We found village vendors, selling succulent Palmyra fruits which are supposed to be a coolant; they just come rushing towards the vehicles with neatly folded Palmyra leaves clipped like a boat laden with the fruits. I was also surprised to see the Palmyra fruit apple, a first time for me; a spongy mass of the embryo of the fruit.  Out of curiosity we stopped to find out what it was and were happy to find out that ,it was akin to the embryo of coconut palm which I had tasted earlier.  It was pale yellow, sweet , had a soft and spongy texture .The vendor was patient enough to explain how the palm apple is formed. Ripe Palmyra fruits are sowed in the sand and the shoots appear above the ground. Then they are removed and the soft embryo formed inside is removed. Left as it is, it would become a Palmyra tree.These fruit apples are straight from the bosom of mother nature unadulterated, which is removed and served right in front of our eyes. We devoured the palm fruit apple to our hearts’ content.

Coutrallam is also famous for wide variety of fruits like Mangosteen, star fruit, water apple, star gooseberries, mangoes, rambutan and guava. The colorful array of star fruits, raw mangoes, and water apples spiced with chilli powder and salt is a great attraction and certainly made me drool.  Many shops sell spices like  cardamom, cinnamon , nutmeg, honey and various herbal roots and tourists certainly pack a few when they leave this  place.

I met a sadhu while visiting the temple. Seeing my camera he wanted me to click a picture and I happily obliged. He was too happy to  pose and I felt it was a regular routine for him.There many shops around the temple selling souvenirs and trinkets . I aso found many shops selling banana chips and ghee halwa which were arranged as big  blocks.

I went on clicking pictures so that you could also enjoy this exotic place from the comfort of your house and plan a trip soon to enjoy and soak in fun and frolic. . This place surely has a de-stressing effect. Boarding and lodging facilities are plenty but it is advisable to have a reservation in advance during the peak seasons.

My good friend Asha ,has tagged me and honoured me with an award.  she writes beautifully. You can also visit her blog Asha’s Musing and ramblings , Thanks a lot Asha. I will pick up the tag later.

I have joined on line shop Craftsvilla for my jewellery products.That was also my friend Asha’s suggestion. A big thanks for that also.  You will also find my shop on shopo

These on line shop launches + my usual travel and  work with my students kept me away from all of you. I too missed posting here.

Hope you enjoyed Coutrallam visit.

thanks.

Au revoir!!

Want a break from the humdrum of life? Looking for a respite from the daily stress filled life? Head towards Coutrallam, a simple yet exotic place, which allows one to unwind, relax, rejuvenate and feel closer to nature blessed in abundance by Mother Nature with a pleasant climate. Coutrallam is in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu bordering Kerala.Coutrallam has a beautiful landscape bordered with hills where the river Chittar breaks into nine falls. I made a trip recently to this place and could visit a few spots. The water cascading down the hills here has medicinal properties and curative powers for various skin ailments. It is believed that, the rain forests on top are laden with lot of medicinal plants and herbs.  This place is really enchanting and one feels very light in mind and refreshed after spending a few hours at this famous tourist spot.

I visited only Main falls, Five falls, Old falls, and Tiger falls. All these scenic spots would mesmerize anyone with sheer beauty and the grandeur. One would be surprised to see the beauty of natural water showers which is not intimidating. Even little children happily take bath under these water sprinklers. But the force of water is certainly heavy and sharp during the monsoons and at times it would be difficult to go near the waterfalls. Safety precautions are always adopted and are in force. The best season is to visit between June-August, at the onset of South-West monsoon and again around October –December in sync with North-East monsoon.

Our first visit was to the Main falls which is at the centre of the town itself. The sound of water gushing from this falls can be heard a few meters away. One would forget the self as one moves closer to the nature’s lap. As the scenery changes, the atmosphere and the people around you become non-existent. Vendors selling exotic fruits and berries, Playful monkeys moving in groups with their little ones are very special to this place. The whole place becomes bright and colorful and the copious flow of water from falls would get one rooted to the ground with gaping mouth. This place is really awesome.

The thick growth of trees and bushes is a safe haven for monkeys and their pranks are yet another entertainment. They move casually among the tourists carrying their baby darlings closer to their chest. The playful monkeys leap, glide and perform acrobatics. The little ones clinging to their mothers are smug and safe during all the acts.

Oil massage with herbal aromatic oil is famous here and there are many centers around the waterfalls offering this facility. After the massage, the tourists head over for the waterfalls where nature massages them with the speed and force of water. Once under the waterfalls, people are reluctant to move out of the spot. Once they bathe in one, they move  to the next. Whole day can be spent moving in and out of cascading waters enjoying the natural water sprinklers.

There is a famous temple of Siva near the main falls known as Tirucoutraleeshwarar. This is one of five famous temples of Lord Natarajar in South India. The temple has beautiful carvings and murals.  

Water branches into five showers at five falls known as aindharuvi (five falls) in local parlance, and here many can take shower simultaneously at one single spot. The spray of water hits you even when you are safely away at a distance. A splash of a few droplets itself is rejuvenating. 

Old falls cascades beautifully and comes down in magnificent folds. Tiger falls is the smallest and weakest and is very safe for young children. The approach road is flanked by green paddy  fields laced with coconut palms. The over grown trees on either side of the road form a canopy and  keep the harsh Sun rays from seeping down. The bright blue sky and the bordering hills make the place really stunning. Words fail here to describe the true nature of the place….

To be continued ….

Enjoy the photos Now. Shall share more photos in my next post. Till then….

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 11,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Thanks to my dear friends Bikram, KP, Asha, Bhagyareema, Mahesh Prabhu ,Renu, and all others who have been a constant support and encouragement throughout my blogging journey.

Love you all.

This is special  card made by me for my DEAR FRIENDS. 

May God shower His blessings on all.

Let peace prevail on earth- Violence is increasing day by day

Let there be food for all – Many struggle for even a morsel of food.

Let us thank God for whatever we are today. – Let us count our blessings.

Let us Pray together.

Take care all. 

See you soon.

Travel beckons…next 4 days on rollers:) take care dear friends. Shall be back with more news and pictures.

I travelled to remote places taking my work , worked with rural population and got satisfied seeing the transformation. I travelled about 75000 Kms. in 5 years only by road + some more by rail….. I wanted to slow down and started looking for opportunities again and some other venture opened up. Again heart and soul was put into  it and I can see something taking shape….. I believe in this world of abundant opportunities, we should be dynamic, flexible and committed to whatever we do , then success automatically follows. And Success is not always counted how much money one makes at the end of the day. It is much more than that. Life makes us much more wiser and we keep learning.

A recent accident in my neighbourhood prompted me to write on  this subject. A two wheeler rider said bye bye to this world as he was too busy to notice the bus when he was climbing up a slope to reach the main road.

The safety rules do not allow using mobile phones while driving . This up to some extent is followed in cities and bigger towns where there is presence of police constalbles who keep patrolling .  Do we always need someone at our back to maintain discipline.The picture is different when  you move to rural areas. Many a time I am surprised to see autorickshaw wallahas and two wheeler riders  continuously chatting while driving the vehicle and the mobile perched safely between the  shoulder and the ear or driving it single handedly. The concentration and focus  gets distracted and also his vision ahead is  at an angle.  I wonder why can’t they stop and chat and proceed instead of putting their’s  and  somebody else’s life in peril.

In a  tragedy which occured just 200 mts from my house a middle aged father was riding his 2 wheeler with his school going  daughter in the pillion had to pay a heavy  price for using the cell phone while riding. During peak morning hour when school buses and vans conquer the road , this man with mobile perched in between the shoulder and ear came up a slope on the main road and he fell under a bus and he lost his life on the spot. the small girl who was thrown out got severely injured when the tyres of the bus crushed her hands. I could see the ambulance and the crowd around the scene. But more was to come.The ambulance which carried the girl again met with an accident on the high way killing the driver and the already injured and suffering girl.Well it did not end there.The uncle with whom this man was living with could not bear the shock of the twin deaths in the family and suffered a cardiac arrest only to succumb to it a few hours later. The news was saddening and keeps haunting me,making me wonder if only the father was not having that phone in his hand at that time!!!.Why are people playing with their lives. The man lost his life because of his own fault but what about the innocent girl, the helping ambulance driver or the benevolent uncle who was sitting at home who all lost their lives for no fault of theirs.Then what about those relatives and loved one who will never be able to get this out of their memory and suffer silently for the rest of their life

Every place around the town we see flex boards raised by traffic department to use safety measures while using the road .But who cares. Why they turn a blind eye is beyond my comprehension. Why people flout the rules? Will we never ( ever)  learn? .

May be one day! I am an eternal optimist!!!

Dindigul was also famous for its tobacco cultivation and cigars of Dindigul were even favoured by British Premier Sir  Winston Churchill. He  was fond of the churut ( stands for cigar in local parlance) made in this place. 

Another attraction here in Dindigul is Sirumalai hill station which lies 20Kms from town and provides the whole town its picture perfect scenery as it towers above the town , It  is full of greenery. This hill is like a green carpet which abounds in shade providing trees, herbs and medicinal plants , fruit and spices with a cool climate. This hill keeps the town cool in the evening by fanning cool breeze and the town gets a little respite from the hot and dry weather.

Sirumalai pazham ( a kind of plaintain ) is very famous and is believed to have medicinal properties.

Dindigul happens to be a centre point to visit various places like Kodaikanal, (100Kms) Trichy  ( 100 Kms) , Madurai.( 65 Kms).

Sun set in Dindigul is very colourful. One can see  the great canvas of the sky scape painted with light pink, yellow and dark hues which initself is a spectacle. I can get a good view of this from my kitchen window and this is my day to day list everyday.

Enjoy some pictures I shot from my balcony and window.

This is not a post on Significance of the festival, this is rather what it has taught me , my life’s lessons.

I was born and bred in a conservative, joint family . I  have enjoyed living together with my siblings and cousins under one roof learning good values of sharing, devotion to God and I grew up right under the gaze of Vittobha, ( Krishna) the temple ( click link to read my post on My Pilgrimage)  which was right in front of my house. My house was like an extension of the temple and we always moved in and out of the temple. No wonder I grew up being a staunch devotee of this Lord who steals the heart of his bhaktas. The lovely face of Krishna with doe eyes, the diamond diadem , His Pitambara , the peacock feather which added the extra grace , the magical flute which cast a  spell on his Gopikas in Vrindavan   captivated my fancy too. Reading Krishnavatara by KM Munshi only made my faith and devotion stronger for HIM. This is one God whom I feel I can stay connected to. Though it was only Bhaya-bhakthi in the childhood towards God. I have started realising he is right with in me like a constant companion.. We should not be afraid of God. Our conscience must be clear and we must be able to share love or whatever we have to realise  the stength of God with in us. I don’t expect that God will appear in front of me if I do a tapasya, from where will he appear when He is with in me? If we cannot love others whole-heartedly that means I am not loving myself.

I enjoy, preparing goodies and  decorating the little Krishna idols I have with me, one being the most precious, a gift from my father which I attach a lot of sentiments. My dad himself was a great devotee of Krishna and he worshipped a saligrama of Krishna ( Murali Krishna) in our house, a tradition which is still continuing. Krishnashtami is always a grand festival in my paternal house as the house becomes a beehive of activity on that day. Prasad like  banana halwa, til laddu, sugarcane mixed with soaked bengalgram ,sattu ( a sweet made of bengalgram dal)  cashew-candy, dryfruits and fresh fruits and God’s favourite , sweetened butter are offered to the Lord. By evening Lamps are lit , the idols and saligrama gets bathed in  milk and water and are decorated with flowers of all hues  with fragrance filling the atmosphere. The pooja goes till late into the night and the curtains to the event are  drawn when the offerings to Lord are done and everyone participates  jointly in the partaking of neivadyam which is offered to the Lord. The preparation of all the prasada items and food for all the family members was solely prepared by my mom with we children chipping in with a minuscule of what she did. Hats off to her. I think she drew all the energy from the devotion she had for the Lord. I do not stand anywhere near her in terms of the kind of work she did.

I will be conducting the worship today evening. It would be a simple worship and would be offering  neivadayam ( goodies) many of which I have mentioned above and would end with an  aarti.

Festivals are time for indulging in sweets and lip smacking goodies. So when I say Lord resides in me we should really eat and enjoy so that it reaches the God. This is my philosophy.

Krishna has taught me the meaning of LOVE and I want to fill my heart with more and more and keep it NIRMAL (pure).

My Krishna(s)

Wishing you all again, a Happy Janmashtami.

See you soon!!!