OOTY – Of ground nuts, steaming tea, long walks, chats and chocolates, and some reading.
_ By Hema Iyer Ramani
“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass….”
W.H.Davies ( Leisure, Songs of Joy and others)
Situated at an altitude of 2,240 m above sea level, Ooty is indeed a haven for anyone who wants to escape the heat. As one begins to climb along the winding roads , the air gets cooler and cooler, and the layers of clothing on our bodies increase too. There is a certain paradox that is at work between the landscape and humans- the cold air brings people closer to feel the body warmth, and the warmer the place, the more you need to physically distance yourself from human bonding !The drive is beautiful either by road or by rail. The toy train that runs from Mettupalayam to Ooty or the shorter trips from Coonoor to Ooty are surely enjoyable. The Metupalayam trains(heritage) are rather unpredictable because they depend on the favourable weather conditions and also get frequently delayed owing to the animals that cross the tracks. So the train chugs slowly but surely, and one is immediately transported to an era where we had all the time to ‘stand and stare’.
As one begins the climb up, one notices coffee plantations at the lower levels even as the winding roads go uphill . The higher altitudes have acres of tea plantations and spices too. Coonoor , we discover is a Planter’s town. As Captain Ravi, our host drove us across the town, we came across a remarkable feature so distinct in these hill towns- when drivers spotted another vehicle chugging uphill or sliding downhill, they generously allowed the oncoming vehicle to pass- this gesture was extended by almost all the drivers , and said Ravi: “ You can be very sure it is not a local if he/she does not adhere to this simple gesture.”Small towns have a lot to teach big cities in terms of etiquette and culture, I realized.
Though a tourist would notice a lot of cosmetic changes that have happened , yet Ooty has not lost its charm . There are many things that cater to the tourists specially, but when you remove the top layers of ‘tourist indulgence’, you are charmed by the generosity and the genuine warmth that the hill town has to offer. Just outside the beautiful Lawley Institute on Garden road, near Charing Cross in Ooty stands a peanut-seller called Gopalakrishnan with his charming wife, Visalakshi. More than fifty years back, Providence brought him to Ooty when he had to face unpleasant family issues in his hometown of Trichur. It was his brother who introduced him to the town, and says the man, “there has been no looking back since”. The Assembly Rooms Theatre which is more than a century old is situated across the Lawley Institute , and Gopalakrishnan decided to set up his little mobile shop there. Every afternoon at 1 P.M, he would set his cart, start roasting peanuts on a broad pan filled with rock salt. A small oil lamp provided the necessary light. The cool climate in Ooty provided the perfect excuse to cinema-goers to step out of the hall to dive into packets of roasted peanuts that were really hot ! Irrespective of the weather, the old man and his wife stood outside and having the small hill town literally eating out of his hands. Prakash, a long Ooty-ite and owner of Marlborough Homestays says of Gopalakrishnan: “ He has been here for several years catering to the needs of cinema-goers initially, but what brings back his loyal clients is that you cannot come across a single bad peanut.” That is truly a lot to say, and it was a fact that was reiterated by several others. It is not how important an office you hold, but how importantly you think of your job is what people like Gopalakrishnan have to share, and though he sells them at very reasonable rates, he still has the largeness of heart to share some warm roasted peanuts for the road, even though you don’t ask for them.
The Botanical Gardens are definitely worth visiting to anyone who loves gardens. But to me, the entire hill town with its quaint cottages (and some not so beautiful structures) with its lovely small flower gardens across patches on the hillside seemed like a garden town by itself. Poof(flower)nila(moon) who sold the wares of her community from a shop in the Gardens ,representative of a traditional Toda hut proudly spoke about her tribe, about how long they took to embroider the shawls and how close they stayed as a community. Some of these Toda huts can be found on the hills above the Botanical Gardens, where they still dwell.Today she says, “not many of these traditional homes can be found because most of our children have become educated, and we have also moved into homes with concrete roofs”. Yet, 16 self-help groups of their tribe live in peace supporting each other. The tribes are known to not only make beautiful shawls, but they also bottle forest honey that they gather, and of course the sweet smelling oils and perfumes that are now so popular.
A hot drink is welcome anytime of the day in this hill-town, and localites recommend High-grown orthodox tea, the Orange Pekoe, which is the highest quality of Tea, because here the buds are hand-picked with fingertips ! The grades of tea depend on the number of adjacent leaves that are found by the bud. Of course, fannings and dust would be at the lowest in the hierarchy. Another big favourite with the locals is the home-made chocolates, which is a speciality of Ooty. Long-time resident of Ooty, Thesingh vouches for the chocolates sold in the old shop , Modern stores, since 1951.
Boarding schools are quite prominent and a well known feature since the days of the British Raj. As you drive around, six kilometres away from Ooty is the beautiful Lawrence School, where the magical Head boys and Head Girls from Enid Blyton’s description seem to come alive. As you drive further up, you come to the Doddabetta( Big mountain), where the temperature suddenly drops low, and the mist covers the man and mountains with its large blanket. Small farmers and vendors sell fresh vegetables and fruits across the way, but the weather tempts you to eat the less hygienic masala peanuts tossed in vegetables and lime !
The weather in Ooty makes it conducive for young and old alike to curl up in a comfortable large chair by the fireside with a pile of books and a steaming cup of tea. The Nilgiris District Library facilitates such reading by throwing open its membership to its local readers. A majestic building , it stands proud with its beautiful tall arches and long windows, an amalgamation of British architecture and traditional expertise.
Of course a visit to Ooty remains incomplete without a visit to the beautiful lakes and the waterfalls , or even a drive into the forested regions of the famous Mudumalai, which has the distinction of being one of the few elephant resorts. Driving from Ooty , my young friend Rithika Madira organized for us to stay in a beautiful cozy resort aptly called Wildnerness ! Located amidst coffee and pepper estates , Wilderness provided us with the most tranquil nights under the starlit skies. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, but it was the homely food that was so generously served that we enjoyed the most. Large imprints were telling signs that an elephant had visited our cottage maybe a few hours before we had occupied the room !
The Moyar river originates from a small town by the same name along the Masinagudy-Ooty road, and the flowing river separates the forests of Bandipur from Mudumalai. There are forest vehicles that take you on a conducted tour inside the forest, and you are suitably excited when you hear the stories that are told: “ We just spotted a leopard at close quarters today”. So we think we are going to be the lucky ones too , but you realize each time after you return having spotted the elephants, bisons, peacocks, spotted deer, that you are not going to spot the tigers or the leopards because they shy away from the human noise ! But the dream of probably getting lucky is so strong that you are willing to get ‘taken for a ride’ !
We had to wait for a while to watch the elephants being fed. So my children decided to go on a walk instead of just waiting. When they returned, my friend remarked, “ I caught your son watching Kamakshi having a bath”. I however didn’t bat an eyelid. Having spent all my holidays in the land which boasted of so many elephants, I knew what it was all about. Kerala abounds in stories of elephants- their gentleness, their strength, their wisdom and their anger too. It is so therapeutical to watch the large animals as they are being fed.
At the resort, Ramesh took us on a quiet walk to the river- the stillness of the surroundings with just the sound of the birds, and the rustle of the leaves brings an immediate sense of peace. As the walk through the narrow winding path comes to an end, we hear the gushing sound of water. The river is covered by rocks, and we see some plantation workers deftly walk on the wet rocks as they make their way into the woods, where they go in each day to work on the plantations nestled in the midst of the forests. We look at them in admiration knowing the uncertainties that await them in the woods, but they promise us that it is less dangerous in the woods than the civilized jungles outside.
Getting back after a holiday to mundane existence of a city life can be painful- the noise of the blaring horns, the traffic line running for a few kilometres because someone felt the need to break the queue thereby causing an unnecessary jam awakens you in an instant about the madness of the so-called city-bred life. And the madness continues until I travel again, soon enough perhaps!
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( A former lecturer of Political Science at Mount Carmel College,Bangalore , Chennai-based writer Hemalatha Ramani contributes to newspapers,magazines and blogs.She is the author of a travel book, Soulscapes:Travels and Conversations in India) She writes under the name of Hema Iyer Ramani.
