Kodai section

Before you reach the cool paradise Kodaikanal, you can’t miss few wonderful sights that come across the Ghats section while drive through Batlagundu – a town very close to the foothills of this hill station. Climbing couple of miles on the winding road holds a lovely view of the Manjalar Dam to the valley on left, which is situated by three sides of hills around, leaves you stunning with its vista.

Another few miles on Ghats is the Dum Dum Rock; with wide space on road, this hairpin bend holds a viewpoint to check the Manjalar Dam and the Thalaiyar Falls. Also known as Rat Tail Falls is a long thin white strip of waterfall flows across the valley, facing us to a background of black rock cliff is a nature wonder whether it flows or not.

Concentrating on the shape of rat tail, the falls has a low concrete wall on either side on the very edge at the top of the fall and leading to it is inaccessible except people who dare to hike to this rewarding height. For a hiker reaching the bottom of the falls is possible in the dry season following the backwater stream of Manjalar Reservoir. The falls is the highest waterfall in Tamil Nadu and third in India with 975 ft (297 m) tall is 267th highest in the world.

Silver Cascade is another beautiful waterfall comes very close nearing Kodaikanal, is first stop among its destinations and the flow of water is impressive except for its lack of pristine these days. Lately it was flood amazing! The 180 ft waterfall is caused by the outflow of Kodaikanal Lake and small stream by around.

The Kodai section will continue...

A girl on never ending call

The distance were not so far

but between the least disturbance
I saw her caressing her open hair
and another hand hold close to her ear
helps listening to someone
to whom she whisper through her cell phone.

The always inspiring wind
went ahead like never to unwind
to stop her tress floating in air
that prevent giving clear picture of her aspect
stressed to various gestures
respond to the never hold out cell phone.

The opportunity seems not so favor
leaving her not so longer on terrace
for me to admire the beauty from courtyard
aside the evening breeze and setting of sun gleam
the girl’s sight is an additional enhance,
who was in love already with her cell phone. :D

Footnote:

Thought of a girl whom I checked lately on an open terrace... came to mind after reading a romantic poem from my friend Dawn... inspired to write it down.

Updated the Congenial song (check sidebar on right) with Azhaipaya (will u call) from Tamil movie Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Yeppadi. One of my recent fav, to go well with this post.

Palani – cityscape and sky watch

Palani is a temple town in Dindigul district of TN, deriving its name from two Tamil words ‘Pazham and Nee’ which means ‘fruit you’ is renowned for Lord Murugan shrine on hillock and having it amid grows the town. Apart the arrival of devotees that keep busy this town with annual festivals around the years, Palani is surrounded by natural resources and agriculture and vegetation is a great to be sighted if went around its suburb.

(click image to enlarge)

Holding the Western Ghats to its southeast, Palani is a picturesque town with frequent sight of mist capping the mountains and green slopes to its backdrop enhances with vast green landscapes of many coconut and mango groves. The main source of water to the town is the spring water that kept flowing throughout the year from Varathamanathi Dam on the foothills of the Western Ghats that lead to the cold paradise Kodaikanal.

(click image to enlarge)

The Varathamanathi Dam is built on the rocks and it’s a wonderful picnic spot with a small park and cool breeze blow down from the mountain slopes. The Shanmughanadi, a tributary of Amaravathii River runs not far from the town and the town itself has a charming tank called Vaiyapuri and if it was maintained neatly would be an invite to the town, which can be seen in the first image above.

The Palani hillock is 137.16m height and has a flight of 697 steps to climb and there are also alternative sources like cable car and rope winch to reach the top. From the hillock one can get a panoramic of 360 degree of vast plains and cityscape beneath; and the cold Kodaikanal mountains at back which is 60km by road from here.

The last two pictures above are shots on sky along with the temple and bell towers, and all the amazing photo here were taken by my mother and edited by me. My parents were glad to check the temple at hillock through the winch which I was unable to board to left at plains to explore the beautiful suburbs of Palani.

அடுக்குமாடி அறை / Multistoried room

In a separate house

while aloof
there was a closeness;
in the multistory
while coming closer
divergence?

Footnote:

The photo captured the multistory building near the Muttukadu river bank beside the OMR, Chennai. It’s obvious that today’s multistory or multiplex complex culture has kept away people’s interaction unlike before living at independent house people shared a lot with neighbors and treat each other as family members... We miss the sharing and interaction a lot after transfer into apartments 6 years’ back... where smiling is also a rare exchange!

Aravaan – an epic unveiled

Derived from a chapter on Su.Venkatesan’s Award winning novel Kaaval Kottam, the movie Aravaan reveals the epic of ever known inhabitants of 18th century lived in southern Tamil Nadu and the practice of men sacrifice. The Aravaan is a small character appears in Indian epic Mahabharata, who scarifies himself to goddess to make, won Pandava’s on war for which he received the boon of heredity worship of Koothandavar priced by lord Krishna, who also married him to fulfill his desire by taking a women form before he killed.
The Aravaan, who was presented by another boon to watch the 18 days war of Mahabharata through his cutoff head’s eyes, has been vitally followed as heredity worships of Draupadi and to watch the custom of war, his head had been hanged at a taller post. Thus commemorating this custom, in a part of Tamil Nadu called Kuvakam, holds an 18 day festival where the transgender are married to men as Aravaan whose sacrifice hold stage to leave transgendered window.

But from this epic and custom, the movie Aravaan is quite different in depicting the story where the director’s touch has been a lot on this commercial period. Taking just 10 page facts from the novel, director Vasanthabalan has modified the picture into perfect period setting and selecting best ones for the role to enhance, but somehow lack to create feeling at back in emotion which are similar to epic television serials.

Pasupathi for his expression of reality, the role has feed him as thieving Kombuthi and Aadi at another hand has well drawn into the niches whose attitude and body language thrive. The simple action and adventure doesn’t curious but the setting was… and having a beautiful heroin, the romance and love is missing.

The detail background setting and location selection and edition are all weld well to create the period of different generation. Singer Karthik as debuted music director scores average, except Nila song nothing shines like moon. The ending was indifferent and seems like forced to end to say no need scarifies… the flashback is a great drawback to the vigorous pre-interval.

Bottom line:
Aravaan amaze with incredible period setting and costumes, location and uniform of total ingredients... don’t expect much.