Hidden Paradises

The moment we talk of trips , the only places that come to mind are the Ootys or the Kodaikanals or the Munnars . But , Kerala and Tamil Nadu are home to a million such paradises that remain unexplored.

It was a 3 day weekend and all my friends were home on holidays. So, on a warm Saturday afternoon , we decided to embark on exploration of one such paradise . We decided to take the route to Pollachi which is about 40 kms from Palakkad, a place that is much sought after for movie shooting. It's just about a 40 minute ride in car to Pollachi from here.

From there , We made our way to Valparai , a hill station located around 60 kms away from Pollachi. The best part are the roads which are immaculate in every way. The first drop off was at Aliyar. Though the usual tourist spot is the dam , we were hardly interested in it and so we kept the ride on. Just when we covered some distance and reached the back side of the dam , We found a location filled with rocks and sands with a long view of the dam . It was very serene and its a perfect place for photography. Small streams run through the sandy bottoms , small rocky pebbles lie along the sides of water, lovely trees and plants all around - It was picture perfect. Am attaching a few pictures of the place below.




After spending some time out here and taking pictures on the roads , we continued our joruney to Valparai . It was already 4 in the evening by then and we were doubtful about being able to reach the top. The hill ride consists of 40 hair pin bends and the roads are quite narrow. So, I'd suggest you not to do the travel with inexperienced drivers.

En route , there is a waterfall known as "Monkey falls" which gets its name from the fact that its surrounded by monkeys all around. There is hardly any water and the place stinks to the core. Though it's a very popular tourist destination, I strongly recommend not to try the falls . After that , We carried on the journey and reached Attakatti at about 5 PM. This place is nearly 30 kms off Valparai. There is an Inspection Bungalow which you can enter by taking permission from the Assistant Engineer.

The view from the Inspection Bungalow is breath taking. It's one of those locations where earth meets the sky . You get so lost in the beauty that you lose track of time. But, we had to return back home from this point since we had to get back home before night . The trip was great fun and it was one of those unforgettable days of my life.

So , to everyone - If you have 1 full day or a day and half with you, I'd suggest you take this trip.

Palakkad- Pollachi - Aliyar- Attakatti- Valparai- Athirapilly-Thrissur- Palakkad. Its definitely worth your time and money!

-VIKAS PLAKKOT

Anything to stop the Sachin Tendulkar wagon? :)

Well, Today is but a very fitting day to talk of the Master blaster , Isn't it? :) . Our Men in Blue are all set to give up their World No.1 position in a pompous manner . But , amidst the ruins , a man stood tall , if not by height,but by gameplay- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar ,indeed.

Whenever I think of him, the first words that come to my mind are the ones Tony Greig spoke when the man lofted Damien Fleming for a six back over his head during the Sharjah Sandstorm .. He said " What a player! What a wonderful player!" .
20 long years. 30,000+ runs. 91 tons. Almost every single batting record in cricket in his kitty. Can a man achieve more?



Today, during telecast of the Indo-SA test, there was a very very interesting conversation between Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Darryl Cullinan. They were arguing on who is better: Sachin Tendulkar or Ricky Ponting? It went on like this.
Siva: Thats no.46. 3 centuries in 3 tests. Looks like Sachin is running away from Ponting.
Cullinan: Well, Siva, I have a doubt: Who do you think is the better player considering the impact they have had on their teams?
Siva: Sachin !
Cullinan: Look at it. When Ponting got his 1st century, Sachin had 11. Since then , Sachin has got 35 and Ponting has got 38. Who do u think is better ?
Siva: *smiles* Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Cullinan: Stop being objective. Why would you say so?
Siva: 20 years. No controversies. 30,000 runs and 91 tons. What more do u ask?
Cullinan: Keep the off field things away!
Siva: How can I? A cricketer is a gentleman's game and Sachin is the gentleman here :) . Talk of being a complete cricketer. Sachin can bowl well- has more than a 100 wickets to his credit. He fields quite well too.

That shut Cullinan's mouth up. Well, Nobody could have said it better. Well, In India, you don't ask who is the better , ever .. cos there is only one answer: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar .

Sachin's five best knocks , ever :)

1. 136 vs Pakistan , Chennai, 1999 .

A bowling attack that boasts of Wasim, Waqar and Saqlain. Almost every reliable batsman back in the pavilion and the team is tottering at 80 for 5 on a fifth day pitch needing nearly another 200 to win. Sachin plays an innings built on sheer mental strength after he succumbs to back pain mid way. He has to stamp his back after each and every delivery , but as always, he stands tall . Though he couldn't take his team to victory , This has to be his best ever.

2. 140* vs Kenya , Bristol, 1999.

The world Cup is on . Sachin's father passes away and he has to return home. For once in life, he puts cricket behind . In his absence , India lose to Zimbabwe. His family urges him to go back and he obeys, as always. He wore thick black glasses to hide those tears when he came to England. Then, We witnessed an innings of complete dominance. Yes, it was Kenya , but the moment was one that can't ever be forgotten. When he completes his 100, he removes his helmet- looks up to the sky and says "Thank you dad" . Tears roll out from my eyes , and the one billion others watching.

3. 141 vs Australia , Sharjah, 1998

Well, this one better be left without descriptions :) . I'm sure anybody who knows the C of Cricket would know how huge this one was ..

4. 175 vs Australia, Hyderabad, 2009.

Sachin has completed 20 years of cricket. India needs a mammoth 350 to win to stay put in the series on home soil. The big names lose their way and Sachin is left alone. In Raina , he finds a partner . What followed is now history.

5. 103* vs England , Chennai, 2008

The nation is jolted by the attack on Mumbai. Touring England team leaves the country cutting short the ODI series and returns for a test series. Chasing in the fourth innings , India need a 370 to win .. and Sachin in the company of Yuvraj steers his team to one of Indias finest wins ever. This will be remembered for two things: One, He silenced his critics who spoke of his match winning abilities . Two, He dedicated it to the city of Mumbai and we know how important it was to lift the spirits of a country that was shaken by the pitiful attacks.

Like they say, If Cricket is a religion then Sachin is GOD . To me, He is GOD :)

-VIKAS PLAKKOT

Save our Tigers.

Along with WWF-India , Aircel has launched a new campaign "Save our Tigers" which aims at bringing to light the problems faced by the population of the national animal of India which is ever so declining. It is meant to spread awareness about the serious threat the Tigers are facing through means such as blogging , twittering , facebook forums etc .. and so here am , doing my bit.

Being an avid lover of animals, It's very disheartening to know that there has been a non negligible amount of decrease in the number of tigers. Way back in the 1970s, When the Project Tiger was launched by the Govt. of India, the population of the tigers were as low as 1200. But , the successful project managed to rocket it upto the 3500 mark during the early 90s only to see it plummeting back to 1411 in 2008. It's there for us to see that a genuine effort can do wonders as did Project Tiger.



Recently , There was a drastic drop in the Rhino population in the Kaziranga National Park which happened due to the killing down of those Rhinos which encroached into human habitats. But , why did they? It's only because we moved into theirs leaving them with no option but to come running into ours. This is not the kind of situation that should be prevailing in a country like India , which even the USA has tipped off to be a superpower in few years time.

So, friends .. Do your bit. Tell everyone you know about it. Raise your voice , be it through any medium - just a forwarded msg , just a blog post, just a status update on facebook, just tweeting , doesn't matter how. But make sure you put that slightest bit of effort you can for such a noble cause.

Let's join hands in saving the pride of our country- Let's save our Tigers.

Oh Btw, Stripey (pictured) is so damn cute :) :)

-VIKAS PLAKKOT.