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 Summer in all its fury is upon us. Even cattle are looking for shelter. With schools closed for summer, people are sweating it out in their homes! How to beat the heat? Where to go for a short break? If you are looking at a holiday + adventure, then you should read this. To awaken the adventurer in you 'Care
Nilgiris' offers trekking expeditions.
You are naive if you think that to reach Ooty, you will have to go to Mettupalayam via Coimbatore and then by road or rail to Ooty! The 'Care
Nilgiris' foundation walks you from Coimbatore to Ooty! (The President of India is in Ooty now - he did not take this route, though!) Are you kidding, you ask? No, we are not. If the spirit is willing and the flesh is strong! well, you can do it.
 What is 'Care
Nilgiris'?
The locals living in the Nilgiris range got together and started 'Care
Nilgiris', in 1985. This range of mountains was discovered by an Englishman, John Sullivan on Jan 2, 1819. A year after this he also discovered Ooty. To commemorate the discovery and to make the people understand how important mountains are, 'Care
Nilgiris' was started.
The trekking starts from the West and the route followed is the same as that taken by John Sullivan, when he first explored these mountains. This route which starts at Pandiyar and goes up to Swispara was the primary route to reach Ooty till the year 1890. The road from Coimbatore to Ooty was constructed only later. National Geographic has listed this trekking route as one among the 400 wonders of nature.
This year is the International year of the mountains. To celebrate this, a summit (what else!) is being held at Johannesburg in October. About 400 crore people, in the world, are supposed to be dependent on mountains for their livelihood. The 'Care
Nilgiris' foundation wants to create awareness of these facts among the public. Trekking is one way to spread awareness.
Two packages are being offered. For two nights and three days, the charges are Rs. 2000, while for three nights and four days, the charges are Rs. 4000. People of any age or sex can participate. The only requirement is courage!
 "'Care
Nilgiris' is not a commercial organisation. We started this to make an effort to arrest the progressive degradation of
Nilgiris. We also wanted to draw the government's attention to problems regarding tea prices. We plan to conduct at least five trekking camps in a year. We are being helped a great deal by the forest authorities. The forest department provides only lodging, medical facilities for the trekkers. We also help the plantation workers by educating them on best production practices."
 "The response for our trekking camp has been very good. So far 250 people have registered, including women. Since all cannot be taken at the same time, we are taking them in groups. We also plan to conduct a special summer camp. Since 1937, there was no Minister, from
Nilgiris, till A. Miller, became a cabinet minister, in this government. Better still he is also the tourism minister. We have submitted a memorandum to the CM, to consider changing the name, back to Ooty. Foreign tourists get confused with various names like Ooty, Udhagamandalam, etc. We understand that the government is considering our suggestion."
 "We want to make
Nilgiris the preferred destination for foreign tourists. We want to take foreigners on these trekking expeditions. We will be working closely with the tourism department. An international Tourism conference is being organised by the TN Tourism Development Board, in which we will have a significant role to play. Qualified coaches are available for training in the summer camps. Those willing to walk for seven hours a day can apply. They can supplement our efforts to preserve the
Nilgiris," says 'Care Nilgiris' foundation's co-ordinator
Venugopal.
Where there is a will, there is a way! Even if it (the way) happens to be a tough mountain terrain!
For more details:
Venugopal
'Care Nilgiris'
Q-6, Sungath -111
MGR Nagar, I street
Velachery, Chennai.
Tel: 2550185
Saravanan
Tr.Ellar
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