Hey friends,
So, coming out of all those, this time, it’s about a trip which I made recently. It was with almost half my team that we started to Yercaud, a hill station near Salem.
We started by around 5AM from Coimbatore, in a cold, but energetic morning on July 4. After picking up the entire team, we left the out skirts of the city by around 6.30. Then started the bang of music, heads over to the core. Actually, it started mildly, with some devotional number, and like a storm gaining strength on its course, the mood changed gradually. By the time we stopped for refreshments, all of us were sweating like rains in November. After a short break, we restarted the journey, and of course, needless to say, the dance party as well. The journey was quite long, more than 4 hours, but was never boring. We had our breakfast at the hill base by around 9.30AM. Tasty Iddly paired with the traditional Chutney and Sambar were enough to ride boats through our mouths. The Lemon Seva and Halwa added flavors to it. We filled our stomach like anything before starting to climb the 20 hair pin curves to the hill top. The scenes through the windows were worth a movie shot, as we climbed the hill. What a view man.!! Breathe taking!
Finally, we were there, at the top, by around 11AM. The area was actually not quite attractive initially, as we expected. However, there, we split up into groups and started in different directions,; some for the Deer Park, some for Boating, and yes, some like me, for walking through the nearby shops for some food stuffs.!! On the way, we met few police ladies, who advised us to take the bus right to the top most point, called Shevrayon. We were so excited by this idea, that we called everyone and set to move by 1.30PM. (And yes, in between, we had some time to play the Dump C’s, which paved way for the comedy session). Then started the real hill climbing. It was hardly 6km to the top, and we took around 45 minutes to reach there. OMG! I can’t explain that journey, the best part of our whole trip. The road was literally inclined 45 degrees, and the bus never moved out of its extra gear. Sitting in the front row, just behind the driver’s seat, the road was like.. Oh. I couldn’t find anything comparable to that sight.! Awesome..!
On the top, there were more amazing sights in store for us, the first being a wonderful view point of the entire town. Although some parts being crapped down, the hill was just superb. And what was more amusing that the only police station of the town rested there, at the top! We had our lunch from there, the spicy biriyani and tempting curd rice served our appetite. After lunch, we went to the famous Shevrayon temple, located right there. It’s just a small cave temple, carved inside the rocks of the hills. The funniest fact was that I was a perfect fit to that temple. My body could just fill in the entrance to the whole cave! After spending some time there, we returned to the main town. Again, the journey.. OOPS! Can’t think of it another time. The entire steep slope opening the mouth in from of us, both the sides being covered with forests.. It was really fearsome.
Then again, it was the time for some beautiful sights. The astonishing sights from “Ladies Seat” and the ever smiling flowers in the Rose Gardens provided a perfect close for a memorable journey, not to mention the shooting of an unknown film that we witnessed. Well, after all those mind blowing sights, it was time to return, by around 5.30PM. The return journey was almost silent, as compared to the onward journey, thanks to the tiredness of hill climbing and walking. On the way, we stopped at Salem, for some refreshments. There, something drastic happened, which really changed my perception of life. Few of us went into a small tea stall, had some tea and snacks and all. I came out of the shop a bit earlier than others, owing to a phone call from my friend to buy some cool drinks. I went to the nearby shop. There, there was only a little girl, to whom I asked for the drink. She took that and gave it to me. Then, on the back side of that shop, I saw an old man, probably 80 years old, staring at me. Out of curiosity, I asked the girl who was that. The reply really melted my heart. That man was a teacher in some local school there. After retirement, he has spent all his pension and other funds for his son, who is a doctor now, staying at China. (Oh. I can hear you screaming, “Stop this non sense!. We have seen this already in many films!” Well yes, but when you really see that, you will turn to someone else inside). The old man was left alone, his wife being dead, with only bank loans and other sorts of liabilities. The guy who is running the shop was an old student of his, who adopted (Well, actually, I shouldn’t say, he adopted. Rather, he is using) the old man, and took him to his shop. And here, what is he doing? He would sit on the back side of the shop, and is feeding on the food left overs by the passengers who stops there for refreshments. This has been his routine for around 6-7 months, it seems. The little girl, who was innocent enough to narrate all this to me in no time, went inside, after snatching the money for the drinks from me.
Then, on the return, I left my mind there, with the old man, who spent the whole of his life creating a new, better generation, being treated now, worse than a dog by his own family and students. Perhaps, this is what differentiates humans from animals-The ability to forget our past while building a better future eagerly. However, an unforgettable end of a glorious trip was marked there.
Even now, I am haunted by that very sight of the old man staring at me, as if asking, “Today, it’s my turn. How about tomorrow?”
No comments:
Post a Comment