Glimpses of a Poetic Travelogue

Hill Kurinji flowers bloom once in twelve years;

Likewise five friends meet once in a blue moon!

Working in different directions with different jobs

They even communicate very rarely with one

Let alone personally meeting anyone anywhere! 

But, if they met together by chance

It would become a celebration of fete!

On one such occasion they met together

And decided to go for a tour together

As for vexedness, sadism, tiredness,

Loneliness and longing for a change

A tour to a Resort is the only resort! 

They set a tour programme like a 5 year plan

Too tight scheduled to implement in real time! 

Whatever it might be with an adventurous spirit

They decided to implement whatever they could! 

Kodaikanal Hill Station

Climbing up the Kodai hill station was

A unique pleasure to enjoy and cherish

In memory so as to talk whenever possible!

Pleasant morning Sunshine, fresh green trees

With flowers, healthy Eucalyptus smell

And dizzy ranges of hills covered with

Mists and clouds were all wonderful

To see, feel and enjoy in life at least once! 

At 8 am just before the Silver Falls Bridge

Sumo stopped for the friends to see the view

Of cool, beautiful, white, silvery water

Cascading down the ridges of the hills!

The beautiful sight was hard to miss

For the pals to take photos of themselves

With the Silver Falls at the background! 

After completing shopping work, Gir led

The friends for sight seeing round Kodai!

Coaker’s Walk was the place they halted to walk

Round to see the beauty of the valley below;

What a beautiful sight it was with mini houses

Of the town in the valley below under the Sun!

They took instant photos of the scenes, but,

The mists covered the scenes within seconds!

Sunshine and mists were playing the game of

See-Saw on the scenic beauty of the spot!   

Visiting Observatory they went to Silent Valley,

Which was previously called as Suicide Point

Covered with full of mists, a grave place

Where tragic lovers committed suicides

Believing to get peace in that deep abyss!  

Being a memorable spot they took photos

To talk about that later with their dear ones!  

Then crossing the Golf Club they proceeded 

Straight towards the Pillar Rocks spot next.

On the way they purchased packets of peanuts

Anticipating their needs later in the lunch!

Rocks standing as two pillars were vague

For the view of Pug due to the cover of mists.

Under Ram’s instruction to wait and watch

The wonder, Pug looked with concentration;

And the mists too moved away making clear

The mystery of Pillar Rocks truth to the eyes!

Then the crew of Gir stopped near Guna point

To see the naturally formed rock cave there,

Made popular by the Guna movie, wherein the

Hero kidnaps and hides the heroine of his dream

And there he composes a love-letter song to her

And sings beautifully with her in that fine movie!

Indeed it was difficult to climb up and down

The vertical slope of the narrow rock cave

And so, they took photos of the Guna cave

In many possible angles for their Photo Album.   

Thiruchendur

Next day after finishing the morning chores at 6 am

They left Tuticorin for a holy shrine in Thiruchendur.

At 8 am reaching the Lord Muruga Temple they went in

For the dharshan of the Lord leaving Ram to see the sea! 

Along with the trees and birds standing still

The deeply calm sea was waiting to worship

The Sun no sooner it came out of the clouds! 

Moved by the pleasant atmosphere Ram mused over

The beauty of Nature aligning his pulse with the sea.

The simple harmonic motion of the waves of the sea

Inspired the rhythmic pulse of his heart and verse! 

Wearing the garland of victory in war and a lotus

In hand Lord Muruga settled in Thiruchendur

To bloom the life of his devotees struggling in

The sea of life to reach successfully the shore! 

Time went without the notice of Ram in divine bliss

Till his pals returned to have breakfast in a hotel there!

After 9.30 am they left for Kanyakumari enjoying

The scenic beauty of hills, windmills, birds and

Green fields on the way to the end point of India!  

Krishnapuram

Suddenly stopped they at the Krishnapuram Krishna Temple

Made famous by the frequent visits of the dignitaries.

The statues standing in an array in the front hall

Show the immortal artists’ skill in display there;

The depiction of human emotion, passion, anger, pain,

Arrogance and valour impress one as if they are alive! 

Lord Krishna of the Temple is the exact replica

Of Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala Tirupati

With two Devies standing on both sides.

The uncared Temple lost lustre of artistic treasure

Before the eyes of the public due to long neglect.

With such an impression and opinion the pals

Preceded their journey towards Kanyakumari. 

Kanyakumari  

At noon reaching Kanyakumari they purchased

The tickets for boarding the barge to cross the sea

From the main land to the Rock of Vivekananda Hall.

The barge left for the Vivekananda Mandapam via

The Rock of 133 feet statue of Thiruvalluvar,

The poet of 1330 couplets of Thrikkural telling               

Mankind how human life has to be lived in the world! 

The imposing statue of Swami Vivekananda inspires

The soul of every individual to aspire high in life!

“Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached!”

Are the golden words of Vivekananda for all Indians. 

Yes, the up gradation of human soul is the essence of

Indian philosophy incorporated in the Hindu religion

For all to follow not only in India but also in all nations!

With those thoughts they visited the book stall and

Meditated for sometime in the Meditation Hall there. 

Darwin says that man has evolved from animal

But Indian sages say that divinity evolves in man.

That acme of man can be achieved by rationality

And strong will as both animal and divine aspects

Are part and parcel of human nature in the world. 

Coming out of the Mandapam, walked they to the lobby

To see the three seas embracing the peninsula of India!

Sea and Sky saw they and became speechless and silent

Before the eternal splendour and grandeur of Nature! 

In different angles they took photos of 

The emerald green Bengal Sea

And the Azure blue Arabian Sea

Mingling with the milky ocean of India! 

Unless some earthquake shakes the status of Himalayas

And the geographical features of Nature in India

The depiction of divinities of Indian Classical literature

Can never be destroyed or forgotten by the world men! 

Perhaps mythically a drop of the Milky Way of the Universe

Might have settled down as the snow cap on Himalayas,

The legendary abode of Lord Siva as depicted in Classics

And the trickling down of the holy rivers of Ganges and Indus

Mixing with the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea has finally

Mingled with the milky Ocean of India, the abode of Vishnu!

Hence pilgrims take dip in the Ganges and Kanyakumari Sea!