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ROAD LESS TRAVELLED
Top drive
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Where weariness melts away, writes Pankaja Srinivasan
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PHOTOS: K. ANANTHAN
The scenic splendour of Ramadas Kuttai
"Aiyyo Veerappan territory!" is mom's involuntary response. But, Sathyamangalam beckons like never before, especially since this RLT is more of an RNC (road not climbed!). A long meandering drive, instead of an ungainly scramble upslope, seems appealing.
Early morning, and the journey begins. How different the world looks before sunrise. The dirt and grime is hidden from view and watching sleepy villages slowly wake up is a pretty sight. Peace and quiet — the leitmotif for the day.
All that green on the Sathyamangalam hills is just what the doctor ordered for tired eyes, and part cold and part anticipation sends a pleasant shiver up your back. Across the valley, everything is smothered in mist.
We drink in the view with a cup of hot tea at a chaiwallah at Dhimbam and, a turn later, we enter a magical world. Leaves murmur something inaudible and a silvery-grey path, interrupted here and there with warm, golden patches of sunshine that has managed to find its way in through the green canopy, lures us in. Incredibly, people live in these forests. Ananthan, our photographer, says he is willing to trade in his lifestyle for this idyllic existence where credit cards, mobile phones and sales people don't exist. So would I.
Suddenly, we are on the edge of the forest. A lonely, unmarked grave, a thoroughly whitewashed temple and a bright blue sky is all we can see for a while. `Ramadas Kuttai' announces a board. We look around for a pool. And, voila!
If there were a Claude Monet in you, you would have lunged for your paintbrush. Miniature white lilies (to the uninformed, that is what they appear to be) make patterns on a green background of leaf and limpid pool. Beautiful. There is nothing to disturb the peace. Even the breeze seems reluctant to create a ripple.
A Pied Wagtail slakes its thirst, and from a distance the tinkle of cowbells gently nudges you out of your trance. Nothing will beat this experience, you think.
The drive back is equally pleasant. A carpet of golden yellow corn drying in the sun, an old, decrepit but still beautiful temple and a bunch of lads tramping off on some pilgrimage, just adds to a "God's in his heaven and all is well with the world," feeling. You can't put a price to this. If you still need thrills, you can drive by the late actor Rajkumar's home from where Veerappan abducted him.
Permission: It is a protected area so contact the DFO's Office at 04295-220312 before you set off.
How to get there: From Coimbatore, drive to the foothills of Sathyamangalam. You have to negotiate 27 hairpin bends before you hit Dhimbam, where you turn left. Drive along for approximately 23 kms and you arrive at the pool that is located near "Tiger Farm" an old British bungalow. Anyone there will be able to guide you.
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