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Water, water everywhere – The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

Time to break shackles-

The final statement revealed by anyone who visits this heaven ‘Shivanasamudram’ at this time of the year, if one gets lucky!

After a month’s break and sweating it out on the cubicles of a darned company, we thought that the time has arrived to hit a place where we can rejuvenate our lost youth during that one month’s break. We had two places on our paper – Shivanasamudram and the other, Gopalaswamy Betta (whose scenic picture later became my program’s input for testing).


Time to Beg?-

The decider was voted on the basis of time, distance and money (simple math/physics). And Shivanasamudram came out as a clear winner (considering the month-end bankruptcy – I’m living a life of a beggar now-a-days (Guess what?! The total beggars (30lacs) in Mumbai earn upto 180Cr a year. I’m of to a thought of giving my job the boot))

The journey and the talks-

We hired a Toyota Qualis for the get-a-way. This time equipped with a good dashboard, an OK player and the gadgets that were needed to record these golden-moments-of-life.

The drive included gyan on Jaggery making, Silk-worm making by Murali and some office matters. Well, I would be doing injustice if I do not talk about the rolled out roads. Maan! it was a beautifully leveled road. Well, a place to burn the rubber (Perverts! I was referring the tyres!)

We broke-fast at one the Kamat outlets. This requires a special mention, as they gave me idlies, wrapped nicely in some-kind-of-leaf. @Gulshan: Coffee was bad!

Destination - infinity minus one-

We reached the first of the two falls – Gaganchukki. As pointed by Google powered Wikimapia, we couldn’t find a short route to the stream/falls. This falls branched and fell as two massive falls. God bless, you should have seen the enormity at which it came down. The video/picture captured is just a restricted view of its gigantism. Imagination can take you there. What happens if God appears before you? Well, won’t you be dragged towards him? Well, every one of us there was yearning to join hands with the Nature and jump with her. There surely existed chemistry between us!

Mightiness would be a humble word to describe her and her descent. Ripping everything in her path and making mincemeat of – showing her arrogance. Arrogance, hmmm… She was ecstatic. All these from one angle – from the viewpoint.

On the way to the other part, we pulled over at the banks of river Cauvery. We went near to it and realized that there was no shore but an abyss. You dip in it and well, we would have called it off for the search of your shattered body, found elsewhere. We heard a passerby hobnobbing to his friend about someone who ended their life, well, by mistake.

We drove to the other angle, where we had a close encounter with her. A distance which was neither too near nor too far, but safe enough to shake hands.

Nature at her best-

This place, blimey!, raised goosebumps all over the body. I would like to play God for a day. Magnificent creation and I’m all praise for him. Or did it form by itself. Anyways, I’ll prostrate before anything/anyone who owns up Nature and its creations.

We could see the sprayed water (seen as a mist formed over the water from the viewpoint) hitting a huge rock. Anyone who stands there would feel the bliss I’m trying to be at/imagine. I captured those glorious moments on camera – both static and motion pictures.

Subbu’s picture on the rock came out really well. I had an idea to shoot as though there’s a huge flood appearing behind him and engulfing everyone/everything in its path and well, Shwetha did the trick of shooting it for me. Thanks!

No praise for the pictures I’d taken, please. Well, think about it – you have a beauty/gorgeous running before you and you take a capturing device and press the button and the next moment you have a Boolean version of her. Nothing much! No skills and no stunts! Praise the beauty. Scold me, for the picture may not be shown with full clarity.

Quite overwhelming, she makes her own path, filled with curves, splits only to re-join and later point. Block her, well though cannot be achieved, she’ll show you how to free yourself – Perseverance. Cared to notice it? Well, please do the next time. Same applies to life form. Life continues to exist in form or the other. There’s no stopping – Evolution.

Infinity-

Well, watches ticked showing it is time for the next falls – Barachukki. Barachukki was made of many falls. One falling here, one there and quite a lot before you realise what if all of them combined to fall at one single place – quite a bit of exaggerative mind may say that water might drill and appear on the other side of the globe. What force!

Don’t know how many of you had watched “The Beach, casting Leonardo De Caprio”. That beach was shown to be un-inhabited and a mesmerizing one. Well, to be at such a place can be quite interesting and amusing. There was one spot in this place which, if not fully, matched the description.

Atomised water kept falling everywhere on this secluded place. Kept spraying till we became wet till skin and the time taken for one to get wet was two minutes. Get mesmerized by the beauty and you’ll hardly realise that you are wet albeit not getting inside the water.

We noticed a swan catching thick, long leaches for its supper. Life survives everywhere.

The end-

After this we lazed around at various places, and hit the vehicle (not before our folks were satisfied playing in the water). I retired early and returned to the top. While climbing those stairs, you would have to occasionally take break and catch breath (not necessary if you are not as old as me). During this time, I stood frozen when while taking those breaths, you can actually hear the sound of the falls amplify and settle for every breath you take in and exhale out. Quite exhilarating it would be when you get a chance to camp near it and cherish it forever.

Reaching top, we went around and found the place and origin of froth makers. People were actually taking bath on top.

The bridge, the walk and the gyan?-

While returning, we walked on a dilapidated bridge, which was no more used for common transports. It was once used for, during raja’s time, bullock-cart and horse ridden carts. An engineer with brains constructed it. He firmed up the pillars on one side only, as the current will always be one direction only. We also noticed iron coracles near the bridge.

I can finally conclude with this revelation that I lately realized that one can live, fight and die for something that is as massive as Cauvery or any Nature who can be as big as what we Human’s can imagine and heartily agree to people who worship it as God. Life is really wonderful. Enjoy it, as it is short.

It is not the destination that counts but, the journey that matters.

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