Tamil Nadu with Mr Bala

I remember my first day in Kozhikode, I was 20 years old and yet terrified of being left alone 'cause well I had never stayed a t a place with such lush greenery, I did n't understand the language and in general it was all so different from Delhi, where I had spent the first twenty years of my life.

Six years hence, now whenever I travel to any part of South India I am constantly reminded of my latent preference for that part of the country vis-a-vis the North. There is just something immensely homely about the roads, the palm trees, the humidity, the temples, the sarees and the gajras, the coffee and the food!

This time I was travelling through Tamil Nadu with my boyfriend and his parents and Mr Bala as our trusty companion and driver throughout the journey.

Madurai
This was my first time in Tamil Nadu, if I don't count the several flights via Chennai. Immediately after picking us up, Mr Bala took us to the Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace. Built in the 17th century the current remains only account for about one-fourth of the original palace. The remaining was supposedly taken away by the king's grandson to build his own palace in Trichy. Nonetheless the palace  is still a sight to behold with its massive white pillars supporting the structure, the high ceilings adorned with the most intricate and colorful paintings and mandalas. And yet again I encountered one of my usual travel pet peeves; how hard is it for people to respect any structure of historical , cultural, architectural or artistic significance unless there is some iota of religion attached to it? I mean scribbling on walls and declaring undying love really does n't lead to a happily ever after, but then again sigh!

Intricate paintings on the palace ceiling

Mighty facade of the Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace

Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace

Next up after a quick lunch we headed towards the Meenakshi temple and oh.my.God!!! Out of all the temples I have visited till date (which is a lot given my extra religious mother), this one was by far the most grand and awe-inspiring temple! Apart from the mind boggling number of statues and artifacts inside the temple, it also evokes a heady combination of emotions. The sun was setting and painting the sky in pretty ochre tones, thunder in the background serendipitous-ly in tune with the chants from the temple and a slow but steady drizzle topping it all.

Glorious Meenakshi temple

Rameshwaram
This was my first time traveling so far down south. The Pamban bridge which leads to Rameshwaram is another sight to behold. Flanked by the Indian Ocean on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other, each competing to be more cerulean than the other, fishing boats dotting the shores, white headed eagles gliding around in slow motion, it was truly a postcard worthy sight.
Before visiting the temple in the evening we went to Dhanushkodi. About 20 km or so from Rameshwaram this is where the mythical Ram Setu or the Adam's bridge starts. The once bustling fishing village is now a ghost town with a population of just about 500 odd fishermen and their families. In December 1946 a super cyclone hit the coast and with it destroyed  the entire town. Dhanushkodi is only accessible via jeeps or mini vans which traverse over bumpy mashes, arid and deserted expanse of land only inhabited by various avian families. It is quite eerie to see the lone skeletal structure of the church which survived the aftermath of the cyclone and the crystal blue waters in the background. It is a strange and humbling experience at the same time.

Near Ram Setu

Ghost town of Dhanushkodi

Remains of the church at Dhanushkodi

 Chettinad Region - Karaikudi
Our final destination was the Chettinad region which is known for its massive mansions built by the Chettiyar merchants, dating between 70-200 years old. The layout of the houses are common, they usually start with a huge open verandah, followed by a series of porches; each usually used for a different purpose, the whole mansion replete with intricacy and yet simplicity.

Inside an old Chettiyar mansion

Just a few short days in Tamil Nadu and every time I board a flight to go back home I am so overwhelmed by the beauty that exists in our country and how much there is to learn about and appreciate!

Kila Raipur Sports Festival : A Weekend of Ingenuity, Entertainment and Entrepreneurship!

"We reveal ourselves in the metaphors we choose for depicting the cosmos in miniature" - Stephen Jay Gould

I don't quite remember when and how I first heard about the Kila Raipur Sports Festival, perhaps it was after its cameo in Rang De Basanti, however, I have been extremely intrigued and fascinated by it for the longest time and really wanted to go visit it once.

The festival. also popularly known as the Rural Olympics was started way back in 1933 by Inder Singh Grewal who envisioned the event to be an annual recreational meet for locals around Kila Raipur, and from what I witnessed it does live up to that vision!

How to get there?
Like most places in India, reaching Kila Raipur too is a slightly long winded effort. The closest train station is Ludhiana and the nearest airport is Chandigarh. We flew from Bombay to Delhi, took a chair car train to Ludhiana which was our base and traveled to Kila Raipur for the festival which is about 20 km away.

Why did we like it so much?
Honestly, lush green fields, clean atmosphere, nip in the air, more butter on a single parantha than you have in a whole week and even more swimming in butter chicken...what is there to NOT like!? But some of our favourite moments from the festival where literally all kinds of species test their spirit and skills are:

⤮ Hound Racing
I had never quite seen hound racing in real and to be honest was very intrigued by how ridiculously fast these dogs are!! But more entertaining is to see the hounds race into the neighbouring fields,being chased by the owners only to be finally caught and picked up and cajoled like little babies!

Hounds readying to chase the motorized chicken

You really would n't think they can run so fast!

Running into the horizon

⤮ Bicycle Racing
The stadium one must admit is quite big and well maintained we were quite excited to see a host of cyclists start from one end in their aerodynamic gear speeding towards the finish! Only when they got closer did we realise that they were all on the very humble cycle used daily, one cyclist had to stop mid way as the chain came off (!!) and another kept peddling hard as the basket attached in front threatened to fly off! Totally circa Joh Jeeta Wohi Sikandar!

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar!

⤮ Mule cart race
Mules are capricious beings I came to realize. In almost every 'heat' there would be one mule who would start with so much gusto and brio, halt instinctively after about 100 m and just stand there thinking what-on-earth-am-I-doing-here. And then just REFUSE to budge.
My soul animals they be!

The ones that decided to run, kicked major dust!

⤮ Horse Racing
Two weekends back I went to watch the Mumbai Derby in Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The atmosphere with the immaculately dressed who's who, the well manicured horses and their petite jockeys all vying for crores of rupees in the prize money, I realised this weekend had NOTHING over the horses and their riders in Kila Raipur! With no saddles, stirrups or any sort of protective gear, it was a full display of bravado from members of both species! Every race ended with spectators running away from the speeding horses to safety, and in one of the races a horse just decided to take it to the next level and galloped in all its glory into the village!

Horses and their riders in all their vigour!

⤮ Hockey Match
So from what I read the Bhagwant Gold Cup is supposed to be a huge draw and attracts hockey teams from across the state if not beyond. Sadly there was n't much of a game we got to see. Some sort of altercation broke out on the field between one of the teams and the referee (pretty common I'd suppose in a lot of sports), which spiraled and embroiled the spectators as well (not sure how common this is) which eventually led to one of the teams just abandoning the game in the middle, walking till the periphery of the stadium, casually changing into their jeans and t-shirts and just walking off (definitely sure this is uncommon)!!!

⤮ DSP's and Daredevilry
Kila Raipur festival is marked by a multitude of events and sports all happening simultaneously making it mind boggling for all your senses to fully engage. Some of such events includes DSP's from the police forces across the state displaying their skills of standing on a booking motorbike, gyrating to Punjabi songs and even reading the newspaper all very casually while standing on a moving bike!!!

Taking Friday morning chill scenes to a whole new level!

Apart from these events, there were endless bouts of kadabbi, tug of war, people pulling tractors with their teeth, athletic events from men and women across all age groups, martial art performances by Nihang warriors and a lot of dance and show!

Not sure how the event has evolved over the last almost eight decades of its existence but it felt good to see it not being marauded by mindless commercialization like we witnessed in the Hornbill festival last year.