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A One Day Trip to Unwind With Your Family at Swamimalai (Yelagiri Hills)

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Worried about your fitness? Fed up of maintaining diet to size up your figure? Bored up of visiting malls, movie theatres on weekends? Tired of starring at your computer monitor at the workplace? A simple, easy trek can rejuvenate your spirit and give an alternate experience of life. Many are afraid to go on a trekking due to the challenges it presents on the journey: fear of wild jungle, fear of bodily strength, fear of getting stranded in an unknown place etc. But I assure you, this trek could change all your assumptions, and this can even be your first step to begin your adventure. Swamimalai, a small hill, lies on the mountains of Yelagiri close to the scenic village ‘Mangalam’. We left from Chennai by bus around 1 am in the early morning and reached Jolarpettai at dawn. A bus from there took us to Yelagiri in an hour. As the vehicle ascended through precarious bends, it gave goosebumps at every turn. Beaten by the cold spell, we yearned for the sun to show its full glor
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Mythical and Mystical Town Rameshwaram

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During my schooling, I never missed an excursion except the one which was to the holy town Rameshwaram. Since then, it was lingering in my mind that I must not miss to set foot on this mysterious island. The day finally dawned, and here I am at the land known for Teertham, pristine beaches, unabating fishermen dispute and a significant landmark in the Hindu mythology of Ramayana. Connecting the mainland from the island is the majestic Pamban Bridge and the railway track, which are built across the sea stretching two kilometers. The joy is ineffable when travelling on the train through the bridge with the breathtaking view of the blue ocean. View of the Pamban Bridge at dusk Pilgrims mostly from Northern India converge to this historical site mainly to perform religious rituals, believing to be cleansed of past sins and mistakes, as Rama did after battling the mighty Ravana. The town reverberates with the chants of ‘Hare Ram’ throughout the year. But over enthusiastic involv
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Location: Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu 623526, India
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Hidden Treasure by the Shores of Bay of Bengal

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As they say, unplanned trips are often more exciting, my visit to Tharangambadi was totally unexpected. It was mid-afternoon; the sun was ungraceful, pouring all its fury upon the earth. Reaching the spot emaciated, I found the King’s street that leads to the Fort Dansborg (aka) Danish Fort. As the name suggests, the street is indeed structured to be used by a king with architectural bungalows and centuries old churches. King Street that leads to the Fort A Christian Church on King Street A colonial building opposite to the Fort As I walked through, vivid imaginations ran in the back of my head. Back then, four centuries ago devoid of modern transport services, explorers sailed across the sea all the way from Europe to the shores of Bay of Bengal in Tharangambadi to establish their settlement. View of Fort Dansborg from the sea Fort Dansborg majestically overlooking the sea is the major attraction for the tourists from all over the world, as it stands as the monum
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Spiritual awakening at the coastal district of Tamil Nadu.

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Vailankanni Old Church What draws all men and women to historic religious places? What is the purpose of converging in a particular location to experience spirituality? I was on a trip to witness it. My first visit was to Vailankanni Basilica located on the seashore of Nagapattinam district. Being an iconic landmark for Christianity, this holy place attracts people of all religions. Ardent devotion to Mother Mary is evident in the vicinity. Multiple churches have been erupted and the imposing architect is a resemblance of British art forms. Large amount of hotels and lodges have sprung up to accommodate the ever-flowing devotees. And never to forget that Tsunami took its toll on December 26, 2004, leaving an air of melancholy around the region. Water Tank at Nagore Dargah My next step was to Nagore Dargah, an Islamic holy place that too attracts devotees from other religions. The mosque has multiple entries that one might get lost inside the building. At centre placed t
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My Granny and her Peacocks.

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I visited my hometown recently during my holidays.  I went to my grandma’s field to pamper myself with the nature. It was a calm and quite place surrounded with lush green trees.  At 2’o clock my granny took out some food and kept outside. There was obviously no one except the two of us. I asked her, to whom she had brought the food out. She said that two peacocks would come to eat it. We were waiting for them. They had not yet turned up. After a while, one of them, with a long beautiful feather came fumbling through the plantain field. He was afraid to come closer to the food due to my presence, as I was a stranger to him. He waited for a longtime, ten meter away from us. My granny took the food and kept it closer to him. Now he began to peck the food very quickly. After some time another one arrived to get his share of food. They both now began to fight over the food not allowing the other to eat it. It was an amazing scene to watch two big birds fight with each other just in fr
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The World In Peril.

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I was in the middle of a swimming pool unbelievably with a white girl, who was in her bikini. She was splashing water on me playfully. I pulled out her bra naughtily, and she giggled at me and the play went on for a while. Then I pulled her up closer and hugged her. She became calm and moved closer to me and soon our lips were locked.  It was as if our bodies were set on a raging fire even though surrounded with cold water. Suddenly a voice screamed in between CUT CUT. It was my friend cum director who was shooting this scene in a swimming pool for a movie. Annoyed by his awkward interruption, I went up to him and asked, Hey buddy! Wat’s wrong? He said, “A tiny rocket interrupted on the scene dude”. A tiny rocket! I asked shockingly. Ya, it was right over my head. It looked like an iron rocket of 10 cm length, and it could transform itself into any shape like a missile, square, arrow, round or whatever possible shapes. Horrified by the appearance of this unknown, weird creature I w
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When the trekking presents hair-raising adventures…

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An arduous climb at Paravathamalai Hills: Every one of my trips is always filled with elements of surprise and excitement, and this one is too. Climbing up the mountain of 3500 feet along different tough terrains, including mounting an iron ladder placed vertically upon a huge rock, was a spine-chilling experience. Parvathamalai, the abode of Lord Shiva, is located in Tiruvannamalai district at 15km distance from Polur, the nearest town. It was an early morning as we alighted at Thenmathimangalam, a village, from where we commence our journey on foot. The dawn filled with cool breeze, women dutifully cleaning up their courtyard before the sun breaks up, men indulging in a casual chat at tea shops before embarking on their routine job, the roosters loudly announcing the new day, are the vivid memories as we set foot at the village. Exhilarating countryside along the way Geographical map of the hillock and the distance to be covered in different terrains A kilometer w
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