On Spiritual Enlightenment

Graceful porcelain feet garlanded with tiny enchanting bells; a twinkling, mischievous eye lined regally with kohl; the tiniest glimpse of pearly teeth clamped coquettishly on ripened ruby lips; an unblemished naval peeking seductively from behind the curtain of a sari mundhi swaying flirtatiously in the breeze. In describing my visit to Munnar Kerala what first comes to mind is every cliched heroine introduction of Tamil cinema of the early 90s. And like those oft overdone introductions, the allure of Munnar lies in the fact that all we ever see are glimpses, fleeting hints of an incredible beauty which are enough to leave our minds obsessively addled.

Munnar is an ever morphing puzzle: blink once during this cruel cosmic flip book and you will miss a lifetime. The same hilltop shifts from affable gurgling baby robed in splendid golden hues, to pristine spring maiden christened with refreshing dewy mists, to melancholic enigma shrouded in dramatic, swirling cloud banks- all within the span of mere minutes.

No number of pixels can do justice to the beauty of Munnar!

Travelling in Munnar is first and foremost an assault of the senses. The heady, pervasive scent of tea leaves offers a seductive intoxication of the nostrils while the sour twang of roadside green mango, followed promptly by the satisfying burn of chili, enthralls the taste buds. Refreshing sprinkles from the monsoon make fleeting appearances throughout the day, offering gentle caresses persuasive enough to encourage one to lose the umbrella. A cup of lemon tea offers the perfect antidote to the bite of the crisp, clean air, and as its warmth spreads within you, the heavily Malayalam-accented Tamil of the elderly tea-master washes over you in waves, fading seamlessly into the now reassuring pitter-patter of the rain starting up again.

I'm not sure when it will occur to you- I suppose it happens at different times to different people- but assuredly you will have your moment too. That one indescribable feeling, the bittersweet anxiety that comes of being engrossed in a good thing and then coming to the realization that nothing hereafter can ever measure up to this one flawless occurrence. It is that breathtaking instance when one feels the closest one has ever felt to the divine, when everything in the cosmos just seems to make sense. Standing on top of Munnar's Top Station, enveloped by the majesty of the surroundings, I can definitely say that I had one such moment.

Photos credits go to the lovely Archz.      

On Bad Behavior

What is it about being away from home that makes us so boisterously rambunctious? Is it the comfort of anonymity, the unwritten pact for revelers everywhere that what "happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"?

Pretty much sums up how I behaved when we stopped for lunch at the amazing Kumar Mess.

Or is it the thought of being surrounded by loved ones that entices us to let loose; to be as obnoxiously loud and uncouth as possible; to burst inappropriately into boorish laughter at things whose humor is suspect at best, or to bray tunelessly and deafeningly the songs whose lyrics we do not know and yet which we willfully choose to butcher anyway.

Several of the usual suspects surveying the Thirumalainaicker Mahal

What is it about a change in scenery which persuades us to humiliate ourselves on film and in pixels, recording our shame for time immemorial, and on a related note, why do we expressly choose to pull the most unattractive faces and kitschy poses on just such occasions?

Caught in the act: not completely sure why we are shooting the backside of the goat ;)

Can it all be chalked up to the seductions of a sinfully decadent chocolate brownie, or to the welcome respite of a frosty glass of roadside jikarthanda, consumed greedily without a second thought for either waistline or other vastly more unpleasant intestinal consequences.

Never a dull moment in a sleepy temple town.

Whatever the case may be, Madurai 2012 you were AWESOME and here's to Kochi 2013 :)

PS: Photo credits go to my lovely cousins and partners-in-crime Archz and JSat.