NALLATHANNI
There is a saying in Malayalam meaning, “the Jasmine flowers in your own courtyard will not be fragrant enough.”
This proverb has come true in our case because we did not visit Nallathanni Estate even after living in Pallivasal for many years. We have been working in Munnar for building a 60MW Hydel project for KSEB. It may be either our lethargy or the rigours of the Project work, which kept us from not visiting such an enchanting place which is so close, all these years.
We have decided to visit Nallathanni this weekend, along with our colleague Dixon, who is born and brought up there. Nallathanni is 10 km away from Munnar town and we have to drive up through the narrow estate roads, from the very start. We have decided to make the trip free of frills in the planning stage itself. After all we are going to our friend’s place, is it not?
We started at 4 o’ clock in the evening on Saturday, in my Nano. The team consisted of Jacob Jose, Ramesh and Dixon. It is 12 km from Pallivasal to Munnar along the Highway. Once you reach Munnar town, you have to take a turn to left for Nallathanni, in front of the Town-Mosque. Here itself the road turns narrow and one lane, because it is an Estate road. Soon we see the Little flower girls high school and the Tata Tea Museum on the left side of the road. We did not stop there because we were anxious to reach Nallathanni. There were spectacular scenes along the route. It was full of lush green tea even in this summer. The labour women were returning home after a hard day’s toil. Their typical dress and style enthused us and Ramesh was busy clicking photos while I was concentrating on the wheel. We took enough time at vantage points to relish the nature, at its best.
Dixon’s family had been living in Nallathanni for generations. The Tea estates in Munnar were planted by the British during 1880’s. Initially they have come to these in-accessible tropical evergreen forests from the Tamilnadu side. So they have brought labourers from Tamilnadu along with them, for the Plantation works. The present day Tamil population in Munnar in particular and Idukki in general are the descendants of these Tamilian labourers who were brought here more than a century back.
SCENES ON THE WAY
We reached the Nallathanni Estate layam by 6 o’ clock in the evening. For those who are new to the word layam, it is the Estate labourers’ quarters. These are typical row constructions with tin roof, and are cost effective and suitable for the weather here. The walls are masonry work and the roofs will be usually painted green. By any standard, they are comfortable enough for a small family. The staff will be given slightly bigger and independent houses for living. Dixon’s Father, being a doctor with the Kannan Devan Hill Plantations, has got a nice Bungalow in the vicinity, where we will be spending the night.
The entire family of Dixon’s Father, Mother and younger brother were waiting for us. There was a warm welcome to the guests to Nallathanni. Hot tea was served with snacks, which was very much needed to ward off the cold. There was the Home made chocolate also among the snacks, which is a famous item available at Munnar. The visitors to Munnar never return without few boxes of Home-made chocolates. The merchandise you can collect at Munnar are of course, fine tea of countless varieties, Herbal oils of all kinds including Sandalwood oil and all sorts of dry and fresh fruits.
We woke up on Sunday morning, fresh and raring to go. Had a light breakfast and packed the lunch. We never intended to shoot the hapless wild mammals and grill them, so we carried the lunch in boxes. Not only that, you must be aware that the ever vigilant Ganeshan sir’s forces will book you for unbailable offences if you dare to shoot anything in the Kerala forests, with anything other than camera.
A BISON IN ITS NATURAL HABITAT
The evergreen forests were inviting and we three started off by 8 am. We trekked through the thick, dense forests for hours together. The nature’s craft was at its best and could not be compared to any manmade park or monument. The team members were busy clicking the endless moods of the wild. The forests were calm but not quiet because there were chirping of birds and crickets, screeching of monkeys and occasional trumpeting of wild elephants. We were shivering because of awe and fear. But Dixon was cool because it was only a routine affair for the Nallathanni residents. In fact, Elephants roam around in Nallathanni estate year round. Nobody troubles them and the herds also do not attack the humans. Over the years a fine balance is reached and maintained between the wild and the civilization here, and that is the mesmerizing beauty of Nallathanni.
Though we were not lucky to see the wild elephants that day, there were other animal sightings like Bison, wild Goats (Kezha), and Monkeys (Kurangu). Needless to say that many varieties of birds were visible everywhere in the forest. We tried to photograph as many of them as possible. We shared our lunch inside the forest, on the top of a rock. Water from the nearby stream was used for washing and drinking and it was looking cleaner than the best bottled water. We have taken care, not to throw any plastic waste into the forest. By 2 o’ clock we started our return trek through a different route and reached the layam by 5 o’ clock in the evening.
JACOB AND RAMESH DURING TREKKING ON THE OLD MUNNAR ROAD ABANDONED IN 1924
We said good-bye to Dixon’s family and left Nallathanni with a mind-full of memories, to cherish for the years to come.
How to reach Nallathanni: By taxi from Munnar, a distance of 10 Km by Estate road.
To carry with you: Warm wear like sweaters, shawls etc.
If you go for trekking: Always go with a local, carry salt tied in a piece of cloth to remove the biting leaches, wear trousers and trekking/ hunter shoes.
Best season to visit: December to May
Contact Vinoth-9447573787
----0----
No comments:
Post a Comment