Mullainagiri & Kemmanugundi

Aye Captain! WOW! What a fantastic weekend it was  or was I only dreaming?
We were walking in the places where heavens met the earth with kiss of the clouds.
Chickmagalur being only 250 kms away, we chose to leave late from Bangalore. Everyone dropped into our house, parked their car, and loaded into a common vehicle. Reshmi, down with a severe cold and depressed about dropping out the last minute, wished us a teary farewell & a happy journey!

To wile away more time we took a long break at a Coffee day near Hassan! Yet we reached Chickmagalur in the wee hours. We freshened up at a lodge and had idly with many servings of piping hot yummy sambar!

We started the trek by 7:30. Perfect weather helped the pace. Furious winds were blowing our way almost pushing us off the pathways. Looking down was as exciting as it was dangerous. Rain Gods ensured our safety by not pouring. The National Geographic 1 & 2 went clicking their cameras and capturing the divine beauty in their lens.

The rocks in this terrain were totally different from anywhere else. They were naturally sculpted; multitude of colors & patterns shone from within the rocks. Further, up the hillock, we came to a huge crevice, almost forming a small cave. Here was our first big break. The sunny weather changed its mood. Strong winds brought clouds our way. We found ourselves cutting through the mist. The visibility dropped to 10 ft. Afraid it would rain, we quickened our pace. The weather changed its mind again, the sun shone bright, and we took an apple break. The self designated Captain, Yogi, marched orders to his soldiers. The weather was playing a game with us. Heavy fog enveloped us and visibility dropped to 3 ft. It was very exciting. We were almost close to the peak, when we heard a rumble. A land slide was happening. Thankfully, we were not in the way and were amazed spectators. The winds had picked up speed. We saw birds flying, the winds were so strong that, the birds were pushed back and dropped their feed. WOW! What a sight!

We managed to reach the peak without much difficulty. It was very relaxing. The temple of Mullaina Swamy or Shiva, was being renovated. There were many workers involved in the construction. The priest agreed to feed us. While our lunch was being prepared, we went to explore the caves.

Giri, Anand & Mahesh, first timers to Mullainagiri, went into the smaller cave. Their excitement knew no bounds when they were shown the deeper cave. The beautiful natural patterns on the rocks inside held us enthralled. The torchlights lit up the pitch-dark caves and opened a new world of wonder to us. The cave was clean and the bats flying past us had us ducking our head more than once. Karuna, Mahesh, Anand, Giri & I went at least 50 ft deep. Yogi refused to be tempted to try this adventure and relaxed at the cave entrance.

We then had simple, hot lunch at the priest’s place. Rice & potato sambar with buttermilk satiated all of us. Thanking the priest and getting more directions, we started our descent. Fog engulfed us again. We thought we were lost. Taking left & right direction in wilderness was confusing. After losing the path once, we were back on the correct trail. The scenery changed before our eyes. Every minute, the cloud magic waved by the winds changed the color of the hills. We were all so taken with the ambience, it was difficult to go back to concrete jungle. Anand and Giri took many pictures of the landscape. We completed the trek by 1:30. Though, it felt like 5 in the evening. All of us were famished despite the lunch just a couple of hours before. We made some fabulous sandwiches with tomato, cucumber, onion, ketchup, lime & chips. Yummy!

Our drive was waiting for us at the designated spot. We decided to skip Bababudangiri & go to Kemmannugundi. The bumpy drive could not stop us from dozing off. Captian Yogi, was awake, watchful of the road and the driver. We lodged into our rooms at the Kemmanugundi horticulture Cottage and ordered food for the night. It was very cold; the temperature had affected my phone too.

Dinner was very satisfying. The long day ended with lots of activities. The next day, Anand, Mahesh & Karuna went to another trek to Z-Point. Giri, Yogi & I took our time, and followed them after a while. We visited the rock garden. Life was back to Kindergarten Park again ;) Seesaw, Swing, etc.

Rose garden at Raj Bhavan did not have any roses, but the view from the highest point at Kemmanugundi was spectacular. Bhadra Reservoir could be seen from here. School children on picnic were playing gaily.

Lunch was another satisfying affair. We decided to try another route to avoid bumpy roads and left soon after. On the way, a signboard displayed Kalhatthi falls. Kal is stone, hatthi is climb, and one has to literally climb the stone to get to this falls. Another horticulture guesthouse very close to the falls inspired us for the next event. Yogi also promised to find information about kayaking in Chickmagalur. Next time!

Karuna, Giri & I went to see the temple. We had to wade through calf length water from the falls to reach the temple inside the stone caves. There were a lot of stone carved idols here, the water from the fall was flowing in a very different way from behind the idols.

We saw a strange event here. A young boy of 14 years of age was carrying a very heavy looking huge plate with an idol, flowers and things of worship on his head. A couple was pestering him to answer their questions and resolve their problems. Many people were dancing around the boy with more idols. The Goddess was supposed to descend into the boy’s body and speak. We did not stop to see the consequences and were back on our way.

I bought some very sweet local citrus fruits, the orange variety. Only Giri braved to try one, the rest declined and stuck to mineral water. We had avoided all bumpy roads and were fast approaching the city. The conversation in the cab moved from diverse topics, a debate about internet as a medium to arrange marriages; how Giri, Mahesh, Anand, Karuna & I decided upon our life partners; Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Plant; Hasiru Usiru; etc. Very Interesting! Avoiding all crammed roads of the city, we reached home well ahead of scheduled time. The icing on cake was the Rainbow we saw at Tiptur. Our pot of gold on the other side of this rainbow was Mullainagiri!

Scuba Diving in India

We were to start at 8 sharp as advised by Lost & Acknowledged Rahul. As only destiny could dictate, we could leave the city limits only by 11. Some roads seem to be cursed and will never get repaired. Tarikere stretch towards Shimoga is one such road. That one and the Shiradi Ghat Road towards Kumara Parvata give me nightmares. We somehow sailed by and reached Murudeshwara by 11 am. Road Builders in Karnataka should take a leaf out of the books of Road Builders in Ladakh!

We did not lose any time changing into swimming gear and getting to the pool. Ajey was already waiting for us. An introduction and a brief theory session, we found ourselves in the pool. Ajey trained us thoroughly batch by batch on using equipment , being comfortable inside the pool for a long time, disaster & risk management till we were all super confident of the dives next day.


Pool was also the place to relax and play a pool volleyball, throw & dunk!
By 5:30 pm all of us were done with the training. Getting food at Murudeshwara was really a big deal. With lacks of visitors thronging the place every day of the year and with limited number of hotels and restaurants catering this small town, getting food/room was the biggest problem of a visitor.

The ancient cave temple of Shiva, with legend of Ravana depicted inside the temple in murals was beautiful. The tiring day ended with a long dreamless sleep.
Sunrise on sea shore was one of the most beautiful sights of the journey. While photographers of the event went click click click, non camera people captured the fantastic view with mind & memory! I close my eyes now & think and am transported to the beaches of Murudeshwara 

We all took a Domistal tablet to keep seasickness at bay. We were to embark on 19 km journey on sea to reach the beautiful Netrani Islands. After breakfast, we awaited a motor boat at the shore to pick us up. Transferring equipment & people took minimum time and we were off cutting through the waves and racing past other fishing boats on the sea.

The bonus was seeing Dolphins frolic on the waves! It was an unexpected sight 
We took nearly an hour and a half to reach Netrani. We gained a lot of knowledge about buoyancy devices and life jackets and art of snorkeling on the journey. The view and the weather were fantastic. We seem to enjoy the best weather on all TAG Trips!

Reminded me of Mauritius; we had snorkeled in the sea around the dolphins. Amazing view inside the sea of corals and dolphins. We couldn't do if here though.

Crystal clear aqua green waters with hundreds of fish dancing at the surface greeted us. We could peer and see the sand, fish and stones bottom of the sea. WOW!
The group was divided! Excited & tensed first time divers on one side, obviously they were entering unknown territory; relaxed snorkels in the comforts of their buoyancy jacket on the other side. Giri, Naveen & Praveen the swimmer went down first. Each dive lasted for nearly 40 minutes. These guys emerged with AWE and enthusiasm that made me envy and want to dive in immediately to see what they saw that had them dancing with pleasure. Sameena, Anindya, unmarried Praveen ;), Brave Vidya, Rohit, Chethan launched themselves to form a group of happy snorkelers. Prithvi who was seasick rested in the boat, promising to dive successfully in the next event.

Anand, Praveen, Roopesh followed by Girish, DP (DURGA PRASAD) completed their dives successfully. The divers after each dive joined the snorkelers. No one wanted to get out of the water.

Netrani Islands stood majestically in the beautiful waters. I was tempted to trek up the island. But we had taken a large boat and anchoring it was an issue. We could trek up, camp on the island and come back the next day  Neat!
Bananas, cookies, biscuits and loads of water kept us away from hunger and dehydration. Glucose & electrol gave extra energy.

We packed up at almost 3:00 PM; almost everyone was dozing on the journey back to the mainland. No dolphins on the way back.

Done with shower & lunch, by 5:30 everyone was ready & packed to come back home. We bid adieu to Rohit, who went to his native and were on our way to Bangalore.
Antakshari was ON with the databases Anindya & Praveen Nampoorthri digging into 18th century collection. Old is Gold indeed! DP won a 5 rupee bet with me over the song ‘Is mod se jaate hain’. I also owed everyone a coffee at a coffee day for the delay. Tarikere stretch kept me awake again. Giri & Prithvi kept four eyes on the eyes of the driver.

We stopped for dinner at Shimoga. By 6 we had hit the morning traffic at Nelmangala Peenya city limits. We took the Nice Road again to avoid entering the city.
Monday Morning! Life was back in chaos, traffic signals, horns, office doors chattering, files, laptops, colleagues, con-calls, STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS …….
The aftereffect of the trip – I can feel the gentle waves rocking my boat 
POST NETRANI

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 9:41 PM, Naveen Belkale wrote:
Yep. Had a great time. Thanks to Giri and Roopa. Hope to see you all ppl in another trip :-)
-Naveen

From: Anindya Shankar [mailto:anindyashankar@gmail.com]
Sent: 04 November 2008 10:33
yup.. excellent trip..!!

re-lived my Thailand moments ;)
moments with nice new friends... were exciting & refreshing... keep replying and be in touch..

Thanks..!!
anindya shankar

Praveen Sebastian wrote:
Thank you very much Giri and Roopa for arranging such a wonderful trip...
Cheers
Praveen.

Gisish wrote:
Looking forward for more trips like this,

cheers,
Girish

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 1:41 PM, Roopesh Nambyatil > wrote:

Thanks a Million Roopa and Giri ...it was great...something we
will cherish for life time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice meeting you all..look forward to more meetings..:)
Cheers
Roopesh N

We met up for a Coffee at forum, Scuba Diving Cards with TAG Signature were distributed to successful Divers. The divers were also entitled to Rs 500 Discount on their next open water dive with us. Thus began a spate of new friendships 

Photo Album
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/tagindiateam/ScubaDivingSnorkelingNov08


Best Regards,
Roopa Sreedhar

Kumara Parvata Trek by Shankar Nag

"2,3,4 December KP trek...." Roopa sent out a mail, I was all excited to see this mail about KP. I called Roopa to check why she planned a 3 day trek, because i couldn't have missed office on Monday, it was kept as a buffer since it is KP and she was all determined to summit this time after a few half way treks. But this was my first try.

Friday we all met up, 13 of us, a few new faces in the group, otherwise it was the old mountain buddies. As usual we started off discussing about our previous trek experiences. Someone started the topic of snake biting me in Mulliayanagiri. To add to the excitement the group, I even showed the snap of my ankle. Vasu was keen on knowing how I was still alive, One logic that since am NAG, the snake might be dead :-).

We started off our 9 hours journey towards Kukke Subramanya, which was pleasant till Sakleshpur, after that we enter the real NH48, national highway?????,where is the bloody road, its worst than any village road, to be frank there is no road at all.
By 6.30 we reached Kukke, after fresh up, me n Roopa went to the forest office to arrange for the guide, ideally one doesn’t need a guide for KP, but our plan was to trek in the night so to be on safer side we hired a guide. We visited the holy shrine of Subramanya Swami, and there we go, we spotted a snake in the river, WELCOME TO KP.

Someone was telling its a Cobra n all, not sure though. Kukke is one place where people will not create a fuss of spotting a snake, because its a common thing. Earlier I had also seen snakes in the temple, but this time a big one. After we were back from temple, we distributed the food items to be carried and started off the trek.
Some 15 minutes after we started equipping against the leaches, we applied tobacco n coconut oil. The temperature was still cool and we were able to trek fast. The first phase of KP is very steep, but since its a typical rain forest with tall, majestic trees covering the sun, its fun to trek this part.

After an hour of trek we reached the first landmark, The Big Rock.



Me n Shefali reached early, waited here for the whole group to reach. There were so many guys from other groups passing by. We started analyzing how far each one would go by the way the person is panting n puffing. The different grades were Battaramane, Mantapa, Peak. While we were doing so, one person was returning back half way. That made our belief stronger.

For the whole group to come, it took around 30 minutes, a small chat n snacks, we started off the next part. The real challenge of KP is that is almost a continuous ascent, one wont get a easy walk stretches to relax. Zigzag zone, this is the second landmark, there are some 10 zigzags to cross. This part is more of Shola forest, its pretty tough here as we will not have the natural umbrella and the heat will torture a person, and this is pretty boring and very exhausting. Few people in the group spotted two snakes, together.

After a long walk we reached Battara mane. There were already some 50+ trekkers here, this also shows how popular KP is. Battara mane is a popular base camp in KP. We can have food, shelter here. I won't be too amazed if Cafe coffee day, pizza corner comes up here in near future. There are so many people from Bangalore. In fact a group of 30+ from Thomson was there. Our guide was telling, in the Christmas weekend there will be 200-250 people for trek :-0

Battara mane butter milk is such a relief after such a demanding trek. Balaji took us to a nearby stream for a natural Jacuzzi, as we placed our feet into the ice cold water.... Man its such pleasure for the feet. We had lunch at Battara mane, proper kannadiga food, with anna, sambar, majjige with uppinakai.

Our plan was to halt in Forest guest house on the day 1, and do the summit on day 2 morning. So our day 1 trek was over. We spread out our sleeping mats in Adike thota around Bhattara mane and had a nice nap. Myself, Balaji and Karthik were discussing about the next biking trip to Wayanad, would love to make it sooooon.

What peaceful sleep we were having... soon it was all ruined by a game called UNO. At around 4 PM, we started off towards Forest guest house to setup tents n other things for the night. Its a 5-10 minutes walk, after reaching there we had a refreshing Tea, thanks to Roopa, Gauri and Prashanth. We went around for the sunset and some photography, Balaji made me all Jealous with this wonderful Zoom, a few tricks and tutorials, it was pretty dark and we walked back to the base camp. After pitching tents, we went on to collect fire wood. Hungry again, Dinner@Battara mane, it was close to a full moon day, moon had the whole place lit up, a pleasant 5 minutes walk. After a nice dinner, we had a zoke n Dumb charades session around the campfire. Best is Sameena trying to enact Rangeela.

Balaji, myself and a few other settled in the tent, and a few others in forest guest house. In my tent we planned to get up around 5 AM to start trek. 5 AM when the alarm was ringing, it was so bloody cold, we decided to .... Bless the person who found SNOOZE feature.

Finally got up around 6.30 and all set to walk by 7.30. Myself, Shefali (as usual), started off to lead. This part is also very steep, we didn't stop much and reached Mantapa within 50 minutes. We both were pretty happy about our pace. I named Mantapa as "Cape of good hope", if we reach here before Sun becomes too fierce (say before 9 AM), then one can have a good hope for KP peak. After some cool snaps session and sandwich breakfast, I was all set for the last phase. A few guys were contended with Mantapa and didn't carry on further.

Again a steep ascent and very rocky path. Nice views of surrounding mountains. It was so windy that at some places we sat down till it would reduce. Next popular landmark is Batthada raasi. This is a intermediate peak, probably gets it name coz it looks like a paddy heap. Beside this is Shesha parvatha, again this looks like hood of snake "Shesha". By the time we reached Shesha parvatha, we were all so tired, that we loved to assume this itself is KP peak. One look at the path ahead, another few guys started telling this is good enough and we won't continue further. Some how I was adament of doing peak, after some cheerup, we climbed down into the rainforest region, very nice strip. After this there is a little bit of rock climbing to be done, and we are 99% completed. Nagarajan was putting in great effort with his injured leg. At around 11.30 we were at the peak. KP SUMMITED.

I get such wonderful feeling on each of my summit, now this one is extra special for its Kumaraparvatha.

The scenery is pretty good from here. But nothing can beat Mullaiyanagiri. There is a temple, where once in a year during Shivaratri, this god will be worshipped. After a little screaming, snaps, orkut snaps, group snaps we started getting down, this isn't any easier, first of all Sun right over your head, and then getting down steep path. Completely sloshed by the time we reached Forest guest house, which is just half way. I noticed one snake, which disappeared in seconds (Not sure if I shud be happy or sad about it). With major pain we reached Kukke.
I was always wondering what makes KP so special, after all its the third highest peak in Karnataka first n second being Mulliayanagiri and Thadiyandamol. I have done both of them, so what big deal about KP, and why is it so popular, every single trekker in Bangalore either has done it or badly want to do it.

I still don't have the answer, may be just because it is KP. But am happy that I belong to the group of people who say "I have done KP". No doubt this is the most demanding trek I have done, close to which would be Kodai - Munnar trek. 2006 has been a mast year. I summited the top three peaks in Karnataka.

Had I not come to US and instead did the 10 day Goa-Doodhsagar trek, My 2006 would have been more complete.

KP Snaps : http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2097846054

Mulliayanagiri snaps and Denver snaps to follow soon ;-)

- Shankar Nag

Manali to Leh Driving Trip 2008

TAG INDIA team recently completed an exotic journey from Manali to Leh and beyond. This is one of the remotest corner of India and a breathtaking one too. Landscape is very similar to Utah and Colorado in US. We covered 3 of the highest motorable passes in the world (max at 18320 feet above sea level where one cannot even breathe properly). Touched China, Tibet and Pakistan border during our camps and treks. Check out the first 2 photos which are panoramic views of Tsokar lake (one of the highest lakes in the world) and a mountain range on the 42KM plateau at 15000 feet. See photo links below:
Day 1-2 Photos
Day 3-4 Photos
The whole trip was a very exotic and strange one. We came across many strange phenomenon like the IPOD death zone (where all electronic items just die - including my SLR digital camera and I had to buy a make shift point and shoot camera in leh) , magentic road (where all vehicles drive up a 20 degree angle on their own) , light blobs at Shanti Stupa (strange lights that only appear in camera shots), army presence in possibly every corner of the place, utmost friendly people, chance encounter with Korean Socialist, Austrian traveller, Delhi fellow philosphers discussing on deep matters such as purpose of religion, life, gods, etc and finally stories of NASA doing research on alien spacecrafts in Spiti valley and so on. It is a journey we will remember for a life time! We hope to return next year and explore more remote corners of our nation.

Need a lot of time to upload all the photos. :) More to come in few days, so keep on the look out.

Bhagavathi Nature Camp – Kudremukh

Fact File - Bhagavathi Nature Camp – Kudremukh

Bhagavathi Nature Camp is located 15 kms North of KudreMukh. The Kudremukh National park covering an area of 600.32 sq.kms is 1,894.3 meters (5682.9 ft) above sea level and is rich in iron ore deposits.

Forest department provides 3 types of accommodation inside the camp. Tents are given at a rent of Rs 300 per day. The forest guest house costs Rs 500/- per day per cabin & dormitory is Rs 50 per bed. Food will be charged extra. You may carry your own food and tents too. If you want the camp to arrange food, you have let them know prior.

Permission is required to enter the forest. The forest entry fee is to be paid at the Forest Range office near Police station in Kudremukh town. Permission letter can be faxed to 08258-232283. This is also the forest department number.

One may relax in the camp, take long walks in nature, visit the Hanuman Gundi Falls near Karkala and Ganga Moola, the birthplace of three rivers, the Tunga, the Bhadra and the Nethravathi. Jamalabad Fort is quite a distance from the camp.

There are no other activities in the camp.

Places of importance around Kudremukh

Ganga moola: Gangamoola Hill is in Samse taluk of Chikmangalur district and the the origin of three important rivers, the Tunga, the Bhadra and the Nethravathi. There is a shrine to Goddess Bhagavathi and a 1.8m-high Varaha image within a cave.

Jamalabad Fort: An 18th-century fort built by Tipu Sultan and named after his mother, Jamalbee.

Road: Kudremukh is well connected by road to Chikmagalur, Mangalore and Sringeri. The State Highway-66 passes through the park. The nearest town to this Park is Sringeri. The distance to the park by road from the various places are Kalasa ( 20 Kms), Karkala ( 50 Kms), Mudigere ( 75 Kms), Mangalore (130 Kms) and from Bangalore 350 Kms. The park is approachable from Bangalore via Chikmagalur, Hassan or from Mangalore via Karkala.

How to get there?

Air: The nearest airport is at Mangalore, 170 km away
Rail: The nearest railhead is at Kadur, 40 km away
Road: Just about 350 km from Bangalore and 95 km from Chikmagalur, it’s the perfect destination for a Western-Ghats driving tour, connected by road to Mangalore and Sringeri as well. You can also take the bus
Road Route: Bangalore--> Yeshwanthpur--> Peenya--> Nelamangala--> Kunigal--> Hassanà Belur--> Mudigere--> Kalasa--> Kudremukh

Kumara Parvata Trek (KP)

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

KUMARA PARVATA TREK

Kumara Parvata (KP) Peak also known by the name ‘Pushpagiri’ lies in the backdrop of ancient shrine of Kukke Subramanya. ‘Giri’ in Kannada means Peak. Kumara Parvata is the third tallest peak in Karnataka, Mullianagiri in Chickmaglur being the tallest and Thadiyendamol in Coorg being the second tallest. The peak, almost always playing ‘hide and seek’ with the clouds, is one of the most beautiful sections of the Western Ghats. The region is habituated to dense fogs and heavy winds and is rampant with leech and snakes, especially cobras

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary or Pushpagiri Forest Range spreads from Subramanya in Dakshina Kannada District to Somwarpet in Coorg district covering an area of 102.6 sq km. This range is abode to many gigantic peaks in the Western Ghats . Kumara Parvata Peak stands the tallest amongst the peaks in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary at an altitude of 5136 ft (1712 mts) above Sea level. This serpent territory consists of mesmerizing sholas and semi evergreen forests. The other tall peaks in Pushpagiri Wildlife range include Shesha Parvata, Karadi Betta and Siddha Parvata.

The trek starts from two points which are Kukke Subramanya in Mangalore District and Somwarpet in Coorg. Only 5 Km of the trek route lies in Mangalore Region. All the sholas and peaks lie in Coorg region. We can trek from Subramanya in Mangalore district to the peak and return the same route. We can also start trekking from Somwarpet in Coorg to the peak and return the same route. KP is almost midway on the route from Kukke to Somwarpet. More challenging is the trek from Kukke to Somwarpet or from Somwarpet to Kukke.

Girigadde: Gadde translates to Paddy Field, Girigadde means Paddy Field on the peak.

The terrain from Kukke to Girigadde is a not-so-narrow rocky path, and is very slippery during the monsoons. Potion of tobacco and coconut oil is the best protection on this leech-haunted pathway. Traversing this pathway through the thick forest is very exhausting. The path opens into grass fields, with grass growing up to 7 ft in height.

Girigadde is where the Forest Guard House or Check Post is based and is approximately 6 Kms from Kukke. Bhattara Mane is 5-minute walk from Girigadde. These are two places where a trekker can camp for the night and get food. A forest entry and night camping fee of Rs.70 per head per day needs to be paid at Girigadde Check-post.

The trek route continues to Mantapa which is 2 ½ km from Girigadde. Mantapa is a very old stone structure and presently unsafe for night camping. High winds blowing at this altitude get a drop in the temperature up to – 4 degrees. The temperature goes further down high up in the mountains. The creek flowing next to the Mantapa is the only source of water, especially during summer season. Following this trail, we can reach Battadarasi (Batthada Raasi = Paddy Mould) and Shesha Parvata, which is 4 km from Girigadde. Kumara Parvata is one km and approximately an hour away from this peak. Siddha Parvata is the dense forest that lies between Shesha Parvata and Kumara Parvata. It is so dense that even the forest guard avoids venturing into this range.

The smooth path going up and down the sholas gets steep and rocky nearing the peak and is extremely dangerous as there is no vegetation to hold on to. The rocks are very slippery during the rains. There is a stone temple of Lord Subramanya atop KP. The high winds blowing up hill make this trek more exhilarating. There are points where standing gets difficult and feels like we would be blown away with the winds. Reaching this summit is an achievement on to itself.

We can come back to Girigadde & Kukke or continue to Somwarpet from KP. On this route, Kudure Doddi is the first resting point that we come across. The trek continues to the Check Post in Lingada Hole. This is an Anti Poaching shed and is 6 kms from Beedalli. From Lingada Hole check post, Hegade Mane is about 1 km. Hegade Mane is a village and trekkers can camp for the night in the Mallikarjuna Temple . Bhattaru of the village, Lakshmanayya can be asked to cook food for the trekkers. The trek continues till Beedalli which is 4 km from Hegade Mane. Beedalli is where we can get a bus to Somwarpet which is 22 km away.

Alternately, we can start trekking from Beedalli from Somwarpet side and reach Kukke. It would ideally take 3 days for the trek. Camping at the Check posts at Lingada Hole and Girigadde is recommended.

Elephants, Bison, Tiger, Leopard, Fox, and Wild Hare are some of the animals found in this range. It is very difficult to spot animals on this well trodden trek route though. Snakes are seen in plenty in this territory.

There is yet another trekking point in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary called Mandala Patti (Prn. Maandaala Patti). It is 20 Kms from Madikere town towards Devasthuru Bridge and Kaalooru Hole. This shola region is also accessible by road for non trekkers who want to enjoy proximity with nature by staying at the Anti Poaching Camp here.

Distance

From Bangalore to Kukke Subramanya – Approximately 300 Kms

From Bangalore to Madikere – Approximately 265 Kms

Thanks to the forest guards, Jaya Raju and Prasad for sharing the most amazing information about Pushpagiri.

Roopa Sreedhar

Wayanad

If Kerala is God’s own country, then Wayanad is the capital  Located at a distance about 76 km. from the sea shores of Calicut in the Western Ghats, this hill station is full of plantations, forests and wildlife. Wayanad hills are contiguous to Mudumala in Tamil Nadu and Bandipur in Karnataka, thus forming a vast land mass for the wild life to move about in its most natural abode.

Wayanad is one of the fourteen districts of Kerala, bordering Karnataka to the north and Tamil Nadu to the east. The name Wayanad has been derived from the expression 'Vayal nadu' - the village of paddy fields. Wayanad is a very small district, so small that it depends on the neighboring Kozhikode for all its transportation needs. The nearest airport & railway station are in the neighboring district! It is a better option to drive oneself or hire a vehicle from Karnataka or Tamil Nadu while visiting Wayanad. The cost per km is also very high in comparison with the neighboring states.

Wayanad (Kerala) is one of the most impressive places I have been to. Before we left for this memorable trip, like many around me, I was under the impression that Wayanad was just one place will a lot of sight-seeing options. This one trip cleared my mind of all the wrong notions that were prevailing in my head! Once the trip was over, I could understand and agree with why Kerala was called ‘God’s own country’.

Giri & I decided to drive ourselves to Kalpetta, 293 km and 6 hour drive from Bangalore. The drive was beautiful. Escaping the foggy & soggy Bangalore was heaven in itself. Giri was already familiar with the Mysore – Kabini route through the forest and decided to try it again. The road conditions according to him had deteriorated over the years. I wasn’t surprised, Bangalore roads and their ever improving conditions had made us shock proof as far are bad roads went. I kept clicking pictures of the deep gorges on the road wondering if our car would sustain such rough treatment. But we plied ourselves past the dirt race track.

The first animal to be sighted here was an elegant elephant. WOW! Giri parked near the forest guard check post. A fearless deer was walking gracefully towards us. I rolled down my window, hoping the deer wouldn’t lose courage and shoot off before I could shoot it  Camera of course! Check this out. The deer actually peeped into my side of the window and sniffed all the plastics on my lap looking for food. We shared some fruits with her  Monkeys were not welcome though. We saw some majestic Tuskers, chained though. This gave us the courage to go close quarters and pose with them.

We also saw many birds. Trying to take pictures of them was proving to be a tough task. We were glad when we crossed the arid, pot holed stretch and got closer to the Karnataka border. The roads in Kerala made us heave a sigh of relief that the ordeal was over. Tall trees on both the sides provided shade to the weary traveler and the scenic beauty of this stretch held us enthralled.
A tea break and inspection of the route map happened in Manandhwady and nearly 30 minutes later, we were in our hotel, Green Gates in Kalpetta, looking forward to a nice lunch.

Post lunch began our tour of Wayanad. We spent the rest of the noon boating in Pookote Lake. It looked like a million lotus flowers floating in the freshwaters of the placid lake. The lake was aptly named.The mauves and pinks of the flowers, and shades of blues of the skies and waters would make any canvas proud.

Lakkidi view point was our next stop. The view of the serpentine curves to the hill top was captivating. The fog set in even before we could take our camera out for a picture. We could see Chembra peak, the highest point in Wayanad hills at 6890 ft above sea level. We moved on to the chain tree, which had the legend of having the soul of an Adivasi chained to the tree.

The chefs of Green Gates cooked up a lovely dinner. We played a game of TT and I learnt snooker from Giri at the hotel’s club house.

The next day, we were to begin early. We left for Banasura Sagara Dam. We were reminded of Honnemaradu. This lake was the only earth dam in India and the Second largest earth dam in Asia. We booked slots for speed boating in the crystal clear waters of the lake. Rs 50 per seat seemed to be very nominal. We could see that many hillocks had been submerged during the lake formation and now made lovely island in the massive lake. Our speed boat gave us a 20 minute tour of the lake, if I may say so. The huge Banasura hill tempted me to trek. But trekking was not on the agenda. Next Time! I said to myself, Next time!

We were back for a quick lunch. Soochipara water fall, exactly in the opposite direction to Banasura Dam, was next on the itinerary. Later we thought that we enjoyed the journey more than anything else. To reach the water fall, we had to drive through 15 km of lush green Tea Estates of Wayanad and the roads were in best conditions. I have no words to describe the serenity of this place. We took many stops here, went for a small hike in the tea estate, clicked a lot of pictures. It would be good to stay in a tea estate for a weekend.

Soochipara Water fall, also called Sentinel Fall was a massive fall. We had to park our car and walk for a mile to reach the point where a few hundred steps led to the fall. Hordes of tourists had occupied every nook and corner available at the base. Nearly naked male population was predominant at the fall, making the women keep an embarrassingly safe distance from the fall. There were some souvenir shops and a hotel near the parking lot. It rained all the time on our way back to the hotel. Yet another lovely dinner awaited us.

We were very excited about the next day’s plan. Kuruva Dweep, meaning ‘Small Islands’, the basin on the back waters of Kabini river, is a 950 acres of evergreen forest. , Many small tributaries of Kabini divide this basin into 62 small islands, uninhabited. Hence the name!

A nominal fee of Rs 10/- got us entry into this beautiful region. We could see a lot of tourists in this place too, and noticed that most of the local people who came there dropped a lot of garbage. There were food wrappers all around.

Thankfully, most tourists explore only 10% of this beautiful island. The rest of the island is untouched. The place reminded us of rivulets in Muttatti. A guide who knew the area well took us to the interiors of the island. The river was about 70 m wide with no bridge, no boat and no bamboo raft to help us cross. We had to wade through knee-deep water.

There is always an unsaid danger lurking behind the compelling beauty of water spots. Kuruva Dweep is no different. The river is extremely deep at some places and is inundated will whirlpools and sharp rocks. The currents are also high during monsoons.

We clambered on to the trees to cross some rivulets. It started raining and it was lovely to be in water while it was raining. We spent the half the day enjoying the tranquil ambience of Kuruva Dweep.

A local couple had arranged our lunch in a log hut. The chef had many years of experience working for hotels in Mangalore and Mysore and offered us home cooked meals on banana leaf. Most people in the region could speak Kannada.

The area was swamped with thick bamboo forest. The wild green colored pigeons were seen picking the bamboo rice, which grew once in 40 years. We rushed to Tholpetty Wild Life Sanctuary. Bison, huge Malabar Squirrels, Red Mangoose, Macauque, deer, wild dogs, were some of the animals we saw here. Giri captured all the precious memories with his camera.

Thirunelli Vishmu Temple, 20 km from Tholpetty, was our last visit for the day. The view of temple located atop a hillock was spectacular. The small hillock was surrounded by Brahmagiri in the north, Udayagiri in the east, Black hill in the west and Nari Naringya Male in the south. This place is a trekkers’ paradise. Lots of trek routes and trails including Pakshipatalam start here.

We admired the jewelry that adorned the deity’s idol. A huge emerald, as big as a baby’s palm shone bright. The rules of other Kerala temples applied here too. Men had to take off their shirts to enter the shrine.

It was late by the time we reached our hotel.

Edkal Caves were closed for a week. We met Praveen from District Tourism of Office and got more information for our future trips. We passed the Jain Temple and Museum near Sultan Bathery and took the Gundlupet route. The even Kerala roads and the lush green forests through out made our return drive worthwhile. With beautiful memories and many pictures we were back hoping to return again.


Roopa Sreedhar
TAG INDIA

Tadiyendamol , Coorg

Tadiyendamol is the second highest peak in Karnataka. The peak belongs to the group of taller peaks between Himalayas in the north and Nilgiris in the South. Tadiyendamol is a part of the range of Western Ghats that lie in Coorg District of Karnataka. This range experiences a salubrious climate through out the year. Elephants, bison, tigers, wild cats, and variety of birds habitat the thick vegetation. Plenty of waterfalls and natural springs adorn the valleys. The flora & fauna of Coorg add to the beauty of the valley. Most of the natural vegetation around the peak in this range is taken over by Plantation growers and converted to Plantations of coffee, pepper, cardamom, beetle leaves, and areca nut. The forest department well maintains the forest range with early burning of weeds and shrubs, planting trees to re-grow the forest and maintenance of trees. The effort of the association of forest guards and local people in maintaining this forest range is commendable


The Route:
There are many ways to reach this place from Bangalore. The shortest and least complicated route traverses through Srirangapattana, Hunsur & Virajpet. On Mysore Road, a right turn at the Srirangapatana Junction leads to Hunsur. A left turn at a distance of 5 Km from Hunsur takes us on a road that leads to Virajpet. From Virajpet, travel 4 km towards Madikere to reach a bridge. A left turn immediately after the crossing the bridge leads us once again on to the curvy roads of Coorg. Traveling on these curves for 19 km leads to Kabbina Kaadu. Kabbina Kaadu means Sugarcane Forest in the native language. The trail to Tadiyendamol starts at this place. Vehicles can be parked at this junction and Trekkers can embark on the trek.

Many resorts and homestays have mushroomed in this region. Honey valley Estate is the closest to Tadiyendamol and is also one of the oldest estates in the valley that has been taking on tourists. Even for non-trekkers. Trekkers willing to camp in the wild can pitch their tents at the base camp, which is a clearing near a waterfall en-route the trail to the peak.











It was during the Christmas Holidays that we planned our trek to Tadiyendamol. With a lot of time on hands, and varied interests & ideas floating, we thought of making our own route. In two cars, the team of ten set off towards Coorg in the wee hours of a Saturday Morning. The Dame, Suja had arrived from Chennai, Modi Gourav, Gandhiji Pramod & his sister Sunita dropped in from Pune. Uday, Summer short for Sammeresh, Ravi,
Giri and me loaded ourselves into Giri’s Honda City. While the ETs loaded themselves into Mahesh Acharya’s Wagon R. Most of the gang was my-next-job-is-photojournalism photographers with Heavy Cameras and XX MPG LensesJ.

With Suja leading from behindJ, we somehow managed to start the day at the stipulated time: 5 AM. A heavenly breakfast at Raghavendra Hotel near KR Pet was our first break. The route was exceptionally green and reminded me of Mauritius due to the sugarcane fields stretching miles and miles on both the sides of the road, the canes ready for picking! No wonder Mandya is called the Sugar County. We also took some sugarcane from the farms and left a Re 5/- coin to assuage the guilt of taking the canes unasked.

Ravi, the avid bird watcher from the Bird Watcher’s Club, convinced us all to go through the Nagarahole Reserved Forest route. Not expecting much wild life, we were excited and much satisfied with the giant spider captured on camera. Imagine our excitement, when we jumped from spiders to tigers! A tiger walked into our path and stood majestically gazing at us for almost 3 minutes. It felt like an eon. We stood breathless, digesting the fact that it was a tiger staring into our eyes. Cameras went Click Click Click, though not all could capture great pictures of our national animal. A few moments and everyone seemed to come out of their trance state at the vision of the tiger and there was a ruckus. The tiger, not liking noise pollution from the city breds, walked into its woods.

Disappointed not in the least, we set off in our own paths, more alert than ever, in the hope to sight, maybe an elephant this time? We waited for bevy of beauties, a herd of spotted deer to cross the road, at their traffic signal. It was noticed that a lone deer, the trailer, stood and watched over all the deer cross on one end, while another lone deer, the leader, stood on the other side of the road to ensure that all the deer crossed safely. The deer crossed the road in a straight line like school kids after the prayer. We humans still have a lot to learn from these animals. The discipline and the code of conduct especially in the wild!

We crossed the national park with no more rendezvous with the natives. Next stop was Irupu falls with the backdrop of Brahmagiri hills. Full splendor of the falls was not seen as the monsoons were far away. Nevertheless, the gang enjoyed splashing in the waters cascading from a mighty height, while I surveyed the area for new route to my next trek, Brahmagiri. We had lunch at the only restaurant at the base of the falls.

The serpentine curves of this part of Coorg roads and the enchanting views had us enthralled. We just wanted to go on forever on these lanes. We did not realize the amount of time spent on the road and had eaten up in most of the days other events. We reached the destination at 8pm instead of 11 am, with no regrets what so ever. The estate’s jeep picked us from the base. It was one hell of a drive up hill. No amusement park could match this thrill we felt. We hoped the jeep wouldn’t fall into the deep gorge running besides the road all along. Some places the road was so steep at nearly 70 degree angle, the jeep would come down in the reverse. Thankfully the expert drives landed us safely at the estate door. It was already dark, and we were too tired to explore. We settled in the Dorm I had reserved for our group.

Dinner awaited us and we eagerly hogged the various delicacies served at the buffet. Later we sat around the campfire soaking in the heat. The Dorms were clean and well maintained. My friends amazed that I found this perfect place at such a short notice.

The photographers Ravi & Giri woke up very early and disappeared with their cameras into the wild only to join us for breakfast. It was sheer bliss. The beauty of the place could not be explained in a few words. We freshened up and set out for the huge breakfast set up for us. It was self service again.


Giri, who paints beautifully, had captured the many moods of the nature. I knew he was itching to get back and fill his canvas with the colors. Ravi, the bird watcher, had clicked many lovely birds who seemed to have posed for him exclusively. It was a pleasure looking at the pictures these two had clicked.

I spoke to our guide. We packed lunch to be taken to the hill top. The trek to Tadiyendamol is always exciting. Most of them were doing this trek for the first time. I was the only one in the group who was familiar with the route having done it twice before. The waterfalls and the sholas in the region were amazingly beautiful. We reached the peak by lunch time. Winds were blowing furiously. All Cameras were active.

While Giri was Ambedikar, Pramod was Gandhi, Suja turned out to be Jayalalitha. Picture Perfect!

An hour rest and we were sprinting down towards the base camp. Some even tumbled down and the fist aid kit came to their aid. This slowed us slightly. It was 5 pm when we reached the base camp. Knowing we wouldn’t be able to trek all the way to the estate house, we called them to send us a jeep pickup. Useful resources were put into use in dire situations.

This part of journey was all the more exciting. No lights, only the full moon shining brightly in the dark skies. All cameras went active again. Some of us could hear grunting noise in the woods behind. I thought it was a tiger. The guide said it could be a wild cat. Our speed increased and we ambled quickly towards the pickup waiting for us. This drive was even more exciting. So we had every element packed into our trip. We had dinner. Suja’s team left us to venture deeper into the jungle with the youth hostel trek they were participating in. Giri, Ravi. Uday, Summer & I enjoyed our dinner and retired for the day.

The next morning we spent going around the estate and relaxing, and bid adieu to the owners of the estate after another wholesome breakfast.

Hoping to go back again to the heaven left behind….


Roopa Sreedhar

TAG India

Honnemaradu 2004 trip by Roopa Sreedhar

Honnemaradu, Shimoga

How to get there?

By Road. Shimoga is 274 km from Bangalore. Take a bus from B'lore to Shimoga and another bus to Talaguppa from Shimoga. Taxi service plies one from Talaguppa to Honnemaradu. Taxi and Jeeps can also be hired from Shimoga to Honnemaradu.

By Train. Take a train from B'lore to Shimoga. Travel by the famous Rail bus from Shimoga to Talaguppa takes about 3 hours. Taxi service plies one from Talaguppa to Honnemaradu. It is about 40 minutes drive between Talaguppa and Honnemaradu.

Where to stay?
The Adventurers Base Camp at Honnemaradu.

Essentials to carry
Swim-suits, Sleeping Bag, Suntan Lotion, Old cotton T-shirt and trousers, a plate and tumbler.

Travel Time
Travel - 2 Nights. Stay - 2 days, 1 Night.

Late Friday Night to Early Monday Morning



A place rich in flora and fauna, lush in greenery, Honnemaradu is a nature lover's dream destination. Honnemaradu is one of the most beautiful man-made lakes in Karnataka. Honnemaradu, the village, having been engulfed in the mid-1960s by the Liganamakki dam, has been literally resurrected today. This haven for water sport enthusiasts, tucked away in the lush greenery of the Western Ghats, is in the Shimoga District in north-west Karnataka about 25 km from Sagar town on the way to Jog Falls. Numerous hills and hillocks in the region that got submerged in the waters today form the islands that stand majestically in the vast lake.

The common birds here are the European bee-eater, fairy blue bird, ruby-cheeked bulbul, orange-headed ground thrush and so on. Spectacular butterflies such as red Helens, blue Mormons, blue bottles and stripped tigers offer a visual treat. Honnemaradu is a centre for adventure, conservation oriented activity and nature study. It is also the headquarters for Western Ghats Restoration Project. Mupane, a wildlife sanctuary is another hotspot worth visiting. It is just 11 kms from Jog.

About 10 km from Honnemaradu is Gaddemane, famous for its chittara art. Other interesting places around Honnemaradu are Jog Falls (26 km), Dabbe Falls (30 km from Jog falls), Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari (9 km out of Shimoga), Sagar (a cultural centre), Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaanur Kote, a fort (75 km by road). Honnemaradu can be visited at any time of the year, except during the rains in July-August.

The wonderful climate, clear brisk air, and the breathtaking views attract hordes of tourists. The place is well maintained and naturists have tried to retain the eco-friendliness of this area by prohibiting smoking, boozing and use of mobile phones, other electronic gadgets, and chemicals, even in the form of soap and shampoo. One certainly does not find the need for anything at all here, even a wrist watch. It feels as if the time has taken a break here. The peace and the quiet of the surrounding area is a soothing balm to one's soul!




Our trip to Honnemaradu was most successful and left us wanting for more. We left Bangalore by train on a Friday night and reached Shimoga in the wee hours of the morning. After enquiring about the bus service, which was one of the many options to reach our dream destination, we decided to try the famous rail bus which would take us to Talaguppa Station, from where we would have to reach Honnemaradu by Taxi. The journey bestowed by the rail bus is one of the most memorable ones. Rail bus, we found to our delight, was a 2 bogie train with 36 seats in each compartment that had seen ancient times! The driver got down at every station and did a head count of the people inside. He even gave an extra 5 minute break at one of the stations. The train traveled through villages and dense forests that felt like exotic locales, giving us an opportunity to observe the sunrise, indulge in bird watching and photography along with enjoying the ride sitting on the footboard and dangling our feet, a zephyr blowing our way. Talaguppa was a pleasant surprise, a very charming and a picturesque station, with a very clean guest quarter. We got to know from the station master that there would be no phone connections after this point, so we made important phone calls from the only STD booth at this place and then took the much needed rest from the rest of the world!



The taxi from Talaguppa dropped us at our destination at 9:30 in the morning. We had gathered a lot of information about Honnemaradu before embarking on a trip to the place. But we certainly were not prepared for what we found here. The 'picture perfect' lake just took our breath away!



A brief introduction later, we were asked by the caretakers of the base camp to leave our luggage at the cottage, change and get back for breakfast and Tea. The cottage, at a ten minute trek on a nearby hillock, gave us the best view of the lake. After a healthy breakfast and strong ginger tea, the adventurers gave us a brief explanation of the day's agenda. We were to be provided with an opportunity to try, learn and enjoy rowing and sailing various types of boats, giving us an amazing boating experience.

Kayaks, coracles, canoes, surf board, and sails were some that we would learn to manipulate and maneuver in the shallow waters. We were glad to know that swimming was just an option and not a pre-requisite, as life jackets were provided to one and all. It was mandatory to wear life jackets if one wanted to get into water. One could spend the entire day just floating in water and relaxing. Food and accommodation were provided by 'The Adventurers' who were in charge of running the activities of the base camp at Honnemaradu. We got to know that they were responsible for the maintenance of this place.



We stepped enthusiastically into the inviting waters. Secured in life-jackets, we spent the first half of the first day getting acclimatized to the waters. Dawal, our guide, made us float to an island. On perfecting the art of back-floating on water, we were given instructions on rowing a coracle. Coracling on certain parts of the lake was more difficult than we had anticipated, but it was sheer fun!

We coracled to another island, which was also a diving spot. It was a test of one's confidence and inner-strength as the gutsy dived, the rest encouraged looking forward to dive another time. Nearly 2:30 in the noon, it was time to head back to the main land for lunch and a short nap. At this point we had all mastered the art of rowing a coracle and had given enough exercise to our biceps.



At 4:30 pm, the guide informed us that we would row to yet another island and spend the night in the wilderness. Enjoying the evening snack of Pakodas and Ginger Tea, and packing essentials for the night stay that included a blanket and a jacket, we set out in our coracles to the island. It was time to capture the essence of the place and the beautiful sunset into the cameras along with a brief photo-session of the group members.



On reaching the top of the isle and selecting a place to pitch the tents, the group divided into two. A few stayed back to pitch the tents and the rest started gathering firewood for the night's campfire. From this island the view of Linganamakki dam was beautiful. By 7:30 in the evening we were ready with sufficient firewood to start the party. The stage was set, the campfire ready and we settled around and had immense fun indulging in a game of anthakshari and dumb charade. As usual, Ashok had us mesmerised with his actions and spellbound with his songs! ‘The Adventurers’ had a delicious dinner of pullav, roti, sabzi, Kheer and salad waiting for us. After dinner, we indulged in a star gazing session. Looking at millions of stars on a moonless night and clear sky was certainly a bonus!



The next day, we enjoyed soaking in the magnificient early morning light and a very calm sunrise. While some were glad to take a morning walk exploring the island and listening to the chirping of the native birds, others indulged in a session of aerobics and exercises at a very beautiful and picturesque cove which almost seemed hidden on one side of the island. A short while later, we rowed back in our coracles to the main land.



Breakfast, ginger tea and a change later, we were given instructions on balance and rowing techniques of the Canoe and the Kayak. The canoe, a two people boat, had many takers. By this time we were at home in the water, courtesy: confidence given by life-jackets. The canoe also gave us an opportunity to know the team members better. Balancing a kayak, which was a one person row boat, was a tough act to follow. Some mastered this art, while the others left it for the next time. Some also conoed to the diving cove and indulged in a diving spree. It was then time for learning ‘the secret’ behind wind-surfing. Dawal showed us to balance ourselves on the surf-board and maneuver the board. Though we could not master this art, it was the most enjoyable and we decided to get back to Honnemaradu sometime soon and learn wind-sailing and wind-surfing.

After lunch, we set out in our coracles and canoes to view a waterfall. We had a great time searching for the waterfall. We did find the fall but no water. Disappointed not in the least, we headed back to the main land in time for the evening tea and snack and to get ready to head back to Bangalore. The caretakers certainly took good care of us. They had our dinner packed and ready. Sincerely thanking them for one of the best holidays, we left Honnemaradu with loads of experience, lovely memories, a fresh mind and of course, new friends.

Best Regards,
Roopa Sreedhar
9886162404

Trek To Clean - Muttatthi

Thanks to all the participants:

Ramesh, Soumya, Amol, Kavitha, Tarsh, Priya, Apun, Vasu, Didi, Balaji, Karthik, Amit, Roopa

A team of 13 members was the participant of the first trek of the series.

Thanks to all the participants for their time and effort. It was definitely a great start.

We reached the place by 9. We had an informal meeting with the forest department officials about the Trek To Clean program. It was both encouraging and surprising to know that they were also interested in this activity and wanted the support of NGOs & people like us to help them make Mutthatthi a Litter Free Zone.

We picked a couple of spots alongside the river. It was primarily plastic and bottles in that place (Mc Dowells seems to be a famous brand there J ). Everybody started with their gloves and garbage bag each. It hardly took anytime before everything was cleared off. All it took was a collective effort and a little time of everyone.

The monkeys there do not seem to like the cleaning business. They were always there to tear off the garbage bags. We understood then where the littering we humans indulged in came from. Monkey-Business indeed!

A few of the locals there came to us to talk about it. They were actually environment conscious volunteers who were already trying to spread the word. They showed us the pamphlets they distributed to help in spreading the awareness.

We are looking forward to working with them to make the cleaning a regular event, Yes, with all your contribution, in spreading the awareness.

Talking to the local people, the boat contractors of that area and the local trekking guides and surveying the place gave us an insight into many issues prevailing in the area.

1. There are four tourist spots alongside the river in need of immense cleaning.

2. There are no dustbins anywhere in the vicinity. Even if someone does not want to litter, there is no way one could put away the garbage. We could put some dustbins, three at least in each spot, for visitors to use and we could work with the localities in disposing the same. We could assist in re-cycling the waste. (I am sure McDowells would buy them back J ).

3. There are seven Danger water spots. There are no alerts or warning signboards anywhere close to these spots. Unfortunate Accidents in this zone are very frequent.

Beyond this, there is also the common problem of poverty and illiteracy affecting the area. We need to spread awareness among the villagers too.

There are no high schools in the village. The students after passing standard 7th are supposed to go to other bigger villages that have high schools. Going ahead, we could work towards this cause. This would need immense support of all the members.

In the end, it was about two dozens of garbage bags on the back and a few cleaner spots in Muttatthi and a heartfelt satisfaction of having accomplished something. Surprisingly, it needed some “going around” in the streets of Bangalore to dispose the garbage we collected. We were close to a Police Complaint when trying to dump it at a place, which we thought was a Dump Yard. Wonder where all the garbage goes.

Thanks to all the monetary and “In Person” contributions of the members. We are definitely looking forward to more of it. We welcome ideas, suggestions and active participation from all members in-order to make THE DIFFERENCE.

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"

Thanks & Regards,

Roopa Sreedhar,

98861-62404

Why do we need to be careful when we are on an adventure?

Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it. We anticipate that someone close to us would die, but we do not look beyond the few days or weeks that immediately follow such an imagined death. We misconstrue the nature of even those few days or weeks. We might expect, if the death is sudden, to feel shock. We do not expect this shock to be obliterative, dislocating both body and mind… In the version of grief, we imagine the model with be ‘healing’. A certain forward moment will prevail. The worst days will be the earliest days. We imagine that the moment to most severely test us will be the funeral; afterwards this hypothetical healing will take place.

We anticipate needing to steel ourselves for the moment. Will I be able to greet people? Will I be able to leave the scene? We have no way of knowing that this will not be the issue. We have no way of knowing that the funeral itself will be the anodyne, a kind of narcotic regression in which we are wrapped in the care of others and the gravity and the meaning of the occasion. Nor can we know ahead of the fact (and here lies the heart of the difference between grief as we imagine it and grief as it is), the unending absence that follows, the void, the very opposite of meaning, the relentless succession of the moments during which we will comfort the experience of meaninglessness itself.

Many of us who have lost our loved ones know this grief. We know what happens when we lose a loved one to death. If we are lost, we leave our loved ones to face a life of pain inexpressible.

Adventure is a stress buster, which is very essential to the way of life we are leading these days. Adventure is taking CALCULATED risk, but the people can die because of overconfidence, negligence, or bad stars.

Protect the environment & protect yourself.

Mountains in India are divided into ranges. These ranges encompass the hills, jungles trails, tribes, forests, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, caves, flora & fauna. Forests are home to every other species but human. When we embark on a trek, we are entering into a territory that is not home to us. We need to respect the rules of Jungle.

Each of these ranges is associated to respective forest department. Our forest departments are more than adequately equipped to help us complete our journey safely. When we decide to trek or hike in any of these ranges, it is absolutely necessary to seek permission from forest departmnet. Sometimes, a nominal fee ranging from Rs 75/- to Rs 400/- per head is collected as forest entry fee.

Students & individuals in a quest for adventure often ignore the many rules of going into the jungles and end up being a part of a misadventure rather than enjoying nature at its best.

• Informing the respective forest departments. When the forest department knows about the number of people that went into forest, their age & contact details, the expected duration of the event, they make sure of the safe passage of the adventure seekers until the event completes.
• Don't try to avoid paying the forest department fee while entering the forest. This is your insurance against many odds in an unknown & uncertain territory.
• It is important to take a guide from forest department who know the forest like the back of his hand, is well trained & sometimes carries a weapon.

Precaution Protection & Prevention

Whenever we go to a water spot, falls or a river in the quest for adventure, we tend to forget about looking for signboards that spell Danger and instead jump into the inviting waters without a care for the world around. In case of an unfortunate accident, we look out for the same signboards we missed out earlier. If we do not find them, we blame the government authorities for not installing proper guidance.

However, would we really look for guidance before it is too late?

Overzealous swimmers and equally overzealous non-swimmers, would we care to think twice before embarking on an adventure into the unknown?

Muttathi, Hogenekal Falls, Shivanasamudram, Sangam are some of water spots around Bangalore where many people have lost their lives in the name of adventure. Nevertheless, this has not deterred others from risking their lives.

Whirlpools, High Currents, Crocodiles, Quicksand, and Sharp Rocks at river bottom are some of the impending dangers associated with these water spots.

Take Precautions and Prevent casualities. Enjoy the best nature can offer!

- If water activities are something we love to indulge in, that rushes our adrenaline and gives us the best of the thrills, we should invest in life jackets. Life jackets cost a mere Rs. 500/- and are available in any adventure store in the city.

- Take safety equipments like ropes. Learn to use safety equipment.

- Please look out of signboards that spell danger. Take them seriously.

- Before getting into the water, talk to the local people around and find out the safe points to enter the water. Do not enter unknown waters, rivers & streams.

- DO NOT PANIC in difficult situations.

- Try being careful instead of being careless.

- If you are at the verge of drowning, and someone jumps in, to save your life, don’t panic and pull your savior down with you too. Do not pull at your savior’s hair, arms or clothe. Hold onto his back.

- Try being careful instead of being careless.

- When crossing any low flowing river, face the current and walk side ways.

In the hope to save a precious life

Roopa Sreedhar

95352-78981