Diamond Ring

Pic by jeevan (sparkle ring)

Light over darkness

life brighter like clay lamps

cheer the leader of joy – Diwali!

ECR, and the other day

The other day I had a brief drive on ECR (east coast road) across Kovalam along with my cousins for nothing but just time pass and lunch and I had some photo opportunity on roadside. That day I didn’t take my camera with me so took few shots with the 3.MP galaxy player.

The Toll Plaza in ECR was the first of its kind for us to experience a paid road when it was introduced in 2002; and the road extends till few km before to Pondicherry. The toll plaza remains one of the pretty hold by itself on this fun filled scenic beach road and is decorated by few artistic stones painted on birds, butterflies and animals dividing the lanes with green mounds and decorative plants.

The ECR is a drive pleasure road for anyone taking it around to reach the many entertainment spots alongside and beyond the sculptural hub Mamallapuram and reaching French colony Pondicherry; it really needs more post to look into detail. The road is a well laid and moreover maintained properly with no bumps or jumps and taking the lane thought night was once interesting watching the roadside barriers and road stud flashed to reflectors on them.

Touching the ECR with few meters from home, the road remains as one of the most frequently used and taking away the prior when a thought of getaway exists and also the way out of city easily. The road remains free of traffic once out of city limit and it also has its share of disadvantage being exposed to accident-prone and rash driving to endanger.

On way to Kovalam beach – the other day, we come across a bunch of pups on the roadside and only the one above came alone from the group waking along the road but it was too shy to give us pose and turning back as we moved further. Kovalam beach is one of a beautiful seafront shaped in curve and called as Fishermen Cove, the southern edge has a temple and during Sunday this place is packed with people visiting the temple and shore from far and near. 

Covalong Beach

Festival of lights – fires

Pic by Jeevan (Ground Chakara)

Once in a year Deepavali 

the joyous festival time of ever
an experience of shower in fire
reverberate to thunderbolt Arial outs.

Many a myth beholds as essence
but the real spirit for us, is
to light up a rocket
and cheer while it blast into sky.

Clay lamps light the occasion
everyone holding sparkle at smile
and amuse toward the flowerpots
emitting colorful flames and florescent.

Called festival of lights
for us its forever fireworks –crackers
beginning a month early to festival
the spirit seemed unending.

Night full of daydreams
how to create a blast tomorrow
and wishing to wake up early
to join the friendly neighborhood warfare.

The tradition has a lot
engaging and embracing the spirit
relish on sweet, snacks and new attire
but nothing fascinates me like firecrackers.

மலரே / A Flower

Pic by Jeevan (Yellow Cosmos)

ஆயிரம் மலர்கள் பூப்பதுண்டு 

ஆனால்  உன்னைப்போல் ஒன்னும் இல்லை; 

புரிகிறது நீ சொல்வது
காதில் பூ சுத்தாதே  என்று!

For non-Tamil bloggers a translation is below:

Thousand flowers used to bloom
but nothing was like you;
I understand what you are saying
that to not lie around the ears!

A day travel across Thiruvannamalai

note: (bear me for the long post... hope u like my travelogue)

We planned to check my dad’s friend daughter marriage on Sunday (28/10/12) in Vettavalam near Thiruvannamalai and so we wake up early as 4am and got ready by 5 and head the road half an hour later for the 9-10.30am Mukurtham (auspicious time of wedding). Accompanying my uncle and cousin – who drive the car, we also gave lift to one of our uncle’s workshop employ and his little niece whom were suppose to go by bus to Thiruvannamalai, decided to come along with since we have much space in our SUV leftover by my wheelchair at rear.

(click pictures for enlarge)

I always love and enjoy beginning travel at early morning and this time too I had a wonderful drive through the chillness of the morning and even it’s not cold like winter, the clouded sky and dampness and tender sunshine were kissing the skin towards entice. This is the only time I could check the sunrise awake between the clouds or rise behind the mountains or buildings; it’s more cheerful than any other day since my wakeup time is usually not less than 8 o’clock. :)

The first time I visited Thiruvannamalai was 3 years back on the same month of October, and the ride were through Tindivanam and Gingee; which was partially a state highways passes through the countryside accompany by tress esp. tamarind on both sides of the road.  The road also cut across the fortified wall of the Gingee Fort which is one of the famous forts in Tamil Nadu holding a strong historical background.

Gingee fort is also called as "Troy of the East" by the British

We reach the wedding hall by 10 am, few minutes before the bridegroom tie the knot, but I didn’t check the marriage as it was happening on first floor I stayed in the car along with my cousin. Vettavalm is a small town 23km from Thiruvannamalai on the Villupuram road and thanks to my Samsung Player with GPS navigation that traced the route for Vettavalam without going to Thiruvannamalai, even thought we en route to this place about 15km by dropping the employ and his niece at Kilpennathur.

My dad and the father of the bride had been friends for more than 40 years, since their college days at Presidency and we couldn’t avoid attending the wedding as family though he had added my dad’s name in the invitation. He’s someone always be on traveling and he had traveled all over India and has friends at various level  and he’s basically a farmer but only his wife takes care of everything since he keep on traveling. His bad time he suffers from health issue now and discovers a bad sight and hearing lately which I guess must be because of his immense use of Cell Phone; and he almost addicted to phone and could not stop dialing someone anytime.

After spending more than an hour in the wedding hall, we had nothing to do then but I had a plan already which was waiting for dad’s approval and it was to check the Sathanur Dam that was about 55km from Vettavalam and 31km from Thiruvannamalai. It was less than 12pm then and we had no work to return home immediately, so proceed with the plan and the weather was still pleasant even there was a mild sunshine that day.

On the way to dam we stopped at Thiruvannamalai to get some biryani for lunch but we couldn’t find a hotel or shop that sell chicken briyani, instead there were only beef biryani everywhere which I never ate and yet won’t eat. I only wonder how come there so many beef biryani center in a town where the ‘Nandi (Bull)’ was worshipped as god’s vehicle and idol in itself... I don’t want to get into the belief but I understand the need that there are many beef eaters exists in this town. (I read somewhere that more people from Kerala come to settle here spread the beef eating habit).

Last time when I visit Sathanur Dam there was no one and we also couldn’t spend much time since we visited during late hours of evening, but this time being a Sunday many people gathered around the dam and mostly youngsters were vrooming in bikes, creating great annoy to public. The police were checking thoroughly every vehicle entering the dam complex and a special search operation had been held on youngster for liquor bottles, because during our last visit we get to see lot of broken bottles and plastic tumblers thrown at the end of dam.

The dam complex had been newly painted now and gardens were developed into much better and colorful sculptures were quite neatly maintained and a pool, restaurant and lotus pond seems added lately to attract more visitors. There isn’t much water in the vast dam reservoir and even less compared to my early visit and the dam bridges were locked by gates allowing only people through a small walk way which my wheel chair could not enter, but I spent some time on the garden taking pictures.

By 3pm we took our back home journey through Thiruvannamalai and it was a day beginning of full moon night, so the roads were blocked inside the town to leave us to go around the Arunachaleswarar Temple to reach the Tindivanam road. Thiruvannamalai is famous for the full moon stroll around the sacred hill here, receiving thousands of people every month who take a walk about 14km on the foothill road that come around the hill.

(backside tower of Arunachaleswarar temple)

When we nearing Gingee, the gray clouds formed to shower heavily and the road being a two lane and work on widening taking place alongside, we forced to retard at progress until catch-up with national highways. The ride further was smooth and interesting but as we nearing Chennai the traffic began to grow steadily before got trapped into a traffic congestion near Vandalur moving at a very slow pace for more than an hour. We reach the home by 9pm, almost taking 6 hours to come across a 210km of travel but when knowing the traffic jam near Vandalur last for 5 hours, I felt glad we escaped with an hour.