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A colorful part of the residential colony of Kodaikanal. 

Kodaikanal is a 175 years old town established by the British as a refuge from the plains' high temperature and tropical diseases. Kodaikanal is located above 2000 meters of sea level.

Sacred Heart Church, Kodaikanal.  It is one of the larger and oldest churches in Kodaikanal,  built 100-plus years ago and was renovated lately. 

A long trip after a long time! To Kodaikanal

After nearly three and a half years of "gap," or my first long vacation post-COVID, happened suddenly last week. We went to our customary destination, which, if you have guessed, is none other than Kodaikanal. We stayed at our uncle's woodhouse, Smokey Haven, in half of the hills of Kodaikanal named Thandikudi.

My brother had a few days off and wanted to go on a trip. I was not in the mood to travel and had no intentions of traveling during this bitterly cold winter in the highlands. He convinced or was coerced into convicting us of causing ourselves damage with cold. In real life, we suffered, but we managed to breathe through sunny, cold, rainy, and foggy days.

We left home at 7.30 a.m. and arrived at our destination only at 9 p.m., covering a distance of approximately 500 kilometers. It was January 26, Republic Day in India, with only one day off for the weekend; many seemed to take a day off to extend the holiday, hit the road either for tourism or a hometown drive, which contributed to delaying our trip, aside from a few stops to rest for the brother who drove the entire trip. 

The restaurant where we bought lunch

We usually have lunch in Trichy or would have crossed the same by the time, but this time we had our evening tea in Trichy and bought dinner in Dindugul to eat at the woodhouse because it would be demanding to make our own, and there cook was also out of town. It was quite dark when we started climbing the hills, and we are left blind if there is no car light and the guiding angel, the moon. 

Driving on a highway with a twilight sky

Thandikudi (the location of the uncle's wood house) has a separate route from going to Bathalagundu and following the main road to Kodaikanal; it has the slightest traffic. I usually have my mobile in hand when riding on this road to take photos, but this time I couldn't take shots beyond the scene above. The one below is a sunny day photo from the next morning with a refreshing sight of orange vines across the gateway of the woodhouse.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

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 Colorful Pongal kolams from the neighborhood

As usual, I went for a walk in the neighborhood on the evening of Pongal to hunt for kolams and captured only a few that were drawn in front of the house in the area.

Pongal 2023 with Nephews

The Pongal festival weekend went well; however, we couldn't celebrate it in our traditional way of cooking Pongal on a firewood stove. Though mom cooked sweet Pongal in an earthen pot on the gas stove, the taste was not as expected. 

A couple of years ago, we celebrated the Pongal in the traditional style of cooking Pongal, outside the home, on the balcony, or courtyard of the former house on the ground floor, which gives a sense of appreciation for nature that provides us with life. As of now, the festival passes without leaving any special feeling; perhaps we are shifting gears to perceive it as another day.

Unlike earlier, there weren't any programs on television that were interesting or watchable. All television channels rely on serial artists to create all programs, which can only be enjoyed by viewers who follow their serials; fortunately, no one at home watches serials, so I don't have to deal with these tortures. Thankfully, OTTs and YouTube were available for entertainment; I have subscribed to several YouTube channels, but the reality is that I don't have the time to watch them all, and they are either endless or unending. 

In my perspective, the best part of this year's Pongal festival was my nephews. Jeswanth and Kavin, the sons of my cousin's sister and my younger brother, with a nearly six-month difference in age, are doing their sums (troublesome) well. If they both came together, they would turn the house upside down, but at the same time, they would both show their tenderness and innocence, making our time together pleasurable and memorable. 

Kavin

Jeswanth

My cousin's sister is caring for her maternally ill grandma, who is in the hospital, and she has left her child with her parents, who are my uncle and aunt and reside next door. You don't need further details for him to enter our home once their door is open. For Pongal, we dressed the kids in traditional dothi and shirt outfits, which made them much adorable, and they each came up with a prayer bell to ring while worshipping the sun. 

If you forgot, Pongal is our harvest festival and thanksgiving day to all that nature and farmers have given us to survive, and the sun is worshipped on this day as the most important of all-natural elements. I understand that the kids have no clue about this or any other topic till they reach a certain age, but teaching them when they are young to be humble and rational about things will undoubtedly help them sustain and advance in the future. The images of my nephews in this post are from Pongal, and I hope you enjoy them.

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Colorful Kolams

The above one is from the New Year, and what follows is our Pongal kolam.

And both the simple kolams were drawn by my aunt.

For the past two years, mom has been unable to draw kolam with my aunt over the festive season due to leg problems. My aunt is also facing some health problems lately, unable to draw large kolams on her own, and has resorted to simple colored kolams. This time, for the Pongal, mom was exhausted because of excess house cleaning, and she was so tired that she doubted whether she could carry out the event the next day or not. But I'm glad she woke up normally for Pongal, and the rest of the day went well.