South Canara: Where the Divine Meets the Green

Image
On the way back from Kukke Subramanya As a child, you visit a place and remember it - for the right reason or the wrong one. If that place leaves no mark, it simply fades away. About 25 years ago, I embarked on a temple tour across the Western Ghats with my extended family, thanks to my mama and manni (mami) . All I knew then was that it would be a fun trip. Beyond that, I had no expectations. It was a week-long pilgrimage that took us through Shravanabelagola, Belur, Halebeedu, Udupi, Dharmasthala, Sringeri, Kollur, and Horanadu. Sringeri Sharadamba Temple I still recall the enchantment of those places. The lush, evergreen slopes of the Western Ghats, bathed in the dusky hues of evening and refreshed by intermittent rain, have stayed etched in my memory ever since. Every turn on those winding roads, with terraced hillsides, charming homes, and coffee and tea plantations blending into the scenery, held an aura that words could never capture. Each stop felt like stepping into a ...

The Flight

It was from India a huge flight,
In Stuttgart I had to alight,
Bombay the first stop,
And soon to be on top!!

Uneasiness steadfast crept in,
Standing along to see you off, kith and kin,
Far across seas and lands 'ur to travel,
With heart set many to unravel

Metal detectors, security checks and what not
Finish the formalities fast, you thought
All you wanted was a seat,
And many a times, 'ur heart missed a beat!!

The plane took off vroom,
You still were not in your groom,
Things slowly fell into place,
And with you to travel was a known face!!

Peeking through the windows,
You saw everything was in shadows,
Hills, mountains and buildings were tiny,
When on land, you thought of them highly

After a busy day, there was a groan,
Time a nice meal you were prone to,
Waiting with eager looks for food,
At the same time hoping the women folk were good!

Gracefully were the hostess' wrought,
Slowly and steadily they brought,
Bread, butter, spice and tea,
And you gulped it with glee

Then, about an hour later,
Mumbai it was, so famous for theatre,
Six hours to catch the next flight,
Awake we kept with talks light!!

All set to travel to the Swiss,
Keen to know about the Miss',
Only one to catch your eye,
Like Meg Ryan she was; a sigh!!

From Zurich to Stuttgart, a flight so small,
With regular tilts above the clouds, a fear of fall,
Hopeful that he was a skilled pilot,
Made us enjoyable and keep silent

Peeking through the window,
The sun rising from the shadows,
Bounded on all sides by the Alps,
And felt the clouds to be within our clasp!!

As the final frontier reached,
From atop we saw the surface bleached,
Snow it was all covered,
As the plane gracefully hovered

Yes, it was Stuttgart, the Stadt,
Our friends were there, as planned,
Cold!! A chill ran through my spine,
And soon I started to whine!!

Comments

  1. I enjoyed the flight too...esp the Meg Ryan!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment