So you have been there, done that - ticked off Ooty in your list of sightseeing places and cribbed about how it has become polluted, noisy and touristy,  rather than a picture perfect , quiet hill station. And then , you have told yourself, after seeing the traffic and the milling crowds, that you are done with the place for now. Well , if thats what you have been thinking, then its time to revisit your decision and the destination. And I will tell you why, but before that , a little bit of flashback .

Ooty and the Blue Mountains were always on my annual list of holidays ever since I was two years old . Dad being an old Lawrencian would never look at any other hill station besides Ooty (it took me 17 years to visit Kodaikanal) and when I was probably 4 - 5 years old , he even wanted to settle down here . I still remember a quaint wooden house  with a colourful garden blooming with roses, dahlias and gladioli where we stayed briefly . My last family holiday to Ooty was almost 20 years ago when I was finishing school .

I had hoped to join my folks last month as my father headed to his alma mater, Lawrence School at Lovedale for the 50th anniversary of his batch, but I had to cancel my plans. However  I had recently visited the Nilgiris and realized that I had rediscovered the hill station all over again. I now understand why my father is rather passionate about it .


1. The Biodiversity . Much has been written about the Nilgiri biosphere , so I am not going to get into a naturalist mode. Just that the forests, the mountains, the lakes , dams  and some of the hidden spots in these regions are reasons enough to get here . I am not just referring to Mudhumalai or Singara or Masinagudi here. While some of the reserve forests may need permissions to enter, you can just drive down the path or just walk around them.  Ive seen some pristine shola forests recently and I have told myself that I must make an annual visit every year, just to discover a new stretch of forest and hidden paths .

2. The birds -  There are so many endemic birds out here and sometimes, just a walk in the Botanical garden in Ooty or the Sims park in Coonoor is enough to sight them . Sometimes the birds will just be sitting on the pathway and or a rock near you .I almost sighted close to 75 species of birds and I wasnt even birding seriously . Some of them were the nilgiri flycatcher, the fan tail, the chestnut headed bee eater, Tickells blue flycatcher, the Eurasian  black bird among several others..

3.The wildlife - So,you are not into birds  , but the wildlife may definitely tempt. I got lost while trying to get to Long wood shola and entered through one of the forest paths which eventually was closed to public.  Barring a few private houses, we were driving through a dense shola forest and then we started walking ramdomly. My driver shuddered on a seeing a snake glide into the shrubbery , while I was trying to get a better look at it.  A little while later, a local walked by , telling me to be careful, as they had spotted a family of tigers here with cubs. In another instance, I was birding in this dense private forest that belonged to a friend beyond Mettupalayam, when we heard such loud grunts of sloth bears that I actually shuddered . The gaurs are everywhere and locals say that these usual shy creatures have become a bit aggressive of late. Elephants in Masinagudi are of course a regular sighting and if you are lucky, there is the Nilgiri tahr.


4. The flowers - So, you are not into birds or the beasts.  But you just cannot ignore the flowers here . Almost everywhere you see them bloom . the colours are so vivid that you can just get lost into them..There are so many parks and gardens here that you can easily get lost here.

5. The quaint hill stations - Forget Ooty , just go beyond it and see some quaint hill station. Some of the popular ones are Kotagiri and Coonoor,but there are many quaint ones that lure you as well

6.The mountain railway. - As a kid, the toy train was a great favourite of mine and even today, I would love to explore Nilgiris by rail . It might be a full day affair , but its well worth the slow and long journey . I was in Lovedale station , where I  saw the locals painting the board - the pride they took in their little station is a strong contrast to the way we treat our own stations in the city


7.The culture  - Colonialism is almost everywhere - in the clubs, churches, bungalows, homestays, plantations, railways, the schools  - the British have left their legacy behind .Its ok to have a bit of a colonial hangover here
Just look at this beautiful pipe organ in an old church in Coonoor - it still plays by the way



8.The Tribal culture - Nilgiris is home to several tribes, including the Todas .  The Toda mund for instance in the Ooty Botanical garden  is a must visit to understand their lifestyle,  beliefs and even to buy a few of their famous embroidered shawls



9.The little chai stops on the mountain roads - There is tea everywhere . Yes, its sad that forests have given way to tea plantations , but some of these plantations are centuries old and are handed down by the British . there was coffee here as well at one time  , but now its usually tea plantations that have carpeted the slopes of the hills ..Sometimes you see meadows as well and wish you could just roll on them  . So, if you are tired and need to refresh yourself, just stop and drink a hot cup of tea and buy some eucalyptus oil for your aching limbs
.

10. Home made chocolates - Now, this is something that I will never leave Ooty without ..who wouldnt ?

Subramanya Bharathi was a renowned Tamil poet, reformer and freedom fighter during the pre-independence era. He is called Mahakavi, meaning, ‘Great Poet’ in Tamil. His name is counted amongst the most celebrated bards of the country. He was an expert in both prose and poetry and enticed the masses to join the great Indian struggle for Independence with his powerful speeches. His contemporaries included the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and V.V.S. Aiyar.  

Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar was fluent in many languages including Tamil, Bengali, Hindi, Sanskrit, and English. He often referred to Tamil as 'Tamil Thai ' (Mother Tamil). He started his career in journalism by joining as assistant editor of a Tamil daily 'Swadeshamitran' in 1904. Soon thereafter, he became the editor of a Tamil weekly 'India' and another newspaper 'Bala Bharatham' in 1907.

He was born to Chinnasami Subramanya Iyer and Lakshmi Ammaal as "Subbayya" on December 11, 1882 in Ettayapuram. He was skilled enough to write verse even at the early age of seven. Bharathi lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of 16. He was brought up by his strict disciplinarian father who wanted him to learn English, excel in arithmetic, become an engineer and lead a comfortable life. However, Bharathi was given to day dreaming and could not concentrate on his studies. In 1897, 14 year old Bharathi, married his seven year younger cousin, Chellamal.

The last years of Bharathi’s life were spent in a house in Triplicane, Chennai. This house was bought and renovated by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1993 and named 'Bharathiyar Illam’. It was opened to public as a museum on October 2, 1993. The museum is open from 09:00-12:30 hrs and 14:00-17:45 hrs on all days except Mondays.  It is a must see tourist spot when visiting Chennai.

The house takes us back to the life and times of Mahakavi Bharathi. Photographs of Bharathiyar and his family and friends are displayed here. Also his hand written verses are framed and displayed. They give us a wonderful glimpse of his powerful writing. In a letter to his brother, we can see his affection where he advices his brother to take oil bath and to use scarfs in cold climate. A letter to his friend Nellaiappar and a letter from Mahatma Gandhi to mark the occasion of the opening of Bharathiyar Mani Mandapam in Ettayapuram in 1947 are also displayed. Bharathi was struck by an elephant at the Parthasarathy temple, Triplicane, Chennai. He used to feed this elephant regularly. Although he survived this accident, a few months later his health deteriorated and he died on September 11, 1921.

Buddha was/is an epitome of silence. His silence was said to be more powerful than his words. Here's another of my fav stories from Buddhist folklore. The incident happened at that time when Buddha became very popular among people for his powerful presence and his ability to make people meditate. In the time of the Buddha, there was a rich businessman whose wife and children were ardent Buddhists. The businessman hated the Buddha for drawing his family away from materialism.

One day, as usual, when Buddhists had assembled to meditate in the presence of the Buddha, the businessman arrived to teach the Buddha a lesson. He walked up to the Buddha in full public view and abused him. Buddha remained calm and composed, this angered the businessman even more. He increased his volley of words and to the shock of everyone present, spat at the Buddha in his face. Buddha still did not react, but remained smiling. The businessman, unable to bear Buddha's calm and composure, left the scene.

That night, the businessman was filled with remorse. He realized that there was indeed something great about the Buddha's presence, his acceptance and his composure. The next morning, he decided to ask the Buddha for forgiveness. When he went to the
Buddha this time, he was received with great love and respect. The businessman was shocked. There was no sign of anger. He asked the Buddha to forgive him, Buddha smiled and told the businessman that the person that abused him the previous day is different from the person that he is today. So, in reality, there is no one to be forgiven.
This struck a chord in the businessman who became an ardent Buddhist later.

For me, the message here is that we are all changing everyday. If someone has not been good at some point of time, its foolish to brand them that way. Likewise, those who have been good at sometime might turn out differently another time. Its best to accept this fact when we are dealing with people, so our relationships remain healthy.

Ingredients (Makes: 20 pieces)
For Cover
1 cup: Plain flour (maida)
2 tbsp: Warm oil
Salt to taste
Water to knead dough

For Filling
2 large: Potatoes (boiled, peeled, mashed)
1 : grated carrot
1/2 cup: Onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp: Ginger crushed
1/2 tsp: Garlic crushed
2-3: Green chillies crushed
1 tbsp: Coriander finely chopped
1/2 tsp: Lemon juice
1/2 tsp: Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp: Garam masala
 1 tsp: Red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method
For Dough
 
Add oil, salt and little water to the flour. Mix well .Add more water and knead into soft  dough. Cover with moist cloth, keep aside for 20 -30 minutes. 

For Filling
Heat 3 tbsp. oil, add ginger, green chilli, garlic,   Stir fry for a minute, add onion, saute till light brown. Add   lemon, turmeric, salt, red chilli, garam masala.
Stir fry for 2 minutes, add potatoes ,carrots. Add chopped coriander leaves. Stir further 2 minutes.  Keep aside.

 Make a thin  round with some dough. Cut into two halves. Run a moist finger along diameter. Join and press together to make a cone. Place a tbsp of filling in the cone and seal third side as above.   Put in hot oil, deep fry on low to medium till light brown. Drain on  kitchen paper. Serve hot with coriander  chutney  or tomato sauce.