Walk through the Fields - A Weekend at Mysore

Weekend came once again but we decided to sleep off. If only the electricity was there. Well, there was no electricity from morning and it was past 1300. I kept nudging everyone about a quick trip to Ramanagara, the location where Sholay was shot, in the hope that by the time we reach there, it would rain a bit and the weather would suddenly turn pleasant. There started a pandemonium and in a minute the dust had settled down, we decided on a quickie to Mysore and back. Called up Alok Srivastava who was in Bangalore for his interns; Balaji agreed to take out his Alto, and off we went from Airport road at around 1600 headed for Mysore…..Alok, Anoop, Balaji and me!

Onto the fields!; somewhere in Mandya

With no set plans we found it a lot easier to manage. Riding out of Bangalore seemed quite a challenge but once outside there was nothing to worry on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. It was hot throughout the day and by 1800, we stopped by the road and took off on foot onto the nearby fields. We had decided to visit such places where the normal visitor wouldn’t dream of venturing to! There were rice and sugarcane fields alongside the coconut trees and we found a tubewell gushing out cool water here. Stayed around for fifteen minutes and went on…..

Move out from the road and you will be welcomed by the lush green fields

It sure did quench our thirst that hot aft'noon

Further down we stopped by a small tea shop and had some snacks;sat down and watched a group of goats moving across the road. This time we decided to deviate to any smaller roads that trailed along the fields. Took a turn along the highway and stopped by another group of rice fields. Curious passerby and the few farmers nearby came over to question us. “Have you come to see the site? Are you people going to buy the land here?” were the most frequent questions they kept asking us. Moved on …..

You find so many of them as you move along the roads

Youth Hostel,Mysore; early morning, just before vacating

Reached Mysore at around 2100, got a glimpse of the palace and went further on in our search of the Youth Hostel. A few good things about Mysore are the roads and the information posts you find across all roads. This did help us locate the hostel in a few minutes. We checked into the dormitory for which we had to shell out a cheap 40 rupees. We had to stay only for the night. After a short rest , we came down to the hostel entrance and decided to sit outside until the gates closed. The cool wind was blowing across and that was the most idyllic resting time we ever had. This is what is supposed to the right weekend getaway. Finally were back in bed at 2300!!!

The lake in Mysore university campus was a haven for Birds

Alongside the banks......

Checked out at 0730 early morning and we had to decide for either Chamundi hills or Mysore University park near to which Balaji had stayed a few years back. But once we were in the park, we knew we had to give up on Chamundi hills. The park had a huge lake which nested a variety of birds and it was truly a bird watchers paradise. Balaji accompanied by Anoop decided to get along some snaps while I and Alok thought of getting ourselves a bit muddy by venturing along the lakeside. A slight disturbance and the birds would fly off; to Balaji’s dismay he finally had to give up on venturing close to the birds and we all understood how tiresome and patient one has to be to watch them closely. A few curses as to why he never bought a Zoom lens was all he could muster. It was wonderful enough to get to the lakeside with all the green grass covering up on the lakeside.

Mysore Palace ....just compare this with the remains of Tipus Palace

Well at one of the temples,had caught the fancy of Anoop for reason known only to him!

Left from there and had breakfast at a local tea shop and then headed for the palace. Shelled out 25 each and before depositing the cameras we decided to take a few snaps in front of the palace. The temples at the four corners remain intact and it was only the scorching sun that was making life miserable. After visiting the temple at one corner, we got into the palace. Well, for anyone who wishes to delve deep into history, the palace offers just nothing. The museum had a few Raja Ravi Varma pictures in it; but the fact remains, it showed starkly the attitude of the government in showcasing the history of the palace to the general public.

An Island on the river

These two crocs gave company allthrough the boat ride

On the way back, we deviated to Ranghanathittu bird sanctuary; it was a relief from the heat and we had a good meal at the restaurant here. Rested for a while atop the rocks nearby and moved down to take a walk around the Cauvery river. We walked along the riverside and there were boards kept alongside which had information of the different varieties of birds which used to nest there. Well, one such board proudly displayed Marsh crocodiles and on the way this turned out to be a discussion between us and an Italian couple who claimed it to be a farce! The sanctuary borders the lush green paddy fields and after about 20 minutes we were not able to move forward amid the thorny vegetation. On the way back , saw a huge splash in the water and were surprised to find that it was a Croc! Went for the boat ride for which we paid 25 /- each. There was no place in the already crammed boat so I had to settle for the gunwale. Saw a variety of birds resting on the rocks and we were taken alongside a few islands which were full of nesting birds. All the way there were two crocs which gave company and Alok was way too happy to have a glimpse at it. Short of time, we decided to leave after the boat ride and hence started off…..

View of the Cauvery from the back of the Dungeon

Reached Srirangapattanam and took a left to visit the kingdom of Tipu; we missed the Old temple and had time to visit only Colonel Baileys Dungeon and the site where Tipu’s body was found. The Jamia Masjid distinct by its shape was the oldest of the mosques around and it was here that I too was forced to bow down and pay my respects!!! There was nothing worth seeing in the dungeon, except for the view of the dried up Cauvery behind the dungeon. Nearby was the place where people claim to have found Tipu’s body after he was killed by the British forces. His palace had been entirely destroyed…….So much for a valiant hero who fought the British till his death while the Wodheyar dynasty which cowardly accepted the might of the British went on to built majestic palaces and got acclaim….

The Bangalore-Mysore Track which ran through the fields

Didn’t stop anywhere else during the journey and only around 1730 we thought of stopping by a tea shop. Had tea and all four ventured again further into the countryside. We crossed parched sugarcane fields and came across the Bangalore- Mysore railway track which cut across the fields! It was silent all around but for the train chugging along.

Back Ahoy! Trudging back for our return trip to Bangalore.....

That was it, got ourselves bruised after trodding through the cane fields and settled back in the car for our trip back to Bangalore. Back in Bangalore, it was tiresome indeed to crawl bit by bit and waiting for the signal. A difference to this trip was that we had spend time in the fields where not many would have thought venturing; the most refreshing moment being the night in the Youth Hostel, all of us enjoying the cool breeze. Anyway everyone agreed on one thing: a trip to Mysore would always be a refresher during the weekends………..

Ootacamund!!!

"The Team"


Ootacamund!!!
May 18th,2007

Been one year since I left Bangalore for Mumbai; never even thought of getting a summer internship back over here. “Kottaram” had shifted from Rajarajeshwari Apts, Bommanahalli to Airport Road. Balaji, Sinu, Panantha were still here along with Anoop the latest entrant and Praveen’s uncle, Sivakumar (Chittapan sir) who had come over for a month. Well, two weeks later, all of us thought of another trip together –Ooty.


Youth Hostel and the Scorpio


Friday; Friday night we left in a Scorpio from Airport road – the roads were good, so we were out of the city in one hour’s time. In another hour or so we were in Mysore, and then on it was a travel through the forest! There are two ways to reach Ooty , one a short trip through the forest of 36 kms and the other around 76 kms; Since there were no forest officials guarding the shorter route, we went for it and got a glimpse of elephants, wild gaur, sambar and lots of deer.

Saturday; Reached the Youth hostel around 05:30 early morning; was very cold indeed….Except for Panantha who went for an early morning trek through a few railway tunnels, all others were busy with their sleep till 12:00! We then headed for Doddabetta, the highest point! Since there were no security personnel near the fence on the cliffs, we got through and wandered deep into the forests, this was good indeed! Not that dense jungle, but indeed there were distinct marks all around the path we took that proved animals had been around. Later went back to boat house but that really spoiled the day. It was so crowded; we had to run away from there.


Doddabetta ; deep inside the terrain

Sunday; Next day we visited the rose garden and the botanical garden. Balaji , Sinu and Panantha were busy clicking pictures of roses and bees, while the others went around posing for quite a few clicks .

Botanical Garden; The Angry old Tribal guarding the temple

Botanical garden is worth a visit; we moved higher up beyond the collector’s bungalow to the highest point where we saw the Toda settlement. A rude altercation with an old tribal man guarding the temple did not set us back, Balaji was a bit perplexed indeed, but we still managed to visit one of the huts there and saw the bullock enclave too.

Buffalo Enclave with inscriptions; Toda Tribal Temple

After that, we started our return journey. Enacted a sorry figure in front of the forest police which helped us in traversing back through the shorter 36 km route; through the forests-one is sure to sight lots of wild animals.By the time we reached Mysore, I could hear some lively debates going on between Anoop and Chittapan Sire! Later we stopped by Hotel Viceroy to have some late night food , the results which would haunt all of us for the next one week- people beware of the food there! By 13:30 we left Mysore back for Bangalore and reached our Apartment by 15:30.

Resting just after leaving the TamilNadu check post

None felt the trip was lively enough but we learnt a bit; we had never planned for the trip- maybe that was a mistake. Dead tired; just dropped down on my bed and slept off…….

Mumbai to Trivandrum- A railway sojourn

We had been through this before;this was our second trip from Mumbai; in the sweltering heat, we never expected anything out of the journey. Just hoped we got back home in the right condition........

Thats us! .............Along the way


Finally we (me and vergis) decided to run back home and got prepared for the 30 odd hour journey in the kurla express!! Started off around 1 afternoon;Around April , we knew it would be hot, and hot it was! Still we were able to capture a few shots on the way. Had my age old camera with me, better to have something with you! Konkan has almost the same topography as kerala and the terrain seemed very similar .....Felt relieved to be going back , after months of mumbai madness!

Felt like getting off the train and wandering around all the places... Below are just a few pictures of scenes on the way. In mumbai, people are amazed at the scenic splendour of the south ,just putting a few pictures taken from a running train !!! What astounds people ,as you travel along the konkan is the greenery, the rivers and hills spread all around.

Finally, our journey came to an end around 7 evening the next day; As we alighted, voices ran through my mind ;what my friends in mumbai used to say - " Heard so much about your land, full of greenery, wish i could be there .........".