The next day, we were to proceed to the Varadamanadhi Dam site. As we came out, we saw a Tea Stall. It was astonishing to ‘discover’ that we did not even have a tea for two days. We had a tea without milk in the Tea Stall and proceeded to the Dam site. Surrounded by hills on all sides, the dam was a sight to behold. Murugan Ji, who had undergone lot of strain for us amidst his usual daily chores, gave a pep talk on meditation. The environment was so captivating that one slipped into meditative mood with ease. We returned to the School late and had a wonderful evening with Senthil Adigalar. We also resolved that we would not proceed to Kodaikkanal, but to a hitherto unseen location the next day. Murugan Ji left for his house. Unfortunately, Thiru.Iniyan’s wife got a message that one of her relatives had been hospitalised and as the condition was serious, they decided to proceed to Chennai. It was here that the caring attitude of Murugan Ji came to the fore. He arranged for a Call Taxi at around ten O’ Clock at night, personally came with the vehicle and volunteered to accompany them upto Tiruchchirappalli. The one hour spent in the meantime with Thiru Iniyan was a real unfolding of heart. As Murugan Ji arrived with the Call-taxi, he was convinced to stay in Palani and Thiru Iniyan and his family departed with a heavy heart. Amazing are the ways of nature! We knew not each other a week before and here, we were feeling a pain of separation at a departure of the family of four!
The penultimate day we went to Kudiraiyar Dam. It is located at a distance of about eighteen kilometres from Palani. The Dam site was covered on all sides by beautiful mountains and instead of seeing the dam we proceeded up the mountains. We saw a temple of Bhiravar and after offering our obeisance, we started our trek to Vannanthurai. The trek was a reminder of Himalayan expeditions that I had undertaken previously. We went through a forest cover across the mountains and after walking some distance, we reached Vannanthurai. It is very difficult to describe the beauty of the place. There were adjacent hillocks across which water collected from the top of mountains flowed downstream. The flow of water was about knee deep at a few places and was crystal clear. We could see the sand at the bottom. The taste of the water was natural and sweet and strikingly original, being devoid of any mineral residue that we are normally used to in other places. It was a real fun and everyone was transported back to their childhood. We bathed and bathed till our energy resources got depleted. We returned to the temple where we had a filling dinner of Tomato rice and Sakkarai Pongal along with our usual fresh vegetable diet. Ironically, our Naturopathy Chėf Ramesh relished the meal the most and legs, naturally, were pulled around. We had Tender Coconut on the way and proceeded to Palani where we spent the night in Murugan Ji’s Gurukulam.
The day of our departure arrived. We attended the pooja performed by Senthil Adigalar in his house. His immaculate attention-to-detail and pleasant manners were appealing and we ensured that we profited most from it. Though plans were made to visit Palani Andavar temple in Palani, the body refused to co-operate. Besides, the fickle weather ensured that we spent our time indoors. We met Mr Senthil, an acquaintance from a previous Naturopathy Camp. He took us in his Car towards Kodaikkanal. The drive was very pleasant and we saw the mist cover engulfing the mountains and us. As it started to rain, we returned back to Murugan Ji’s place. The Cyclone Thane had crossed and we were assured that buses would ply to Chennai. Murugan Ji accompanied us till the end. Rare are the people of such qualities! The bus started its journey to Chennai and soon we were overcome by sleep……
“Malaiyorum veesum kaatru, manasodu paadum paattu ketkutha ketkutha” was timely and inviting, but as we searched through the window panes, we could only identify Kathipara Bridge. Mmmmmm, time to go back to the daily chores!!!
As I look back, perhaps, I should have –
stayed in the hamlet itself and encountered a rendezvous with pachyderm,
played more games in our alternative boarding place at the Residential School,
learnt to do more asanas correctly,
visited more unexplored relics,
exchanged more views with colleagues,
spent more time on contemplation,
experienced more of nature,...
Let bygones be bygones. These are just sweet remnant lingering of an already satiated yesterday lying beneath the surface as cinders of clinging hope, for an inclusion in wish list, to revisit in future.
How am I to benefit from the Naturopathy Camp?
“Sow an act, you reap a habit; sow a habit, you reap a character; sow a character, you reap a destiny”.
Pure natural food was served on the Camp during our stay. It may not be possible to replicate it in our daily lives. To start with, I resolved to consume natural food at least once in a day. The act may soon become a habit and progressively, will increase the intake of natural food periodically, depending on the circumstances. In course of time, I might feel comfortable with and start relying on natural vegetables and fruits more than the present conventional cooked food. After all, Rome was not built in a day. There is also has an added advantage. Preparation and serving of food is at variance from place to place. During travel, most of us do not relish the food which does not conform to ‘our’ taste; further, it might also aggravate our bodily ailments. Natural food has universal taste and by regular intake of fruits and vegetables we might cease to complain about food and become a ‘universal citizen’ and get along everywhere without affecting the body and mind.
What have I experienced?
Experience cannot be aptly described in words. Erudite rendition may never capture the secret of heart, for, as ordinary humans, we do not always see the point of intersection between our inner and outer lives. Trips, such as these, bring forth the harmony in existence between the two and if properly utilised, we can find an alignment. It is at these times that the nature reveals that it actually holds no secrets and is ever willing to reveal them. ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’. If we are prepared to see, we acquire a deservingness, which, in turn, enables us to demystify one or a few knots of this marvellous Universe. And, quite rarely, you come up with something as I have tried to capture in the seemingly unnecessary beginning part of this article.
If this is the Divya Sparsha, the Eternal Divine Touch, yes, I was fortunate to taste a miniscule portion of nectar from that finer and subtle Eternity!
கடைசி வரியை என்னால் இயன்ற வரையில் தமிழாக்கியதில்:
இதுதான் அந்த எல்லையற்ற இறைமைத் தன்மையின் தெய்வீகத் தீண்டலா? ஆம் எனில் அந்த வேரறியாத பரம்பொருளின் ஆராவமுதத் துளிகளில் ஒன்றிரண்டை ருசித்துப் பார்க்க எனக்கு கிடைத்த ஒரு அரும்பெரும் வாய்ப்பாக இந்த பயணத்தைக் கருத இடம் இருக்கிறது.
(நிறைவு)
அன்பிற்கினிய திரு.கே.நாகராஜன்.
உங்கள் அன்பான ஆதரவுக்கும், தொடர் பங்களிப்பிற்கும் எனது இதய நன்றி.
அறிவிப்பு: மேலும் சில அன்பர்கள் தங்கள் அனுபவங்களைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வதாக கூறி இருக்கிறார்கள்.
- அஷ்வின்ஜி.
(ஒரு சிறு இடைவெளிக்குப் பின்னர் அனுபவப் பகிர்வுகள் தொடரும்)
