Two days and we ended up finding the origins

This was my second trek with CTC and i was looking forward to it in a big way. I was preparing myself for the trek with fitness et al for more than 2 weeks and finally when the trek mail came just 2 days before i nominated immediately. My friend mohan also nominated and we decided to bring his car since going by bike would be difficult after a 2 day trek.

The D day started of in complete Comedy/Chaos for us. We were supposed to report at Tidel Park at around 4:00 and leave there to Guindy at 4:15. Both of us thought we were supposed to be there at 4:15 and slept off. We woke with a jerk and started at 4:00 from Annasalai and reached Tidel by 4:10. I have never gone that fast in my entire life. There we met Peter and some 5 others and proceeded towards Madyakailash and Guindy and later halted at Koyambedu. There we took a head count of all those present for any dropouts and proceeded towards Padi where Biju was to join us. There we halted near the petrol bunk for an attendence and headcount and the real journey started. Lead by Peter's Monster Fortuner the convoy stretched almost to a kilometer. It was a superb feeling as if we are the VIP's of the day and we raced ahead to Uthukottai where the Bangalore guys were to meet us. That was the last stop in Tamil Nadu space and the next halt was directly at base camp.

We reached the Base camp around 7:30 and once we were ready with all the rations for the trip, Peter gave a small intro regarding the Trek, the wonderful route and its beautiful surroundings to Sherif, the Host from Ufx Channel (Yup we had a camera crew that came all the way with us). Then Biju gave the customary but mandatory instructions to be followed. Those instructions seemed to be silly. Take for instance walk in a single line, don't wander away without the knowledge of organizers, stay as a single set, don't overtake the leader or trail behind the sweeper blah blah... It may sound funny or as a joke, but trust me guys these are the Ten Commandments or Golden rules as far as trekking is concerned. We break any one of them and its the full group that is gonna suffer. And for those who are wondering about the fancy terms, i'l throw some light. Leader is the one who leads the team. He has the GPS preloaded with the trail (the route to be followed) and he shows us the right way ahead. The Sweeper doesn't sweep as u guys thought. He is the one who sees to it that no one else is lagging behind or is away from the group. He is also the one who collects random stuff that we mistakingly drop on the way.

Alex and Ashwin were assigned the role of Leaders and Biju and Anand were the sweepers. In-between all this peter left with 3 cars to the destination spot so that we can have some trasportation back to the base camp once we reach the destination. So we started our walk towards the first pool. I was half praying this doesn't end up like Venkateshwara (my first trek) where i had to walk for 5 hours without water. Luckily for me we reached the first pool within 15 minutes of walk. The first time one comes to a place one will expect them to be welcomed with the aarathi and vethala paaku, but my welcome was a bit different. I was slowly removing my bag and shirt to get into the water when some stupid local guy had disturbed a honey bee comb. The next thing i knew i was under water with some 10 people already there. There was a buzzing sound throught and i could see utter chaos. Some people were jumping into water and some people huddled themselves under the sleeping mats. Poor Kaushik, he was pretty late and was caught in the milieu and he dropped his camera on the ground and jumped inside the water along with his cell phone. Even then he wasn't spared and am pretty sure he had some 50 bites to him. I myself remember taking out 10-15. He was kinda dazed and worst of all in the hurry of jumping into water he twisted his ankle and it was now a little bloated. It was an unceremonious welcome for us into Nagala. There was one who had a bite right on his eye lids and then there was Alex . For around 20 mins he stayed under a towel to avoid the bees and it didn't leave him. Next the bees were gone and he slowly got into the water and immediately he was surrounded by bees again. Must be a very sweet guy i guess!!! We enjoyed the water for around 20 mins and then it was back to business. We had to tackle the first obstacle. It was a steep climb and we had to first send our bags to the top and then make it through. It looked daunting and i was almost petrified when one of them fell into the water as soon as he started the climb. His glasses went under water and after 10 mins searching by Biju and Raghavendra they found it. It was a sense of deja vu for me as i lost my gold chain in Venkateshwara first pool and we found it there also. Coming back to the climb it looked daunting but once i started with the help of a push from the back i made it through quite easily and that boosted my confidence immensely. Forgot to mention one unfortunate incident that happened. Sadly one of the trekkers Arun had stepped on a bottle which was under water and that left a deep gash on his leg and it was bleeding profusely. Luckily Biju had some bandage stuff in his first-aid kit and they tied the would. But he had to still walk with a bleeding leg and he did make the climb successfully. This incident shows how carefree the drinkers who come to have a nice time are. Little do they know their legs could be next. All the more for me to champion the teetotaler cause.

We reached the top and once all were there we took a breather and proceeded further towards the other pools. First came a pool inbetween two gorges.
We had to go on in a single file and there was a road block there. Slowly and steadily we crossed that place. Peter was infact inside the pool and was asking if anyone can swim they can come swimming across since it was the easier than climbing. But alas!!! i was halfway up the climb when he told and also had my bag with me. Else i would have swam across the pool instead of climbing up and down like the ones to the left. But anyway it was not too difficult a crossing and i still had ample time to enjoy in the water before all the others came through. Here we took a break and Peter and co demonstrated to the TV guys how a raft is done and the bags ferried across the river. The dip there was refreshing and we spent around half an hour there. Then we moved on towards the next Pool and man what a pool it was. This was by far the best pool of the trek. This was a sliding pool and everyone had a whale of a time. Even the non swimmers enjoyed a lot. Everyone took turns in jumping and sliding. The camera crew made the best of it as they got lots of footage of a natural slide pool. After all who would want to pay 500 to enjoy the slide of MGM or Kiskinta when we had a natural slide pool and that too all for ourselves. People were at their acrobatic best and the finale was provided by peter who did the backflip.

Here the camera crew took some time to get interviews with some of the trekkers and also they filmed us taking turns to go in the slide pool. I still remember my third slide where i had to brake 3 times since the camera was not ready and and the end of it my back was red. With this ended the last of the pools for the day.We proceeded further and there was a confusion with the route splitting and we didn't know which way to go. Unfortunately the GPS also didn't show any signal. We had to rely on instinct and sounds and we decided to take the left route. It started off quite fine with roots and rocks to hold for climbing. After that came the tricky part where it was just mud and leaves and we had to walk along the slope. There were also less roots or rocks to hold and i found it quite tricky. It was finally done and we found the others waiting for us. We halted for the lunch near a huge boulder through which water was trickling and some of them took rest. The lunch was delicious with chappati and jam/pickle. We took rest for sometime there and then proceeded towards the 560m Nagala peak. We were walking for a long time and with little water the walk started getting a little tired. But with the destination being the 560m peak, we were determined to make it and upped our pace. We walked along the sides of a cliff which had rocks in the formation of a stairs. It was as if nature wanted us to conquer the peak. We kept on walking for another half hour and lo behold, we could see the 560m peak before us. We hurried on to the top and what a fantastic view it was. I felt like Leonardo Di Caprio from the movie Titanic when he shouted from the deck. Yup!!! those same words " Am the King of the World" reverberated through my ears. It was around 4:30 in the evening and the sun was blistering on us trying to make barbeque's out of us. But still the air up there was superb. A sort of mild cool breeze mixed with our sweaty body gave a chilling effect.

We spent some half an hour at the peak and peter was explaining to the TV crew about the peak and also the valley where we started etc etc. Th next thing he said brought out the adrenalin in me. He said that this is the kutty papa and periya papa which is around 800m was waiting 2 peaks behind. My next thought was "Game On!!!" lets keep moving and why are we wasting time here when there's a higher peak to conquer. That was when we got almost lost. We got split into two groups. There was one group with Peter which was on its way to the 800m peak and another group with Biju was on its way down thinking that the camp site was down. I was in the second group. We were walking almost an hour when we finally realized that we were not with the others when we saw some woodcutters near a hut in the forest and they said that they didn't see anyone go that way. We decided then and there to stop since it was also getting dark and decided to camp there. We kept shouting periodically for the other guys to find us and kept flashing lights at the hill we just returned from. After many futile attempts we decided to manage with what we had for the night and camp there when suddenly we saw some lights from the hill. Yes!! it was Peter's gang and they were returning from the 800m peak. It was decided that the rest of us stay together and flash lights at the mountain while Biju, Ashwin and Ram go in the direction of the other lights so that either of the teams can find each other. Peter and co reached in another half hour time and we started preparing for the much awaited dinner. But before that we had run out of water completely and also we needed some twigs for the fire. So two teams left. We collected all the bottles we had and put them into 6 bags and the team of 6 people and 2 helpers led by Peter went to a nearby water source to fetch water while another team found twigs nearby.I went with the water team to help them in fetching water. We filled up one bag fully and peter left so that it can be used for the soup and while it gets ready we can fill up the remaining bags and bring water for the noodles. We returned in half hour time and preparations were in full swing. On the one end the soup was getting ready and in the other noodles was getting ready. Inbetween Biju improvised with his sandwiches and trust me bread+ raw onion + pickles turned out to be a wonderful sandwich combo. The noodles were ready and with the onion remaining from the sandwich, i cut it and put it in a box. This onion we used for the noodles and trust me that was the best noodles i ever had. Probably best due to satisfaction that even i have helped in cooking it. Then we had a small camp fire and there was a plan for entertainment. But most of us were too tired that we laid out our mats and we fell asleep in no time.

The next morning we woke up early around 5. I was woken up by the alarm clock from alex and ram and saw peter already well awake. The funny thing was ram switched off the alarm that woke everyone and he continued to sleep. I started up lazily to find people moving here and there. People were slowly warming themselves up and packing their stuff. Some people went to the nearby wood cutters and were chatting with them while others were busy with their morning chores. Peter and co were mulling the plans of the day and were discussing it with the camera crew. There was tea being prepared at one end. I had some nice tea with sugar. There was the option of either black tea of milk tea. Yup!!! people had brought milk powder and i had the milk tea. And hold your breath, there was coffee also. If only i had waited for the coffee...anyway tea was also refreshing and i deliberately avoided the combination of both fearing the side effects. It was planned that we would be first going to the water source and refill our bottles and then those willing will go to the 800m peak and return back to the same spot. Peter and Biju were further discussing about what next to do and where to have the lunch and whether to explore newer pools. We started packing all our stuff and everyone got ready with their backpacks. Some people went about screening the place for all the left overs or missed items since in CTC we have a strict no litter policy and we carry all our waste.

Then we reached the water source in 10 mins time and refilled our bottles. Those willing to stay behind were told to look after the bags and the others left all their stuff down and carried only the bottles. Surprisingly almost everyone agreed to go for the 800m peak and only about 5-6 people stayed behind. Slowly the team led by peter and alex moved on in its mission to conquer the 800m peak. Eventhough we had started at 650m and it was just around 150m higher, it was a little bit testing. The route was pretty decent to start with. But the higher we got it became a lot sunnier and also the elevation became more steep. But as in Venkateshwara there was tall grass all the way to hold on to and also the rocks were strategically placed in such a way that it was as if the mountain wanted us to conquer her. We stopped enroute to regroup and take a breather. Peter was describing the view and also the localities where and all we were. Then we proceeded towards the 780m peak. The approach was same all the way with the occasional big rocks that we needed to climb. Peter and co were already up that peak and were waving to us from there. This inspired us more and we almost doubled up towards the peak. It was almost right at the top where there was just one slippery piece of solid rock. But considering the destination so near that part was overcome the easiest ever. The view from the 780m itself was amazing. We could see the whole valley from there. The best part was it was blistering hot due to the sun but still we could get a cool breeze all the way. We had lots of photo sessions there and spent some 10 mins there. That is a short time considering the time we took to come there. But it was long considering the next destination.

The next destination was 800m and it was right before our eyes. We could see clearly the 800m peak from our present spot and that was a big inspiration for us to keep going. We hurried on to the next peak. That was a further 100 meters away. Here i had Jayanth and Vishnu for company. It was a superb company. We were chatting about various things and also admiring the scenery. There was the regular shout from Biju "Jothi kelambunga...keep moving..." from the back. En route we stopped occasionally for a sip of water or for a photo shoot. The location was superb. It was a mixture of greenery, dried grass and the odd rocks. We even saw a burnt out campfire. Finally we reached the 800m peak. It was a great feeling and i felt a tremendous sense of achievement. Though this peak was higher than the other ones, it was less like a peak and more like a flat surface,but the view below made up for it. What a location!!! We could almost see the whole region and the whole Nagala mountain range was visible. We looked down and even spotted our camping spot. It was like a small ant. As usual it was a blistering sun above, but a cool breeze around. In my enthusiasm, i hit my leg on a rock and my fore thumb started bleeding. But that was the last thing in my mind. Who would want to come this far and this high and think about the wound. The more adventurous guys got down to a small rock that was jetting out the other side of the cliff and posed there. But even looking down from that height gave goosebumps to me and i had butterflies in my stomach. I decided to sit down near the cliff under a small tree where everyone was sitting and savor the moment. I was just wondering, the view is superb, the cliff is great and people are sitting there...still i am afraid to go and sit there, and the funny thing was this peak is just 1/10th of Mount Everest and i was afraid of it. I decided then and there one day am surely gonna overcome my fear of heights and give a pose there. We spent around 15 to 20 minutes there and proceeded back to the water source. With the satisfaction of having gone to one among the highest points in Nagala, all of us returned back. Infact everyone's bottle was completely empty by the time we started the descent and no one even felt the need for it. Maybe it was because we were heading back to the water source. But to many including me, it was the personal satisfaction at being able to conquer such heights and being there that made us forget the sensation called thirst.

We reached the source around 10:30 and filled up our water bottles. We kept bragging about our achievement to those that didn't come. We also had our mini-breakfast since we wanted to save our stomachs for the big lunch we were gonna have. We had planned to have Noodles, Sandwiches and other stuff for the lunch. Many including me filled our bottles with Glucose and within 20 mins we were all up and moving. Our first halt was supposed to be a Big pool and all were looking forward to it. Little did we know that this was gonna be the most adventurous part of the trek. We passed our camping spot and it was already blistering hot. The sun was burning at us and trying its best to roast us. But we were upbeat and walking briskly since we had just had our water break and were very much looking forward to the next pool where we can unwind ourselves. We first headed to a small hill top. But then everyone stopped and we took a detour to another side.

In the new route used to be a waterfall and enjoying in the waterfall was on everyone's mind. We headed towards it and we arrived at what looked like the top of the falls. But it was bushy and full of thorns and so we took a turn and thought of going to the falls by the side. We thought we reached the tip of the falls and it was indeed the tip of the falls. But the water part of it was missing. There was not even a drop of water anywhere nearby the cliff and when we looked down, we couldn't see the base. So we assumed the water would be there and descended the cliff. Aishwarya Rai was boasting in Cannes that the Ravan team were climbing towards the top of a falls and she could feel the force of the water nearby. But we guys were doing a different thing. we were infact climbing all the way along the slope of the falls heading towards the base. The descent was a little bit tricky and the camera people had a hard time negotiating the drops without damaging the camera. We people pitched in and slowly and safely the camera went down. This was the first of a series of exceptional teamwork that the group showed all the way till the end. We reached the base of the falls and we were in for a big surprise. The water had vanished into thin air and all that we could find was dry leaves. It was like that vadivel comedy. "Who has stolen the water???!!!!"

We kept walking for how long no one knew. There was no indication of water and time and we kept walking and walking....It was during this walk that people showed their first signs of fatigue. Kaushik was totally drained out and with his sprained leg he found it tough. Then there was Jothi who was also fatigued. Supriya had some difficulty walking. Then there was dinesh, he started cramping really badly and found it tough. Unfortunately he was wearing a jean and also his shoes looked big and heavy. The bottom line was everyone was totally out of water supply and with the blazing sun draining every energy we had, the going was tough. Peter was long gone and he had said he wont return until he finds water. That was our only hope which kept us going. I walked with various partners during the course. Initially i started with sait, then for sometime i was with the camera crew, then i was with Kaushik and co, for sometime i was with arun, ramesh and co and most of the time i was with alex, ram and supriya. Finally i sighted peter and some people who had gone in the front grouped at a spot under the trees.

Peter, Alex, Ashwin and Biju started frantically searching the GPS and old maps for a sign of water or exit. According to the GPS, there was a small hill left of us and crossing us would show us water. We decided to take some rest and then we started again to cross the hill. It was an easy climb, but the descent was tricky. There was no definite path, just a sandy descent and behold we saw the first signs of water. It was a small pool and we could see it from the top itself. I was eagerly looking forward to having some water and jumping in when we heard instructions not to go near the water. Yes, it was dirty water and we had to just be satisfied on seeing water. The next part was the most challenging. It was high noon i guess and the sun was at its merciless best. We kept going on the trail all along without water and with no signs of it. There were the occasional teasers where there will be water in small ponds but dirtier than our cooum. No way we could drink that. Slowly and steadily the pace of the group was dropping. People were almost reaching the threshold of their tolerance and many shoulders were dropping. When i mean people that includes me. Even though i did not feel any fatigue, my pace slowly dropped. I was again rejoined by my trek buddies jayanth and vishnu. Vishnu went ahead and me and jayant were lazily walking to god knows where. We two became so desperate that we started looking if we can drink the water oozing out of rocks. But sadly that water was also very bad. I started taking breaks at more regular intervals and it became so regular that we were joined by Biju, Jothi and the blue shirt guy from the back. That was a big group and me and the blue shirt guy took the role of sweepers and we started pushing jothi. That gave me some confidence and i started increasing my pace.

We could see the others at a distance and i almost started running thinking that they found water. Indeed they did find water and they were all grouped together. But the only problem was water was beneath a 50m cliff we didn't have any means by which we could get down there since unfortunately we lost the rope that we had. So it was like back to square one and we were huddled together under shade contemplating our next course of action. We checked the GPS and found out a water source same like last time just other side of cliff. Only this time the regulars were pretty sure where it led since they had been to that pool and it was close to the destination.

We took a break for around half hour and then started to climb the cliff. I was to follow Biju, Supriya and Jothi. Since both supriya and jothi were kinda low on energy i knew they would be quite slow and so i waited down chatting with ram, alex, raghavendra and mohan. I saw that the 3 were almost halfway the cliff and so i started climbing. I thought by the time i reach them they will be on the top and so kept on moving. But it was a gross miscalculation by me and i found Jothi within 2 minutes of my climb. I kept pushing him non-stop to climb, but unfortunately he was tired out. Above me biju was having a tough time. He had to guide supriya who was before him and then he had to come back to guide jothi behind him. He was doing an exceptional job in getting the two up. I decided to pitch in and help jothi who was immediately before me with his steps and kept pushing him. At a stage Biju was also very tired and he helped guide supriya up leaving jothi to me. But supriya could manage only another 10 mins and she was totally out. I really felt pity on Biju since he had a really tired supriya before him and an equally tired jothi behind him. I got slowed down and that was when fatigue slowly crept into me. I started feeling a little drowsy. I tried to salivate my mouth with some water to freshen up and nothing came up. I started breathing hard to keep me awake because here i was caught up in traffic on the edge of the cliff with no way up or down and i cant afford to lose my concentration even for a split second. Finally the guys who waited down came up and alex and ram said they will take care of supriya. Biju then started pushing jothi and we moved a little paces up.

I suddenly saw jothi's face light up and he started moving a little faster. I was wondering how the sudden change had come about and then saw the reason for the change. Peter was standing up and the guys had grouped almost on top of the cliff. Even my spirits soared and now i was moving in bursts. Jothi stopped at a place and he gently left way for me. Peter then came down to help out supriya and led her to the top. Then he again came to get jothi and lead him to the top. I was watching all this from near the top half asleep and was wondering damn this peter, how does he do it?? Here i am a 24 year old struggling and there he was almost a decade older than me and so energetic. I finally slept in between the rocks in a damn awkward position. I thought i was the only one asleep and when i woke up and went to the top i could see many of them down. And speaking of awkwardness, there was ashwin who was in the most bizarre position to sleep. He was holding on to a tree and sleeping while he was standing. Later he slept right below the tree. Now it was time for all of us to wake up and every single cell in my brain told me to continue sleeping. If not for raghavendra, i would have been sleeping more. He pushed me and finally i was on top of the cliff. Even though the cliff was an easy climb by way of distance and we had done bigger ones than these, the fatigue delayed us a lot. Then on the top Biju showed us the next course of action what we are gonna do and where were headed to. He showed us the temple where we must go and also the route how we should go. He then said that he along with ashwin and anand will leave late and take another route and the rest of us must go with peter in an easier route.

In between all this, there was another problem lingering. We were no longer the 60 we started with. There were 6 people including the driver and camera man of the TV crew missing and they had taken another route. Then there were another 5 people including the host who had taken another route. We were praying we meet them at base camp. Back to the trek, we hurried up behind peter since it was almost twilight and visibility was fast diminishing. I was reunited with jayanth and vishnu and we followed peter and we were almost half way down. Then peter stopped and it was decided that at this rate we will definitely not reach the bottom before dark and so he sent alex with a bag full of empty bottles to get water for us.

We then started moving so that if alex returns back he can meet us en route. Most of us including me were walking like zombies and i couldn't believe how fast i was walking even at this stage. But one thing was sure, i didn't know where i was going and it was just my legs and eyes working. My eyes were following the guy before me and the legs were taking me where my eye saw. My brain was totally blank. Me and vishnu kept a conversation going between us so that we don't loose concentration and don't feel drowsy also. It worked out well and we started doing a brisk walk. Now it had become pitch dark and everyone was out with their torches. Oh i forgot. My bag was left back with ashwin so that they can bring it in a shorter route. I was totally out on gas to even carry my bag. How i wish i hadn't done that. My torch was left with them. But that was not the only reason i wished i hadn't given them the bag. The real reason is yet to come. There were many of us without a torch and we decided a novel idea to manage that. We would walk in such a way that those without torch will go in between people with torches. The ones with torches behind will show light to the person in front without the torch and this will ensure that both have sufficient light. The idea was really surprising considering the situation we were in and god know how we came up with such an idea with most of our brains not working. This method worked out very well and we kept moving. But situation was growing very grim and we had people slipping and falling down. This was coupled with thorny bushes and pitch darkness and the pace went down.

At this stage Biju joined us and he took the usual role of the sweeper which he had done so well throughout. We kept moving non stop halting occasionally to negotiate thorny bushes and small ups and downs. Then we heard a loud thud and sadly one of the guys behind tripped and fell down on the ground. He was already damn tired and after this fall it was really difficult for him to get up. Peter then told us to stop then and there and he went ahead to get the water. Also behind us supriya had totally passed out and there was no response from her for our calls. In the midst of this you might be wondering where jothi is. Thats a totally different story and that starts where ours ended. Now back to our story, it was totally dark and we were awaiting the return of peter and alex. Some people became really desperate. There was a call made to some emergency service telling that we were caught in the forest without water and don't know the way out. With every rustling of the leaves we would either be scared if its some animal only to be reassured by Biju that there are no animals here, or we would think thats peter coming and our faces will light up. Finally they did arrive. Peter came along with alex, bhargav and sherif (program host) They brought big bottles that we had to share in groups of four. Peter rushed up to supriya to check out on her with some glucose and a bottle of water. Finally i had that sip of water that i so longed for more than 10 hours. What a freshener it was. Our insides were charged up and i felt like i could do the trek all the way again.

We almost doubled up with the confidence that water was this time really nearby and within some 10 mins we reached level ground. There we met some locals who guided us to the water source and there it was right before my eyes. A beautiful pond and a huge mango tree above it. I felt like i had just reached heaven and there was an amrit lake waiting for me. I wasted no time. First i drank atleast a full bottle and poured some water over my head to cool down. Then i passed on the water to vishnu and he emptied it and gave it back. this process repeated for about around 2-3 times and finally i decided to get into the pool. It was a wonderful pool. Just 3 feet deep and ideal for us after the long trek. The water was kinda prefect. It was neither too cold nor too warm. We spent around 2 hours in the pool in pitch darkness. There was a campfire running nearby and the surrounding were just apt. We massaged each others legs and shoulders and relaxed in the water. Biju and Kannan then took an attendance to find out how many of us were missing. We had already got the news that one person had already reached tirupathi and he had exited the forest around 5 itself. Still there were about 10 missing and we later found out that 6 people were present at the village. That left 4 people still missing. Peter and Alex filled up some bottles and went uphill to find out the others. It was about half hour when they returned with Ram. Ram then narrated his adventure. He got cramps in his legs and that had slowly got to his stomach. He had vomited and was totally dehydrated and passed out. Seems he was out for around 45 minutes and he himself woke up and was on his way down when peter and alex found him.

So it was 1 down and 3 to go. Those 3 people were Ashwin, Jothi and Anand. We first assumed that since they had crossed over the other hill they would have reached the dam. So we didn't worry much. We headed to the dam and stopped en-route at a temple to regroup. Again we took the head count and proceeded to the dam. That was when something quite startling and unexpected happened. Suddenly we saw a torch light flash from the hill towards our right. That light kept flashing and that was when we realized the reality. Those 3 people we assumed to be at the dam were still there in the hill. We flashed lights back at them and the entourage stopped. At that time Vishnu got a call from ashwin and what we heard was quite startling. Ashwin was the lone man standing and the others had passed out completely. He said they couldn't walk down to the dam and that they needed help. For a first hand account of what his situation was, check out his website. We then emptied peter's bag and it was filled with what water we could get and all the electral packets. Peter then proceeded along with prahalad towards the direction of the light. The rest of us proceeded straight to the dam.

From the dam we could see the village and finally it was destination reached for us. But still the trek was not over yet. There were 3 people still waiting to come down. We kept tracking the movements of peter all the way. Prahalad was made to stay down as a marking point and peter went uphill. All the while we were in touch with the people there by phone. It was a ways of cheering them up and also assuring them that help is at hand. Most of the people at the dam were asleep fast and some of us were chatting and kept vigil. Then we got a call from peter telling that the people there are tired and that he was not willing to risk moving and he is waiting for the rescue team to arrive. He also told the rest of us to go to the village and wait there and only a few stay back. Oh ya i forgot to mention that. A rescue team was on its way from chennai. Actually ashwin had tried reaching us and since we were not available he had sent an SOS to people at chennai. Sujai, Guru and Ansar were on their way. The rescue team arrived in a few minutes and we could see ansar's car come. That was a scorpio and he stopped the car right near the dam. Biju, me, kannan, ram, sandeep and anand were waiting on top of the dam. It was planned that the rescue team take 2 villagers and go on top so that there is an easy way out. So we called bhargav since he knew telugu and the rescue team set on their journey up. The 5 of us returned to the village. As we returned we kept looking back at the mountain for the progress of the lights. We could see that rescue team on their way up and by the time we reached the village we saw the rescue team had reached them. Finally relieved, we took some rest. It was around 5 in the morning and we were awoken by the roar of the other cars that came from the starting point. I went to the hand pump to drink some water and i thought i heard some shouting. My instincts said that the stranded group had reached the dam. But since the sound was feeble i was not sure. Then me and another person started filling a bottle with water so that we can give it to ansar who was waiting at the dam below with his car without water. We were about to start when we saw the headlight of the scorpio moving and the light approaching us. My instincts were indeed correct and the remaining people along with the team reached the village and there was jubiliation all round. Our trek was indeed over.

It was a memorable trek that had a lots of cinematic instances to it capped by the climax of the trek. We carried evergreen memories of the trek. It was not just Nagala Hills conquered, it was also our inner selves conquered. We had subjected ourselves to the limits. During this trek we learned what true camaraderie was. We learnt that the word 'WE' is more powerful than the word 'I'. We learnt to help ourselves and others. We forgot our pains and difficulties and went forward to help others. How many of us have done this during the normal life - helping others even when we are in the worst of states. That was a fulfilling feeling. This trek was both a discovering and a learning experience.

To conclude, i have to mention certain instances which truly exemplify the spirit of mankind.

- Remember kaushik, the one who was bitten by bees and who sprained his legs. he did an amazing job. He walked all through the way. At places where many were down and out he kept going on.

- Two people worth mentioning are Muthu and Sandeep. Those two carried kaushik's bag and kept on encouraging him all the way. I really doubt if kaushik would have managed without you guys. Kudos to you 2 and take a big bow. I would have helped but i had to carry the trash bag and towards the end even i was drained out.

- Coming to the trash bag, i have to appreciate two people. I don't remember the names. One is the blue shirt and another was the long haired. Both of them helped me out with the trash bag and we three alternated the bags.

- Another word of appreciation to arun, the guy who stepped on a bottle at the start. He made all the way through the trek and the appreciatory part was he was almost always with the leaders and even made it to the 800m peak with us.

- Special appreciation to Biju and the same blue shirt guy. If not for you two Jothi would not have even made to the cliff and we would have been further delayed

- Another mention to Biju, even when he had less water, he gave us water and also for the exemplary courage showed in helping supriya and jothi up the cliff. Not to mention peter and anand who also helped them

And here go the thank you's

- A big thank you to supriya, jayanth and others who prepared that delicious noodles and also to Biju for the special sandwich.

- Thanks and sorry for the bag i gave to ashwin to carry. I was such a fool to have carried it over the difficult parts and to give the bag during the easy places. It further brought him difficulty.

- Thanks to vishnu and jayanth for giving me excellent company. If not for the nonstop talking we did and the regular encouragement amongst ourselves, sure we would not have walked that fast and great i got such superb friends in you.

- Thanks to mohan and raghavendra for helping me out in the final cliff.

- Finally, the biggest thanks to Alex, that elixir provider and constant chatter provider. Though i knew you through facebook long before, this was when i got to know you more and it was great being with you.

The bottom line is this was one absolutely awesome trek which am not gonna forget my whole life and a big thank you to CTC for providing such a wonderful experience and looking forward to more such eventful outings.

Musically Yours

Well...this was one topic that was in the making for a long time...so long that u can say about 17 years to be precise. Wondering what am blabbering since blogs never existed that time. Well think again since even internet didnt exist at that time and as far as a computer was concerned, it was a big box that had a suitcase of a hard disk and had the now extinct floppy disk. Flummoxed at what i am trying to say, worry not. All i want to say is that over the past few days i have been overcome with an urge for music. Now u people must be thinking where did few days come in when i mentioned 17 years previously. Actually the 17 years meant right from the time a genious burst into the limelight...into the world of music. Yes...i am talking about Allah Rakha Rahman. Still wondering where did rahman come into the picture, well this blog is about music and for me listening to music started with those magical and now almost immortal words "Chinna chinna asai". I started listening to music around that time and when this magician burst out into the scene, i was so addicted to him that i started to like good music.

But you people may ask why now when this should have been my first post!!! Well this post has come at this point of time when am so addicted to music. With some amazing movie songs that have come out recently, i was so transfixed to listening to songs that i started to see every movie in a musical angle. This new change started when i attended the mastero's concert at chennai. It was an absolutely awesome experience and around the same time i upgraded my net connection to BSNL Unlimited...thanx to my banking mom ofcourse.. I started downloading lots of movies that i wanted to see again though i may have seen them multiple times on TV. It all started off with my all time favourite Indra ....and that absolutely awesome song Nila kaigiradhu...the song in which Harini burst into the limelight and which had me totally glued on to it...though the movie in itself is a gem of a story the songs were totally outta this world. The BGM's well they are by rahman and so no questioning the mastero's creations.

Then i saw one movie which is infact not a bad movie (considering the recent movies like kuruvi, vetaikaran, asal, aegan..). The movie am takling about is En Swasakatre...man what songs this had...absolutely fabulous. Even though the movie was a monotonous run of the mill one, the BGM's were such that they complemented every scene and made it watchable. especially the theme BGM...i just loved it...

Next in line was one of my all time favourite movies and one among the first movies that made me cry - Kannathil Muthamittal. Even now when i see the climax when Keerthana asks nandita das if she can call her Amma, my eyes become moist. The emotions are brought out so well by the actors and with a haunting BGM running behind, Rahman once again proves how well he can compliment a scene and bring out the raw emotions to the viewer. My discussion of kannathil Muthamital cannot be complete without my pick of the Album - Oru deivam Thanda Poove. And i maybe odd in my taste, but i like the Male version more than the female. People may argue that the female version - Nenjil Jil Jil - won the State award for best singer and i agree 200% the soulful rendition by Chinmayi deserved it, but somehow i like the male version more than the female one. Another song without which Kannathil Muthamital is not complete is Vellai pookal. Rahman always has this amazing ability to render soulful songs sound as if its straight from the heart (Even though this one was straight from many people's heart).

Then came a language change and i saw a gem of a movie that was a big dud at the box office. Even now when i think of this movie i fell like catching hold of the movie goers collar and bashing them up for making such a movie a flop. The movie in discussion is Delhi 6. I was already in awe of the talent the powerhouse director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra possessed in terms of having a musical taste as well as making a socially relevant movie vis-a-vis Rang de basanti. That was one movie that just made me inside out. It was like lightning and thunder from a clear sky and it hit me hard and that movie will have an impact on me forever. Now back to the movie am talking about. This movie was a revelation both pictorially and musically. What a story. How many people would have thought of making a story on such a theme and putting it across to the audience convincingly. That is one movie even the totally down and out person must see for inspiration. Too bad as i mentioned it didnt do well at the box office. Even now am fuming at the taste of those people who saw the movie and called it crap. And regarding the BGM's, this was one movie where i believe i saw a new Rahman for the first time. It had started with Swades and RDB and this was his metamorphosis into a pure magician who played with sounds and made them mesmerize the listeners ears. Even before the movie released Masakali was a huge rage and am not sure if people loved Sonam kapoor in that song but i just loved the beauty of Masakali (the pegion's name). There were few other songs that dint quite appeal to the general public. But these 2 were pure gems from Rahman. One of them definitely was Rehna Tu and another was Arziyaan. Even Dil Gira Dafatan appealed to me a lot. These 3 were so soothing to listen. Even a troubled mind will be calmed on listening to this. The BGM's were outta this world. Perfect foil to the happenings in the movie and supporting the songs. It was like Rahman Reloaded. He kept getting better with each album that he made both with the songs and BGM's. The whole world was head over heels on listening to Slumdog Millionaire. Even though the songs werent like his other compositions, this was definitely not bad. One song that came also as a BGM was Mausam Escape theme. This song had wonderful orchestration and the combo between the electric guitar and santoor as perfect. The song alternated between the melody and rock genre and was a treat to listen to.

The recent songs that i heard from Rahmans works reflect a definite shift the class of music he gives. There are lots of different sounds and voices that we see nowadays...a big change from lagaan days where Udit Narayanan and Alka yagnik almost sang all the songs. He is now using variety of singers from different nationalities and genres for the songs and also using never heard before instruments. The recent Vinaithandi Varuvaya was a gem. Both the movie and its music were soft and peppy. Right from the Soulful ballad Uyire to the magical Manipaya to the peppy Anbil Avan, the songs had definite variety and also the story being truly beautiful, the BGM's also complimented it a lot. Next has come Ravan/Ravana and the Hindi one once agtain proves once again that Rahman always gives his mentor Mani the best compositions. Ranjha Ranjha and Kili Re Kili stand out and Reena Bharadwaj once again proves that she's not a one song wonder. (The same singer who gave us Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata from Meenaxi - A tale of 3 cities...awesome songs and BGM's to support a truly boring movie). Even Rekha bharadwaj's Ranjha Ranjha is a gift to our ears and Rekha Bharadwaj, Rahman's find through Genda Phool from Dilli 6 and Director/Music director Vishal Bharadwaj's wife, has done good justification to it. Now waiting with baited breath for the movie and its BGM's. Hope Rahman will do justification to our expectations....

If Anyone wants BGM' as below check the two links given

Link 1

Link 2

Credit goes to A R Rajib Dey from my Facebook Friends list and fellow Rahmaniac

Musings about a Memorable Musical Night

I know this post is very very late, but better late than never since i cant stop thinking about the amazing time i had.

I was in a state of exitement right from the time the concert was announced. I was jumping up and down when he got the two oscars and proudly said "All through my life i had the choice between love and hate and i chose love and am here!" and "எல்லா புகழும் இறைவனுக்கே" and when the chance came to see him live on stage i was expecting for an out of this world experience

I had bought the tickets well in advance and spent the last few days planning how we reach there. it was decided that we hire a Sumo and go. We were about 5 people and it was a long journey along the scenic ECR. All along the way we were discussing about Rahman only and the possible songs that he may perform and our favourites from among his tracks. We reached the venue an hour in advance and found a wonderful location to sit. Little did we know that almost the entire concert we would be on our feets!! The concert started about an hour late and those were the longest and most restless moments of my life since we couldnt wait for more. "Bring on our Idol" seemed to be the common words used at the venue. The restlesness was further fuelled by the organisers advertising their various ventures.

Finally the concert had truly started and the way he started with Jaage Hain from Guru and followed it up with Khalbali and attained peak with Athiradi karan, it was absolutely awesome. Then came Hariharan with the magical Kadhal Rojave. Even though it did not match up to the original, my namesake did do a great job in his usual style. Then came the tekno theme of Dilli 6 followed by Jiya Se Jiya. Jiya se jiya was a revelation since Rahman literally connected with the audience when he went atop a crane above the audience. After this song entered the inimitable Blazee with his Style followed by the Liquid Dance from Slumdog Millionaire. This was followed with my most favourite number Konjam Nilavu. This fast number was followed by Ringa Ringa and Fiqurana. This was enough and the audience was already on its feet and it reached a cresendo when the mastero himself sang Dil Se Re. This was followed deliberately by the mesmerising number Jashn Ee Bahara and we were virtually hypnotised when Snegidane and Slumdog Theme followed. We slowly calmed down and were slowly swaying to Kahin to and Thamizha Thamizha that followed along with Uyire. What a moment it was when Hariharan performed Thamizha Thamizha...everyone in the audience sported the Indian Flags and i could feel a patriotic fervour inside me.

Then came the peppy kabhie Kabhie Aditi and Rahman himself singing Rehna Tu. As they always say there's always a calm before the storm, the soothing effect that Rehna Tu had was followed those amazing crowd pleasers Chaiya Chaiya, Taxi Taxi, Mayya Mayya This was also when Shivamani went on stage and we had Azeem O Shahenshah, Rukumani and Veerapandi. The crowd went berserk and my friend and I who were hardcore Rahman fans were standing on the chairs. Both of us dint know when we went up and only realised when Rahman brought us down with the hevenly Khwaja Mere Khwaja and Arziyaan.

Then came the surprise element of the concert...we had Chitra make a rare public appearence and sing "Kannalane". We just kept wondering about how at this age after so many years in the industry she has the same innocent and angelic voice that she started out with. She further pleased us with the rendering of Jiya Jale. After that Hariharan and Rahman came on stage and played with us. Hariharan split the audince into two and gave each side few lines to sing that he sang and we repeated aftr him. He did this for some time and then sang a wonderful aalap which even on our best day am sure we cant sing. He finished his aalap in such a way that it paved the way for Ay Hairathe. Woww!!! one of my favourite songs from one of my favourite movies. Then came Suzanne with Aye bachu and again the audience tempo was raised and same as last time rahman himself went on stage for that legendary college song Mustafa Mustafa. This song was also a delight to watch when the crowd brought out their cellphones and started waving it similarly as it comes in the movie. Again th cresendo peaked with Blazee taking the stage and rapping Humma Humma and we couldnt ask anything better.

Then came the dull part of the concert when the Marg people took to stage for the next half hour and were pseudo advertising their ventures. The only good part of this was a sizeable donation to Shakti Foundation and Rahman again spreading the word of love.

This was followed by Rahman rendering his Oscar number Jai Ho and the crowd went crazy for a moment. he started Jai Ho and wonderfully ended it with his All time Patriotic number Vande Mataram. I could feel ripples along my sleeve and the pride and respect i had for my nation increased ten fold.

Sadly this was the last song of the concert since Rahman customarily signs off with Vande Mataram. With heavy hearts since we left the venue. But nontheless it was the best few hours of my life when i truly let my hair down and enjoyed my idol perform live in front of me. This was my second rahman concert...but this was special since i was in the company of my fellow rahmaniac friends and this was his first concert in India after garnering International Glory.

Check out below for some pics

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article32596.ece - Courtesy The Hindu

My Experiences with Kaveri

I had been looking forward to meeting her for a long time. I had seen her for 4 years when i was in my college . Many times i had gone to her place but still i couldnt meet her. But this time i was hell bent on meeting her.

My trip started on saturday early morning at 6. We set out in 2 cars to trichy. The pretext was attending our managers wedding. But all of us had other plans in mind. The journey was very interesting. The very start was on a humorous note. We all arrived at one of our team mates house to pick him up. I had woken him up at around 5:45 and he told me he is ready and kicking. But we were in for a surprise when we went to his house. He was still in bed and had not even brushed his teeth. We were furious and he got a nice firing from us. He readied himself up in record time and we started from his house with full enthusiasm. But alas!! the railway guys had other plans for us. They had put down the railway gates and we had to wait patiently for aroung 20 minutes for the gates to be opened. Finally our journey started for real this time and within an hour we were well on our way to trichy.

After an hours journey we stopped at a posh eatery along the highway. The entrance was superb with a big arch welcoming us and both sides of the road lined by green trees which led to a garden. The ambience was perfect for a breakfast refreshment. But all good things came to an end with that. The hotel inside was a big hall with just 3 people catering to us. We spent just 2 mins deciding on what to eat since whatever we ordered he said they dont have. Finally we settled for some idli and dosas. Just one bite and we knew this hotel provided us with the worst quality of food ever possible. With heavy hearts and a near empty stomach we resumed our journey.

We were zooming at around 140 kmph and at this rate my mind was racing ahead with calculations and i concluded that we will reach trichy by noon if not earlier. Our car was way ahead of the other one and we decided to stop midway for some drinks. Unfortunately for us that place was such that they never knew the concept of cool drinks. Whatever they had was out of the refrigerator since they never had one. We resumed our jouney remembering to stop at d nearest town and surprise surprise, the other car was waiting in d middle of the road with everyone looking at the tyres. We pulled over there and went to investigate the problem. Murphy had indeed given us good company all through with the hotel and cool drinks and this was his best handiwork. It was a flat tyre and so good was it that had we proceeded any further it would have literally burst. I had never ever seen a tyre so brutally damaged. We made them wait in the hot sun and took the other car and a spare tyre in search of a puncture shop. We travelled around 2 kms to find one and boy-o-boy that person was very busy. We had to wait for an hour for him to fix our tyre. In the mean time 2 guys bought the drinks that they were looking for so long and they got us 2 bottles. Man it was really refreshing. It took another 15-20 minutes for the tires to be fitted in the car. We continued our journey and neared Trichy. That was when i saw her at her marvelling best. The Srirangam Temple Tower on one side and the Rockfort on the other.

We entered trichy on a humorous note. One of our friends was so deep in sleep that when we alighted for our lunch, he woke up with a startle and asked "Where am I??" :) :). We couldnt stop laughing and laughed our hearts out. We stopped at a pretty decent hotel and had a filling lunch and proceeded to our hosts house. It was a wonderful place with lots of greenery. There was a small garden nearby with ducks swimming in a pond and lots of shade. Finding such a place in the hustle and bustle of a town was a rarity these days. We then planned to play cards to while away time. The person who had the cards had gone to get it and he took some time to come. He was in for a surprise as most of them had slept by then. My friend and i decided to go to some nearby shop to buy a pair of briefs for us. We kept walking for about half an hour when we reached the central shopping area in search of a shop to buy our stuff. Can you believe it we entered and exited about 3-4 shops and none of them had it. When we enquired with a nearby travels driver he told us to board a bus and go to a place that was about 10 km from here and buy there. Imagine a town where we had to travel 10km by bus just to buy a pair of Jockeys....uhh. Thankfully we didnt go that far since we found it ironically in a Ladies Apparel shop (Of all d places for mens wear). We returned just in time to wake our guys and we proceeded to Kaveri in my friends open jeep.

There was an added thrill for me since i was looking forward to my rendevous with Kaveri after nearly 6 years. We crossed the bridge and proceeded towards Srirangam to the bathing ghat. There she was...at her majestic best...flowing as free and fast as can ever be. Three of us got into the water and wow..it was super. I had expected freezing water since it was well past sunset. Instead the water was very warm and the fast current made it soothing. Seeing us having a whale of a time three more got into the water. They had said they will never get into the water and voila they were already in. We spent about 45 minutes there and it was very good. It was a very refreshing experience. They say that Kaveri waters had healing powers. I dont know how much of that is true..but one thing was for sure...those waters did have some power in them. Usually whenever i come out of a river or falls i usually come out sneezing or having a nasty cold. But kaveri was different. I didnt have a small sneeze also leave alone the cough. People may have lots of experiences that they say is the best feeling ever, but as fas as i am concerned nothing can beat the experience i had - a refreshing bath and then immediately after that have a hot coffee. We then proceeded back home and all of us were pretty tired out. We had a simple dinner and retired for the night.

My next day started really early. I woke up at 4:15 (can you believe it) since 3 of us had planned to go to the Srirangam Temple (something thats been eluding me for my past 2 Trichy visits). I had marvelled at its Rajagopuram everytime i saw it from my train and this time i was hellbent on visiting it and my wish was gonna come true. We saw the early morning sunrise (been days since i've seen it) and started for the temple at 5:00. The climate was great. It had rained the previous night and the subsequent morning was cool with a mild breeze and the early morning sun shine. It was one of those mornings when you feel both the chill and the heat of the sun together, feelings best felt that cant be described. We entered the temple complex around 5:20 and it was absolutely humongous. The temple complex consisted of 3 tier levels. Each containing a tower entrance. We parked at the innermost tier and entered the temple. Entering the temple itself felt divine. All the statues were king size. We entered the sanctum santorium around 5:40 and had to wait for the Gho-pooja, Ghaja-pooja and Ashwa-pooja to complete.Wow...what an auspicious starting to the day - Early morning sunrise and now this pooja. After the pooja was over we entered the main sanctum sanctorium where we could see Lord Vishnu in his majestic resting pose. Sadly for us we landed on the wrong month since this month the idol is covered by drapes. Nontheless it was a divine sight and we proceeded to the Andal temple. On our way we saw the idol of Garuda. I have never ever in my life seen a Garuda so big. It was huge, easily 3 storeys high. At the andal temple we saw her at her beautiful best. Covered fully in sandal wood and golden ornaments, she radiated divineness. We then proceeded to explore the temple and its greatness. We were so engrossed in marvelling the temple when we were brought back to reality by a phone call we got from our guys back home that they were ready. It was only then we realised the whole purpose of our visit to trichy. it was for the marriage of our manager. We rushed back to the car and returned home to find everyone ready waiting for us.

We then boarded the cars and proceeded towards the marriage hall and reached just in time for the muhurtham. We were in for the shock of our lives when we found that we hadnt brought out gift money. It was left in a purse which was inturn kept safely inside a bag back home. Thank god one of our friends had enogh money in his account that we withdrew from a nearby ATM and proceeded to the hall. There we had lots of fun teasing our manager who had finally become committed. Gone were his bachelor days and we bachelors were happily enjoying. We spent around 1 and half hours there and had our breakfast and left back home. All of us were tired and we slept off instantly.

We woke up at around 11:45 and got ready for our lunch. It was supposed to be at a place where they served the best biryanis in Trichy. We took the jeep and left for the place. It was an half hour drive from our place and it looked like a small roadside eatery. But only when i entered inside that i found it was a very famous place around going by the crowd waiting there. We bought 4 packs and proceeded to the hosts farm nearby. We spent about half an hour searching for the farm and we finally found it. We settled near a small dilapidated building under a tree and an unused well for lunch. It was very tasty and we quaffed it within 10 mins given our hunger. Then we spent some time chatting and there we had this amazing comedy. Two of our guys climed up the building and were striking a pose when one of the guys sitting down threw the masala sambhar packet at the building. The cover tore and splashed accross the wall and also on those two. We couldnt control our laugh and those two were livid with anger. They rushed down and were ready to beat the thrower black and blue , but the mess they were in was too stenchy and both went about cleaning it under a hand pump. It was a funny sight with both of them taking turns sitting under the hand pump while i pumped the water.

We then left the place and proceeded back home. On the way we stopped to have some icecream and ice-beeda. Both were perfect desserts to our heavy lunch. We reached home around 4:00 and packed our luggage and left Trichy by 4:30. I bade farewell to the mysterious Kaveri as she was flowing as brisk as ever. Given a chance we would have had another bath. but it was getting late and so we carried on with our journey. It was a pretty uneventful return back to chennai barring the odd comedies where one of our friends almost strangled himself trying to put on the seat belt :) :).

I reached home at around 9:30 thoroughly tired. I kept reminiscing about the 2 eventful days spent and still couldnt forget my dream fulfilled of bathing in the Kaveri. Now that this wish had been satisfied my next one is to go to the place where she originates i.e. Thalacauvery.