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Where misty mountains beckon

You are never out of touch with Nature, says SOMA BASU

PHOTO: SOMA BASU

POOLATHUR In Nature's lap

Dark grey clouds keep chasing us from Madurai as we head towards this week's RLT destination — Poolathur — 35 kms short of Kodaikanal on the Ghat road. Thankfully the threatening clouds do not burst open but lend a dewy touch to the atmosphere. The slight nip in the sweet smelling clean air, the rich green flora we pass by, the blissful silence around everything combined makes us feel good. Our eyes and lungs feast on every bit of nature that comes our way as the vehicle winds its way up to an elevation of 1500 metres.

"This is Poolathur, madam" suddenly the driver announces waking me up from my stupor that I had slipped into. But what is this? I suddenly find myself at the dead end of a road lined on either side by not so clean drains, small kiosks and few hamlets that are far from appealing. At least a dozen people fall over the car curiously peering through the rolled up windows as if they have never seen a species like me before. I step out and find the locals to be a loud, garrulous and cheerful lot. Almost immediately they tell me to turn back and walk down 500 metres.

It is not difficult to guess that trekkers come by loads this way and the youths enjoy their self-assumed role of a guide. I follow their advice and it doesn't take long to realize that in Poolathur you are never out of touch with nature. Every step you take on the road unfolds a landscape.

Lush landscape

As I walk in the cool pleasant weather, the road slowly gets blanketed in mist. And so do the crop of hills around that now look like a dim silhoutte. Through the light mist swirling up, I can see several dormant waterfalls that have sprung to life with rains. They appear as beautiful white-silver streaks on the green slopes.It is difficult to escape the rustic ambience of Poolathur, which was once a place of old tribal settlement. Much of the original population is said to have perished or migrated. Now several houses are built in typical Chettiar style. Later enquiries reveal several families from Chettinad region have bought land here and imported their archetypal construction.

I decide to detour on one of the numerous visible muddy paths that traverse the hills by the side. In the first line are acres of coffee and cardamom plantation after which the forest takes over.

Little deep inside, part of these forests are demarcated as reserve area and have an electric fence around. The part which is closer to the private farms and estates are free for trekking.

The best kept secret of this small forests in the lower Palani Hills, however, are the grizzled squirrels.

I set myself on a wild goose chase with a local but to no help or luck.

Though a walk through the forests is an awesome attraction, the thickening mist frightens me. Other than a faint chirping of birds and an occasional rustle of some fallen leaf under our feet, the atmosphere is thick with an eerie silence and reducing visibility.

We stray in wilderness for some more time before calling it quits. A warning : it is not always easy to find your way back. Best is to take the help of a local. Though the area is supposed to be bison-rich and Poolathur is also notorious for man-animal conflict, it is perhaps safe for a trek particularly on days like this. Though a wildlife enthusiast may miss out on the thrills of an adventurous sighting, it is ultimately the silence and solitude of such unfussy places that remain etched in memory for long.

This mist-soaked dream destination is undoubtedly spectacular with the naked eye.

The mist stayed as long as I stayed in Poolathur.

I clicked with my fingers crossed and returned to write the piece with lot of hope.

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