AN EYE OPENER
Last week I managed to persuade G to go on a motoring holiday of south Karnataka. I was keen to visit Belur & Halebid, spend time in Chikmagalur and visit goddess Sri Mookambika in the Kollur valley. Open the map of Karnataka and you will see the districts of Bangalore Rural, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Udipi and Shimoga, then see the Badra Wildlife Sanctury, Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctury, the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctury, the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctury, all part of the Western Ghats & Kudremukh Range and traveresd by Tunga & Badra rivers. It was breathtaking countryside.
We started with an early morning train ride by the very comfortable Shatabdi and as senior citizens are first AC fare was a mere Rs 601/ per person with breakfast & refreshments. Given the soaring costs of every day essentials, this puts one in a happy frame of mind that some luxuries like travel are still within affordable reach.
The train sped out of central and in minuets we had left the city behind and vast open spaces were visible blanketed under a layer of heavy mist. The sun struggled to pierce this eerie cocoon and succeeded sending up the mist into vapour which broke into a zillion tiny rainbows that danced on the tips of tender green shoots neatly laid out. It was meditative sceanery punctured by sharp bird calls. Suddenly the sun tired of this playful dalliance flared out and everyhing was drowned in the white glare. Time to pull the blinds down.
The Jain temples have beautiful carvings at Shravanbelagola Belur and Halebid are exquiste and very well maintained. This was the expected as the Hosyalas have been lauded down the ages for their miracles in sand stone.
But what of the social changes taking place awawy from media talk shows and sound bytes. The most wonderous sight is the sight of freshly bathed school children in tens & hundreds walking bussing cycling to school from 7 am onwards. all are in uniform of light & dark blue and only a tie differentiates those in private English medium schools. Girls and boys hurrying to school.
Freshly painted village schools with colourful wall art of the human anantomy, wildlife, plants & fauna, these are the modern temples of our nation, the all inclusive change at grass roots that Gandhiji advocated and the rationalists scoffed at.
Its happening with quiet zeal and while we traipeze around the Andes or the Alsakan Cruises, our nation is growing nuturing itself in its tiny hamles and villages with electricity, roads, schools and agriculture.
You will be surprised as I was.
We started with an early morning train ride by the very comfortable Shatabdi and as senior citizens are first AC fare was a mere Rs 601/ per person with breakfast & refreshments. Given the soaring costs of every day essentials, this puts one in a happy frame of mind that some luxuries like travel are still within affordable reach.
The train sped out of central and in minuets we had left the city behind and vast open spaces were visible blanketed under a layer of heavy mist. The sun struggled to pierce this eerie cocoon and succeeded sending up the mist into vapour which broke into a zillion tiny rainbows that danced on the tips of tender green shoots neatly laid out. It was meditative sceanery punctured by sharp bird calls. Suddenly the sun tired of this playful dalliance flared out and everyhing was drowned in the white glare. Time to pull the blinds down.
The Jain temples have beautiful carvings at Shravanbelagola Belur and Halebid are exquiste and very well maintained. This was the expected as the Hosyalas have been lauded down the ages for their miracles in sand stone.
But what of the social changes taking place awawy from media talk shows and sound bytes. The most wonderous sight is the sight of freshly bathed school children in tens & hundreds walking bussing cycling to school from 7 am onwards. all are in uniform of light & dark blue and only a tie differentiates those in private English medium schools. Girls and boys hurrying to school.
Freshly painted village schools with colourful wall art of the human anantomy, wildlife, plants & fauna, these are the modern temples of our nation, the all inclusive change at grass roots that Gandhiji advocated and the rationalists scoffed at.
Its happening with quiet zeal and while we traipeze around the Andes or the Alsakan Cruises, our nation is growing nuturing itself in its tiny hamles and villages with electricity, roads, schools and agriculture.
You will be surprised as I was.
Suraksha, I wish this had continued for many more pages. I wanted to hear about your complete trip, in detail! Your descriptions are lovely.
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