Selvam Speaks

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...

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 jus...

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 whate...

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 wa...

The temperature was soaring to 39 degree Celsius in Chennai and I never expected that I would be soon in a place shivering uncontrollably in the cold weather. My friend and I decided to travel to Velliangiri Hills to escape the scorching sun this summer. Located 30 km away from Coimbatore city, Velliangiri is mainly a pilgrimage center that involves the arduous climbing of seven kilometers over the mountains. The journey commences from Poondi temple, and every devotee purchases a bamboo stick, which proves to be an immense help for the ascent. Barefooted, we ascended through steps made up of stones. The first three mountains have similar passageways with steps laid down by human hands. Every stride has to be careful and focused, as one might lose balance on the rugged terrain. The occasional cry of the insects and birds was music to our ears along the way. The odor of herbals growing in the mountains filled our nostrils, giving a serene feeling. Steps made up of stones Trav...

An adventurous trekking to Ubbalamagadu falls:  Living in Chennai, often, I find it hard to be in a place absence of noise and pollution. To get a temporary relief and break the dull routine, my friend and I planned to visit Ubbalamangadu (aka) Thada falls located in Chithoor district of Andra Pradesh and Pulicat (aka) Pazhaverkadu in Tamil Nadu. Riding through an early foggy morning along Kolkata highways sent chills through my body. On our way, exotic countryside life unfolded before us with vistas of ducks and goats marching on the road, farmers dutifully working their day at the paddy field, children joyously playing on the streets and women clad in colourful sarees actively involved in their household work. Water reservoir at the foot of the hill-  Photo Credit Lingaraja Sivanaiah  Photo Credit Lingaraja Sivanaiah Running stream in the valley -   Photo Credit Lingaraja Sivanaiah As we reached the entrance to the forest, we collected par...

Climbing a 150 feet tall palm tree, without any machinery aid is truly a challenging task for anyone. But, it is a daily routine for 30 years old Chinnappan, who is a palm wine (Padhaneer in Tamil) tapper by profession. He climbs four trees in a day, to earn his livelihood, which is about 600 feet up and down.  No wonder, this is considered to be one of the toughest jobs in the entire world.   Being a seasonal employment, palm wine tapping brings only a meager income to his family. Hence, he has to seek another job during rest of the months of the year, to run his family. After enforcing a ban on tapping toddy, which is a fermented form of the sap, this business has lost its charm and enthusiasm. Hence, to prevent the sap from fermentation, quicklime is applied inside the mud pot that is fastened to the palm flower. Though his counterparts in the neighboring states, extract toddy without any problems, it is an illegal affair across the state of Tamil Nadu. The reasons ...