Listen to noise of rock - Irachal Parai Falls, Valparai

Perfectly titled for a waterfall that makes noise of rock, called Irachal Parai (an adaptation of two Tamil words meant noise and rock) is one of natural paradise of Valparai, in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu. 7km from Valparai town, Irachal Parai Falls lies very close to the popular Balaji Temple in Valparai on the base of Akkamalai (Grass Hills).

The water to the falls is originates from the springs in the Grass Hills (which is called the green carpet of Tamil Nadu) is source to perennial Nadumalai River, which flows through Valparai and also quench thirst the town people. The waterfall lies inside the Pachamalai Tea Estate and on the edge of dense forest, is allowed to visit on the permission of the tea estate management. The estate’s tea factory is where one could get permission, which is also on the left-hand side of the road that leads to falls.

Thanks to our relative who guided us there and also a resident of Valparai, had hesitated first in contacting the manager but glad he did it for us, if not we couldn’t have got a delightful opportunity getting our eyes treated in green and snow-white waterfall. Throughout the way was almost pretty shimmering in green and once crossed the check dam (that stores the water and sent it through the pipe for drinking purpose of town); the waterfall get into our sight amid lush green tea plantation and oak trees.

The road was narrow and partially tarred, took us windingly to a newly constructed bridge across the creek where we stopped the car and enjoyed the sights of waterfall. The place was quite silent except for the noise of rock, even the quantity of water was less makes a nice fall. It is not advice to visit this place alone because of its frequent visit by wild animals from the nearby Shola forest. An old man we met there said, even a week early to our visit, a herd of elephant had broke down the estate’s bus shelter there.

The climate was cool and water was pristine to make visible underwater creek, I enjoy the view from the bridge while others get down wetting their foot in cold creek. The most excited was our pet (Maya), who shows curious drinking water from creek. Generally, she holds affair for getting wet in water rather hate taking bath at home, was eager to enjoy in water but only we didn't allow her to do so. After sometime we find four boys come down the other side, showing their bare body was evident of their relish showered from fresh waterfalls.

Maya drinking water in creek and mom holding her from getting into water; grandfather watching them from behind.

It seems one really needs daring to take bath in this waterfall with sliding rocks around and during its full fledge its highly dangerous… this waterfall and river is prohibited from taking bath because of its drinking water purpose of the town. The water flow as stream here, make lovely pools near the check dam and mound of tea plantations around create scenic pictures. Down from the check-dam, the Karumalai Church got my attention.  The pretty white church stands between tea plantations, on the hill other side wasn't clearly visible for photos and to get there we really need to make way through steps (will post few picture of the church later).

Threatening moments

I wake up to mom calling ‘maya maya’ in unusual hurry tone, from which I aware that our pet dog is creating some trouble outside and she also calling my brother to come out immediately. I only thought then that our pet might run out of the gate and some stray dogs chasing her or she may run chasing them, which is the situation many a time with her in case of unchained when outside the home. But things were different this time and she was running within our house compound walls chasing a cobra that came into ours. We have no idea where the cobra came from, but the garbage collectors were said to see the snake entering our house from the roadside.

Encountering snakes aren’t new for us, as we have seen snakes in our early apartment area and the people resides here have also seen snakes many a time around. The open ground behind our house with number of trees and a broken workshop, could be nothing that a better hideout for snakes and only a 7 feet wall protects anything enter our compound. The heavy rain and wind lasted few days back, broke our water pipe from the over tank and only a day latter it was fixed by plumber, mom when to check if it was ok this morning, was followed by our pet who found the snake got chased. She was trying to bite the snake tail while pursing around, for which it protests by hissing and few strike attempts before tough climbing the wall  and crawled though a Neem tree to a safe high.

It was exciting and adventure for us this morning and the story still spreads from one another, Maya becomes heroin by her daring act against the snake. Lol!  There’s another terrific story to share with u here, was as never like before, a lightening stroke very close to our house on Wednesday evening results in killing our LED TV. There was heavy thunderstorm in our area that evening, but a lightening came very first without warning had a loud blast and threaten to cease heart beats… which was the situation lasted for half an hour. Our pet also exposed to frustration for the loud cracks and it was like thousand fluorescent lamp blink at a time, and along with it the transformer also celebrated a pre-Diwali producing sparkles.

We once again tuned to our free television set, provided by government, until the Led TV is back after its major transformation of motherboard. It was a situation similar to 2009, when our CRT TV shutdown, we went on watching programs on govt.’s free color television for a year before bought the LED… it was too exactly on the season of Navarathiri. Even we used set top box for cable television, the lightening took the life of our led TV and there were number of TV sets in our area lose to the lightening. We are always cautious and switch off television and unplug wires when there was thunderstorms, but it fall quite unexpectedly and it is our fault indeed.

         Not to forget, the cyclone Phailin is on its way ready to sweep the coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in hours… let all hope and wishes there wasn’t much damage to our neighboring states. The cyclone is expected to be very strong storm, where experts guessing the wind could touch 240 km per hour when it landfall between Odisha and AP… the tides could rise up to 3.5 meters and rush 600 ms in land. 

Payphone or telephone booth

We live in Smartphone era, but there was some period, peoples depend on phone were only on telephone booth and payphones fixed at some particular place or office or junction. For many people in India and abroad these payphones still helps at communication in absence of mobiles or emergency contact. Before telephones arrive at our homes, we used to visit the telephone booth or PCO (public call office) to make phone calls; and in my childhood days I have accompanied many a time my aunt to the red telephone booth or payphone in our area (Adyar) to make calls to her friends. I really enjoyed accompanying her not only because it was fun dropping the coin into the photo box and then dialing the rotary dial, she also get me chocolate or ice-cream while back home. 

Apart telephone booths, sometime we also visit our neighbor’s house (one or two houses that have telephone connection then) to make emergency call and also give their number to our relatives and friends to call in case of anything important. The same thing happens when we bought telephone, some of our neighbors get calls from their relatives and we have go and call them at their home… which only then we realized how difficult we gave to others. Lol

There were also few shops in our area then had telephones, which they also make it as a public phone and collect money for talking. We were also asked to press a red button (an additional device attached to the phone to calculated our talk time) when beeps rise at the end of each minute of the call, like how we drop one rupee coin in the payphone boxes at the end of each minute to continue our talk. 

Those days, I guess, we can’t make STD (subscriber trunk dialing) calls or talk out of our city or town from the telephone booth or payphones but only visiting the specify shops that has STD or ISD facilities. Making an STD also means paying more money, so people don’t make much calls unless important and also put their calls short and sweet thinking of the high rate. These days we can’t find any of those pretty red telephone booths, but only the yellow payphones fix to the walls or poles in public places or in front of the shops and the minimum rate of call to make allover India is Rs.1 per minute. These payphones are provided by public telephone sector ‘BSNL’ and the amount received through these boxes are collected by neither shop owners nor BSNL employees, for which they are paid commission.

Footnote:

The picture above is a coin operated payphone… kept at a shop in a village called Kuppanur, on the foothills of Yercaud, Salem district of Tamil Nadu. The yellow phone was catching my attention for photo and it was the inspiration to write on phones here.

Whisper of love

I blow away her curls
crawling around her ear’s
to whisper my love.

Holding her face in palms
 kissed her forehead
for she embarrassed in red.

Eyes grasped each other
digging deep in desire, that
who quench (love) thirst first.

Lips ready to unfold, to say
something whispered so far
or plainly imprint love. 

PowerShot Sunday - Bright in colors

This is a hotel in Yercaud serves homemade Biriyanis… and while waiting outside, I find the colors painted on the hotel was very bright and catchy! It was slighting drizzling then, which are the drops on the image (as I shot it from inside the car) and the rain that last from previous night had added glorious to the green trees behind looks stunning.