the branch of a tree, like a monkey. Now he works for
the Reserve Bank of India, Bombay and has made a great name as a
mountaineer in the country.
Meyyappan's songs
Another interesting character with us was the young man Meyyappan,
who kept us enthralled with 'Tamil folk songs' and today I find, he
is the State President of the Youth Hostel Association of Tamil Nadu.
Another member of our group Devraj has become a well-known
naturalist. He has studied many species of animals including 'crab
eating Macaw' of Andamans. We also had the very enthusiastic young
man Perumalswamy with us. I later rediscovered him as Publication
Officer in Tourism Department. He is now appropriately incharge of
'Adventure Tourism' in the State Department of Tourism. It was my
pleasure to work with him, when I became Tourism Secretary.
To stay for ever here
There were also my neighbours Thambi (Premraj), a young intern
and his sister Jayanthi, a high school student. Now both are leading
eye surgeons. Dr.Premraj fell so much in love with Kodaikanal that
he later acquired both a house and a farm in Kodaikanal. My delicate
sister-in-law Latha, a student of S.I.E.T. College, who literally
piggy backed through the trek, is now a leading psychologist and
Deputy Director of Schizopherenia Research Foundation.
Not to be forgotten was 'Young Bird Watcher' Raja Ram, who taught
me to recognise Bamanikites, Blue jays, seven-sisters, Racoons,
Parakeets, Woodpeckers, Kingfishers and Owls. Today he has completed
doctorate in Psychology.
A Romeo too
We also had Venkatesh, a new recruit from Accountant General's
office, who literally kept accounts for the group and time
permitting, flirted with the girls, by way of carrying their bags,
or giving them a hand. He also talked too much and everyone called
him 'Big Mouth'. Today, he has completed his M.B.A. and holds a good
position in AG's office. Thus, I was with a very varied, versatile
and lively group of trekkers….
(to be continued next week…)
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